A girl can’t live on meat and potatoes alone. Well, I can’t anyway. I’ve been running ragged for the past month or so. I’m naturally a healthy eater, because I generally gravitate towards healthier foods. But when I’m running ragged and stressed out, my palate desires nothing short of comfort food. Let me just tell you what I had for dinner this past week: prime rib with a side of mashed potatoes last Friday; buffalo chicken “salad” with a tub of fries last Saturday; fish and chips on Sunday; the greasiest burger you can imagine with a tub of fries on Monday; and two giant chocolate peanut butter cupcakes with soy ice cream on Tuesday. And for that buffalo chicken “salad?” “Salad” is euphemism for batter and creamy dressing with a couple of lettuce leaves. It would be an understatement to say that I feel sluggish.
Spicy Tomato Sauce with Poached Eggs
I made some Spicy Tomato Sauce with Poached eggs last week. Twice, actually. That’s not unusual for me. When the weather outside is cold and I barely have enough time to eat, this is one of my go-to dishes. It’s one of those dishes that is so comforting, yet simple and quick. We either have it over brown rice or pasta. It’s delicious either way.
Of course, I had to add a little bit of Korean love to this dish. I absolutely love gochujang (Korean chili pepper paste) in tomato sauce. It tempers the acidity of the tomato sauce just perfectly, while imparting some sweetness and spiciness to the sauce. If you don’t have access to gochujang, of course, you can add tomato paste. I add both if I have both in my fridge. Just make sure they add up to about 2-3 teaspoons. The resulting sauce is SO GOOD. You have to give it a try.
Simple Gluten-Free Apple Crumble
I hope everyone had a lovely Valentines day. Mine was a mixed bag. We had a nice, no frills dinner at one of our favorite sushi joints and had a great time. Now for the bad: my mom threw away my keepsakes, including a small antique headpiece I wore at my wedding and a broken plastic music box my dad gave me on my 7th birthday.
I probably should have brought them with me when I moved, but storage is a huge issue here. And they were only occupying a small space in the closet in my old room. It makes me so sad that it was taken out to the curb along with the trash, treated like trash. I know it’s just stuff. But they can never be replaced. I can never go back in time to recreate my wedding. And no fancy music box would carry the same meaning as the one given to me by my dad years ago. I always considered myself a pragmatist. What do you know? I’m a bit of a sentimentalist after all…
Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Cookies
I’ve received a number of beautiful cookbooks over the past few weeks. In the past, I would peruse through the books for the beautiful pictures, not necessarily the recipes. I’m just horrible at following directions. I’m kind of impatient that way. It’s ironic for a person who blogs about food and recipes. But I’m trying to change that. I’m planning to cook at least one thing from each book I own. It may take a while, but I’ll get there…eventually.
Pasta with Garlic Oil
Whenever we have Italian food, my husband always talks about the North End in Boston. He was in graduate school in Boston. And whenever he and his friends wanted to treat themselves to something nicer than delivery pizza, they would head to the North End for some good Italian. I don’t know whether it’s the rose-colored nostalgia or not. But he still says it’s the best place to get Italian.