‘Food Network Magazine’ Articles at Sweetnicks

June 2010 Recipe Round-Up

July 19, 2010 · Narrative

Earlier this month, I debated if I could continue doing the new recipe round-up, because with the way we’ve been eating over the past month or so, there hasn’t been a lot of new-recipe-making-from-cookbooks. Or from any other place, for that matter. Our meals were quickly consisting of heavy rotations of stir-fries, grilled proteins and vegetables, salads, things on the fly with no recipe. But then the tides turned and I started finding more and more recipes that fit in with our eating lifestyle (four new recipes tonight alone!), so even though the June round-up is a tad tardy, I think we’ll be able to keep up with it. As long as the lack of chocolate (for now) doesn’t keep you away. ;)

Turnip Green Soup – Paula Deen magazine. A decent hearty soup that isn’t so thick you can’t have it in the summertime. Reviewed here.
Lemon Chicken with Potatoes – WW magazine, May/June 2009. Simple and easy, but not exceptional.
Lindsay’s Chocolate Cafe Chocolate Chip Cookies – voted a “best of.” They were good, but didn’t wow us.
Cheesy Rice Fritters – Food Network magazine. Very good, review coming.
Zucchini Fritters – Michael Symon. Love these. Review coming.
Open Chef Salad Sandwich – Cheeky Kitchen. Good quick meal that you can feel good about serving and eating. Reviewed here.
Best Ever Banana Bread – I Am Baker. Good, but still like Nigella Lawson’s better.
Mushroom Ramen – Food Network magazine, January/February 2010. Think it might be worth writing about, slightly on the fence.
Beer Battered Fish and Chips – Cooking Light magazine, November 2009. Had such high hopes for this one, but nothing special and not repeatable.
Veggie Quesadillas – Weight Watchers magazine, May/June 2010. Your average quesadilla, nuthin’ special.
Gemelli with Spicy Sausage and Spinach – Woman’s Day magazine, May 2010. Not bad, nothing to write home about.
Cucumber-Feta Toasts – Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, July/August 2010. Love these. Made for the first time and reviewed here, and enjoyed several times since. Favorite of the month.

Project 365
July 19, 2010, Photo #129

After dinner, we were outside in the backyard for awhile and all the sudden, I noticed the kitchen go dark. And the ceiling light come back on, but only faintly so. We rarely lose power here (maybe three times over the past nine years or so) and when we do, it comes right back on. This time it didn’t. My bet was a brown-out. Wonderful. Jamie had just gotten home and finished dinner, so we quickly got to work digging for matches and candles before we lost complete light. I remembered we had a bunch of those glowsticks, leftover from Halloween, in our seasonal drawer, and they were perfect. The kids had fun with them, and I used a bunch to light up the stairs for them, and added more in their room. In the meantime, we took ourselves back to the days of Laura Ingalls and Little House on the Prairie… no ac, no tv, no computer, no ice machine. Lots of talking, a little bit of laughter and a slight panic from the kids as they slowly realized just how much we use electricity on a regular basis. But two hours later, the power was back on and a peace fell over the land.

Tortellini with Peas and Prosciutto

May 20, 2010 · Narrative

When Mother’s Day arrived, Jamie said she wanted to make me dinner. We have the kind of relationship that she considers me a second Mom, and I definitely consider her my third kid. Tonight our schedules finally aligned and she and Nick took over my kitchen while I was at the gym with Madeline (I just couldn’t stay away another day).

When Madeline and I walked in the door, the table was set, there was a vase full of pink roses, and dinner was ready. They even took the pictures of everything for me. How cute are they? I love that. A local restaurant has a tortellini dish that Jamie loves, and she gets it as often as she can, so she has been on a mission to recreate it. Knowing how much I and the kids like tortellini, it was the perfect meal for tonight. I happened to find a recipe for something pretty similar to the dish in the April issue of Food Network magazine, and she and Nick went to town. Within 45 minutes, they had both made dinner, dessert and set the table.

This dish is similar to the one that she loves so much, with the only difference being the restaurant version is a little saucier, so next time we’ll play with perhaps doubling the sauce. Is it a wow? No, but it’s a meal easy enough to make on a busy weeknight, whether it’s a belated Mother’s Day dinner or not, an everything-in-one-dish meal that was even kid-approved. I’ve honestly never seen Madeline eat quite so many peas, but tonight she was all over them.

Oh, and dessert? These chocolatey little fudge cups you see below? A recipe to share next week.

I’m off until Sunday night. Have an awesome weekend!

Project 365
May 20, 2010, Photo #99

No words necessary.

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English Muffin Breakfast Pizza

September 17, 2009 · Narrative

My son is trying to turn me into a liar. Just this past weekend, my sister and I were talking about breakfast ideas for kids, because getting Nick to eat breakfast in the morning on school days is a challenge. Either he is moving as slow as molasses and despite gentle and not-so-gentle prodding, he has no time and grabs something on the run, or he maintains he’s not hungry. Thank goodness second graders still get a morning snack!

But all that came to a head this week when I made these English Muffin Breakfast Pizzas for Nick. I found the recipe in the recent issue of Food Network’s magazine (love that mag!) and it is from dietician Ellie Krieger of Healthy Appetite. I made them while cleaning up from dinner, and then wrapped the pizzas individually and stuck them in the fridge. In the morning, while Nick was getting ready, I popped one in the toaster to heat it up. I put it on a plate and gave it to Nick and then ran upstairs to get something. When I got downstairs, it was gone. He ate the whole thing so fast that I checked the garbage cans because I was sure he had thrown it away. He hadn’t. He just loved it.

With 17 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, these little pizzas are on whole wheat English Muffins, topped with diced tomatoes, Canadian bacon and mozzarella. Protein, calcium, and fiber, disguised as a tasty little breakfast pizza that is perfect for those mornings when time is short, but appetite still high. Even better that, it got Nick to slow to a halt and chow down before dashing out the door — hear, hear!

Of course, two days later when I tried to give Nick another one of the pizzas, he wanted no part of it. I’ll just have to take the small victories where I can.

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Recipe: Orzo with Herbs

June 15, 2009 · Narrative

I rarely make orzo, and I’m not quite sure why. It really is a perfectly yummy rice-shaped pasta, and around here, you can’t go wrong with pasta. Last week, when I made those scrumptious chicken meatballs from Giada, I couldn’t decide what to serve with it. At first I was thinking just a red sauce and spaghetti, and I’d call it a day. But then … but then I spied a recipe for Orzo with Herbs in the newest issue of Food Network magazine. Oh how I love that magazine!

I had made the meatballs before our day barely even started, so when the orzo was nearly done, I slid the meatballs into the pan to let them warm through a bit. A few minutes later, I took it all off the heat and spooned it into a bowl and called the kids. Nick took one look at dinner and asked what we had in the fridge for leftovers. But Madeline and I? We went to town. And back. And to town again. The meatballs were still as tender and delicious as I remembered them when I had one early in the morning. And in that orzo? Oh man. And the combination? Unbeatable.

Perfect comfort, tummy-warming food, but it’s light enough that it knows no season. Wait, does that make sense? It does in my head. Meaning, that although it seems like a hearty meal, it won’t weigh you down in the dregs of spring and summer weather. Of course, I wouldn’t know anything about that because here in the Northeast we’re all about the 40 days and nights of rain now, but that just makes this kismet-kissed dish all the more perfect.

Now, rest assured, you don’t have to go and make your meatballs at 8 am like I did. Between the meatballs and the orzo, this dish comes together quick enough that it’s perfect for your crazy weeknight dinners … or a lazy way to spend a Sunday. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

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