Continuing with the tapas this week, the Spanish tortilla is a super-duper easy dish to make, and it can be served warm, cold, or room temperature. One of the best things about the tortilla is I usually have all of these ingredients on hand – eggs, onion, garlic, potatoes, olive oil – all staples in my kitchen. The key to a good tortilla is making sure your potatoes absorb a lot of flavor from the spices and garlic/onions. (more…)

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Appetizers, Brunch, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Spanish, Vegetarian by Courtney

One of my favorite quick meals in the summer is a stuffed piquillo pepper. Piquillo peppers are a roasted, red Spanish pepper. They’re not too spicy and have a hint of sweetness about them. You can stuff them with any number of things, such as cheese, seafood, meat, rice. While one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is stuffed with a goat cheese (more on that another day), I had eyed this shrimp salad recipe from Martha Stewart for a long time and decided it must be tried. One super-simple summer meal coming up! (more…)

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Appetizers, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Spanish by Courtney

Chile Pepper Magazine featured these potato skins in a 2006 story about tailgating fare, and I’ve drooled over them ever since. Potato skins have always looked like a lot of work to me, so I put off making these for over 4 years. When I finally decided to tackle this recipe, I wondered why I had put it off for so long. Yes, it takes a while to bake then scoop the potatoes, but there’s a lot of downtime during baking, and really, this recipe ends up not being much more effort than some of my weeknight meals. And they taste so much better than any frozen version you’ll get; the effort is definitely rewarded!

Since I like a hit of habanero, I quadrupled the amount called for in this recipe (Come on, 1/2 a habanero for 40 skins? Craziness!! Toss a couple in there, and keep the seeds in, unless you’re a wuss 😉 ). (more…)

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Appetizers, Gluten free by Courtney

Yep, it’s that time of year, folks. The time when buzz begins about which commercials were banned, which team will win, and of course, which food we will serve! So let the countdown to Sunday begin! And let me help you with that most important part — what food to serve to your guests or take with you to the party.

We’ll start by looking back at the recipes that have been posted so far, and the rest of this week I’ll pull in a few more ideas to help you in your countdown to party time. Let’s throw a few ideas out there:

• Cheesy Nachos with Guacamole and Salsa – There’s really no explanation needed for this one. Make the recipe just like it is, and enjoy! If you’re headed to a party and don’t have access to an oven, simply make the guac and salsa and serve as a dip with chips. It’s a hit every time!
• Courtney’s Vegetarian Chili – chili is always a crowd pleaser, and if you have any vegetarian friends in the crowd, they’ll surely appreciate this hearty dish.
• Mozzarella-stuffed Meatballs – Make the meatballs in this recipe with the marinara, but instead of serving over spaghetti, serve them up on buns. Who doesn’t love a meatball sandwich?? Well, except the vegetarians, who are already covered with the chili above. (more…)

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Appetizers by Courtney

My husband and I love to do dinner and a movie nights. We’ll sometimes settle on the movie first, sometimes the food first, and then we pick the other to match. Think Bollywood movies and an Indian feast, or the Godfather with spaghetti and meatballs. The other night, we decided to watch Rashoman, and I wanted something easy to nosh on so we could plop on the couch the entire time and graze on our food.

A while back I picked up some rice paper, and I had never gotten around to making spring rolls with them. I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated because they seemed like they’d be a pain to work with. However, I decided tonight would be the night I attempted to make spring (or summer, as some refer to them) rolls, and I started planning what to stuff them with. (more…)

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Appetizers, Asian, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch by Courtney