Chicken in Tangy Escabeche of Caramelized Onions, Carrots and Jalapenos with Rice

March 18, 2010

Contrary to popular (American) belief, the condiment of choice in much of Mexico isn’t salsa, but jalapenos en escabeche, which is essentially jalapenos pickled with carrots and onions. Though hesitant to abandon salsa altogether during my summer in Mexico, I grew to love the slightly tart and totally tangy bowl of escabeche vegetables served alongside […]

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Beef and Guinness Stew with Champ

March 15, 2010

In Ireland, it’s easy to take the top-quality food for granted. We have butter that’s a creamy yellow, the way it should be; bread that’s baked fresh every day and delivered to the stores first thing in the morning; brown eggs that are so fresh they’re often not even refrigerated in the grocery store; lamb […]

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Filipino-style London Broil, Oven-roasted Potatoes, and Winter Greens with Shaved Parmesan

March 10, 2010

My book club’s most recent pick, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, provided the perfect inspiration for our meeting’s dinner menu. The book centers around the author’s year of eating only local foods, including produce and animals that she raised herself. After getting past the initial defensiveness of my own […]

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Cauliflower Cheese Soup with Irish Beer Bread

March 8, 2010

I’ve always thought of cheese soup as a Midwestern, and particularly a Wisconsin, thing. There’s no reason for me to think that, other than that Wisconsin is known as the Dairy State and leads the nation in cheese production. UW-Madison, where Kelly and I both went to college, is also well known for often topping […]

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Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

March 2, 2010

It’s not for nothing that rice and beans is such a staple dish in so many parts of the world (Kelly has already written about this here). Not only is it the ultimate budget food, but when eaten together, rice and beans form a complete protein (you could argue that the inclusion of chicken in […]

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Chicken with Lentils

February 26, 2010

I know this dish doesn’t sound like much. In fact, on the night I had planned to make it, it suddenly sounded so boring and unappealing that I briefly debated ordering take-out instead and wondered what I’d been thinking when choosing to make this earlier in the week as part of my weekly meal planning. […]

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Jambalaya with Shrimp and Ham with Toasted Garlic Kale

February 24, 2010

In celebration of Mardi Gras, Reuben cooked up a great pot of jambalaya. Out of the million and one versions of this classic Cajun cuisine, this one is my favorite. It’s low fat, cooks in one pot, and is a great way to use up leftover ham. The kale provides a burst of color and […]

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Coca-Cola Ham, Parmesan Smashed Potatoes, and Roasted Beets with Greens and Goat Cheese

February 22, 2010

I’ve sworn off high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for a few years now. My HFCS ban is one of the reasons I started cooking more of my own meals. At least in the United States, it’s pretty difficult to avoid HFCS in processed or convenience foods. Soda — or pop, depending on where you live […]

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