Posted in #Recipes

23 Pasta Salad Recipes That Prove Noodles Are Best Served Cold

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

I know I’m not the only one who eats pasta salad straight out of the refrigerator. It’s just so good! You can adapt pasta salad recipes to whatever boxed pasta, veggies and protein you have on hand. The result? Either a simple summer meal or a picnic side dish that’s an absolute hit.

The key to a perfect pasta salad is using fresh ingredients (and high-quality packaged ones, like olives and canned chickpeas), as well as balancing the al dente pasta with the fresh, satisfying crunch of vegetables and legumes. It’s still a salad, after all!

Taste of Home

Posted in Book Reviews

Ruhlman’s How to Roast: Foolproof Techniques and Recipes for the Home Cook

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

In this first in a new series of books focusing on cooking methods, an award-winning cookbook author, food writer, and online culinary expert explores one of the most fundamental cooking techniques: roasting.

Humankind has been roasting for millennia. The term originally referred to cooking over an open fire, usually on some kind of spit, and has evolved to describe cooking of meat or vegetables or even fruit in an oven, a “dry heat” (and usually high-heat) method of making things irresistibly appetizing.

Michael Ruhlman has developed a reputation for providing lucid, no-nonsense cooking advice as sharp as a good chef’s knife. “Of all our cooking terms,” Ruhlman writes, “sautéed, grilled, poached, broiled — I believe roasted is the most evocative adjective we can attach to our food, conjuring as it does ideas of deep rich flavors and delicious browning.”

Ruhlman’s How to Roast combines practical advice — what tools you need, staple ingredients to have on hand, how to get the most out of your oven — with 20 original and mouthwatering recipes, chosen to showcase a wide range of roasting methods and results, from “The Icon” (roast chicken), to Monkfish Roasted with Tomatoes and Basil, to Roasted Peaches with Mint Créme Fraiche. Dozens of color photographs offer step-by-step illustration as well as finished-dish showpieces.

Posted in #Recipes

Pina Colada Fluff

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

If you’re a pina colada lover, do we have the dessert recipe for you! Our pina colada fluff takes cues from the classic cocktail by combining pineapple, coconut and rum into a fluffy, creamy and scoopable confection.

Are you overdue for a trip to the tropics? There’s something about the feeling of the sunshine on your face, the sand between your toes and a fruity rum drink in hand that’s hard to replicate. But if you can’t make a beach vacation happen this year, whipping up this pina colada fluff will make you feel pretty darn close.

Each bite captures the tropical, fruity flavors of the classic pina colada with coconut, pineapple and rum. Instead of a frosty sipper, though, the fluffy concoction is created with layers of airy whipped topping and creamy pudding mix. This surprisingly sweet treat makes a festive dinner party dessert, but the pina colada fluff recipe is easy enough to prep for weeknights too.

Ingredients for Pina Colada Fluff

  • Crushed pineapple: Cans of crushed pineapple are always in season. Be sure not to drain the can, because our recipe calls for the juice too. If you pick up any extra fruit, put it to use in another canned pineapple recipe.
  • Instant vanilla pudding mix: Perfectly creamy, rich vanilla pudding makes a delicious, foolproof dessert base. Baking with instant pudding mix may sound like a cheap shortcut, but don’t overthink it. Pudding adds moisture (yes, even though it’s a dry ingredient). Plus, its consistent texture and flavor make traditionally finicky desserts, like custards, foolproof for home cooks.
  • Coconut rum or rum extract: Use coconut rum for a boozy dessert, or pick up rum extract in the baking aisle to get all the tropical flavor without the kick (which is what we love about recipes with rum extract).
  • Miniature marshmallows: Chewy, sweet mini marshmallows add texture and flavor to many fluff salad recipes, including this one.
  • Sweetened shredded coconut: Toasting the shredded coconut brings out the taste and adds a pleasant crunch that contrasts with the soft, fluffy dessert.
  • Pistachios: Toasted, shelled and chopped pistachios are tasty, colorful and crunchy toppers.
  • Frozen whipped topping: This recipe’s distinctive fluffy texture is due to whipped topping. Defrost the topping before using it.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

80 Super Salad Recipes You’ll Make Again & Again This Summer

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

It’s finally officially summer and we couldn’t be more excited.Not that we don’t love all the seasons of the year..but summer is arguably our not-so-secret favorite (if not for the fresh produce alone). Since it’s just around the corner, and you know what that means—we’re going to start trying to take ALL our meals outside. This means tons of hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled meat, of course, but that’s not all. As every true grill-master master knows, it’s not enough to just have the perfect proteins. You’ve got to fill out your meal with perfect side dishes and salads too. And with fresh fruit and greens, summer is a fantastic season for salads. Check out our 80 summer salad recipes for ideas you can make all season long.

When it comes to summertime, the word “salad” isn’t so cut and dry. It means leafy greens, sure, but also potato salads, pasta salads, and bean and corn salads too. We’ve got tons of options for them all here, from the classic to the somewhat unusual. For example, we’ve got your classic fruit salad (with a killer honey-lime dressing), but also a kitschy coconut and Cool Whip ambrosia salad if you wanna get weirder. We’ve included our solid macaroni salad recipe, as well as tons of more creative options, like our cowboy pasta salad, our Thai peanut chicken pasta salad, or our Greek orzo salad. We’ve got our classic potato salad that’ll fit in on any summertime spread here, as well as some wilder ones if you want your dish to stand out (in the best way) at the potluck. Check out our tzatziki potato salad, our watermelon Caprese, or our gnocchi antipasto salad to see what we mean.

You could also go with a simple spinach or arugula salad, or jazz them up, like in our strawberry spinach salad, our grilled steak salad, or our chicken-avocado Caprese salad. The other great thing about a summer salad? They’re RIPE for a mashup. Take our jalapeño popper potato salad, our Cobb egg salad, our lobster roll pasta salad, or our pot sticker panzanella—they all combine two delicious recipes into one new fave.

Want more summertime inspiration? Check out our top summer dinner ideas, our best summer cocktails, and our fave summer BBQ sides too.

delish!

Posted in Book Reviews

You Can Trust a Skinny Cook: 140 Recipes That Love You Back

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

o-host of Lifetime’s Cook Yourself Thin Allison Fishman shows you how to eat great—and look even better!

In You Can Trust a Skinny Cook, Allison Fishman teaches you how to stay thin and trim without giving up on the good things in life. She shows you how to take control of your health by taking charge in the kitchen with delicious, healthy meals served in the right portions.

You’ll learn how to cook with confidence, making your neighbors jealous both for your cooking skills and your great figure. Recipes include handy “Kitchen Tips” that make cooking simple and “Skinny Kitchen Tips” for cutting out the calories without losing the flavor. Recipes like Slow Roasted Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce, Three Cheese Mac and Cheese, New England Clam Chowder, and even decadent desserts like Berry Cobbler with Buttermilk Biscuits are so good, you’d never know that they’re made with healthy ingredients and techniques.

  • A smart guide to enjoying great food and great health
  • From Lifetime and TLC star Allison Fishman, an authority on healthy and delicious cooking
  • Features recipes that cover every meal of the day, including desserts and snacks
  • Full of simple cooking instructions and nutritional information per serving

You Can Trust a Skinny Cook is the only guide home cooks need to eat the foods they love in a healthy way. So live it up—without giving anything up!

Posted in #Recipes

75 Classic & Creative Italian Dinners That Are 100% Nonna-Approved

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

While we love Italian pizza and pasta, there’s tons more Italian-inspired dinner ideas that’ll have you feeling like you have your own Italian nonna on-call to teach you how to make all the classics. These 75 Italian dinner recipes will help you venture outside the Olive Garden and highlight some of the many diverse flavors in Italian cuisine. Our traditional recipes for Sunday sauce, chicken Parm, the best homemade lasagna ever, and more will have you feeling like you’re running your own Roman trattoria in no time.

Think outside the pasta box with our favorite homemade Italian classics that will make any weeknight feel like a special occasion. Our dream Italian feast? We love pairing a hearty main like osso buco or chicken scallopini with a decadent pasta side, like our orzo al limone, our spaghetti all’assassina, or our creamy risotto. Add a Caprese salad, our sheet-pan panzanella, or our antipasto salad on the side, and you’ll be sure to get more than few chef’s kisses. Okay, maybe add a glass of vino or a negroni for good measure too.

There’s no coincidence that the “eat” portion of Eat, Pray, Love took place in Rome, and we’ve got plenty of Italian pasta recipes to prove it. And we’re not just talking about spaghetti & meatballs either. There are actually four classic Roman pasta dishes: pasta alla gricia, bucatini all’amatriciana, spaghetti carbonara, and cacio e pepe. No surprise: They’re all wildly good. But don’t stop there! Try our recipe for homemade pasta dough, homemade cavatelli, and ricotta gnudi for the most authentic pasta night ever.

Cooking Italian food for dinner is one of the better decisions to be made all week long. The absolute best idea? Pair a fun Italian dessert to go with this feast—but hey, it’s your party! Mangia!

delish!

Posted in Book Reviews

Sunday Soup: A Year’s Worth of Mouth-Watering, Easy-to-Make Recipes

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Bisques and gumbos, chilies and chowders—a recipe for every week of the year: “The best of the best . . . a winner.” —James Peterson, author of Splendid Soups

Sunday is the perfect day to slow down and enjoy a heartwarming meal. From spicy chilies to steaming chowders, Sunday Soup features sixty recipes: one for each Sunday of the year, and then some.

Gulf Coast Shrimp Gumbo is best for staving off the winter cold, while Dreamy Creamy Artichoke Soup welcomes the bounty of spring’s vegetables. When it’s too hot to turn on the stove, chill out with Icy Cucumber Soup with Smoked Salmon and Dill. Plus, a great selection of “Soup-er Sides” will turn any bowl of soup into a hearty meal. No matter the season, Sunday Soup offers all the inspiration you needs to pull out a stockpot and start simmering a new family tradition. Soup’s on!

Posted in #Recipes

Barbecue Lasagna

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Barbecue lasagna has the essential gooey cheese and noodles, but in a shocking plot twist, it packs a punch with a smoky, savory, sweet homemade barbecue sauce.

I love a good food mashup. Barbecue lasagna combines two icons of the comfort food world in one casserole pan, setting them up to become the power couple they never knew they could be. This isn’t your Nonna’s lasagna (unless your Nonna wears cowboy boots and grills ribs on the weekend).

To build this beast, you’ll layer ground beef, three cheeses and a homemade barbecue sauce so tangy and sweet it might just kick tomato sauce out of your pantry. Serve this baked pasta if you need to shock your in-laws into silence with flavor, for weeknight dinners when you’re feeling a little rebellious, or whenever you want to blow minds with something cozy, cheesy and unexpected.

Ingredients for Barbecue Lasagna

  • Ground beef: Use a blend of 80% lean ground beef for the most flavor. Leaner blends work too.
  • Barbecue sauce: This homemade sauce is sweet, tangy and bold, and combines ketchup, chopped green pepper, diced onion, brown sugar, lemon juice, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, prepared mustard, minced garlic, clove salt, pepper, chili powder and lemon-pepper seasoning.
  • Lasagna noodles: Traditional noodles work well here, but you can also use no-boil noodles to skip a step (and a pot). Just add a bit more sauce for moisture.
  • Mozzarella cheese: Mozzarella brings that classic lasagna meltiness. Shredding the cheese yourself ensures a better melt.
  • Sharp cheddar cheese: Sharp cheddar cuts through the sweet barbecue sauce.
  • Colby cheese: Mild and melty Colby rounds out the flavor party and balances the sharper flavors.
  • Cottage cheese and egg: This lasagna filling uses cottage cheese and an egg instead of ricotta. If you like the finer texture of ricotta, drain the cottage cheese and blitz it in a food processor until it’s smooth.

Taste of Home

Posted in #Recipes

40 Spicy Recipes That’ll Blow Your Top

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Time to turn up the heat! These spicy recipes are just what you need to kick things up a notch.

Taste of Home

Posted in Book Reviews

Recipes from Around Our Family Table 

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Make dinner the Carrabba’s way tonight, with these tasty, Italian family recipes.

For twenty-five years, Carrabba’s Italian Grill has offered its amici (Italian for “friends”) an extraordinary dining experience. Serving hand-prepared, contemporary renditions of traditional family recipes, Carrabba’s makes everyone who walks through the door feel right at home. Each meal is served in the time-honored tradition of warm Italian hospitality and authentically prepared food made from the heart.

Now, you can re-create the Carrabba’s experience in your own kitchen with delicious recipes inspired by generations of family cooking. In the true spirit of generosity, Recipes from Around Our Family Table shares not just these mouthwatering signature recipes, but also the cooking secrets that make them so good.

Features 75 authentic Italian recipes and Carrabba’s favorites, including:

  • ·       Chicken Bryan
  • ·       Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup
  • ·       Pizza Margherita
  • ·       Cozze in Bianco
  • ·       Pollo Rosa Maria
  • ·       Garlic Mashed Potatoes
  • ·       Pasta Weesie
  • ·       Lobster Macaroni and Cheese
  • ·       Prosciutto-wrapped Pork Tenderloin
  • ·       Sogno di Cioccolata
  • ·       Limoncello Bread Pudding
  • Also offers tips on successful grilling, preparing perfect pasta, finding the best ingredients, mastering homemade pizza, and more!