mgcappab's Blog

Sometimes the most difficult aspect of cooking dinner is knowing in what order to put everything together. I've taken out that guessing by leading you through the entire plate, step by step.

Flavor-filled mashed potatoes

2 medium-sized potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons salted butter

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons cheese (I only had a bag of pizza cheese, but use whatever you have)

Seasonings to taste: black pepper, garlic powder, oregano

Balsamic Roasted Asparagus

1/2 pound asparagus (half a bunch)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Mustard Seared Salmon

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 filets salmon, skinned (I only had frozen, use what you have)

2 tablespoons mustard powder

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

1. Rinse the potatoes, cut out the eyes, and chop into 2-inch cubes of roughly the same size. Place in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Now you have time to relax!

2. When potato pot has come to a boil, begin to prepare the rest of the meal. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the asparagus and snap off the ends. Place asparagus in a large oven-proof dish. Pour over olive oil and balsamic vinegar and toss. Add salt and black pepper, toss again. Check potatoes, if tender (can easily insert a fork), remove from heat and drain. Place asparagus in oven. Set a kitchen timer to 10 minutes.

3. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. On a large plate, combine half of the mustard powder and sugar. Lay salmon on top of the mix, and lightly press the fish to coat the bottom side, then flip to coat the other side. Now combine the second half of the mustard powder and sugar, and repeat with the second salmon filet. Place the filets in the hot waiting pan.

4. Pour the drained potatoes back into their previous cooking pot. Now that the asparagus has been in the oven about five minutes, move the asparagus around the dish with a spatula, and put back in the oven. Over low heat, add butter, milk, cheese, and seasoning to potatoes. Flip the salmon filets. Now, mash and combine the potatoes (I used a hand mixer).

5. After the salmon has been flipped for about 2 minutes, remove to waiting plates. The key to well-cooked salmon is to remove it from heat before you think it's ready. The fish will continue cooking on the plate to the perfect doneness. Serve with mashed potatoes and asparagus and enjoy!

Serves 2

Even the darkest of singleton gloom can be cured with a heaping serving of carbohydrates. Sun-dried tomatoes save the bread pudding from textural dullsville. (Full disclosure: I often make this to share simply by doubling the recipe.)

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

Spices to taste: black pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes

1/2 cup stale olive bread (or whatever bread you have)

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 cup spinach

2 Tablespoons pecorino romano cheese

1. In a 2-cup measuring cup, beat together egg, milk, and spices of your choosing (don't add salt, as the cheese will make this salty). Tear the bread into cubes and add until the mixture passes the 1 1/2-cup line of the measuring cup. Let rest in the refrigerator 30 minutes.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes three minutes, until garlic starts to toast. Add spinach and cook 2 minutes, until spinach has just wilted.

3. Mix spinach mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese into measuring cup with the bread in it. Pour entire mixture into a greased ramekin sized for one. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon cheese on top.

4.Bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is browned on top.

Serves 1. Recipe adapted from Slashfood.

This winter, I promised myself to expand my vegetable horizons. Kale is a scary vegetable. Raw kale is bitter and has a reputation of being too healthy to be delicious. This baked kale breaks the stereotype. The recipe is easy, and relatively healthy if you can skimp on the cheese (I can't). Just substitute nutritional yeast for the cheese, and you have a great vegan snack.

Are there any vegetables you're scared to take on this season? Let us know in the comments!

1 small bunch kale

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon parmesan cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Strip leaves from the stalk into chip-sized chunks.

2. Rinse the kale, quickly dry with a clean hand towel.

3. Toss the kale with olive oil, vinegar, and cheese.

4. Spread the kale on a baking tray, bake for 10 to 15 minutes, careful not to let the cheese burn.

Serves 2, if you can control yourself from eating them all directly out of the oven.