Category — Fast and Easy Recipes

It has been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted, but I have great excuses up the wazoo. Our heating system got entirely redone so I had no computer for over a week. I had to throw three parties over the last 10 days AND take a trip to Scottsdale. On top of that, I am creating a life right now, so I think it’s totally OK to slack off around here. Another thing keeping me busy is that I’ve made this recipe about 5 times recently.

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If you read this blog often, you will know that I love putting things in the food processor and I also love Tastespotting. So when I saw this super fast and easy recipe on the Tastespotting blog for kale and walnut pesto, I had to try it.

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I know the words “stew” and “prunes” are not the two sexiest food words, especially in combination, but damn–prunes and pork together, slow-cooked until they’re rich and saucy–I have to tell you, it’s an excellent combination, especially on a cold winter night.

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And now I am going to tell you what to make for breakfast on Christmas morning. With a mere 5 ingredients, 5 minutes of prep, and 25 minutes in the oven, you can have a rich, custardy, puffy, wonderful breakfast on the table.

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It’s gray and dull outside, so I felt like sharing a colorful rainbow today.

I don’t understand why, but if you make rice krispy treats with Fruity Pebbles cereal instead of Rice Krispies, people will act like you are a genius. Kids, adults, whatever- it amazes them that you thought of this. And I think they taste quite a bit more exciting than run-of-the-mill krispy treats!

Here’s how you make them: Make the original, standard Rice Krispy treats recipe, but use Fruity Pebbles instead. That’s it. I stacked these wedding cake-style with parchment rounds in between to make them seem fancy. You can use Cocoa Pebbles if you prefer, or even a mix of Cocoa Pebbles and Rice Krispies, but they won’t have quite the visual wow factor that only a sugary cereal’s neon food dyes can offer!

Lately I’ve been cuckoo for hot cocoa. Maybe it’s the fall chill in the air, maybe it’s the dewy nights, or maybe I just like milky, sugary, chocolate bombs delivered in hot liquid form. No matter the reason, I decided it would be wise to stop spending 3 bucks a day on ho-hum coffee shop cocoa and just make my own. This is cheaper and better, it’s not nearly as cloyingly sweet, and it takes all of about 2 minutes. It’s quick without the Qwik!

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As much as I hate unnecessary quotation marks, I can’t think of any other term for this. The process is so simple, with a little time on the stovetop and the bulk of the time in the oven, and yet the texture comes out closer to risotto than anything else. More good news: it’s almost impossible to overcook it, too.

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In San Francisco, we suffer through a cold and foggy July and August  in anticipation of the warm, sunny Indian summer days that arrive during September and October. While our East Coast counterparts are thinking about pulling out winter coats and boots, in the Bay Area we’re just breaking in our shorts and flip-flops to soak up these late-arriving rays. The heirloom tomatoes are perfectly ripe and the sun is out, so what better time to make cool, creamy gazpacho?

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This is so good that I can’t wait to share it with you- I’m still eating it as I type. It only takes about 5 minutes to make, and I think as long as watermelon is in season, I might have to eat it every day.

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I’m a big fan of pureed cauliflower as a side dish (in fact, I posted a recipe for it  recipe for it pretty recently.) Sometimes a big bowl of white mush isn’t what I’m after, so I thought I’d try to add some color and some nutritional value by combining it with sweet potatoes. Roasting all of the vegetables together in the oven with cumin and olive oil is easy and low-maintenance, and adds a bit of that caramelized flavor to the end product. A few times around the food processor with Greek yogurt and you’ll have a creamy, satisfying side dish in no time.

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