Category Archives: Sidekicks

Tastebud Tango

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Salad Palette pleasers: crunch, sour, sweet, spice, creamy, filling. All of these elements in one dish? By the way, this isn’t even a dish per se. It’s a fantastic salad that I have served at every single barbecue I’ve ever hosted. Yes, I know it’s not summer. I see the snow on the ground, BUT we all need to eat more salads and veggies. Especially since 75% of us will be making the cliche lose weight/get healthy new years resolution in less than a month. So, you can thank me once your taste buds do a lil dance while eating this “boring old salad”. Oh and its gluten-free so you know that’s a fad these days and so this salad is also now chic.

  • 1 avocado, diced (creamy & the binder)
  • 1 cup of corn (defrost in the microwave, starch/filling)
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced (crunchy a tad sweet)
  • 1 lemon or lime (juice only no zest for the tart)
  • 1/2-1 tbsp. tony’s (the Cajun spice, same one used in the salmon Omega 3 recipe…re use of ingredients is kind of the theme here if you haven’t quite caught on! Oh Hi! check out our Instagram to see what the container looks like. Adjust based on taste preference/saltiness)
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • A pinch of dried parsley

Mix and serve cold.
Happy Eating, XO.

Balls, Balls, Balls.

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Perverts, this is a Meatballs 3 different ways recipe. A menage a tois of balls. (Ha sorry I can’t help myself). Anyway, baked or pan seared…you pick your favorite. Chicken, turkey, or pork…you pick your favorite meat (that’s what she said?). OK for real though, the base for the mixture of these meatballs is the same: simple and delicious. The rest, you pick. Swear you can do it, all by your damn delish self.

Fine chop a large Vidalia onion, throw that in the bowl and then throw in Italian breadcrumbs (About a cup) After that add red chili flakes based on your level of spice preference. Lastly, toss in parsley flakes (dried or fresh), salt, black pepper (to taste, I do a pinch each or 1 tsp.) and a tablespoon of minced garlic. (I did 2 tbsp. but I’m crazy for garlic, so ya disclaimer) Crack an egg into the mixture and add your choice of ground meat. Don’t over-work the meat and form balls with your hands. I try to wet my hands with olive oil when doing this so the meat slides right off. (Too many jokes, too easy, I’ll take the mature route just this once).

Editor’s Note: Make sure if frying or pan searing that your olive oil is hot enough, but not scorching because the inside will remain raw while the outside burns (medium heat, kids). For baking the oven should be at 350 degrees and the duration will be based on meatball size. (1 lb. of ground meat should yield 6-8 medium-sized meatballs at 15-20 minutes).

Happy Eating, XO.

Foodie Fav: Pomegranate Jeweled Cheeseball

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While perusing the internet one rainy day, we recently came across this awesome food blog – How Sweet It Is. Not only does it have super tasty recipes and a bubbly personality we can’t resist, but she’s also a fellow Pittsburgh-er!

One recipe we just had to share with you is her Pomegranate Jeweled Cheeseball. I mean, just look at it. It’s almost too pretty to eat! (Almost.) And the bonus? Yummy and simple ingredients. We can’t wait to try this for the holidays!

pomegranate-cheeseball-I-howsweeteats.com-3

Happy Eating, XO

Roasted Potatoes

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Barefoot Contessa, or as some of us know her as, Ina Garten is known for simple and casual entertaining. Recently watching her show, I realized she cooks a lot like me. Or shall I say I cook a lot like her (After all she is the famous one, not me). Anyway, she likes roasting. May it be asparagus, zucchini or potatoes, she is a fan and so am I! So here are her roasted potatoes with my own twist!

  • 2 pounds small red or white potatoes
  • 1/8 cup good olive oil (typical Barefoot Contessa, “good”).
  • 1  teaspoon salt (kosher if you are Ina, as for the rest of us whatever is in your shaker is fine. I used sea salt because I adore the stuff).
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (she says this because its coarser than normal black pepper, but either works)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1  teaspoon onion powder (my addition & so yum!) My other suggestion is to shave some parm cheese over when serving, but I am trying to cut calories and since this is already a carby/starchy side, I restrained.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (this is important, I tried to cook with my dessert at 350 degrees and the potatoes didn’t cook as fast or get that crisped up edge so even if you have to take shifts with the oven make sure you do it at the 400 degrees, raw potatoes need a high temp). Cut the potatoes in half or quarters  (the smaller the pieces the quicker they cook) and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Transfer the potatoes to a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer. Roast in the oven for 45 min to 1 hour or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking in order to ensure even browning. (For a change I wasn’t lazy and actually did this, I like mine evenly cooked so I made sure to swing open the oven half way through & toss).

Remove the potatoes from the oven, toss with parsley & onion powder, and serve hot. This serves 4 people. The original recipe is actually for 8 people, but I cut it down to serve with the Fig, Mustard & Pear Champagne Glazed Chicken.

Happy Eating, XO.

Thanksgivukkah Latkes, Oy!

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As we’ve all heard, this year we get a totally new holiday – Thanksgivukkah! Marrying in to a Jewish family, I’ve had my fair share of matzo ball soup, lox with cream cheese bagels and gefilte fish. So this year I thought I’d give the double duty holiday a go and create a traditional Jewish side dish to enjoy along side the turkey. No long spiel here, just a simple nod to the two part holiday!

  • 5 peeled potatoes
  • 2 onions
  • 3 eggs beaten
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 to 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • oil for frying (canola is recommended)

Place all of the peeled potatoes and onions in a food processor (sorry, I know not everyone has a food processor but I promise if you get one it will be sooo worth your while. Christmas is right around the corner!). Pulse until smooth. Drain mixture well and pour mixture into a large bowl. Add beaten eggs, salt, pepper, and enough flour so that the mixture holds together.

Pour about an inch of oil into a large, deep frying pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and carefully drop 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into the hot oil. Flatten the pancake slightly so the center will cook. Fry for several minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and you’re ready to nosh!

Mazel Tov!