Recipes

I Think Thursday 12.4.14

December 4, 2014 by mollygilbert520 3 Comments

HEY! It’s Thursday again, and what a lovely Thursday it is! Here are some thinklings for this week:

How We Became “Totally Obsessed“… I’m sooo guilty of this. #obsessed
Blackberry & Thyme Infused Vodka OKAY?
Get in on this Cookie Advent Calendar action.
Sandra Lee’s Drunk Christmas Tree. Too. Much.
Do you know Kristin? I love her blog!
Want to learn how to make chocolate candy bark (above)? Buy my cookbook!
This lip pencil is gorgeous in person. I love the bright “edie” color!
How to make a hit pop song! With a bassoon. Hysterical.
But wait. How to make a hit CHRISTMAS pop song!? This guy is good.
Kitten-shaped marshmallows are real. So there’s that.
These gorgeous nutella cookies are going to be my next baking project, yep yep.

PLUS, check out these recipes from Sheet Pan Suppers on the interwebs:

Baked Sweet Potatoes + Win a free copy from my girl Ileana at A Little Saffron!
Chicken Parm + Win ANOTHER free copy from the ladies over at Cookbooks 365!

I Think Thanksgiving Thursday!

November 27, 2014 by mollygilbert520 2 Comments

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, LOVELIES! Let me guess: you’ve eaten all the eats, drunk (all) the drinks, and now you’re looking for fun stuff to entertain you online while you hang around with your favorite cousins and attempt to come out of a stuffing-induced coma.

Am I close??

Artist Removes One Letter From Famous Movie Titles & Illustrates the Results
Did you call the Butterball Hotline today? (I love that this exists.)
Remember the Serial Podcast I mentioned a few weeks back? This parody is too good.
Have you seen this hilarious SNL music video? BACK HOME BALLERS. #accurate.
Speaking of music videos, BRUNO MARS. So good.
Munchkin the Shih Tzu is a dog dressed like a bear and she seems to be getting lots of traction.
These vintage food advertisements are… special. What would I have to pay you to try some “Fiesta Peach Spam Bake?”
Meet my friend Sarah!
This sweatshirt! Cutest. You could wear it to brunch with jeans OR to a holiday party!
Have you checked out all of the incredible recipes people brought to Renee’s virtual Friendsgiving this week? Check back tomorrow for my (chocolatey) contribution (plus a giveaway)!

(Sheet Pan) Apple Galette

November 25, 2014 by mollygilbert520 1 Comment

YUP, it’s another sheet pan recipe! It seems I just can’t help myself. I figure you can’t serve your turkey roulade without a hefty slice of something sweet alongside, amiright?

Apple Galette, hello! You are easy (sorry, girlfriend). You are delicious. You are vaguely French. You go well with a drizzle of salty caramel. You will feed a crowd this Thursday, and you will look good doing it. I’m going to make the ish out of you! And top you with a pretty pile of whipped cream. …Platonically. (Weird.)

When making a galette, keep in mind: perfection is not the goal. Galettes are forgiving. Messy is fine. We can call it “rustic” and serve it for company. Tender crust, warm apples with sugar and spice, all topped with a pile of melting ice cream (or whipped cream, as the case may be)? Let’s do this.

I’ve got so much to be thankful for this year, starting with a fat slice of apple galette and ending with a new cookbook, new husband and, not least of all, my ever-amazing group of family and friends (including you!) — thank you, thank you all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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(Sheet pan!) Turkey Roulade with Autumn Hash

November 24, 2014 by mollygilbert520 6 Comments

It’s short-week Monday, hooray! I hope you’re gearing up for Thanksgiving, because in just three short days, the oven mitts come off and the battle begins. Who will win out this year – you, or the Butterball? (Here’s hoping it’s you.) Your dignity, or a fourth slice of pie? (Hint: it’s always the pie.)

Here’s a little secret though, about this turkey-est of holidays: you don’t have to roast a whole turkey on Thanksgiving.

(Gasp!)

It’s true. It’s not even sacrilege. Not when you make a turkey roulade, instead!

A roulade hits all the high points of the holiday – tender meat, crispy skin, warm stuffing – without any of the lows (like waiting 3 hours for a whole bird to roast, for one). It’ll still feed and please a crowd, but can also be scaled down for a smaller, more intimate gathering. Plus the recipe is from my cookbook (the whole thing cooks on one sheet pan, yipee!), which comes out in just 9 days! Celebrations all around!

With this gorgeous roulade on the table, all you’ll really need to round out a hearty Thanksgiving dinner is some mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce! And maybe a few slices of pumpkin or pecan pie. Or both. …Probably both.

I know this is a busy week, but check back in periodically — I’ll have a few more recipes up for you before Thanksgiving, and maybe even a giveaway or two! Happy turkey week!

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Kale & Sausage Stuffed Shells

November 18, 2014 by mollygilbert520 3 Comments

Remember stuffed shells?!? My mom used to make them for my sisters and me when we were kids, but I haven’t eaten a jumbo pasta shell, stuffed or unstuffed, in years.

I’m not sure where or how the craving first lodged itself in my brain, but when I saw a box of shells staring at me from the shelf at the grocery store, I snatched it up without thought and headed straight for the cheese section to find ricotta. Stuffed shells = happening!

After all, I enjoy stuffing things. I mean, there are like twelve recipes in my cookbook for things stuffed in other things… there’s Israeli cous cous-stuffed peppers, thai tofu-stuffed eggplant, salad-stuffed squash bowls… plus I’m always overstuffing my washing machine and then wondering why my clothes are still dirty. So.

Stuffed shells!

Mom used to fill her shells with a mixture of different cheeses (yum), but I wanted some protein and greens in there (I’m so adult), so I added some turkey sausage and wilted kale. Good choices, both. They heft up the meal and cut through the richness of the cheese (in a good way – the dish is still plenty cheesy!).

Now all I need is a tall glass of apple juice, my two sisters sitting across from me at the table in their feetsie pajamas, and the promise of an episode of Saved By The Bell (the early years) for dessert.

…I’m totally kidding I would never accept anything less than a cookie for dessert. Come on, mom.

Kale & Sausage Stuffed Shells

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I Think Thursday 11.13.14

November 13, 2014 by mollygilbert520 1 Comment

Oh, that up there? It’s a cran-raspberry pie! A crazzberry pie. It’s just doing a little foreshadowing…

But (pie), more (pie) on that (cough, PIE) later. For now, it’s another (Thurs)day another dolla! Here’s what I’m thinking about this week:

The cast of Mean Girls looks back. Stop trying to make “fetch” happen.
Do you like hanging out with yourself? The Luxury of Solitude.
Yours truly in 425 Magazine! Talking about sheet pans and why my grandmas are the best.
The truth about cast iron.
Women Rejecting Marriage Proposals in Western Art History.
Everyone I know keeps talking about this podcast. I just started listening and am hooked.
Oops. This is awkward.
This pie Gaby made looks illegal.
Relevant on Veteran’s Day and every day – the humans beneath the uniform. Very poignant.
Sucks to be a Mets fan, huh?
For anyone who lives in or plans to visit Seattle, this news is just tragic. I mean… WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?

Curried Coconut Chicken Soup

November 11, 2014 by mollygilbert520 8 Comments

I made you soup! It’s what often comes out of my kitchen when I’m feeling hungry but direction-less. I can usually be counted on to have an onion or two rolling around in the back of the fridge (I get anxious when I run out of onions, see), and probably some butter (same deal), and so it begins.

This soup was deliberate, though. There’s a place in Seattle (a grocery store called Metropolitan Market) where, when I’m feeling too lazy to cook but not too lazy to drive, I like to go to “grocery shop,” by which I mean I like to go and pick up one or two actual groceries and then load up on pints of house-made curried coconut chicken soup.

This happens… often. Because the soup! The soup. It’s so good. It’s a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy, just-creamy-enough with coconut milk, and full of hearty texture from still-crisp vegetables and tender pieces of chicken.

The soup has become a bit of a ritual for Ben and me, the ease of stirring and the smell of ginger and coconut, bread toasting, then cozying up at the table. We treat ourselves to it at least once a week, so I figured since I’m, you know, a chef and all that, I should try my hand at making it from scratch.

So here we are! It’s not exactly exactly the same, but it’s pretty close. Rich with spice and coconut milk, filled with tender veggies and shreds of chicken, it’s the perfect antidote to a long and chilly day….

(Cookbook!) Pears in Prosciutto

November 4, 2014 by mollygilbert520 4 Comments

Cookbook sneak peeeeeek! As you may already have deduced (from my shameless, hammering “reminders,” perhaps), the cookbook I made for you comes out in 27 days!

<——– That’s it! Holy sheet pans, Batman.

I’ve got to say, putting work out there, work you’ve spent hours and days and weeks and YEARS honing, is totally nerve-racking and a little bit terrifying, but I’m really quite proud of this little book, and I can’t wait to show it to you!

In that vein, I thought you might like some pears. Wrapped in some salty prosciutto and baked until tender and warm?

YEP YEP YEP.

These are capital E Easy (only three ingredients and minimal baking time), but don’t let that fool you – they’re also capital D, capital LICIOUS. The pears get sweet and soften a bit in the oven, while the prosciutto crisps up and lends a rich, salty bite. They make a great pre-dinner snack or party appetizer (they do well next to a generous cheese platter), and I hope they’ll get you in the mood for more stuff on a sheet pan! Stay tuned…

Pears in Prosciutto (from Sheet Pan Suppers)

It can be hard to tell if a pear is ripe for eating— especially Bosc pears, which are generally quite firm. Here’s the trick: Gently touch the flesh at the pear’s neck, just under the stem. If it’s rock hard, move on—it’s not ready. If it yields slightly, it’s ripe and good to eat.

Ingredients:

8 slices (about 1⁄4 pound) prosciutto, cut or ripped in half lengthwise to make 16 strips
2 Bosc pears, unpeeled, cored and cut into 8 wedges each
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the upper third. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Wrap a strip of prosciutto tightly around each pear wedge, placing the pears skin side down on the prepared pan as you go. Make sure to leave some room between pears on the pan. Sprinkle plenty of ground black pepper atop the prosciutto- wrapped pears.

Bake until the prosciutto is firm and crisp and the pears are tender, their tips nicely charred, 15 to 18 minutes.

Serve warm, while the pears are meltingly tender inside their crisp shells.

Makes 16 pieces.

Halloween Treats!

October 29, 2014 by mollygilbert520 Leave a Comment

Hi guys! I got married last weekend! More on that soon. In the meantime, it’s almost Halloween! If you’re looking for some last minute treat ideas, I’ve got you covered:

Pumpkin Ginger Cake with Salted Maple Glaze! It’s both vaguely spider-webby and great for a crowd.

Homemade Oreos (Fauxreos!) just feel right.

Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean Pudding gets Halloween ready with some chocolate cookie “dirt” and candy pumpkins.

Turn up your candy game with some Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows.

This Salty Caramel Thyme Dip is just waaaaaaiting for some sliced apples to do some dunking.

Dress up your Double Chocolate Baked Doughnuts with orange and purple sprinkles and voila! Halloweened.

OR you could just eat half a bag of Reese’s cups and call it a day. (…I mean. We’ve all been there.)

Happy Halloween!!

Apple Dill Tuna Salad

October 1, 2014 by mollygilbert520 2 Comments

I’m on my way to New York! Like, as we speak. I’m tip-tap-typing to you on an airplane, from seat 10D (which is in an exit row! Holler extra legroom), many thousands of feet above ground. Three cheers for you, Technology!

I’m making the trip back east from Seattle to do a few last-minute wedding things, (including dress fitting, eeeek!), and I get to catch up with some family and friends, to boot. And assuming that pesky little dress fitting doesn’t get in the way, I anticipate enjoying a bagel (from Russ & Daughters), a slice of pizza (from pretty much anywhere), and a doughnut (from Dough) during my visit. Or maybe a paleta from La Newyorkina on the High Line. Or some Big Gay Ice Cream. Ooh! The chicken at Barbuto. I want that. Or! A Momofuku pork bun and cornflake cookie? Yes, definitely that.

…Shoot. I’m going to need more time.

I always love visiting New York City. Having lived in the city for three years (during and after culinary school), I know my way around and, now that I no longer live here, find things I once found irksome (the crowds, the smell, the rush, the buskers, the Subway, etc.) to be positively charming. Yes I WILL throw some money your way, person rapping on the F train! OF COURSE I will walk behind you at a glacial pace, clueless tourist! Since I don’t actually live here anymore and don’t have to deal with these issues on a regular basis, I can chuckle at the rat scurrying near that pile of garbage bags, or roll my eyes indulgently at the guy taking up a whole row of seats on the (crowded) A train. I really do heart NY.

I realize that none of this has anything to do with tuna salad. Except for the obvious connection between The Big Apple and (The Big) Apple Dill Tuna Salad. So basically they have everything to do with each other, is what I’m saying. Are you a tuna salad person? I love tuna melts. I go open face, usually with a mess of sharp cheddar. This tuna salad with apple and dill is excellent in that capacity. It’s a little herby, with just enough sweetness and tang.

It makes a great lunch or quick dinner, when you don’t feel like doing all that much, effort-wise, in the way of lunch or dinner. I wish I had brought some on the airplane with me, but I didn’t because I like to think that I’m a considerate human. A considerate human, on her way to New York! See you soon, Big Apple.

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