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Corned Beef and Cabbage with Honey Carrots and Savory Bacon Mash
The sun is shining and it’s almost forty degrees! My heart is singing. There still snow on the ground, but I wanted at least a hint of spring while I write this post. St.Patrick’s Day has always been a marker of more tolerable weather for me. In fact, that’s really all I liked about the holiday until recently. Truth time: I’ve never been a fan of corned beef. Something about it just didn’t taste like meat to me. But it definitely didn’t taste like a plant either. It messed with my stomach. Turns out, most of the packaged, pre-brined corned beef you can buy has been curing in that pickle…
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Japanese Gyoza for Meal Prep | Boiled Wheat Meal Prep Series Pt. III
Gyoza, for those who aren’t familiar, are Japanese pork dumplings that you either pan-fry, deep-fry, or steam. And they’re one of the OGs in my kitchen. My older sister first introduced me to these little flavor bombs when I was in middle school, and I’ve been in love ever since. After Myles and I got married, they became such a frequent request that I eventually started making giant batches to keep in the freezer. Some of the ingredients aren’t usually what I have on hand. And well, like the tamales, they’re incredibly tedious. Gyoza are definitely a do-on-your-day-off project. If you’re making your own wrappers, they’re a two-day-off project– but…
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Perfect Pork Tamales for Meal Prep | Boiled Wheat Meal Prep Series Pt. II
Is there anyone who *doesn’t* love tamales? Serious question. I know there are tamale preferences, (more meat, less meat, more chile, less chile)… but no one just doesn’t like them, right? They’ve always been a favorite comfort food of mine, and they’re my usual metric for judging how good a Mexican restaurant is. The only issue with tamales is that they are extremely tedious to make, and they’ll turn your kitchen into a full-on disaster. The good part though? Tamales freeze really well. You can microwave them straight from the freezer into a steamy, satisfying meal within five minutes. The corn husks are perfect, built-in wrappers that hold in moisture…
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Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two in Less than 1 Hour | Filet Mignon with Shitake Risotto and Citrus-Glazed Endives
Guys, I actually timed this one. Less than an hour. For all of it. Start to finish, including vegetable chopping. And it’s honestly one of the most delicious meals I’ve made in this short amount of time. The flavors are diverse and complex, and the ingredients (or some version of them) can be found in most grocery stores. It’s fancy, it’s accessible, it’s easier than it looks, and it’s not steak and potatoes. The secret to getting it done quickly is utilizing multiple pans, and having multiple burners going at once. In the recipe, I’ll lay out the exact system I used so that you can maximize your time, and get…
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Vietnamese Pho for Meal Prep | Boiled Wheat Meal Prep Series Pt. I
Pho (pronounced like the first half of my favorite four-letter word), has been one of the trendiest Asian dishes on the American scene in the last few years. It’s total comfort, it’s incredibly healthy, and it’s soup. So obviously it’s a trend that makes frequent appearances in the McSorley house. And it just so happens to fit perfectly into my meal prep scheme. You see, this is just Part I of my series of meal prep posts, focused on a gourmet, but also half-hearted version of meal prepping that allows for maximum flexibility on the day-to-day. I’m a person that loves to cook, and that stems mainly from an appetite…
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Roasted Apple and Butternut Soup (Vegan)
Is it fall again yet? No? Darn. We’re doing this anyway. This soup actually does fit wonderfully into winter, considering the fantastic shelf life of winter squash (which is actually grown and harvested in fall). The acorn and butternut you see in the pictures? I bought them as decor before thanksgiving. If you keep them cool and dry, they can be eaten months later, and there’s hardly a discernible difference. Few fruits or vegetables are that hardy, so these dense squashes are a total gold mine for those who make an effort to eat seasonally. Eat better, save the planet, folks! On the soup: This was inspired by a recent…
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Bastard’s Burgundy– My Version of Beef Bourguignon
Beef bourguignon is one of my favorite things on this earth. I was recently telling Myles that this blog may end up being 95% soup, stew, and bread recipes. That was never the intention… but standing over a bubbling cauldron– or, you know, enameled dutch oven– fills me with all the satisfaction of my childhood kitchen witch fantasies. Bread is similar in that it can feel very old-world. Very slow. Very ritualistic. So gastronomically therapeutic. And I love that. Also, this stew is just good. So if witchy aesthetics aren’t the reason you’re here, this stew should be. It’s velvety, it’s rich, and it’ll make you want to take a really…
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Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad with Simple Lemon Dressing
Are you looking for a fresh, light side dish for your holiday table that isn’t another green salad? Are you looking for simple, seasonal recipes that feature winter produce? Do you just LOVE beets? No? None of those apply? Then just trust me on this one. I know beets are far from glamorous, and some of you may be wondering what fennel even is. –It’s not deformed celery. It’s it’s own thing, but these vegetables, in season right now, are totally underrated. Fennel’s sweet, licoricey bite goes very well with the earthy flavor of beets. Roast them up, add a bit of acidity in a dressing, and you have a gorgeous,…
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Cold Season Soup– Vegetable Soup with White Beans and Quinoa
Myles got a cold last week. I was just waking up when he sent me the text saying he should have stayed home from work. I immediately gulped to see if my throat was sore. Not really. I tried to breathe out of my nose. Success. Relief. When I get sick, I tend to get very sick, and it lasts a long time. When I was in grade school, I got sick a lot. I spent more time sick than not while growing up. So I tend to be a little paranoid when my husband who has an immune-system-of-iron tells me that the germs have gotten to him. When the weekend rolled…
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Roasted Acorn Squash, Stuffed with Wild Rice and Mushroom Pilaf
With the holidays approaching and a chilly bite in the air, I’m buzzing. It feels like there are so many exciting things around the corner, and I’m ready to face them–mug of warm liquids in hand (obviously). Even though the cold weather does often make me want to curl up in a fluffy ball and watch old movies, it also fills me with a lot of creative motivation. Recipe ideas come brimming out my ears, and if I’m not baking away in the kitchen, I’m in my studio throwing colors around, or at my desk, hammering rocks into jewelry. But this writing bit actually becomes much more difficult. Although I’m…
ADVENTURES IN FOOD, TRAVEL, AND PHOTOGRAPHY
