Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
featured recipes
these recipes are courtesy of my culinary girl crush, nigella lawson (specificially the nigella kitchen cookbook, which was a b-day gift from josh)
whole grain mustard and ginger cocktail sausages
Scant 1/2 cup ginger preserves
Scant 1/2 cup wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon garlic oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
50 skinny breakfast sausage links
1 round (approx. 9 inch diameter) thick-crust sourdough or rye bread loaf, for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, whisk together the ginger preserves, mustard, garlic flavored oil and soy sauce.
Turn the sausages in the mustardy mix and then arrange them on either a large, shallow-sided tin or 2 smaller tins. The height of the tin's sides will determine how quickly the sausages color and cook.
If you are using high-sided tins, they will need about 45 minutes in the oven; cooked on a shallower tray, 30 minutes should be fine. And do line with foil or use throwaway foil trays, or washing-up will be a nightmare. To serve the sausages in their bread bowl, cut a circle around the top of the bread to take off a "lid". Put this lid on one side for a moment, and tear and pull out the doughy filling with your hands, leaving the crust intact so that you have a hollow bowl.
Fill this emptied-out loaf with as many sausages as you can - you may have to top up with a few as you go - and then you can balance the lid at a jaunty angle for maximum effect and your guests' amusement. Serve with a small pot of cocktail sticks to spear the sausages, but if you're skipping the bread bowl option, let the hot sausages cool slightly before handing them out.
Make ahead note:
Put coating mixture in a resealable bag, add sausages and refrigerate for up to 2 days - put bag in bowl or on plate in case of leakage. Cook as directed in recipe.
Freeze note:
The sausages can be frozen in bag with coating for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in fridge - put bag in bowl or on plate in case of leakage. Cook as directed in recipe.
vietnamese pork noodle soup
10oz pork tenderloin, cut into thin discs then fine strips
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons fish sauce
8oz ramen noodles
1 tablespoon garlic oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1 quart chicken broth
3 cups bean sprout
2 small baby bok choy, torn into pieces
2 teaspoons chopped red or green chiles
Put the strips of pork tenderloin into a bowl and add the lime juice, soy sauce, paprika, and fish sauce, but don't let stand for more than 15 minutes
Cook the noodles according to the package instructions and then refresh in cold water.
Heat the chicken broth to almost boiling.
Heat a wok or deep saute pan, add the garlic oil and fry the scallions and ginger for a minute or so. Add the pork and it's liquid to the wok, stirring as you go.
Cook the meat in the pan for another 2 minutes, then add the hot chicken broth to pan and bring to a boil.
Check that the pork is cooked through, then add the bean sprouts and baby bok choy. Add water if the soupy base has evaporated too much - about 1/2 cup of freshly boiled water should do the trick (you may not need it).
Arrange the dried noodles equally in 2 large or 4 small warmed bowls, ladle the pork, vegetables, and broth over the noodles. Scatter the chopped chiles on top and serve.
Re: featured recipes
2 tablespoons sake (Japanese Rice Wine)
1/4 cup mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated fresh gingerroot
Splash sesame oil
1 3/4 pounds chicken thigh fillets (no skin or bones), preferably organic, cut or scissored into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 3/4 to 2 1/2 cups sushi rice, cooked according to packet instructions
Combine the sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and sesame oil in a dish that you can steep the chicken in, (I use a 23cm square dish, but anything of similar dimensions would do).
Add the prepared chicken pieces and leave for 15 minutes.
Heat the peanut oil in a large shallow frying pan or casserole (that has a lid) over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces from the marinade to the pan. Saute them until they look cooked on the outside.
Add the marinade to the chicken pieces and bring to a bubble, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes. Cut into a piece of chicken to make sure it's cooked through.
Remove the cooked pieces with a slotted spoon (you could keep them in a bowl covered in aluminum foil to keep them warm) and turn the heat up under the pan to let the liquid boil down to a thick dark syrup.
Return the chicken pieces back to the pan, stir well so that all the chicken pieces are coated in the sticky savory syrup. Serve with a comforting pile of sushi rice and perhaps some steamed baby bok choy or other veggies of your choice.
chicken with 40 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons regular olive oil
8 chicken thighs (with skin on and bone in), preferably organic
1 bunch or 6 scallions
8 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme
40 cloves garlic (approximately 3 to 4 heads), unpeeled
2 tablespoons dry white vermouth or white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoons table salt
Good grinding pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the oil on the stovetop in a wide, shallow ovenproof and flameproof Dutch oven (that will ultimately fit all the chicken in one layer, and that has a lid), and sear the chicken over a high heat, skin-side down. This may take 2 batches, so transfer the browned pieces to a bowl as you go.
Once the chicken pieces are seared, transfer them all to the bowl. Finely slice the scallions, put them into the Dutch oven and quickly stir-fry them with the leaves torn from a few sprigs of thyme.
Put 20 of the unpeeled cloves of garlic (papery excess removed) into the pan, top with the chicken pieces skin-side up, then cover with the remaining 20 cloves of garlic. Add the vermouth (or white wine) to any oily, chickeny juices left in the bowl. Swish it around and pour this into the pan too. Sprinkle with the salt, grind over the pepper, and add a few more sprigs of thyme. Put on the lid and cook in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
Make Ahead Note: Chicken can be browned and casserole assembled 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator. Season with salt and pepper and warm the pan gently on the stovetop for 5 minutes before baking as directed in recipe.
Making Leftovers Right: If I do have any chicken left over - and I don't think I've ever had more than 1 thigh portion - I take out the bone then and there and put the chicken in the refrigerator. Later (within a day or two), I make a garlicky soup, by removing the chicken, adding some chicken broth or water to the cold, jelled juices, placing it over a high heat and, when that's hot, shredding the chicken into it and heating it through thoroughly, till everything is piping hot. You can obviously add rice or pasta. Otherwise, mash any leftover garlic into the concentrated liquid (which will be solid when cold), chop up some leftover chicken, and put it all into a saucepan with some cream. Reheat gently until everything is piping hot, and use as a pasta sauce or serve with rice.
indian roasted potatoes
2 pounds (4-5 large) potatoes, unpeeled
2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil
2 teaspoons ground tumeric
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 head garlic
1/2 red onion, finely diced
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
preheat the oven to 400.
scrub then dice unpeeled potatoes into 1-1 1/2 inc cubes.
put the potato cubes in a ziploc bag with the oil and spices, then seal the bag and shake until the mixture covers the potatoes.
tip them into a wide, shallow lipped baking sheet. break up the head of garlic and scatter the unpeeled cloves around the potato cubes.
cook in the oven for 1 hour without turning. meanwhile, put the diced onion into a bowl with the lime juice and toss, then leave to macerate while the potatoes cook.
when the potatoes come out of the oven, transfer them to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with some salt. lift the diced onions out of the lime juice and scatter over the potatoes.
guinness gingerbread
1 1/4 sticks 10 (tablespoons) butter, plus some for greasing
1 cup golden syrup (such as Lyle's)
1 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 eggs
1 rectangular aluminium foil pan or cake pan, approximately 13 by 9 by 2-inches
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line your cake pan with aluminium foil and grease it, or grease your foil tray.
Put the butter, syrup, dark brown sugar, stout, ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves into a pan and melt gently over a low heat.
Take off the heat and whisk in the flour and baking soda. You will need to be patient and whisk thoroughly to get rid of any lumps.
Whisk the sour cream and eggs together in a measuring jug and then beat into the gingerbread mixture, whisking again to get a smooth batter.
Pour this into your cake/foil pan, and bake for about 45 minutes; when it's ready it will be gleamingly risen at the centre, and coming away from the pan at the sides.
Let the gingerbread cool before cutting into slices or squares.