Tag Archives: recipes

our cauliflower obsession continues…belle-icious!

05 Friday Oct 2018

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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

another easy, crowd-pleasin’ appetizer…

28 Friday Sep 2018

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We were perusing the internet, looking for a great new dip…and boy did we find one! It has such great flavor and takes no time to put together. It was so delicious that we made it twice in one week for different occasions and it was met with great accolades!

(We even used the last remaining bit of it and ate it with some grilled chicken…versatility’s always a good thing)

We found it on the website The Mediterranean Dish , and are so happy we did!

Last-minute Mediterranean Feta Dip

8-10 ounces feta cheese crumbled

3 ounces cream cheese softened

1 tablespoon Olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 english cucumber chopped

1 jalapeño chopped

3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped

10 fresh basil leaves torn

Combine the cheese, Olive oil and honey in a mixing bowl and mix until creamy. Add remaining ingredients and transfer to serving dish. This can also be prepared in advance and will keep refrigerated for several days.

We served it with pita chips and sliced cucumber.

Let us know what you think!

a&a

what’s ringin our belle…round 137

18 Tuesday Sep 2018

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For all you sleepy belles….how to get up and goin…

Via Pinterest

A great psychological thriller…

Via Amazon

We knew it! Gross!

Via Pinterest

How to write a condolence note …

Via Cup of Jo

As soon as it cools off around here , we want to make this

Via Half Baked Harvest

Did y’all know this?

Via CNN

The newest words being added to the dictionary …

Via Mental Floss

Cheers !!

Via David Leibovitz

Ring-a-ling!

a&a

shrimp-n-grits belleiciousness…

05 Saturday Aug 2017

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Shrimp and grits go way back here in South Carolina (read a brief history here), but versions of this delightful dish are popping up all over the country!  Now, we must admit…with the addition of heavy sauces and gravies in many cases, we don’t often allow ourselves the luxury of sitting down to a bowl of this belleicousness.  

In comes one belle-brother (thanks, sweet Adam) and his very own shrimp-n-grits concoction.  On a recent family trip, Adam took to the kitchen to show off his perfected recipe…and my, oh, my!!  It was absolute perfection!

His creation…(we will share the recipe when he gives us permission 😉

And some of our favorite recipes…

From Delish,,,


From A Chef’s Kitchen…(a casserole)…


From Maebells…


And from Epicurious…(the over-easy egg would is a game-changer!)…


Gotta go…we’re hungry!

a&a

our fave summer soup…

27 Thursday Jul 2017

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While summer isn’t quite “soup season”, a chilled, belleicious summer soup is right up our alley! A dear belle-friend shared one of her creations over the weekend…a chilled cucumber soup with lots of dill and a cayenne kick (thanks, Marion!!).  It got us thinking about this summer delight.  


We’ve talked about cucumber soup before (here) as one of our favorite ways to keep the kitchen (and ourselves) cool…


This particular version is super simple…just a cup of buttermilk, a handful of herbs (cilantro, mint, basil…take your pick), two cucumbers, the juice of one lime, and salt & pepper.  Toss it all in a VitaMix or blender and puree away.  Garnish with herbs and maybe some extra minced cucumber, and you are all set!

Another version we want to try soon comes from Andrew Zimmern at Food & Wine…

via Food & Wine


Zimmern’s version adds onion (yum!), dill, tarragon, and lots of other belleiciousness.  This is a must-try, belles!

meanwhile, back at the ranch…dressing that is

13 Friday Jan 2017

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We belles are a bit particular about our salad dressings…no bottles for us (well…except for our fave French Poodle).  For the most part, we would rather create our own vinaigrettes, caesars, and whatnot as we kinda like to know what’s in there (and we are always doing our tweaking anyway!).  

One belle was havin’ a hankerin’ for a bit of Ranch dressing the other day, and that happens to be one she never felt she had perfected.  Picking up a bottle full of ingredients that can’t even be pronounced (we don’t need to learn those words anyway) was out of the question – AND…we have both been making great efforts toward keeping things healthy and whole.  So…some googling went down and here’s what happened…


The Belles’ Pretty Darn Good Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

2 T dried parsley

2 t garlic powder

2 t onion powder

1/2 t salt (we use Pink Himalayan)

1/4 t pepper

1 cup Greek Yogurt (we use Cabots full fat version)

1/4 c buttermilk (full fat is best)

2 T mayo (try Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo – available at Amazon)
1 t lemon juice

1 t dijon mustard, optional (we kinda prefer it without, but it’s an option)


Blend dried herbs/seasonings.  Place in blender/food processor/Vitamix with all other ingredients.  Give it a good pulse or two.  Guess what?  You’re done!  Store in a tightly-lidded jar in the fridge and enjoy to your heart’s content, belles!

Now that’s a trip to the ole ranch you can feel good about, belles!

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

belleicious bruschetta…savoring summer

08 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by in belle-icious, friday friend 1-1

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We mentioned this Half Baked Harvest belleiciousness…

a few days ago…but thought we would share our success in the “test kitchen” with our “test audience” (as in family and friends who are happy to be brutally honest) over the holiday weekend. 
We chose three varieties (with slight tweaks, ’cause that’s how we roll) of the six incredibly creative crostini options…(and we chose to use larger, tasty bruschette to make things less tedious)…

Bruschetta no. 1:


Crusty sourdough topped with goat cheese, sliced cherries, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper
Bruschetta no. 2:


Crusty sourdough topped with fig preserves, buffalo mozzarella, sliced figs, basil, and salt & pepper 
Bruschetta no. 3:


A slightly more traditional bruschetta of crusty sourdough topped with smashed avocado, feta, grape tomatoes, basil, and salt & pepper
All together now…


Almost impossible to choose a favorite!  Give ’em a try and let us know what you think!!

a&a