jekyllian

photo friday

2011-09-23T11:59:00.001-04:00

photo friday

2011-09-09T14:19:00.000-04:00

between the table and the kitchen

2011-09-06T11:55:00.000-04:00

I don't remember when, exactly, it happened, but around the end of July I found a recipe for vegan cinnamon rolls. I mentioned this, casually I'm sure, to Daniel, who pounced on the idea. I made cinnamon rolls for Christmas a few years ago, and they were (if I may say so) pretty damn good. I was excited to find a recipe that was not only vegan but also mentioned Cinnabon in the post.

An aside: when I was young, my mother and I would go on shopping days, and we would almost always get a roll or two from Cinnabon in the morning. In college, far from my mother, I recruited one of my best friends to go on Cinnabon expeditions with me. I have similar fond memories of meatballs subs from even younger days at the mall in New York.

Anyway. I was excited, Daniel was excited, I bought all the necessary ingredients. Let me remind you: this was the end of July, maybe the beginning of August. I did not make them. I kept on not making them, for various reasons. I started a new job, so I didn't want to use my precious weeknights for such a time-intensive project. I was tired. I didn't want to be stranded by myself in the kitchen for such a long duration.

It's like I had forgotten how much I love baking.

So when Daniel suggested I start making the dough while he made dinner on Sunday night, and I felt myself warm up to the idea, I made myself do it. I ran back and forth between the table and the kitchen, with its woeful lack of counter space, proofing yeast and melting margarine and measuring flour. As soon as I had the dough in my hands, I remembered. I remembered how much I love making food, how much I love baking in particular.

We ate dinner while the dough was rising, and Michael came over to hang out. He and Daniel sat around in the living room while I flattened the dough into a rectangle, melted more butter, spread the cinnamon-sugar over the melted butter. I filled pans full of a melted butter and sugar mixture. I waved off the offers to help and finally I rolled the dough and cut it, filling three different pans full of rolls. Then into the refrigerator and onto washing some of the mountain of dishes I had made.

The next morning I slept in a little, still waking before Daniel, and tried to quietly pad around the apartment until it was time to put the rolls in the oven. It was a great way to start the holiday.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Here at VeganYumYum

A note: heed the warning not to add liquid to the icing. It does, in fact, come together with a lot of elbow grease.

rabbit rabbit

2011-09-01T09:45:00.002-04:00

oh, september.
i'm so glad you're here.

photo friday plus

2011-08-19T11:24:00.003-04:00

I miss the days of endless time
when I could write or clean or make food
all on my own schedule.
Yes, I am glad to be employed
but (poor libra me) the balance seems off, now.
It'll just take time, is all.

a little update

2011-08-16T09:58:00.001-04:00

and, just like that, employed again. funny how things work out.

photo friday

2011-07-29T10:35:00.002-04:00

starting to put film shots up.

what a good place

2011-07-26T09:34:00.004-04:00

I went away for a little bit. A digital shot from each day at Indian Lake can be found here, but I also took 7+ rolls of film, so I'll be uploading pictures probably for the rest of the year. Which is nice, in a way, because I'll be able to look back and remember what a good place that is.

photo friday

2011-07-08T09:56:00.003-04:00

ever since the move,
I've been wandering around
taking photos of this new space
where I live.

holiday special

2011-07-04T13:31:00.003-04:00

this holiday has always been about something different for me, i think:
it has been about celebrating my own independence.

regardless of what it means for you, i hope your holiday is a good one.

all these things

2011-06-28T09:21:00.000-04:00

There are many things about moving that are awful and stressful. You know, switching the bills, changing your address, packing. Figuring out where to get a bunch of boxes. All these things.

But one thing I am appreciating in this move is an opportunity to purge things that I either have no use for or haven't used in a while.

Not the books, though. Don't be silly.

any of it

2011-06-24T10:53:00.002-04:00

Three years ago today, I moved to DC. It seems crazy, that so much time has passed. My life before DC seems so faraway, so out of reach. Which is not to say that my life here is not good: it is so good.

Yes, I'm still unemployed - or, as I like to say, I am a full-time writer and photographer who makes her money from unemployment. Yes, there are stressful decisions which have to be made in the next couple of months. Overall, though? I wouldn't trade any of it. Life is good.

another return, sort of

2011-06-08T17:04:00.003-04:00

Oh, dear. It's hard to get back into the swing of this whole blogging ordeal. (The fact that I call it an ordeal may give you a hint into my mind-space regarding it.)

But here I am, regardless. Today I am too tired, up late reading - because when my mind gets a hold of fear it does not let go, and the only solution for it is a book. I fell asleep with one at my side like a security blanket. It was good, in a way, because it reminded me that I am still capable of that, of taking care of myself.

None of this is what I came here to tell you.

There are new photos in the etsy store, because despite it all I am still trying to be an artist in the eyes of the world.

photo friday

2011-05-20T10:40:00.001-04:00

it's hard to get back in the habit of this, but i'd like to try.

on two years

2011-05-12T16:07:00.000-04:00

Oh, my poor neglected blog. It has been two years since I started this little experiment, and the results have been mixed. It is hard work, maintaining a blog, harder than I imagined when I signed up for it.

I am still unemployed, but I have plans for the etsy store and I am trying to be better at both writing and photographing. It's hard, but I know it's worth it. I think I can do it.

photo friday

2011-04-08T17:33:00.001-04:00

photo friday

2011-03-25T11:28:00.001-04:00

it's funny how different a creature vegan baking is, and how similar.

photo friday returns

2011-03-18T14:08:00.003-04:00

we'll see what else returns.

just another step

2011-03-15T10:36:00.004-04:00

(Some of you may have seen this message once, or twice, or maybe even three times, and I apologize for that. Also, I realize that it's been a while. I apologize for that, too.)

Hi friends!

So as it turns out, I got fired last week. I'm hoping to turn this into a positive thing, so I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that I have some prints for sale in my etsy store. I am also willing to do photos on commission and working out the details individually, especially if you are in the DC metro area. (It should be mentioned that I work primarily in film photography.)

Just another step toward taking myself seriously as an artist.

old standards

2011-01-26T11:38:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay, I know: I have been kind of bad at this, lately. It's not that I'm not making delicious food, it's just that the delicious food we make is, well, now a rotation of old standards. We make pasta al bianca, tacos, and lemon pepper pasta on a fairly regular basis.

So what I am proposing is this: a break. Just a little one, until I have more recipes in the reserves to post. Until then, seriously, check out those recipes above. They are so good.

photo friday

2011-01-14T10:18:00.002-05:00

it's not until tomorrow, but: happy birthday, daniel!

a doozy

2011-01-11T13:14:00.002-05:00

no recipe today.
there is a picture everyday, though. find them here.
and next week, well. it'll be a doozy.

photo friday

2011-01-07T15:21:00.002-05:00

and more proof of how photogenic connecticut is here.

distractions in the kitchen

2011-01-04T12:20:00.001-05:00

I was chopping vegetables for dinner on Sunday night.

There is nothing unusual about this statement; the sous-chef duties usually fall to me. I chop and mince while Daniel adds everything together in a pot or pan. He asked me, on this night, if I was okay with continuing this. Yeah, of course, I said. After all, I've known for quite some time that in our little duo, I am the baker.

"But you're a good chef, too," he said. "That lemon pepper pasta was delightful."

I don't undertake major cooking endeavors, for the most part. Scones, cookies, breads, cakes - these are the projects that interest me. And most of the cooking projects I do involve doughs, anyway, like pot pie or spätzle. Every so often, though, I do cook something, and that lemon pepper pasta was such a time. So on Monday night Daniel took on my usual sous-chef chopping while I cooked the vegetables (almost burning them because the last time I made the dish I did not have any distractions in the kitchen).

Here is the nitty-gritty: make this. It is simple and delicious. The flavors are bright enough to perk up these days of winter.

Spicy Lemon Pepper Pasta
adapted slightly from here

You'll notice there aren't really amounts here. If I were better at crafting recipes, there might be, but I'm not baking here, after all. Part of the fun is splashing in a little of an ingredient, then a little more if it needs it. Exercise caution at fist - you can always add more, but it's hard to take out some if you've splashed too much, say, lemon juice in there.

pasta - I use penne when I make this
olive oil
broccoli florets
about half a jar sun-dried tomatoes
hot pepper flakes
lemon juice
salt
black pepper

Boil some pasta. While that is happening, chop up the broccoli and the tomatoes. Pour enough oil into a wok to coat the bottom of it, then toss in the broccoli. Cook at medium-heat for a minute or two, then stir in the tomatoes. Let cook - without stirring - for another minute or two before stirring. Repeat this process of waiting and stirring until the broccoli is bright green and the tomatoes have regained some of their color.

If you've timed this exceptionally well, your pasta will be ready to drain. Make sure it is well-drained, then add it to the wok. You may need to add some more oil - only enough to lightly coat the pasta. Add in a splash of lemon juice, to taste. Add in salt and pepper, also to taste.

Et voila. Serve and enjoy.

happy holidays

2010-12-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

happy holidays, everyone. back in the new year.

photo friday

2010-12-17T13:29:00.001-05:00

so easy to slip

2010-12-14T11:15:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I've done this - since I've started crafting a blog post before the day I posted it. I started this as a way to escape my job, the worst job I've ever had, and Tuesdays were always the worst. (Tuesdays are often still the worst. I've never had much luck with Tuesdays.)

I started this as a way to chronicle being good to myself. It has since shifted purposes, a way for me to catalog the food I make and the people I make it with and for. Sometimes these are the same.

The thing is, it's hard. It's hard to be good to yourself, and so easy to slip. It's so easy for me to distance myself from what's happening, either by narrating in my head (writing without paper or a keyboard) or by putting the camera to my face (capturing in a different way). It's hard, sometimes, to just be. (A second after that photo, Johanna admonished me: can't you put the camera down, you jerk? Yes. Yes.)

It's about balance, just like everything else is. Andy - born exactly one week before me - and I have had many conversations about what it means to be a Libra, and it always comes back to balance. Keeping the scales in check.

--

I'm ridiculously lucky, you see. I have a fairly well-paying job, a tiny-but-cozy apartment, and some of the best people to call my friends. (Sometimes my brain counters all of this with anxiety attacks. It's been doing that a lot this past week.) These people gathered in that apartment for the fourth annual Friendsgiving, a tradition that Daniel, Johanna and I have carried with us from Greensboro.

Friendsgiving has always been a small(-ish) affair. Back in 2007, when we had the first one, there were only six of us. I don't remember the next one very well, though I'm sure we had one - I wasn't yet comfortable in DC, not entirely, and my photography had fallen by the wayside. It serves as a reminder of why I do this: I'm terrified of forgetting.

Anyway, this year there were five of us, two cooks (guess which two), two bottles of wine, a vegan pot pie, identity crisis potatoes, asparagus and peppers, and an apple pie. Everything was consumed. Seriously. The only leftovers we had were the vegetables we couldn't fit into the pot pie, and those were turned into a delicious stir-fry.

After the pie, the second pie, the boys went to retrieve a card game from down the street and while they did that, Johanna and I revisited our first Friendsgiving. Namely, we took a picture of ourselves on my couch, just like we did three years ago on her couch in Greensboro. Have I mentioned how lucky I am? I am so unbelievably lucky, for these people. I'm not trying to brag, it's just that sometimes I need to remind myself. It's been one of those weeks.

Anyway. I'm trying to focus on the good, and not the anxiety threatening to tip the scales.

Vegan Béchamel

Recipe - I'm pretty sure the only adapting we did was to use rice milk instead of oat milk. Oh, and we also left out the nutmeg.

And here's the recipe for the pot pie. If you need a reminder on how to make the crust vegan, check out the other recent pies. Otherwise, replace the Mornay sauce with the above béchamel, and you should be set!

photo friday

2010-12-10T14:08:00.002-05:00

I know I said I'd have a Friendsgiving post for you today, but alas and alack, the photo processing machine broke and so my pictures weren't developed. Annoying!

photo switcheroo

2010-12-07T15:22:00.002-05:00

I will post about Friendsgiving on Friday, when I'll have the photos developed. (Also I will eventually post that stir-fry recipe. I swear it.)

Also, I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to my dear friend Danielle. Here's to knowing each other half our lives!

photo friday

2010-12-03T13:48:00.002-05:00

finally got new film developed.

a familiar feeling

2010-11-30T11:15:00.005-05:00

It's convenient that I post recipes here on Tuesdays, because Mondays - successfully reclaimed, also known as party Mondays - have become a time when we experiment with new food.

(Well, mostly. Last night it was this fettuccine dish again. I love it so much. It has definitely managed to become a dish we make frequently. Please try it. It's so good.)

Here is a confession: most of this is Daniel's doing. He, after all, is the cook out of the two of us. (I am the baker. This may be obvious from reading this blog.) It's become a familiar feeling, to be standing at my counter chopping vegetables while Daniel stands at the oven sauteing something. We make a fair amount of stir-fries, so we also strive to make them new and exciting.

Those are the ones that make it to the blog.

Daniel's Peanut-Ginger Stir-Fry
adapted from Daniel's scrawled notes

SAUCE
3/4 c. vegetable stock
1/8 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. white wine
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp water
3 tbsp minced ginger
2 hot peppers
4 cloves garlic
minced green onions

STIR-FRY
chicken-style seitan
peanuts
broccoli
pepper
onion

If you are eating rice with this, start preparing that now. If, however, you are going to eat cous-cous with this, as we did, save that until the end. Cous-cous takes startlingly little time to prepare.

Combine the stock, soy sauce, wine, sugar, cornstarch, and vinegar. In a pan, heat up some oil and toss in the ginger, hot peppers, and green onions. After a little while, add the stock mixture and cook on high heat until done.

In a separate pan, saute all of your stir-fry ingredients and add the sauce. Make your cous-cous. Serve the vegetables and sauce over your rice or cous-cous.

black friday sale!

2010-11-26T00:02:00.000-05:00

Dear reader, because I am so thankful for you, I am offering a sale (only for blog readers) in my Etsy store. Just enter in the coupon code "BLACK30" to get 30% off any photo!

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful!

the potential of pumpkin

2010-11-23T10:47:00.005-05:00

I've written about pumpkin before. Like, pretty frequently, I realize. It's just that I love pumpkin so much, and I hadn't even fully comprehended that until maybe last year. Pumpkin pie was always my favorite, you see, but I had never realized the potential of pumpkin.

So, here's the deal: Thanksgiving is a matter of days away. The day after tomorrow, in fact. It seems a little silly to give you a Thanksgiving appropriate recipe so close to the holiday, but you know what? I'm okay with that. (There is also the recipe I was going to post last week, but hopefully Daniel will understand that pie takes a priority this week.)

I was worried about my vegan baking mojo, you see. There were these vegan peanut butter cookies attempted that never got past the crumble stage to become batter. But I've made this pie crust enough times at this point that I feel comfortable with it (thanks, Michael Ruhlman, and your ratios). And the filling was simply a matter of measuring and mixing.

The pie has to sit overnight, so if you are going to make it for any kind of Thanksgiving feast, make sure to make it - well - tomorrow, I guess. Unless you are doing like us and having a second Thanksgiving. (We call ours Friendsgiving. This will be our fourth annual one. I'm so excited! You'll almost certainly hear more about it.)

Because it has to chill, I kind of forgot about it. I know, even though there was an entire pie sitting in my refrigerator. So Daniel and I, celebrating nothing other than party Monday, ate pumpkin pie at approximately 11 PM. (Reclaiming Monday was a great idea, you know. You should all try it. Mondays are pretty awesome now.) And what a good decision that was. Granted, neither of us could finish the slices we had because we were so full from dinner, and there was a hint too much molasses in it, but still.

You can't really go wrong with pumpkin pie, no matter what time it is.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie
adapted from here

I would recommend decreasing the molasses a little bit, as it comes through quite strongly in the finished pie. I'm also sure you could use another kind of non-dairy milk if you'd prefer something other than rice milk. Enjoy!

CRUST
1 stick margarine, cold or frozen and cut into small pieces
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. ice water
pinch of salt

FILLING
2 c. pumpkin puree
1 c. rice milk
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

To make the crust, rub the cut-up pieces of margarine in the flour until you have pea-sized chunks. Slowly add in the ice water until the mixture becomes dough-like. Add in the pinch of salt. Knead until it comes together. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to roll out.

Mix together all the ingredient for the filling in a large bowl. Stir until blended completely.

Roll out your crust, if you haven't already. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Pour the filling into the crust and bake for about ten minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 50 minutes. Let cool on a baking rack, then refrigerate overnight.

photo friday

2010-11-19T11:12:00.001-05:00

photo tuesday, oops

2010-11-16T11:37:00.004-05:00

So, I don't have a post for you today, not because I don't have a recipe but because I forgot the pictures of it. Alas and alack!

Hopefully this photo will make up for it. It's kind of my favorite right now.

a good feeling

2010-11-09T10:16:00.004-05:00

Monday has changed. It used to be a day of dread, the start of the work-week, not something to be enjoyed. It's only been a few weeks since we first reclaimed Monday, but the changes were immediately apparent.

Mondays are still the beginning of the work-week, obviously, but now we look forward to what will happen when the day is done. Namely, making delicious food and drinking some wine with dinner and - now - watching the new episode of The Walking Dead. (Note: probably a good idea not to eat and watch at the same time.)

The story is basically the same: Danielle and Daniel decide on a delicious thing to make, and make it. What I like about this story is that it keeps happening, and because it keeps happening, the food we make gets better. I think we started out being pretty good at making food, but we are getting even more awesome at it the more we keep at it. Which is a good feeling.

So last night we made risotto, which neither of us had made before, and which was simple (albeit time-consuming). It was a comforting sort of food, thick and creamy, and probably better suited to the depths of winter instead of the surprisingly warm night on which we ate it. Our original idea was to have the veggies as a side, but we quickly abandoned that because they tasted so much better together.

Sun-dried Tomato Risotto with Asparagus and Bell Pepper
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

4 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 c. arborio rice
8 whole sun-dried tomatoes
1 c. white wine
7 c. veggie broth
white pepper
cumin
fresh basil, chopped

1 bunch asparagus
1 bell pepper
3 (more) cloves of garlic
cayenne pepper

Heat your broth in a pan and set it aside. In a large pot (or wok, like we used), heat the butter and the oil together. Add in the diced onions and the minced garlic - you'll want these to be chopped pretty finely, since the goal is for everything to meld together deliciously - and cook for a few minutes on medium-low heat. Add in the rice, stirring gently for another couple minutes until the rice is covered in the butter-oil mixture. Pour in the wine and mix until the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Toss in the chopped tomatoes.

One cup at a time, add in the broth. After each cup, stir until the liquid is absorbed. It's insane how much liquid the rice takes in, but keep going. Pretty much you keep doing this until the rice is done. You'll know when it still has a toothsome quality, but is not crunchy. You can add in the spices (cumin, white pepper) really at any point during the broth process. Stir in the basil when finished.

About ten minutes before the rice is done (you'll have to guess on this - and probably the veggies will be done before the rice), start preparing this veggie dish, with only one bell pepper. We didn't use cumin in these this time because it went into the risotto itself.

Serve together. Yum!

the surprise

2010-11-05T11:29:00.003-04:00

Okay, I am nervous and excited to take this step, but here goes nothing. My Etsy shop has gone live. Now you can buy prints of the photos I take!

There are only a few photos up there now, and I'll be adding some periodically.

plotting.

2010-11-02T13:20:00.001-04:00

No recipe today, dear reader, but hopefully I will have a surprise for you on Friday!

photo friday

2010-10-29T11:23:00.002-04:00

got a canon ae-1 as a belated birthday present.
see the results of my first (successful) roll here.

eat more pie

2010-10-26T11:28:00.001-04:00

I do this thing, when I make a new dish, where I get really nervous it won't work out and then try to lower everyone's expectations regarding the dish. I start to fret, and then I voice my concerns, which are usually just "what if I messed something up."

After a trip to Pennsylvania, I came home with a bag full of apples, from the orchard next door to my grandparents' new (-ish) house. Pie was the obvious solution, but I am - confession time - not a big fan of pie. (Pumpkin pie is the exception. I love pumpkin pie so much.) I forget sometimes that other people kind of love pie. So when I asked Daniel if he wanted some of the pie I was planning on making, he answered, "Obviously," and I felt a little sheepish.

I'm not sure why I never got that into pie. I think it was something like raw fruits were fine, why would you bake them into a pastry? I know, I know. That's a weird thing to think. I recognize that.

Maybe it just took baking one myself. Because seriously, despite all that above, I kind of loved this pie. I stood in the kitchen eating pie out of the pan. Just a tiny slice, to see if it passed. Fresh from the oven. I served Daniel and Michael and hurried back to eat more pie.

The pie was gone by the end of the night.

Vegan Apple Pie
adapted from Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman

One of the best things about this pie is that it really highlights the apples. You know, like it should. The crust wasn't sweetened, in a serendipitous mistake. As Daniel said, "it's not like a sugar-punch to the face." It won over Michael, who is also not a big fan of pies. All in all, a winner.

Also, if you're not making this for a vegan audience, you can happily use butter. It should be noted, however, that I've made it both ways and I could not tell you which was more delicious.

3 medium-to-large apples
2 tbsp sugar
cinnamon
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 sticks margarine, cold or frozen
1/2 c. ice water
pinch of salt

Peel and chop your apples. I like to have small, bite-sized pieces in my pie, but feel free to chop to whatever size you desire! Place them in a medium-sized bowl and toss in the sugar and a couple shakes of cinnamon. Mix with your hands and let sit while you make the dough.

Measure out the flour into a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small pats and rub into the flour until you have even smaller pea-sized pieces. Slowly add in water until the mixture starts to become dough-like. Make sure not to overwork the dough - knead it just until it comes together. Split the dough into two.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

On a floured surface, roll out one chunk of dough. This will be your bottom crust. Go ahead and place the rolled out dough into your pie pan and remove the excess dough around the edges. Put the filling inside. Now comes the fun part: you can choose what kind of top crust you want. You could simply roll out the other chunk and have a plain crust (making sure to make some slits for the steam to escape), or you can make a lattice crust, which is what I did. For that, roll out the second chunk of dough - I did this a little at a time, so I didn't overwork the excess dough. Using a knife or a pastry cutter, cut some slices of dough. Place them on top of the filling, weaving them as you go.

When you're done, place the pie in the oven and bake until the crust is golden and flaky.

reclaiming monday

2010-10-19T09:19:00.004-04:00

We were seduced by taco night.

It's just - that taco filling is so good! And tacos are so easy! And we get two or three entire meals out of them! And did I mention how good they are? So good. But yesterday Daniel lamented, "We have been corrupted by tacos. I miss culinary adventures already."

Which is how we wound up reclaiming Monday.

It wasn't exactly something we set out to do. We were at the supermarket, hoping to find all the ingredients for our meal, since even though we discussed it we did not have a back-up plan - and the next thing you know, Monday night feels like the weekend. The bottle of wine helped with that, but it was also simply the attitude with which we approached the evening.

It wound up being a really good night: we made delicious food (which I promise I will tell you about in a second), drank some okay wine, took a short walk, and hung out until midnight! On a weeknight! I know, we are pretty crazy.

So, this food. The recipe we started from called it pasta alfredo, but let's face it. This dish is delicious, and vegan, and also not fettuccine alfredo. I think it might actually be better than most of the fettuccine alfredo I've had, because it involves way more interesting ingredients. Some of which, granted, are kind of weird and may take a little snooping around in your supermarket to find. (A hint: nutritional yeast can be found in the bulk aisle of Whole Foods.)

It was so good that I went back for seconds while Daniel was finishing up his first bowl. I kind of want some right now, just writing about it. The weird ingredients are worth it, trust me. Make this. It is super easy and so g.d. delicious.

Fettuccine in Bianca
adapted slightly from here

1 c. rice milk
1/3 c. raw unsalted cashews
1/4 c. nutritional yeast
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp tahini (heaping)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
a couple shakes of nutmeg
a couple cloves of garlic

Add all the ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth. Done.

Prepare some fettuccine. Drain. Put back in the pot you used to cook the noodles. Pour the sauce over. Use medium heat and cook until warm.

We also added some broccoli, which was the right decision.

photo friday

2010-10-15T11:52:00.001-04:00

placeholder

2010-10-12T13:46:00.001-04:00

No food today - there were tentative plans to make something delicious once I returned from my trip north, but I was exhausted after driving all day. So, instead, have some autumn!

photo friday

2010-10-08T10:53:00.002-04:00

pumpkin gnocchi

2010-10-05T09:28:00.005-04:00

October is here, and that means sweater weather and pumpkin dishes. (You know, like, pumpkin cheesecake...mmm.)

I'm not sure where the idea for pumpkin gnocchi came from, exactly, but once it did, I sort of fixated on it. Which was a problem, seeing as I couldn't find pumpkin puree in the stores and didn't want to mash up a pumpkin on my own. So we had taco night. Problem solved!

...Except that I was still fixated. I wanted to make that pumpkin gnocchi. Pumpkin was finally found in the store, a big 29-oz. can of it, but it still took us a while to actually get around to make it. (There was a pretty awesome home-made General Tso's stir fry in there, too, but my contribution to that was really just chopping.) But make it we did, and then we gobbled it right up.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce
adapted from here

15 oz. pumpkin puree
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
dash of nutmeg
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1/3 c. melted (vegan, in this case) butter
about 7 minced sage leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced

Combine the pumpkin, flour, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and pepper, until everything is incorporated. Take about a handful of the dough and, on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a rope about an inch in diameter. Cut the rope into pieces about an inch wide.

Get some lightly salted water boiling in a large pot. When they are ready, pop the gnocchi into the water. As they cook, prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a small pot. Add in the sage and the garlic; let simmer for a bit.

The gnocchi will be ready when the float at the top of the boiling water. Remove promptly and mix with the butter. Serve - with parmesan if you're not vegan!

a big claim

2010-09-28T10:17:00.006-04:00

Sometimes it's hard to tell a story; here, on this blog, usually because it boils down to "Danielle and Daniel hang out and make delicious food," and while I enjoy that story, I feel like I've told it many times.

So let's begin somewhere else: taco night. Taco night has always been one of my favorite nights, and aside from ordering tacos at local chains, I haven't had one in a long time. Becca and I talked about it once, I seem to remember, but it never came to fruition. I thought about just having one myself, but taco nights are not really a solo activity.

Dear reader, I actually wanted to be telling you about pumpkin gnocchi right now, but alas and alack, the supermarket was out of pumpkin puree (and I really didn't want to go through the effort of pureeing my own pumpkin). There we were, in the supermarket, trying to figure out what to do for a delicious dinner.

We finally wound up in the Mexican food section, deciding on tacos, and gathered our ingredients. Later, in the kitchen, Daniel asked if I wanted to take pictures, "in case you want to blog about it." I didn't think I would be here telling you about tacos. I mean, they're just tacos, right? Wrong. In this case. The filling for these tacos surpassed my wildest expectations, as well as - I know this is a big claim - any previous taco nights.

Seriously. It was that good. Because we made a huge batch, a second taco night needed to be arranged. Immediately. (It's tomorrow. What a good birth-week!)

Daniel's Amazing Taco Filling

1 package veggie "beef" crumbles
1 can refried black beans
1 bell pepper
1/2 white onion
about 1/2 can chipotle peppers
a couple cloves of garlic

First, chop up the bell pepper, onion, and garlic. You'll want fairly small pieces so that they incorporate into the filling. You can chop the chipotle peppers now, too, but you'll want to throw in some of their juices once you start mixing everything together.

Next, pour some oil into a pot that will be able to contain all the ingredients. Start by browning the "beef" crumbles slightly, then add the onion and the bell pepper. When the onion and bell pepper are almost done, add in the chipotle peppers and the garlic. After a minute or two, add in the refried beans. Cook until hot.

Now all you have to do is grab your other taco condiments (we used salsa, guacamole, and both regular and vegan cheese) and you're ready to make your tacos! Yum.

photo friday

2010-09-24T10:16:00.001-04:00

starting to change

2010-09-21T10:50:00.008-04:00

Change is on my mind a lot, lately. It's autumn, first of all, so even though the forecast for tomorrow is 90F (ugh), the breeze is still cool and the leaves are starting to change. Autumn is a good season for change, after all - but then again, what season isn't?

There are plenty of changes happening within my circle of friends, but the one that concerns this post is really Daniel's veganism. See, I have long had plans for making ice cream. These plans have never really come into fruition for one reason or another (usually my own laziness, let's be honest) - and technically they still haven't.

I found the recipe below on a blog I read regularly, and promptly sent it to Daniel, figuring he'd be interested in it. And he was, along with the suggestion that around this we create an elaborate vegan meal. This meal was to include plantain empanadas with refried beans, chipotle mashed potatoes, and some sort of stir fry.

Well, dear readers, there's a reason you're not reading about any of those today. I mean, they were all fine - and the latter two were certainly very spicy - but the empanadas, which were the most complicated, aren't really worth the complications. They basically caused Daniel and I to swear off baking with plantains, especially after they nearly destroyed my (tiny, granted) food processor and actually destroyed one of my spatulas with the frying.

(Note: the chipotle mashed potatoes were pretty awesome. To make these, simply make mashed potatoes and then stir in as much of a can of chipotle peppers as you'd like. Easy!)

The dessert, though - that turned out pretty much perfectly. Granted, it is a little weird: all the flavors go together, but the fact that it's frozen is just, well, weird. Don't let that stop you from trying this, however, because it's still quite tasty!

Avocado Ice Cream

Recipe

photo friday

2010-09-17T15:22:00.001-04:00

autumn is here.
things are good.

holding on

2010-09-14T09:37:00.006-04:00

Despite the fact that the forecast is predicting temperatures in the 80s this week (and the week after), I am resolutely holding on to Autumn. After all, mornings and evenings are still cool, and the breeze still carries autumn with it, even with high temperatures.

So I made bread.

Even though by the afternoon the heat was in full force, I made bread with my windows open. It felt good to make something again. When Andy came back from New Mexico, he asked me what I'd been baking over the summer. "Nothing," I told him, somewhat abashedly. Aside from the complicated emotional pattern I had fallen into, there was also the fact that my time was spent hanging out with friends who were coming back, who were going away. There was no time for baking.

Bread is one of my favorite things to bake. I know that yeast scares people, but I can't imagine why. Maybe I've just been lucky - I've never really had any problems with yeast. My own patience, sure, but not actually working with yeast. You'll also remember how much I love quick breads. This bread is somewhere in between the two. It rises in the oven, getting the yeast from beer, so you cut out that step of leaving the dough somewhere to rise for an hour or two.

Plus, it makes your kitchen (or whole apartment, if you're me) smell absolutely delicious. And it tastes pretty good, too!

Cheddar-Dill Beer Bread
adapted from here

I used Blue Moon for the beer here, which is a Belgian-style white. Feel free to use whatever beer you think would go with cheddar and dill, though!

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp dill (dried)
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 12-oz. beers

Open one of the beers. Take a sip. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Mix all the dry ingredients and the cheese (or, everything except the beer) together in a large bowl. Slowly pour in the beer, mixing as you go. If the dough hasn't come together entirely, pour in a little from the second beer until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated. Enjoy the rest of your beer.

Pour the dough into a greased loaf pan; I used a 9-inch pan for this, which worked out well. If you've poured in a little of the second beer, remember that the bread will rise higher from the extra yeast in the beer. It's important to take this into consideration. Bake for 45 minutes.

Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then outside the pan for another 10 minutes. Enjoy!

photo friday, belated

2010-09-10T12:01:00.000-04:00

september

2010-09-07T10:30:00.003-04:00

The wind is ushering in autumn, and I can feel everything changing. Whatever else 2010 has been and will be, it is certainly a year of great change in my life.

photo friday

2010-09-03T12:01:00.001-04:00

a funny bias

2010-08-31T11:00:00.001-04:00

Last week, Daniel asked me if I could bake a cake for Jo's birthday party. Which, you know, is not a huge deal. I could bake a cake in my sleep. But then he asked if it could involve sweet potatoes.

This was a surprising request, because, well, I had no idea that cakes could involve sweet potatoes. A quick google search told me that yes, that is a thing. Daniel even went so far as to provide a recipe, which was vegan. (Daniel's new-found veganism might mean you will see more vegan recipes on here. It might not. Y'all know how much I love butter.)

There is a funny bias against vegan baked goods. By and large this is changing, with the popularity of places like Babycakes up in New York, but it still exists. People don't expect vegan baked goods to be delicious and moist like non-vegan baked goods.

So I was nervous. I've never baked consciously vegan before (though now I have a label for any vegan goodies on here [note: some of the items on that page do have butter, but as it's for sauteing, you can substitute for olive oil]), on top of which I always get nervous when I bake something new. And on top of all of that, I was bringing this to a party where many people I did not know would be partaking of this baked good.

All my nerves, as usual, were for naught. I iced and decorated the cake (okay, that part I was actually excited about) and jerry-rigged a carrying case out of a plate and tin foil. When I unveiled it, before most of the guests arrived, those in attendance seemed impressed with just the description of what it was. Once the cake was cut and served, people incredulously asked, you made this? The most impressive victory was over those who are most certainly not-vegan; John Paul noted that usually vegan baked goods are dry and not-so-good, but this was moist and delicious.

So there you have it. This is a vegan cake to win over non-vegans. It's a little bit more work than I usually like in a cake, but it's worth it, especially if you want to be able to serve those of your friends who don't partake of dairy.

Sweet Potato Cake with Almond Milk Icing
adapted heavily from here

for the cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ginger
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 (15 oz.) can sweet potato puree OR 2 medium sweet potatoes
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla

for the icing
2/3 cup margarine
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tsp vanilla

If you, like me, cannot find sweet potato puree and are using sweet potatoes, chop them up in fairly small pieces, bring some water to boil in a large pot, and let them sit in there until they fall apart effortlessly.

While that is happening, or if you were lucky enough to find a can of puree, mix together in a large bowl the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

When the potatoes are falling apart, beat them into a puree, either by hand or with a mixer (because I was short on time, I used a mixer). Add the wet ingredients to the mix: puree, water, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Stir well and divide the batter between two cake pans. I used nine-inch pans, but feel free to use whatever you have, depending on the type of cake you want.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick/knife comes out clean. I allowed my cakes to cool overnight, but they need to be completely cool before you ice them. The original recipe recommends 15 minutes in the pan, then 10 minutes on a wire rack.

For the icing, beat the margarine with a mixer for about 30 seconds, then add in the milk. Feel free to add the vanilla at this point; the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons, but I just eyeballed it. While mixing, slowly add in the powdered sugar. Please note that you might not need all 4 cups of powdered sugar. I only measured out three and barely used all of it. How much you use depends on what consistency you want as well as how sweet you would like the icing to be.

Now for the tricky part: creating the layers. Using a large knife, slice the top off of one of the cakes. This will make the cake more solid and steady, which you will appreciate later, trust me. An illustration:

Once you've done that, spread the icing on the top of the bottom layer. Carefully place the other layer on top, and continue icing. Decorate if you'd like, or serve and enjoy!

photo friday

2010-08-27T11:16:00.000-04:00

photo friday

2010-08-20T09:39:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned my friend Katie in this space before - when I first made scones, I thought of her and her warning from Africa that I would turn into a scone if I didn't stop eating them all the time.

Hopefully she won't mind me saying this too much, but she is also a fantastic artist. (I am lucky enough that many of my friends are. Now if only they'd all stay in one place...) It would be very easy for me to get started talking about art and its importance and the way we tell stories and how necessary they are, but really what I want to do is point you in the direction of the stories we tell each other, Katie's new blog. There really aren't words for how much I love this idea, and how excited I am to see where it goes.

(Speaking of stories, it's only right to mention that it is C.T.'s birthday today. Happy birthday, old man.)

photo friday the thirteenth

2010-08-13T09:57:00.002-04:00

taking refuge

2010-08-10T10:34:00.003-04:00

I've had this window open for almost an hour, not knowing what to say. I am having a rough time of it this summer, and the past few weeks have been non-stop. We have welcomed friends back and sent them away, and though I tattooed a creature of transition on my body, I am tired of the transition. I am tired of starting over. I know I am not done yet.

Meanwhile, I have been taking refuge in comfort food, hearkening back to the boring white food of my youth. I am eating pasta dressed only with olive oil, black pepper, and parmesan. I indulge in vanilla ice cream, with a crumble topping. You can see why I haven't been updating - I can't remember the last time I looked at a recipe or a cookbook.

There are twenty recipes marked unread sitting in my email, though. (What a weird time we live in - it used to be clippings sitting on a counter somewhere, now I've got recipes in emails.) I'm hoping once my emotional life settles down and the weather starts to cool off, I'll be back in the kitchen, creating.

photo friday plus

2010-08-06T12:32:00.002-04:00

Our last Thursday coffee.

Like I said on flickr: there is so much to say that I can't say any of it. You will be missed, friend.

photo friday: maine is so photogenic

2010-07-30T08:19:00.001-04:00

a brief missive

2010-07-27T11:45:00.003-04:00

In Maine. As C.T. said, it is for me.

photo friday

2010-07-23T10:10:00.003-04:00

like a snake

2010-07-20T13:18:00.005-04:00

This summer, it seems like it's much easier for me to share photos rather than words. It's a summer of great change, both within and without, and sometimes I feel myself shimmying out of my old skin like a snake. I've been writing more in my diary, and less on the internet.

That feels healthy, right now.

Like I said last week, I'm not giving this up, not quite yet, but it may change. At least until fall, when I can hunker down and bake things comfortably again. For now, though, I am excited because my friend returns today. The past few years have been full of going away, so it's nice to have some coming back.

photo friday

2010-07-16T15:21:00.000-04:00

new again

2010-07-13T09:43:00.005-04:00

It's a funny thing, this blogging experiment. It's writing, for sure, but it's not really the kind of writing I've always wanted to do. I've never wanted to be a food writer, and honestly, I still don't want to be a food writer. My heart is with fiction.

I'm not giving this up, not quite yet, but I don't feel as compelled to write here every week. Especially not in summer, when most of the meals I eat don't require recipes.

But some of them do have recipes, even if they are simple ones, and this is what I bring you today. For the summer, Jo is working on some city farms, and so there was loads of fresh basil that needed to be used up. You may be able to guess where this is going.

There was something pleasant about chopping while Daniel pulled basil leaves, a kitchen camaraderie that has built up over time.—See, the problem I am facing with this blog is how to make all this new again - I have written many times about cooking with Daniel, about how food brings us all together, about how joyful it is to share a meal with friends.

Everything is changing this summer, though, and it's hard to write about it. It's a hard summer in many ways. Not even the kitchen, not even baking, can help. Like a snake, I am growing out of my old skin. It's a painful process sometimes.

Anyway, this is barely a recipe, but because we used the best ingredients, it was so delicious. I went back for seconds, which isn't something that usually happens.

The Best Pesto
adapted from Orangette

2 c. fresh basil
2 tbsp pine nuts, heaping (we probably used closer to 2 1/2 tbsp)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. grated Parmesan

Here's how simple this is: you can chop the garlic if you like, and you should really use the good Parmesan and grate it yourself. But really, it's mostly important to make sure the basil and Parmesan are tightly packed cups. Then dump all the ingredients into a food processor (or blender, as we used here) and blend. I believe we used the "puree" setting. And voila, you've got pesto! Serve with pasta.

photo friday

2010-07-09T10:27:00.002-04:00

Sorry, dear readers, for abandoning you this week. The heat has sort of forced me to shut down, especially in the kitchen. Hopefully that'll change soon!

photo friday

2010-07-02T10:41:00.003-04:00

This month I've also got a habit, thanks to habit blog, which you should check out all the time anyway.

back to spring

2010-06-29T09:41:00.002-04:00

Well, dear readers, here we are at post no. 100. Today I bring you something I've been keeping to myself for almost two months. (Seriously, how is June almost over? Can't we go back to spring? I liked spring. It was pleasant. Stupid summer.)

Daniel and I were at the supermarket, in early May, shortly after I had gotten my first issue of Bon Appétit. We had already decided on avocado quesadillas for dinner - and oh, goodness, looking back at that post makes me want one right now. Mmm, avocado.

Anyway, we were talking about dessert and, well, you know how it goes. You see a recipe, it gets stuck in your head, and you can't think of anything else. That's what this crumb cake did to me. It looked so good, and I could think of nothing else I wanted to make for dessert.

It took two extra trips to the supermarket, which C.T. valiantly took upon himself to do. It also needed to bake for longer than I realized, and made way more cake than I anticipated. What can I say, I hadn't read the recipe that clearly before it got stuck in my head. Luckily, it all turned out for the best: we had cake that night, even though it wasn't until at least 10 pm. Daniel said it tasted like his momma's crumb cake, which is quite a compliment.

Crumb Cake
adapted from Bon Appétit

Right before making this cake, I had a conversation with the ever-delightful Abbi about the search for a recipe that uses all four sticks of butter that come in a package. This one comes close, with three and a half. Don't let that scare you off, though, because this is kind of amazing.

for crumb topping
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, melted
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

for cake
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp.
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

First mix the topping: blend the white and dark brown sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Add in the melted butter; blend. Then add in the flour and stir with a fork until clumps form. (The amount you'll have may be more than you want to use on the cake. I used the extra as an ice cream topping, which is also pretty delicious.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

If you have a 13x9 baking pan, grease that. I do not, so I used a 9x9 and a loaf pan. (I realized belatedly how much cake this makes.) Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter till smooth. You could almost certainly do this by hand, but I used my electric mixer because I was in a hurry. After each addition, beat: sugar (until fluffy), eggs (1 at a time), sour cream and vanilla (just until blended). Add the flour mixture in three groups, beating well after each addition.

Transfer the dough to your baking pan(s), making sure it spreads evenly. Use your hands to clump and spread topping over the cake. There will be a lot of topping, so don't worry when you cover the whole cake. It works best with a lot of the crumble.

Bake the cake for about 1 hour, or until the topping is a deep brown and crispy. Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes.

Serve as dessert or breakfast; it's delicious either way!

photo friday: summer's here

2010-06-25T09:42:00.002-04:00

a stable foundation

2010-06-22T10:00:00.002-04:00

Dear readers, it is time for me to admit what may have been obvious for some time: I am severely uninspired right now.

I'm not sure if it's that I've been doing this blog thing for over a year now, or that with the onset of summer I don't particularly want to turn my oven on, or maybe even the fact that this Thursday marks two years since I moved to DC. It's funny to think that two years have passed since I came here with only a duffel bag, relying on the generosity of friends. So much has changed since then.

Cooking is certainly one of those things, but luckily for me, my friends haven't really changed. The ways we interact with each other, sure; our relationships have not been static and continue to grow and change. It's just that underneath that we have a stable foundation. I know that I will be friends with these people for the rest of my life.

So when Daniel called me on a Friday night and said only, "Pot pie," I knew what to do. Well, okay, I knew what to do once we decided whose apartment to cook at (his, since he had all the veggies). It took us a while to actually get started, which meant we ate dinner around nine, but that sort of epitomizes summer, for me.

Here is another thing that hasn't changed in these two years in DC: I still get nervous when baking something new. Right up until we started eating, I was fretting that maybe the crust would be awful, or too buttery (I mean, there are two sticks of butter in that thing, which is kind of a lot), or just plain bad. It was not. It was pretty delicious, if I may say so myself. We even had it the next day for lunch.

Rustic Veggie Pot pie
adapted from Ruhlman's Ratio and a couple recipes from Joy of Cooking

for the dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks butter
1/4 ice water (approx.)
pinch of salt

for the filling
(all of these should be about the same size)
1 medium-sized potato
carrots
broccoli
1 bag frozen peas
onion
garlic

for the sauce
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp a-p flour
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheese (we used cheddar)

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

To make the dough, mix in the butter with the flour in a medium-sized mixing bowl, rubbing it in with your fingers. If you carefully read directions, you would have cold butter cut into small pieces. If you are like me, however, you will make small pieces with your fingers while mixing it in. And the butter will not be as cold as you realize it should be. Even if you are like me, this pie dough will turn out fine. Trust me. You should have pea-sized balls of butter, much like making scones. Slowly add the ice water, just a bit at a time, working the dough just until it comes together. Add the salt and work just a little bit more. Separate the dough into two equal pieces and refrigerate.

Because we're making a potpie, you'll need to blind bake your crust. Take one of the dough balls out of the refrigerator and roll it out. Place the dough in your pie tin, then line with aluminum foil and something to weighted - we used another, smaller pie tin, but you could use pie weights (which are made for this) or dried beans. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes. If you time it right, the other parts of the equation should be ready to go as well.

We did a quick saute of the vegetables, throwing them in based on how long they need to cook. So, in this order: potatoes, broccoli, carrots, peas, onion, garlic. You'll need a pretty big pot (or wok, which is what we used) to contain all of these, or I suppose you could use a couple different ones. Whatever works for you!

For the Mornay sauce, you'll start by making a roux, which just means you will melt the butter in a saucepan, then add in the flour. Stir the roux until it has blended together - this shouldn't take too long. Remove from heat and add in the milk, slowly. Once you add the milk, bring the pan back to a simmer, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Turn the heat down and slowly add the cheese in, while still stirring. When the cheese has melted, remove from heat.

Roll out the second ball of dough; this will be the top crust. Pour the vegetables into the bottom crust first, then the cheese sauce, and finally top with the crust. Carefully trim the edges of the top crust and make some slits for steam to escape.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool, and enjoy!

photo friday: drinkin' outdoors

2010-06-18T10:26:00.001-04:00

seemed so fancy

2010-06-15T09:55:00.000-04:00

Sorry, sorry, obviously I am kind of a failure at this blogging thing sometimes. It's just that life comes up - sometimes Blogger vexes me to no end, or I forget my card reader, or I have to get home, wash dishes, and then scurry to the market to gather a few ingredients for potpie. (Probably you'll read more about that next week.)

The first time I had chocolate mousse, I was about eight or nine, and on a cruise. This cruise also saw my first karaoke, which was with a couple other girls to "It's My Party (And I'll Cry If I Want To)." I blame being nine.

I don't remember much else of the cruise - those two firsts, some nice beaches, and a stop in port where women desperately wanted to braid my hair. This was about the time I went to YMCA summer camp, and hair-wraps were super popular. I may have gotten that done, though my hair was long enough (and uncurled, even longer) that it may have been prohibitively expensive. I certainly got it done at summer camp.

Honestly, though, what I remember most is that chocolate mousse. I think it stood out because it seemed so fancy. It wasn't plain old ice cream, or frozen yogurt, or cake - it was kind of unlike any dessert I had experienced yet. It seemed like the sort of thing that ordinary people couldn't make.

I don't even really like chocolate desserts that much, if I can make that confession. But when I saw the recipe for chocolate mousse on the back of the Ghirardelli wrapper, I made sure to tuck it away. Maybe this was something an ordinary person (namely, me) could make. When I had bought heavy cream for the ice cream that never was, I realized I had to use it for something before it went bad.

So I did.

Chocolate Mousse
adapted from Ghirardelli

4 large egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 bars baking chocolate (I used Ghirardelli's 100%), finely chopped

special equipment
hand or stand mixer

Whisk the egg yolks together in a small bowl for about a minute, or until they come together thickly. Slowly add in the sugar, continuing to beat.

Heat up one cup of the cream in a saucepan - you're not going to boil it, just get it hot. This shouldn't take very long, but be careful. Temper the eggs by stirring about half of the cream into the mixture, then add back into the saucepan with the rest of the cream. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens (this should take about five minutes).

Let the mixture cool for ten minutes, then blend in the chocolate. Cover and refrigerate for two hours.

About fifteen minutes before the two hours is up, throw a medium bowl in the fridge to chill. When that's chilled, use a mixer to beat on high the remainder of the cream (1 1/2 cups), producing - ta-da! - whipped cream. (Usually I am all for doing things by hand, because I hate pulling out the mixer and then cleaning it, but honestly, it is super hard to, uh, whip by hand. You can certainly try, but it will take approximately forever.) The cream should be thick but airy and using the mixer, it will only take a couple minutes on high to produce.

Gently mix about half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, until blended. Carefully fold in the rest of the cream until that too has been incorporated into the mixture.

This makes an awful lot of mousse, so be sure to invite some people over to foist it on!

photo, um, tuesday

2010-06-08T09:08:00.003-04:00

Well, dear reader, I don't have a recipe quite ready for you today, so I thought I'd do a little switcheroo and have that for you on Friday, and photos today! Wacky!

photo friday: some urban exploring

2010-06-04T11:46:00.002-04:00

rabbit rabbit

2010-06-01T10:43:00.002-04:00

I've been meaning to tell you about these for a while. I had planned to give them to you as part of the one-year celebration, but instead you got a May Day meal. I felt pretty good about that.

I wanted to make ice cream this past weekend. Theoretically, at least. The idea of making (and then having) homemade ice cream was pretty appealing. But Saturday rolled around and my day was spent writing things down, my evening with friends. Then Sunday came, feeling more like a Saturday in the three-day-weekend, and C.T., Daniel, and I were sitting in my apartment.

I brought up ice cream, but then didn't really feel like making it. "Guys," I said, "I don't know what I'm going to bake for my blog."

But then! Inspiration! What better for a Memorial Day celebration than cheesecake? (Honestly, what situation is not improved by cheesecake?) So we took a little field trip to get caffeine (some of us may be addicted) and pick up the ingredients I didn't already have.

I did already have the tiny mason jars, mostly because a couple months ago Daniel sent me a link to one-serving pies in half-pint jars. Clearly I needed to make one-serving cheesecakes. Like I said, what situation is not improved by cheesecake? What is particularly great about the mason jar servings is that you can freeze them and bring them out whenever you want. It's kind of perfect for someone who, oh, I don't know, usually bakes in fairly small quantities, usually for herself and her friends.

And if I may brag a little, these little cheesecakes are good enough to inspire conversations about taking them to market. They hit just the right spot on a hot and humid summer day.

Mason Jar Cheesecake

for the crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp melted butter

for the filling
16 oz cream cheese, room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream, room temp.
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

special equipment
4 half-pint mason jars, washed

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and the melted butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of the mason jars. Place the mason jars on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until blended. Then add in the sugar, flour, and vanilla. Next beat in the sour cream. (I did all this with a wooden spoon and there were still some chunks. This is okay! You just wind up with a more rustic cheesecake. It's still delicious.) Finally mix in the egg until blended. Pour into the mason jars, over the now-baked crust.

Put the mason jars (on baking sheet) back into the oven for about 40 more minutes. When done, let cool for about ten minutes and then carefully screw on the lids to the mason jars. You can now freeze them, if you're not going to eat them soon, or just refrigerate overnight.

flashback photo friday

2010-05-28T10:20:00.002-04:00

For somewhat explicable reasons (namely, a trip back to Guilford), I have been super nostalgic lately. I may have gone through some old photos. (I may have also found a floppy disk of photos. Talk about flashbacks!) So I present to you Mike, one of the only people I have pictures of doing the same thing in such a time span, playing piano almost six years ago and then almost two weeks ago:

(If you would like to see me as a first-year baby, check this out.)

some variety

2010-05-26T09:10:00.004-04:00

I have maybe not been the best blogger lately, I realize. I have excuses, though! First a trip down South, then, um, laziness?

It's not even that I didn't have an opportunity to cook, either. We gathered at C.'s apartment for dinner on Friday night, but given the ingredients he already had (and what I was willing to buy), I decided to go with the old standard busy-day cake. And while I love that I have "old standard" anything at this point, it doesn't exactly make for good blogging.

So I thought, well, I need lunch for this week, I can totally whip up something for Tuesday!

...Alas, I was wrong, dear reader. As it turns out, I am not super-industrious in the mornings before work, even when lunch and (self-imposed) deadlines come into play. Tuesday morning I was supposed to bake the bread for my sandwiches and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So into the refrigerator went the dough, and off to work I went.

Making lunch in the morning is not my favorite activity. When possible, I prefer to make it the night before or - horror of horrors - eat not homemade goods. (I know! Shocking! But come on, hummus and pita chips are a tasty meal. And so is Amy's frozen mac and cheese.)

But I figured a late blog post is better than none, so this morning I rushed into the kitchen to make myself a sandwich. Now, I'm not actually a huge sandwich fan - especially eating at sandwich joints, where the vegetarian options are usually TBM or all the veggies. Those are both great options, don't get me wrong, and tomato-basil-mozzarella has a very special place in my heart, but a girl likes some variety.

Enter the farmer's lunch sandwich.

Farmer's Lunch Sandwich, á la Danielle
adapted from The Kitchn

bread (see below)
1 apple - I used a pink lady, because I love them
3 tbsp lemon juice
sharp cheddar
lettuce
honey mustard

First, prepare the bread. I baked up some focaccia dough, shaping it into a ciabatta. (Or, um, a rectangle, instead of a round.) If you don't feel like baking bread, though, just pick up a baguette or ciabatta at the store.

Slice the bread - I sliced into four quarters, then through the middle to make a sandwich. Spread some mustard on both sides of the bread. Cut the apple into thin slices, then toss them in the lemon juice and place on the bottom slice of bread. Next place some lettuce on top of the apples. And finally, cut some slices of cheese and put those on top of the lettuce. Then the other slice of bread, and you've got a sandwich!

Wrap in wax paper, if you're not eating immediately.

photo friday: ninety

2010-05-21T13:55:00.001-04:00

A brief ninetieth post, featuring porch-sitting. Enjoy!

so caught up

2010-05-18T11:06:00.004-04:00

My goodness, apparently I got so caught up Friday morning preparing for my trip I forgot to post! And so since I have no recipe for you today, let's share a photo. (It has been like this in DC for approximately ever at this point. Except Friday afternoon, when I had to gallivant all over Georgetown for a wedding present. Sigh.)

going back south

2010-05-11T09:11:00.005-04:00

Well, dear readers, I don't have much of a post for you today (but there is something of a recipe, don't worry). This is mostly because I am trapped in a barrage of trip-planning - I'm going back South for the weekend!, among other trips this summer - and that is, well, a little stressful.

So for right now, just have this little guide to avocado quesadillas. (Because apparently two other quesadilla recipes aren't enough. Duh.)

Daniel's Avocado Quesadillas

2 large avocados (or 3 medium ones)
1 medium onion
shredded cheese - we used pepperjack and cheddar
minced garlic - as much as you desire
tortillas

Prepare the avocados by basically making guacamole. (And let me amend: lime juice is key for tasty guac. It just is.)

Dice the onion, and slightly carmelize them. Throw in the garlic for about a minute and then pull off the heat.

Pour a little oil into a frying pan. Using low heat, warm the tortilla and sprinkle the cheese on top of it. When the cheese has melted a little bit, transfer to a plate. Add some of the onions, and spread the guacamole, before folding.

You will need a knife and fork to eat this. It's a little messy, but also absolutely delicious.

photo friday: the one year celebration continues

2010-05-07T09:39:00.002-04:00

So, in the spirit of celebrating a year of this blog, I figured I'd share with you a (scanned! thanks, Jo) polaroid from the trip that comprised the first few posts here. (Though, uh, I really like this this self-portrait, too. Mostly because of that dress. Maybe someday I will stop talking about that dress.)

still unaware

2010-05-04T10:33:00.000-04:00

It's been a year, dear readers!

Well, just about, anyway. A year ago tomorrow I made my very first post here. I had just started getting into cooking, still unaware of the hold it would get on me. I had no idea how much I would love kneading dough and pouring batter. I had no idea I would read a book on cooking ratios in a night.

A year ago I never imagined Daniel and I would be cooking fancy meals together, much less that we would go into the supermarket and buy what we needed with our good looks. I mean, that we would go into the supermarket without a plan, and make up a menu as we went.

It started with that pinnacle of spring produce, asparagus, to which we added a variety of colorful bell peppers. Dessert also came together in the produce section; first we thought dessert should just be a simple bowl of fruit. Me being me, of course, I saw little dessert cups and got inspired.

I've been wanting to cook with rhubarb, the darling of food bloggers everywhere, for some time. We had already grabbed some strawberries, so, really, how could I resist the pinkish stalks of rhubarb? I had no plan, just the knowledge that strawberry-rhubarb is a classic combination.

We kept everything a secret from our fellow diners until serving time, so forgive me if, um, I keep some secrets for a little bit. (Though my pictures may give it away.)

My favorite high school teacher, Doc, once told our AP Language class that "every meal is a communion." He was talking about literature, of course, and how everything an author chooses to include in the narrative should have importance - hence every meal being shown having the importance of Communion. The same is true in life, though, or at least has the possibility to be true.

It took a while for me to get from that statement to actually preparing and eating a homemade meal with friends (though college potlucks came close, even with their boxed macaroni and cheese). And let's face it, friends are why I do this. I don't imagine that any more than a few readers are people I don't know. But there are only a few people I'm able to cook and bake for, because of distance, so this is a nice way to share my newfound love of baking with them, too.

Don't get me wrong, our entire meal was not homemade. We bought local, fresh pasta and tweaked some of Newman's Bombolina sauce to go with it. (We made it spicier, obviously.) I did not make the ice cream - though that's on my list of things to challenge myself with. That's not the point. The point is making delicious food and sharing it with friends.

Asparagus with Peppers, Cumin, and Cayenne

There aren't a lot of amounts here, I know, and that's partially because Daniel made this (and isn't online to chat about how much he used) and partially because a lot of this is to taste. For instance, we are really serious about garlic. I think I minced half a head of garlic.

1 bunch asparagus
3 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow)
butter
garlic
cumin, to taste
cayenne, to taste

Chop all of the asparagus in half, making sure to also cut off the ends. Then chop all of the peppers into comparable slices. Mince garlic - as much as you want!

Start sauteeing the asparagus in butter. After a few minutes, add in the bell peppers. When the vegetables are nearly done, throw in the garlic and season to taste. Keep sauteeing for a few minutes more.

Rhubarb Compote
cribbed from Bon Appetit

You could eat this plain and I'm sure it would be good, but really, you owe it to yourself to pour it over some vanilla ice cream. It's kind of perfect. I've also seen similar dishes with ricotta cheese or yogurt. But really, who can pass up ice cream?

1/2 lb rhubarb
1/4 c sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Cut the rhubarb into 1/2-inch slices or chunks. Toss in a saucepan with the sugar. Add butter and vanilla. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then cover and let simmer until rhubarb is tender. (Don't forget to stir occasionally while it simmers.) Transfer to a bowl and chill for about 2 hours.

Serves 4 perfectly, when served over ice cream.

photo friday: happy beltane eve!

2010-04-30T10:31:00.001-04:00

This roll was pretty much a bust, but I am into these two.

at last

2010-04-27T07:28:00.004-04:00

It is a well-known fact that I like cheese and that I like quick breads. After all, the very first food post I made here was about cheese scones.

So when I saw a recipe for cheesy popovers, I was intrigued. I didn't really know what popovers were, but they sounded easy enough. Months passed, though, before I got around to attempting them.

You may remember that attempt. It was not exactly a success, though unlike some other kitchen failures, it was edible. And then like a crazy person, I tried again the next night. Still nothing.

I wasn't ready to give up on these yet, though. So I went to the source: Joy of Cooking. It's only steered me wrong once, and I can forgive it that. Their recipe laid it all out: no peeking. None. Not even a little bit. It had specific baking times. I mean, come on, it's one of the most famous cookbooks for a reason.

That is what I am talking about! Look at that! Popping! That, dear reader, is a baking victory. And those always feel good. (Yeah, those ones in the front of the picture did not pop. I got ambitious in the amount of popovers I tried to make. As it turns out, you cannot make an entire muffin tin's worth with this batter. C'est la vie.)

I wanted to make sure, though, that it wasn't just a fluke. So I made them again, and sure enough, they popped. Here is the key, though: no peeking!

Parmesan & Thyme Popovers
idea from White on Rice Couple, recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking

1 c. milk
1 tbsp melted butter
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tbsp thyme
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450°F. Grease a muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, butter, flour, and salt. Be careful not to over-mix; it should just start blending together. Beat in the eggs one at a time, again being careful not to over-beat. Stir in the thyme. The mixture at this point should not be too thick.

Drop 1 tablespoon of the batter into half the spaces on a regular muffin tin. (This makes eight popovers - though if you prefer or want smaller popovers, you could eke out twelve.) Sprinkle the cheese on top of the batter, distributing evenly, then top off with the rest of the batter.

Bake for 15 minutes. At this point, turn the temperature down to 350°F and bake for another 20 minutes. And this part is important: do not peek. Seriously. It will bring you nothing but heartache and unpopped popovers.

Serve warm.

(But don't listen to them when they say they are only good hot. I accidentally left the tin out while I hung out with Daniel for the afternoon, and came back and, um, ate them all. They were delicious.)

photo friday and an update

2010-04-23T09:53:00.002-04:00

I know I said I would update you on the lunchability of the quesadillas, and let me tell you: it is high. If I were grading it, I would give microwaving them for lunch about a B. Next time I think I'll try the toaster oven in the office kitchen.

And now, two favorites from my latest roll:

rearranging of priorities

2010-04-20T09:07:00.004-04:00

Well, dear reader, I have looked at this blank screen for a while and still I'm not entirely certain what to say. I mean, don't get me wrong, I have a nice little recipe for you, but I seem to have been taken over by writer's block.

And honestly, writer's block may or may not be a real thing, as the wonderful Marion Roach says. In my case, it may simply be a rearranging of priorities: I have been focusing on fiction-writing lately. Of course, here I am, writing about not-writing, so the point may be moot.

Here is the thing: I like simple food. Especially on weekdays, when I am tired from work and do not especially feel like preparing an elaborate meal for one. Lately, though, I started reading The Kitchn blog, which has been doing a whole segment on "three square meals" - which has got me thinking about things. I bought a bunch of bananas (for a dollar! How are bananas so cheap?) to have for breakfast. And I stumbled upon this genius idea during lunch week: freezing quesadillas for lunch.

I think you can guess what had to be done.

Unfortunately I won't be able to tell you if they make for a good lunch, since I will be having lunch with the boys. I'll update you tomorrow.

I can tell you this, however: these are delicious. As in, when I was done eating them for dinner, I was daydreaming about eating them for lunch. They are seriously good.

Black Bean Quesadillas
beans adapted from Orangette

cheddar cheese
tortillas
olive oil
1/4 large yellow onion
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 (heaping) tsp hot sauce*
1 garlic clove
1 can black beans

* This makes for very mild beans, though I admit I may be biased, thanks to Daniel. I even added more than this, and it wasn't spicy enough. So use your judgement!

Grate some cheese (I used cheddar, but feel free to use whatever you prefer!) and set it aside in the refrigerator. Dice the onion, as finely as you want chunks in the beans.

Pour enough olive oil into a saucepan to cover the bottom. Warm the oil on medium heat, then toss the onions in. Cook them for a while, until they are beginning to caramelize. Then it is really just a matter of tossing and stirring well after each addition: the cumin and oregano, hot sauce, garlic, then the beans and the can-juice. Reduce the heat a little and cook until the beans are warm and soft. Add salt (or additional hot sauce) as needed. (I used the Whole Foods brand black beans, and they were ready in no time at all.)

Turn the heat off and set the pan of beans aside. Grab a skillet, the tortillas, and the cheese out of the fridge. Set up your quesadilla-making station. (It really does help to have everything set up, so you can make as many as you want smoothly.) With these, it's best to keep the cheese to one side and the beans to the other. It's good to keep the beans not too close to the edge, or they'll spill out when you flip the quesadilla.

photo...sunday?

2010-04-18T11:33:00.002-04:00

I was so excited about it being Friday on Friday that I forgot all about this! So, here, have some more spring (I am trying to enjoy it before summer descends with its awful heat):

hardly seems possible

2010-04-13T09:07:00.003-04:00

Hello there, dear readers. It feels like it's been a while. It's only been a week since I really wrote here last, and two since I shared a recipe, but it feels longer. Time! It is a pretty crazy thing!

Time has sort of been wigging me out lately. April has never been a good month for me, and this year April is the month before two years since I graduated from college. It hardly seems possible. I am still in an office job (albeit a better office job than I had before), still living a life against which I had railed so hard. I have unwittingly become a part of those mass of men that Thoreau talked about.

Baking helps. Watching ingredients react with each other, slowly become dough, is a kind of magic. A very domestic magic, but still. Over the past year I have only gotten better at it. I only mean to toot my own horn a little, and let me tell you, it's better than the alternative, which is me moping.

It's easy to mope. This is not how I saw my life, ever. Two years out of college, and in an office, not back in school, not doing something related to my majors. It is harder to be grateful. The rejection letters from grad school propelled me to DC, where I may not have found the ideal job but I did find amazing people. I found within myself a love for baking.

It is harder to be grateful, but better. I am trying to keep this in mind, especially during this time when everything is changing.

And besides, if I hadn't come to DC, I might never have made these biscuits.

Biscuits
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
3 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 425F.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Melt butter and set aside. (I just put the butter in a small oven-safe dish and popped it in the oven for a couple minutes. Easy!)

Fold the cream into the dry ingredients. The dough may be a little crumbly, and that's okay. Because next you're going to turn it onto a floured surface and mold it into a round, flattening it to about 3/4 inch. Cut into rounds, about 2 inches in diameter. (I don't have a biscuit cutter or anything, so I just used a whiskey glass. See picture above.)

Place the cut-outs on a lined baking sheet (with parchment paper or a Silpat). Brush the melted butter on the tops of the biscuits-to-be.

Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

Note: These are best served hot, but they also make for a delightful little breakfast the next morning. I like to make a sanwich out of them. Enjoy!

photo friday: loving film

2010-04-09T11:07:00.003-04:00

So, uh, I love film, as you can probably tell, but this is the first polaroid I've posted! Probably because I don't have a scanner, and taking a photo of polas does not usually turn out well.

again

2010-04-06T09:05:00.002-04:00

It's hard for me to say this, but I've got to: I, um, don't have a recipe for you today. I know, I know. I wanted to get that out of the way first.

I've been trying this new thing, where I make a recipe at least a couple times before throwing it up here. I used to just be so excited that something worked pretty much 100% that I would post it no problem. But I keep doing more and more complicated things, or at least things that do not necessarily work out on the first try.

So instead, here is a peek on what I am working on perfecting:

That's right. Popovers. Still. I am determined to get these right. I'm pretty close. At least they are popping now, right? Right.

Um, single-serving cheesecakes in tiny mason jars. What else can I say?

So next week I should hopefully have a recipe for you. Unless this heat wave kills me first.

photo (good) friday

2010-04-02T09:16:00.002-04:00

In the spirit of last Easter, a photo of friends at a monument. (Also, I am really into this Diana Mini. Like, two rolls in as many weeks into it.)

notably not

2010-03-30T09:54:00.000-04:00

In trying to decide what to write about this week, I had narrowed my selection down to two choices. Then I remembered that today would be the day after Passover started, and my choice seemed pretty clear.

Now, I am notably not Jewish, though I wanted to be as a little girl. My parents had bought me - and ostensibly my brother, I suppose - a children's encyclopedia set, and one of my favorite activities was reading about different religions. (Yeah, in retrospect that major in religious studies seems like a given, even if it was kind of a surprise at the time.) I don't know exactly what about Judaism appealed to my elementary school self, but boy did it. Rosh Hashanah coincided with my birthday when I was maybe ten, and I was so excited I decided to fast. It lasted until lunchtime, I think.

The religion still maintains a little of that charm for me. Seder, for instance, is pretty much the best in my opinion. And since I don't have one to go to this year, I had to improvise.

I realize that latkes - or potato pancakes - are usually more Hanukkah food than Passover, but, um, I love them so much. (This should be no surprise, after my valentine to potatoes.) After all, what is better than starch, salt, and oil? Not much, I'd wager.

These were one of my first food ambitions; I had latkes two Hanukkahs ago and needed more of them in my life. Why it took me so long to get around to making them I'm not sure. I already want to make them again. (Well, except for the fact that my apartment still smells like fried potatoes and oil. It's...well, it's not the best.)

I wish I had a better picture of the finished product for you. I may have been able to take a better one, if I hadn't kept eating the latkes right off the paper towels. They are so good. So. Good.

Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

2 potatoes
1/4 c. yellow onion
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 egg

Peel and grate the potatoes, making sure that you get medium-to-large shreds. Place gratings in a bowl lined with paper towels to start draining. You'll want to continue to wring out the potatoes until they are as dry as you can get them.

When dry, place the potatoes in a large bowl. Add finely chopped onions, salt, and pepper - mix, using your hands if you like. (It's kind of fun, albeit a little messier.) Then add the egg, stirring to combine.

Coat a frying pan with oil and let it heat up a little. This part is a little tricky if you're not careful, because you don't want to splatter hot oil on yourself. Spoon about a tablespoon of the batter into the pan and flatten into a little pancake. Repeat the process to fill up your pan. Fry for about five minutes on each side, until brown.

Serve hot, traditionally with sour cream or applesauce. Makes about 8.

photo friday: spring + diana

2010-03-26T10:38:00.002-04:00

take two

2010-03-22T10:12:00.006-04:00

I am happy to report that the official onset of spring(!) also ushers in the fact that I can bake with chocolate.

It was the best sort of weekend, the sort that makes you feel kind of invincible. (Especially compared to the weekend before that, which was good but left me feeling more vulnerable than invincible.) It was a weekend of no jackets, not even at night, of playing outside, of new cameras. I photographed the hell out of this weekend.

Sundays have been, historically, not great days for me. I get sad about the end of the weekend, the start of another five days in a cubicle. Lately I have been trying to remedy this melancholy, to find ways to brighten up my Sundays. Sometimes it is as simple as remembering that I do, in fact, like time to myself. This particular Sunday I filled with a trip to the library, watching a couple episodes of Rome, and reading Superman: Red Son. (Which is seriously amazing - even if you don't think you like comics, you might like this.)

And so when I sat down to figure out what my Baking Project was going to be, I was feeling pretty good when I arrived at the bookmarked and dogeared pages for brownie recipes. Despite what happened the last time I attempted brownies, I decided to give it another go.

This time, dear reader, it was a smashing success. Granted, I used a different recipe - and, let's be honest, better chocolate - but still, the victory felt pretty good. Every great weekend should end in delicious baked goods.

Moosewood Fudge Brownies
adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

A note on the chocolate: I used Ghiradelli's 100% cacao baking bar, and it worked like a charm. Next time I might either use a bar with less cacao or up the sugar a little bit, but honestly, these are great as they are.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square pan. (The original recipe says 8- or 9-inch, but my brownies were already pretty thin in an 8-inch pan. Use your discretion!)

Melt the butter and chocolate together - I use the double-boiler method, except my "double-boiler" is a mixing bowl situated on a pot of barely-simmering water, but if you have a microwave, that is also an option! While they're melting, beat the eggs separately in a small bowl.

When the butter and chocolate have melted together, remove from heat. Add in the brown sugar and vanilla, mixing completely. Repeat with the eggs. Then add in the flour and blend.

Pour the batter into the pan; bake for about 25 minutes. The brownies should start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a knife should come out clean.

Serve warm with ice cream. Seriously. You will thank me. (These also keep in the fridge for a few days, but take the time to set the oven to 300F and warm them for a few minutes. Mmmm.)

photo friday: you guessed it

2010-03-19T09:14:00.002-04:00

Okay, I'm convinced Georgetown pays extra to have the seasons come before anywhere else in DC. I haven't seen flowers anywhere else! SPRING. Apparently it is all the inspiration I needed.

blerg

2010-03-16T09:23:00.000-04:00

I started this post once, trying for a cute opening - something lighthearted. Alas, dear reader, I am not quite lighthearted at the moment. There's nothing serious going on, just a lot of little things adding up to a feeling that can best be summarized á la Liz Lemon: blerg. I have wavered between wallowing in it and trying to buck up and get over myself. (Hopefully you'll forgive a little wallowing? Oh, good.)

So I was just looking through old journal entries, wallowing, wondering how I'd ever - oh, I don't know, find a satisfying career, become a writer, deal with friends leaving for school, write a blog post. Then, solving the latter problem at least, I found an entry with this phrase inherited from the Quakers: way opens.

I've written about this phrase before. It's helped me get through some rough times, most of which are too personal to write up here. It - like "your life is beautiful" - is a good reminder to have written down somewhere, especially when you are in your early-to-mid-twenties and all your friends are figuring out what they want to do with your lives and you feel lost in the wilderness. (I did mention a little wallowing, right? I promise, that's it.) Because, honestly, all I need to do is buck up and a way will open. It may not be the way I planned on - already my life has changed dramatically from the way I envisioned it - but it will be beautiful in its own right.

Moving on, there is another thing I inherited from the Quakers and that is potlucks. There was a while in DC where we had a weekly potluck set up - and sometimes it would only be four people, sometimes it would be many more - but when my friend Josh went off to Israel for grad school, they pretty much ceased. So I took it upon myself to make them happen again. After months of emailing friends and coordinating schedules, we finally managed to get together to share food and company.

I will spare you a discussion on why eating is an important community-building exercise. For now.

I thought to make popovers. What I wound up making was something between a muffin and a scone. They were by all accounts edible, but that is not quite enough for me anymore. So I did what any reasonable person would do: I tried again the very next night. The scent of parmesan and thyme filled my apartment for a second time, and I tried my very best to follow the recipe exactly, not straying one iota from what was written. I did not check on them, except at the fifteen minute mark when I turned down the temperature. They had started to rise! Maybe they will pop yet!

As you can tell, dear reader, they did not. Sigh.

I could try to gloss it over, give you a recipe for some indefinite "parmesan and thyme quickbread," but it's not good enough. Instead you get another story of kitchen failure - and if anyone has any advice for baking popovers, please, let me know!

photo friday: SPRING

2010-03-12T12:15:00.001-05:00

I am so into spring this year that practically every time I mention it, it is with an exclamation point. Or all-caps. SPRING!

a dilemma

2010-03-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

Spring has started creeping into the District, and not a moment too soon. The seasons really are perfectly timed - as soon as one starts to wear out its welcome, another one comes right in to take its place.

This meant a lot of things for my weekend, things like taking a walk outside not to get someplace but to enjoy the weather, or having the windows wide open all afternoon, or wanting lighter fare than what I've been eating all winter. That last bit was especially true on Sunday, when all I really wanted was pasta salad from Cafe Tu-Oh-Tu. I did not, however, feel particularly moved to go all the way to Georgetown to get it. And my attempt to recreate it almost a year ago (whoa!) still haunts my memory, a little bit.

Dilemma!

So I cruised around the internet, looking at pasta salad recipes with the window wide open. I had two very different pasta salads in mind: the aforementioned Tu-Oh-Tu one, and another that my mother used to make, from a box. Say what you will about boxed food, but this was pretty delicious. And by pretty delicious, I mean I would eat just about all of it, by myself.

The internet, however, did not provide me with what I needed. Or not exactly, anyway. I decided then to just go into the kitchen and make my own (after a short phone call to my mother to see if she had any suggestions). I went with apprehension, remembering my colossal failure in trying to recreate the Tu-Oh-Tu dressing. Putting that aside, I leapt right into making a basic vinaigrette, on my own, with little help. It could have gone horribly wrong.

Dear reader, it did not.

Basic Pasta Salad

I've mentioned before - probably many times at this point - that I'm a big fan of simple meals, ones that don't need a whole lot of prep work. This is one of those. It might be my new favorite light spring dish. You could jazz it up in any way imaginable. Also, this makes one serving. That's it. I imagine it would be super easy to multiply, but I usually eat by myself, so there you have it.

1 serving of pasta (I prefer fusili, though I also like penne)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
pinch ground black pepper
pinch red pepper flakes

Prepare and drain the pasta.

While the pasta is draining, pour the vinegar into a small bowl. Add the spices and stir around a little. Whisk in the olive oil, rapidly, until the oil and vinegar merge together.

Move the pasta back into the pot you cooked it in. Whisk the vinaigrette a little more and pour over the pasta, making sure to stir it in. Place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, or until chilled. Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy!

photo friday

2010-03-05T10:06:00.001-05:00

From the Holy Ghost Tent Revival show in Frederick, MD.

why court disaster

2010-03-02T09:15:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I think the best cooking projects come from realizing certain ingredients are about to go bad. So when I came back from Texas and saw that my milk had a matter of days left in it, I had two choices: one, go to Safeway and buy Oreos, or two, make something. And as tempting as that first option is, I really don't need to eat an entire package of Oreos.

Then, of course, the question was: what to make? It was Saturday morning, before the supermarket, before I was heading over to hang out with friends. I figured cookies would be good, something small and easily transportable. Which is when I realized I still had mini baking cups from the peanut butter cups.

I thought, maybe I would try my hand at chocolate cake again, but in tiny cupcake form. But then again, why court disaster? I knew exactly what I would do: make my go-to cake, but fill up these tiny baking cups. More easily transported than a whole cake, and with the benefit of no one having to commit to a whole slice of cake! Perfect. I traipsed off to the supermarket, and then set to work.

I've talked about cake before - and this cake, specifically. It's become my go-to cake, one that I barely need to look at the recipe for, one that I know will come out perfectly, one that I often bring over to the houses of friends. This cake works well both as dessert and as breakfast. I leave it unfrosted, because honestly this cake does not need frosting. (Daniel is always trying to get me to make some sort of almond icing for it. I might try that one of these days.)

So I made up the dough, filled dozens of cups, and slipped them into the oven. They found a nice little home in a basket I had sitting around, coupled with a dishcloth to guard against the cold. It was pretty much the most adorable thing. Once we arrived at our destination, the cupcakes were pretty much decimated. Something about making that cake bite-sized turned it irresistible. I got my first "you should sell these!" comment, which was pretty flattering.

Busy-Day Cupcakes
adapted from Orangette

These are perfect to bring to a party, or a potluck, or any place where a group of people will be hanging out. When I brought these to my friends, they couldn't help gobbling them up, creating little mountains of wrappers next to them.

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
1 1/3 c. sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 shakes cinnamon
1/2 c. whole milk, room temp.

Preheat oven to 375°F. If you like to be prepared, go ahead and cover a baking sheet with mini baking cups.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. If you are doing this by hand with a wooden spoon (which I recommend, though it is more work) and it is a little nubbly with butter, that's okay. You'll be doing more blending and whatever butter nubbins are left will melt when baked. Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla extract and blend.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add about a fourth of the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until blended. Add a third of the milk and blend. Repeat three times, so it'll go: flour, milk, flour, milk, flour.

Spoon the batter into the baking cups and put into the oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

These are best warm, but if you manage to have some leftovers, they'll keep for a few days at room temperature, and make a delicious breakfast.