The other day I spent a good four hours flipping through our stacks of old food magazines. Mainly Bon Appetit and Cooking Light, with a few others mixed in. A solid 18 months of back issues. You see, when we get a new magazine, I’ll flip through it once. Dog-ear any recipes that catch my eye, and we’ll usually pick 2 or 3 of them to make that week. But after that? The magazine goes onto the shelf, never to be read again. It’s like the magazine has one chance to impress me and then it is banished to the back of the shelf.

As the shelf was quickly beginning to spilleth over, I figured most of those old magazines could be recycled. But I decided to give them one last shot. Flipped back through each and every one of them, and ripped out any recipe that sounded even remotely palatable. A lot were a bit to fancy-shcmancy for your everyday meal (probably why we didn’t pick out the recipe to begin with), but could be saved for a special occasion. Others were more complicated than we usually seek out for weekday meals, or used ingredients that were out of season (why magazines find the need to send out issues nearly two months early, I’ll never know… while yes, your April issue beautifully highlights the best of spring produce, but it’s still gosh darn winter here and I’m going to be hardpressed to find those fresh spring peas you’re using in that there recipe.)

So now we have a nice stack of torn out magazine pages. Whether we’ll actually ever look at them is a question left unanswered. But at least they take up less space than the huge stacks of magazines.

It’s like spring cleaning, foodie style.

Anyway, this recipe was one of those overlooked-the-first-time-around recipes. It seems fairly unremarkable upon first look, but the final result is surprisingly good. This is one of those recipes that just tastes authentic. A bit Thai, a bit Vietnamese, with a surprising mix of ingredients and textures that make you stop and appreciate every bite. A recipe that makes me happy it wasn’t lost for good in the shuffle.

And now for your dose of Sunday cuteness, just a little something extra for you kitten-watchers out there…

I think we’ve adopted ourselves a pot head, no? He’s quite the little explorer, leaving no stone (or pot) left unturned.

Thai Noodles with Ground Chicken and Crispy Shallots

Makes 6 servings. Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients
Vegetable oil (for frying)
4 large shallots, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
5 garlic cloves; 3 sliced, 2 pressed
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
2-3 quarts low-salt chicken broth
1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs (or breasts) cut into 1 inch cubes
4 tablespoons fish sauce, divided
1 (6.75 oz) package rice stick noodles (maifun), broken in half
8 ounces Chinese long beans, green beans, or asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons raw sugar or brown sugar, divided
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped salted roasted peanuts
Hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)

Directions
In a small saucepan, add enough vegetable oil to fill the pan to about 1/2 – 3/4 inch deep (you can fill it more if you want to truly deep-fry.) Heat until oil is 350 degrees F. Add shallots to oil and fry until golden brown, stirring often to prevent clumping, about 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add sliced garlic to oil and fry until just barely golden brown, about a minute, being very careful not to burn it. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, transfer garlic to paper towels to drain.

Mix sesame oil and pressed garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.

Bring chicken broth to boil in a large saucepan. Place chicken in food processor. Pulse until chicken is coarsely ground. Add ground chicken to broth and simmer until cooked through, stirring to break up clumps into small pieces, about 5 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce to chicken; toss to coat. Return broth to boil. Add rice noodles and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. Using spider or slotted spoon, transfer noodles to bowl with chicken. Return broth to boil. Add beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beans to bowl with chicken and noodles. Add sesame-garlic oil, lime juice, 1 tablespoon raw sugar, cayenne, and remaining 3 tablespoons fish sauce. Toss to coat.

Transfer noodle mixture to a large shallow serving bowl. Sprinkle cilantro, green onions, peanuts, fried shallots, and fried garlic and remaining raw sugar over noodles. Serve passing hot chili sauce over top.

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I’d like to introduce you all to Lisa (say Hi Lisa!) and her blog, Authentic Suburban Gourmet. I’ve “adopted” Lisa as part of Adopt-A-Blogger #4, organized by Kristen of Dine and Dish. The program pairs new food bloggers with more experienced bloggers (who have been blogging for at least a year), as a mentor of sorts. While sometimes I question whether or not I actually know what I’m doing, but since I have been blogging for three years, I guess you could call me an experienced blogger. During that time I’ve seen myself grow as a writer, photographer, cook, and baker. I didn’t have a mentor along the way, and as a result I’ve had to figure out a lot of things on my own. I would have loved to be involved in a program like this when I was a newbie! So I jumped at the opportunity to be a mentor to a baby blogger. And sure enough, a few weeks later, I was paired with my newbie, Lisa.

Browsing through her recipes I knew that they had made a good match. She is quite the gourmand, and as it turns out, is aspiring to turn her recipes into a cookbook one day (put me on the waiting list, because I definitely want a copy of that!) I’ve definitely got my eye on these Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese tarts… mmm… will definitely be making that one in the coming weeks.

As our first “assignment” as mentor and adoptee, we’ve chosen a recipe from each others’ blogs. A culinary introduction of sorts. Lisa made these delicious homemade Oreos from two years ago. You can read her post here.

As I perused Lisa’s archives, I couldn’t help but be drawn to this recipe, but only because it sounded so darn delicious. We’re big Brussels sprouts fans, though typically we make it ala this recipe, sauteed with lemon and almond. Which is superb. But a change of pace is always nice. Lisa’s recipe pairs pork and pecans, making for an incredibly satisfying side (and yes, I did just describe Brussels sprouts as satisfying).

The only change we made was substituting prosciutto for the pancetta (one, because we had some leftover from another recipe, and two because I can never keep the two straight). You could also use bacon if you prefer. But either way, the combination of the salty pork and crunchy pecans is beyond perfect. The Brussels are sweet and nutty and not even slightly bitter (as they can be if improperly cooked).

I encourage you all to go check out Lisa’s blog, but you might not want to do so if you’re hungry. These Brussels sprouts are just the tip of the iceberg.

Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto and Pecans

Makes 4 side servings. Adapted from Authentic Suburban Gourmet.

Ingredients
4 cups fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 cup prosciutto, chopped
1/4 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Prepare the Brussels sprouts by cutting off the bottom stem and then in half. Remove any of the extra leaves.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the Brussels sprouts cut side down and toss until coated with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the prosciutto and arrange sprouts so they are cut side down. Saute for about 10 to 15 minutes until they are golden brown and tender but not burnt, adding more olive oil if desired. Toss with the pecans just before serving.

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First of all, can I just reiterate how much you all rock? Seriously. Not only did you massively support my Blood Orange Cupcakes in the February Cupcake Hero (Whoohoo! We won the vote! Now cross your fingers my cupcakes hold their own in the throwdown!), but you also wrote some of the nicest, most heartwarming things in response to our 3rd birthday post last week. I’ve read each and every one of your comments… and I swear I’ll have to print them out and save them all for a day when I’m feeling down. It’s the reason I do this and the reason it brings joy to my life. Thank you so much for your kind words. Truly going to do my best to live up to your expectations. :)

Would you believe that this is the first weekend that I did NOT bake anything? Ok, maybe I baked a box of brownies for Taylor. But that doesn’t count.

But I have an excuse, I promise:

His name is Sgt. Pepper… the newest addition to our family. We adopted him this past week (as those of you who follow me on Twitter are well aware), and needless to say he has stolen our hearts (and our full attention). I’m sure he’ll grow into those ears eventually.

I’ve got a couple recipes in the backlog I’ll post for you guys this week, and I promise, next weekend I’ll get back to baking, whip up something good. :)

Anyway… I’m sure you’re all wondering WHO won the adorable cupcake notebooks. Well, a HUGE congratulations goes out to Rebecca and Rebecca (yes, what are the chances that both winners would be named Rebecca?), each of whom will be receiving a set of two (one large, one small) cupcake notebooks.

Didn’t win? Because the response to this giveaway was so positive, I’ve decided to go ahead and offer a limited run of these notebooks for sale. Only $12 for a set of two (plus $3 for shipping within the US, international folks email me for a shipping estimate). If you’re interested, please get in touch with your shipping info, paypal email address, and color choices (hot pink or turquoise, or one of each). First-come, first-serve, as I only have a limited number of blank notebooks on hand. I’ll likely be offering them for sale again – whether it be through an Etsy store or just here on the blog, and hopefully expand to include a few more ’sweet’ designs and color options as well.

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway! I will tell you now I have another giveaway lined up in the coming weeks that you’re sure to love, so stay tuned!

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A while back I mentioned we have a go-to pasta recipe. When our usual recipe sources seem to fail us, and we just need one more meal to fill out the week, 9 times out of 10 we’ll default to this recipe. Taylor has this thing down, in fact, I’ve learned that it’s better just to let him do this one all by himself. I only get in his way. By the time the meal is done the kitchen is as spotless as when he started (don’t ask me how he manages to clean WHILE he cooks… it’s still a mystery to me).

One of the more interesting aspects of having a food blog is watching recipes evolve. This particular pasta recipe started out quite different, posted right here two and a half years ago. The basic concept is the same, tomatoes and olives with a bit of a kick, but the recipe has taken on a life of it’s own. Each time we make it it gets even better. The final product is a rich and robust pasta, somewhat similar to a putanesca, and incredibly satisfying. You know we like variety, and don’t often cook recipes multiple times, but this one is here to stay.

Ever wonder what happens to our food after the photo has been taken? Well, for the majority of pasta dishes, a boatload of parmesan gets dumped on top. Sure, a few shreds of cheese make for a pretty photo, but when it comes time to eat the darned thing, I’d like a side of pasta with my cheese, please. Case in point: I snapped this photo quickly after I realized that this recipe had changed so much it was worth posting again, aka after I had already dumped half the bag of parmesan on top of the pasta. Sorry if you can’t really see the dish underneath all that cheese. Olives? There are olives in there? Yeah, there are. Whatever. That’s reality right there.

Favorite Tomato and Olive Penne

Makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients
1 lb penne
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
3 tablespoons tomato paste (about half of a small can)
1/4 cup white wine
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the penne until it is very al dente (just barely undercooked – the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce). Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook, stirring, until the onion is slightly soft (don’t let the garlic brown). Add the cherry tomatoes and cook 3-4 minutes. Add tomato paste, white wine, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 8-10 minutes.

Add the penne, olives, and 1/4 cup parmesan to the skillet and toss to combine. Add some of the reserved pasta water and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until heated through and pasta is perfectly al dente. Serve with more cheese if desired.

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You should totally vote for me and my Chocolate Olive Oil and Blood Orange Cupcakes. You know, because the secret ingredient is olive oil and all… if I’m going to win a Cupcake Hero this would be the one. :)

You’re the best!

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