tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72328482306907060742023-11-15T10:05:24.984-06:00Peas of my HeartI love food - cooking it, eating it, feeding it to my friends, talking about it. Peas of my Heart is about playing with recipes, trying new things, and addressing food as both a hobby and a passion. Bon appetit!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-54851156720408299182010-09-17T10:54:00.000-05:002010-09-17T10:54:15.273-05:00Friday Food & Wine Finds: September 17, 2010Once again, it's Friday and I haven't posted a recipe all week. I sort of feel like a slacker, but in my defense, I just got back from San Antonio on Wednesday. That's a good excuse, right?? No? Well, maybe these food and wine links will help...
The Top Chef finale. What can I say (without revealing the winner's name for those of you who DVR like me)?? It was a completely shocking decision, and Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-28943744013708506052010-09-10T16:33:00.001-05:002010-09-10T16:35:52.391-05:00Friday Food & Wine Finds: September 10, 2010Happy Friday! I'm currently writing this dispatch from the glamorous Des Moines airport, where the vast food and beverage choices would make your head spin. OK, I'm kidding. There's a coffee shop, and that's about all I can say. But luckily, I'm off to San Antonio today and looking forward to some excellent Tex-Mex food. Anyone have recommendations for me? Leave them in the comments!
On to the Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-85892788842217914462010-09-03T13:07:00.000-05:002010-09-03T13:07:30.940-05:00Friday Food & Wine Finds: September 3, 2010Happy National Grilled Cheese Day!
Seriously, September 3rd is National Grilled Cheese Day. (Would I make this up?? I heard it on Twitter, so clearly it must be true.) Actually, Foodimentary says today is also National Welsh Rarebit Day. Though in this particular case, I'm fairly sure "National" refers just specifically to the nation of Wales. I doubt that anyone in this particular country Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-20076103085074823042010-08-31T09:25:00.000-05:002010-08-31T09:25:22.309-05:00Recipe: Risotto with Tomato and Goat CheeseRisotto gets a bad rap as a laborious and time-consuming dish, but the truth is, I secretly enjoy making it. Maybe it has something to do with the the fast pace and busy workload of a typical weekday, but I find that the whole process of infusing hot liquid into rice is incredibly relaxing. For twenty minutes, all I have to do is stand in front of the stove, wait, and Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-47907720319723048352010-08-27T00:40:00.001-05:002010-08-27T00:40:44.479-05:00Friday Food & Wine Finds: August 27Hi everyone! I'm off to Kansas City today, but thought I'd throw together a quick round of food & wine finds before I go. By the way, I keep hearing conflicting opinions - really, what's the best barbecue in Kansas City? Arthur Bryant's or Oklahoma Joe's? I know Anthony Bourdain is a big Oklahoma Joe's fan, which tends to sway me. Let me know in the comments if you feel otherwise (Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-45843206290299247322010-08-25T01:37:00.000-05:002010-08-25T01:37:30.133-05:00Recipe: Heirloom Tomato GazpachoFor a quick summer meal that's fresh and seasonal, there's nothing tastier and easier than gazpacho. The term 'gazpacho' usually refers to a tomato-based soup which doesn't require cooking and is served chilled; beyond that, there are infinite variations. More often than not, gazpacho recipes include liquids like chicken stock, tomato juice, or even water to thin out the vegetable puree. Because Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-46609460896613161592010-08-20T10:54:00.002-05:002010-08-20T15:15:18.774-05:00Friday Food & Wine Finds: August 20Happy Friday! Today marks the start of Restaurant Week in Des Moines, which means $25 three-course dinners all week long from some of my favorite spots around town. (Most restaurants are also offering 2-for-$25 lunches, but since I'm never in Des Moines during the day, I won't be partaking in any lunch specials and thus I like to pretend they don't exist.)
To Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-53663707588432703852010-08-17T16:58:00.001-05:002010-08-17T16:59:41.491-05:00Recipe: Caramelized Onion, Shiitake, & Goat Cheese Ravioli
I grew up in a strict no-onion household. My dad has harbored a lifelong aversion to onions, aided first by my grandmother, who routinely makes a small "Scott-only" version of every dish she prepares, and then by my mother, who was never a big fan of onions anyway and was quite happy to ban them from her kitchen.
For years, I followed the party line, routinely picking onions out of Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-32494322750817915962010-08-16T22:57:00.002-05:002010-08-17T17:01:00.322-05:00Recipe: Homemade Pasta I've written before about how dried pasta is my go-to meal when I'm too tired to put anything else together, but fresh pasta is a whole new level of kitchen mastery. Ever since I first made gnocchi and marveled in amazement at how potato and flour could form a concoction of legitimate shape and texture, a pasta machine has been on my wish list. In awe, I would watch shows like Top Chef Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-67661264581945557332010-08-15T13:53:00.001-05:002010-08-16T22:45:11.893-05:00Travel: AtlantaI travel pretty regularly for work, and generally speaking, I enjoy it. I love having the opportunity to get lost in a brand-new city: exploring new places, creating new experiences, and leaving with a long list of favorites to revisit next time around. But when I found out I would be heading to Atlanta during the absolute hottest part of the year... well, let's just say I wasn't exactly rushing Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-81795822627340639552010-08-13T11:34:00.002-05:002010-08-13T11:35:09.187-05:00Friday Food & Wine Finds: August 13It's the end of another week and time for my weekly compendium of what's new, fresh, and exciting in the world of all things food and wine (but especially beer this week. I should find a way to work that into the title of these posts). Here we go!
Are you a budding food star? Know someone who should be a TV Chef? The Food Network is now accepting applications for Season 7 of the Next Food Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-40979267417112864222010-08-12T10:47:00.000-05:002010-08-12T10:47:54.570-05:00Recipe: Fried Chicken Livers with Tomato and Goat CheeseI never had one of those "liver and onions" childhoods. (In my mind, being fed liver and onions goes hand-in-hand with "I had to walk five miles to school, uphill, both ways.") For me, liver of any kind was the stuff of legend - never touched it, never tasted it, never even saw it. I had the vague idea that livers were something disgusting served to punish children. Whenever I bought a whole Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-56838105878015567322010-08-09T23:24:00.001-05:002010-08-09T23:28:48.546-05:00Recipe: Avocado Salsa, or "Megan's Dip"Though it's simple to make, this is by far my most-requested dish. Because I can put most of it together ahead of time and then store it in the fridge, I end up serving it at nearly every party - at this point, I could probably make it in my sleep. It's great with fresh summer produce, easy to put together, and it's even been known to win over a few avocado detractors. In fact, by posting this onMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-53986537054388330732010-08-06T16:14:00.001-05:002010-08-06T16:14:58.212-05:00Friday Food & Wine Finds: August 6Happy Friday! It's time for another roundup of my latest finds, articles, and creative kitchen inspiration. I'm sticking to "Friday Food and Wine Finds" for now, though I think it lacks a little creativity. Naturally, suggestions are still welcome if you come up with a better idea!
Tonight, Des Moines is hosting this fabulous-looking al fresco dinner prepared by notable local chefs. OfMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-66532296582904315792010-08-03T16:05:00.001-05:002010-08-03T16:06:05.735-05:00Recipe: Rhubarb Ginger Frozen YogurtBy now, I'm pretty sure my love for rhubarb is well-documented on this blog. Along with asparagus, rhubarb is one of my favorite harbingers of spring. As soon as the first farmer's market rolls around in May, I search out the brightest, reddest stalks and buy pounds of it every week - much to the chagrin of my mother, who is kept in constant, free supply by a generous Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-72697767878633495412010-07-30T06:29:00.002-05:002010-07-30T06:31:25.851-05:00Friday Food & Wine FindsSo... what do you think of the new title? I rather liked Trevor's suggestion on my last Friday post for "Friday Offal Links," but maybe you have nicer things to think about today than dining on the internal organs of animals.
And now that I've brought it up, I'm sure you can think of nothing else.
Anyway, what do you think of "Friday Food and Wine Finds?" Leave me a Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-23842688019776579582010-07-27T00:57:00.000-05:002010-07-27T00:57:13.355-05:00Recipe: Blueberry Mojito Frozen YogurtLast Friday was my dad's birthday, and once again I found myself headed up to Okoboji to celebrate. Because there was no elaborate surprise party involved this time, I didn't have to pull together three kinds of cupcakes. (Thank goodness!) However, my mom did get an entire dessert buffet's worth of food on her birthday; at the very least, dad deserved to have some kind of celebratory Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-64470829585893542782010-07-23T17:40:00.001-05:002010-07-24T11:11:14.385-05:00This post is not about herbicide.I've got an idea I'd like to pitch to all 17 of my followers (as well as any lurkers who might be out there in the blogosphere reading Peas of my Heart anonymously, probably sitting in the dark while stroking a hairless cat. No? That's just in Bond movies? OK, if you say so).
I'm generally far too exhausted to type up an insightful post or a fun recipe on Fridays; Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-3869419143359485222010-07-22T18:56:00.001-05:002010-07-22T18:57:01.399-05:00Recipe: Chocolate Chipotle Cupcakes with Cinnamon ButtercreamI realize what I'm about to say could be offensive to some of you, but I feel like most chocolate cupcakes are just kind of... uninteresting. They can get a little too rich for me, and if they are overly sweet, I get bored and don't want to finish them. Cut that sweetness with the hot, smoky flavor of a chipotle chile, on the other hand, and I'm completely on board.
The first time I tried Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-70485172166825915122010-07-21T21:26:00.000-05:002010-07-21T21:26:18.289-05:00Recipe: Tres Leches Cupcakes topped with Dulce de LecheWhen we started planning food for my mom's surprise birthday party, the main part of the menu was a no-brainer: Taco House. If you have never been lucky enough to visit this Okoboji staple, it's hard to describe the appeal; from the outside, it looks like a dirty, hole-in-the-wall restaurant with too little seating and far-too-long lines (or, at least, that's how Dad describes it). But Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-71012012180320352782010-07-20T00:03:00.005-05:002010-07-20T00:12:45.274-05:00Recipe: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding "Cupcakes"
Earlier this month, my dad threw my mom a huge surprise birthday party. My brother, sister and I all love food and entertaining, so we volunteered to plan the menu. Though we nailed down most of the elements pretty quickly, we were stuck on what to serve for dessert. Birthday cake was out of the question - I've never known my mom to get particularly excited for cakeMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-22533742288629786582010-07-03T10:19:00.001-05:002010-07-03T10:23:27.562-05:00Recipe: Mint-Chocolate Chip Ice CreamAs I think I mentioned in this post, mint-chocolate chip ice cream was among my favorite childhood summer treats. I like my ice cream to have a little texture to it, and the crunch of the frozen chocolate is such a perfect counterpart to the cool, creamy mint. Since we frequently missed (or hid from, ahem) the Schwann's man on his weekly route, I don't remember actually having mint-chocolate chipMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-54004896542894827152010-07-02T00:22:00.001-05:002010-07-02T00:23:37.915-05:00Recipe: Easy Rosemary Roasted BeetsIn the last couple of weeks, I've been playing with different ways to use beets from the farmer's market. Inspired by how well beets and rosemary worked together in last week's glorious beet hash browns, I decided to roast them in foil this time with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil. The trick to roasting beets is not cooking them too long - otherwise they'll turn to mush - but Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-69807021406289695972010-06-29T23:21:00.000-05:002010-06-29T23:21:40.123-05:00Recipe: Pasta with Fresh Tomato SauceAnytime I lack the time or energy to make a full-on meal, I tend to fall back on pasta. It's quick to make, and even better, nearly foolproof to execute.
Of course, just because it's easy doesn't mean it has to be boring! If you have fresh tomatoes on hand, you can make homemade sauce in less than ten minutes. It'll take at least that long to boil the water and cook the pasta, soMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7232848230690706074.post-46962337137663592272010-06-28T12:00:00.001-05:002010-06-28T12:00:36.856-05:00Recipe: Beet "Hash Browns"A somewhat shocking fact: I have never in my life eaten a beet until this week.
Last Saturday, I was intrigued by all the beets I saw at the farmer's market. At one particular stand, they were so ruby red and vibrant that I couldn't help buying a bundle of them. What was I going to do with them? Well, I would figure that part out later.
Immediately I pulled down my copy of "How to Cook Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16030986735753617372noreply@blogger.com0