Tag Archives: Cooking

what a belle bought…coveting copper

12 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by in what's ringin' our belle

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We have a couple of of these copper gratins and find that we have been using them a lot as of late. On top of that, we went out to a fabulous dinner recently, and all the main courses were presented in copper gratins !! The look was elegant and beautiful… and we just loved the idea.

Sooo…we’ve just ordered one of each size and may go back to get an additional one or two. They’re pricey, but we will use them often, and they will last forever.

Via Sur La Table

Available here

Stay tuned for some recipes that we’ve spotlighted in these beauties.

a&a

our cauliflower obsession continues…belle-icious!

05 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by in belle-icious, what's ringin' our belle

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Thanks to one our favorite websites by the name of Food 52 we were reminded of one of our fave cauliflower showstoppers – whole cauliflower with whipped goat cheese

We told you about it before… here, but we just had to repeat! It’s beautiful and delicious!

This recipe takes a little time but is very easy and well worth the effort.

Alon Shaya’s Whole Roasted Cauiflower and Whipped Goat Cheese

Serves: 4 to 6

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 1 hrs

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, whole, stem trimmed and leaves removed

2 1/2 cups dry white wine

1/3 cup olive oil plus more for serving

1/4 cup kosher salt

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 bay leaf

1 pinch Coarse sea salt (for serving)

1 Heat oven to 475° F. Bring wine, oil, salt, lemon juice, butter, red pepper flakes, sugar, bay leaf, and 8 cups water to a boil in a large pot.

2 Carefully lower in cauliflower, reduce heat, and simmer, turning occasionally, until a knife easily inserts into center, 15 to 20 minutes.

3 Using 2 slotted spoons or a mesh strainer or spider, transfer cauliflower to a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, draining well.

4 Roast, rotating pan halfway through, until brown all over, 30 to 40 minutes.

5 Transfer cauliflower to a plate. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with whipped goat cheese (recipe below).

Whipped Goat Cheese

4 ounces fresh goat cheese

3 ounces cream cheese

3 ounces feta cheese

1/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for serving

1 Blend goat cheese, cream cheese, feta, cream, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor until smooth; season with sea salt.

2 Transfer whipped goat cheese to a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil.

3 Note: Whipped goat cheese can be made one day ahead. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.

This makes a generous portion of goat cheese…you can use remainder as a spread with crackers , or as a condiment to grilled meats .

We love it so much that we bought the Genius Recipes cookbook …

Via Amazon

Yum!!

a&a

spaghetti without the guilt…a carb-squashing friend-1-1

27 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by in belle-icious, healthy belle

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We admit it…sometimes we have a carb craving that won’t quit…the kind that makes us want to mow through a whole loaf of French bread, or inhale a bowl of pasta. And when that craving hits, very few substitutes will suffice.

Well…one belle recently had a hankerin’ for spaghetti with meat sauce. In fact, she craved it for a couple of weeks before she was able to attempt a “fix” (she was a very busy belle…not much time for cookin’). Luckily, this gave her the chance to make a plan that might not be so detrimental to the ole waistline. This twice-baked spaghetti squash from American Heritage Cooking was the perfect way to get that spaghetti fix!  (Whew…crisis avoided!)


Their recipe:

Our process:

Cut squash in half, scoop out the “yuck”, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper, turn cut-side-down, and roast

While the squash roasts, get your meat sauce goin’

When the roasting is done, scrape the spaghetti-like strings of squash out of the shells

Place the squash in a bowl and prepare to add meat sauce and seasonings

Fill the squash “shells” with your sauce and top with grated mozzarella, then toss it back in the oven for a bit

Our finished product…served up with a salad…

And for another option, try the Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats from Half Baked Harvest…


Another winner!!

a&a

dump-n-pour cookin’…an eyeballin’ friend-1-1

25 Friday Sep 2015

Posted by in belle-icious, friday friend 1-1, just sayin'

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We love recipes. We like reading them and using them, but most of all, we like experimenting with them. We enjoy spending time in the kitchen, dumping and pouring to our hearts delight. So when we came across this helpful post from Food 52 to make our creative measuring easier, we just had to share.

A pinch here, a bunch there, a dollop, a sprinkle and a dash….let this post upgrade your guesstimating by golly!!

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Via Pinterest

By the way, Food 52 is one of our favorite sites!  They have incredible recipes, fabulous tips, a terrific help section and even a divine provisions shop. We kinda love it all….just sayin’ .

Happy cookin’ y’all!!

a&a

blanche it, belle…a quick tutorial for those summer veggies

04 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by in belle-icious, healthy belle, Uncategorized

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With all of those delicious summer vegetables still in full bloom, a belle needs to know how to get them to the table in a belle-icious snap. Sometimes the simplest preparation is the best, so we thought it might be wise to check up on our (and your) blanching skills.

Blanching (sometimes called par-boiling) is super simple and yields fresh, crisp, beautifully-colored veggies…and, bonus, blanched veggies will keep their color and texture (and belle-iciousness) in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months! So…when October rolls around, you can have a little taste of summer to remind you of the lazy days.

THE EASY DIRECTIONS:

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– wash and trim veggies
– fill a bowl with ice and water

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– bring a large pot of water to a boil
– add kosher salt until the water is about as salty as the Atlantic…or Pacific

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– boil the veggies until they are bright green (1-2 minutes will do)

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– using a slotted spoon or tongs, move veggies to the ice bath
(The ice bath stops the cooking and makes them super crisp)
– once cooled completely, drain and pat dry

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There you have it, belles…enjoy as a healthy, fresh meal accompaniment or as crudités…now and later!

you’re welcome
a&a