Two Tomato Carrot Ribbon Pasta

Weekend (or weeknight) recipe idea! When making a pasta dish, sometimes I like to replace half of the pasta with carrot ribbons to make it a little lighter.

TO MAKE (serves about 4) : Use a potato peeler and shave long ribbons off 3 carrots (I use the peels too, but feel free to discard). Press hard for thicker ribbons. Boil 12 oz long pasta (like fettuccine) as usual then with 30 seconds remaining add the carrot “ribbons” . Strain the whole pot as usual, then toss with chopped marinated sun dried tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls, fresh parsley, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper… plus a squeeze of lemon if you wish. Enjoy!

I adapted this recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens recipe and posted it on their blog.

Related Posts:

Carrot Ribbon Salad with meyer lemon

Carrot & Zucchini Ribbon Salad with edible flowers

The Golden Mary

I love a good spicy Bloody during a weekend brunch, don’t you?! Stoli is doing a big round-up of Bloody Marys in cities across the country and I was excited when they asked me to create a recipe inspired by the city of San Francisco! Our little cabin in the woods is just 45 minutes from SF, and we try to get there weekly to wine, dine and walk. Inspired by the city’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge, I created a recipe that has carrot juice in addition to tomato juice, to evoke that orangey-red hue of the bridge. And because the city is known for its fog, I added a bit of Humboldt Fog cheese to the garnish. Enjoy!

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The Golden Mary

inspired by the city of San Francisco and it’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge!

serves 1

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Stoli Vodka

• ½ c tomato juice

• ½ c carrot juice

• juice from one wedge of lemon

• 2 dashes Tabasco Sauce

• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

• 1 pinch smoky paprika

• 1 pinch salt

• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Garnish:

• carrot ribbon

• cube of Humbodlt Fog cheese

• additional salt & pepper (about 1 t each) for the rim of the glass

Directions:

Wipe the lemon wedge around the rim of your glass, then dip the glass into a small plate of salt and pepper to coat the rim. Combine all ingredients ingredients and stir. Serve over ice.

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This post was sponsored by Stoli. I was so happy to work with them because I have been enjoying their vodka for years!

Recipe, photos and illustration by Erin Gleeson.

Savor Stoli Responsibly. STOLICHNAYA® Premium Vodka and Flavored Premium Vodkas. 37.5%-40% Alc/Vol (75-80 proof). Distilled from Russian Grain. Stoli Group USA, LLC, New York, NY ©2014 Spirits International, B.V.

Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

Brussels Caesar! A tasty Caesar salad with some heartier greens involved…use a mandolin to shred the Brussels sprouts, or simply cut them into very fine slices. Toss all with your favorite Caesar dressing and enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

PS- this is what Brussels Sprouts look like when they grow!

Grilled Cheese Party

A couple weeks ago we threw our 2nd annual Grilled Cheese Party. It was so good last year that we just had to do it again! We were celebrating my friend Nicole’s and my birthday. In the house, we had a table made up with all the fixin’s: several different types of breads and cheeses (all labeled with washi tape), plus lots of spreads and toppings. We had garlic aioli, mayo, fig jam, several mustards, caramelized onions, and arugula, to name a few. Each person made up their sandwich then brought it outside to Jonathan, who was manning the grill, with our biggest skillet and a tub of butter. This way, we could all be outside together and no one was stuck in the kitchen! Coming hot off the grill they are absolutely delicious…I think food cooked outside always tastes better :) Plus, when entertaining outdoors in the winter (even in California) it helps to have a hot grill to stand around to keep warm.

For dessert we had a brownie cake and a pear pie, topped with the cutest bees wax birthday candles from Mohawk Valley Trading Company. I also decorated the deck outside with some of their other candles that they gifted me- I just love them. I have been trying to keep things more “all-natural” around the house, so I like that these candles don’t give off any toxic fumes when burned. Plus, they have a lovely subtle scent of honey.

As the sun went down, we put a big screen outside on the deck, bundled up with blankets and watched a movie around the fire pit. 

Make a wish!

xx, Erin

Blueberry Coffee Cake

We recently had a house full of guests for a long weekend and I thought it would be fun to bake a coffee cake for a chilly, lazy Sunday morning. Coffee cake is great, because you can cut slices as people rouse and it’s perfect with a cozy cup of coffee or Hot Chaider. Makes me miss warmer days full of hikes and blueberry picking… I used this recipe, which was lovely and moist! The only difference is that I used half whole wheat flour, and I added sliced almonds to the crumble topping. Delicious.