By Ari, on January 14th, 2012%
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?!
Continue reading Kale, Taleggio, and Butternut Squash Tart
By Ari, on November 19th, 2011%
By Ari, on November 16th, 2011%
It’s that time again. Time to start posting (or reading about) your favorite Thanksgiving recipes! And this one? It’s a keeper.
 Continue reading Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding
By Ari, on October 18th, 2011%
I have to admit that even though I hungrily consumed a large bowl of this pasta for dinner last night, I may have snuck into the fridge to grab another bite or two while John was at the gym…
Thank you, eggplant caponata, for contributing to my closet eating behavior. (Perhaps I should have gone to the gym, too.)
 Continue reading Eggplant Caponata Pasta
By Ari, on October 12th, 2011%
Do you ever have days where everything that can possibly go wrong does go wrong? I was having one of those days. In my kitchen.
To start, the cippolini onions I purchased a few days before were either soft and squishy or had a nice layer of mold on them. (I began with 12 onions and, after weeding through them, was left with 2 1/2.)
Furthermore, the puff pastry dough I placed in the fridge to defrost was still completely frozen when I opened it.
And while I can’t remember what the third thing was, it really upset me.
I almost gave up on making lunch. Hubby jokingly suggested I have a glass of wine (that’s never a joke!) and calm down. With wine in hand, I just threw a bunch of stuff together. You could say the inspiration for this was an hors d’oeuvre that was served at our wedding: raspberry and brie wrapped in phyllo dough. I’ve substituted apricot for raspberry, St. Andre cheese for brie, puff pastry for phyllo, and added some fresh thyme. Other than that, they’re basically one and the same.
Continue reading St. Andre and Apricot Tart
By Ari, on October 7th, 2011%
Last week, my friend from high school, Jess, shared a butternut squash lasagna recipe with me. It took all of thirty seconds for me to turn to John and tell him I was making it the next weekend.
My biggest issue with lasagna is the massive quantity of cheese that usually accompanies it. I love cheese — adore it, can’t live without it — but let’s not pretend it’s healthy. And while we’re not pretending, who wants to substitute fat-free cheese that isn’t going to melt in their lasagna? Not this girl. Therefore, we don’t see too many lasagnas ’round these parts.
So yes, this recipe an indulgence, but it’s every bit as delicious as it sounds. And once in a while, a big slice of cheesey gooey wonderful lasagna ain’t bad. (If it helps, I substituted part-skim ricotta, which tastes just as good as the whole milk variety.)
The recipe below for the butternut squash filling is pretty basic. You could add any number of ingredients to the squash before puréeing it to enhance the flavors, though.
- Sautéed apples
- Roasted onions
- Crushed hazelnuts
- Additional herbs
… and if you use store-bought pasta, this comes together quickly. I apparently have to do things the hard way (which is usually the very tasty way), so I made a few sheets of fresh sage pasta. Do I regret it? Not at all.
I was too busy rolling out pasta and stealing bites of the squash purée to take pictures. Apologies.
Here’s the final product:
 Continue reading Butternut Squash Lasagna
By Ari, on August 30th, 2011%
Looking for other ways to use up leftover pesto? This is the perfect side dish.
Looking for other ways to use up beautiful summer tomatoes before the season ends? This is the perfect side dish.
Do you like Parmesan cheese? This is the perfect side dish.
 Continue reading Roasted Tomatoes with Arugula Pesto
By Ari, on August 14th, 2011%
This is another one of those “happy accident” meals. When I began preparing dinner, I had no idea my vegetable rollatini would turn into a baked pasta-less lasagna. As I was grilling the veggies, I realized that they were all either too short or too thin to reasonably wrap around the filling. Instead of assembling rollatini that I presumed would fall apart almost immediately, I layered everything in a large baking dish. The result was a substantial and filling vegetarian dish that I’m certain will be making the rounds in our meal rotation.
 Continue reading Grilled Vegetable No-Pasta Lasagna
By Ari, on August 13th, 2011%
As we get further into August, the nights begin to cool off and the sun sets sooner. Fall is literally just around the corner. Before you know it, I’ll be posting recipes featuring winter squash and brussels sprouts. There’s no denying my happiness over the change of seasons, but I’ll admit I’m going to miss the summer’s produce terribly.
Are you a fan of Greek salad? This guilt-free version is perfect for a light lunch, which is how I consumed it every day this past week. Perhaps this wouldn’t be ideal in the dead of winter, but for summer, it’s a home run.
Continue reading Greek Orzo Salad
By Ari, on May 30th, 2011%
I just got back from Northampton, MA where some of my fabulous girlfriends threw me a lovely bachelorette party (thank you)! Before festivities began, one of my friends and I went to a new-to-me restaurant for brunch where I had an amazing omelette of sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, and goat cheese.
Does that scream “Ari,” or what?!
 Continue reading Tomato, Goat Cheese, and Olive Tart
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