Marcella Cooking Stuff • September 13th - September 19th
September 13th - September 19th
I'm typing this at 4 pm on Saturday. I have a cake in the oven that may or may not spill over because I put too much batter in the pan. There's pork in the sink defrosting for dinner that I forgot to pull out last night. I still need to run to the store today to get mascarpone to make frosting in the morning. And my mother is here. Truthfully, I have neglected the newsletter completely this week and I am sorry. I'm calling in sick this week.
My mom and I went back and forth for months debating if she should come to visit me. For those who know us, know we are connected at the hip. When I lived in LA we would work out together twice a week, we would get lunch, go shopping, or just hang out at least one other day a week, and when we were not together we were texting 24/7.
Because of the pandemic, it has been ten months, TEN MONTHS, since we had seen each other. This is a big deal. Since she is a hairdresser that means it had been ten months since I had gotten my highlights done. Hello, ombre! She flew in on Wednesday to spend the week with me and it has been nonstop fun. So much that I haven't had a minute to write a single recipe or get into the detail of what I made this week.
We have been doing yoga, reading, apple picking, cooking, and just being together. It's exactly what I needed.
The good news is I made all my recent favorite things this week for her to try. All these recipes are repeat offenders and I have written about them in the past. That also means I will definitely make them again and I will write recipes for the ones that need recipes then. This week, under each dish, I included a link to when I last wrote about it for you to look back on if you would like more details.
For my birthday I'm making myself a cake. Is that weird? I can make a badass cake and I know what I want, so I'm fine with it. There is no chance of disappointment and it's just easier for everyone lol. We are planning to pick up dinner and have a picnic outside the Nelson Atkins Museum. What more could I ask for?
(Okay maybe to see a few of my friends back home in LA but I wouldn't actually dare to complain in the middle of quarantine. I'm just grateful to have my mom and husband. #Blessed)
My mom leaves Monday and we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming then!
Monday
Roasted Butternut Squash + Quinoa
I made a version of this pre-newsletter. It was just butternut squash with herbs and roasted red onions. It was great then but lackluster this time. The butternut squash was blah. I suspect it is a little bit too early in the season. We will absolutely revisit this recipe again soon!
Check out the first version on Instagram, here.
Tuesday
Penne Alla Vodka
A staple recipe from NYT Cooking. I switch it up by using bacon, pecorino, goat milk, and Jovial gluten-free pasta. Comes out beyond delicious every time.
Find the Pasta Alla Vodka recipe, here.
Wednesday
Grilled Bison Meatballs
Grilled Sweet Potatoes
These grilled bison meatballs are adapted from a Pressure Cooker Lamb Meat Ball recipe that can be found here.
I have made them before using mostly the same ingredients but a different application. I'm working on my own versions of them. You can read more about them in .
Grilled sweet potato recipe to come. This is a good one and I'm excited to share it when it is perfect!
Leslie's comments in reference to the sweet potato: "The combination bite with a little of everything is a perfect explosion of flavors."
Thursday
Smoky Teriyaki Salmon
I said this before but I fully stand by it. This is my favorite way to eat salmon. Peppery, smoky, and teriyaki flavors are beautiful. Read more about it in
Leslie's comment: "Smoky sexy salmon. I could have this every night."
Friday
Shawarma Spiced Grilled Chicken
Apple & Honey Challah
Marinated a spatchcocked chicken in my Shawarma Spiced Marinade and threw it on the grill. I served it with tomatoes, cucumbers, grilled red onion, lots of parsley, and a simple dressing made of lemon juice, olive oil, dijon, serrano chili, and oregano.
I was blown away by how many people made my Honey Challah recipe for Rosh Hashana! I loved seeing all the pictures. My challah for Rosh Hashana was my honey challah with diced apples rolled into the dough before braiding. It was fabulous!! I wish I added more apples. I'll play around with this and type up some details for you guys.
Leslie's comment:
Shawarma chicken rating 9.75/10. "I could drink this dressing."
"The apples are a fun surprise."
Saturday
Apple Galette
Rice Noodle Salad + Grilled Pork
Simple rice noodle salad and grilled pork shoulder was the last dinner I made for my mom. Two things I enjoy every time!
Read more about rice noodle dishes , , and .
Leslie's comment: "That dinner was good. Better than any restaurant I have been to."
Random thing of the week:
We went apple picking this week! It was a first for me and so much fun. We brought back 19 lbs of Golden Delicious, Dixie Red, and Jonagold apples and had a photoshoot in the orchard.
Pet photo of the week:
Ollie and my birthday gift, some fish sandals from my grandma.
Thing everybody needs:
A fast, accurate, digital thermometer. Check the temp of your water before adding yeast, check if your bread is done, check if any protein is done, check if something has cooled to safe temperatures before putting it in the fridge...the uses are endless. You need one NOW!
My favorite is ThermoPro.
Thank you for following along on this journey with me. Cooking, writing, researching, and helping you all has given me a new purpose. I'm stoked to head into another year of life sharing what I love!
See you next week,
Marcella