who knew that vanilla and potatoes went so well together
A goal for this year was to pull a different cookbook down from the shelf each month and actually cook out of it versus just drooling over all the beautiful photography. So far I have tackled a VERY complicated, but delicious, soup recipe from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc...
a pancake balancing act
Poor pancakes. They seem to have a bad wrap for folks dieting or trying to eat healthy. In general I try not to make any sweeping bans on whole categories of food. I'm a firm believer of everything in moderation (including moderation at some times) because I just...
the string cheese incident – literally
Yeah... that might be kind of a cheesy title, but this is going to be one cheesy post! We have some friends, Sarah & Kramer (referred to by friends as the Kramersteins), that push the definition of "homemade" to a whole new level. So much so that there's a whole...
café fírenze – fabio february
Let's start out by saying I really wanted to love this cookbook. I really did. Too bad it didn't turn out that way. I made it my goal to pull down a cookbook off the shelf each month, dust it off, and make something out of it. For the first month, full of enthusiasm,...
proving once again that everything is better with bacon
I like snacks. They are like fun little presents between meals. Something to brighten up the afternoon doldrums. A mini vacation for both my taste buds and my tummy. But let's face it – a lot of snacks, at least the favorites like chips or ice cream or candy bars –...
like a liquid disco ball
Some people save sparkling wines just for special occasions. Apparently pretty much any day can be special because it's hard for me to pass up the bubbles, and it just got harder. A few weeks ago we were out for a friend's birthday (a special occasion indeed) when I...
cornbread chili cups
For me, the Super Bowl is more about the commercials than the sporting aspect of the event. My other favorite part of this day is the food, of course. This year our game day included a chili cook off and we are certainly not ones to pass up this kind of challenge. And...
ad hoc at home – or – the most complex soup I’ve ever made
I love cookbooks. I love leafing through the pages, looking at the glossy photos dreaming of the dinner parties that I would have. The problem is that I also get a couple cooking magazine subscriptions each month and they are equally enticing. And finally, factor in...
morningstar eggs florentine
A few years ago I signed up to be a BzzAgent. It's a cool program where I am sent products to try and then I report back with how I like them and also spread the word to my friends. It's been a really cool way to try products I might not have otherwise experienced. My...
embracing the stereotype
Let's face it – stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, created by characteristics or behavioral patterns that occur at least enough of the time for it to define that group of people. And while the word "stereotype" might carry a bit of a negative connotation, it...
gifts from the heart… and the kitchen
Just a few years ago, Christmas was all about buying presents and buying lots of them. I purchased for every family member and most of my friends and coworkers. I practically started shopping for the next year on December 26. That's when things were more flush. The...
souper party idea
It seems like each holiday season I get invited to a cookie swap and each year I politely decline. It's not that I'm a cookie hater – quite the contrary in fact. It's just that December is already such a sugar high that the last thing I need to do is introduce dozens...
confessions of a caramel pusher
I try to eat healthy... really, I do. And most of the time, I cook that way too (I mean really... kale and quinoa are staples of my diet – sometimes I even go crazy and put them together!). Oh sure... there's plenty of posts about bacon here but in general, I try to...
butternut squash soup with parmesan & fried sage leaves
There are so many recipes out there that my "to-make" list is longer than most children's letters to Santa, and for that reason, I don't tend to make a lot of things twice. But there are a few rare recipes that are just so good that they are elevated to the select;...
quinoa with kale, squash & walnuts
I have to admit, it wasn't that long ago that I would have scrunched up my nose at the suggestion of eating kale. Quinoa sounds foreign and exotic and maybe hoping to absorb some of those characteristics, I embraced that no problem, but kale, poor kale, fell doomed to...
getting to gnocchi
I always come to a perusing screeching halt when I see gnocchi listed on a menu. What's not to love about these fluffy little pillows of potato usually floating under some wonderful blanket of sauce? Well, except that I always seem to forget how not light they are...
as easy as pie?
I would like to talk to whomever came up with the saying "as easy as pie". Pie is NOT easy. At least not if you're making it from scratch and have visions of it ending up beautifully perfect. Well unless you're my mom – she is the mistress of all things pie – with...
gettin’ figgy with it
Fresh figs are one of those decadent indulgences for me because for a long time, they were only available at the local little CoOp and they were definitely premium priced, so when I saw a big carton of them for a little price at Costco, I snatched them up with glee....