Pixelated Crumb

Where have I been, you ask? No, I haven’t fallen off a cliff and, no, I haven’t given up on blogging. The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind of work, school, and play and I’m only just now catching my breath. I was hoping to make some lemon lime basil cookies to take on my trip to Philadelphia last weekend, but at 11:00 pm the night before we were leaving, I discovered that the huge tub of basil we had in the fridge had gone bad. Since it was so late and I was so tired, I just gave up and went to bed instead.

We made the trip down to Philly for my niece’s dedication, and it was a great excuse to get out of Boston and spend time with family. Sophie, my youngest niece, was adorable and her older sister, Amelia, was giddy with excitement with all the family there. Not only did we get to catch up with family and meet my sister-in-law’s newest nephew, but we got to do it over an amazing dinner at Yang Ming, considered by some to be the best Chinese restaurant in the country. The appetizers were outstanding and practically a meal unto themselves, and my jumbo shrimp with honey walnuts was even better than what I got in San Francisco. Who knew Bryn Mawr, PA had such good Chinese food?

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OK everyone, put on your game hat and pull out the tequila ’cause it’s game time! What could possibly be better fare for the Super Bowl than this tequila and lime turkey chili? It’s hearty, it’s meaty, it’s easy, it’s boozy, and it is Deeelicious with a capital D (and some extra “e”s apparently).

I found an adaptation of this chili from America’s Test Kitchen a couple of months ago over on Pink Parsley and I was so enamored with it that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Slow Cooker Revolution, the cookbook that the recipe originates from. Based solely on this recipe (well, and my love of all things America’s Test Kitchen of course), we decided to get this book for my sister-in-law. If anyone could benefit from some slow cooker recipes, it’s the parent of a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old. But personally, I think everyone should have a slow cooker and this cookbook, so I was pretty psyched when we got a copy for Christmas as well.

As much as I love the turkey chili recipe that we came up with a while back, I’m kind of obsessed with the tequila lime chili. We’ve made it several times in the last couple of months and every time I lamented the lack of time to take some pictures, because I really wanted to share it with you. It just seemed criminal not to. Yes, it really is that good. And now we’ve finally had some daylight to shoot some photos, and just in time for the big game! Continue reading

Ok, with that streak of six straight cookie/bar recipes interrupted only by a cocktail recipe still weighing on my conscience, I figured maybe it was about time for something, I don’t know, with a little less butter and sugar. First up was the wild mushroom, zucchini and goat cheese frittata, and now, broccoli cheddar soup. Broccoli cheddar soup, you ask? How can that be healthy? Well, rest assured, it’s not by using 75% reduced fat cheese, because I would never allow such a thing in my kitchen. Nope, this recipe uses good ol’ fashioned delicious and very real cheese. It just uses a litte less than some recipes and uses low fat milk instead of heavy cream.

I adore broccoli cheddar soup, but I never make it or order it out because it just seems so decadent and I’d kind of rather save room for some chocolate cake. So I’m thrilled to have found a recipe that tastes good and doesn’t make me have to stay at the gym an extra hour to work off the calories. The recipe comes from Ellie Krieger, dietician and Food Network star, and creator of many other recipes that I love (such as mac ‘n squash, penne with roasted tomatoes, garlic, and white beans, and Chinese chicken salad). While her show isn’t my favorite (I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but she doesn’t have the best TV personality), I love her recipes. They’re healthy, tasty, and don’t rely on weird diet food products.

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Phew! I can’t believe it’s only been a week since Thanksgiving. I don’t know about you, but I’m still reveling in the memory of all that great food. Since we left all the leftovers (or what remained of them!) back in DC on Monday, Joseph and I have had to fend for ourselves again back in Boston.  We’ve been feeling kind of lazy when it comes to cooking and we’ve been seeking out easy, healthier, vegetarian food to switch things up from all the turkey, gravy, and potatoes last week. This ginger garlic tofu dish is quick and easy, making it one of our absolute favorite standby recipes for busy weeknights.

The original recipe comes from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian, but we’ve made some adaptations to it over the years, perfecting it into what I believe is one spectacular meal that just happens to be vegetarian and easy to make. The two secrets to the dish is that it uses the powdered versions of ginger and garlic (not fresh – they don’t work as well in this dish!) and nutritional yeast.

Ok, ok, I know that nutritional yeast may not have the most enticing name. I had never heard of it before and I was a little surprised when Joseph picked up a huge canister of it back when we first made this.  I was sure the rest of the canister was going to sit unused in a cabinet until we decided to throw it out one day. Little did I know that this dish would become a regular at our table and not only did we finish off that huge canister of nutritional yeast, we had to go out and get another one. It’s nutty, almost cheesy taste is also great on popcorn, and hey, added bonus, it’s loaded with protein and vitamins (especially B-complex vitamins)!

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