It’s almost time for Thanksgiving!!! As soon as I decided to cook this year (about 2 months ago) I have been fine-tuning the menu and trying new takes on old favorites. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it’s pretty much the best excuse to cook all day long. So on top of the traditional Roast Turkey, Stuffing, Roasted Garlic Potatoes and Gravy, I am making my Jalapeño Cornbread, a variety of salads, and my alternative to candied yams or sweet potato…. sweet and savory sweet potato hasselbacks!
I love yams and I love sweet potatoes. I’ll eat them mashed, baked whole, french fried, in risottos and pretty much any other way to cook them. Except with marshmallows on top. I think it’s just a little too sweet for me. Hasselback Potatoes are baked potatoes with slots cut in and stuffed with garlic or breadcrumbs. It’s a Swedish dish… gotta love Swedish design, even in food! So I’ve tried a few variations of this recipe but this is the perfect balance of sweet and savory. You can use both yams and sweet potatoes for this recipe. Yams are generally a little more narrow than the sweet potato so make sure you don’t over cook, they will tend to mush together.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: baking, cooking, food, recipe, recipes, savory, sweet, sweet potatoes, thanksgiving, vegetables, vegetarian
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I’ve been meaning to post this dish for a really long time. It is quite possibly my favorite go-to pasta dish. I would say it’s the pasta dish of all time but Mac n Cheese will always win that fight. But since Mac n Cheese, to me, means making a béchamel, using 4-5 cheeses, and patiently waiting for the baking part to be done…. this simple orecchiette dish wins for being quick, easy and so delicious!
I absolutely love Broccoli Rabe, aka Rapini. I love it’s nutty bitterness and vibrant green color. It’s also jam packed with good for your vitamins. As a side dish, I like to sauté with a little olive oil, so you really keep the flavor of broccoli rabe. Maybe a little grated Pecorino on top. Mmm. Okay so say you don’t love Broccoli Rabe as much as I do, you can easily substitute with other hearty greens like broccolini, spinach, or kale. I’ve tried the variations, nothing beats the rabe with this recipe! The provolone is a perfect sweet balace to the bite of the rabe. You’ll have to just trust me and try it. Bon appétit!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cheese, cooking, food, Italian, pasta, recipe, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian
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I had elaborate plans to make a fancy dinner tonight. I was thinking maybe a creamy pasta dish with sun dried tomatoes, or roast veggies with artichokes and eggplant, or maybe a moroccan stew with cous cous… they were all very good candidates. Somewhere between 3pm and 8pm I completely lost track of time. Guess those dishes will have to wait for another day!
So what’s a good dish that’s quick yet hearty and also jam packed with flavor? It can only mean one thing … fried rice night! We always seem to have leftover rice in the fridge and it’s best to use day old rice for making fried rice. Fresh rice is too moist and will clump together.
My mom used to make me a million different variations of fried rice when I was a kid. Usually as a last minute dinner when I’d get home late after dance classes, practice or guitar lessons. She got a little creative at times but this one is one of my favorites. Garlic, ginger, a little touch of tomato paste and soy sauce. Sounds weird, but it’s delicious! Enjoy!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: asian, cooking, dinner, easy, food, quick, recipe, recipes, vegetarian
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Summer is most definitely upon us. It’s been excruciatingly hot in NY the last few days. When it’s super hot out I can only think of cool refreshing dishes… like gazpacho soup and cucumber salads with drinks like lemonade, ice teas, mint juleps and mimosas! It’s so hot, I’d be happy with just a bucket of ice!
Today I made a quick snack that I just had to share, a very refreshing (and super simple) tomato salad with fresh basil. It’s so simple, you can’t mess it up. It’s a caprese without mozzarella. The key ingredient is really delicious tomatoes. When buying tomatoes, buy the ones on the vine still. And always store them room temp and not in the fridge. You can put them in the fridge if you know you’re going to eat them immediately, like a few hours before this salad!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes, salads
Tags: cooking, food, recipe, recipes, salad, snacks, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
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I know… I’m getting “where have you been?!” from everyone. Well, it’s been a while but I’m finally back with another post. I’ve been travelling a lot lately so it’s been tough finding time to cook and write about it. But I’m back at home now and the first thing I wanted was some home cooked comfort food. For me, comfort food can mean many things. Usually it’s inspired by what I saw last on TV or what image I saw last, or a dish I’ve been craving for weeks. This time, all I wanted was a simple pasta dish with some fresh basil.
This dish is incredibly easy to make and super quick. Perfect for whipping up a fast dinner after a long day of work. It has very little sauce, but lots of flavor. Theres nothing better than a simple home cooked meal.. mmm! So happy to be home!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cheese, cooking, food, pasta, recipe, recipes, vegetarian
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I know I know, it’s been a while since my last post. I have been incredibly busy! I started a very exciting new job, which includes a 2 hour commute from subway to train to cab, and 2 states away. Actually that sounds much worse than just saying I’m commuting from New York to Philadelphia. Regardless, I feel like I’m constantly playing catch up with my posts!
We’re currently going through a heat wave in New York. It’s been pretty ridiculously hot lately. So cooking has been around things that do not involve the oven. Baking is completely not an option. The second I turn on the stove, my tiny New York apartment goes up 10 degrees. Okay that might be an exaggeration but it sure does feel like it. Lately, I’ve been relying on the rice cooker, salads, and good ol Menu Pages!
I updated a previous fennel salad with some different flavors and a slight kick. I love fennel as a salad, it’s so refreshing and flavorful. I added some red bell peppers for added sweetness and color. And for some kick, I added sliced jalapeño! Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes, salads
Tags: cooking, food, recipe, recipes, salad, Summer, vegan, vegetarian
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I used to think Mexican rice was this completely magical and impossible dish. Every family has a slightly different recipe and I seem to keep mixing the wrong ingredients in all the different recipes I’ve collected over the years. I just couldn’t perfect it. Sometimes I put too much spice, sometimes it’s too much broth and sometimes it’s not enough water. Really it took me a while to get it right and I cook Mexican food a lot! More so than any other cuisine, even Chinese actually. So after years of experimenting, here is my version of Mexican rice. It’s incredibly simple and incredibly delicious.
I found out where I was going wrong all these years. I kept trying to make a mix of Mexican rice and Spanish rice… two totally different dishes. Mexican rice, as I have known it growing up, has always been a tomato based rice that is pretty mild in taste compared to Spanish rice. It’s buttery and flavorful alone, but the key is how well it pairs with beans and the rest of your Mexican meal. I generally cook enough Mexican food to feed the block so this rice recipe makes a whole pot. Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cooking, food, Mexican, recipe, recipes, rice, vegetarian
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Here it is, my first dish in my new kitchen! It wasn’t as bad as I thought, luckily I chose to make something that I had all the ingredients for. Whew! So a basquaise dish is traditionally a peppers and onions red wine reduction with lots of peppers, the key ingredient is piment d’Espelette – paprika, along with garlic and thyme. Usually the traditional French dish requires some ham or bacon for that rich salty flavor but I did a version that was vegetarian friendly and oh SO delicious. I served a vegetarian dish with roasted asparagus and a meatier fishy version with halibut.
You can make a basquaise out of other things as well… that’s just the chunky peppers and onion sauce. You can put chicken or fish on top of it and it will go perfectly. I opted for roasted asparagus for a vegetarian dish but grilled eggplant or zucchini would go nicely as well. I added grape tomatoes to my version for that added burst of flavor when you bite into one. A basquaise sounds difficult but it really is easy and it tastes amazing! Hope you enjoy it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cooking, food, french, recipe, recipes, seafood, vegetarian
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I love potatoes. I think I could eat potatoes at every meal. Hash browns, mashed, roasted, baked, fries, home style, soup, endless possibilities really. My favorite combination is garlic and potatoes, mashed or pan fried. Today I bring you, roasted! Roasted garlic with seasoned roasted potatoes, a perfect marriage of flavors. Roasted garlic doesn’t have that harsh don’t kiss me kick and actually adds a nice sweetness. So good just squeezed on top of a slice of crusty bread too!
You could really pair this as a side dish with any meal but I had it as my main dish for dinner. What can I say, I really love potatoes! And it’s technically Winter still, I’m allowed to have an entirely starchy dinner! I usually love a huge dollop of sour cream with potatoes, but this dish is so flavorful, you really won’t need anything else but a fork! Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: baking, cooking, food, potatoes, recipe, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian
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YAY! This is Vanilla Latte’s 100th post! Well to be specific, this is Vanilla Latte now as a food and travel blog’s 100th post, I deleted the ones that were irrelevant from 5 years ago. So for such a celebration, I would like to share one of my favorite mac and cheese recipes. Now this isn’t the one I normally make for dinner parties that involve 5 cheeses, that one will have to wait. This version is an attempt to be slightly healthier… I threw in spinach! 
Okay it’s not that good for you. Anything that starts as a roux and involves adding milk and cheese always ends with ooey gooey goodness that can’t be that good for you. Ah well, that’s why it’s a celebration!
I’ve used low fat milk, low fat cheese, and spinach. Little ways to make sure this delicious dish won’t cause a heart attack. But feel free to live on the edge, use full fat milk and cheeses! MAN my mouth is watering as I’m writing this. So delicious and easy to make. And really good leftovers with a splash of Tabasco. Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm
Tags: american, baking, cheese, cooking, food, pasta, recipe, recipes, spinach, vegetarian
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