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Pistachio. Ice cream.
You heard me. Homemade pistachio ice cream. And it couldn’t be easier! Unless you decide to by whole pistachios that are not already shelled… Let me set the stage for you. We’re walking around Trader Joe’s on a very busy Saturday afternoon. People are shoving us left . . . → Read More: Pistachio Ice Cream Remember that time I made soft pretzels? They were good. They were really, really good.
Some of my friends had the genius idea to turn them into pretzel bites. And who doesn’t love finger food?! So when I came across this recipe - pizza pretzel bites – it would not be an exaggeration to say that I squealed a little with delight and quickly informed John that I had to make them. Like now. And by “now”, I meant the upcoming weekend. And I did.
And they were delicious! These definitely require a bit of prep, but it’s so worth it. Again, not exaggerating. Continue reading Pizza Pretzel Bites Are you ready for the simplest salsa recipe ever?
Not only does it call for canned tomatoes (don’t be a skeptic — this makes your life super easy!), but other than a little knife work, everything gets thrown into a food processor, pulsed a few times, and that’s it. That’s the whole recipe. Combine ingredients, pulse, chill for an hour, eat. I realize this has nothing to do with the big game that’s taking place this weekend… but I made vanilla extract! It’s not much to be proud of, really. It took me all of 30 seconds to throw together. Combine sliced vanilla beans and plain vodka in a container. Store in a warm place and give the bottle a shake daily. In two months (or thereabouts), you’ll have the most intense vanilla extract ever.
Here it is on day 1:
Two months later:
A little darker, a lot more intense, and ready to contribute to many baked goods here at Tasty Retreat! And the best part? Whenever you run low, just top off the bottle with more vodka. I can’t believe I had never made this before. Not bad for a 30 second recipe, eh? Well, 30 seconds plus two months. It happened again. I had a weird, inexplainable craving for buffalo chicken wings. Of course, at the same time I was also wanting eggplant parmesan and chocolate cake, but in the end the buffalo chicken won out. I think I’m just excited for the Super Bowl (read: excited for Super Bowl eating!).
This tastes exactly like you might expect. Chickeny, cheesey, spicy, pasta goodness. If you’re looking for a unique dish to highlight at your Super Bowl party next week, switch out the buffalo wings with some other flavor combination (these baked parmesan and garlic wings ought to do the trick) and make buffalo chicken lasagna, instead! Is anyone else confused by this uncharacteristically warm winter? We received a few inches of snow this past weekend, then yesterday it was 50 and sunny. On the plus side, all the snow has melted. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say warmer days were coming. But of course I know better. This dish is delightful. It’s light, but intensely flavored by the warm tomatoes and fresh rosemary. And ready in 20 minutes! Talk about an easy, healthy, weeknight meal. Sautéed chicken with a light tomato pan sauce? Sign me up! I nailed this, guys.
The assignment was to eat more veggies, right? I wouldn’t go substituting these fritters for fresh greens every day of the week, but a little indulgence (read: oil) once in a while is never a bad thing! Also, they’re damn tasty. I’ve rearranged a few priorities in my life. First, I’m eating more vegetables. Kale, squash… those are both great. Second, I’m trying to consume less fatty cuts of meat. In this tart, I opt to use pancetta over bacon. It’s the healthy choice. Third, I’m eating more butter. Making this tart dough on a regular basis is definitely a good life choice. Alright, this last one should probably be removed from my priority list. Baby steps. Anyway, I’m starting off the new year with a healthy perspective, and from here on out I’ll try to cut back on things like sweets and fried foods. Promise.
…except for the recipe I’ll post in a few days about zucchini fritters. Is it still considered bad if you’re frying up veggies?!
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