Zuppa Toscana is the best soup at Olive Garden. It’s actually the only reason I ever go to Olive Garden. So now that I figured out how to make it at home, I guess I don’t have any reason to go to Olive Garden anymore. The Instant Pot makes this extra quick and easy to…
Tag: Dinner
Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup
Now that I’ve experienced what quick work the Instant Pot can make of cooking beans, I’ve been much more willing to experiment with bean dishes. I ate a white bean and sausage soup years ago that I still remember and think about from time to time, and now finally got around to re-creating. It was…
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
I rarely cook beans, mostly because it takes FOREVER. But not with an Instant Pot! I finally got one and have been experimenting, with varying levels of success. It’s been a process, gradually figuring out cooking times, liquid quantities required, and seasoning when you can’t taste as you go. This was the first Instant Pot…
Braided Loaf
Cookbook Club – Magnolia Table, Volume 2 In March, the Cookbook Club explored a little part of the Magnolia cult… I mean “network”… using the Magnolia Table, Volume 2 cookbook by Joanna Gaines. If you couldn’t tell, I was a bit dubious going in, and you can find out whether or not the meal turned…
Warm Cabbage Salad
We tried a new restaurant for my birthday, and the best thing we had was a Warm Cabbage Salad which consisted of a roasted napa cabbage steak topped with green goddess dressing, parmesan, and crispy anchovies. I have been thinking about that salad ever since, so finally decided to try re-creating it at home. My…
Cauliflower Ragu
Cookbook Club – Six Seasons Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables was our cookbook for February. It progresses from spring to early summer to midsummer to late summer to autumn to winter, but since almost all of us were drawn to summer recipes rather than winter ones, we probably should have waited to use…
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in Olive Oil
Cookbook Club – Graze Graze: Inspiration for Small Plates and Meandering Meals was an ideal cookbook for Cookbook Club. Going from dish to dish trying little bites of many different things is what we’re all about. To meander alongside us through the entire enticing meal, go to my Cookbook Club site. For now – my…
Bruschetta
I love bruschetta, but can’t bring myself to order it in a restaurant because it is so easy and inexpensive to make at home. The first time I made this bruschetta for my boyfriend he said, “This is the best bruschetta I’ve eaten in my life… and I’ve eaten a lot of bruschetta!”. Guessipe Toss…
No-Knead Crusty Bread
A friend of mine shared this no-knead bread recipe with me a long time ago, and I’d made it a ton because it was so easy and delicious. The original recipe called for bread flour, but noted that you could also use all-purpose flour. I’d made it both ways, until one day I went to…
Fish in Black Bean Sauce
Fish in Black Bean Sauce is a common dish in Chinese restaurants, but it’s actually pretty easy to make at home! The black bean and garlic sauce is what makes this dish, and it works with a variety of different kinds of fish. Guessipe Toss the fish in 1 TBSP corn starch and set aside….
Thai Basil Chicken
When I go to the Asian market, I grab Thai basil so that I can make this super easy Thai Basil Chicken. It’s a great dish for weeknights because it comes together in minutes. The only reason to get this at a Thai restaurant instead of making it at home is if I can’t get…
Mushroom-Scallion Soup
Cookbook Club – Joy of Cooking (2019 Edition) We have used Joy of Cooking for a Cookbook Club event before, but this time we focused specifically on the 2019 edition, which has hundreds of new recipes and modifications to some of the old ones. To get our tiny taste of what this extensive cookbook has…