Some side dishes are place holders — they just occupy a parcel of real estate on the side of the plate without actually contributing anything to the property. (White buns, anemic iceberg lettuce, bland mashed potatoes…) But then some side dishes are so dang good you wish they were the main dish. This is one [...]
As a kid, I always liked marbled pound cakes and swirled cheesecakes. And two-toned frozen yogurts. Somehow, seeing two flavors intertwined on one plate (or in one cone) makes both of them doubly delicious. And you know what the best part is? It’s ridiculously easy to make marbled and swirled desserts — doing so usually [...]
Continue reading about Chocolate & Vanilla with a Berry Twist
“Corned” meatballs might sound odd, but I’m hearkening back to the original meaning of “corned” here, back when corns referred to any small grains. Often, those grains were coarse grains of salt used in brines and pickling solutions. That’s where we get corned beef from — it doesn’t have anything to do with the kind [...]
Good bacon goes with everything — I have a sneaking suspicion that bacon ice cream would be a hit. (Especially if you paired the bacon with pecans.) When I say “good” bacon, I’m referring to bacon from pastured hogs that snort and snuffle about on an actual farm. You can find this kind of bacon [...]
There’s a new crust in town, and her name is Polenta. She’s an oldie-but-goodie — although polenta dates back to Roman times, it’s still on market shelves today. It’s basically a cooked cornmeal mash. Originally, it was served as more of a porridge; nowadays, it can be cut into slices and then grilled, or it [...]
Crunchy lettuce is great…but so is wilted lettuce! Lettuces with a faint bitterness/pepperiness to them — arugula, watercress, frisée — are especially good complements to savory dishes. Plus, because they wilt so quickly, they’re a snap to toss into a sautée or stir-fry at the last minute. Just the heat coming from the pan and [...]
Maybe it’s a childhood memory or maybe it’s something I dreamed, but it seems to me that super-tiny shrimp were popular in cold salads when I was a kid. I have absolutely no idea what they were called…I just remember thinking they were the cutest things ever. Can’t remember what they tasted like, either.
Whether it [...]
Egg poaching is generally a three-step process: first, you boil water; next, you crack an egg into the boiling water, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer the egg for 3 minutes, occasionally skimming a slotted spoon around the edges of the pot to make sure the egg isn’t sticking; finally, you [...]
Grocery stores ought to have an aisle labeled “Truly Scary Food-Like Substances.” That aisle would contain low-fat flavored yogurt (the majority of which contains a host of unpronounceable sugars and fillers), low-fat salad dressings (ditto), breakfast cereals (up to 40% sugar), breadcrumbs (the ingredient list is the entire length of the can!), and croutons (more [...]
When I get on a kick, I get on a kick — I can happily eat the same thing for several days in a row if I like it. It’s even better when the dish/ingredient being eaten is multipurpose-able. After all, leftovers are the ultimate convenience food!
Crepes are my most recent food fixation: first the [...]
