Recipes for the week
5 days of recipes + Etsy Escapades 🌞
Happy Sunday. I actually haven’t done too much cooking for the past couple of days. My parents came down for Baltimore’s Flower Mart, and I ordered sushi for us. I love to cook when I have people over, but I also tend to stretch myself too thin. While I strive to be the hostess with the mostest, I find myself being the hostess with the most stress instead, which isn’t very much fun for my guests.
I went back and forth on whether I’d even make dessert, but our sushi was delayed, so I told my Mom, “Watch how fast I can make dessert,” and proceeded to whip up this easy breezy chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. It ended up being cool enough to frost right as we finished our sushi, so that was perfect.
I also made iced tea. Normally, I think my dad makes the very best iced tea, but I think this gave him a run for his money. I only made a small pitcher, to which my mom said, “Ok, so, that’s enough for me???” So, I set to work making another batch. It was good. Really, really good and perfect for a hot summer day. It’s so good, in fact, my mom even texted me this as I made another pitcher today:
Kylie’s Lemon Blackberry Tea
5 cups water
⅓ cup sugar
6 Lipton black tea bags
20 blackberries; use more or fewer berries depending on how fruity you want the tea, or you can use raspberries instead
5 sprigs of mint, leaves removed from the stems
1 lemon, cut into rounds
Instructions:
Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Add the sugar. Once it dissolves, add the tea bags and turn off the heat. Let steep for 10 minutes.
To a heat-proof pitcher, add the blackberries, mint–bruising the leaves as you drop them in–and lemon rounds.
Remove and discard the tea bags. Spoon one ladleful of the hot tea into the pitcher with the fruit. Stir, lightly muddling the blackberries and mint, for a few rotations.
Pour the rest of the tea into the pitcher. Transfer to the refrigerator until chilled. Pour over ice. Ideally, your lid will have a strainer to keep out bits of fruit and lemon seeds.
My Etsy Escapades:
Before I give you recipes for the week, we need to talk about this platter. I follow this shop on Etsy, which shares amazing vintage dinnerware. I just want to buy everything in their shop.
I have my eye on this platter, and I’m seriously thinking about treating myself (I deserve it, right?). The platter is from Villeroy & Boch, and it’s part of their Acapulco line, released in the late 1960s. The line is described as one of the brightest and most colorful dinnerware lines of the 20th century. Could you imagine serving a cake on that or using it to serve a platter of pastries for a brunch get-together? I’m in love!
Do you remember when all my good decision-making skills went out the window, and I bought a gazillion terrines (and tureens) and vintage Le Creuset? I’ll finally be able to make good use of the duck terrine (which you can see on the table above) because I found duck legs at H Mart for a very good price, so I’m going to make duck rillettes this week!
In other H Mart news, I got an apron, so I can stop ruining all my shirts! Now, I should admit, I did buy two aprons many months ago, but truthfully, I don’t care for them. They always come untied, and they don’t stay snug. At the time, I didn’t realize what I actually needed is more of a smock-style apron. This style is perfect for me because I just slip it on, and the back crisscrosses so it can’t come untied. Plus, how cute is the bear? 🐻
Recipes for the Week:
Okay, enough blabbing. I have recipes from the archives and a new vegan recipe to share with you, so let’s get to it.
Monday: Ginger-Turmeric Udon
I developed this recipe for
and you definitely want this one in your rotation for Meatless Monday. The broth is easy as anything to make but so full of flavor.
Tuesday: Steak Fajitas
I realize I shared this recipe in my last newsletter, but it’s getting some wonderful feedback, so if you need a reason to make it, hopefully, the positive testimony inspires you.
Wednesday: Italian Wedding Soup
Since the reader above also mentioned that they love my Italian wedding soup, it’s a sign that you should make it too.
Thursday: Chicken Cacciatore
This is up there as one of my favorite recipes of all time. It’s a nod to my favorite meal my Dad used to make with a few little personal twists.
Friday: Chilean Sea Bass with Beurre Blanc
On Fridays, it’s totally appropriate to treat yourself to something nice (that’s what I tell myself, anyway…). The beauty of this recipe–which I developed over 5 years ago–is that you can modify it for any budget. Serve it with cod, salmon, or haddock. Replace the scallops with shrimp, mussels, or clams. You can mix or match or pick just one variety of seafood. Alternatively, you can serve this with pan-seared or grilled chicken breasts, as they would go wonderfully with the beurre blanc.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week filled with lots of tasty food. If you make any of my recipes, please let me know how they turned out!
-kylie