Hello, all! This is my first post on A Cookable Feast in a year and a half, and writing it admittedly felt daunting at first. But now, as I put the finishing touches on it, I’m feeling very happy to be back.
After blogging pretty consistently on here for almost three years, I hit a wall in early 2018. I posted only twice that year and not at all in 2019 – despite establishing a goal for myself in the beginning of that year to post recipes monthly!
I created and photographed this Tuscan Kale, Cannellini, and Prosciutto Salad recipe in 2018. I meant to post it in 2019 – and then earlier this year, when it was more seasonally appropriate. A salad made with prosciutto, kale, Parmesan cheese, and a maple balsamic dressing doesn’t exactly scream spring, does it? But I decided to post it now because I’ve been really wanting to get back into blogging here – and given the extra time I have on my hands due to life-impacting world events, I figured I really have no excuse to get this up.
Spicy Avocado Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries, you are my new favorite! XOXOXO
Have you ever found yourself in a love affair with a food that you were previously all like “meh” about? That pretty much sums up my relationship with ground turkey. I once scoffed at it as a subpar substitute for ground beef and all its flavorful, red-meaty, fat-saturated goodness. Because I love to eat clean, but red meat and I are like this! My loyalty to it is fierce. We are bonded together in a Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque pact.
I could seriously be on the vegan+red-meat diet, if that were a thing. Just me, fruits, veggies, and a ribeye steak from an ethically-raised cow – YUMMM. Ground turkey wouldn’t have been invited to our island before my recent revelation.
Then I visited Detroit restaurant Central Kitchen and Bar (an experience highlighted in this post on my other blog, 100 Places in the D), where its blackened turkey burger invoked me. I mean, a turkey burger coated in blackening seasoning and topped with avocado, sweet peppers, and muenster cheese was not your typical humdrum turkey burger. I needed to keep an open mind and give ground turkey another try, right?
OK, I know Mondays aren’t especially happy for many of us. I hear you! But you know what will make your Monday so, SO much better? A whole chicken just out of the oven, all golden and crispy-skinned, on a bed of potatoes and onions tender-roasted in the drippings – YUMMMMM.
There are few things better in life, in my opinion, than fresh-roasted chicken. I stand over it at the stove, ripping pieces off of the still piping-hot bird, burning my fingers, dipping the pieces in the buttery pan drippings . . . THE BEST.
Hello, all! Happy Thanksgiving!!!
This is historically my favorite holiday; I hold many rich memories around Thanksgiving. For one, there is our big Detroit holiday tradition, the 90th annual America’s Thanksgiving Parade! I have it on the telly as I am typing. The actual parade hasn’t started as of yet, but I am already all warm and fuzzy inside from the coverage I’ve seen so far, because I’ve been watching it every year of my life that I can remember. All kinds of pleasant childhood memories are summoned, of waking up to my mother preparing a turkey and other Thanksgiving goodies with the parade on in the background. My family hosted Thanksgiving for a number of years.
Hello, all! Happy August!
I cannot believe how quickly the summer has passed. I created and photographed this recipe back in April. WAH WAH. This summer has been nuts for me, and August will be similarly as busy – but in a great way. I’ve got an upcoming trip to Nashville, a birthday celebration for a dear friend, a Tigers baseball game, and the wedding of another dear friend (with the reception in a lovely rustic barn!) to look forward to. And I’ve quit the second job I’d taken on for the summer, so there will soon be more space and time in which to refine the several actually warm-weather-themed recipes I’ve had in the works – hopefully before August is over!
It’s getting warmer, you guys! Spring has arrived to the Northern Hemisphere! Huzzah!
Here in Southeast Michigan, the early days of spring can often feel like what I’ve termed “Winter Lite.” Consistently warmer weather can take a while to get here; snow – at least a few whimpering, amount-to-nothing flakes – can be expected as far into spring as the end of April. So hearty meals such as this spicy sausage and sweet potato chili are still on the agenda for me.
After creating my Pine Nut and Parsley Pesto with Grape Tomatoes and Italian Farro recipe a few weeks ago, I was anxious to create another dish using this chewy, pasta-like grain. I also had just picked up a few cartons of some lovely grape tomatoes at my favorite Italian market and was really, really excited to use them (tomato season is here again – yay!). So I created this Italian Farro with Sausage, Grape Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts recipe.
I got the idea to create a shepherd’s pie with a Mediterranean influence by brainstorming about some of the ingredients that traditionally comprise the dish and wondering what I had in my pantry that I could swap for them. “Well, lentils are sort of round, and I have those,” I mused, thinking about what could be a legitimate substitute for corn and peas, two typical components. Not that similarity in shape is necessarily any indication of a sound substitution!
It was Easter Sunday, a mild, early-spring evening – not exactly the setting that inspires the creation of a traditionally cold-weather recipe. But I really wanted to put the butternut squash languishing in my refrigerator and my last three sweet potatoes to use. So this butternut squash and sweet potato soup was born.