I'm not super domestic when it comes to home cooking. I like cooking and I would love cook more, but life and work often take over and I often get assistance when it comes to meal time. However, I still one day would love to have a signature dish. That one thing I know how to make without a recipe, that I can make well, and that I'd probably bring to every pot luck dinner because it's my go to. It doesn't have to be super fancy or complicated but something you just love and know inside out.
Do you guys have a signature dish? If so, what is it?
{Photos by Casey Brodley, styling and pattern play by Julia Wester, wrapping paper background by Moglea from Urbanic.}
My signature dish is quinoa with roasted brussels sprouts, caramelized butternut squash, pepitas, and freshly grated parmesan cheese! So, so easy to make and SO delicious! 🙂
A good mac & cheese!
For a potluck: Curry chicken salad (http://dontworrylivehealthy.blogspot.it/2013/01/curry-chicken-salad.html)
For a meal: Chef John’s caramel chicken (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/221950/chef-johns-caramel-chicken/)
I also love to make tuna poke for a crowd! I grew up in Hawaii, so it’s a potluck mainstay for me, but friends here are always pleasantly surprised/impressed by it!
This is so cool! Beautifully done.
Carrie
http://www.wearwherewell.com
You’ve really go the thinking now as to what my signature dish is. I go to a few staples when I cook. hmm….
Amy | http://www.yankified.com
The double dark chocolate Ghirardelli brownie (mix) makes it’s way to most every event I am invited to – they’re so good, and technically, I made them!
Lovely pattern play! My dish would be baked asparagus or any sort of baked veggies. Just wash, add salt, pepper, and olive oil, and let it bake until desired texture. So yum, simple, customizable, and saves time by not having to stand over the stove!
I have two: apple pie and mushroom risotto. I’ve been perfecting my apple pie recipe since college and can pretty much bake it with my eyes closed at this point. Risotto is something that took a little more time for me to master but oh man, was it worth it! Now I can whip it up in about 40 minutes and it’s perfectly creamy-with-a-little-bite every time!
I’m not much of a cook, so fried rice is my signature dish. Super quick and easy ahaah. I love this place setting, such fun patterns!
http://www.thebeautydojo.com
Vegerarian bibimbap with banchan.
One of my easy, go-to signature dishes is Salmon bowl: Teriyaki salmon over rice, cucumber, avocado, red onion, masago (orange fish egg), a dollop of mayo, and some sriracha. You mix it all together and it is amazing! Simple, yet a real show stopper (visually).
picture, please!
Soba noodles are SO easy–the key is to not overcook the noodles and a good simple, sauce.
I love this recipe! http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/10549-cold-soba-noodles-with-dipping-sauce
I actually like honey instead of mirin.
serve with strips of nori and you’re done!
Hummus and Baba Ganoush also easily impress people and they’re super easy too.
YUM!!
Joy
Ah, LOVE that! And sounds SO good!
Joy
My boyfriend and I have a signature dish we make together. We only break it out a few times a year because it’s so time consuming, but it’s always a hit– Aji de gallina, a traditional Peruvian creamy/spicy chicken stew served over rice and potatoes. The best part is that we always have some really great chicken stock left over from the process to make next-level soup with later that week.
I have no idea how to post a picture in comments but here’s a link to the recipe I first used! 🙂
http://iowagirleats.com/2013/11/18/quinoa-with-caramelized-butternut-squash-and-roasted-brussels-sprouts/
That sounds amazing!
Joy
I love having Chicken Piccata up my sleeve because it SEEMS fancy and luscious, but as long as you have chicken cutlets and a jar of capers (they last forever) everything else is a pantry staple (rice, flour, salt, pepper, olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, chicken stock, and butter). This is always my I-forgot-to-meal-plan-but-I-want-a-REAL-meal dinner.
I’ve been making fresh rolls that the whole family loves but, the rice paper and rolling is kind of time consuming. So not I just throw everything in a bowl and call it good. Peanut sauce makes everything better and the recipe is a cinch to remember. I typically riff of this recipe http://ohsheglows.com/2012/07/20/veggie-summer-rolls-with-spicy-peanut-lime-sauce-two-ways/
They are great meatless, but adding some shrimp takes it to the next level. So good!
My boyfriend who is French never lets me do the cooking and he’s right : my dishes are kind of dull next to his… But, I do have a signature dish that he tried so many times to copy/improve without success! It’s an amazing italian meatball recipe than I found on the web to which I add a secret ingredient. It’s a little bit demanding to do but when our friends asked for this dish for a dinner, I feel like a queen in the kitchen!
Spaghetti & Meatballs off course!
I do it once a week and it just keeps getting better!!!
http://www.sandrabestdecor.com/en/2016/03/18/spaghetti-meatball-tradition/
So many! For desserts I’m known for my chocolate chip cookies and my ice cream cake, but for a main dish I have this spicy Mexican quinoa casserole recipe that all my non-vegetarian family members go nuts for when I bring it to a potluck!
I recently learned to never follow a recipe (since you will never have the exact ingredients). And I was thinking, hah, that’s totally the way I use to cook. I always cook from scatch and it works out fine. To a potluck I would bring the noodle salad I make since I was a child: cooked noodles and veggies such as cucumber, tomatoes, paprika, fresh herbs and spices, maybe some hard boiled eggs and some yogurt, olive oil and vinegar. This is super easy to make since I always have these ingredients at home. And kids and adults love it.
Great work!