Hiding the caraway seeds, preserving the healthfulness: my rye bread panino

What to make with rye bread? This was the question I asked myself the other day when I bought rye bread from the local grocery store. It was on sale and looked really delicious and healthy. Yet, I was a bit apprehensive to give it a try. I’ve never been a fan of rye bread for one simple reason: caraway seeds. I find them way too aromatic, way too pungent – way too “over the top” flavor-wise. Caraway seeds are to me what basil is to my husband – a culinary adversary. 🙂

Still, I wanted to know how to “tame” my adversary, and as usual, the deli products I had in the fridge came to the rescue. I decided to “hide” the caraway seeds behind the flavor wall of several deli meats, and to add bell peppers for freshness and crunchiness. Once again, panini was the way to go 🙂

CLOSED Comfort food decadence: A review of Red Gold slow cooker recipes – and a giveaway!

I am always on the lookout for new recipe ideas to get me inspired and excited to try out new things. I must admit I do need inspiration in the kitchen – I have been very busy lately, and as such I have often cooked the same recipes over and over again, and found myself stuck in a rut. Fall is upon us and we can find an amazing abundance of fresh produce at the local markets. Still, what good is this if you just don’t have the time to experiment with flavors and to create new recipes? As you can see, I am a little frustrated with how things have been on the cooking front lately 🙂

Thankfully, my enthusiasm for experimenting came back recently, when Red Gold Tomatoes contacted me and asked me to test out their new slow cooker recipes, which have been devised to make fall cooking easy and more flavorful than ever. Red Gold is also hosting a competition on their Facebook page, where you can win one of two slow cookers every day. They are giving away 44 slow cookers over the next 3 weeks!

Variety is the spice of our mornings: How I made frittata

I made this frittata after yet another inspiring trip to the grocery store. I wanted to make something new and exciting for breakfast, and frittata seemed to be the perfect choice. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for me to make up my mind. After all, how could I say no to these amazing looking veggies?

Roast pepper dip: A valuable ingredient in panini… and more

I’m sure you know it by now, but I’ll say it again: I love peppers! I love their vibrant and varied colors, their sweet and delicate flavor, their abundance of vitamins – and the list goes on. Before starting off this website I did not think much about peppers, and I never actually realized how much I used them in dishes on a regular basis. This conscious writing and cooking exercise has made me think about peppers very often, and has helped me learn more about myself and my culinary preferences. This has been an amazing journey of self-knowledge, and I’m thankful for that.

Since peppers were on sale at my local grocery store the other day, I thought it would be a good idea to buy some and to make a recipe which, like my vegetable sauce, is a staple in our household: roast pepper dip.

Just the two of us: Cooking light for Thanksgiving

I have vivid memories of our first Thanksgiving. We had lived in Chicago for about six months, and by then we were fully immersed into the realities of our new home country and its culture and traditions. I was very excited that we were about to spend our first Thanksgiving, and I did a lot of shopping to mark the occasion. I bought and roasted a whole turkey, which we had for lunch and dinner for a good few days. Then, I made other dishes and forgot about the half-eaten turkey. Two weeks later, the turkey was still in the fridge, and I found it and threw it away. I was so ashamed at the waste of half a cooked turkey! In retrospect, it was all my fault. I bought a whole turkey when I should have known better.

New job, first day: Feeling overwhelmed, and thinking of… meat stuffed peppers

Today was the first day at my new job as a school tutor. It went pretty well, although it was overwhelming at times. It’s been awhile since I had a job, and I approached this new opportunity with enthusiasm, but also with fear. What if I’m going to fail? What if my gap in employment will get the best of me? My usual fear of failure set in, and I felt insecure, vulnerable, and out of place.