Mar 17 2011

Put Some Irish In Your Dessert!

Posted by Erika (TK) in Holidays, Looks Delicious!

Looking for ways to celebrate today’s holiday without wearing green from head to toe? (Did you know that originally, blue was the color associated with St. Patrick?) If you’re up for a blast from the past, here’s an Irish food theme post we put up last time. Spoiler alert: Chocolate Stout Cupcakes. That’s all I’m saying.

Today, I thought we’d look at a few ways to put some Irish in your treats. Specifically, Irish cream. (And I mean the kind of cream that comes with whisky.) Oh, how I love Irish cream. It’s like drinking your dessert. And you don’t have to share it with the kids either.

Sorry. A nice glass of Irish cream on ice makes me a wee bit selfish.

That’s why when I saw these cookies from Jessica, I wanted to march into the kitchen immediately and make them.

These Double Fudge Irish Cream Cookies are soft, spiked, and chocolaty. All the things I like in a cookie. Please bake these. Then do like she does in her blog post: pour yourself a cup of coffee, use more Irish cream as your creamer, dunk the cookies and go to town with your decadent adult snack.

Or make some of these beautiful Irish Cream Cupcakes from Tasty Kitchen member Erica, who blogs at Sweet Tooth. Bailey’s cupcakes with Bailey’s buttercream? Oh yes, please. The cupcakes have a hint of cinnamon and vanilla, which go wonderfully with the Irish cream.

Who am I kidding? Everything goes wonderfully with Irish cream. Especially more cream.

(Can you tell I really like my Irish cream?)

And finally, if you already have your dessert menu ready to go, consider adding Bailey’s Ice Cream with Chocolate Shavings from the lovely bunkycooks. In her blog post, she hails its big boozy flavor and rich chocolate flavor from the dark chocolate shavings. Lady knows how do ice cream, that’s for sure.

So, you do have any special plans for today? Maybe you already have an Irish menu ready to go, and if so, just tell me where and when to show up.

I’ll even bring my own spoon. And lots of napkins.

Mar 9 2011

Looks Delicious! Roasted Salmon

Posted by Erika (TK) in Looks Delicious!

Now that Tuesday’s revelry is behind us, it’s time to slow it down a bit. Gastronomically speaking, that is. Today marks the day that many begin a period of fasting and sacrifice. Most choose to give up the one thing they enjoy the most: chocolate, cheese, alcohol, bacon (say it isn’t so), red meat …

One advantage that comes from practicing restraint is that you learn to find satisfaction in the simplest of things. I’d even venture to say that you discover great pleasure in them, but then that might negate the whole “restraint” and “sacrifice” aspect of it.

Here’s one delicious-looking recipe that’ll hopefully make it to your menu: Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Salmon. It has the simplest ingredients: salmon, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Just a few basic flavors that all work together to make one incredible meal. Squeeze some fresh lemon over it, and you’ve got a satisfying dish that won’t leave you missing anything.

Thank you, Meredith (Tasty Kitchen member in sock monkey slippers), for this recipe! We’re so glad you continue to share all those incredible-looking recipes you have on your blog.

Mar 8 2011

Mardi Gras!

Posted by Erika (TK) in Holidays, The Theme Is...

I’m not going to pretend I know all about Mardi Gras, because honestly, if you think you know little about it, I know even less. All I can muster from the top of my head is New Orleans. And beans. Or was that beads?

See? I know nothing.

Okay, maybe I know a little bit. For example, I know New Orleans cuisine features a lot of seafood: shrimp, mussels, crawfish … and boy, do they know how to dish them up.

Clockwise from top left: Killer Cajun Mussels from steamykitchen, Cajun Shrimp and Marinated Cucumber Salad from Natalie (Perrys’ Plate), Creole Shrimp from Eat 80/20 Dietitian, Crawfish au Gratin from mommahen, Shrimp and Grits from big2beautiful, and Cajun Shrimp Tortillas from Tickled Red.

If you’re more of a carnivorous kind of reveler, no worries. You can still get that cajun feel with a spectacularly flavorful (trust me, it’s spectacular—I speaketh from often-repeated experience) Cajun Meatloaf from DetzelPretzel, a.k.a. Pastor Ryan. Or plate up some of kiki00star’s Cajun Pork Chops on a bed of rice and beans.

You can also opt for something more casual and go with sandwiches. The muffuletta is a New Orleans invention named after the Sicilian bread traditionally used to make the sandwich. It’s bursting with rich flavors: sliced meat, olives, capers, olive oil, vinegar, and all sorts of good things. In fact, it’s so good that you can even make a meatless version and never miss the meat. Or you can go a different way and fry up some catfish and put it in a sandwich with some creole mustard.

Clockwise from left: Meatless Muffalettas from ThreeManyCooks, flanked by Panini-Style Muffaletta and Fried Creole Catfish Sammich from patiodaddio (man knows his sammiches).

If pasta is your carb of choice, we’ve got some great New Orleans-inspired pasta dishes here, too. You can choose from lobster, crawfish, chicken, or just stick with a great sauce mixed with plain pasta.

Clockwise from top left: Cajun Lobster Pasta from mommiecooks, Creamy Crawfish Pasta from jennifer, Creole Pasta from CookBakeandDecorate, and Ree’s Cajun Chicken Pasta.

Of course, you can also go old-school and make jambalaya. Or gumbo. Or étouffée. Or chowder. Classic dishes that are wonderfully hearty, and a great choice for the not-quite-spring-yet temperatures out there.

Clockwise from top left: Norm Froelich’s Shrimp Gumbo, Slightly Embellished from ThreeManyCooks, Cajun Shrimp Chowda from mommiecooks, Cajun Style Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo from jennifer, and Ex Boyfriend Étouffée from chutzpah.

And finally, no celebration would be complete without King Cake. King Cake is typically a ring of bread and colored purple, green and gold, and there are many different variations out there. This variation, Chocolate Ganache King Cake Rolls from mommahen, had me at chocolate.

Seriously, how delicious does this look?

Oh my. I don’t know where to start. They all look so good!

So, do you have any special plans for today? Any favorite Mardi Gras dishes or drinks? Or a particular way you like to spice up a dish New Orleans style? I’d ask about any special Mardi Gras memories, but I’m not sure we’re all ready for that. We might need to do an entire “drinks” post first to set the mood.

Then again, maybe some things are better to the imagination.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Mar 1 2011

Pancakes!

Posted by Erika (TK) in The Theme Is...

When we started doing theme posts here at Tasty Kitchen, one of our first themes was pancakes. Today, almost a year later, I’m still dreaming of those Carrot Cake Pancakes from multiplydelicious. And okay, also those incredible Cinnamon Bun Pancakes from sapeylissy.

Since then, you’ve been sharing so many more delicious-looking pancake recipes with us and we just had to show you more of this breakfast wonder. Because we love you, because it’s Tuesday, and because I’m fa… never mind.

Let’s start with some basic recipes, shall we?

Clockwise from top left: Fluffiest Pancakes Ever from lickmyspoon, Basic Pancakes from ivoryhut, Easy Homemade Pancakes from MelodySoul, gluten-free Silver Dollar Pancakes from elanaspantry, and Buttermilk Pancakes from distractedhomemaker.

If you want to use whole wheat flour, protein powder, lighten up the ingredients, or do what you can to justify stacking more on your plate, we’ve got some options for you too.

Clockwise from top left: Whole Wheat Raspberry Pancakes from A Cozy Kitchen, Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes from mrnate, Swedish Pancakes from The Church Cook, Protein Pancakes from The Healthy Housewife, and Lemon Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Strawberries from twopeasandtheirpod.

Or you could go the other way and really lay it on, making pancakes decadent enough to enjoy as a dessert. Pancakes that taste like cake, pie, Italian dessert … we’re holding nothing back here.

Clockwise from top left: Tiramisu Pancakes from ivoryhut, Chocolate French Silk Pancakes from HowSweetEats, Spiced Sweet Potato and Pecan Pancakes (or Waffles) from Natalie (Perrys’ Plate), Blueberry Banana Pancakes from everydayisgourmet, Pumpkin Pancakes from livlife (Kim), and Bread Pudding Pancakes from A Cozy Kitchen.

Or maybe you already have your favorite pancake recipe. If that’s the case, consider dressing it up with something new and try one of these pancake toppings. It’s an easy way to jazz up an old standby!

Clockwise from top left: Ree’s luscious Maple-Butter Icing (for Pancakes), Very Berry Syrup from apronofgrace, Cranberry Orange Maple Syrup from taracooks, Pomegranate Syrup from ButterYum, and Essential Buttermilk Syrup from lizaskitchen.

Then there’s this, which just blows every pancake tradition away. It might deserve to be in its own food group. Chocolate, candied bacon, Nutella, maple syrup … Kelly, you’re killing me here!

I love pancakes and I’d gladly enjoy them any time of the day. Remember that Cranberry Butter we featured here some weeks ago? Amazing on pancakes, too. Trust me on this.

How about you? Do you have a favorite pancake recipe? Favorite topping or syrup? Raise your hand if you’ve had pancakes for lunch or dinner. (This, she says, as she attempts to type and raise both hands at the same time.)

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Feb 21 2011

Chicken Soup. For Your Soul.

Posted by Erika (TK) in The Theme Is...

Feeling a bit under the weather? Chicken soup will fix ya. At least, that’s what my mom says. Whenever I was down with a cold or just feeling achy all over, she’d make a nice pot of chicken and rice soup and nurse me back to health. Whether you swear by the curative powers […]

Feb 9 2011

Looks Delicious! Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

Posted by Erika (TK) in Looks Delicious!

This isn’t an effort to woo Ree over to the dark banana side. But if this doesn’t help, I don’t know what can. Tasty Kitchen member Laurie shares this incredible-looking recipe for Banana Bread with Streusel Topping and oh, this bread has so many good things going for it. First, she roasts the bananas. […]

Jan 26 2011

Soup Sidekicks

Posted by Erika (TK) in The Theme Is...

This has been some kind of winter for many of us. A snow day here and there is nice and pretty but lately, I’ve been noticing the first signs of cabin fever setting in. Soup is often the most welcoming, soothing quick meal option on a cold day. You typically have enough ingredients in […]

Jan 16 2011

Looks Delicious! Baked Spice Doughnuts

Posted by Erika (TK) in Looks Delicious!

Here’s a quick Sunday treat that’ll help ease the pain of bidding another weekend farewell. It takes less than half an hour to make, using ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. Make extra to have as a Monday morning pick-me-up! This Baked Spice Doughnuts recipe is brought to us by Jenna, whose […]

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Put Some Irish In Your Dessert!

Looks Delicious! Roasted Salmon

Mardi Gras!

Pancakes!

Chicken Soup. For Your Soul.

Looks Delicious! Banana Bread with Streusel Topping

Soup Sidekicks

Looks Delicious! Baked Spice Doughnuts

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