organizing my most useful kitchen tools
I love healthy food, but I love it more when it doesn’t taste like healthy food. Best of both worlds! Click around to find some of my tried and true staples - and new recipes too, whether my own ideas, inspired by other blogs, torn from the pages of a magazine, or passed through friends or family. Learn more about me and My Utensil Crock HERE.
!Very. Special. Recipe. Alert! I had not had these cookies in probably 25 years, but when I made this batch and took one bite, I was instantly transported back to my early teens. I don't have many Proustian madeleine moments, but this was a big one. Totally back in Indiana, complete with peg-rolled jeans and intense bangs that were re-styled … [Read more...]
I was so excited to come home to this today. I skipped breakfast and took Tazewell on a nice long walk this morning, and as we started for home, I suddenly wished I had a big salty sandwich. Cravings, man. I thought about stopping at The Italian Store for some prosciutto, but then remembered I had THESE leftovers in my fridge. No, it's … [Read more...]
If I had to pick, potatoes may be my favorite food. Definitely among my very favorite foods. Top three for sure. And potatoes are at their finest when fried. I like the mushy and medium fries best though, not the little crunchy pieces. I mean, I will finish any fries that even slow down in front of me, but I prefer fries to have a little … [Read more...]
I have had this recipe in my electronic "stack of pages torn from magazines" for years and years. This is not metaphorical - at one point, I scanned in like 100 recipes I had ripped out of magazines. It looked good to me, but I always shy away from alfredo sauces at restaurants, because I am sure they are pure cream and cheese. I honestly can't … [Read more...]
Have your tastes changed over the years? My favorite bagel used to be the Egg Bagel. It's possible that you haven't even heard of this variety - they are yellow (sometimes, almost unnaturally so), and for some reason kosher salami on an egg bagel (with NO toppings) was my thing for a long time. I mean, I wouldn't turn it down now, but it used to … [Read more...]
It is usually easier for me to bake bread from scratch than to buy it. I am often ridiculed when I say that. But with this statement, I obviously do not mean that handing a cashier a loaf of bread and a credit card is really difficult, and kneading bread and waiting for it rise and bake take less time than swiping a credit card. What … [Read more...]
I am completely enamored of this recipe. Well, "recipe" is a strong word for it. Trick? Technique? Call it what you will, but in about 30 seconds, you can make scrambled eggs in your microwave. And they are fluffy, and light, and delicious. No oil, just egg. They pop right out! And it won't be rubbery - as long as you don't spread them … [Read more...]
Ahhhhh, yes. I made this. And I ate this. It tasted exactly like it looks. Completely delicious. I have had a stack of tattered pages - recipes torn out from magazines - for years. Every once in a while I cull through it, looking for inspiration and knowing my tastes have changed and that I am likely not going to make each of the … [Read more...]
This is a favorite that always feels fancier than it is. I tore a recipe from a Real Simple magazine over 10 years ago (!), reduced the amount of meat, cheese, and salt, increased the spinach, and have been enjoying it ever since. Ack! Realizing it has been 10 years makes me feel old. Eh, this recipe makes me feel more "accomplished" than … [Read more...]
This post was a long time coming, in a few ways. First, the recipe. Mascarpone Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Hot Chocolate Soup. I first met this recipe in 2008 by way of an early but classic Cooking Club (Hostess: me; Theme: Soup’s On!; Date: 12.07.08). Every recipe in that menu was a soup, and this dessert course did not disappoint. The menu … [Read more...]
