When I saw this recipe, it just screamed “Spring!!!” at me. Fresh artichokes, veal, carrots, citrus, and a bit of cream. Just heavy enough to break the chill of a spring evening, but light enough to not weigh you down as you’re moving into the warmer months. With Easter just around the corner, I thought it would be the perfect time to post this special meal that takes a little bit of time, but shines so beautifully on the dinner table and is the perfect meal to serve family style that it is worth it! (more…)

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Dinner, Gluten free, Gourmet, Italian, Sunday Suppers, Wine pairings by Courtney

I just got back from visiting the lands of one of my favorite cuisines, Morocco. I love the wealth of spices nearly every Moroccan dish contains, so of course I fell in love with my Food of Morocco cookbook long ago. I was very excited to find that the foods I ate there proved the recipes I had cooked over the years true to the cuisine. Of course, it was a bit better there (an understatement!), with the super-fresh spices abounding from shop after shop after shop.

Moroccan meatballs are something I had cooked previous to owning my cookbook, however, and have long been a favorite of mine. I’ve tried the addition of egg on occasion, and it makes for an über-rich and decadent dinner. This was hands down my favorite meal the entire time we were in Morocco. (more…)

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Appetizers, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Moroccan, Quick and Easy, World traveller by Courtney

Butter lettuce is one of my weaknesses. I’m not much of a greens girl most days, but when I see the big heads of butter lettuce show up in the store as spring is springing (or, when it begins to fill out in my garden), I get the urge to make lettuce wraps of all types. Since I’ve been trying to focus on working more vegetables into my diet, I decided to try a recipe for red lentil köfte that looked delicious in A Chef’s Travels through Turkey. The recipe called for serving in bits of romaine lettuce leaf, but I think the butter lettuce is far superior.

What are köfte you might ask? (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Lunch, Mid Eastern, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

One of the things I find funny is when people downplay copying something instead of creating your own. Especially those who eschew following a recipe. I’ve learned a lot from my family and have a number of “recipes” that are simply a bit of this, a dash of that, until it looks right, smells right, tastes right. I have a number of recipes that I’ve created, and as you know from reading this blog, I follow quite a lot of recipes too. And there’s nothing wrong with that, because I’ve learned a lot of techniques and flavor combinations I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

Let’s take spaghetti as a for instance. (more…)

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Dinner by Courtney

As the weather cools down, I’m starting to crave comfort foods. Chili, beef bourguignon, and especially spaghetti with meatballs. Queue up the Godfather, because this is a recipe I’ll be making again soon.

One of my favorite places to find recipes is Williams-Sonoma, and once I saw Spaghetti with Stuffed Meatballs, I knew I had to make it. I thought about it for months, never getting around to it, then by the time I decided to take the plunge, I was afraid it was so played up in my mind that it would never live up to my expectations. I was wrong! (more…)

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Comfort food, Dinner, Italian by Courtney