Aug 4, 2015 | Appetizers and Snacks, Life, Recipes
Click here for a FREE copy of the "Top 10 MUST-HAVE Kitchen Gadgets" It’s been a really fun few days for me. I took last Friday and Monday off work and it was so great to have a few extra days to relax and recharge my batteries. On Thursday night I took the train to the city and saw Anthony Bourdain live at the Auditorium Theater. He’s doing a 10 city tour and thankfully Chicago was one of his stops. It was literally just him, a microphone and a bottle of beer on stage for an hour and a half. He’s just the coolest and it was so interesting to hear him talk about his career, his travels, places he’s seen, things he’s eaten, etc. Such an interesting, authentic, cool guy. Love him! Friday I had breakfast with family I hadn’t seen in a while which was so great. After breakfast I took a kickboxing class (owie! but in a good way), got my nails done and went to a concert with friends at Ravinia. It’s a beautiful outdoor music venue and everyone sits on the lawn with picnic blankets, tables, food, wine, etc. I made a white bean dip with fresh rosemary and served it with whole wheat pita chips. The white bean dip is very similar to hummus, which I love, but this is a really nice change of pace. If you like hummus, I highly encourage you to try this dip! I also brought several kinds of cheese, quince paste, salami, proscuitto and crackers. Everyone loved the bean dip so I included the recipe below. I always like...
Jul 2, 2015 | Appetizers and Snacks, Desserts, Healthy, Holidays, Quick and Easy, Recipes, Sweets
Without question the 4th of July is my favorite holiday of the year. It’s not as hectic or expensive as Christmas; it’s not as much travel or work as Thanksgiving; and the weather is way better than Halloween. It represents everything that’s great about the laid back vibe of summer. A long weekend of picnics, pool time, carnivals, parades, time with friends and family and, of course, fireworks! Here is a festive, 4th of July-inspired fruit salad with a fun twist. Make a simple syrup (it really couldn’t be simpler, I promise!) with water, sugar and fresh ginger to add a little something special to your typical fruit salad. This recipe gets into the theme by using red strawberries, watermelon, and blueberries but you can use most any fruit you have on hand. Nectarines, pineapple, and mango would work well, too. Be sure to let the syrup cool completely before adding it to the fruit and the longer the fruit marinates in the syrup, the tastier it gets so this is a great make-ahead dish to take to your 4th of July parties. Mixed Berries with Ginger Syrup Save Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 5 mins Total time 20 mins Author: The Krave Ingredients ½ cup granulated sugar 1 cup water 1 2" piece fresh ginger, peeled ¼ watermelon, cut into ½" cubes 3 cups strawberries, hulled and halved 1 pint blueberries Fresh mint Instructions Place sugar, water, and ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, discard the ginger...
Jun 29, 2015 | Appetizers and Snacks, Quick and Easy, Recipes
If you’re new to this blog (welcome!), you may not know that by day I’m the Culinary Specialist for Weber Grills. I run the test kitchen for this beloved, global brand and on any given day I can be testing recipes for cookbooks, developing recipes for brand partnerships, creating content for the Weber website and social media channels, brainstorming ideas for new product development or testing prototypes for new products. It’s truly a dream job and I count my blessings every day to work at a job I love, with people I like for a brand I respect. Last week we invited a special guest to spend the day grilling with us at our R&D facility. Alejandro Gutierrez, President of the Mexican Grilling Society, grilled up some incredible dishes like barbacoa tacos, chicharrones, smoked pork belly and this bright and spicy tomatillo and avocado salsa. This recipe is actually a cross between guacamole and salsa – the best of both worlds. It’s delicious served with chips, of course, but where it really shines is when it’s paired with something super fatty. Alejandro served this on top of smoked pork belly (it doesn’t get a lot fattier than pork belly!) and the bright, acidic flavors are the perfect balance to the rich, fatty meat. If you don’t plan on making pork belly anytime soon, serve this with pulled pork tacos or dollop on top of grilled salmon. Habeneros are one of the hottest peppers in the world, so if you prefer a little less heat you can substitute a second serrano, a jalapeño or just skip it all together. That said, I can’t handle...
