I think I need a little Anguilla therapy session to deal with a severe case of the end-of-winter doldrums. Ahhhhh … much better. Oh, yeah, that’s nice … mmmm hmmmm …*Sigh* While we’re at it, let’s relive our amazing meal at Veya, our favorite restaurant on the island. We even got “our” table again: We ordered the fabulous chef’s tasting menu, courtesy of the talented Carrie Bogar (chef and co-owner). I had to start with a favorite of mine — the Crocus cocktail, this sweet, pineapplely, neon green concoction: First course was an island specialty (done best at Veya, of course) a silky, velvety, slightly spicy cup of pumpkin soup: If…
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The way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach …
After five years of late-night, cooked-to-perfection quesadillas, being the taste-tester for countless culinary experiments and plenty of breakfasts in bed, Dave finally realized he couldn’t live another day without making an honest woman of me—and locking down a lifetime of home-cooked meals. And when it came to the proposal, he knew he couldn’t go wrong by throwing cheese, crackers and champagne into the mix. He did it on the first day of our vacation in Anguilla—a trip full of romance, empty white sand beaches, rum punch and amazing food. I am one lucky girl. We started The Day off with something I’ve been looking foward to the entire year, since…
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The lazy girl’s guide latkes and matzo ball soup and a giveaway
It’s Hanukkah and Dave’s been seriously cashing in on his first year celebrating the festival of lights. He still can’t get over the whole presents-for-eight-nights-in-a-row thing; he hustled me for 20 bucks in his first game of dreidel (beginner’s luck); and he enjoyed a couple of the best dishes Judaism has to offer: Latkes and matzo ball soup. It’s been a lazy couple of weeks for me and the thought of shredding four pounds of Russets gave me a headache. Lucky for me, I had this fabulous Progresso package from MyBlogSpark (Which one lucky commenter will also win, courtesy of Progresso via MyBlogSpark) … … and some frozen hash browns. Soooooo,…
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Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Giving gracias
I’m still recovering from the 48-hour cooking marathon, gluttonous spread and absolute debauchery that is our misfit-full, southwestern Thanksgiving celebration. Let me paint the scene: Colorful characters mingling over excessive amounts of tequila, criminal quantities of turkey (2, 15-pounders and a 20-pounder to be exact), all the trimmings with a southwestern flair, ridiculously perfect, sun-shiny, 75-degree weather, football broadcast on a backyard pool-side cabana bar TV… … and me slaving away in a hot kitchen. I kid, I kid. I have to admit I enjoy it. Besides, if I didn’t cook, we’d be eating pies from Costco (no offense Don) and canned cranberry sauce. OK, so we ate those things…
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Channeling Sandra and Paula
These recipes are actually Paula’s own, but if Sandra Lee and Paula Deen had culinary love children, they’d look something like these. If this sounds appealing to you, read on. If the thought of Sandra and Paula joining forces makes you want to tear your hair out, don’t close that window just yet. Yes, I’ll admit it’s slightly shameful that two of my favorites Thanksgiving dishes involve canned cream corn, frozen hash browns, dehydrated potato flakes and french-fried onions. But I have a sneaking suspicion that you’ll love these recipes too—even if you won’t admit it and have to sneak bites of leftovers by the light of the fridge while everyone…
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Preparing for Thanksgiving
Preparing for Thanksgiving is like getting ready for a big game. You can’t successfully execute without a solid game plan. So huddle up! OK, enough with the bad sports analogies. Let’s get started. Week before Thanksgiving Order your turkey/s—figure about 1-1.5 pounds per person, but if you like leftovers as much as my family, you’ll buy an entire extra turkey Start thinking about your menu. Technically, you don’t have to commit until your grocery store trip, but it helps to have time to brainstorm and not feel rushed Give guests ideas for dishes they can bring Week of Thanksgiving Take inventory—make sure you have the items you need in your…
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Fried Egg Perfection
Anything with the word “fried” in it is good in my book. Anything fried in freshly rendered bacon fat is even better. Our new weekend obsession is a heart blockage waiting to happen, but I’ll risk a triple bypass later in life for this baby. What makes this recipe special are the individual ingredients—so don’t skimp on quality. Fried Egg and Bacon Sandwich You’ll need: good, thick-sliced bread (I’ve used sourdough, ciabatta, and the best yet, freshly baked no-knead bread) cheese (I like cheddar or colby jack) thick-cut bacon fresh eggs salt and freshly ground pepper First, cook the bacon in a skillet and set aside on a paper towel.…
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It’s all Greek to me
I’ve botched baklava before. It’s hard to pinpoint my mistake, as I was in fourth grade at the time, completing an assignment as part of a project on Greece. My mother and I got the recipe from the owner of a local greek restaurant (unfortunately, we didn’t have the advantage of Epicurious or AllRecipes back then) and I’m afraid something was lost in translation. The baklava was more phyllo brick than sticky, flaky pastry. This time around, I had my redemption. Sweet, sweet, sticky, flaky redemption. Baklava You’ll need: several sheets of phyllo dough (one package should do) 3 cups walnuts 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup…
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Happy Halloween
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. But things have been busy the last few weeks, and I haven’t had time for any Halloween-themed cooking. Thanks to Dave’s mom, though, I’m still able to leave you with some creepy culinary inspiration. We got into the spirit with some SPOOOghetti and meatballs, and garlic bread with extra garlic to ward off the vampires. You really can’t be too careful these days with this whole Twilight/True Blood/Vampire Diaries craze. Then we feasted on this brain with some fava beans and a nice bottle of Chianti. Relax, it’s just jello. And these cookies were really finger-licking good … Then it was pumpkin-carving time.…
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Jalapeno green chile corn muffins
For the Northwestern tailgate earlier this month, I attempted to contribute to the festivities and failed miserably. The cornbread tasted great, there just wasn’t enough of it. I placed my puny loaf pan next to the enormous aluminum banquet trays, and I have a feeling it was greeted with deep suspicion. “What the hell is this tiny pan of cornbread doing in our ridiculously giant tailgate buffet? Is this some sort of trick? Is it poisoned??” I have to say I don’t blame them. It was a slightly confusing sight. By the end of the tailgate there was just a paper-thin slice missing from the pan. I should mention that…