Archive for January, 2017
It’s less than a week until the Super Bowl – what are you making this year?
Whether you’re watching for the football, the commercials, the half-time show, or the cute animals (puppy bowl, anyone?)… if you’re reading this, you probably agree that what you’re eating is equally as important (if not more so) as what you’re watching.
If you’re still looking for some menu inspiration, don’t despair! I’ve rounded up the top ten most popular Super Bowl recipes that our users have shared on Fridgg, and you’re sure to come away with some tasty ideas!
For example, who wouldn’t love one (or ten) of these amazing bacon cheese puffs from Eva in the Kitchen?
Chili is a game day classic, and this five-bean turkey chili that Justine from Cooking and Beer shared on Fridgg sounds like a perfect version!
I’m all about finger food for the Super Bowl, which makes these taco bites a great game day appetizer.
Also, pizza bites from The Life Jolie! Pizza + no-mess finger food = an excellent choice for parties.
I’ve always got to have some sort of dip at our Super Bowl party, and I know our party-goers would go crazy over Justine’s spicy chipotle fry sauce!
Another game day classic from Justine (with a blog named “Cooking and Beer”, you know she’s got tons of great game-day eats!) are these Italian-style slow cooker meatballs – easy and delicious!
Didn’t think we’d forgotten about the wings, did you? Justine’s chipotle ranch chicken wings are a finger lickin’ good game day option!
Not to mention, these baked roast beef sliders, also from Justine, look oh so satisfying.
Our second most popular Super Bowl recipe on Fridgg is this amazing reuben dip – so packed with deliciousness, it could pass for a meal!
And our Super Bowl winner, the top most popular Super Bowl recipe on Fridgg are these insanely easy sweet chili wingettes, from Christina of A Soulful Twist!
Four ingredients. Easy directions. Obviously I had to try the wings out… you know, for quality purposes.
You know it’s a good recipe when we end up standing over the baking sheet, licking our fingers, and Son asks if I can please make these again for our Super Bowl party this year.
And it’s such a crazy easy recipe… how could I say no?
Sweet Chili Wingettes
Recipe from A Soulful Twist.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken wings
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
Cooking Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat the wings dry.
- Mix the seasonings together, then rub evenly all over the wings. Place wings in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Serve alongside a stack of napkins, and enjoy!
Blackout curtains. They’re amazing things. I don’t think we’ve ever slept so soundly as that first night in Paris.
We got a late start that morning (thanks to sleeping way in), but we stepped out to a lovely day.
After a stop at the bakery right next to our hotel to pick up breakfast, we made our way directly to the Seine.
I would not complain if every day in my life started with a tasty pain au chocolat.
Sitting and eating with a view of the river… definitely not a bad way to start your day.
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, we’re wanderers. When we travel, it’s not about visiting museums or seeing all the must-see sights. We prefer to explore, wandering through the streets and neighborhoods with only general goals in mind.
Usually those goals involve food.
On this day, we made our way down the left bank of the Seine, towards the Notre Dame.
It was fascinating, how many things there were to do along the river.
We considered visiting the Musee d’Orsay, but quickly decided we were not going to waste our limited time in Paris standing in lines.
Instead, we bought tickets to the Batobus!
Since we were only in Paris for two days, this became our transportation of choice. We each bought a two-day pass, and then would hop on and off the boat anytime we wanted to go up or down the river.
(We were later told that the Paris metro is very nice and easy to deal with, but honestly my least favorite thing to do while traveling is to try to figure out a busy, hectic public transportation system when we don’t know what is going on and hardly speak the language. Plus, the Batobus was a fun way to see Paris.)
From the Musee d’Orsay stop, we took the Batobus to the Louvre exit, then headed over a bridge towards the Luxembourg Gardens.
But to be honest, our intended destination wasn’t the gardens. Nope – as usual, we were headed in search of food.
Specifically, we were here to find the famous Pierre Hermé, and their macarons!
After perusing their offerings, we bought a bunch of macarons (obviously we had to try every flavor), plus some other types of sweets that would last long enough to take home for our families.
You know us – we couldn’t wait to try them!
So we walked across the street to the little park around Fontaine Saint-Sulpice, found a bench, and got into the macarons.
Salted caramel is always an excellent option.
And to sample something a little more exotic, we tried the pistachio and raspberry compote macaron. Both were amazing, of course.
Some people check off tourist attractions on their travel bucket lists. We check off food goals. One down, plenty to go!
My wanderings around my world this week started with…
SO MUCH RAIN!!!
And rainbows!
Melting chocolate.
To make homemade samoas!
Yes, I know they’re ugly AF.
Burger date!
I was so chilled to the bone after walking home late at night that I went and sat on top of the heater vent in order to warm up.
Just like I used to when I was a kid.
It still works wonderfully.
Getting my food styling on.
These mini berry tartlets were tasty.
Recipe coming soon(ish)!
Happy Lunar New Year!
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Being a nice girl vs. a kind woman.
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Where are you wandering this week?
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After a bit of wandering, we found a cute little restaurant called 7éme Vin near our hotel.
Being so close to the Eiffel Tower, they were obviously used to catering to tourists, and spoke impeccable English. Although we had no reservation, they were kind enough to tell us, “Come back in an hour and we will have a table for you.”
We left and walked around the area, scoping out the neighborhood. An hour later, we returned, and true to their word we were seated within minutes.
It’s a fairly small restaurant, so seating can be a bit cramped. We were seated right next to another foreign couple, with the wine menu squished between us.
But despite the cramped quarters, and regardless of any concerns that this might have been an overly touristy restaurant due to its close proximity to the Eiffel Tower, the food was excellent.
We started with “Terrine de Foie-Gras et ses Toasts”.
This is where we discovered we’re huge fans of foie gras.
Next, we had the “Escargots de Bourgogne”.
I already knew I adored escargots, but by the end of the meal we were totally regretting only ordering 6 instead of 12. They were SO GOOD.
Let’s be honest, I’m pretty sure I ate more than my share of the escargots. We usually share everything 50/50, but Son could tell I really liked these.
For our main entrée, we shared “Magret de Canard Landais au Miel et Gingembre” – roasted duck breast with a honey ginger sauce. I wasn’t quite as much of a fan, but Son really enjoyed this.
Then it was time for dessert!
If there’s créme brulée on a menu, it’s a pretty safe guess to assume Son will get it.
And, wanting to try something we hadn’t had before, we also ordered their soft meringues with caramel sauce and custard (“floating islands”).
I was a huge fan of the floating islands, and Son couldn’t stop raving about the créme brulée.
All in all, we are happy to report that our first real meal in Paris (that is, if you ignore that awful crêpe) was a rousing success!
We loved it so much, we seriously considered going back the next day – if not for our short time in Paris, and desire to try as many different places as possible, we might have!
It was 11pm when we made our way back to the hotel. Off to sleep, before another day around Paris!
Who’s ready for the New Year?
The Lunar New Year, that is. This year, it falls on January 28th – the end of the year of the monkey, as we usher in the year of the rooster!
While my family doesn’t celebrate (we go crazy on January 1st), this is a big holiday for Son’s family. And as his parents get older, some of the cooking responsibilities are being passed on to me.
This bitter melon soup is a must for his celebration. It was a favorite of his grandmother, so we make it every year for her spirit to enjoy on the New Year.
I was a bit nervous the first time I made it, because bitter melon is… well… bitter.
(Who’d have ever guessed?)
However, the blanching mellows it significantly, and the pairing with pork always works wonderfully.
If you’re celebrating the Lunar New Year, this is a tasty addition to your table!
Recipe from The Ravenous Couple.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground pepper (we prefer white pepper, but black pepper works just fine as well)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
- 1/2 cup bean thread noodles
- 2 8-12″ bitter melons
- 6 cups of chicken broth
- 1 green onion, thinly chopped
- cilantro, chopped
- salt
Cooking Directions
- In two separate small bowls, soak the dried wood ear mushrooms and the bean thread noodles in warm water for about 10 minutes. Drain, then slice the wood ear mushrooms thinly, and cut the bean thread noodles into 2-3″ lengths.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pork, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, salt, shallot, wood ear mushrooms, and bean thread noodles, and mix well. Set aside.
- Quickly blanch the bitter melons in boiling water for about 1 minute – the color should turn a dark green. Remove and let cool. When cool enough to handle, slice bitter melons cross-wise into 1-1.5″ slices. Using a spoon or knife, carve out the center white pith and seeds with a circular motion.
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Meanwhile, stuff the bitter melon slices with the pork stuffing. When the stock is boiling, gently drop in the stuffed bitter melons. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the center of the pork is done. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to soup bowls and garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro. Serve with jasmine rice.
