All Recipes — Amanda Frederickson

Blueberry Pie Bars

It is crazy how sunshine affects my motivation. There is a reason this south florida raised girl has landed in California! I crave sunshine. It was raining non-stop for the past three months in LA (which is great for the drought, but bad for my motivation). When it rains all I want to do is curl up on the couch with the dog and read a book. But when it is sunny, I feel like I could rule the world. So to the sun is finally out and I am ready to celebrate. Blueberry lemon bars seem like a good thing to celebrate with right?

Chicken Piccata

I get asked all the time to choose my favorite restaurant in LA. Well...that is a hard question. To be honest we haven't tried too many so I am not ready to officially nominate a favorite restaurant, but if I had to stay one of my favorite ones so far, it would be John and Vinny's. Mostly because they serve this amazing chicken cutlet for lunch which is out of this world delicious. It literally is just a chicken cutlet, deep fried, served with a lemony salad dressing - so basically it is fried chicken.

What's New, Easy Dinner, One pan dishAmanda FredericksonMarch 07, 2017chicken, lemon, weeknight cooking1 Comment

Blood Orange Marshmallows

Inspired by an Ina Garten recipe, the first time I made homemade marshmallows, my mind was blown. Homemade marshmallows didn’t taste at all like those bagged marshmallows. There was so much flavor! They were creamy and rich and not dry and chalky - it was a total food revelation

What's New, Edible Holiday GiftsAmanda FredericksonMarch 02, 2017citrus, blood orange, marshmallow5 Comments

Mason Jar Salad

My husband's job takes him all over LA. Literally all over LA. Half of the time he works out of an office and the other half out of warehouses in areas of LA that I have never heard of. I made the mistake of asking him what he was eating for lunch when he is working at the warehouses and the results were dismal. Basically he was just going to the corner taco truck everyday because there were no other options that were close. He said the food wasn't very good and this, coming from the guy who could eat cereal for every meal, means it is bad.

Quick and Easy, What's NewAmanda FredericksonMarch 01, 2017salad, mason jar salad, mexican saladComment

Oven-Baked Risotto with Shrimp, Asparagus and Peas

What's New, Easy DinnerAmanda FredericksonFebruary 28, 2017risotto, dinner, shrimpComment

Homemade Pizza Dough

The title of this recipe should be Pizza: The World’s Most Perfect Food. Or maybe Pizza: A Love Story. Because it kind of is right? I am always down for pizza (and maybe tacos but we are focusing on the pizza right now!)

I got a request for my favorite pizza dough and here is it. I am also showing you my favorite way to cook pizza at home - in a cast iron skillet! That is until I get my own wood fired pizza oven, but sadly that seems to be a long way off.

What's New, DinnerAmanda FredericksonFebruary 23, 2017pizza, skillet, cast iron skillet2 Comments

Butterscotch Pots de Crème

Butterscotch pots de crème are my dinner party secret weapon. Every time I make them, they are met with rave reviews. Plus they are best made ahead of time, which is perfect for entertaining.

I made these pots de crème for New Year's Eve this past year. We celebrated at a friends house and I brought over a bunch of these little Weck jars filled with butterscotch goodness. I only recently retrieved all of those jars and it reminded me that I need to show you all how to make this simple and delicious dessert.

What's New, DessertAmanda FredericksonFebruary 21, 2017butterscotch, pots de cremeComment

What's In Season: Beets

I am lucky enough to enjoy my local farmer's market all year long. LA basically has a farmer's market every day of the week. My favorites are the Santa Monica Farmer's Market and the Hollywood Farmer's Market. It is my weekly ritual to go first thing in the morning and stroll all the vendors admiring the gorgeous produce.

What's in Season, SaladAmanda FredericksonFebruary 20, 2017beets, what's in season, seasonal cooking, hummus, saladComment

Fish Tacos

I am pretty sure you could say that I am obsessed with tacos. Anytime my husband asks where I want to eat I always say tacos. Tacos, tacos and more tacos please. When we lived in Oakland our staple was Cholita Linda. Oh boy I miss that place. It was in walking distance and had some of the most delicious tacos. Now down here in LA, we are huge fans of Loqui, where they make their own tortillas.

What's New, dinner, 4th of JulyAmanda FredericksonFebruary 16, 2017fish, tacosComment

Chicken with Tomato, Orange, and Fennel

I worked in a Michelin starred restaurant right after cooking school. Well it was technically called a stage and I didn't get paid, so I am not sure if you can call it work, but it sure seemed like work! After that experience I gained a whole new appreciation for those that cook in restaurants. It is hard work!

Dinner, Easy Dinner, EntertainingAmanda FredericksonFebruary 15, 2017chicken dinner, one pan dinner, tomato, fennel, orange3 Comments

Milk Chocolate Pretzel Tart

I have a bunch of old Gourmet magazines that I am saving. Saving for what I am not sure, but still saving none the less. I was flipping through one recently and came across a recipe for a milk chocolate tart with a pretzel crust that I must have ear marked 8 years ago but never made. I thought there is no time like the present and made the recipe. It was a total fail and way too complicated. Since I love the idea of a chocolate pretzel tart, I decided to write my own recipe and I love it. It is basically like a candy bar in tart form. The combination of salty and sweet is perfect for sweet tooth and dessert nay sayers alike. Also it is perfect for Valentine's Day because Valentine's day is the perfect excuse to eat nothing but chocolate...all...day...long.

What's NewAmanda FredericksonFebruary 13, 2017chocolate, pretzels, pretzel crustComment

Chocolate and Orange Soufflé

One of my favorite meals ever was Valentine's Day a couple years ago in San Francisco. We had dinner at Cafe Jacqueline where they specialize in soufflé. We literally had a meal that only consisted of souffles and it was more amazing than I could have ever dreamed.

What's New, DessertAmanda FredericksonFebruary 09, 2017soufflé, soufflés, chocolate, chocolate and orange, valentine's dayComment

Curried Ginger Carrot Soup with Crispy Chickpeas

I have posted this recipe for carrot soup before but because I love it so much I wanted to adapt it slightly by adding some roasted chickpeas. I don't know about you, but sometimes when I eat soup I am pretty much still hungry almost immediately after finishing it. It is sometime not hearty enough and doesn't seem to fill me up. Since it is so good for you, I decided to top it with some roasted chickpeas adding some heartiness all the while still keeping it healthy.

What's New, Dinner, Easy Dinner, SoupAmanda FredericksonFebruary 08, 2017carrot soup, healthy food, chickpeas1 Comment

Homemade Poppy Seed Bagels

Give me all the CARBS! Ever since I was a kid I have always been all about the carbs. Not necessarily the sugary carbs but definitely the savory and salty carbs. Pizza, yes. Dinner rolls, of course. Bagels, hell yes (even Lender's Bagels did the trick and don't even get me started on bagel bites! )

What's New, Breakfast, Brunch, EasterAmanda FredericksonFebruary 07, 2017bagels, poppy seeds, cream cheese7 Comments

Romesco Sauce

A friend of mine recently asked me to bring over an appetizer to a dinner party she was throwing. After giving it some thought I decided to try and go healthy. Often times appetizers are heavy and not necessarily healthy - or at least the ones I am used to serve. I love a cheese board but who doesn't totally pig out on a cheese board to the point where they are no longer hungry? (Am I the only one?) I decided to go with a crudite platter (because crudite is the next cheese board? Maybe I have been living in LA too long) along with the most delicious dip out there, romesco.

What's New, Quick and Easy, Easter, 4th of JulyAmanda FredericksonFebruary 03, 2017dips, sauce, romesco, healthy dip, healthy foodComment

Blood Orange Gin and Tonic

After a particularly crazy holiday season filled with lots of food and LOTS of booze, I decided to try to out dry January (basically no drinking all of January). For the most part it was really easy (thanks to the flu) but it becomes crazy apparent, for me at least, how often I drink. Wine is my total drink of choice but when you don't have it, especially when you are out to dinner, it becomes obvious how often you are drinking! So I am not giving up booze completely but I am glad I did this "mostly" dry January because hopefully it will make me more cognizant of how many glasses of wine I am sipping.

What's New, CocktailsAmanda FredericksonFebruary 02, 2017gin, tonic, blood oranges, blood orange, gin and tonic, cocktailComment

Zucchini Lasagna

I am not one for gimmicky food - you know trendy food that is trying to be different just for the sake of being different. Like for example carrot hotdogs, if I want a hot dog, I will eat a hot dog. Maybe that is a bad example because vegetarians want hot dogs sometimes ( I would imagine) but you know what I mean. Or here is a better example - a ramen burger. A ramen burger is a hamburger that uses ramen noodles instead of a bun. Consider me old and uncool but that is not my jam at all. Give me an amazing hamburger or an amazing bowl of ramen - just don't give me a hybrid to both of them.

What's New, One pan dish, DinnerAmanda FredericksonJanuary 31, 2017lasagna, no noodle, carb free1 Comment

Homemade Soft Pretzels

I get asked all the time how I resist all the food that I make; the truth is I taste everything but try my hardest not to eat it all. I also never recipe test on an empty stomach because that is just asking for trouble. I can usually resist most sweet baked goods, plus I actually send them immediately to my husband's office to give it to the neighbors - it if it is in front of me, I will eat it.

What's New, BakingAmanda FredericksonJanuary 26, 2017pretzels10 Comments

Orange Olive Oil Cake with Mascarpone Whipped Cream

I spent this past Thanksgiving up in wine country. We rented a wonderful house right outside of Sonoma. We were staying at a rental, and I wasn't sure what the kitchen would be like, so I decided to make as much of the meal ahead of time, so we could drive it up. Also I didn't want to have to cook while everyone else was out wine tasting. I found this recipe on Food 52 and decided to adapt it. Even a day later, this cake was everyone's favorite thing on my Thanksgiving menu.

Avocado Green Goddess Dressing

Mayonnaise really isn't my jam. Growing up we used to have bologna sandwiches with lots of mayo pretty much every day for lunch at school. I can still taste those nasty sandwiches. There was no crunch or texture just soft sandwich bread, bologna and mayonnaise. To this day I still can't have mayo on a sandwich.

What's New, SaladAmanda FredericksonJanuary 24, 2017green goddess, avocadoComment

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