Once upon a time, I spent a weekend in Hyannis Port. I sat at a sidewalk cafe, basking in the July sun and trying to not look ridiculous as I cracked open the lobster I had ordered for dinner. I had no idea what I was doing and it was very hard to not make a mess (I had stubbornly refused the bib that the waiter had politely offered.) Then, out of nowhere, I saw Ted Kennedy walking down the street. Eating Ben and Jerry's. And suddenly I felt very silly. What was I doing struggling with a stupid lobster that had next to no meat in it when there was a Ben and Jerry's less than a block away? For the rest of the dinner, I could only concentrate on two things: "OMG Ted Kennedy is in town" and "I'm so getting ice cream when we're done here."

And that marks the last time I was ever able to think about lobster without also immediately thinking about Ted Kennedy. OK, OK, it also marks the last time I ever ate a whole lobster. I mean, why bother? They're good, but only because they're drowning in butter. They're a pain in the butt to eat, not elegant at all, and you'll finish dinner still starving since you only actually ate about 3 Tablespoons of food. Other full-sized menu items with lobster in them though? Like Connecticut-Style Lobster Rolls or Lobster Risotto? Sign me up. Pairing that lobster with pasta, in Lobster Mac and Cheese or Ravioli? Even better — much more lady-like to eat and much less chance of leaving the dinner table still starving.

Which is why I was so excited to see that Buitoni's new line of frozen dinners includes a shrimp & lobster ravioli. I had been searching high and low for this product for weeks, when I received an email from Foodbuzz asking for people to host a dinner party that pairs one of the new entrees with a vegetable side dish. Score! I immediately knew what I wanted to propose: I'm not really one for dinner parties and something about lobster ravioli seems so sexy to me that it seemed obvious to use the product as the basis for a quick and easy romantic weeknight in. Paired with a special yet simple-to-make salad dressed with homemade champagne vinaigrette and served with a glass of crisp champaign, this is the kind of meal that demands you turn the TV off and actually talk to each other. The whole meal can be prepared in 20 minutes (and with just one pot) and the price can't be beat. They make it so easy that there really isn't an excuse not to have a nice dinner at home. Why not celebrate a special occasion (oh,say, a tuesday) with a great meal like this?

Click to continue reading my thoughts on Buitoni's Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli and for my vinaigrette recipe -->

When I was approached about doing a review of Sally Bee's The Secret Ingredient ($17.90 on Amazon), I was a little hesitant. The book was originally published in England, which isn't exactly known for its amazing food. Plus, the recipes are heart-healthy and I was afraid that might mean that they would be bland. But her story had me intrigued, so I agreed to accept a copy.* Boy am I glad I did — this book has quickly become one of my favorites!

In 2004, Sally Bee was working as a writer and a British television personality when she suddenly suffered three major hart attacks in the span of one week. She had never smoked, didn't drink, and was generally healthy and fit, but she found that she had been born with a heart defect that had gone undetected her whole life. To make a long story short, she wasn't expected to survive, but she did! In order to keep her health up, she needed to pay very close attention to what she ate — but she didn't want her kids to "grow up thinking a diet of mung beans and spinach was normal." So she learned how to cook heart-healthy meals that were also enjoyable and "normal."

The recipes in The Secret Ingredient focus on fresh fruits and vegetables and are bursting with flavors, thanks to the generous use of herbs and spices. The dishes in the book are fast and easy to make and don't require any ingredients that you can't find in your neighborhood grocery store. Since the recipes focus so heavily on fresh foods, you don't have to worry about needing ingredients that are only available in England. I also really like that Sally Bee has a similar philosophy to me when it comes to not totally eliminating ingredients that have a reputation of being "unhealthy." In moderation ingredients like butter, cheese, and red meat can add a ton of flavor to a dish without rendering the whole dish off-limits. Sally Bee includes small amounts of ingredients like these in her recipes; she also makes a note on each recipe to identify whether it's an "everyday" dish or a "treat" that should be limited to once a week. The recipes are also accompanied by absolutely gorgeous full-color photos.

I tested out the recipes for the "Marvelous Moroccan Chicken" (Shared below), the "Spicy Couscous," and the "Healthy Spring Vegetable Risotto" all three meals were fresh, delicious, and easy (and cheap!) to make. The risotto was packed full of vegetables and was very filling — it also had some pesto stirred in, which was wonderful and a trick that I'll be using often! The flavors in the Moroccan Chicken were unlike anything I've ever eaten before, but we both loved it! The warm spices in it were amazing and the whole house smelled wonderful while it cooked.

Of course, there are a few negatives, but they're really more mild annoyances that anything. The majority of the recipes require using the oven — which is fine most of the year, but not really an option in the current heat. I also felt that the dessert chapter was a little too long — some of the ideas in it looked nice, but if I'm going to have dessert, I don't want fruit. I want dessert. So while it's nice for the healthy options to be included, I doubt I'll ever make anything from that chapter. There are also a few things that are weird just because the book was originally published in England: metric weights are listed first and some ingredients are referred as they are known over there (for example zucchini is "courgette" and cilantro is "coriander" — though the American English names are given in parentheses). Also, the risotto could have used a little salt (although that would have been pretty inappropriate for a heart-healthy cookbook!)

But, the most important question always is Would I Buy the Book? Absolutely. The recipes are easy enough to be followed by beginning cooks, but are full of inspiration for more advanced cooks who want to use them as a jumping off point for their own creations. The ingredients are healthy and real; the final dishes are simple but elegant. And the photos are stunning. Let me put it this way — for me, flipping through this book is like flipping through a "Healthy Delicious" cookbook... are at least its everything that I would want a cookbook like that to be. ;)

Click to get the recipe for Marvelous Moroccan Chicken -->

As I've mentioned a few times before, even though my preference is to eat fresh, whole foods, I'm not above picking up a frozen dinner in a bag to use in a pinch. In fact, I almost always have one in my freezer for those "in case of emergency" moments. While I generally tend to go for Italian/Mediterranean type meals, this Chinese style Beef and Broccoli from WanchaiWai Ferry couldn't have arrived on my doorstep at a better time. Last week was more than a little crazy, and I was happy to enjoy a good meal that didn't require a ton of thought, energy, or effort.

I was a little wary of this meal at first, since I'm really not a huge fan of Chinese food and frozen meat in the types of meals tends to weird me out, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was actually very enjoyable! The back of the bag suggested adding more vegetables — while this would certainly have added some more bulk to the meal and freshened up the flavor a little, I didn't have any that would have been appropriate to use and I honestly didn't feel that they were needed. The broccoli, red peppers, and water chestnuts included in the bag was plentiful and flavorful. I particularly enjoyed the broccoli, which wasn't soggy at all and which soaked up the sauce really nicely. Unlike the meat-heavy beef and broccoli that you might get from a take-out place, the vegetables made up the bulk of the dish. I thought that this was great, but those of you who are looking for a very meaty dish might be disappointed.

Of course, there were a few downsides to this meal: The beef, while very tender, did have a little bit of an oddly fake flavor to it (not the "freezer" flavor that meat in these meals can sometimes have, but something artificial tasting, like they tried to "enhance" the beefiness somehow). The sauce was also a little thick and syrupy for my liking, but probably not unlike a similar dish would be if you ordered it from a local Chinese restaurant. The directions also call for the rice to be microwaved. We actually don't have a microwave, so we improvised by warming the bag in a pot of simmering water. It came out just fine, but was a little annoying - I wouldn't have expected a "skillet" meal to require anything other than a pan and a stove.

At about $6 for a two-serving bag (what you see in the photos is one serving, it was on the small size but was enough to satisfy me) this is a good value for a quick meal. Would I buy it again? I'll be honest and say that it isn't likely. I did enjoy it, but it was a little sticky and fake tasting for my liking and I've had similar meals that I enjoyed more. If you like Chinese take-out a lot though, you might enjoy it!

Want to give it a try? MyBlogSpark has offered to send a meal — plus two teacups with infusers and loose-leaf green tea — to one reader so that they can try the meal for themselves. Want to give it a try? Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite dish to order from Chinese take-out is. I really enjoy steamed dumplings and vegetable lo mein! (Sorry, but this giveaway is only open to those of your who live in the US)

Disclosure: This sample, along with the giveaway items, was provided to me by Wanchai Ferry through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are my own.

When I recently learned that there's a restaurant in New York City entirely devoted to these tender balls of ground meat simmered in sauce (The Meatball Shop), I immediately browsed their menu and decided what I would order if I went. And then I made it. (PS I went to the Shop this past weekend and it's every bit as wonderful as you'd expect!)

For as often as I make risotto, I never thought to pair it with red sauce. When I saw that The Meatball Shop offers it as a side dish though, I was immediately sold on the idea. It's such a nice change from pasta, and it gives the dish an entirely different feel. It makes spaghetti and meatballs seem like kids food; this is for grown ups. Meant to be eaten lazily by candle-light while drinking red wine, served with a side of bitter greens (in this case, with some sauteed broccoli rabe).

The parmesan risotto that I made was a very simple backdrop for the bold meatballs and sauce, but the cheese also gave it enough flavor to hold its own. It was delicious both mixed with the sauce and eaten plain. I took my time and cooked the risotto very slowly, allowing each grain of rice to absorb what seemed like an impossible amount of broth and resulting in the perfect al dente rice suspended in a rich and creamy sauce. If my risotto looks a little ark, it's because I used Kitchen Basics chicken stock. I really like the flavor of this stock, but it's a lot darker than other brands — it almost looks like beef stock when you pour it from the carton. If you use a different brand of stock (or homemade), your risotto will probably be whiter.

I also used a jar of Bertolli Spicy Arribata Sauce that I received a while back as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. The sauce was really good — nice and thick and not too spicy. I added some crush red pepper to kick things up a bit. If you're using a different sauce, you might want to increase the amount of spice to your liking.

Click to continue reading Spicy Pork Meatballs with Parmesan Risotto -->

Do you ever see something or hear of something and immediately know that you'll love it? That's how I felt about the delicious looking Chinese steamed buns, or bao, that keep turning up everywhere I look lately. Everywhere, that is, except on menus here in Albany. It seemed as though if I wanted to taste these for myself, I would ether have to travel to NYC or make them myself. Making them seemed like it would be complicated, so I tucked the idea away in my every-expanding file of recipes to try on the weekend. But then I read this post from Carolyn Jung, who had a little truck up her sleeve to make steamed buns on a weeknight a very real possibility.

The trick? Don't bother making your own dough. Instead, turn to a tube of refrigerated biscuits. Easy Peasy. When classic Pillsbury biscuits are steamed instead of baked, the texture undergoes a complete transformation. Instead of turning out buttery and flakey, they become pillowy-soft and slightly chewy. I don't know how authentic the flavor or texture is, but it's exactly how I imagined it would be. And every bit as delicious.

I was having trouble deciding what I wanted to fill my bins with, so I ended up doing two version: one fatty, porky version based on Momofuku's popular buns, and another light version stuffed with tofu that I baked with my favorite generic "Asian" marinade. Bother versions were amazing, but I actually liked the tofu version the most! It was light and fresh in flavor and the combination of textures — the doughy bun, crispy-creamy tofu and crunchy vegetables — was so much more interesting than that of the chewy pork belly.

I've posted tofu very similar to this one before, but I've recently started to fry the whole block very quickly before baking it. This gives the outside of the tofu a crispy coating that tastes really good and also makes the texture of the tofu a lot more appealing.

Continue reading Easy Steamed Buns, Two Ways -->

Earlier this year, the city I live in implemented one of those "chain restaurants must post calories counts on their menus" laws that seem to be popping up across the country like wildflowers. I'm not going to get into a debate on the merits. I like the idea of it, but it honestly doesn't effect me that much since I rarely eat at chains.

But once in a while, I do. Like the other night, when I went to Chili's for dinner. I knew that everything on the menu would be awful — processed, fried, and loaded with calories. But can we just talk about their salads for a second? I mean, I certainly wasn't expecting them to be the healthy salads that I make at home, but over 1,000 calories for something that didn't even seem that appetizing? That's insane. A "salad" shouldn't have anywhere near the amount of calories as a half rack of ribs. (Yes, theirs did.)

Lately, I've been giving a lot of thought to side dishes. In the colder weather, a lot of my dinners tend to be soups or stews that don't require any extras. But now that it's getting warmer out, it's hard to resist the simplicity of just throwing something on the grill - which usually means making some sort of side dish to go with it. Baked potatoes and pasta salads are good, but I get tired of them pretty quickly. So I've been thinking about other easy-to-make options that will help round out a grilled meal. The white bean salad is exactly the kind of dish that I've been looking for. It's light yet full of flavor, and it only takes a few seconds to throw together. The leftovers are great on a green salad, or they can be pureed and served with toasted baguette pieces for a satisfying hummus-like snack.

I recently came across a good deal on lamb leg slices, so I stocked up and now have a freezer full of them. Which is great, sine they go perfectly with the Mediterranean flavors of the bean salad. I especially like to prepare them in this updated take on my herb-crusted lamb - rubbed with a mixture of olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary, then grilled and slathered with this delicious pesto that Mezzetta sent me (I've since bought another jar). I love how intense the flavor of this pesto is! It doesn't taste like something out of a jar at all. The only weird thing about it is that it needs to be refrigerated after opening, and the olive oil congeals a little in the cold. But as long as you remember to pull it out a few minutes before you plan to eat it so that it comes up to temperature, you're good to go!

Click here to continue reading White Bean Salad -->