Tag: Foodie

Comfort Food: Cacio e Pepe Pasta

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on Comfort Food: Cacio e Pepe Pasta

It might not look like much, but cacio e pepe is one of the quickest, easiest, and tastiest pasta dishes you can whip up in under a half hour when you need your fill of carbs for a cheat day or you’re just trying to satisfy a group of people with something packed full of cheese and pepper. Not quite the usual macaroni and cheese dish- and not quite plain cooked, buttered noodles- this recipe falls in-between the two and was my go-to dinner this past weekend when I had limited ingredients prior to stopping by the grocery store but still had to feed a couple of friends who had dropped by unexpectedly.

If you’ve got a box of pasta and some grated cheese on hand- you can make this in no time at all!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • 12 ounces spaghetti (I used linguine since I like the texture better than spaghetti!)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ⅔ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • Salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper (lots of it), to taste
  • Chopped parsley, for garnish

READY? HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
  2. While the pasta cooks, mash the soft butter with the olive oil and pecorino cheese in a large bowl to form a paste.
  3. When the pasta is tender, drain it, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water. Add the spaghetti directly to the bowl with the butter mixture. Toss well to coat, adding the pasta water as needed to make a thick, creamy sauce that coats the pasta strands. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Divide the pasta among four plates. Garnish with parsley; serve immediately.

The cheese, pepper, and even the parsley make this a standout meal. It’s simple, but flavorful- and it’s really filling- so you don’t have to worry about your stomach growling again right after you eat it. Best of all? With the limited ingredients involved in preparing this one- cleanup is a breeze!

xx

– Ashley –

Summer Treats: Grilled Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Sauce

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on Summer Treats: Grilled Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Sauce

Keeping up with my theme of Summer-appropriate and grill-friendly recipes– I shifted today’s concoction from pineapples and ice cream to cake and blueberries, instead!

I love angel food cake. It’s light, fluffy, and has a hint of sweetness to it that makes it the perfect “any occasion” dessert- but it can also go from blissful to bland after a while if it’s not paired with something more flavorful- so combining it with a homemade blueberry-lemon sauce and a big dollop of freshly whipped cream sounded pretty incredible after dinner on a humid evening earlier this week.

This recipe requires minimal ingredients and takes nearly no time at all to prepare when done correctly- so if you’re in a pinch for something sweet and a little tart to serve as a post-meal treat before the Summer ends- this one will definitely come in handy!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • 1 angel food cake (store-bought or homemade)
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

READY? HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

  1. Preheat a grill or grill pan. Slice the angel food cake into 8 even wedges.
  2. Lightly grease the grates of the grill and cook the angel food cake until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
  3. In a medium pot, combine the blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice and granulated sugar. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until the blueberries break down and the mixture is saucy, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.
  4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar to medium peaks. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
  5. Serve cake with the whipped cream and a drizzle of the blueberry sauce.

I had one slice of this and had to physically force myself not to eat about four more- it was that good. The blueberry-lemon sauce is fantastic- so much that I plan on using some that was leftover on top of a stack of waffles or pancakes tomorrow morning before I head to work- and the whipped cream had just enough of a vanilla kick to it to liven up the angel food cake when it was all scooped up together.

While no dessert is particularly “healthy”, I didn’t feel overly full or gross after I ate this. It was just the right amount of cake and toppings to keep me feeling satisfied and not sluggish- and I can’t wait to make it again!

xx

– Ashley –

Madrid and Margaritas…

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on Madrid and Margaritas…

Good Evening, everyone!

I hope you’re all enjoying your Friday night. It’s a bit unlike me to post after dark (I usually update Blondie Birdie early in the morning before I head into work or while I’m waiting for my coffee to brew)– but I took a long-overdue “Selfie Night” for myself today in order to catch up on e-mails I’d been neglecting for the better part of a week, enjoy a long bath while I started binge-watching the new mini-series for “Wet Hot American Summer” on Netflix (I’m nearly finished and it’s so over-the-top crazy-funny. I love it!)– and catch up on some much needed overall rest and relaxation. After I post this, I have a feeling I’ll be crawling into my clean and freshly folded sheets to try and get a full night of undisturbed sleep. I’m exhausted!

My last attempt at a “Selfie Night” was supposed to have been last Sunday, but my plans became a bit rearranged when- as I’d mentioned in my July “In a Nutshell” post earlier this past week- my best friend Sean returned home from a month-long stay in Spain after he came down with a severe case of food poisoning/dehydration that resulted with him spending a significant amount of time in the hospital. It’s a scary thing- to have someone you care about be so sick and so far away from home- and I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for him to go through on his own. Thankfully, he’s back in the States and on the mend- and once he had stepped off the plane- some of our friends and I (and his mother!) who had showed up to surprise him at the arrival gate outside the airport snatched him up to get him some food and a couple of drinks so he could tell us all about his trip.

While Sean had been in Madrid prior to falling ill, he picked me up this really beautiful paper and lace fold-out fan that he gave to me at dinner. I love it. The imagery on it is really gorgeous- and even though I briefly used it to cool myself off in the car ride home since the temperatures were scorching- it’s since been placed neatly and delicately on display near my nicer dishes and silverware in my dining area. I don’t want anything to happen to it- and that’s the safest spot!

It’s just really nice to have him back home. I missed him a lot and I’m glad he’s feeling better and doing okay. We have a lot of catching up to do- starting tomorrow, more than likely! While there’s a few different weekend getaways planned throughout the month of August- I believe the next day or so will be spent in the White Mountains for the first time in over a year. I’m sure I’m going to have plenty of pictures to share!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

xx

– Ashley –

Summer Treats: Grilled Pineapple Split Sundae with Cherry Sauce

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on Summer Treats: Grilled Pineapple Split Sundae with Cherry Sauce

Good Morning, everyone- and hello, August! Before I get to work at my office (and prepare to fight off a migraine from staring at my screen so intently for such long periods of time)– I wanted to share this quick and easy Summertime dessert recipe I recently discovered floating around the internet that I’ve been whipping up at home for guests that pop by- and for myself!

I love pretty much anything with pineapple in it, which is why I’m sort of shocked I’ve never thought to grill it before until now. Sure, I’ve cooked and baked with slices or cubes of it in the past- but to simply grill it and substitute it for a banana in a sundae/split? It never crossed my mind- but it’s a game changer!

You can use any type of ice cream you want for this recipe, too. It calls for vanilla- but I had some pineapple-coconut Häagen-Dazs (with pieces of fruit mixed in!) already inside of my freezer- and it tasted just fine with that, instead!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • 2 cups pitted and halved cherries, plus more cherries for serving
  • 1 pineapple—peeled, quartered and cored
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 quart vanilla ice cream (or any flavor of your choosing- I picked coconut-pineapple for this one!)

READY? HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

  1. In a small pot, combine the cherries with the sugar and ¼ cup water over medium heat and cook until the cherries break down, 10 to 12 minutes.
  2. Remove the mixture from the heat and use a potato masher or a fork to mash it into a paste. Strain into a small bowl, stir in the vanilla and set aside.
  3. Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Add the pineapple quarters and cook until charred all over, about 4 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, cut the pineapple quarters into long strips or bite-sized pieces.
  4. Scoop the ice cream into bowls and top with pineapple, fresh cherries and cherry sauce. Serve immediately.

This is such a light, tasty, sweet (and a little tangy) treat to enjoy on a hot day. The pineapple has a certain crispiness to it when it’s grilled- and if served right away the ice cream melts just enough to coat all of the wedges. You can serve the dish with as much cherry sauce and whole cherries on the side as you want- depending on your preference. I personally love a ton of them on mine!

I’m thinking when I make this again this coming weekend- I’ll include some grilled bananas and maybe some strawberries, too!

xx

– Ashley –

Stone Stacks and Seafood…

by Ashley DeLargeLeave a Comment on Stone Stacks and Seafood…

As much time as I spend along the coast in New Hampshire- to the point where I know most of the roads and the sights/places to stop like the back of my hand- sometimes I stumble on something I’d never seen before or that I didn’t know existed and I can still manage to be surprised. Case in point: this past Sunday when I had pulled over to a secluded section of the beach in Northern Hampton in order to answer a couple of texts I had received while I was on the road heading towards my favorite seaside lunch spot to grab a quick bite.

Typically, I’d just sit in my parked, air-conditioned car to answer the texts- but it was lovely out on Sunday- with the sun shining and the temperature not too hot or cold. Instead, I decided to climb up a set of rocks to soak up some Vitamin D and watch the low tide in-between reading messages.

Once I’d reached the top of the rocks along the shoreline, I noticed a path that cut down to a section of the beach where there were a ton of intricate man-made stone stacks (some people call it rock balancing, too- I think.) I mean there were SO many. I’d never seen anything like it before- so I completely forgot about answering my messages and instead grabbed my camera before heading down the pathway to check it out.

I had no idea any of those were just on the other side of the edge of the roadway that I’ve driven by literally hundreds of times over the years- otherwise I would have stopped to check it out sooner! It was such an unexpected sight to see- and I had such a peaceful time sitting among the rocks and marveling at just how much time and patience it must have taken to get some of the stacks just right without causing the entire thing to topple over on itself.

Of course, I HAD been on my way to get food- so when I was done snapping photos- I headed down the coast to the Beach Plum for one of their famous toasted lobster rolls and some ice cold lemonade to eat beside the waves.

The best part of the Beach Plum’s lobster rolls? Absolutely no lettuce to get in the way. Just plenty of meat and a delicious, buttered and lightly toasted roll. That’s all I could ever ask for! So, so good.

Overall, I had quite a nice afternoon- full of surprises and seafood- and I’m looking forward to a planned trip a little further up to Maine this coming weekend if the weather permits!

xx

– Ashley –