In 2012 our family decided to go on an Irish golf trip. Trips like that don’t come along very often so if you are going to do it, you might as well do it right. We used PerryGolf to organize our trip and it couldn’t have been more amazing. Here’s a throwback picture of me with my dad and brother at Old Head Golf Links.
On Tuesday I got another box from Blue Apron which included a recipe for roasted fennel on a bed of linguine. I love pasta but had never had fennel before. Come to find out, it reminds me of an onion and I discovered that I really liked it. This was yet another easy and really delicious recipe.
Cook along with me in the video below.
INGREDIENTS
10 Ounces Fresh Linguine Pasta
⅓ Cup Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Fennel Bulb
1 Lemon
1 Bunch Parsley
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Shallot
¼ Cup Breadcrumbs
INSTRUCTIONS
1 . Prepare the ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Pick off and mince a few of the fennel fronds (the thread-like tops of the plant). Cut off and discard the fennel stems. Halve and core the fennel bulb; slice into ½-inch-thick strips. Pick the parsley off the stems. Peel and mince the garlic. Using a peeler, remove the lemon rind, avoiding the pith; mince to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter and deseed the lemon. Peel and mince the shallot to get 2 tablespoons of minced shallot (you may have extra).
2. Roast the fennel & make the lemon ricotta:
Place the sliced fennel bulb on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to thoroughly coat. Arrange in a single, even layer and roast, stirring halfway through, 18 to 20 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned. While the fennel roasts, in a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and the juice of 3 lemon wedges; season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Make the breadcrumb mixture:
While the fennel roasts, in a large pan, melt the butter on medium until hot. Add the garlic, shallot and half the parsley. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant and softened. Add the breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 4 minutes, or until toasted and browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe out the pan.
4. Make the sauce:
While the fennel continues to roast, in the pan used to make the breadcrumb mixture, combine the lemon zest, the juice of the remaining lemon wedge, ½ cup of water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat to boiling on high; stir to thoroughly combine. Remove from heat.
5. Cook & finish the pasta:
Using your hands, carefully separate the strands of the pasta; add to the pot of boiling water. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, or until tender. Reserving ¼ cup of the pasta cooking water, drain thoroughly and transfer to the pan of sauce. Add the roasted fennel bulb, minced fennel fronds and reserved pasta cooking water. Cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until well combined. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Plate your dish:
Spread a layer of the lemon ricotta onto the sides of 2 dishes. Divide the finished pasta between the dishes. Garnish with the olives, breadcrumb mixture and remaining parsley. Serve with the remaining lemon ricotta on the side. Enjoy!
For all the deets and the tails about this recipe, click here.
I recently saw a ham and cheese recipe on Pinterest from Kevin & Amanda. I don’t care for ham so replaced it with slices of mushrooms and it was amazing. Try this super easy recipe and let me know what you think.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 can of Pillsbury Crescent Seamless Dough Sheet
• 1 cup of white button mushrooms sliced
• 6 slices of Swiss cheese
MUSTARD POPPY SEED GLAZE
• 8 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of brown
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Unroll the pizza dough onto a cutting board and press into a large rectangle. Top with the mushrooms and cheese slices. Starting on the longer side of the rectangle, roll up the edge tightly. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. Cut into slices approximately 1-inch wide. Arrange in prepared baking dish.
3. Next combine the butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and poppy seeds in a sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk until the butter is melted and the glaze is smooth and combined. Pour evenly over the rolls.
4. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or bake, uncovered for 25 minutes until golden and browned. Enjoy!
After visit Rita in Canada, she always inspires me to be a little more earthy and resourceful. Click here to learn about Rita. That being said, I just took a stab at making homemade, sugar-free strawberry jam. While the process took a little longer than I thought, I’m very happy with the results. The recipe is from 100DaysOfRealFood.com. Comment below if you have some favorite jam recipes that you think are worth sharing.
This is an awesome and very easy (healthy too!) summer pasta dish that I wanted to share with you from Blue Apron.
INGREDIENTS
½ Pound Whole Grain Spaghetti
5 Ounces Multicolored Cherry Tomatoes
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Ear Of Corn
1 Bunch Basil
2 Tablespoons Mascarpone Cheese
1 Shallot
⅓ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
⅛ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
STEP BY STEP
1. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and shallot. Remove and discard the husks and silks of the corn. Cut the corn kernels off the cob; discard the cob. Pick the basil leaves off the stems; discard the stems.
2. Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Reserving 2/3 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the cooked pasta thoroughly.
3. While the pasta cooks, in a large pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, shallot and corn; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant.
4. To the pan of vegetables, add the tomatoes, half the basil (roughly chopping just before adding) and as much of the crushed red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until well combined and the tomatoes have softened slightly.
5. To the pan of vegetables, add the cooked pasta, mascarpone cheese, all but a pinch of the Parmesan cheese and half the reserved pasta cooking water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pasta is thoroughly coated. (If the sauce seems dry, gradually add the remaining pasta cooking water to achieve your desired consistency.) Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Divide the finished pasta and vegetables between 2 dishes. Garnish with theremaining Parmesan cheese and remaining basil (tearing just before adding). Enjoy!
In case you need a little extra help, just cook with me!
For more information on Blue Apron and this recipe, click here.
We have a family cottage on Chub Lake in Northern Ontario, Canada. Nathan, Chloe and I took a trip to visit my grandma for a few days. Below are my favorite moments from the trip.
Our cottage started out as a one room fishing cottage and over the years the main cabin expanded to a kitchen, bathroom and two little bedrooms separated by curtains. About 13 years ago the guest cabin (which is Texas-themed) was built. Here you can see how thick the natural forest is surrounding our land. To the left you can see the guest cottage and it’s porch and to the right is the main cabin. Typically the Canadian flag is flown, but in honor of her guests, Grandma decided it would be appropriate to fly the Texas flag. Below that is a flag that has Michigan State on one side and the University of Michigan on the other. Our Michigan family is divided – half went to Michigan State and half to U of M.
This is the living room in the main cottage. All across the top wall (only 9 are shown here) are masks that my grandparents collected over the years from their many travels. Grandma has been to over 100 different countries and this is just a small portion of her treasures. The comic strip to the right is probably my favorite decoration up here. My mom bought it many years on one of her trips abroad. A knight finds a naked woman tied up in a cave. He unties her, she thinks she’s being saved, he has his ‘way with her’ and then ties her back up and leaves. Hilarious.
This is the guest cottage. Inside it there is a queen size bed, a small sitting area, closet and bathroom. In the bathroom is a special toilet called the Incinolet 5000. It’s great because it uses no water and basically burns your waste every day. At the end of the week you can dump out your ashes. They chose this type of toilet because the cottage was built on rocks and this made the most sense for plumbing.
We have always loved The Peanuts Gang and when my mom was little, she painted the gang on the original woodshed. Every few years she would repaint them and then when I started going up there as a little girl, I would help touch up the images. When the old woodshed was torn down and this new one was built, my grandma mentioned to the builders how much she’d miss seeing these paintings. The builders surprised her by cutting them out and attaching them to the new wood shed. As silly as they may be, these paintings means so much to us.
Chloe loves being at the cottage but she can be sneaky and fast, so when she is outside, she’s always on a string attached to a tree. I love her but can’t trust her.
Several years ago my cousin Chris balanced these rocks and amazingly enough, they have lasted through the extreme temperature changes that Canada experiences.
Our first night Nathan cooked steaks on the grill. He claims to not be much of a chef but these turned out great. I’m mostly meat-free but if I’m eating with others, it’s easier to go with the flow. I must say, it was fun to have a week filled with steak, bacon and sausage!
Chloe is used to sleeping all day while I’m at work. When she’s at the cabin, she goes hiking, kayaking and fishing… so each evening she passed out. It was really quite cute. Her eyes would just get so heavy and she couldn’t stay awake to save her life. Plus, how cute are her little jammies?
On our second day, it was a little rainy but we managed to make our way to Tom and Rita’s. Tom opens and closes the cabin for Grandma and does any and all of the maintenance needed when she is back in the States. Rita is his lovely wife and has the most amazing garden I’ve ever seen. They are so awesome and let us come pick vegetables. I’ve never met anyone as resourceful as them. They even make their own maple syrup and wine.
We have 4 kayaks – two ocean kayaks and two kiwis (which are wider and shorter). Kayaking is one of my all-time favorite things to do, so we try to do as much as we can up here.
Chub Lake apparently has quite a lot of fishing potential (Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Walleye and Northern Pike), we didn’t have much luck this year.
Across from our bay is a beautiful cottage owned by some of our cousins. Luckily, while we were up there we got to see T and two of his three sons Ryan and Zach. It has been years since I’ve seen them and probably 20 years since we’ve been in Canada at the same time. We had an awesome little family reunion!
After some unsuccessful fishing on our dock, Nathan decided to try fishing more in the middle of the lake in a kayak. I love this picture, he’s so determined here.
Chloe is my little co-captain and loves being on the edge of the kayak. She always wears a little life jacket and so she doesn’t swim in the wrong direction, I attach a string to her jacket so when she falls in, I can reel her back to me.
Our third day was absolutely gorgeous so we hiked up to Rock Candy Mountain. It’s located on Cummings Lake.
Here’s our view from the top of Rock Candy Mountain.
More kayaking. When we kayaked with the Woods boys we went down to Little Chub. If you go to the other end of Chub Lake you can go through a small tunnel to Jobamageeshig – Jobam for short.
We don’t have cable up there so really rely on old cassette tapes and the Canadian NPR station. Aside from nights listening to Burl Ives and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, we always loved listening to Roy Clarks’ Greatest Hits. It’s hard to choose a favorite Roy Clark song, because they are all so good, but my vote goes to “I Never Picked Cotton”.
In 1960, Barbie’s Queen of the Prom board game came out and my mom had to have it. Somehow it ended up at the cabin and it’s been a staple ever since. We always play it once while we are up there and while Nathan may have been hesitant at first, I think he really enjoyed it. It’s a race to see who can get Prom Queen first, but before you can go to the Prom, you have to get a boyfriend, buy a dress and become the president of a school club. Nathan actually ended up winning and becoming the Prom Queen. He was the President of the Athletic Club, bought the $40 “Let’s Dance” dress and took Tom as his date!
The sunsets are quite beautiful from our property. Every evening is filled with listening to the loons call on the lake. If you’ve never heard a loon, here’s an example.
Mornings are typically filled with coffee and the Canadian NPR station. My grandma’s love for NPR was passed down to me – it’s about all I listen to now. The lighting this morning was really beautiful, so I figured it’d be okay to snap a picture of myself… yes.. a selfie.
After breakfast on our last day there, grandma and I took Nathan to the rocks on the Little White River. I have a lot of fond memories of playing on the rocks when I was little.
I was pretty excited to come here and test out my new ND3 filter. This was shot with my Canon 5D Mark II at an f22, 100ISO and for 30 seconds.
We ended our final day with another loop around the lake. I can’t think of a better and more relaxing way to end this quick trip.
I love this shot of Grandma. She’s incredible. 87 years young and still gets in a kayak (on her own) and cruises to the middle of the lake. She’s my hero and I’m blessed to have her in my life.
Just in case you want even more, here’s a more in-depth look into our trip. Enjoy.