TOP 1000 Recipes (Photos+Full Details)

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Charred Vegetable Salsa


This is one of the Mary Sue Milliken recipes my kids made at the Kids' (good-for-you) Cooking Academy that we all really loved. Charring the vegetables gives the salsa a deep rich flavor and the tomatillos give it a nice tang. Sue's recipe calls for 3 Roma tomatoes but I used what I had on hand and it turned out great. It's super simple to make and tastes so much better than store bought salsa.

Charred Vegetable Salsa:
Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Mary Sue Milliken from Border Grill

• 1 vine ripened tomato
• 11 small campari tomatoes
• 3 small tomatillos
• 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 punch of cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to broil. Place the tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion slices on a baking sheet lined with tin foil (easier clean up).
Place under the broiler, turning occasionally for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic clove to the baking sheet and broil with the rest of the vegetables for another 5-6 minutes or until nicely charred.


Remove from the oven and when cool enough to touch, remove the stems and seeds from the jalapeño.


Combine the charred vegetables (and the juices from the baking sheet) with cilantro, lime juice, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Taste and re-season if necessary. Serve with chips or on with any of your favorite Mexican foods. Enjoy.

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Tuscan White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup


I ended up catching a cold during our adventure in Hollywood so I decided to make a big pot of soup for dinner. I didn't feel like going to the grocery store so I searched online for a soup recipe that called for ingredients that I already had on hand. I found this soup recipe by Giada De Laurentis on the Food Network website. I adapted it a bit by adding more white beans, roasting the garlic, using less ****er and olive oil, dried sage instead of fresh sage, adding a bay leaf, and using 2% milk instead of cream . I simmered it all afternoon long so it was very flavorful and delicious. I loved how simple this soup was to make, how good it made my house smell, and how nice it felt on my sore throat.

Tuscan White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup:
Adapted recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Giada De Laurentis - Food Network

• 1 head of garlic, roasted (click here for instructions)
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp ****er
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1/4 tsp dried sage (more if desired)
• Sea salt and white pepper, to taste
• 2 cans of white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup of 2% milk

Prepare the roasted garlic (click the link above for instructions).



Heat the ****er and olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Add the sage, sea salt, and white pepper, to taste. Next add the two cans of white beans. Remove the garlic from the skins, chop into small pieces, and add to the beans. Mash the beans and garlic up a bit using a potato masher. Add the cannellini beans, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Cover with a lid and simmer the soup for 1-2 hours (or more). Right before serving, add the milk to the mixture and remove the bay leaf. Ladle into bowls and serve with shaved Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy.

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A Fantastic Experience - Frigidaire Kids' (good-for-you) Cooking Academy

I was recently contacted by Frigidaire to join them in a Save the Children event to kick off their new campaign called Kids' (good-for-you) Cooking Academy. Basically, Frigidaire flew my children and I to Hollywood, put us up in a beautiful hotel, and had us join 6 other Mom bloggers and their children at Smashbox Studios where the kids prepared healthy and delicious recipes with actress Jennifer Garner and chef Mary Sue Milliken. It was such a fantastic experience and my children and I had so much fun! Thankfully my husband came with us so he could photograph for me while I helped the kids make their recipes.

We arrived in L.A. on Monday evening and had a wonderful meal in our hotel's restaurant before heading to bed. On Tuesday we met up with the other bloggers and their children to catch a ride together to Smashbox Studios. They had this amazing set up for the kids where they each had their own little work space, aprons, chef coat, and chef hat. Jennifer Garner and chef Mary Sue Milliken came out and spoke about the importance of getting kids in the kitchen to help cook which in turn will help them have healthier eating habits. The kids made a fire roasted salsa, a Mexican chopped salad, meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato frosting, and a pear and ginger crisp. All of the kids had so much fun and were very proud of their creations. I was especially proud of my kids, who did such a great job preparing each recipe. It was nice to see them so confident in the kitchen. Jennifer Garner was absolutely lovely in person. She was extremely sweet to all of us, and made each child feel special. Afterwards, we all gathered together for a delicious feast of Mexican food. It was such a terrific experience for all of us, especially the kids.

It was a whirlwind trip and we are all exhausted and happy. Thank you so much to Frigidaire for including us in such an important event and campaign. Please check out Frigidaire's website to learn more about Kids' (good-for-you) Cooking Academy.


Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children’s U.S. Programs each day a person enrolls in the Kids’ [good-for-you] Cooking Academy regardless of how many times a person participates. Frigidaire has pledged to donate a minimum of $35,000 and a maximum of $40,000, as part of its $250,000 commitment to the cause.






Disclosure:


My participation in Frigidaire’s Kids’ (good-for-you) Academy was sponsored by Frigidaire who provided me with travel arrangements to and from Los Angeles to participate.

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Sesame Green Beans


I recently had some sesame green beans while eating dinner at a friends house. I loved the beans and wanted to re-create them at home. My girlfriend was out of town on a much needed vacation so I looked online to find a similar recipe. I chose this Martha Stewart recipe because it seemed similar to the one my friend made. When I prepared the sauce, it seemed too tangy so I added some soy sauce to mellow out the flavor and it tasted much better. The side dish was simple to make and it paired nicely with the Garlic-Ginger Chicken Thighs and Carrot-Ginger Rice.

Sesame Green Beans:
Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Martha Stewart

• 1 lb of green beans, end trimmed
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2-3 tsp soy sauce (not pictured)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the green beans and cook for 4-5 minutes or until just tender. Drain the water.



While the beans are cooking, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds together and mix until well combined. Add the mixture to the cooked & drained green beans and toss to coat evenly. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste and serve immediately. Enjoy.

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Carrot-Ginger Rice


I can't tell you how much I loved this rice! It was sweet, spicy, and so flavorful. The ginger and cayenne pepper really gave the rice a nice kick, the tender onions and carrots made it sweet, and the cilantro gave it a great flavor punch. It was the perfect side dish to my Garlic-Ginger Chicken Thighs and Sesame Green Beans. I can't wait to make this one again.

Carrot-Ginger Rice:
Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe inspired by my friend Kyle

• 1 cup of basmati rice
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled & grated
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled & minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Dash of cayenne pepper (or more if desired)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine the rice and chicken broth together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and steam for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.



While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a s****et over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Add the carrot, ginger, and garlic to the onions and cook, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add the rice to the mixture along with the cilantro, sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and dash of cayenne pepper. Stir gently so all ingredients are well combined. Serve immediately. Enjoy.