This focaccia is the perfect complement for yesterday’s veal meatballs. If you use happen to have a bread maker to do the heavy lifting on the mixing and kneading, you’ll spend no time at all (okay, well, mere minutes) getting this bread on the table. The bread will be soft, just the right amount of chewy, just the right amount of crispy, with a little bit of spice from the red pepper flakes. If you manage to have any leftover, it makes a great match with my eggs baked in prosciutto the next morning. (more…)

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Bread, Italian by Courtney

One of the best things about my Morocco trip was the breakfast my husband and I enjoyed every morning. Of course, it was the posh riad breakfast, and probably not indicative of the everyday person’s breakfast in Morocco, but it was lovely. Breakfast started most mornings with a fruit salad and yogurt, with coffee and hot milk also brought along in separate carafes and a glass of fresh squeeze orange juice. The sugar cubes were shaped like bees and hearts, which spoke to my whimsical side. The fruit salad is something I will have to try recreating. It consisted of strawberries, apples, and bananas, which were all covered in sweet, sweet Moroccan orange juice. When we get back to the States I definitely plan on starting my own batch of yogurt culture again as well, because the homemade yogurt is so much more mild than what can be found at the store (yes, even better than my beloved Fage). (more…)

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Breakfast, Moroccan, World traveller by Courtney

La Cucina Italiana has become one of my favorite magazines to be inspired by. While paging through one of their issues, I stumbled upon this recipe for a fondue laced with grappa, and I knew I must make it. I love fondue – the cheese, the dipping – it’s all so fun. Convincing my husband to eat a large bowl of cheese for dinner is a bit complicated, so this recipe was perfect! He’s a grappa fiend, and the suggested side of walnut bread would reel him in too. I was right, when I said the words “grappa fondue with walnut bread”, it was met with an, “ooooh!!”. (more…)

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Appetizers, Bread, Dinner, Italian, Vegetarian by Courtney

For Christmas I received a bread maker from the husband. After many failed attempts to make bread on my own, I guess he decided I needed a little help! It’s been wonderful, and I’ve been making wheat bread almost every week, thus there’s been an increase in the amount of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches I’ve been eating (oh how I love PB&J!).

This weekend, however, I decided to branch out and try something new. A good friend gave me a cookbook for Christmas, Modern Spice, which I’ve been dying to try some recipes out of. Of course, when I saw the curry bread, I was really excited to try making it in my new bread maker; I’d get to use two new toys at once!! (more…)

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Bread, Indian, Vegetarian by Courtney

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.

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Comfort food, miscellany, Vegetarian by Courtney