finding time for cooking | for the time-starved or curious culinary adventurer

Basil Gin Gimlet Cocktail

September 18, 2020

Apparently I’m not the only one with a basil gin gimlet on the brain. I hadn’t even heard of them until a couple weeks ago, when I saw an article about them that intrigued me. I created a blog post draft because I have a stupid amount of fresh basil to use.

Then I tried out an awesome new restaurant last weekend and they just so happened to have a basil gimlet on their menu. Serendipity for sure. I tried out my own recipe the next day and I have to say that I AM IN LOVE.

I’ve already talked a little bit about the gimlet cocktail in my French gimlet post…this is an herbaceous twist on the tart and boozy classic and it’s perfect for this time of year. READ THE POST

Melty Cheesy Zucchini Baked Pasta

September 7, 2020

This zucchini baked pasta is the perfect recipe for those lazy hot days of summer as they start to slide into fall. Not too heavy, packed with bright and silky garlicky zucchini and light ricotta, but oozing with a comforting amount of gooey mozzarella.

The recipe is also super flexible and adaptable, and I did make a couple changes.

I cut back on the fresh mozzarella by a third…partly because I forgot to buy enough, but I ended up finding what I had was MORE THAN plenty. I threw in a small handful of shredded (bagged) mozzarella in the main mixture for good measure and to help bind everything together.

I also used a ton of zucchini—three medium and one ginormous. In case you’re wondering, I made my own pesto (love that fresh basil taste!) but I’m sure a jarred would work fine.

I just needed something indulgent but not *too* unhealthy, and this zucchini ziti fit the bill perfectly.

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Bohemian Cocktail (Gin, Elderflower, & Grapefruit)

August 30, 2020

As someone who has a gin and tonic with grapefruit garnish as my go-to drink, I always end up with peel-less grapefruits that need thrown away. But it’s a shame to throw away all that delicious juice, so I keep my eyes out for a good recipe to use it in…ENTER THE BOHEMIAN COCKTAIL.

What is that, you might ask? I honestly hadn’t heard of it either until recently. It’s a simple gin, elderflower, and grapefruit cocktail that is totally delicious. And that you need to make STAT.

I’ve adjusted the proportions slightly, to amp up the grapefruit a bit and back off the elderflower…to me it balances out the tart and sweet better and keeps it from being too sickly sweet.

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Grilled Margherita Pizza: Simple Perfection

August 22, 2020

I’m quite picky when it comes to pizza. But give me an amazing Naples-style traditional margherita pizza and I am in 100% of the time.

And make that a grilled margherita pizza?? ALL THE YES.

This pizza is perfect in its simplicity…it’s less of a standalone recipe than it is the sum of a few delicious components. The flavor and high heat from the grill help kind of approximate the crazy heat and fire of the traditional woodfire oven.

It takes my favorite pizza dough (or use your own, or store-bought), a no-cook tomato sauce that takes literally two minutes to make, some fresh mozzarella, and some freshly-grated parmesan.

You can whip it up on any weeknight, something that always feels like a victory. The real problem for me is that…I’m one person. So I really can’t justify eating tons of pizza, but it’s not good as leftovers, so…

I guess what I’m saying is, my clothes are tight.

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Salmon Potato Hash With Fresh Herbs

August 16, 2020

Some of the best recipes result from trying to use up an ingredient, and that’s definitely the story of this AMAZING salmon and potato hash.

I’d bought a couple giant salmon filets, but the week kind of got away from me and they were smelling stroooong. I was trying to figure out what to do, since throwing $20 worth of salmon away did not appeal. But just eating the filet itself kind of freaked me out. So I decided to just bake it up and figure it out later.

Then I got a brainwave about a salmon and potato hash, since I also had a bunch of red potatoes to use up. After looking up a bunch of recipes nothing struck my fancy, so I just made it up.

And this has become a new fave, a hearty and healthy lunch option that makes great leftovers and is the perfect way to use up leftover salmon.

The recipe is super flexible, so you can add other veggies or adjust the seasonings based on your mood. Just don’t add anything too wet (like fresh zucchini or squash)…it’s meant to be dry and get kind of caramelized.

You’ll actually notice through this recipe that I alternate between two sets of photos. I’ve made this a few times, and once I added in some roasted butternut squash that was just sitting around. Don’t let it confuse you!

To really level it up, serve with some fresh salty feta, goat cheese, or capers, or top with poached or basted eggs. READ THE POST

A French Gimlet Cocktail With Gin

August 8, 2020

I distinctly remember the first time I ever had a French gimlet. I’d been visiting my BFF in L.A. for a pre-bachelorette weekend just the two of us.

We’d been shopping all day for honeymoon necessities, and her (now) husband made us homemade pizzas while we rested our weary feet.

We scarfed pizza and she made us French gimlets…strong, tart, sweet. We had one, then another, then a third.

And then she gave me a steely-eyed long look over the top of her glass, paused for a second, and said, “I can’t drive you to the airport.” Thus began my $60 Uber to LAX…they pack a boozy punch.

What is a French gimlet? It’s basically a regular gimlet, but with the addition of St. Germain liqueur…the elderflower adding a “je ne sais quoi” to the traditional gin and lime juice combo.

I can’t find an exact origin of the cocktail, but the regular gimlet is said to originate from the Royal Navy in the late 1800s or early 1900s as a way to get sailors to take their lime rations and avoid scurvy. SIGN. ME. UP.READ THE POST

Snickerdoodle Banana Bread

August 7, 2020

I have accidentally been keeping this recipe secret waaaaay too long. I know, it’s not the deal we’ve made. So without further ado, I bring you this cinnamon sugar banana bread goodness…that’s right kids, today we’re talking snickerdoodle banana bread!

It’s a long-established fact that I am a sucker for a cinnamon-sugar combo. Seriously. I have a deep, abiding love affair with both cinnamon and almond extract, and I tend to add them to recipes with abandon if I feel it’s warranted.

So it was a no-brainer when I ran across this recipe, was definitely going to happen at some point. And “some point” was definitely going to be during the early days of quarantine.

The original recipe had way too much sugar for my taste, so the biggest change I made to the recipe was backing that off quite a bit. I really like the cinnamon to come through in this banana bread, and the sugar will tend to overpower it if you’re not careful.

With that change made, this bread is basically perfect…not too sweet, warm cinnamon shining through, a ripple of the cinnamon-sugar winding around, and with a really tender crumb.

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How To Baste Eggs: Basted Eggs with Caramelized Shredded Brussels Sprouts

August 1, 2020

What are basted eggs, you ask? Well, friend, prepare to fall in love. It is a super fast and easy way to cook eggs, but strangely flies under the radar. It’s somewhere between fried (which I never ate growing up) and poached (which is complicated and challenging). Basting eggs takes like five minutes total, and you can choose whether the yolks are runny or firm. So let’s talk how to baste eggs.

And then I’ll share a “recipe”…which isn’t really a recipe so much as a meal combination that I stumbled upon many years ago in the throes of desperation, trying to avoid yet another meal of cereal and wine.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

I’ve already shared my love of brussels sprouts, including this delicious, easy caramelized shredded brussels sprouts (and much faster than roasting them in the oven!).

So one night, I had a few brussels sprouts sitting in the fridge I knew I could make up, but that wasn’t going to cut it for dinner. So I decided to baste up some eggs for a protein kick. What was great was how the egg yolk (I like mine on the runny side) mixed in with the brussels sprouts. Think of these brussels sprouts like you would a vegetable hash, a wonderful base for eggs.

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Simple No-Cook Tomato Sauce For Traditional Margherita Pizza

July 26, 2020

Everyone should have a simple pizza sauce in their repertoire, something they can throw together in just a couple minutes from ingredients in their pantry. And for me, there is nothing more perfect in its simplicity than the traditional tomato sauce for margherita pizza.

I’ve been on a grilled pizza kick, both because it’s amazingly delicious, and also because I’ve been trying out all sorts of grilling different techniques to determine once and for all what the best is. And in the process I’ve eaten a loooooott of margherita pizza. So much. But so yumz.

Check out my deep post on how to grill pizza, and the best dough recipe for it!

There are just a handful of ingredients in this super simple pizza sauce recipe, so quality really matters. And all it takes is a quick whiz in the blender, so no heat, no mess, and literally 5 seconds. Then you can make this easy, delicious traditional margherita pizza! READ THE POST

Classic Hummingbird Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

July 22, 2020

This is a true Southern classic—the hummingbird cake. It is sweet and dense and spiced and subtle, with a wonderful lightly-lemony cream cheese frosting. There’s a lot happening, and you need this in your life right now.

What is a hummingbird cake? It’s the ultimate hyphen combo…a banana-pineapple-spice cake. I mean how can you not love that?! Its origins are in Jamaica, and the island eventually used it in a marketing campaign designed to bring visitors there. It’s become a cult classic in the southern U.S., something I’d never even heard of til I lived in Atlanta.

And it is DELISH.

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