An alfredo sauce is almost exactly like macaroni and cheese, but somehow sounds so much classier. Amazing what a little garlic will do. Fried vegetables add a more interesting flavour, making every bite a little bit different from the last.
Archive for the ‘Main Dish’ Category
Alfredo with Veggies
In Italian, Main Dish on 2009-07-10 at 9:17 amMacaroni and Cheese
In Main Dish on 2009-06-15 at 4:28 pm
Likely the first recipe I ever learned, Macaroni and Cheese is one of my favourite comfort foods. My parents insisted that from a fairly early age both my sister and I had to cook dinner some of the time. By high school, we contributed at least one meal a week each.. sometimes more since we were home much earlier than they were (and whoever made dinner didn’t have to do dishes. Big motivation.). However, for many years my parents had to “suffer” through meals of mac & cheese or tomato-soup-from-a-can and grilled cheese sandwiches.
I can still remember a time when I didn’t know how to make even this. I somehow read the recipe wrong and thought I had to cook just the butter and flour for 5 minutes (Don’t do this!! It ruins pots!!). Despite that, this is a really easy recipe to make - almost as easy as kraft dinner and tastes much better. This is a variation on Basic White Sauce.
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Basic White Sauce
In Main Dish on 2009-06-15 at 4:28 pm
Basic White Sauce, is the starting point for countless sauces, gravies and even soups. I couldn’t list them all, but I will link back to this recipe whenever it comes up. By itself, it’s fairly tasteless. Add a little spice, onion, cheese.. or switch out the milk for broth or wine and suddenly you have a delicious sauce.
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Creamy Pesto Chicken and Pasta
In Italian, Main Dish on 2009-05-26 at 9:40 pm
I found this recipe quite recently, as I was wandering the internets for ideas on how to get the kind of rich flavours I’ve experienced at higher end restaurants. My first clue was fresh herbs, and then I found some blogs which talked about how wine brings out flavours. Knowing next to nothing about wine or fresh herbs, I needed to follow some very explicit instructions. In the end, I found this recipe which turned out to be almost exactly what I was looking for. It takes a bit of work, but I liked it so much I made it a second time for my parents just a week later.
Kate’s Mexican Lasagna
In Main Dish, Mexican on 2009-05-12 at 11:05 am
Although it may seem like an odd presentation, the mexican lasagna that my sister made turned out not at all strange and quite a bit yummy. It’s basically a recipe for chili, but layers with soft tortillas and cheese in (what I believe to be..) a perfect ratio. She warns me that her amounts might be a bit off, but the overall idea has been captured here. Happily, it shouldn’t take as much time as a normal lasagna as there are no noodles to cook.
Rainy Day Stew
In Main Dish on 2009-04-24 at 11:16 am
Stew was one of my comfort foods growing up, especially on a cold, wet day. Traditionally, my family made a beef stew that included barley, potato and turnip (as well as a few other things). When I lost my taste for beef, I had to improvise a little. Around the same time, I discovered a love for lentils and sweet potato. They have now been added to my version of rainy day stew.
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Amazing Veggie Burgers
In Main Dish on 2009-03-31 at 7:15 pm
The amazing thing about these veggie burgers is not that they imitate meat, in fact they don’t really taste like meat at all. However, they go very well with normal burger toppings, they taste great (even meat lovers agree!), and they freeze well for later use. This recipe was received from my friend Jessie Pomeroy around the time I became vegetarian, and although I am now back to eating some chicken this is still my favourite burger-type meal.
Cy’s Tortillas
In Main Dish, Mexican on 2009-03-22 at 11:14 pm
These pancake-like tortillas are from my parents’ recipe card file thanks to a roommate of theirs from university. They’re not quite like any “tortillas” I’ve had in other places, but the recipe is easy and the resulting patties are tasty with any common Mexican toppings.
Mom’s Lasagna
In Italian, Main Dish on 2009-03-08 at 11:08 pm
My mom’s lasagna recipe is mostly based on one from the “No fad, good food, five dollar a day cookbook” that I believe my parents have had since their university days. The book itself shows a lot of wear and appropriate food stains. Over the years, it has been very reliable for tasty and cheap food ideas. My mom’s interpretation of it has completely spoiled me for store-bought lasagna.
This was my first time making it for myself, and unfortunately about 5 minutes after this picture was taken, I was trying to carry the lasagna to my friend Katy’s place and it slipped from its handles and dropped on the floor… exploding bits of lasagna everywhere. I managed to save most of it, but it wasn’t winning any prizes for looks. It was delicious, though!
Chicken Curry
In Indian, Main Dish on 2009-02-26 at 2:22 pm
Likely when most people think of curry, they think of something like this. In Britain, it might have the addition of peas. I would think that you could add all sorts of vegetables to help soak up the curry sauce - like potatoes, broccoli, large chunks of onion, etcetera.
It may not be the prettiest of foods, but chicken curry is flavourful and satisfying.
Chick Pea Paneer
In Indian, Main Dish on 2009-02-18 at 1:23 pm
Traditionally, this is made with paneer, an Indian white soft cheese usually presented in cubes. At the recommendation of the 1987 Dairy Diary, I tried using cottage cheese instead. I found that it’s best to put the cheese in after you remove the pot from the heat, otherwise the cheese melts into larger chunks. However, the result is very similar to paneer without having to make your own or buy from a specialty store.
Chick pea paneer is a relatively mild curry. I would recommend it for introducing people to Indian cuisine.
Daal
In Indian, Main Dish on 2009-02-09 at 12:18 pm
Although I wasn’t a fan of spicy food as a kid, daal was one of my favourite Indian dishes. It can be prepared to your liking, from very bland to mouth burning hot. Serving it with naan bread can cut the spice and make it a lot more interesting, although it goes quite well with rice and curry.
This is an easy meal to make, and vegetarian.
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