I am neither in a relationship nor newly wed, but when I heard from my old manager, Julien, that he and his wife Kenzie created The New Newlywed Cookbook with recipes that make entertaining a crowd or cooking a dinner for two as easy as their Mug Brownie A La Mode, I knew I had to try! These two have been cooking together for 9 years in Boston, and are sharing their essential recipes for all to enjoy.
The New Newlywed Cookbook has 100 recipes with a variety of cultural influences, but growing up in a household where Italian cooking reigned supreme, I knew those were the recipes that I would have to put to the test.
Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
The first recipe I made from Julien & Kenzie’s book was the Parmesan Roasted Asparagus. I know, I know, what you see in the picture is NOT asparagus (it’s broccolini, my current veggie obsession). Each recipe has a section called "For the Sous Chef" with instructions if you're cooking with a partner, as well as general tips and tricks. In this case, they specify that you can swap out asparagus for any green veggie of your choosing. The saltiness of the parmesan combined with the texture of panko breadcrumbs really makes this green dish a stellar side to any main course. I also added in some red pepper flakes to give a little heat and spice things up.
Chicken Saltimbocca
Flipping through the dinner party section of the cookbook, I came across a variety of recipes that would be perfect for entertaining a crowd, or in my case, one hungry college girl (note: it was easy to halve this recipe, after all I am only one person). Embracing my Italian side, I chose to make their Chicken Saltimbocca — chicken cutlets topped with prosciutto, sage, and mozzarella. What I loved most about this dish was that it was truly a one-pan recipe, which I made in my trusty cast-iron skillet. It was easy to fry the sage, sear the cutlets, and then finish it off in the broiler to melt the cheese and get a beautiful & flavorful dish.
White Bean Hummus
The last recipe I wanted to give a go was the White Bean Hummus. In our household, my roommates and I LOVE hummus — we go through at least two containers a week and it’s a problem we are not looking to fix. I was a little skeptical at first of this recipe because of the white beans, as I had always thought hummus had to be made with chickpeas! I threw all the ingredients together in my Ninja blender (pro tip: you can use the single serve cups instead of the entire blender pitcher) and my hummus came together beautifully in less than a minute. My roommate gave it a 9.5/10 only because I added in a little paprika and cumin, which she claimed made it a little too spicy but oh well, to each her own.
Make These Recipes Yours!
The New Newlyweds Cookbook is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be officially launching on September 17th!
Julien and Kenzie have been cooking together since their years at Northeastern University in 2010 and had recently gotten married. Kenzie is a food blogger and cookbook author, who currently leads the culinary marketing and innovation for Ninja, a kitchen appliance company. Julien works in the durable goods space, and on the side is behind the popular Boston instagram account, @southendboston. As newlyweds as of one year and food connoisseurs, both Julien and Kenzie are so excited to bring together their passion for food and cooking to readers of all ages.