April 10, 2013
Strata, casserole, breakfast pudding—no matter what you call it, this Overnight Egg and Breakfast Sausage Strata is about to revolutionize the way you brunch.
Just imagine waking up, popping this prepared dish from the fridge into the oven and then kicking back with a cup of coffee. And by “cup of coffee,” I mean “Espresso Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookie.” All that’s left to do is count down the minutes while layers of crusty bread soaked in eggy custard melt together with shredded cheddar, tender asparagus and breakfast sausage crumbles.
Looking to spice up your morning? Swap in chorizo for breakfast sausage to add a smoky kick to every cheesy bite.
Posted by Kelly Senyei on April 10, 2013
April 3, 2013
Cinco de Mayo may still be a month away, but that’s not stopping me from sharing a few of my go-to Mexican recipes, from The Ultimate Chipotle Pork Nachos to Easy Homemade Churros with Chocolate Sauce, and now, a lighter take on a childhood favorite, taquitos!
Growing up in San Diego, taquitos (a.k.a. flautas) made many an appearance on our family dinner table. And while I’m all for the classic deep-fried variety (of onion rings and arancini and ravioli and…) , I’ve lightened the caloric load with this healthy, baked take on traditional taquitos.
Store-bought rotisserie chicken is shredded and tossed with sautéed onions and spices before being mixed with cheddar cheese and rolled into corn tortillas. A quick bake in the oven yields an extra-crispy taquito that’s ready and waiting for a dive into chunky homemade guacamole and fresh salsa. All that’s missing is a Strawberry Margarita Popsicle for dessert!
Posted by Kelly Senyei on April 3, 2013
March 27, 2013
Greetings from the Gulf of Oman! I’m currently on vacation in beautiful Zighy Bay, a remote fishing village on the Musandam Peninsula on the northern tip of Oman. After a 13-hour flight and a 2-hour drive, I met up with my family for the start of our adventures abroad.
The trip is a chance to experience the culture and cuisine of Oman and nearby Dubai. And I’ve been drawing inspiration from so many of the ingredients and dishes I’ve enjoyed so far, from traditional Arabic flatbreads and spicy curries to chicken shawarma and creamy hummus.
While I’m currently 6,829 miles away from my New York City kitchen, no distance was going to keep me from sharing this quick and easy recipe for classic banana pudding. The creamy pudding is layered with sliced bananas, crunchy Nilla Wafers and homemade salted caramel sauce, which adds the perfect savory twist to this southern-inspired sweet.
This crowd-friendly dessert can be prepared in a large serving dish or portioned out into smaller glass containers for eye-catching individual servings topped off with a pinch of large-flake sea salt. Slice up those bananas and stay tuned for much more to come from my culinary adventures overseas!
Posted by Kelly Senyei on March 27, 2013
March 20, 2013
Today marks the first official day of spring, and New York City is celebrating the change in seasons with a local temperature of a sweltering 44ºF. Forget the spring showers, we’re all about the spring hail-slash-gale force winds. But there’s no time to begrudge March’s identity crisis.
I’ve been filling every free minute of this past week with preparations for a much-anticipated vacation that begins this Friday. Destination: Dubai! I’m heading east, as in a 14-hour flight east, to visit my sister and brother-in-law for the week, and you better believe there will be many an Instagram and Tweet of the culinary adventures that ensue.
And in totally unrelated and kind of nerdy news, you may have heard that Google Reader is shutting down as of July 1. What does this mean? It means that if you use Google Reader to tune in to the latest Just a Taste updates, you’ll want to switch to a different RSS service. Check out Gizmodo’s roundup for a handful of easy-to-use alternatives, and don’t forget to subscribe to Just a Taste via email for a fresh serving of content delivered straight to your inbox.
Now on to these golden nests of chewy coconut and fresh fruit. Whether you’re planning the perfect Passover feast, entertaining family and friends on Easter Sunday, or just need an excuse for your taste buds to travel to the tropics, look no further than easy coconut macaroons topped with a dollop of sweet and tangy homemade pineapple jam.
Posted by Kelly Senyei on March 20, 2013
March 13, 2013
It’s about time spring made its much-anticipated debut in New York City. Temperatures are just starting to creep up into the 40s, and dare I jinx it, but we may even have a 50-degree day on the horizon. With a change of the seasons comes new beginnings, and I’ve been keeping extra busy with a fun and challenging weeknight endeavor that’s way outside my comfort zone of cheese, carbs and chocolate.
Fire up those Excel engines because yours truly is wading her way through the wide world of Business Fundamentals & Tactics, the first-ever business program organized by New York City entrepreneur society General Assembly along with knowledge partner McKinsey & Company. Long story short, I’ve gone from crunching on Homemade Samoas Girl Scout Cookies while dealing with numbers in the form of teaspoons and cups, to crunching out cumulative revenue formulas while building financial models to map key metrics of proposed businesses.
I love a good challenge and am excited to be learning critical concepts about business models, market analysis, quantitative research methods and so much more. My fellow students and I are chronicling our journeys over on Tumblr, so check out my Course Reflections blog for more details. (Note: My case study for the course is based on the USPS business model, so if mail delivery really gets you going, prepare to fall in love.)
Know what else is new? This recipe for easy homemade Asparagus and Ricotta Pizza, which just about screams “spring” with every creamy, veggie-packed bite. Shaving the asparagus into thin ribbons makes for a quick bake time, and the ribbons also lend themselves well in salads starring leafy greens or your favorite grains.
Posted by Kelly Senyei on March 13, 2013
