Over the past year, I have noticed myself cooking more and more meat. I don’t know why, I just seem to have moved into a “meat at the center of the plate” mindset. And I don’t like it. Not that I aspire to be a vegetarian; I’m too interested in trying anything and everything to…
Quick Eats: Salami Sandwich with Olive Tapenade
A simple sandwich, but so good I had to share. Actually, I had intended to make ham-and-cheese sandwiches, but the woman at the deli counter was so slow I gave up in frustration. Arne, casting about for a way to salvage the situation, picked up a package of sliced hard salami. “You love salami sandwiches!”…
Quick Eats: Dumpling Soup
I threw this together for lunch today, as I have a million times, and was several bites in before it occurred to me to share it with you! Dumpling soup has been my go-to quick lunch for a long time. I usually make it Asian-style, but it lends itself well to an Italian treatment as…
Butterscotch Pears with Breakfast Couscous
Another beautiful breakfast dish, on a very similar theme to yesterday’s post: fruit cooked in butter and brown sugar, finished with cream, and served over sweetened, milky grain (or close enough to it – couscous is actually a pasta, but is often treated like a grain).To be honest, I’ve never really liked pears. Their flavor…
Oatmeal Goes Luxe: Vanilla Oatmeal Pudding with Fostered Bananas
It seems like I’ve gotten into a rut with breakfast. I have a few go-to standards – scrambled eggs, sometimes with yummy stuff mixed in, bacon, and toast. Pancakes and sausage. Oatmeal with an array of simple toppings and mix-ins. All delicious – especially since I finally found the perfect buttermilk pancakes, which I’ll tell…
Brussels Sprouts with Beurre Noisette
Here is a complex-sounding, really delicious side dish that comes together in less than 10 minutes (once you get the water boiling). “Beurre Noisette” is French for “brown butter,” and it provides a delicate nuttiness that really makes the Brussels sprouts pop. Halve about 10 small Brussels sprouts per person (they needn’t be tiny, but…
Inspiration, continued
I can’t believe I forgot to mention Chelsea Market in my last post! We came into Chelsea Market after walking the length of the amazing High Line park. I goggled as I walked through The Lobster Place staring at the cases full of impeccably fresh fish of every kind I’d ever heard of (plus some…
Inspiration!
Perhaps it was not the world’s most brilliant idea to start a cooking blog days before leaving on a week-long vacation where I would have no kitchen access. However, I certainly did have access to food in New Jersey and New York City! The trip’s culinary highlights: #1, of course, was our blowout, wallet-emptying dinner…
Saffron Carbonara
I have made many variations on pasta Carbonara – pasta with eggs, bacon, and cheese – but this one knocked my socks off. I really didn’t expect it to be magnificent, but it is. Savory and smoky, with a nutty salt tang from the cheese and a gorgeous golden hue, this spaghetti is the epitome…
A continuing venture
I started really cooking while working at an independent bookstore. During slow times – which were many – I worked my way through the cookbook collection. I sat on a high stool behind the counter, copying recipes by hand onto multicolored index cards. The ecstatic response of my constantly encouraging, food-loving sweetheart kept me at…