Happy 2017!

Happy New Year! We are anxiously awaiting baby boy #2 which could arrive any day! I'm doing a little cooking to keep some healthy things on hand in the fridge.

Here are a few easy ideas for lunch or dinner from the archives for refreshing after the holidays and starting the new year out well:

Cheers to the New Year!

xx

Erin

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! Holiday festivities are continuing all week at our house with Hanukkah.

Here’s a little round-up of Forest Feast Holiday favorites:

Holiday Book Giveaway!!

 

This contest has ended– please see the bottom of the post for winner announcements.

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Holiday Book Giveaway TODAY!!

There were so many amazing cookbooks and other books that came out this year and I have done a round up of my favorites to gift this holiday season. I encourage you to run out and support your local indy bookstore in these final days before Christmas and Hanukkah instead of ordering online! I think it's great to Shop Small and Shop Local whenever you can.

My beloved publisher, Abrams, has generously offered to give away 3 of the books in my list:

To enter, just sign up for my newsletter via this link. Three winners (one for each book) will be announced here in this blog post and on Instagram tomorrow morning 12/21/16 at 10am PST. (Sorry, U.S. only!)

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MY 2016 (COOK)BOOK LIST:

  • Everything I Want To Eat by Jessica Koslow. I have never been to this popular restaurant in LA but have been following it on Instagram for years and really want to go. She has super-unique ideas for healthy comfort food.
  • Butter & Scotch by Allison Kave & Keavy Landreth. Booze + Baked Goods = Brilliant. I have never been to their bakery/bar in Brooklyn but NEED TO. I recently had their brownies and went crazy over them. This book has such fun retro-style photos and delicious treats.
  • French Country Cooking by Mimi Thorisson. Perhaps the dreamiest blog out there, Mimi chronicles her life in food (plus a gaggle of dogs & kids) in a chateau in France, and it's now in book form, too.
  • Molly on the Range by Molly Yeh. She has one of the most fun and most popular food blogs out there and her book is just as fun! I want to make her scallion pancake challah.
  • In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney. From my favorite design blogger, stories about business and inspiration from women working today in creative fields. 
  • Love & Lemons by Jeanine Donofrio. Vegetables galore from this popular blogger. I wish she'd make me her recipes every day so I could eat like this always.
  • Small Victories by Julia Turshen. I have already made a few of her recipes (like the lasagna) and they are simple crowd pleasers when you just don't know what to make!
  • Home Baked by Yvette van Boven. This is from last year but I had to include it! I love her incorporation of watercolor into the layouts- such an artful and useful baking book.

Good Luck & Happy Holidays!!

 

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UPDATE 12./21/16: And the winnners are......

Tera Schoeneck, Kathleen Casazza and Susan Wilson. Congrats, you 3! You should have received an email with winner instructions (if not, email studio@theforestfeast.com). Thank you so much to everyone who entered and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Holiday Party Appetizer: Greek Kale Dip

It's holiday party season and I'm always looking for ideas on what to serve or bring. This year I came up with a Greek Kale Dip, which is a twist on the traditional Spinach Dip that my mom (still!) makes every year. Instead of spinach and sour cream, I used Taylor Farms Kale and Greek Yogurt. But I kept the dry soup mix addition (it's classic!). I like this recipe because it's easy to make ahead and travels well. If you're serving it at your own party, putting it alongside a cookie platter, a cheese plate and some bubbly with pomegranate seeds is easy and feels festive. 

For the cookie platter, I bought chocolate chip cookies, hazelnut wafer cookies and tall pirouette cookies served in a copper cup. I chose just one nice block of cheese (goat Gouda) and some crackers. I like to pre-pour a few glasses of Prosecco with a few pomegranate seeds in each, then leave the open bottle, plus a bowl of the pomegranate seeds for guests to help themselves.

I decorated our outdoor bar with some fresh garland, candles, foraged pinecones and red berries, fresh pomegranates, magenta peonies (!) and some dark red amaryllis flowers.

Greek Kale Dip

16 oz Greek yogurt

1 big handful of Taylor Farms Fresh Leafy Kale Greens (about 2 c)

6 oz crumbled Feta cheese

1 packet of dry leek or onion soup mix (I prefer leek but it may be harder to find)

3 chopped scallions (white and green parts)

1 (8-inch) round sourdough bread loaf

For serving: Sliced baguette and Taylor Farms Organic Broccoli & Cauliflower pieces

Sauté the kale on medium in a large skillet with a splash of olive oil and water. Keep it covered, but stir occasionally, until the kale is bright green and wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer the kale to a cutting board and chop finely. Allow to cool and mix the kale with the yogurt, feta, scallions and soup mix. Cut the round top off the loaf of bread and use your hands to pull the bread out, forming a bowl. (Save this bread for something else, like a panzanella). Fill the bread bowl with the dip and serve on a large platter with slices of baguette and fresh vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower.

* This dip is easily made ahead. Just store and refrigerate in a large plastic bag or container and pour into the bread bowl before serving.

Cheers & Happy Holidays!

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This post was done in partnership with Taylor Farms. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Forest Feast possible. #ATaylorFarmsHoliday @yourtaylorfarms

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