Hey people!
So, it's June.
When did that happen?
I guess time flies when it's always sunny and you're often drunk. Or something?

Speaking of drunk-- you should probably crack a beer and make this queso. Doesn't it look melty and gooey and cheesy and stupendous?
Do you believe it's vegan? I sure didn't. And I made it.

A while back I told you about buffalo cauliflower and the wonderful people at Follow Your Heart. Today I'm armed with two more recipes utilizing their products that would be an excellent addition to your next party.

So, I mean, full disclosure here: I'm a carnivore. That won't be changing anytime soon.
But-- I'm also completely able to eat gluten, but a vast majority of what you'll find on here is gluten free. My fiancé is allergic to wheat, so I plan around him.

If you have a vegan loved one, you should plan around them sometimes. Don't be a steak-eating-dick and offer them a side of burnt, grilled vegetables when they stop by your barbecue.

Offer them the queso you made for everyone that just happens to be vegan! I can assume they'll be quite grateful and you'll have just gone from would-be asshole to party hero. Do it.

You should also make the chipotle bean dip below, too, to further solidify that hero status. This stuff was great for dipping veggies but would also make a great addition to a sandwich, taco, et cetera.

Let's get on to the snacks, shall we?

Happy Friday everybody.

I had a weird week. And I'm currently making bacon and potato tacos for dinner, after spending an afternoon frosting cupcakes.

I didn't see my week going this way, but I'm not mad about it in the least.
Every moment in my kitchen is a pretty delicious blessing, not going to lie.

So I'll keep cooking, and eating, and telling you all about it for a while.
Cool? Cool. Thanks.

Maybe you're like me, and buy lots of produce on a Sunday with lofty goals. Maybe, also like me, you buy a dozen eggs because you think I'll eat hard boiled eggs for breakfast because PROTEIN. Or sometimes I'm going to BAKE something!

But then, sure enough, you wake up Saturday morning and you're like I have twelve eggs and yogurt and all this green shit that I thought I would eat sooner.





So that's when you make a frittata, dear people. I love me a frittata (can you tell?)

I've made some great friends since moving to LA.
A big part of leaving Boston was knowing I wouldn't see my people on a regular basis. There was a six month or so stint there, living in Dorchester, when my BFF Courtney would just drop by on her way home from law school every night. She'd have been in traffic for hours, and just needed to get out of her car (or sometimes use my bathroom. Especially when she was pregnant.) and would stay for an hour, just shooting the shit with me while I made dinner.

While no one will ever replace my Boston friends, my social circle in Southern California has added some pretty awesome people in the past year, and it makes living here all the more enjoyable. One such friend is Oscar, a former client turned buddy who recently started working for the awesome Vegan product brand Follow Your Heart. He came by one afternoon, armed with some product samples, and we tested drove some delicious veggie-heavy recipes. Even for the most carnivorous of us (my fiancé Fazekas, obviously) we agreed the snacks were as delicious as they were satisfying.

I must admit, we have been hitting the Thai takeout pretty hard these days. When we don't feel like cooking, and aren't in the mood for tacos (which doesn't happen very often, to be honest) Matt's go-to menu item is almost always Pad Thai, his favorite gluten-free luxury in a world of hidden soy sauce. This Thai trend, for a moment, encouraged me to step out of my drunken-noodles comfort zone and discover Tom Kha Gai soup.

Hello!
Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving yesterday!

I had intended to post this as a side option for old turkey day, but obviously didn't get around to it. However, as I type there are about three pounds of leftover produce in my fridge just begging to be cooked. So, if you have leftover Brussels sprouts like me, this is a great variation that you probably didn't have yesterday.

I wanted to call these "Italian" Brussels sprouts because of the ricotta and prosciutto, but I am quite obviously a ginger, and have no idea if that would necessarily constitute these being "italian". They most certainly are cheesy, though, so we went with that.

Without further ado! Whip up some of these guys when you get home from shopping today. If you have simple leftover Brussels sprouts from yesterday in your leftover pile, those would work just fine, too. The biggest takeaway here is-- just because yesterday is over, doesn't mean the good eats have to be, too. Enjoy.

Let's cut to the chase, here.
If you show up at a relative's tomorrow, immediately immersed in the smell of a glorious turkey over which they've been slaving all day, and you are toting something that involved opening a can of soup in the "recipe," you're an asshole.
I'm sorry.
It's 2013. We're past this. Make something with fresh produce (I grabbed these at the last farmer's market of the year at Dewey Square yesterday. Le sadz) and interesting ingredients and not the same casserole nonsense people have had in their arms while ringing doorbells since 1971.
If your family is adventurous with their food and not too terrified of spice, this is a great call. If not, the forthcoming "Italian" Brussels sprouts, baked with prosciutto, parmesan and ricotta, are a delicious call, too.
Just, whatever you do, don't show up empty handed, or with something that sucks.
Your family will thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Friday, my dear people.
What're you doing when you wake up tomorrow?
Cooking your sig' o a delicious and unexpected feast with things you didn't even realize you had on hand?
Yup.

Whenever I have potatoes in the pantry, which is quite often in the fall and winter, my weekend morning go-to is hash. It's a fantastic way to clean out your fridge and fill your belly for a day of drinking proactive activities! This time I happened to have broccoli rabe and some endive in my crisper, along with (of course) some bacon kicking around.

This came together quick, was mostly hands-off, and filled us up for a day of drinking quality time!

I've mentioned a few times, round these parts, that my best friend's husband owns a food truck. Mei Mei Street Kitchen is, of course, my favorite roving eatery in Boston these days. After a bang up first year and tons of press coming their way; Andy, Mei and Irene have decided to move on to bigger, brick and mortar things. Their first restaurant is in the works as I type, and I couldn't be happier.

In the meantime, I get my Mei Mei fix once a week when their truck is at Dewey Square. One of their biggest sellers, the "magical kale salad" is my absolute favorite thing. They combine local kale and sea salt feta with crunchy panko breadcrumbs, then toss a poached-then-fried egg on top. It's glorious, and the most satisfying lunch ever.

Desperate to duplicate the magic, and armed with farmer's market smoked salmon from a local dude, I put my own spin on this hearty salad. This was delectable. The trick is quality fish, super-fresh greens, and a perfectly poached egg. The only real work is cooking the egg, making this a perfect weeknight meal or quick lunch.

We're big fans of potato salad in my house.
With Matt being allergic to wheat, I am keenly aware of just how often pasta salad is the staple side at summer barbecues. And while I love me some pasta, in any form, I try my best when I cook at home to include my gluten-free-refugee-fiancé (just rolls off the tongue, no?)

This has resulted in the quest for the ultimate potato salad all summer long. I love different variations using produce like corn or, here, radishes and peppers. The jalapeños are from our garden, which makes it even closer to my heart.

The cilantro-mayo-yogurt combo on this is an unexpected pleasant surprise. Bring along to your next cookout--your gluten-free friends will thank you.

One of my most favorite things about summers in Boston is the Farmer's Market that pops up by my office in Dewey Square on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Running from May through right before Thanksgiving, the plaza on the Greenway features fresh produce from local farms (Kimball Fruit Farm is my fave), pasture-raised meat, caught-that-morning seafood, and delicious baked goods from places like When Pigs Fly and the Swiss Bakers.  That amazing-looking pretzel roll, above, is from the latter. Swiss Bakers have spots at farmer's markets all across Boston during the summer, and just opened another location (in addition to their original spot in Reading) in Allston. Check them out, if possible. This bread is worth the journey.

Here in New England, asparagus season is much too short. These green guys being one of my most favorite vegetables, I pick them up at our local farmer's market every chance I get. Most often, we will grill or steam them and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice-- but I try to switch it up, too (I also love asparagus on pizza and tossed in with a breakfast hash).

A little while ago, I took a pretty neat condiment making course at the BCAE. Richard and Katie, a soon-to-be husband-and-wife chef duo behind catering company The Skinny Beet, showed us how to make a few classic condiments with some unexpected twists. Some highlights were a smoky barbecue sauce and a spicy-yet-sweet mango habanero hot sauce. This spicy ketchup, however, was my by far my most favorite.

I was fortunate enough to snatch a few jars to bring home when class ended, and since I've been putting ketchup on anything and everything I can. We've played around with bacon wrapped asparagus a few times in this house-- on the grill, in the oven, and here on the stove top. The secret, it seems, is not touching the damn things while they cook. These turned out pretty great. The perfect vehicle for my new favorite condiment.

One of my favorite meals to make is breakfast.
For the most part, there is always a surplus of bacon in our fridge.
Usually some eggs.
If I'm lucky, a potato or two is laying around. Maybe some greens or veggies left over from weeknight cooking.
There's never a more gratifying way to clean out the fridge.




A few weeks back, I had picked up a whole giant stalk of Brussels sprouts at the grocery store. They had served as a great side with some grilled steaks earlier in the week, but when I woke up on Saturday, loads of time and champagne on my hands, I knew I had to use up the rest.

As luck would have it, we also had some bacon and a few potatoes lying around. I quickly grabbed my chalk board, got to work, and we eventually ate breakfast around 1PM; Jambox softly blaring the Macklemore, mimosas topped off, still a full day of fun ahead of us.

Happy Weekend, everyone.

I really could have called this post either title.

Since we have been home from the Bahamas, I have been super productive and the weather has actually been quite pleasant. I am rather confidant these two events are in strict correlation. But now, after some snow falling last night and the temperature doing so, sharply, as I type this, I am rather ready to tell January to go screw already.

I just want to blink and have it be St Patrick's Day, in my backyard by the fire pit and friends.
But in the meantime--while I don two pairs of socks just to walk to the T in the morning and still feel my toes--I like to pretend it's already Spring by cranking the heat and using the grill pan. And, most recently, tearing open my newest attachment for my beloved KitchenAid: the ice cream maker. A big thank-you to my brother and sister-in-law for this one. You two have pints of treats in your future.

I made a rather delicious blueberry frozen yogurt first. It was awesome because I made freaking frozen yogurt from scratch. But. It was also icy and kind of not-actually-awesome, or, at least, could definitely be better. It could be as simple as me not churning it long enough. We'll see. So, I'll improve upon that and report back.

Anyway.
The matter at hand.
Is this:

And we're back!
Hope everyone here on the east coast is getting back to their routine. For those of you that can't just yet, hopefully you're reading this from somewhere warm and comfortable. And for those of who can: you may donate via text to the American Red Cross for relief efforts. Every bit helps, as they say.
It's true.

We already covered the hurricane's impact on me (or lack thereof); trapped inside, I decided to cook all the things. It was windy. Ozzie didn't want to pee.

Fazekas posed:



...and that about summed it up!

But prior to the tasty salsa verde I made, I first had tackled the gorgeous orange habaneros we'd grown in the backyard as well, about a week ago.

Alas, I knew I had to find a way to do this without making something simply way too hot for my taste buds (which is relatively uncommon, but those little peppers pack a whopper punch that somewhat terrifies me. Biting into one to confirm it was, in fact, hot did not help. Idiot).

So, I grabbed a lot of heirloom tomatoes (again, Kimball fruit farm. Thanks for being my lunch-hour salvation every Tuesday and Thursday, guys!) and some sweet corn and decided to wing it. It was beautiful out, so I employed the grill to roast everything prior to mixing. The result a just-spicy-enough, hearty, chunky salsa that Matt simply had to fry fresh tortilla chips for. If you're still grilling, give this a go. You'll be glad you did.

Hello.

Final tomatillo crop of 2012!

Well.
It's that time of year, again, friends.
When you can finally turn the oven on and not loathe every second in your kitchen.
When the thought of a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes sounds ideal.
When cooking becomes so enjoyable, you find yourself trying to reinvent the wheel with seasonal ingredients just for the hell of it.

That's what I did here-- I'd had chicken piccata a week or so prior while at one of my favorite restaurants (our neighborhood haunt, if you will), and was taken aback by just how good it was (224 nails it, also). There, served with mashed potatoes and some sautéed spinach, got me immediately thinking of variations I could try.

And since I put kale in just about everything (whaaat?!), that was the next logical leap. The giant spaghetti squash I'd bought in a fit of autumn produce purchasing the weekend before seemed like it would compliment things nicely (it did). And luckily, I had capers on hand (from that morning I simply had to have lox). This was easy, relatively quick, and absolutely delicious.

For once, I had dinner on the table before 8PM; and with the sun starting to set a little sooner, that made all the difference.

I know.

Before you say "eww" at the thought of hot lettuce (an inclination which many of us, myself included, have), give these quick bites a whirl. The grilling of the romaine makes it a touch crunchy and provides some great flavor, and gives you an opportunity to melt some parmesan on there. Come on. Try something new. I promise the rest of this post will be void of other gag inducing concepts (such as the word "moist"), just for good form.

I made these in under ten minutes while a bunch of us were hanging out in the backyard, and then passed them out to people accordingly. It's the ultimate hands-off (then hands-on) grill snack.

Friends, we may have a dilema.
There's just too many summer snacks that I need to tell you about.
I still have photos just chilling in iPhoto of the most delicious, seasonally appropriate things. Strawberry salsa. Jalapeño corn bread. Guacamole. The list goes on.

So, I mean, as the temperature climbs toward ninety degrees today, I guess it is pretty evident that we are still deep in the throes of summer. So perhaps I can take my time. But these beautiful tomatoes couldn't wait another moment. Make these as soon as possible. You will be so happy you did.

It's been a few weeks, dear internet. While I have missed you tremendously, I knew I couldn't return somewhat empty handed; with a photo montage of why I've been busy, or a half-assed recipe, or yet another Ozzie ramble. A few weeks of practice and a photography class under my belt, I feel ready to present you a damn good looking post and kick off a little mini-series where I'll chronicle my favorite things to make and eat during the best season (IMHO, of course) of the year.