Smoked Oyster and Bacon Salad

Brent recently bought a case smoked oysters because they are super nutrient dense. He ate them for breakfast one morning but I didn’t think I would enjoy them plain like that. As it turned out, they are pretty delicious on their own.

Still, I wanted to find a way to use them in a more palatable way. Smoked oysters are super savory. So, I perused the produce aisle in the grocery store looking for things to balance them with bright, refreshing flavors. Enjoy this salad on it’s own or with a side of steak!

Marinara Haddock

Growing up, my parents either cooked or took us out to dinner for fish nearly every Friday night. I did not like fish. I loved shellfish (shrimp, lobster, crab), but regular fish was always so… fishy. Still, my parents insisted. I would eat as little of the fish as possible, choosing to fill up on vegetables and rice or bread.

Sometime in high school, I started enjoying salmon and, since meeting Brent, I’ve sampled different kinds of fish at restaurants and we have created quite a few fish recipes. My palate has certainly grown and I actually enjoy some preparations of fish now! Some of my favorites are our basil salmon burgers, cod fritters, and grilled swordfish.

This particular recipe is super easy and ready in just about 30 minutes. It’s perfect for a quick and no-hassel dinner after a long day at the office. Pair it with some sautéed spinach, steamed broccoli, or other vegetables!

Copycat Costco Asian Cashew Chopped Salad

As a matter of convenience, among other things, Heather and I are frequent shoppers at Costco. Most Saturdays, while I’m at my second job, she takes our meal planner and grocery list and gets a lot of what we need from the big-box warehouse. Costco has great employee benefits and is a company we can get behind, not to mention it recently passed up Whole Foods as the top seller of organic food in America—pretty cool stuff.

Unrequested Costco blubbering aside, they have some great pre-packaged salads and mixed greens that we rotate on a regular basis. The salad dressings usually end up in our trash, due to the poor ingredient quality, but otherwise the salads give us an easy option to spice up our vegetables. Our friends Matt and Stacy recently cracked the salad dressing to our other favorite Costco salad, so we felt encouraged to do the same. This asian cashew chopped salad is full of flavor, and will feed you and your family for days. We know you’ll enjoy it.

Review, Recipe & Giveaway: The New Yiddish Kitchen

A few weeks ago, we were honored to receive an advance copy of The New Yiddish Kitchen by Simone Miller and Jennifer Robins and yesterday, it officially published for the world to enjoy! While we’re not Jewish, we appreciate the delicious heritage the Jewish tradition has to offer.

Zucchini Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Puttanesca sauce has been an occasional dinner item when dining out in the past, but I hadn’t had this sauce in years; it is a tangy, flavorful sauce that is bright and refreshing. When I learned the history of this sauce, I knew it was time to make the recipe our own.

The not so family-friendly etymology of puttanesca (allegedly) is from the Italian word puttana, meaning, well, “lady of the night.” Some digging into this folk-lore unravels the story as this sauce was so easy, anyone could make it, or that it was a recipe that these women would make between clients. Another version of this story is that it’s many ingredients (capers, anchovies, olives) is promiscuous, like its namesake. Regardless of the truth behind this name, we think you’ll love this puttanesca sauce. It’s delicious by the spoonful or served with zucchini noodles or your favorite gluten-free noodle.