Posts Tagged ‘cheap’

Cream of celeriac soup and salad of grilled radicchio, pear and blue cheese

371
December 31st, 2009

Soup and salad is my go-to simple meal for nights when I don’t feel like cooking anything but still want to eat something relatively healthy. But I love it so much that I sometimes fancy it up a bit. While today’s version totally defeats the purpose of the original concept (since it’s neither “easy” nor particularly “cheap”), it’s totally worth the effort.

This soup is a hearty, seasonal soup. It’s pretty simple to make, and freezes well. It’s a bit sweet, a little creamy, with a slightly nutty flavor from the celeriac. The salad, on the other hand, is a bit on the fancy side. The bitter radicchio is grilled on a griddle pan, and is topped with slices of pear, crumbled blue cheese, and caramelized pecans. While they don’t need to be served together per se, they compliment each other very nicely. (more…)

BURGER TIME!

328
November 26th, 2009

I think the pictures speak for themselves here: as all great couples do, Marbles and I can agree on everything except the constitution of the Perfect Burger.

(more…)

Rolled cinnamon pastries

304
November 26th, 2009

You know how you sometimes crave a pastry, but all the bakeries are closed, and all you have is some random bits and bobs in your freezer and pantry? That’s what happened to me today. So I invented these dainty little rolled cinnamon pastries. (more…)

Three cheese Mac & Cheese with broccoli

143
October 6th, 2009

I can’t believe that Marbles’ birthday was already a month ago, and that it took me this long to share the recipe that resulted from the fridge full of leftovers that is the inevitable aftermath of a successful birthday party. I kind of hate it when blog writers keep apologizing for not having posted in long time. So I’m not going to apologize, and instead give you the recipe to a fantastic mac & cheese.

When I think of mac & cheese I don’t immediately have visions of macaroni covered in orange goo. I grew up with the South African version, which is a lot like the English version, and probably a lot like non-boxed, gramma-style American mac & cheese. It involves macaroni, usually with some onion and diced ham, mixed with grated cheese, topped with breadcrumbs, and baked in the oven. It’s pretty delicious, but I’m not a fan of boiled ham, and figured the dish could do with a slightly healthier, less greasy update. And this is the result: a delicious, gooey, crunchy mac & cheese with the added flavor of fresh broccoli and tangy cottage cheese. The perfect comfort food, but relatively easy on the aorta. (more…)

Hello, and soup!

14
August 24th, 2009

Because first posts are always awkward, and I’ve never been any good at introductions anyway, I’m going to use this very first post on my almost-first blog to give you the very first recipe of the many I would like to share with you. And since nothing is more comforting than soup, this recipe will be for…exactly!

I made this soup tonight for the fabulous Marbles, not only because she’s the one who designed this blog to look as awesome as it does, and who has been patiently teaching me how to use it, but also because she’s awesome and funny and I dig the shit out of her. And cooking is my way of showing people that I dig the shit out of them.

Anyway, onto the soup! It’s a pretty basic recipe, but I love it anyway. I got the idea from some discount cookbook at a discount bookshop, and remembered the basic premise, which consisted of chicken, rice and spinach. I’m pretty cocky about my cooking abilities (hence this here blog), so I decided I didn’t need the book and instead concocted my own spinach soup with chicken and rice. Although this soup tastes good at any time of year I associate it with summer, probably because the dill and lemon add a flavor that is vaguely reminiscent of Greece. And because I am so in love with Marbles’ design for this blog (polka dots AND partying veggies!) I will dub this Marbles’ Soup. (more…)