March 2012
26 posts
8 tags
Soapbox, Please
I spent hours clearing through my Google Reader last night. Hours. 1, because I had 500+ posts backlogged and begging for attention and 2, because apparently Mozilla cannot handle 40-something tabs open at one time. I feel like such demands on technology are meager and should be easily accommodated. Alas.
In the midst of my reading I came across a recent post by The Bitten Word on reducing...
7 tags
Mushroom Quiche
This week in class we learned how to make savory tarts. Among the various tart doughs was quiche, something that I’ve disliked since the beginning of time. In fairness to quiche, I’ve typically had it one of two ways: frozen or at some crap (read: average) restaurant. I shudder at the thought of both. They’re heavy, oily, and unappetizing at best. They’re always...
4 tags
Read Anything Good Lately?
I’m quite a bit behind on my thoughts for books I’ve recently read for my two book clubs, so here is my two-birds-with-one-stone attempt at catching up.
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen was good. Very good. Superbly written, with an astute eye for human behavior, motivation, and interaction. The characters are all complex, quirky, and compelling; each portrait is realistic and...
5 tags
Chewy Lemon Cookies
Some people are citrus dessert people. I am not one of those people. My dessert doesn’t need to involve chocolate (and often I rather it didn’t), but citrus desserts aren’t my thing. The one-two punch of concentrated (often faux) citrus flavor and cloying sweetness used to mask the overzealous tartness is a turn-off for me. I like citrus, but there are very few desserts that...
6 tags
Wedded Bliss
These two lovebirds tied the knot on Saturday night. It was a beautiful ceremony and a spectacular party. Those Milne-Blooms sure know how to throw an Irish-Jewish rager.
Wishing you two every happiness. Mazel tov!
4 tags
I Miss This Guy
We’ll be home tomorrow, Boo.
7 tags
Split Pea Soup with Curried Brown Butter
I credit my love of split pea soup to one of my childhood best friends, Crystal, and her mother, Tudi. I’m sure I had split pea soup dozens of times before I had Tudi’s, but for whatever reasons hers knocked me off my feet. I was crazy for it. From then on, Tudi would often invite me over when she made it, knowing how much I loved it.
Tudi did a lot of nice things for me and...
3 tags
Thems the Breaks
I’ll swat at your toes while you do the dishes if it damn well pleases me. That’ll teach you to make me wait until 5pm for my dinner.
8 tags
Moussaka
A couple weeks ago in cooking class we learned to make moussaka. A Greek dish, moussaka involves layers of eggplant and tomato sauce, which is then topped with béchamel. The tomato sauce is typically a meat or bolognese-esque sauce, made with ground lamb (which I omit). Think lasagna without the pasta. It’s delicious. Better still, moussaka is an easy no-fuss meal to make any night of...
5 tags
Schwag
I came home on Wednesday night to a house loaded with treats: Le Dirt Bag, something I’ve had my eye on for awhile and wouldn’t splurge on for myself; pie! a giant cherry pie for me (my favorite) and a mini apple pie for him; two bunches of gorgeous roses that smell delicious; and a glass of orange soda, which is something of an inside joke (I claim to dislike and disdain sodas in my...
4 tags
I Feel So Special
Apparently Google makes personalized homepages for birthdays now. Wild.
4 tags
Birthday Blooms
Aren’t they gorgeous? They smell divine too.
I am one lucky girl.
7 tags
Goat Cheese and Fresh Herb Omelet
Monday night in class we made ravioli. One of the fillings we made was cheese and fresh herbs: ricotta, goat cheese, basil, thyme, tarragon, chives, and garlic. Most people pulverized theirs in a food processor but I simply minced my garlic and herbs and then creamed everything together by hand. The goat cheese and tarragon were the stars of my version, but the filling can be tweaked in...
5 tags
Peanut Butter Banana Bread
My go-to banana bread recipe is courtesy of Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess. Involving plump raisins that have been soaked in brandy, it’s earned me rave reviews for years.
I have a surplus of rum-soaked dates on hand and was going to substitute them for the raisins in the banana bread but then I remembered who I live with. Dried fruit is not among the items on the...
4 tags
Confessions of a Salt Shunner
I don’t like salt. Never have. We didn’t grow up with salt and pepper on the dinner table — you ate what was put in front of you exactly as it was given to you, with perhaps the condiment suggested by my mother for that particular dish. It never occurred to us to add salt. At four and six and eight you’re so young you don’t question things, and as you grow older...
2 tags
Secret Hideout
Have you tried napping in this thing? It’s like a warm hammock, only much firmer. Terrific lumbar support. And it always smells so fresh and clean. Be a doll and hit the lights, would ya?
4 tags
Don't Make These: Inedible Veggie Burgers
I usually like what I make. Granted, sometimes things aren’t as terrific as I’d hoped, but generally speaking I consider myself a decent cook. Things tend to come out well. Certainly edible. It’s not often I make something that I dislike so much I can’t stand to eat it.
Yeah, well. That’s what happened with my second attempt at veggie burgers. High off my...
7 tags
Quinoa Skillet Bread
I came across this recipe for quinoa skillet bread on 101 Cookbooks and had to make it immediately. Rustic, wholesome, unique — it screamed late winter comfort food. Plus it’s baked in a skillet. Need I say more?
Given the cornmeal and the skillet, I was anticipating something akin to cornbread. Aside from the golden crust and buttery aroma, cornbread doesn’t really...
February 2012
19 posts
5 tags
Stracciatella
Stracciatella is possibly the easiest soup to make on the planet. Really. All you need is stock, spinach, an egg, and some parmesan cheese. It’s ready in about five minutes flat, from the time you open your fridge to the time you sit down to slurp. And it’s really, really good.
Stracciatella is something I learned to make in college, and it fell off my radar some time after...
3 tags
Frank the Tank
I’m sorry, were you trying to be productive?
