Game Day Recipes

(30-minute Chili)

(All-American Buffalo Chicken Tenders)

(Spicy-Sweet Chicken Wings)

(Onion Rings)

(Hot Spinach Dip)

Alex and I are having a few friends over for the Super Bowl this upcoming Sunday so I've been looking for some fun recipes to make. Don't these Martha Stewart recipes look yummy?

What are you plans for the Super Bowl? Will you be hosting, going to someone's house or tuning out and watching Top Chef reruns? :)

P.S. Have you seen this hilarious Super Bowl ad going viral? Fun fact: It features the star of our upcoming film!

The Perfect Winter Recipe: Curried Cauliflower Soup

Alex and I are trying to eat a bit healthier these days (during the weekdays at least), so I've been on the hunt for healthy delicious recipes. I stumbled upon this recipe not too long ago, for Curried Cauliflower Soup, and made it the other night. It was deeee-licious. I highly suggest bookmarking it for the next time you're craving a hearty, homey and healthy soup. I served the soup with this Caesar Salad (with tofu instead of chicken), and was practically licking the bowl. ;)

What have you guys been making lately for dinner? Any go-to healthy recipes you can share?

P.S. We're having our very first DOPT giveaway this afternoon so feel free to swing by again later! xo

My Signature Salad

Guys, I'm ready to share the most addicting thing in my life: my signature salad. Somehow, perhaps on accident, I made this salad one day, and since, have toyed with adding different ingredients to make it better. I probably eat this salad at least three times a week, seriously. It's incredibly easy to make and is so zesty and tasty, it's a perfect (and healthy) side dish for any meal.

Recipe:
5 oz. mixed greens or spring mix
1 lemon
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
Golden roasted flax seed (available at Trader Joes)
Almond slivers or crushed peanuts
Freshly shaved parmesan cheese

Juice 1 lemon over mixed greens. Add balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. Add flax seed and almond slivers (or peanuts). Mix well. Add shaved parmesan. You're done!

And if you want to take it up a notch, you can sauté crimini mushrooms in olive oil + garlic and add.

Hope you're enjoying the day off!

(photo by Karina)

Homemade Holiday Treat Idea

We absolutely love Claire Thomas' website, The Kitchy Kitchen, and today, she's giving us a good idea. Homemade treats for the holidays! We are so doing this.

Rigatoni with Kale + Prosciutto

I made this dish last night and it was yum, yum, yum! A cheesy plate of pasta is definitely one of my favorite comfort foods on a chilly day or night. What's your go-to comfort food?

(Via Wit & Delight)

Salmon Sandwiches

If you're anything like me, deciding what to eat everyday for lunch can be really boring. Yes, I live in New York and I should have a plethora of amazing eating options but my office is in a weird location and not much delivers to us. And on top of that, ordering lunch everyday is expensive! So starting now, I am making a commitment to be better about packing my own lunch. And with recipes this delicious, I think I can really have fun with it. Yum, yum.

Images and recipe via Big Girls Small Kitchen.

Roasted Romanesco with Salsa Verde

A colleague just introduced me to The Kitchy Kitchen, and now I'm totally addicted! Claire Thomas is a foodie blogger and creates short format videos of her recipes. For dodos like me who struggle following recipes, seeing it played through makes it so easy to follow. The above video is one of my fave picks so far! Enjoy ♥

(Video via The Kitchy Kitchen)

Lunch Spot: Chilled Cucumber Soup

Today we're reaching a high of 92 degrees here in NYC! Wouldn't this chilled cucumber soup be refreshing for lunch?

(Photo via Food Network)

Grilling Packets

Grilling has to be my favorite part of summer. And what I love doing the most is throwing a bunch of veggies (and maybe some seafood) and tightly packing them in aluminum foil with tons of seasoning. It's a healthy and delicious treat, and a total time saver! And I think something about the heat makes the food really absorb flavor. Just had to share that tip. ;)

Do you guys have any grilling specialties?

(photo via Self)

Have a Dreamy Weekend!

Photo via The Kitchn.

Alright, I know you must still be recuperating from celebrating Cinco de Mayo last night, but don't forget it's Kentucky Derby weekend and Mother's Day! We probably won't be doing anything for the Derby, but we are definitely celebrating our mama on Sunday. Once again, we'll head over to Claudia and Alex's amazing rooftop for a delicious all-day feast. Because my mom loves arugula so much, I think I'll make this yummy looking strawberry-arugula salad with ricotta. Doesn't it look refreshing and tasty!

And now, some fun links for your weekend.

More excellent Mother's Day brunch recipes.

Great Mother's Day gift ideas.

Cute whale prints.

Seal meets girl and falls in love.

If you're in NY this weekend, check this out!

Most adorable little lovebirds.

See? I am not the only one into funky nail art.

This is a video I worked on some time ago for the very cool band, Bottle Up & Go.

And in case you missed it, Karina's video for Alexandra Grecco.

Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely mothers out there! Enjoy your weekend. ♥

Happy Hour: Cinco de Mayo

Today is Cinco de Mayo! Any fun plans for happy hour tonight?

Since it is a Mexican holiday and all, I thought today would be a good day to share with you some fun recipes I received from an event last week. The event planner, Cathy Riva and Sauza Tequila invited me to a "Ladies Who Brunch" party and it was awesome. The event was held at Meet at the Apartment, a very cool meeting and event space in Soho. It has beautiful decor, the kind that makes you want to redecorate your whole apartment. And as soon as I walked in, I was greeted with delicious little colorful macaroons that had our name tags on them. Adorable! Cathy also created custom cocktails for the event and considering what today is, I might make these for myself and my lady friends tonight.

Cadillac Rio Margarita

Ingredients:

2 parts Sauza® Blue Silver Tequila

1 part JDK & Sons™ O3 Premium Orange Liqueur

1 part lime juice

½ part agave nectar

Directions:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled margarita glass. Garnish with an orange on the rim.

The Mama Rita (Totally making these on Sunday for Mother's Day brunch!)

Ingredients:

1 ½ parts Sauza® Silver Tequila

½-part Cabernet Sauvignon

1 part DeKuyper Triple Sec

1 part Agave Nectar

1 part Fresh Lime juice

Directions:

Pour all ingredients over ice in mixing glass. Shake and strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lime slice.

Photos via Sauza Tequila.

PS: I am linking up with Jillian from Cornflake Dreams today for a Cinco de Mayo Blog Crawl. Visit her for more celebration ideas! xo.

Happy Hour: Fancy Jello Shots!

I can't say I'm much of a jello shot kinda gal, but these little works of art are making me reconsider. How fun would these be to serve at your next dinner party. :)

(Via T Magazine)

(Via Martha Stewart)

(Via Jelly Shot Test Kitchen)

Spring Soups

It's slowly getting a bit warmer here in New York, but it's not quite spring weather just yet. We're still in that in-between seasons phase and because of that, I'm still not craving the fresh and light foods that I usually do when it's warm out. So until I break out the crispy lettuce to make refreshing salads, I'm entering into spring soup mode. I found these two good looking ones over on Martha Stewart, so I think I may be attempting these this week. They look healthy and still comforting for this semi-chilly weather.

Recipe for Spinach and Pea Soup here.

Recipe for Spring Vegetable Soup with Pesto here.

(Photos via Martha Stewart.)

Fancy Grilled Cheese (or simple Croque-Monsieur)

Last night I got home a little late from work, and decided to keep it simple for dinner. I thought I'd make myself a grilled cheese sandwich. (I made a steak sandwich for my meat-loving hubs, Alex :).

Inspired by this article in my latest Food & Wine Magazine (thanks, Mom!), I decided to use Gruyere instead of the usual American cheese, and wow - what a difference it made. It came out sooo gooey and delicious. I also added a thin slice of ham, dijon mustard and used buttery peasant bread (although sourdough works well too). The final result was closer to a simplified Croque-Monsieur (France's version of ham + cheese), but tasty nonetheless. I highly recommend you try this combo next time you're in sandwich mode.

What about you, friends? How do you like your grilled cheese? Any yummy tips?

P.S. You can check out a grilled cheese slideshow here.

Wild Mushroom and Carrot Risotto

This morning, as I was catching up on my blog reading, I came across this very delicious looking recipe for wild mushroom and carrot risotto. And it so happens to have been posted by one of my very best friends, Kattia of the blog, San Francisco My Song. Her photos looks so amazing that I will probably go outside in this terrible NY weather today just to buy the ingredients to make it for dinner tonight. I've never made risotto though, so I have to admit I am a bit intimidated by how difficult I hear it is to prepare. Let's hope I get it right!

And on another note, I am so happy that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning. As much as I love wintery looking landscapes, it's a whole other story when you're actually trekking through slush-ridden streets everyday. Cheers to a short winter!

Fun + New Vegan Recipes

Pumpkin Tortilla Soup

Tempeh Deli Salad

Khara Bath

Nutty Farro Pasta with Edamame Pesto

Although I am not an official vegan, or even vegetarian for that matter, I do often love trying more veggie-based dishes. It's obviously healthier and I have fun trying out new creative ways to take what are typical ordinary vegetable side dishes up a notch to create full and tasty meals. So I was thrilled to see that this week is Vegan Week over at the kitchn! Check out their very delicious sounding dinner recipes here. I can't wait to make the Pumpkin Tortilla Soup!

All recipes and images via the kitchn.

Afternoon Craving: Homemade Kettle Corn Popcorn

It's that time of day. Doesn't this look tasty? I can't get enough of sweet + salty combos. See recipe here. (But if you're feeling lazy, you can always buy a bag of this!)

(Recipe + Photo via Cooking on the Side)

TasteSpotting

Have you heard of the website, TasteSpotting? I only recently discovered it when Gwyneth Paltrow mentioned it as one of her favorite food blogs (which I linked to last week, but it's worth mentioning again because it looks so yummy!) The site compiles tons of recipes from around the web, and is a great place to visit when you're not sure what to make for dinner. I'm especially loving the sweets recipes. Bon appetit!

(Photos top to bottom via: Fritesandfries, alacarte + julialikesred)

Fall Soup

The rain continues here in New York. Doesn't this leek, butternut squash + potato soup look heavenly for a day like this? Makes you almost feel the heat from the toasty fireplace. ;)

(Photo + Recipe via the lovely blog, Cannelle et Vanille)

Happy Hour: Dirty Martini

Tomorrow is October. Can you believe it? Where the heck did September go? So it's time for me to switch up my drink. It's dirty (Grey Goose) Martini time. I think it's a very sexy drink, and for me always conjures up images of a perfect Manhattan night. What's your go-to Fall cocktail? xo

Ingredients

• 6 fluid ounces vodka
• 1 dash dry vermouth
• 1 fluid ounce brine from olive jar
• 4 stuffed green olives

Directions

1. In a mixing glass, combine vodka, dry vermouth, brine and olives. Pour into a glass over ice. Either drink on the rocks, or strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

P.S. I want this book! -- Speakeasy: The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails Reimagined

(Photo via TodaysNest ; Recipe via AllRecipes)