Ginger Peach Sangria: Because I Owe You Something Summery

I'm hammering out a quick post today, a) because I owe you something summery and delicious, and b) because in fewer than 24 hours, I'll be on a plane to Newark. Then to Tel Aviv. Then, 15 days later, to Istanbul. Then, in rapid succession, to Tel Aviv, New York, and Atlanta. Then, 14 days later, to Maine. Then, six days later, back to DC. Then for a weekend in Ocean City, MD.

Then the next day, law school starts.

Hahahhahahahahaha.

While I'm traveling, expect the occasional mini post featuring grainy pictures of Turkish kahve or falafel. Until then, enjoy this recipe for Ginger-Peach Sangria!

Yes, I know this isn't a superb photo. I think I made up for the noise by going artsy and blowing out the colors and upping the contrast. It almost looks like a photo of a watercolor. Or maybe a watercolor of a photograph. You tell me if it still looks delicious. Recipe after the jump!

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RECIPE: Pan-Seared Salmon with Mustard-Caper Butter

After my last post and its radical, unwarranted departure from the realm of the sane, I thought I'd share with you a nice, straightforward recipe post.

This here fish is a dish I whipped up last Saturday evening, exhausted from a day spent cycling and swimming, with just enough energy remaining to make something tasty.

Behold: Pan-Seared Salmon with Mustard-Caper Butter Sauce!

Looks good, doesn't it? Want to hear a secret? IT TOOK 10 MINUTES.

I didn't even start it until the rice was almost done. So for my readers who want a very fast, very easy, particularly delicious way to look like a brilliant chef come dinner time, I recommend clicking through for the recipe!

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Garlic-Thyme Sweet Potato Fries -- Baked, Not Fried

I know, I know; I have long been absent from your RSS reader, Facebook feeds, and Twitter thingies. What can I say? I'm traveling a great deal, often without a computer (and blogging from the iPad is nigh insanity-inducing), including on the weekends. I did eat spectacular food in San Francisco -- including, quite literally, the most sublime Thai food ever -- but did not take too many pictures. Hungry Sam Fail.

HOWEVER! To appease and appeal to you, dear readers, I'm including a recipe and some semi-sweet photos of one of my favorite side dishes: Baked Garlic-Thyme Sweet Potato Fries!

Loyal, long-time readers of mine know that I've mentioned my propensity to whip up fast and easy baked sweet potato fries in the past, but this here is a different recipe (after the jump).

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Pineapple Curry Chicken Salad; and How I Develop New Recipes

I have never claimed to be a real chef, nor do I have the credentials to really say I know what I'm doing when I have an adventure in the kitchen. Mostly, I just sort of channel lots of enthusiasm toward whatever my end goal might be (dinner, normally) and hope for the best.

But anytime I want to make a new dish, or add some Hungry Sam flair to a food I already like to eat, I find that a little forethought and a general strategy helps. I follow three steps whenever I develop a new-to-me recipe:

1. I pick a general type of dish.
2. I think about similar foods I've cooked before.
3. I think about similar foods I've eaten before.

That's it! So easy -- easy, because if you don't feel your cooking experience is sufficient, you can let your eating experience fill in the gaps. You can do this. Trust me. 

Today's dish follows just this approach: Pineapple Curry Chicken Salad!

This, of course, is the end goal. We'll get here. Strategy, more pics, and the recipe after the jump!

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Spanish Paprika Turkey Meatloaf Isn't Your Grandma's Meatloaf

I'm going nuts with the changes over here at Hungry Sam. Today after work, I bought lamps. LAMPS. And full-spectrum bulbs. It was time, folks. I live in an "English Basement."

What does this mean for you? It means that when I whip up a batch of tasty, well-spiced, smoky turkey meatloaf, I can take better pictures than ever before:

Ohhhh yeah. The dish is a great balance of sweet peppers, smoky Spanish paprika, rich meat and potatoes, and sharp, biting scallions. Here's another glimpse of the tastiness before we dig into the recipe:

More (well-lit) photos and the recipe after the jump!

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How to Improve Canned Chicken Noodle Soup

I've been sick the last few days. It's felt a bit as though some sort of demon virus was trapped in a little cage in my throat, tearing at my vocal chords in an effort to break free. Or something.

Accordingly, I've been eating/drinking a lot of chicken noodle soup. And, as Hungry Sam, I've put what little energy I've had into experimenting with improvements to an often bland, texture-less experience!

As my base, I've been using Epicurious' favorite canned chicken noodle soup, Progresso Traditional 99% Fat Free Chicken Noodle Soup:

Yeah, I know it's not the 99% fat free version.

Having eaten six cans in the last two days (truly I was sick, else I would have made some soup from scratch) and experimented with each one, here are my findings and suggestions (after the break). Also, apologies in advance for the totally unnecessary Star Wars references.

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For the Vegans: Lemon-Nutmeg Acorn Squash

This one is for all the vegans out there.

Cue the Barry White. Probably something like "You're the First, the Last, My Everything."

Hey there. I know you don't eat meat, and you don't consume animal byproducts at all. I know that sometimes, it feels like Hungry Sam doesn't care. But I do. And I want to make it up to you.

I've been trying, you see. I showed you who to make a pretty super brussels sprouts salad recently -- but that had cheese. I gave you my recipe for shakshuka, but that has cheese AND eggs. I know you, as a vegan, need something else, something special.

So here's an easy, simple, tasty recipe I whipped up last night -- literally. Adapted from a recipe in this month's Everyday Food, here's Lemon-Nutmeg Whipped Acorn Squash:

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