Fresh Rosemary Steals the Show in These Mouthwatering Recipes

January 21, 2016 by greystar

Though rosemary is just a simple herb, it often becomes the major flavor in the dishes that it seasons. If you love the taste of pine-like rosemary and want to find more recipes that incorporate it, things like salts, meats, and vegetables are all perfect pairings. Check out these recipes that really let the rosemary shine!

Rosemary Chicken with Zucchini [Real Simple]
Chicken is one of the very best foods to season with fresh rosemary. This recipe creates a fast and easy dinner in just one simple step because it involves seasoning the vegetables, chicken, and potatoes beforehand and freezing them for up to three months until you're ready to cook.

Rosemary Sea Salt [Martha Stewart]
Martha Stewart’s rosemary sea salt enables you to sprinkle fresh rosemary onto just about any dish that needs a boost of flavor. All it takes is one box of kosher salt and two bunches of fresh rosemary to create a long-lasting supply of this savory seasoning.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes [Food Network]
When it comes to herbs, why mess with a recipe that works? These roasted potatoes are one of the most commonly used rosemary recipes, but that’s because it just takes so perfect. Simply toss some small red potatoes in olive oil, salt, rosemary, and a few other common seasonings to create a versatile side dish that’s great with any meal.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Rebecca Siegel

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Food, Herbs, Recipes, Rosemary

Deliciously Simple Holiday Cookie Recipes

December 3, 2015 by greystar

Even if you don’t have time to decorate intricately frosted holiday cookies this year, you can still maintain the cookie tradition with a simpler recipe that's just as sweet. Check out these great ideas for holiday cookies that are easy as pie.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies [Real Simple]
Your guests will be dreaming of a white cookie this year after they sample one of your delicious, homemade macadamia cookies. This recipe is a classic, and it’s also incredibly easy to perfect.

Raspberry Sandwich Sugar Cookies [Pillsbury]
Bake a perfectly festive batch of these star-shaped sandwich cookies with a dollop of raspberry jam in the center, and they’ll add a bit of cheer to any dessert table. Because they call for refrigerated cookie dough, you can take a major shortcut without anyone being the wiser!

Pretty Package Cookies [BHG]
If you can’t resist icing sugar cookies but want something a bit simpler than an elaborate Santa Claus, these adorable present-shaped cookies will do the trick.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies [Martha Stewart]
You just can’t go wrong with a batch of good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies, and this recipe is one that everyone would love to find in their stocking. Plus, the three-step recipe means that you can whip them up before those last-minute visitors arrive.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Thomas Wenger

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Baking, Holidays, Recipes, Seasonal

Healthy Rice and Potato Dishes That Won’t Weigh You Down

August 20, 2015 by greystar

Starches and whole grains are important for feeling energized, but if eaten in excess, they can make you feel heavy or weighed-down. These delicious and nutritious recipes from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute incorporate rice and potatoes into your diet in a way that benefits your body and provides proper portion sizes.

Delicious Oven French Fries
Though fast food French fries are anything but healthy, this oven-baked alternative provides the same classic taste without the added fat and salt.

Wonderful Stuffed Potatoes
By stuffing a baked potato with low fat milk and cottage cheese instead of the usual sour cream, you can save calories and still get the same savory taste.

Candied Yams
The holiday favorite gets a healthy makeover in this fast and easy recipe, with sweet brown sugar and tangy orange juice for a boost of added flavor.

Scallion Rice
The addition of green onions and bullion gives this simple, low-calorie rice dish a little something extra, and makes it perfect for eating with a variety of meats, vegetables or stir-fries.

Sunshine Rice
Perfect for pairing with grilled chicken or for eating on its own, this rice recipe contains unique ingredients like hot sauce, almonds, and lemon juice for a distinctly flavorful taste.

For more healthy rice and potato dishes, visit the NIH website by clicking here.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Steven Depolo

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Recipes, Starch

Sate Your Craving for Chocolate With These Molten Lava Cake Recipes

October 16, 2014 by greystar

Molten lava cakes are the ideal dessert for a dinner party or other social gathering because their individual sizes give each person a little cake of their own to enjoy. When you cut into these warm, moist desserts an explosion of hot chocolate sauce spills out, which gives the cakes their fun name. If your mouth is already watering, try one of these molten lava cake recipes for dinner tonight.

Molten Chocolate Cakes [Food and Wine]
Food and Wine’s gourmet spin on the dessert classic brings an air of sophistication to the usual molten lava cake. Bittersweet chocolate and unsalted butter provide a rich, complex taste, and the thick chocolate inside is just the icing – or, rather, the lava – on the cake.

Molten Chocolate Cake [Pioneer Woman]
This recipe from the Pioneer Woman is just as indulgent as her other recipes, and the addition of an extra egg yolk ensures that the inside is even more runny than most lava cakes. Serve them with homemade whipped cream for an extra special treat.

Red Velvet Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes [Halfbaked Harvest]
This recipe not only uses a red velvet cake exterior, but a chocolate ganache center as well. If that doesn’t already sound decadent enough, a coconut whipped cream topping should do the trick.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Andrea Goh

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Dessert, Food, Molten Lava Cake, Recipes

Think Beyond the Bouquet With These Lavender-Centric Recipes

August 21, 2014 by greystar

Though lavender is a flower, it’s also a deliciously fragrant herb that can be used to add flavor to many sweet and savory dishes. By simply cooking or garnishing with this beautiful flower, you can transform the taste of an entire dish. If you haven’t yet explored the culinary wonders of lavender, these two simple recipes will give you a bit of inspiration.

Lavender Shortbread [Food Network]
Shortbread is known for its rich, crumbly texture and buttery flavor, which makes it a perfect companion for the floral notes of lavender. This recipe uses only six simple ingredients and takes just 50 minutes to make, but after it’s complete your whole home will be filled with the sweet, delicious scent. Simply knead the ingredients together, adding dried or fresh lavender flowers, and bake in the oven until each bar reaches the perfect golden brown.

Pepita and Lavender Brittle [Martha Stewart]
Most brittle candies have a rich, caramel texture, but this particular brittle is uniquely earthy and fragrant. The recipe uses Martha Stewart’s basic brittle recipe to create a crunchy base, while the pepitas, or green hulled pumpkin seeds, offer even more texture. To top it off, dried lavender cooked throughout adds a floral flavor that only the small purple flower can provide.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Dave Catchpole

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Herbs, Recipes

Two Great Places for Risotto Recipes

March 20, 2014 by greystar

Say your usual mushroom risotto is always a dinnertime hit, but you want to switch things up and try a new recipe. These informative, step-by-step websites offer simple recipes for truly unique risotto dishes. Whether you’re looking for something spicy and savory or seasonal and sweet, you’ll find it on these recipe websites.

Health.com
Risotto is typically a healthy dish, but it becomes dangerous when you start adding butter, oils, and salty seasonings. If you want to jazz up your risotto without adding extra calories, Health.com’s 7 Healthy Risotto Recipes is the place to look. The Brown Rice Risotto with Pumpkin adds a bit of sweetness to a healthier brown risotto, while the Beet Risotto with greens, goat Cheese, and walnuts is a vibrantly colorful dish that’s simply packed with healthy vitamins and nutrients.

Cooking Light
For even more creative risotto dishes, Cooking Light is another wonderful online resource. Each of their recipes offers nutritional information to help you stick to your diet, and the easy instructions are simple enough for even amateur chefs. Try the Mushroom and Barley Risotto for a healthier take on the traditional dish, or experiment with something more unique like the Risotto with Champagne and Radicchio.

Public Domain/Public Domain

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: Cooking, Food, Recipes, Risotto