Biscuit Dunes Root Vegetable Pot Pie/Dune

We cancelled the beets! I just couldn't find any other use for them. That gnocchi sat in my fridge and did not get eaten. I would maybe be able to deal with it if they came once a month, but weekly was just too much. We had a good run, but it's time to move on.

That being said, I made a pretty damned good one this week. I challenge even the most carnivorous carnivores to say no to a helping of this stuff. The original recipe is posted here, but I made some tweaks to make it a bit healthier and to fit my pantry. I chose the movie Dune because it's the last of David Lynch's films I had to see, and the pot pie has "dunes" of biscuits on top.

He who controls the biscuits controls the universe.

Plus Sting + David Lynch + Sci-Fi? I figured I couldn't go wrong.

Oh baby.

"Big Apple" Cinnamon Muffins/Cosmopolis

I have a confession to make. I have been making muffins for weeks. I am not the world's best baker, so I've been messing around with some fruits/veggies/spices/flours/etc. to try and make a decent muffin. I think that this one is my best attempt yet!

I used a lot of apples, so you can cut down on those a bit, but personally I like to take a bite in the muffin get a mouthful of apple as well. Plus they were so moist, and the apple went really well along with the spices. A great breakfast choice. Plus, they make your house smell like, well, apple cinnampn muffins. Can't really beat that.

Why use these when you can bake and eat the real thing?

Recipe: "Big Apple" Cinnamon Muffins

Beet Gnocchi with an Italian Cream Sauce/The Queen of Versailles

This recipe is messy. It's also a little strange because not only have I never made gnocchi before - I've never even eaten it. I think I made them too big, but that's pretty much out of laziness. I also didn't put a definite amount of flour you need to use. Beets and potatoes are of all different sizes, so you pretty much have to get the right consistency. I think I did that. I don't really care; they taste good and I hid my beets in there so I consider it a win for Kim.

For this week's viewing enjoyment, I give you this.

Are you still hungry?

Recipe: Beet Gnocchi with an Italian Cream Sauce

Rosemary Root Vegetable Soup/Rosemary's Baby

I BROUGHT THE SNOW TO MASSACHUSETTS

I also still don't know how to spell Massachusetts, despite living here for almost 7 months. Thank goodness for spell check.

It was really cold and snowy here so all I did was cook. All day long. Alongside this homemade soup and bread in this entry, I also made pasta, pesto, muffins, salad, and salad dressing - all from scratch. Yes, even the pasta. It was the perfect way to spend the day. Watching Rosemary's Baby was the perfect way to end it. I wish every day was Saturday.

The recipe for the bread came from this awesome book called Ratio, which I would highly recommend for any aspiring baker. It gives you the basic ratios for the main ingredients in staple foods such as bread, pasta, and even sausage. You can then add things as you wish and pretty much end up with something delicious. It reads more like a book than a cookbook, with long detailed explanations behind the methodology of each recipe. So far, it gave me the best damned bread I've ever had. It was a great gift from a great person :)

Get it!

Recipe: Rosemary Root Vegetable Soup

Stuffed Acorn Squash/The Hobbit Part 1

It's the first new movie review!

I don't have much to say here. Being home has been awesome, but I have eaten TERRIBLY. Expect some healthy stuff coming up these next few weeks. I hope everyone's had a great holiday!

Recipe: Stuffed Acorn Squash

Home for the Holidays/NYT Cookies/Christmas Vacation

Special holiday edition!

Typically my rule is that the movie I review has to be a movie I haven't seen before. I've changed the rules so that I can do one throwback movie of the month. Last month it was Jaws, and now this month it will be Christmas Vacation.

I'm home in Michigan for the holidays, and I baked these cookies with my brother Ethan, my sister Caitlin, and her boyfriend Jake. They are all pretty stellar people.

Caitlin happily cutting chocolate 

Jake looking fly.

Ethan looking weird.

There has been a lot of buzz behind these chocolate chip cookies, so I feel like it's time to give them a try. The original recipe is found here. I know it may seem like a lot of chocolate, but somehow it works. We ended up having to use two different kinds (not the fancy discs like the article) because we didn't have enough of one kind. We also just used all purpose flour instead of a mixture of bread and cake. I hope that didn't affect the recipe too much.

Recipe: New York Times (kinda) Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Sweet Potato Burritos/The Magnificent Seven

Hoping to get back on track here. I couldn't decide whether to post the sweet potato burritos or the vegan chorizo soup I made. I think I took a better picture of the burrito so that's what made it.

The holidays have kind of taken over my life, but hopefully this will be the start of the regular posts again. This weekend I will have a post from my home state, Michigan!

I used a soy chorizo "sausage" that I got from the local grocery store here. I only used half of the package because I wanted more of a flavoring than chunks of fake meat. You can use a full package, the real stuff, whatever you want! If you're looking for a good soy substitute, the Trader Joe's brand is my faaavorite. It's also inexpensive and much healthier than it's meaty counterpart.

I also really like spicy things so I used two jalapenos, with seeds. To take it down a notch you can de-seed, use one, or completely omit the peppers. It's up to you!

The burritos have lots of strange things in them because that's what I had. I'm not really aiming for authenticity here.

I served this alongside some Boston lettuce and broccoli salad with pickled watermelon radishes. The radishes were beautiful. To pickle, just combine some rice vinegar and sugar and soak the radishes and an onion in a jar overnight. The color is really something.

They're cute and look like watermelons!

 Anyways, back to those BURRITOS.

Recipe: Sweet Potato Black Bean Chorizo Burritos