Meat and Potatoes (Heavy Cooking)

It feels like I haven't cooked in ages. Since I returned to work we have done lots of takeout, sandwiches and my favorite, oatmeal for dinner. Now that we are all getting used to the new schedule I'm looking for new things to make that require little fuss. This recipe from, Dinner a Love Story is a bit heavier than I typically make, but I loved the simplicity of it.  

I tried this recipe twice, and each time, my husband and I were underwhelmed by the results.  I will say I liked the recipe more when we made a few modifications: using turkey sausage and reducing the number of apples.

Dinner a Love Story billed this recipe as a time saving recipe that you can make once a week. I'm not sure that our arteries would survive having a dish like this ever week. It's easy, and if you want to make a filling meal for your family quickly, this might be worth trying.

If you want to make the recipe healthier, I recommend using turkey sausage and just the tiniest bit of olive oil. 
 
You might ask why I would blog about a recipe that I don't love.  The answer is, I started blogging in part to try all of these recipes I've seen on blogs.  They always look so pretty, but sometimes they just don't pan out.  I think it's important that there is feedback out there, to say you know what these recipe looks awesome, but it doesn't taste awesome.

You can find the recipe here and here.

February Challenge- Week 4 (Overnight Oats)

Another victorious week over here.  A great way to end the month even if Week 2 was a total fail.  Well victorious might be a little bit too strong of a word because I had Tostada Cubana on Wednesday morning. Breakfast was at home but it was not exactly healthy. 

I attribute this week's victory to overnight oats.  Typically, I make overnight oats in the summertime when I want a cold but healthy breakfast.  This week, I decided that having my oats prepared the night before makes the morning a lot more goof proof.  If I want them warmed up I can put them in the microwave for less than a minute, but there's no mixing or stiring involved.  (This is not the lazyness talking but rather the tiredness.) I can also make a couple of servings because depending what type of liquid you use, it can last 2-3 days in the refrigerator. 

There are lots of recipes for overnight oats.  I usually just follow the liquid to oat ratio on the box and substitute juice or almond milk for water and then add fresh or dried fruit and sometimes nuts or seeds.  Then I combine the ingrediants and put them in a sealed container.  Voila, overnight oats!


Ordinarily I would just leave them overnight in a plastic container but the Mason Jar looks so much cuter.

Merluzzo Fresco al Pomodoro (Fresh Cod with Tomatoes)

Photo from La Cucina Italiana

When I was pregnant last year I suffered from morning sickness for 20 weeks. Even after the morning sickness ended there were still a lot of things I just could not stomach. Salmon, chicken, SALTEENS, and Dijon mustard, were all casualties of the morning sickness.  I spent my days eating bagels, potato chips and other carby foods.  

I knew that I couldn't subsist on carbs for the whole pregnancy so I scoured my cookbooks and the internet for things that I might be able to tolerate. This recipe, from La Cucina Italiana, was one of my favorite finds. It is very tasty and easy to make. It is one of the few recipes I've tried that works perfectly without any modifications. 

 

Now that I'm back at work I really enjoy this recipe, because except for the cod, all of the other ingredients are in my cupboard. I pick up some fresh cod on my way home from work, then when I get home I put some basmati in the rice cooker,  and presto the fish is done by the time the rice is ready.

Buon appetito!

Merluzzo Fresco al Pomodoro

Ingredients
 

1 (24-ounce) can peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, juices drained, tomatoes roughly chopped

• 3/4 cup pitted black olives
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds cod fillet, cut into 2-inch square pieces (I use pacific cod and put oil, salt, and lemon on it prior to cooking.)

Instructions

In a large skillet with lid, combine tomatoes, olives, oil, bay leaves, thyme, sugar and generous pinch salt and pepper. Over medium heat, bring just to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook, covered, 20 minutes.

Add cod and continue to cook, uncovered, until cod is cooked through and sauce is flavorful, about 12 minutes more. Serve warm.

Find the original recipe HERE.