One of my favorite parts of going home again is not only the traditional Southern cuisine, such as country ham and biscuits and gravy, but having my family cook some of my favorites, such as Spaghetti and Meatballs. Having spaghetti and meatballs at Dad’s house means perfectly portioned meatballs by Dad, and yummy cheesy bread by his wife Mary (who also makes the spaghetti sauce and spaghetti for the Spaghetti and Meatballs).

The bread is, in one word, addictive. It’s a sandwich roll, buttered, garlicked (garlic powder), and a liberal amount of mozzarella cheese is added between the slices. They’re baked until the cheese and butter is melted, and the bread is a bit crunchy on the edges. The result is something that is in no way, shape, or form good for you, but you don’t care, because it is so damn tasty. And it’s a splurge that I get once or twice a year, so there’s no way I’m giving it up anytime soon.

Filed under:
Comfort food, miscellany, Vegetarian by Courtney

One of the things I discovered in Japan was my love of boiled tofu for breakfast. What once sounded slimy, bland, and rather disgusting is now a craving that must be fed. So on a recent trip to the Japanese grocery, I picked up a few items to make this morning meal part of my routine.

First and foremost, there’s the tofu itself. I picked up some soft tofu blocks, as my local grocery often will only have firm or extra firm. Then there are the toppings. Some toasted seaweed and bonito flakes were unique items I needed from the Japanese grocery, because ginger, scallions, and soy sauce are kept on hand at my house already. (more…)

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Breakfast, Dairy free, Gluten free, Japanese, Vegan, Vegetarian, World traveller by Courtney

A few weekends ago I finally got around to making my own sukiyaki from a recipe in a new cookbook, Japanese Hot Pots. When we had this for the first time in Japan, I loved the social nature of the meal, chattering as we plopped in the ingredients, the discussion of whether or not the individual pieces were ready for eating yet. It was a lot of fun, and something I so wanted to recreate.

So I did, and it was so much easier than I anticipated! I headed to the Japanese grocer to pick up the ingredients, which did lend a hand in the ease of this meal (my beef was already sliced to the perfect thickness – though you could easily get everything you need at your normal grocery and take the time to slice your own). This was fun in itself, as I got to wander the aisles, seeing what new treasures this grocery had to offer (dried sardines with sticky sweet soy sauce was one!). (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Japanese, World traveller by Courtney

After a very blessed Thanksgiving with plentiful food on the table, I have a few leftovers in the fridge, and I’m not just talking about dressing and turkey. The Stuffed Pumpkin I made only needed half of a butternut squash, so today I’m faced with what to do with that other half.

Luckily, this is a pretty easy conundrum for me to face. One of my favorite ways to cook butternut squash is to roast it with a bit of salt until tender, then coat it with an oil flavored with pancetta and red chilis. And what goes better with pancetta then sea scallops? So I did a quick pan fry of those with just a little salt and pepper, and voila! Thanksgiving leftovers that weren’t very Thanksgiving at all.

Filed under:
Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Quick and Easy, Thanksgiving by Courtney

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Filed under:
Thanksgiving by Courtney