Spring Awakening Campanelle
I just experienced a magical moment in my ballet career. It all happened in about a 12 hour period of time, and at the end of the night, I was surprised that my delirium had not made me batty. Actually, I am wondering now if it even really happened, or if it was just a vivid dream.
I premiered a ballet that I had been wanting to dance ever since I had seen New York City Ballet do it back in 1998. Now, 11 years later, my dream had come true. I got to dance the “Strip Tease Girl” in “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue“. Read the rest of this entry »
Tomato and Sausage Risotto
I was browsing through one of my favorite food blog sites, Smitten Kitchen, and I stumbled upon this recipe. I liked the idea of it because it was a one pot meal, which means easy clean up, and it was nutritionally balanced with protein, veggies, calcium, and carbohydrates.
I also liked the idea of it because she talked about how her husband actually made this dish for her. I related to this because the other night, I came home from a performance of Twyla Tharp’s “Nine Sinatra Songs”, and Erik had an entire dinner made for me when I got home! He made soft tacos with organic ground beef. He cut up tomatoes, onions, cheese, and lettuce to top the tacos. I know this does not sound like much, but I was surprised and thrilled. This might become a new tradition:) Now that I know he actually CAN cook, he might have to help me a little more in the kitchen!
Also, I am going to Santa Fe today until Sunday. Besides Cafe Pasquals, does anyone have any good restaurant suggestions?
Spaghetti with Hazelnut-Spinach Pesto
I love the idea of hazelnuts and spinach in a pesto. It sounds so healthy, and delicious.
Hazelnuts have been popping up everywhere in my monthly cooking magazines. But, I never would have thought to put them in pesto. For years, my sister and I have begged for my Mama’s pesto recipe. She always just says, “I put a little of this, and a little of that. Whatever, I have on hand.” One time, my Sister was making pesto at her house and she had my Mama on the phone telling her exactly what to do. After she tasted the pesto, it tasted nothing like what she remembered it to be. Maybe it is the fact that my Mama grows all of her own herbs.
I feel like this recipe would be right up my Moma’s alley. Sometimes she uses almonds or walnuts in her pesto, instead of pine-nuts. I will now have to tell her that she can successfully substitute hazelnuts!
I made this meal for my best friend, Lindsi, while we waited around for a dress rehearsal that we were not in. She proclaimed that is was her new favorite pasta dish:)
Strawberry and Pistachio Spinach Salad
There is a constant battle between me and Erik when it comes to salad.
If I had my way, the salad would be filled with tons of micro-greens, heirloom tomatoes, french feta, nicoise olives, and thinly-sliced english cucumber.
Maybe a couple of radishes.
That would NOT be Erik’s first choice. His ideal salad is a dried cranberry, gorgonzola, and walnut salad over mesculin greens with a balsamic vinaigrette. A great salad. But, totally opposite of mine.
I thought this could be our compromise. This is the quintessential summer salad. Baby spinach, fresh summer strawberries, and creamy pistachios. I think it would even work well with crumbled goat cheese, or feta….hmm…
Two-Cheese Prosciutto Spinach Calzone
I used to be a Virginian. Now, I would consider myself a Seattleite. Is that what we call ourselves?
Back in my hometown of Salem, Virginia, our entire town loved to frequent a restaurant called Mac and Bob’s. It was a local restaurant that served great food, and you ALWAYS saw someone there that you knew. What can I say? It was a small town.
We would go there for a family dinner, after a middle-school dance (maybe with our date!), or just to hang out after ballet class while waiting for our parents to pick us up.
Mac and Bob’s had the BEST calzones! Ever. This is when I fell in love with them. Yet, it was not until Food Blogga made them on her site that I decided that I too could take the challenge.
I think I am going to start experimenting with Calzones. Maybe something interesting like Brie and Pear. What do you think? What kind of calzone would you make?
Spicy Chicken Sausage Rigatoni
This month’s Bon Appetit was filled with delicious pasta recipes that were fairly easy to make, and fast enough for a weeknight meal.
After a few modifications, I decided on this recipe because:
First: I LOVE anything spicy.
Second: Erik eats anything that has sausage in it, or on it.
Lastly: I love chopping onions and garlic.
This is actually on the healthier spectrum as far as pasta dishes go. Chicken Sausage, two cups of spinach, tomatoes. I am sure if you were really on a “health kick” you could also make whole-wheat pasta. I have not been able to get that one past Erik yet.
Leek, Russet, and Ham Soup
My company, Pacific Northwest Ballet, just opened last weekend with George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have done the ballet a couple of times before, and I always forget how much I love the music, and the dancing. However, this time in particular, it has been stressful because we only had a week to prepare.
After the first weekend of performances ended on Saturday night, I was really motivated to have a couple of days to cook, and relax. Of course, I woke up on Sunday morning a sore throat that eventually turned into a cold! Why do I always get sick on the weekends? I think my body just knew that it was time to rest, and the stress I have been feeling had finally caught up to me.
I am feeling a little better today, and of course now Erik is feeling under the weather. So to cure our colds, I decided that Erik and I needed an elegant, hearty, yet healthful soup. I know it is springtime, but somehow, I think this soup still fits the season. Its still only 45 degrees here in Seattle, and I am sure it must have rained at some point today.
Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni
If not to make my obsession worse, I got another Donna Hay Cookbook called Modern Classics 1 from one of my best friends, Kylee, for Christmas. This recipe caught my eye the very first day, and has been on my list to make for about a month now.
Because I had the day off today, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try this recipe because it requires about an hour and a half of preparation. This would be a perfect meal to make in advance and freeze. Then, on a busy night, all you have to do is preheat your oven and cook the dish until it bubbles (about 45-60 minutes). I used my basic sweet tomato sauce to cover this pasta, but you could make it even easier by using your favorite store-bought sauce. Also, the fresh lasagna sheets in this dish are to DIE for! I am starting to like fresh pasta more and more. It has a much different flavor and texture than dried pasta, but I am learning to love it. Pretty soon I know I should venture into making my own pasta……
Spicy Tomato Cannellini and Chorizo Soup
This week, because of my busy schedule, I planned out all of my meals.
This meal was originally intended for Thursday night. But, we ended up making last minute plans with some of our friends. Then, I was supposed to make this for dinner last night, but we opted to eat out (Indian food) due to my exhaustion from our current production of Romeo et Juliette. So, finally today, there was no excuse, and the weather was freezing, so I made it for a relaxing Saturday lunch. It is delicious, fast, and hearty! You have no reason not to make it.
Soup is always better the next day, or when it has been cooled and reheated. This is why I always cook any soup that I am making over really low heat for at least 10 minutes before serving it. It allows the flavors to meld together, and cool down enough so that you can eat it. What types of food do you crave on cold winter days?
