Category Archives: belle-icious

baby-belle eggplants and a recipe to swoon over…

21 Friday Oct 2016

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Recently we were the ever-so-grateful recipients of some beautiful baby eggplants. Now we are on the novice side of cooking eggplant, but we’re game to give it the old college try. 

After a little research we found this recipe for roasted baby eggplants stuffed with goat cheese.

We have to say we gave this recipe (and ourselves) an A+ for ease, flavor, and presentation. 

Thank you Runningtothekitchen for such a delish recipe…

Roasted Baby Eggplants with Goat Cheese Stuffing

from Running to the Kitchen


The process…


Drizzle the clean, split eggplants with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast for 20 minutes and then broil 3-5 minutes


Combine goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes

Stuff the cooled eggplants with goat cheese mixture and top with pine nuts and honey, balsamic, and parsley

Enjoy!!

a&a

oh-so-good Osso Buco…belleicious!

14 Friday Oct 2016

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With cooler weather just around the bend …we belles start thinking about slow cooked, melt-in-your-mouth comfort dishes…especially those that upgrade the standard casserole effort without too much extra time in the kitchen.
The only issue we had while making this recently was the fact that the cooler weather hasn’t quite made it this far south!!  We cranked up the stove…and then the oven for 2 1/2 hours…in a small kitchen while the air conditioning was on the blink. What were we thinking?!?! Proceed with visual of hissy fit…. 

Although our tempers were tested, we were way judgier about the result of this Veal Osso Buco from Epicurious

So we thank our lucky stars and y’all will too when you taste this mouthwatering,  beautifully seasoned fall-worthy dish. 

We didn’t change a thing, initially because we were madder than wet hens about the heat situation, but it turns out this recipe needs no tweaking. It’s perfect just the way it is…as long as it’s not a 110 degrees in your kitchen…just sayin 

The Belles’ Favorite Osso Buco


All you need to do is a little chopping …


A little dredging…



Brown zee meat…


Add a few ingredients 


Leave to cook for awhile 

And then voila…


Serve and savor!

Risotto, polenta or potatoes all work beautifully with this dish. But…we chose to serve it with sautéed spinach as we were still in swimsuit season when we taste tested.  This would be fabulous for a dinner party as well.

Bon appetit

a&a

a broccoli recipe to make you melt…

30 Friday Sep 2016

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While we are fans of the occasional patty melt, and maybe even a tuna melt here or there, we don’t tend to keep the diner staple in our regular recipe rotation.  But…we found this version a few weeks ago, and even included it in our Belle-ringer post (number 68), and thought it was worth a try!

From Smitten Kitchen, these broccoli melts looked too good to ignore…and belles, are we glad we didn’t!   We decided to put the recipe to the test and it passed with flying colors!!


Broccoli Melts

1 lb broccoli, washed and chopped into small chunks

2 T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

Red pepper flakes to taste (a pinch or two…)

Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Course salt

1/2 c grated pecorino Romano cheese

8 slices provolone

8 slices bread of your choice

Steam broccoli for 2-3 minutes until tender.  Drain and pat dry with paper towels, squeezing out as much liquid as possible.  Wipe pan dry and heat over medium heat.  Add olive oil and allow to heat for 1 minute, then add garlic and pepper flakes.  Cook for 1 minute or until garlic turns golden.  Add the broccoli and cook 1-2 minutes more.  Season with salt.  Transfer to bowl and add lemon zest, juice, and pecorino.  Add salt and pepper flakes to taste.

Heat broiler.  Arrange slices of bread on tray and toast lightly on both sides.  Spoon broccoli mixture onto each bread slice and top with a slice of cheese.  Place under the broiler until cheese melts and begins to brown.  

The process:


Steam the broccoli, then drain, pat dry and set aside.  Dry pot/pan and add olive oil. Sauté garlic and pepper flakes


Add broccoli back to pot, then add lemon zest and juice (note the shameless plug for BuDhaGirl and Bezels & Bytes) 😉


Add pecorino Romano and season to taste with salt and more pepper flakes if desired


Spoon mixture onto your choice of toasted bread slices and top with provolone


Run under broiler until hot, bubbly & slightly browned.  Serve.  Prepare for applause.

Tip:  we used crostini toasts and served as an appetizer, but can totally see using larger slices of bread to make this a perfect, hearty side to a bowl of soup as the weather chills!

It’ll make you melt, belles!

a&a

A zesty citrus vinaigrette that will put some pep in your step!

23 Friday Sep 2016

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We found this vinaigrette in our archives.  It is easy, full of flavor, and adds real zip to a simple salad.  Butter lettuce, arugula, or baby spinach work beautifully with it.  Top with toasted pine nuts, pomegranate seeds (or dried cranberries) and add a touch of goat cheese or parmesan & you’re all done…


Zesty Citrus Vinaigrette

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

Zest from lemons 

3 Tablespoons thawed frozen juice concentrate 

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Can be made one day ahead.  Chill and bring to room temperature before using.
We love to use citrus zest, and we couldn’t live without our favorite zester. Treat yourselves to one…


You can get it lickety split at Amazon

Thank us later

a&a

cilantro-lime slaw…belleicious!

16 Friday Sep 2016

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From foodnetwork.com this Lime & Cilantro Coleslaw – courtesy of Tyler Florence is one recipe we will have on repeat for a while!!  


Lime & Cilantro Slaw

1 head cabbage, shaved

4 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/2 c sour cream

1/2 c mayo

2 limes

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper 

Toss cabbage, scallions and cilantro in a large bowl. Make dressing using sour cream, mayo, lime zest and lime juice. Toss into cabbage mixture and toss o coat. Season with salt & pepper. 

Enjoy!


Served as a side or as a topper for pork, beef, fish or shrimp tacos or sandwiches, you can’t go wrong, belles!

a&a

a super-fresh end-of-summer salad…

09 Friday Sep 2016

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We’ve seen versions of watermelon/feta salads and have tried many over the years, but this one creation over Labor Day weekend really rang some belles!

Using sweet end-of-summer peaches along with the watermelon, feta and basil, we took this salad to a new level of belleiciousness…


Belle-ringin’ Watermelon Peach Salad

4 cups watermelon chunks

2 cups sliced peaches

3/4 c basil, chiffonade

1 c crumbled feta

2 T lime juice

2 T white balsamic vinegar

2-3 T c olive oil

1/2 t kosher salt


Place vinegar and lime juice in small bowl. Slowly drizzle olive oil into bowl, whisking to incorporate. Add salt, whisk. Set vinaigrette to side. 


Chiffonade basil

Place watermelon and peaches in a large salad bowl. 


Top with feta and basil. When ready to serve, toss with vinaigrette. 

Enjoy the belleiciousness!!

a&a

the art of the artichoke…belleicious!

02 Friday Sep 2016

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We have long been fans of the artichoke.  Not only is it delicious, it is packed with fiber, magnesium and vitamin C…all while sporting a meager 60 calories.  And…bonus…it’s fun to eat!

We ran across this article from Decoding Delicious recently, making us realize that our old standby way of artichoke prep (boiling) is still the gold standard for producing moist, tender, “meaty” leaves.  Thought it might be time to share our tips so that you can enjoy as well!


To start, look for ‘chokes which seem heavy for their size…these will be the least dehydrated (the artichoke’s enemy).

Rinse the artichokes well, then begin the trimming.  We typically leave 1/2 – 1 inch of the stem intact


Using kitchen shears, we remove the “spikes” at the end of each leaf…then slice off the top with a serrated edge knife


Fill a large pot (large enough to allow your number of artichokes to float freely) about half t0 three-quarters full, adding a heavy dose of salt and one lemon, squeezed into the water.  Bring water to a boil


Add artichokes and place cover firmly on pot.  (One tip is to place a smaller pot lid directly on the veggies, then place the lid on the pot.  This helps keep them submerged in the salty water while cooking)

Turn down to a medium simmer and allow to cook (never lifting lid) for about 45 minutes for a medium artichoke.  

Drain them upside down and allow to cool slightly.  Serve with your choice of condiments (one of us prefers lemon butter above all others…just sayin’)

If you need a tutorial on eating how-to, read Miss Abigail’s Time Warp Advice on the subject

Time to get all ‘choked up, belles!

a&a

“amazing” bleu cheese appetizer…oh, the belleiciousness!

26 Friday Aug 2016

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Many years ago, a dear California friend gave us each a copy of the Junior League of Pasadena cookbook, Dining by Design…an oldie but a goodie!!  We had several recipes which caught our eye all those years ago, but as other cookbooks, blogs, and influences came around, we moved on and forgot about some of our favorites…this one in particular!!  We both served this to rave reviews for a couple of years.  We think it’s time to bring it back!!!


“Amazing Bleu Cheese Appetizer”

12 oz bleu cheese, crumbled

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 c olive oil

4 T red wine vinegar

2 T lemon juice

1 c chopped onion

1 c minced cilantro


Whisk garlic, oil, vinegar, and lemon juice to make a vinaigrette.  


Combine bleu cheese, onion, and cilantro in large bowl

Pour vinaigrette over cheese mixture and gently toss to combine

Allow to marinate in refrigerator until ready to serve.  Give a quick toss into a serving bowl or spread out on a platter.


Serve with sliced French bread or apple slices (or both)


Or get creative and use it on top of grilled beef or a salad

They say…even people who don’t like bleu cheese LOVE this!!  We have witnessed this miracle first-hand!

It’s a must-try belles…you won’t regret it

a&a

back to school breakfast treat…quick-n-easy

19 Friday Aug 2016

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Although this is not something we would eat every day…and moms typically wouldn’t offer it to kids regularly for breakfast…a treat every now and then never hurt a belle (or a belle baby).  And…I’m thinking this would make the little ones happy to roll out of bed on the first day of school.  Just sayin’

One lazy summer day, one of our teen belles who loves to bake (and wreck the kitchen…but we digress) got a hankerin’ for blueberry muffins.  She quickly looked up a recipe and came up with one of the best we have ever had!!  So we all win.  She got to bake and make her mess, the family had a belleicious, unexpected treat, and now YOU get to try it too!!


Check out the belleiciousness!!

Meg’s Blueberry Muffins

1/2 c sugar (plus 1 T for sprinkling on top)

1 large egg

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/3 c milk

1 t vanilla

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 c sour cream

1 c blueberries (tossed with 1 T flour)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease muffin tin.

In large bowl, mix the sugar, egg, oil, milk and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add wet ingredients to the blended dry ingredients.  Fold in the sour cream.  Gently stir in the blueberries.

Spoon mixture into muffin tin, filling cups about 3/4 full.  Sprinkle sugar on top.  Bake for about 25 minutes.  

Happy baking!

a&a

po-tay-to, po-tah-to…not always the enemy!

12 Friday Aug 2016

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Although we don’t necessarily partake of bread, pasta and potatoes on a daily basis, we will dive in occasionally…especially when they are as irresistible as these!

Check out the potatoes that accompanied a recent dinner featuring roasted chicken and that swoon-worthy Halloumi, Peach and Cherry salad from A Cup of Jo that has been ringin’ our belle lately…

See the potatoes staring at you from 4:00??  Well, they were beyond words!

Here’s the how-to…


Boil small Yukon gold potatoes in salted water until tender (about 15 minutes, covered)


Drain potatoes and toss with about a tablespoon of olive oil, 1-2 cloves pressed garlic, and a generous dose of kosher salt

At this point, the potatoes can be left covered and kept warm until just before serving
When ready to serve, heat your panini press or waffle iron (this is brilliant!)

Place potatoes on the heated press

Then press away!


Pure belleiciousness!  

Enjoy!

a&a