Since I’m a little behind on my recipe-writing and photo uploading for this week’s eaten-in pleasures, I thought I’d direct you to something I did manage to accomplish: this Brooklyn Based piece on where to find the most clever, crafty, kitschy and most importantly, NOT disposable dinnerware that you can be proud to serve with at your next party.
Next month, I will be both turning 27 and posting the 27th Reason of the Month for not eating out. (Pretty neat collision of life and blog, isn’t it?) Yes, if you can believe it, you’ve suffered for twenty-six rants from the often irrational, at times delirious, and petty tirade-prone mind of this blogger. I thank you humbly. This time, I thought I’d try something new. I’d like to invite anyone to submit their own “Reason For Not Eating Out” … Read More
Whoever said, “a watched pot never boils” clearly does not know the joys of cooking. He or she does not understand the tiny miracles of science stirring in every pot, even before it boils. Never saw the blip of creation right as the first bubble formed against its side. It is like not having watched the sun set.
You know what? After all the lovely compliments you’ve given me on my Orecchiette and Arugula casserole, I’m not sure how it would have fared, head-to-head, with the winner of the fourth annual Casserole Party. Nor the rest of the amazing twenty-eight casseroles that were brought to the cook-off this past Monday. Emily Farris, author of Casserole Crazy, has clearly inspired casserole craziness in Brooklyn since she created the cook-off four years ago. Of the very best kind.
Last year it was the Bodega Challenge, this year it was the instant Ramen-Off, I swear, Harry and Taylor of The Brooklyn Kitchen have a thing for bringing out the best in the worst of foods. Perhaps terrified that I would endanger this reputation by bringing in something awful (i.e. my bodega-inspired Potato Chips au Gratin), they named me judge for this year’s Ramen-Off, held in celebration of the two-year anniversary of the independent kitchen store. Mission accomplished, if so.
This isn’t really a political blog, but in light of recent circumstances (ahem — GObama! — ahem), I thought I’d make a little exception. Because if there’s one thing I learned from the long road to the Presidential election, it’s that food is political. Period. You cannot like arugula, for instance (which ironically was only a peasant food in Italian cuisine until recent waves of popularity), without being “elite” (and possibly, a terrorist). Let’s look beyond that. This casserole combines … Read More
I’ve been bringing roasted beets to work for snacks a lot lately. A lot of people have peered over my shoulder and said, “Oh, beets — how do you cook them like that?” My first reaction, that of a not-so-helpful home cook-ophile, is usually to say, “How do you not cook them like that?” I don’t mean to sound snobbish here. Obviously, I’m writing this post in response to all these requests. But as long as you’re not simmering them … Read More
I can’t over-emphasize the surprise I had last year when biting into my first bit of free-range, organic, all-natural turkey that I’d stuffed and roasted for a Thanksgiving-like feast with friends: Savory. Succulent. Abundantly flavorful. These are words that you seldom think of when you think of turkey breast meat, right? That’s why we traditionally smother it with things like pucker-sweet cranberry sauce and overpowering gravy, and why homes across the country have taken up the turkey brining trend with … Read More
Hi. Perhaps you’re here because you’ve managed to navigate away from Pollster for five seconds, to allow time for some updates to set in. Maybe it’s close to lunchtime, but you don’t have an appetite because you’ve gotten yourself into such a stressful tizzy that your bodily functions are not working quite right, and you’re trying to regain an appetite by checking here for food porn. Or perhaps you can no longer bear to read “real” news, and would simply … Read More
Look, I know we’re all frightened about the economy, but that doesn’t mean we have to resort to eating instant ramen every day… Not convinced? Okay, neither am I. What I meant to say, really, is that you don’t have to resort to eating blahmen every day. As long as there’s still a few leafy green vegetables left to pick, and as long as eggs aren’t a luxury item (which they actually might become soon), you can still cook up … Read More