Dinner for Three // Spaghetti Bolognaise ala Sacre and Hickey

There is something very special about an evening spent with friends making culinary creations in the kitchen. We came to the table with a faint idea of what we would make, but it turned out even better than expected


Pauline, Margot's sister, is from Belgium and their family makes killer meals. I had the privilege of traveling with them in January and tasting some of their dishes. So, Pauline and I had the idea to make a traditional meal her family grew up eating and is widely popular across Europe. The recipe is simple, delicious, and can be made even tastier with a few adjustments to the tradition bolognaise.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion
• 3 large tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 large carrots
• 1 package noodles
• 1 lb. any meat of choice (I prefer turkey)
• homemade pesto
• ketchup

DIRECTIONS

1. Sautee the garlic and onion in a little oil until onions are translucent. Add carrots and cook down until soft.

2. Meanwhile, dice tomatoes. Once carrots are cooked down, add to mixture and turn burner on low.                         Simmer until soft and mash the tomatoes every once in a while to break them down.

3. Brown meat and add to tomato sauce. 

4. Cook pasta as directed. Once all is finished, put noodles and sauce in a bowl. Top with a dollup of pesto and ketchup and mix in.

This recipe is delicious and simple and one of my favorite any time dishes.

Enjoy! 

xoxo, Meg

Pasta al Salmone

One simple dish that marks the beginning of Meg&Margot's Food Porno

So here's what happened - it was a typical weekday evening at the Rosemont house, Meg came home after a very long day of work and I took some time away from studying and writing papers, we both crashed on the couch with the pups and we each started thinking "what can I throw together with what I have in the fridge?" It had been a while since my last trip to the grocery store and I realized that I only had a few salmon fillets buried deep in the freezer, some stale bread and maybe 2 or 3 apples. I was on the verge of ordering in a nice curry from PadThai when Meg suggested we throw our ingredients together and see what happens. 

Well, this delicious salmon pasta dish was a successful start to our food lover's relationship and has been a staple ever since. Meg and I have definitely gotten more creative and daring with our recipes since cooking up this super simple dish, but this one will forever be a crowd-favorite!

PASTA AL SALMONE

• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 salmon filets (cut in cubes)
• 1 cup cream
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• any type of pasta (I prefer tagliatelle)
• salt & pepper
• chopped fresh parsley if available

- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box (I am notorious for being impatient in the kitchen so we love our pasta to be al dente)

- In a large skillet (we like our cast iron pans) heat olive oil over medium heat and cook the garlic and onions until slightly soft

- Add salmon and cook for about 5 minutes (until soft); season with salt and pepper

- Stir in cream, add tomato paste and mix together

- Simmer until salmon is fully cooked and season again

- Serve over pasta. I like to add a big bunch of chopped fresh parsley if we have it around the kitchen. It adds some freshness and a nice crunch to the dish.

Get a nice plate-full, pour yourself a glass of chilled white wine and voilà! Enjoy!

P.S. - Meg, this must be the first thing we cook upon reuniting! I can't find salmon anywhere in Nicaragua :( 

Telluride Dreaming // Applesauce Cookies

Cooking hasn't been a priority lately. I've been jumping from one experience to the next and trying to get our house ready for some lovely new roommates to move in. By Saturday I felt all jittery and out of my element and I knew it was time to calm my nerves, pour a glass of red wine, and see what culinary creation I could create.

I'm leaving for Telluride on Friday. Telluride is my favorite holiday of the year because it means, big trees, luminous mountains, bluegrass music waking me up and singing me to sleep, wonderful friends, and not knowing what adventure I will get myself into. I believe the group makes the trip and my Telluride buddies are some of the greatest. Thinking of the fun times ahead, I became inspired to whip us up some tasty treats for the road and dreaming about some creations we can make at our campsite. 

My first car-ride treat are some applesauce cookies with a caramel frosting. I must say, they are absolutely delicious.

APPLE SAUCE COOKIES

• 2 cups turbinado sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 fresh eggs
• 2 cups applesauce
• 4 cups almond flour (you can use regular)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of clove
• pinch of salt

1. Put oven on 375

.

2. Sift all dry ingredients together.

3. Cream sugar and shortening together.

4. Add eggs and applesauce. Mix well.

5. Incorporate both until just combined.

6. Bake 8-10 minutes.

CARAMEL FROSTING

• 6 tbl. butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. In a sauce pan over medium heat, mix butter, brown sugar, and heavy cream.

2. Stir until it begins to boil. Remove from heat.

3. Add vanilla

4. Let cool, add powdered sugar, stir.

There is something about the mountain goodness that makes me long for comfort food. These cookies taste like fall completely. There is also something about Colorado that makes me dream of life-long adventure. It makes me want to be a better person -- more active, more transparent, more thankful, more knowledgeable, braver, happier, taking control of who I am. This type of adventure makes me grow.

Here's to a fun adventure and a time of rest for my body and soul in all the right ways.

Meg

(Photo Credit: Tyler Metcalfe at tylermetcalfe.com)

¡Hola from Nicaragua!

Hello everyone,

My name is Margot Sacré and I am the other contributor to this crazy blog experiment. Meg has been bugging me to write a post, so here it goes. I moved to Granada, Nicaragua, about a week ago, leaving behind in Norman my sweet pup, Harlow, and my dear cooking buddy Meg, not to mention a fully equipped, air-conditioned kitchen.

Here in Granada, life is slow and food is simple. Back to basics of sorts. Since the majority of the population lives in poverty, diet staples are basically just beans and rice. So, my goal for this three month adventure is to find 1.) a delicious variation on the beans and rice theme - whether I find it at a street food cart or have to make it myself and 2.) find those hole-in-the-wall restaurants that even the guidebooks don't know about and truly discover all the culinary things Nicaragua has to offer. And then, here and there I will post some of my favorite recipes that Meg and I used to cook and which I will most likely not be attempting to make in this Nicaragua heat!


For now I leave you with a glimpse of traditional Nica food. I can't say it was delicious, but it was simple and satisfying. I was excited to try it and ended up being a bit disappointed - but, I look at this as a challenge. I will find a dish with the same ingredients that is tastier and more flavorful!

Traditional Vigorón

This dish, served in banana leaves, is called Vigorón, and considered to be one of the traditional dishes of the country. It consists of yuca (a.k.a Cassava - a starchy root vegetable), topped with chicharrón (fried pork skin) and curtido (cabbage salad with onions and a green looking pepper whose name I have yet to learn). The yuca was the best part, it had been soaking in the juice of the cabbage for some time so it wasn't as dry as it can be. The chicharrón was not nearly as good as the stuff of gold I had in Colombia last summer. In the background there is a cup of "cacao" - a typical drink made from cocoa, water, a loads of sugar. Way to sweet for my taste but it was cold and that is exactly what I needed after hours of sweating liter after liter.

Hasta la proxima

P.S. - Meg, your cobbler looked delectable - wish I was home to share some with you!

Strawberry Cobbler

Truth be told, I've never been a huge cobbler person. I'd choose a chocolate dessert over a fruity one any day, but I have always loved the IDEA of cobblers, tarts, pies, etc. There is something about the activity of making a pie or cobbler that feels very homey and romantic. It must be because Patty Griffin sings about it.

I listen to Patty Griffin at least once a day and I finally became inspired to try my own pie recipe. Originally I thought I would make a cherry pie, but since strawberries are in season and very plentiful at the market, that is what I went with.

I'm still learning the tricks of the trade with a camera and my roommate, graciously, is letting me bum hers and teaching me how to upload them (which apparently everyone can do these days, who knew?). Alas, this recipe is absolutely delicious, easy, and the perfect summer treat.

STRAWBERRY COBBLER

Filling

• 1 1b. fresh strawberries
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 cup natural cane sugar (or raw honey)

Dough

• 2 1/3 cup almond flour (you can use any)
• a dash of salt
• 2 TB. baking powder
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 TB. butter (melted)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 and grease a pie pan with butter.

2. Chop your strawberries into fourths and combine them with cornstarch and sugar until just mixed together. Stick your bowl in the fridge until you are ready.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. In another smaller bowl whisk the egg and butter milk together. Slowly add the melted butter. After combined, fold the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. It should be mildly sticky.

4. Grab a teaspoon and dollup the dough over the strawberries in the baking dish. There should be peeps of berries showing through. Once done, dash a little natural sugar over the top.

5. Bake 15-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

"You could cry or die or just make pies all day." -Patty Griffin

Meg

Greetings, from Norman.

Hello, my name is Megan, or Megan Michelle Hickey to be exact. Deciding on a blog name is hard to do, but we went with the one that had the best ring to it. Alas, here we are.

I'm writing this post from a couch after an exceptional meal and now a delicious dessert with a sweet friend and our dogs in Norman, Oklahoma. I can't think of any place I'd rather be. I live here with three roommates and three dogs. Mine being a fluffy big husky named Haka. He woo's, chases his tail, loves to eat, and worships the ground I walk on. What more could a girl ask for? Haka will be a staple around here because he is always around to catch my crumbs.

I'm attempting to be better at documentation, especially when it involves what I love: food, sunny days, my Haka, and of course, my Margot. Margot and I moved in together without knowing one another well. We formed our friendship in the kitchen over our mutual love for anything food. Our first and last meal we cooked together was a simple salmon pasta (remind me to post that recipe soon, it is incredible).

So, cheers to connection, sharing, loving, and all of that fun stuff that is to come. Tonight I leave you with joy-filled thoughts of an upcoming Memorial Day softball game and an absolutely delicious dessert of chocolate almond milk and fresh berries.

P.S. Margot, I am missing you oodles.