Easy Pesto Garlic Knots
Posted: April 20, 2012 Filed under: The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: appetizer, food, garlic knots, side dish 12 Comments »
You know what’s a sign of a good pizzeria? Good garlic knots. What’s that? You don’t sell garlic knots? Please excuse me while I take my business elsewhere.
In case you’re unfamiliar with garlic knots, imagine the love child of breadsticks and garlic bread. Now imagine that tied up in a cute little ball, and you’ve got yourself a garlic knot. When done right, they are chewy, tender, and bursting with garlic flavor. It’s just about impossible to stop at one. What’s really fun is unwinding the knot as you eat. I just love deconstructing my food!
Now, when you look at these whimsical twisted bites, you might assume they’d be a pain in the you-know-what to make at home. On the contrary, I’ve got a super simple version that you can make in a matter of minutes, but tastes fresh from the pizzeria. My Pesto Garlic Knots are the easiest Italian treat you can make. So before you pick up the phone and call the pizzeria, give these a try instead!
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For the Picky Eaters: Brussels Sprout Gratin
Posted: April 18, 2012 Filed under: The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: brussels sprout gratin, cheese, dinner, food, side dish 8 Comments »
I don’t care how much you hate brussels sprouts.
I don’t care if you cringe with repulsion at the mention of the leafy little spheres.
You WILL love this gratin. Period. End of story.
Now, I have no beef with brussels sprouts. In fact, I was one of those kids who liked them. But that doesn’t make me biased because I know why people don’t like them. They have a distinct flavor that doesn’t always vibe with people (not to mention some people just don’t like vegetables). However, the sprouts in this gratin are not merely disguised like in some dishes. On the contrary, they are completely transformed, morphed into something better. In fact, don’t even tell a sprout hater that they’re eating brussel sprouts. They’ll never know, sprout’s honor (Get it? Like scout’s honor!).
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Cheddar & Gruyere Scalloped Potatoes
Posted: April 11, 2012 Filed under: The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: cheese, dinner, food, Recipe, scalloped potatoes, side dish 7 Comments »
See that pan full of creamy, cheesy potatoes? Those are real scalloped potatoes, not the fake, dried-up tater imposters you buy in a box. Allow me to point out what’s wrong with that picture: dried up potatoes…in a box. It’s just not natural.
Obviously, the appeal of anything store-bought is the convenience factor. But are those few minutes you save really significant when you consider a) the disgusting amount of artificial ingredients and preservative in that box and b) how many moons better the homemade stuff tastes? Sometimes, you’ve got to weigh your pros and cons to make the best decision. And in this case, I think a few extra minutes of prep time is more than worth the utter deliciousness made from fresh, real ingredients that scratch-made scalloped potatoes offer.
I never used to be crazy about scalloped potatoes; I much preferred my taters fried, mashed, twice-baked, or oven-roasted. However, after trying this recipe, my feelings have changed. I love me some scalloped potatoes!
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Kale Greens w/ Brown Butter Sauce
Posted: March 28, 2012 Filed under: The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: brown butter, cheese, food, kale, side dish 8 Comments »
Life is all about balance.
If you stuff your face with gallons of ice cream, you run an extra mile the next day.
If you eat some spicy hot wings, you cool ‘em down with blue cheese.
If you forget your friend’s birthday, you buy them something really awesome to make up for it.
If you spend a whole night partying, you spend the next morning studying.
Haha I’m totally kidding about the last one. But the others hold true. As humans, we are constantly partaking in a complicated balancing act. We hover between one extreme and the other, and when we fall too far one way, we dive head first into the other to bring us back. Just as our daily lives require balance between things like having fun and working hard or being selfless and taking care of ourselves, food requires the same kind of equilibrium.
Take sweet and salty food for example. You start with something supremely salty like nuts then balance them out with something sweet like chocolate. It might be hard to believe that balancing your life with a little bit of partying and a little bit of work could be better than just doing a whole lot of partying, but it’s clearly evident how beneficial the art of balance is when you look at food. Whether you’re talking texture, taste, or color, harmony is the key to deliciousness.
Heatlhy Cookie: Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Bake
Posted: March 22, 2012 Filed under: Casseroles, Dinner, Healthy, Low-Cal, Side Dish, The Smart Cookie Cook | Tags: cheese, dinner, healthy, low calorie, side dish, spaghetti squash 8 Comments »
Have you ever made spaghetti squash? How weird is it when you cut it open, start scooping out its innards, and find that the rumors are true; that it really looks like spaghetti?
Spaghetti Squash is one of the many wonders of food that has always baffled me. How does that little yellow guy naturally shape his squashy interior to resemble pasta? Why isn’t spaghetti squash just one big block o’ squash like other squashes are? Whatever the reason, you’ve got to admit, it’s pretty awesome. Mother nature has a few tricks up her sleeve, no doubt.
Spaghetti squash, like most other squashes, is a nutritious blank canvas just begging to be transformed into something extra special. Lately, on Pinterest, I’ve been seeing folks do just that: they take spaghetti squash and make it into decadent cheese-filled casseroles. We’re talking seriously drool-inducing recipes. The only problem is how fattening and calorie-cramming those dishes are. Isn’t there a way to make a tasty, cheese-tastic squash bake without all that bad-for-you stuff?
