‘Glamour Magazine’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Lemony Egg Salad with Basil and Capers

August 19, 2010 · Narrative

A low-fat healthy lunch that is quick to make and full of flavor.

Lemony Egg Salad with Basil and Capers

I tend to have a very fickle relationship with egg salad. I probably last had it a good six months ago, if not longer. I like it just fine, but I don’t go looking for it very often. I need to be in the mood for it. Or, as the case may be today, be inspired by a recipe for it.

Do we really need a recipe for egg salad? No, not if we’re making the basic standard version. This is not that. This recipe for Lemony Egg Salad with Basil and Capers is one of those unique combinations that I never would have thought to put together. Lemon juice? Capers? With egg salad? But then you have it, and can’t imagine how you got by without it.

Between the creaminess of the egg salad, the slight sharp tang of the lemon juice, and the salty bite of the capers … it’s an unusual combination that just works. You’ll have to trust me.

The recipe only calls for a tablespoon of mayonnaise, and I used low fat since I’m not really eating mayonnaise these days. Served on a slice of dark toast, and a clean eating lunch doesn’t get much better … and simpler … than this.

Project 365
August 19, 2010, Photo #148

Rainbow Cake Party Invite

How is it possible that it’s already time to send out invites for our Annual Back-to-School Rainbow Cake party? It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the end of the school year, and here we are, ready to start a new year already. I’ve actually never sent out formal invitations, but I was inspired and wanted to do something a little different this time around. Let the fun begin!…

Airborne Children and Engagement Chicken

April 7, 2010 · Narrative

When we moved back to this house last summer, I opted not to bring our swingset with us. Nick had really outgrown it, and Madeline wasn’t ready for it yet. Oh yeah, and I had it cemented into the ground at the old house, so it really wasn’t going anywhere. I could have gotten a new swingset for this house, but then I had a brainstorm. A trampoline! I have always wanted one. We had a teeny one that the kids used all the time, but if I got a bigger one, we could ALL use it. Gotta love having kids … a great way to secretly relive our own childhood!

So I told Nick my idea, to see if he’d go for it. If he really had his heart set on a swingset, I was fine with that. Luckily for me, he was completely on board. I kept my eye on sales and last November, Wal-Mart had a steal on the giant ones with the safety net enclosure. Like for a third of the normal cost. Can I tell you how much those boxes weigh? OMG. Like, seriously, a ton. Got two guys to load it into my SUV, and I don’t think the first guy would have signed on to help had he seen what I was buying. It barely fit in my truck.

My favorite picture? The one below. I love how high Nick got, and her expression – look at that wide-open mouth!

Nick was so excited that I bought it, but it sat in our garage until the warm weather broke. Last weekend, we put it up and it has been diligently used ever since then. By all of us. I think everyone needs a trampoline in their backyard. Our backyard is tiny, but I deemed it the kids’ space. The front yard is mine. This trampoline seriously takes up half the yard, but it is so.very.worth.it. The giggles. The laughter. The pure unadulterated fun. The pictures say it all.

Now for the Engagement Chicken. It feels like this recipe has been around forever. And that’s about how long it took me to make it for the first time last month. I first heard about it from Glamour magazine, when they first printed it in 2004. Apparently girls were making it for their boyfriends, and their guys were proposing to them after eating it. Hence the name Engagement Chicken. Cute, no? I made it for the kids’ dinner on a night when I was going out. As I left with my friend, each of us stealing a bite before heading out the door, she looked at me and said, “And we’re leaving why?” It’s crazy for something so simple to be so downright yummy, but it is. Just be careful who you make it for.

Project 365
Photo #74, April 7, 2010

Nothing signals warm weather like beach feet!…

Cooking for One: Sauteed Shrimp with Asparagus

October 28, 2009 · Narrative

“Where does shrimp come from?” Nick asked me tonight as he helped me peel the shells off.

“From the sea.”

“What are they again?”

“Shellfish. A kind of fish.”

“They’re not alive still, are they?”

“No, not anymore.”

“Oh. Have you ever seen them swimming?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Maybe Grandpa has. He’s been alive more. When people are alive longer, they’ve seen more things.”

My Dad is going to love that one.

There are some challenges to cooking when it’s just me and the kids. Particularly when I might want to make something I know they don’t like. I saw this recipe for Sauteed Shrimp with Asparagus over the weekend and ripped it out to add to my pile. Neither of the kids like shrimp, which is absolutely fine. They don’t have to. So those types of recipes, I either make when they’re not here, or when there are leftovers they can eat. Or when we have company over. Or if I share with the neighbors. I typically don’t make something they don’t like too often because then I’ll have to end up eating it myself … for days. As much as I may like a recipe, there is a limit to how many days afterwards I want to eat the same thing, you know? Yes, I could halve or further reduce the recipe, but I usually forget.

Enter the solution.

Cooking for one recipes! I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. It only occurred to me this weekend when I spied a blurb about Judith Jones’ new cookbook. You know, Judith Jones. The woman who edited Julia Child’s cookbook? Anyway, she has a new cookbook out, The Pleasures of Cooking for One. As soon as I saw it, I added it to my Christmas list. The brief write-up I saw (ok, it might have been a mention in Glamour magazine) included a recipe for a quick shrimp and asparagus dish. Two ingredients, 10 minutes of time, and healthy to boot. How more perfect could it be?

While I was making my dinner, I reheated some leftover pasta and roast chicken for the kids. This dish was one of those blink-and-you-miss-it recipes in terms of preparation. Short of peeling the shrimp and chopping the asparagus, there is nothing else to do. I kid you not. A splash of white wine, salt, pepper, garlic and you have dinner. And the taste? Perfect. There is no heavy sauce or dressing, which allows the flavors of the shrimp and asparagus to take center stage. As I was setting the table, I put the pan on low and let the ingredients go for a few extra minutes to get the bottom caramelized a smidge. Those little bits on the bottom of the pan with just a hint of white wine taste? So good. So very good. They are what this recipe is all about.

Although the recipe was written for one, I have about half of it leftover. Cooking for more than one? This is a great recipe to scale up because there aren’t a lot of ingredients that you’ll need to figure out the measurements for. Just add more shrimp and asparagus. It really is that simple.

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