Today we have a very special treat! Allow me to introduce you to Katie Goodman, a food blogger who’s blog goodLife {eats} is full of great recipes and writing, and beautiful photography. She’s done oodles of food writing (including for Paula Deen!) and I’m so excited to have her writing for This Week for Dinner today! She also regularly comments and posts weekly menus here on my blog, which automatically earns you 100 points in my book {wink wink}. I’m so happy to have Katie as a friend and I hope you enjoy her post.

Hi everyone! I am Katie from goodLife {eats}. I have been a fan of This Week for Dinner since I read Jane’s guest posts on Design Mom way back. I was so excited to find a blog devoted to helping with meal plans and have been hooked since then. Last year I was able to meet Jane at BlogHer Food, and was so thrilled to make such a sweet, new friend. Thank you, Jane, for having me here to guest post!

This recipe for Coconut Chicken Curry Soup is one of our favorite soup recipes. It is so simple, yet it is so full of flavor. I always try to keep my pantry stocked with coconut milk. I like to use “lite” coconut milk, because it has less fat and calories, but you can’t really tell any difference in the taste. When bell peppers are on sale, you can buy extra and flash freeze them for later.

All in all, I think it is a great recipe to have up your sleeve for a busy night, because it doesn’t really take much time to prepare. If you are really pressed for time, which I’m sure we all are sometimes, you can add the chicken (uncooked), broth, coconut milk, jalapeno and curry powder to the crock pot for a few hours on low. When the chicken is cooked through, just take it out to shred it and put it back in. Then add the lime juice, sautéed onion, bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro and let it cook for a few minutes (until the peppers are tender crisp). You definitely won’t be sorry you spent some of your valuable time on this recipe!

Coconut Chicken Curry Soup

• olive oil
• 1/2 of a medium yellow onion, sliced thin
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 14 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, minced
• 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 small red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 2 cups freshly cooked jasmine rice

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the oil, season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until cooked through and golden. Remove chicken and set aside. Sauté the onion, adding more oil if necessary, until tender.

Return the chicken to the pot with the onions. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, curry powder and jalapeno. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro and simmer an additional 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon rice into 4 bowls and top with a ladle or two of soup. Garnish with additional cilantro and a sprinkling of shredded coconut. Serve.

Don’t miss my post on Make & Takes today! Cate and I had a lot of fun stenciling our brownies with powdered sugar!

Don’t miss my post today on Make and Takes…edible peanut butter playdough! It’s fun and yum!

Didn’t those marshmallows in yesterday’s hot chocolate look really yummmmmmy? Well, they ARE. And if you want them, be sure to read my post on Make & Takes today!

Don’t miss my post today over on Make and Takes, The Joys of Meal Planning with Kids. Hope you enjoy it!

Don’t miss my guest post over on Make and Takes today: Fun with Edible Nasturtiums

Big thanks to my dear friend Christy who gave me the idea in the first place! Hope you can grow nasturtiums in your new home state of South Dakota, Christy!

I am happy to introduce Marie from Make and Takes as today’s guest blogger!  Marie is one of the bloggers I had the pleasure of meeting in person recently and she is as sweet as she is impressive.  I love having her for a guest post since she is so talented at creating kid-friendly activities and snacks…which brings us to her post.  Thanks, for visiting, Marie!

I’m happy to be a guest today as This Week For Dinner is one of my favorite food blogs! I love Jane’s Weekly Menu, it’s always giving me good ideas for what to eat.

Today I’m sharing one of my family’s favorite healthy snacks, Edamame! Have you tried it before? Edamame are soybeans in pods. You don’t eat the pod, just the yummy soybeans inside. My kids and I can gobble a whole bag of Edamame in minutes. They’re a simple snack, fun to eat, and good for you too.

You can buy Edamame all ready to go in the freezer section of your grocery store, they even sell big bags of them at Costco.

Place some in a bowl and follow the directions for cooking/steaming on the bag. I also like to add salt to mine, making for an even tastier treat.

Now pop the pod in your mouth and squeeze out the soybean. The salt on top of the pod will give your soybean more flavor. Then discard the pod into a bowl. I dare you to eat just one of these, I promise you won’t be able to stop!

Time to make some guacamole, the perfect 4th of July dip! Okay, maybe more appropriate for Cinco de Mayo, but whatever. I have a few tips I’d like to share that will cut down on prep time and pump up the flavor.

GUACAMOLE:
INGREDIENTS:
- Avocado (let’s base this recipe on 4 avocados)
- Chunky Salsa (to taste, not too much, 1/8 – 1/4 cupish?)
- Dollop of sour cream (if desired, but not too much…and, honestly, you don’t really need it)
- Garlic Powder to taste (yes powder, put that garlic press away!)
- Dried minced onion to taste (yes, dried, put your knife away!)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Red Pepper flakes (if you want it spicier)
- Lime juice (I just use my little squeezie lime juice from the fridge – a few squirts should do it – if you have a fresh lime, go for it)
- Fresh cilantro (if you have it), chopped
- Mix all together

TIPS:
- To remove the pit, whack it with the blade of your knife. It will stick and you can pull it right out. You can use a towel to pull the pit off your knife to reduce risk of cutting your hand off, but I like to live dangerously.

- Use a pastry blender to mix it up. It’s perfect for mashing up the avocado, but keeps you from overmixing. You don’t want to overmix – chunkier is better. Pasty, not so good.

- Salsa is my “secret” ingredient – you get hunks of tomato, onion and pepper, but you don’t have to do any chopping. And it adds nice flavor.

- About the cilantro – I almost never have fresh cilantro on hand. The guac is delicious without it, I promise. But if you DO have it, it adds a nice fresh flavor.

- Make sure you salt it enough. This is important. Add a little bit at a time so you don’t oversalt.

- You can tell when an avocado is ready because it’s soft to the touch (not too soft!), dark in color, and when you pop the little stem thingy off the end, it will be green in the hole.

MYTHS DEBUNKED:
- Lemon and lime juice do NOT keep your guacamole from going brown. I use lime juice just because it tastes good.

- Putting the pit in the guacamole will NOT keep it from going brown. The reason avocados go brown is from contact with oxygen. The best way to keep it green is to put plastic wrap directly on the guac when you store it. It’s still going to go a little brown on you. There’s just no getting around that. The brown is a-okay to eat, but you can always skim it off the top if you don’t like how it looks.

I’m telling you, my guacamole is GOOD. It’s EASY. You can make it with whatever you have in the cupboard and fridge. I always have lime juice & salsa in the fridge and spices in the cupboard. All I need is the avocados and I’m set!

I am so excited about today’s Guest Blogger! Paul Lowe, author of the fab blog sweet paul, is a food and interior stylist in New York City. He is super creative and talented as well as a fellow chocoholic. I love his blog and am intrigued by his job…and he’s agreed to give us a sneak peek into his world!

Paul is originally from Norway and is doing some great work here in the States. He has several beautiful books, works with some amazing photographers and magazines, and even does cool things like style for Katie Lee Joel’s cookbook…and then hang out with her husband Billy during the shoot (yes, THAT Katie Lee & Billy)! Anyway, I wish Paul lived with me so he could style for my blog, but alas, I must enjoy his talent from afar. Without further ado…here’s Paul!
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Guess the whole “making things pretty” gene runs in the family.

My grandmother was a great cook and my mother has always had very good taste when it comes to decorating. With this mix of genes running in my blood, it’s no wonder I became a food and prop stylist. I have been doing this for about 16 years now and am loving every minute of it.

So why not become a chef or a decorator?

I have always enjoyed being able to tell a story without having to use words. And I find that photography is the perfect media to do this with. I also think I have a different approach to my work than others in the same field. I do both the food and the props. Usually people do one or the other, not both. I really enjoy doing both. I like to be in control of the whole thing and love to mix food, interiors and craft, all in one story. I really hate putting food on an ugly plate!

I start by choosing a theme – it can be an ingredient, a color, a material. A while back I did a story for the Norwegian magazine Interiormagasinet. I wanted to make knitted tea cosys. But I can’t knit. So, I bought a white woolen sweater and made a lot of props with the sweater and a hot glue gun.

When I start on a story I decide on colors, props, etc. Then I go prophunting. New York is good for props as there are a lot of great prop rental places. You can find amazing things there. I pick out the props I want to use, then find surfaces and backgrounds.

I also usually make my own recipes. I love to go food shopping. Whole Foods is my favorite. They usually have everything I need. Farmers markets are also a great place to find stuff.

The morning of the shoot, I drag all my bags to the studio and start unpacking props and food. I always have an assistant to help me. He or she will prep all the food and I will put it together.

When I do the set up I always think about where the camera will be, what angle, etc. I don’t do too much ‘hokus pokus’ with the food, maybe just a little extra oil or a spritz of water.

We always eat the food for lunch. Sometimes that can be quite a spread! Afterwards we pack up the props, do the dishes and go home.

It’s a great job!

I’ll leave you with a few more images* from my portfolio.

(Click here for the recipe for this lovely egg)

*Photos by Colin Cooke, Ellen Silverman and Steve Giralt.

Okay, I know that title was DUMB. Couldn’t think of anything better. I just wanted to wet your whistle with this pretty picture and a promise of great things to come…

Enter Lindsay Claus. Okay, that’s not really her last name, but it may as well be with the gifts she has to share with us. My new friend Lindsay recently moved in next door. She loves to cook and does crazy things like grind whole spices and make her own corn chips. Yes, I consider that crazy. Come on, you guys know me by now. I doubt sincerely I’ll ever fry up even one homemade corn chip in this lifetime. But that doesn’t change the fact that I think it’s AWESOME. She has some great recipes to share, and her cooking makes for some even greater photography, what with the beautiful ingredients and cookware galore.

I have a few Lindsay features lined up, however, I need to go through the hundreds of pictures I took and pick just a few to share. Until then, I thought I’d share this shot of her beautiful spices in their beautiful containers.

Today Lindsey Johnson is our guest blogger! Lindsey has two great blogs I love to visit: Cafe Johnsonia & Just Recipes (Lindsey is the source of those delicious Brownie Cookies I wrote about). Lindsey was recently a week-long guest blogger for the fabulous Design Mom as well. I’m so happy we get to have her here – thank you, Lindsey!

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Can I start by saying what an honor it is to be a Guest Blogger on the great TWFD blog? Jane is such a gracious host. Don’t you just love her blog?

I’m sure you are like me and have your favorite recipes that are your “go-to” recipes. They are familiar and comfortable and hard to mess up. I love those kinds of recipes.

I’ve assembled my list of recipes that I “go-to” on a regular basis. I hope you will post your own “go-to” ideas and recipes in the comment section so we can all get some new ideas and maybe even find a few new favorites.

Main Dish/Casserole.
When I’m taking dinner to a friend that has just had a baby or when I haven’t shopped, or when I just want to eat some good, old comfort food, I turn to Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Topping. I always have the ingredients on hand and I know that it will last a few days for leftovers. And it’s really, really good. The recipe was originally a Cooks’ Illustrated recipe that I’ve kind of made into my own.

Side dishes.
I’m a huge fan of simple meals. I like the occasional casserole (like the pot pie), but usually I am doing some kind of chicken, beef, or pork with two sides. The easiest sides, for me, are those that can be done quickly and cook while the main dish is being prepared.

Enter Roasted Veggies & Potatoes. Follow the recipe here and you will be eating your veggies like candy.

Green salad.
I adore green salads. (And most other salads, too, really.) Growing up, salad was that iceberg lettuce mix with shredded carrots and ranch. Hmm. Pretty boring. No wonder I didn’t like salad much as a kid.

I love that you can find gourmet greens in most supermarkets now. And there are myriad ways to dress up those greens. You can add pretty much anything you want and have a great salad.

One of my favorite salads is very fruity and hearty. I also like to make my own dressing, but store-bought salad dressings are fine. Isn’t it all about what you like anyway? (Click here to see what’s in the salad)

I also have two favorite vinaigrettes/dressings, Raspberry Vinaigrette and Creamy Apple Poppy Seed Dressing.

Moving on to dessert…my favorite.
I try to only make dessert on Sunday night, but by Wednesday I find I gotta get me some chocolate. Two of my all-time favorite recipes have come from Martha Stewart.

This recipe for ‘Carolyn’s Chocolate Chip Cookies’ was in the July 2003 issue of Martha Stewart Living. (It’s not available on her website.) I like this recipe because it doesn’t require any planning. You don’t have to let the butter soften. You only need a whisk, no pulling out the mixer. And they are really soft, chewy and yummy. (I’m making myself hungry just thinking about them.)

It has taken about 26 years to really love chocolate. (I shouldn’t tell you that because I don’t want to lose my credibility.) There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t have a handful of chocolate chips, or something chocolaty. But when I get really serious about my need/want for chocolate, I go straight for brownies.

I found this recipe for Brownie Cupcakes when I was searching for something else and there was no looking back. They are easy. It only requires one bag of semi-sweet chips—I always seem to have those on hand. And again, no mixer required. They are good with or without the chocolate frosting. But make sure you have a big glass of milk nearby. They are so rich and fudgy.

Now that I’ve shared my “go-to” recipes, I want to hear what your “go-to” favorites are!

images in this post courtesy of lindsey johnson

It’s a big day here at This Week for Dinner… I’m happy to present my first guest blogger, Emily Wignall! Emily is a great friend and is also the reason this blog even exists… I didn’t know blog from fog before Emily introduced me to this fun world. Emily is awesome – smart, stylish, good cook and entertainer, you name it. I’m so happy she is contributing – enjoy!

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I’m honored to be the first guest blogger for This Week for Dinner! Jane is practically my next-door-neighbor…I am one of the lucky few who can just drop-in and make sure she is really making what her blog claims.

I don’t have a lot of food knowledge to dispense; however, I have 2 food loves I constantly work at pairing up and perfecting.

My favorite food isn’t something I make, it doesn’t have to be refrigerated, baked, microwaved, thawed, grilled, broiled, or mashed. I LOVE crackers & chips. Wheat, white, cheese, bbq, tortilla, garlic, graham, with sesame seeds, fish-shaped, round, rectangular, square…I don’t care. I even like those crackers with the fake cheese sandwiched in between.

My second favorite food…dip. I’m not picky here either – spinach, cheese, sour cream, salsa, artichoke, marinara, hummus…

If I lived by myself, I am sure that I would live on a diet of various crackers, chips and dips. However, I live with my handsome husband and sweet baby girl, and they prefer to have a more well-rounded diet, so I will share just a few of my favorites which you can use as side dishes to Jane’s yummy recipes.

For a Mexican or Spanish food night, serve Corn Salsa w/ Tortilla Chips (My favorite is Tostitos Hint of Lime).

Go Italian! This Focaccia Bread from Martha Stewart is hard-work, but well worth the 4 hours of waiting. You can top it with cheese and dip in marinara, or just serve warm with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Each year during the Christmas season you will find men, women and children in my hometown anxiously awaiting the arrival of…my mom’s cheese ball. My mom doesn’t give away cookies or candy or carols – she prefers cheese. Last year my mom conjured up the Spinach Pepperjack Cheese Ball. Serve this cheese ball with your favorite crackers.

My final contribution isn’t technically a chip and dip…it is more like a chip and dip combined into one delectable treat…so perfect! These Crab & Cream Cheese Wontons are another Martha Stewart creation. They are good with or without the crab meat. I like them with red chile sauce, soy sauce, or just plain!

All this writing has made me hungry…off to the pantry. Happy chip dipping!

It’s a big day here at This Week for Dinner… I’m happy to present my first guest blogger, Emily Wignall! Emily is a great friend and is also the reason this blog even exists… I didn’t know blog from fog before Emily introduced me to this fun world. Emily is awesome – smart, stylish, good cook and entertainer, you name it. I’m so happy she is contributing – enjoy!

* * * * * * *

I’m honored to be the first guest blogger for This Week for Dinner! Jane is practically my next-door-neighbor…I am one of the lucky few who can just drop-in and make sure she is really making what her blog claims.

I don’t have a lot of food knowledge to dispense; however, I have 2 food loves I constantly work at pairing up and perfecting.

My favorite food isn’t something I make, it doesn’t have to be refrigerated, baked, microwaved, thawed, grilled, broiled, or mashed. I LOVE crackers & chips. Wheat, white, cheese, bbq, tortilla, garlic, graham, with sesame seeds, fish-shaped, round, rectangular, square…I don’t care. I even like those crackers with the fake cheese sandwiched in between.

My second favorite food…dip. I’m not picky here either – spinach, cheese, sour cream, salsa, artichoke, marinara, hummus…

If I lived by myself, I am sure that I would live on a diet of various crackers, chips and dips. However, I live with my handsome husband and sweet baby girl, and they prefer to have a more well-rounded diet, so I will share just a few of my favorites which you can use as side dishes to Jane’s yummy recipes.

For a Mexican or Spanish food night, serve Corn Salsa w/ Tortilla Chips (My favorite is Tostitos Hint of Lime).

Go Italian! This Focaccia Bread from Martha Stewart is hard-work, but well worth the 4 hours of waiting. You can top it with cheese and dip in marinara, or just serve warm with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Each year during the Christmas season you will find men, women and children in my hometown anxiously awaiting the arrival of…my mom’s cheese ball. My mom doesn’t give away cookies or candy or carols – she prefers cheese. Last year my mom conjured up the Spinach Pepperjack Cheese Ball. Serve this cheese ball with your favorite crackers.

My final contribution isn’t technically a chip and dip…it is more like a chip and dip combined into one delectable treat…so perfect! These Crab & Cream Cheese Wontons are another Martha Stewart creation. They are good with or without the crab meat. I like them with red chile sauce, soy sauce, or just plain!

All this writing has made me hungry…off to the pantry. Happy chip dipping!