What I'm cooking
Meat prices are skyrocketing, and so are my blood pressure and cholesterol. So we're trying to be a lot more vegetarian around here. Not that I'll ever give up butter or cheese, so my blood pressure and cholesterol are still a work in progress. The meat, however, has been surprisingly easy to forgo. Were it not for things like barbecue and chicken shawarma, I might actually be able to go full-on vegetarian. Or at least pescatarian. But as long as there are exotic spice blends and Bad Byron's Butt Rub in the world, I'm gonna be a carnivore.
Still, there's a lot to be said for stuff that comes out of the ground. Especially mushrooms. Which I know not everyone likes, but we lovelovelove them. I modified a recipe I found on the web to make this more to our liking (i.e. I added more cheese, more garlic, and more spice), and it's become a regular in our dinner rotation. Even better, it keeps us full until bedtime, which I can't always say about vegetarian recipes.
Anyway, if you're a mushroom lover like us, give it a go. We pair this with quinoa cooked in veggie broth and seasoned with cardamom. It's especially good if you serve it over the top and mix it all together. Serves four, by the way. Unless you're us. Then it serves two.
Asiago Cream Mushrooms
In a large skillet or a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook a few minutes, until garlic is soft and fragrant.
Add mushrooms and cook until starting to become tender, stirring often, about ten minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook until they're bursting, stirring often, five to ten minutes more.
Add heavy cream and Asiago and season with salt, pepper, and a generous shake of red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, stirring often.
Add spinach and cook until sauce is thickened and spinach is wilted, five to ten minutes more. Again, stirring often.
Garnish with basil before serving.
Still, there's a lot to be said for stuff that comes out of the ground. Especially mushrooms. Which I know not everyone likes, but we lovelovelove them. I modified a recipe I found on the web to make this more to our liking (i.e. I added more cheese, more garlic, and more spice), and it's become a regular in our dinner rotation. Even better, it keeps us full until bedtime, which I can't always say about vegetarian recipes.
Anyway, if you're a mushroom lover like us, give it a go. We pair this with quinoa cooked in veggie broth and seasoned with cardamom. It's especially good if you serve it over the top and mix it all together. Serves four, by the way. Unless you're us. Then it serves two.
Asiago Cream Mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pound baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned (larger ones halved or quartered)
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
- Kosher salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 generous pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cups spinach
- Thinly sliced basil for garnish
In a large skillet or a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook a few minutes, until garlic is soft and fragrant.
Add mushrooms and cook until starting to become tender, stirring often, about ten minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook until they're bursting, stirring often, five to ten minutes more.
Add heavy cream and Asiago and season with salt, pepper, and a generous shake of red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, stirring often.
Add spinach and cook until sauce is thickened and spinach is wilted, five to ten minutes more. Again, stirring often.
Garnish with basil before serving.
What I'm reading
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Sangu Mandanna
I have a New Year's resolution to read at least one book a month that I probably normally wouldn't read. (Meaning something other than romance or mystery or one of those things that could be a family saga in Reddit subs like Relationships or Am I the Asshole? or True Off My Chest or Legal Advice or... Well, let's just say I spent way too much time on Reddit last year.
Still, some of that Reddit time paid off, because there have been a lot of requests lately in the Books subreddit for suggestions of titles that will take a person's mind off of all the terrible things happening in the world. I could use an escape like that, to somewhere fun and sweet and not terrible. So I made a list, and for February, I'm about to dive into this. It just looks really good, and it's the exact kind of book I would have read when I was a kid, a time that was fun and sweet and not terrible.
So happy reading to me.
Sangu Mandanna
I have a New Year's resolution to read at least one book a month that I probably normally wouldn't read. (Meaning something other than romance or mystery or one of those things that could be a family saga in Reddit subs like Relationships or Am I the Asshole? or True Off My Chest or Legal Advice or... Well, let's just say I spent way too much time on Reddit last year.
Still, some of that Reddit time paid off, because there have been a lot of requests lately in the Books subreddit for suggestions of titles that will take a person's mind off of all the terrible things happening in the world. I could use an escape like that, to somewhere fun and sweet and not terrible. So I made a list, and for February, I'm about to dive into this. It just looks really good, and it's the exact kind of book I would have read when I was a kid, a time that was fun and sweet and not terrible.
So happy reading to me.
What I'm watching
Only Murders in the Building
Hulu
Okay, "Only Murders in the Building" is my most favorite thing in the world right now. Maybe my most favorite thing in the world ever. After watching the first episode, all I wanted to do was move to New York City and start wearing pork pie hats. It's just so incredibly well written, and the characters are wonderful. For a character-driven writer like me, that's the best! There's just such a terrific chemistry among the entire cast, especially the three principals. I cannot wait for the third season. (Please tell me they've started filming.)
In the meantime, I'm just going to have to watch seasons one and two again to enjoy all the stuff I missed the first time around, because I'm sure there's stuff I missed, since there's just so much cleverness and fun to be had here. (And I'm gonna be wearing my new pork pie hat while I watch.)
Hulu
Okay, "Only Murders in the Building" is my most favorite thing in the world right now. Maybe my most favorite thing in the world ever. After watching the first episode, all I wanted to do was move to New York City and start wearing pork pie hats. It's just so incredibly well written, and the characters are wonderful. For a character-driven writer like me, that's the best! There's just such a terrific chemistry among the entire cast, especially the three principals. I cannot wait for the third season. (Please tell me they've started filming.)
In the meantime, I'm just going to have to watch seasons one and two again to enjoy all the stuff I missed the first time around, because I'm sure there's stuff I missed, since there's just so much cleverness and fun to be had here. (And I'm gonna be wearing my new pork pie hat while I watch.)
What I'm listening to
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Putumayo Label - "Café Latino" This has been so wonderfully relaxing to listen to lately. And it's brought a bit of warmth into a cold, cold winter. Joan Armatrading - "Track Record" Every woman should have Joan Armatrading in her music collection, and this is a very good start. Green Day - "American Idiot" When the world makes me angry, Green Day helps me vent. Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington - "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook" And of course there is jazz. There is always jazz. |