Lemony pasta with greens and mushrooms

Julia Child said, don't crowd your mushrooms if you want them to brown nicely (ok, I learned this from the movie Julie & Julia, so what?) - but I disagree!

So do these folks, in fact. In practice, it always seemed to me that mushrooms end up leaking tons of moisture as they cook and virtually de-glaze themselves from the pan, negating the need for any cooking oil. And if you did use oil, the mushrooms would just absorb it too quickly.

Not-ready-for-summer butternut squash

Is it just me, or did winter leap-frog right over spring and turn straight into summer? Sigh, poor spring.

In defiance, I am sticking with winter foods such as butternut squash.


Ok, not really. I made this a while ago and never got around to posting it.

Back when it was still cold out, I happened to roast some butternut squash, just very simply with olive oil, salt and pepper. I also tried a version with some Indian flavors, like coriander and cumin. Unsurprisingly, both ways were quite delicious. The thought occurred to me that butternut squash might go well with sausage, so that's what I tried here.

Even better easy cocktail sauce

Thanks to Ina Garten and Canada, I am now in possession of an even better cocktail sauce than this one.

First of all, oh Canada - the one thing I brought back from a recent trip is a bottle of ketchup aux tomates because a) the label is in French, and b) I like it better than the American version. My first taste, on some breakfast potatoes in Montreal, I thought, hm different. On the second taste: wait, is it different? Third taste: definitely different. Fourth: omg yummy this is the best ketchup evah!!! I think it's because they actually use more sugar than the U.S. (The label says they use "liquid sugar" but upon some Wikipedia research, I think this is a euphemism for high fructose corn syrup, boo.)

Yogurt accessory

Because I like to eat and cook a variety of food, my pantry is filled with a lot of different types of ingredients - soy sauce and sesame oil for Asian foods; garam masala for Indian; basil for Italian; etc.

It's a bit overwhelming, so I like when ingredients have some crossover appeal. For instance, cilantro is great for both Indian, Mexican/Tex-Mex, and some Asian-inspired foods. I use canned tomatoes for everything from soup to pasta sauce to chana masala. Even instant espresso has some dual usage - I've used it in chili and cupcakes.


Now I can add yogurt to that list. I wasn't sure exactly what to call this yogurt accompaniment - it's not exactly a dressing, not just a dip either. It's kind of a hybrid between ranch dressing and raita. I start with either plain yogurt (full fat or low fat), sometimes strained using a coffee filter (or you could use already-strained yogurt).

Sometimes... coriander rice and beans

Sometimes when I feel like my finances have gotten out of hand, I resort to eating rice and beans, which have developed a reputation for being cheap eats. Here is one of the ways I cope with being poor.

Balancing act

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with food. If I could, I would probably sit around eating pastries, cheese, fried chicken, and white rice all the time. But I always feel a small pang of guilt when I do. I blame society.

So sometimes, when making meals for myself, I try to balance out the "bad" with a little "good" - like in this quick mac and cheese, with spinach. Who knows if the added healthy elements make a difference, but it comforts me nonetheless.