Read Your Recipe!
As far as chips go, barbecue potato chips are my absolute favorite. In this homemade iteration, I added plenty of spices and waited in eager anticipation for my microwave timer to go off. That’s right, I said microwave. What you’re about to read is a recipe for microwave potato chips.
I don’t have a lot of dips on this site, and that’s because I don’t really make dip. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy it, though, it’s just that most dips are diet snafoos (that can’t be how that’s spelled). Anyways – I love the flavor of spinach and artichoke dip and thought I could find that balance – a dip that still tastes cheesy, creamy, and indulgent but a) doesn’t have mayo, and b) has ingredients that will make my body happy and make me feel good about sharing with my toddler.
A friend was due over with her kids for lunch. What was my problem, then, that I didn’t remember that I had to make lunch until about 11 am? Take out is always an option, but baby girl was sleeping. THIS, friends, is why it’s SO IMPORTANT to always have puff pastry in your freezer. It can bail you out of any forgotten meal.
I just researched for a whole five minutes on Google to give you the correct name of this pepper, but “long hots” will have to suffice along with the picture below. Long hots seem to show up at most of my Italian family’s events and there’s no end to possible uses. Not sure if it’s a regional (Philly) thing, an Italian thing, or if it works family by family, but I’ve been cooking them a lot lately and I wanted to share my crazy easy method with you!
I made a pasta a WHILE back with greens and chickpeas … the word on the street is that certain toddler (shout out to James) is just crazy about the crunchy chickpeas. Could the same be true for my picky toddler?
No food processor, no standing mixer, no kneading – no lie! All you need is a bowl, a whisk, a spoon, and a baking sheet. Now some recipes I post here barely need the “how-to” pics as the directions are pretty standard; this recipe (and all that use yeast), benefits from the photos. I will show you EXACTLY how it should look so that you know things are working properly. This will make a simple recipe even easier, if that’s possible – and there is nothing tastier than fresh, garlicky, olive-oily bread.
Every cook has a line we won’t go past just for necessity’s sake. I won’t buy packaged cookie dough. Now you might LOVE the ease of packaged cookie dough but you’d NEVER buy precooked bacon. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “cook”, you are still a food consumer and with that comes a myriad of choices. This is what I always tell my students who say they don’t care about cooking. High school boys might not care about cooking, but they dang sure care about their bodies – as evidenced by the bizarre amount of time they’d spend looking in my demo mirror in the school kitchens. Learning about food goes hand in hand with caring about your body. Isn’t amazing how fast I can get off topic? Bear with me.
When I am at my mom’s house down the shore, my cooking inspiration doesn’t come from outdoor farmers markets or fresh seafood shops. It’s more like this, “Bec, you have to make something with walnuts because I’ve had this bag of walnuts and I need to clear out room so that’s your job”. So basically, I cook to be an obedient child.
This post is dedicated to Jenna.. who’s fried ravioli obsession led to many memorable heist jobs from our college cafeteria – my girl straight up brought tupperware.
More of an idea than a recipe, these eggs would make a great snack for you and your kids. They take no time to make, can be made ahead, and are pretty enough for a party appetizer.
A frittata is an Italian omelette that isn’t folded; the open faced omelette is either flipped or put under a broiler to set the top. I’ve made a few frittata and I’m not gonna lie – they stress me out. Either the bottom gets too brown or the top is a bit runny – there’s always an issue. This recipe is easy breezy; just throw it in the oven and forget about it!
Technically this should be called “soybean hummus” but I think the connotation for soy bean is MUCH different than for edamame. Edamame makes you think of swanky sushi restaurants, whereas soy beans sound like something husbands and kids won’t eat.
I was going to tell a long winded story about my reason for making this tart, but I’ll save you from it; everyone has rough days and there is no need to lament. The bottom line of the story was this; always keep puff pastry in your freezer. It’s made by Pepperidge Farm, it’s cheap, and it’s at every single grocery store.
Why should you have this on hand? Because you can put just about anything on top and in thirty minutes you’ll serve a meal that makes people think you’re a ridiculously awesome cook. You can top it with fruit or sweet stuff and make a dessert, or even with cheese and sauce and have a pizza. It’s versatile and delicious.
Homebeccanomics got a face lift! My baby projectile vomited all over me at 6:10 AM this morning, so it’s nice that SOMETHING is looking good.
Still me, though, and still working out the kinks so bear with me.
Hummus. Yes, you can buy hummus really easily. It’s tasty when you buy it. It’s tastiER when you make it. It’s also way cheaper if you will make it a few times. To make it yourself you’ll need a fresh lemon, a can of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), some garlic and a bit of cumin and cayenne. You will also need something called tahini. Know how you grind peanuts to make peanut butter? Well you grind sesame seeds to make tahini. It’s high in healthy fats and vitamin E. You can buy it at any grocery store. It keeps at room temperature for months (years?).
Jess and Monica are the masterminds behind the site, The Real Housewives of Bucks County, which is SUCH a fabulous site that it got showcased on The Nate Berkus Show. They’re crafty and design savvy and lots of other things that sometimes make the lesser crafter feel chagrin. Let’s not despair, let’s just beg, borrow and steal so we, too, can be crafty masterminds.
Anyways, they were kind enough to have me guest post on their site! The price of avocados has JUST been lowered at my local Giant, so it’s time to make some guac! Just try to find me someone who doesn’t like guacamole, because unless I discuss their problem with them I won’t believe it. EVERYONE likes guacamole! Make it this weekend and if you like it, make it again for the Superbowl! Go to their site and check it out! Happy weekend.
Oh, today is my husband’s birthday and Sunday is mine, so look for my BIRTHDAY CAKE post on Monday!
Sometimes I HATE the computer. Like when I did an entire entry on here and then stupid tumblr just deletes it all. I’m ANGRY.
Ok, luckily it was a quick post so I’m forging on and doing it quickly again.
An EXTREMELY basic little recipe, reminiscent of the 1950’s I’d say. Using refrigerated crescent roll dough and a simple mixture, then rolling up jelly-roll fashion, you end up with a dangerously addictive appetizer.
So I’ve noticed a trend in any new recipes I implement in my classes; they are all things I want to eat. Depending on my tastes, this could present a problem. This is a new recipe and I was crossing my fingers it would go well. It went GREAT, so I’m super relieved. Wouldn’t change a thing. I had to steal fries for samples, and steal quickly, as there wasn’t a single fry leftover. There was a bit of dip left over and the kids wanted to save it so that they could bring in chips to eat with it later. Winning!