easy weeknight dinner recipe – In Good Taste

Chicken-Tomatillo Chili with Sour Cream and Cilantro

Maris Callahan — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:19:07 +0000

My Canon Rebel is my achilles heel. I love to write, I love to develop recipes and I love to take photographs, but I only consider myself to be good at two out of three of these things. All things considered, this ratio is not a bad one since writing essentially helps pay my bills and well, eating is essential for sustaining life, in addition to it possibly being one of my very favorite things to do. So, while I wish I could take prettier pictures, the fact that I am only average at photography doesn’t keep me up at night. I would give my right arm to take a class, purchase a lens that actually focuses, but for now, I am content in assuming that people read my blog because they enjoy my recipes and don’t hate my writing. Enter, Pinterest, which is a highly visual virtual pinboard for sharing the pretty pictures you see online. Recently Pinterest has come under fire for having cloudy copyright terms, which I wholeheartedly agree is an issue that should receive attention. While many people rapidly deleted their Pinterest boards and denounced the service for inciting copyright violations, I can’t help but shrug […]

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Shells and Cheese with Browned Butter and Swiss Chard

Maris Callahan — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:22:40 +0000

Recently, it’s come to my attention that I led an extremely deprived childhood. I recently learned that for some families, macaroni and cheese (or shells and cheese) was a Thanksgiving dinner staple. Oh, relax. I kid. It’s not like I starved – especially on Thanksgiving – and it’s actually a very good thing that there was no macaroni and cheese at Thanksgiving because if there had been, I’m quite certain none of the other side dishes would be eaten. Well…maybe they would…by me…standing in front of the refrigerator four hours after declaring I was too full to ever eat again. I’m predictable like that. When I cook Thanksgiving dinner, as I am this year at my mom’s house, part of me thinks that everyday dishes should be saved for other days, like non-holidays. Another part of me realizes that we can have stuffing, mashed potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce on any day of the year, so why bother saving it for the fourth Thursday in November? Existentialism aside, I see no reason to fill up on stick-to-your-ribs side dishes like shells and cheese on days when your focus is elsewhere – like on can-I-have-the-piece-of-sweet-potato-casserole-with-extra-marshmallows, please? A recipe like this should […]

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Vegan Zoodles and Spaghetti Squash with Cherry Tomatoes

Maris Callahan — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:00:36 +0000

A friend of mine recently challenged me to host a vegan dinner party for just the two of us. I decided on a dinner party that would feature vegan zoodles and spaghetti squash with cherry tomatoes. Up until this point I had only hosted get-togethers where I served finger food-type appetizers. I was immediately inspired by the challenge and accepted. As I started to think about what to make I knew that I needed a proper entree, one that was filling but not too heavy for a hot July evening. I also didn’t want something that had to be served hot because my tiny apartment gets a bit toasty when I cook – so I needed something that could be made ahead of time and sit for a bit. I decided to make the veggie spaghetti out of spaghetti squash and zucchini “noodles.” Spaghetti squash is super easy to make, doesn’t take very long and it tastes great. To make the zucchini noodles I used one of my favorite tools – a spiralizer. If you don’t have one you can simply leave the zucchini out – one whole spaghetti squash makes at least three servings. Nutritional Benefits: Spaghetti squash is a great […]

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Turkey Tortilla Bake

Maris Callahan — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The first time I ever left the country was to go on spring break to Cozumel, Mexico during my junior year in college. I went with a group of about eight girls and shockingly, our intention was actually NOT to get fall-down, plastered-to-the-wall drunk. Sure, everyone likes a good frozen margarita on vacation, but if you’ve ever spent a day in the sun with me after a night of drinking, then you a) probably own stock in Gatorade and b) would highly discourage me to booze it up the night before a serious beach day. I love to be outdoors and I love to be out in the sun but it absolutely wipes me out. It leaves me as wounded as one or two five margaritas does which is why on spring break, I stuck mostly to beer, or cerveza, as the locals say with a slight roll of the R. That, and because I had a very deep fear of accidentally drinking unfiltered water or ice in Mexico. What can I say? I was a first-timer. If you’re staying close to home this summer but looking for something Mexican-inspired to go with your Corona, you don’t need to pile on the […]

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