Cottage Pie

Sometimes you make a dish so simple and unpromising, you’re wondering why you even attempted it.
Then you taste it and you hate yourself for ever doubting its capabilities.
This Cottage pie is one of those dishes.
A few basic ingredients: ground beef mixed with vegetables, topped with sliced potatoes. Simple.
Then you put it in the oven for about 40 minutes, and what comes out of it is a dish that just sings. A perfect balance of flavours, tasty, everything is perfect.
Just like a good song. A song that hits your nerve and you’re like ‘Oh my god, I love this song’.
You know, one of those songs you keep playing on your iPod, over and over, and never get tired of it.
Like ‘Step’ by Vampire Weekend. One of the best songs ever imo.
When you wrap together some of the most clever lyrics ever written (“Wisdom's a gift, but you'd trade it for youth, age is an honor - it's still not the truth”) with a great tune, you’ve got yourself a perfect song.
And just like a perfect song, this Cottage pie is a perfect blend and balance of flavors.

Raspberry-Grapefruit Smoothie

Another day another smoothie. I’m sorry guys, but I can’t help myself. I’m in the mood for smoothies so that’s what you’re getting.
I’ve made this raspberry-grapefruit smoothie several times and it’s delicious. Fresh, healthy, and well, grapefruit-y.
It’s so good, I had to share it with you.

Fluffy Scrambled Eggs with Avocado and Feta

If I were to pick a food anyone can cook, I’d go with scrambled eggs.

From a 8-year old girl to a 98-year old gramps, everybody can mix a couple of eggs in a bowl, pour them into a quite hot buttered pan, and give them a brief stir with a wooden spoon.
It’s elementary.
However, almost 99% of the world population makes overcooked, dry, and lumpy scrambled eggs.
Scrambled eggs should be creamy, luscious, and custard-like instead. They should slip off your fork into your mouth, be light and creamy all on their own (without the addition of milk, cream or cheese).
Perfect scrambled eggs are amazing in their simplicity. I could eat them forever.
Then of course, if you like them dry, you’re probably more into fried eggs than scrambled eggs. But who am I to judge?

Buffalo-Style Pork Chops

What's watching football without buffalo chicken wings and a cold brew?
Chicken wings (and beer) are to football as oxygen is to mankind, as jelly is to peanut butter, as 1Direction are to teen girls, as bodybuilders are to the dumbbell rack.
One can't exist without the other. It’s a sacred thing.
If you don’t get the importance of eating hot, sticky wings while watching football, well...we can’t be friends.

Avocado Hummus

In its purest form, hummus is a creamy, smooth dip that can be easily used to top just about anything. It might be one of the greatest culinary gift from the Middle East.
America has become obsessed with the rich chickpea spread, and for a reason. It’s not only delicious, it’s also super healthy.
The typical chickpea-garlic-tahini combination is as good as it gets — but why stop there?
Sometimes — just sometimes — I get tired of it. Not to mention, there are so many variations to the standard hummus recipe, it’s fun to play around.

Green Detox Smoothie

I’m alive, I’m alive!
I know you guys were super worried — OK, maybe not “super worried”, let’s go with concerned? Puzzled? Curious? You have to give me curious at least.
Anyways, I’m here in one piece, still alive, typing on the keyboard, with my cup of green tea.
Life seems to be going back to normal, finally.
So what happened?
Well, nothing that exciting.
In a nutshell, when I got back from the holidays on January 4th I got the flu. Just like that.
I’m not complaining, it’s flu season, people get the flu.
However, I didn’t get the flu, I got the super flu, the terminator of flu.

Goulash

New Year's Eve is coming up in two days.
Where is your ideal place to ring in the new year? How will you celebrate?
Traditionally New Year’s Eve brings out the party animals and bucket-listers in droves. Not me though, I’m not big on parties.
My worst nightmare is to spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square.
Watching the ball drop while being squeezed flat by a million screaming people is literally my idea of hell. Just the thought of it takes the life out me.
Seriously people, how is that even fun?
To be honest, I resent altogether the idea that New Year’s Eve is the biggest night of the year. One MUST get drunk, MUST dance the night away, MUST have the time of his/her life.
It really stresses me out because there’s this unspoken pressure for it to be the best party of the year.
It never is.
When expectations are too high, disappointment is always right around the corner.
Don’t think of me as a pessimist, but when it comes to New Year’s Eve, I’ve learned that’s pretty much always the case.
I’ve had a few good ones but nowadays I’d rather spend a relatively quiet and peaceful evening with the people I love. Good food, some fun games, going to bed relatively early, and waking up rested. That’s the New Year’s Eve I like.

Merry Christmas To You All!

It’s Christmas Eve you guys!
I can say without hesitation that this is my favourite day of the year.
All that has to be done, has been done and if it hasn't happened there is little you can do about it now.
It's a day of anticipation for the excitement to come.
Roaring fires, good food, and the air filled with warmth. I’m busy whipping up a feast for my family, and will probably be up into the early hours wrapping presents.
I come from a large family, and being together with everyone is just so much fun.

I hope that each and every person has a wonderful holiday filled with all of the people you love, food, and fun.
I also hope that everyone gets a chance to relax and enjoy the people that surround them.
Is anyone having a White Christmas? If so, you’re lucky because there’s nothing better than a White Christmas in my opinion.
It is also a time to reflect about how the past year went, and to be thankful for the friends, family, and my presence here on earth.
I am so very grateful that you guys read this blog, enjoy it and that in some way it enriches your life as it enriches my life to write it. Thank you.

I wish you a Merry Christmas with your all loved ones.

Chicken-Spinach Meatballs with Creamed Feta Paste

"To sneak or not to sneak?"
That is the question.
Are you one of those parents that - just like Gwyneth Paltrow - sneak veggies into food your kids love?
Do you make chocolate brownies with hidden carrot and spinach, fudgy zucchini chocolate cookies, and sweet potato waffles?
Do you feel like you're winning at parenting every time you kiddo eats some veggies without knowing it?

Honey-and-Spice-Glazed Chicken

You know that feeling when you open a refrigerator and you’re like “Uhm, what the hell am I going to eat tonight?”
To me that happens a lot. Which is sort of weird because I love to eat, I love to cook, and I love food.
Now that I think about it, it’s actually super weird being that I run a food blog.
Anyways, that question inevitably comes up more often than I would like to admit.
The game changer I've realized, is having chicken breasts ready (either fresh or frozen).
There's really not much one CAN’T do with chicken breasts. Grill them, bake them, fry them, shishkabob them, make fajitas, stir-fry, slow cook & pull the meat apart for burrito/taco filling, braise them.
Pretty much the only thing you can't do with a chicken breast is eat it raw or treat it like a roast. It's a versatile, almost characterless chunk of protein.
I never look at a chicken breast and ask myself “what can I do with this?"; instead I decide what I want to eat and then ask myself "how would I work chicken into this?"