Growing up, I never quite understood the appeal of pasta.  Noodles, sauce, and ground beef, tasty, but those kids who claimed spaghetti was their favorite meal were liars. Spaghetti is hard to spell and looks like worms. I assume my mother had the same theory, she never really played on the standard, noodles, sauce, protein. Fettuccine alfredo was a liquid mess of cheese sauce and thick noodles.

My “pasta is stupid” theory lasted until I went to Italy at the age of 18. I thought I would be living on baguettes and ham smuggled in from France, but that first night changed everything. I ordered tortelini with pesto sauce and walnuts and I melted.

When I came back to the United States, I lost even more interest in pasta. I stopped eating at Italian restaurants and my mother’s spaghetti (which I think she agrees is not really the biggest insult.) Once I started gaining interest in cooking, I made my first pasta sauce from scratch and a deep, real, true love started.

There was just one problem. How does a half Korean-quarter-British (Oh yeah, there are some GREAT flavors of bland out there)-quarter-Norwegian displaced little lady discover other magnificent flavors and tastes from a real Italian kitchen?

I knew I loved this book the moment I saw the name. Like me, it took pasta seriously. It took sauce seriously. It took Italian seriously.

My dearest readers, I cannot stop cooking out of The Geometry of Pasta. I’ve tried so many of these recipes, each better than the last and can’t wait to crack open the book and try another. It captures the essence and simplicity of great pasta dishes. The red sauces are so easy, it even has my favorite male friends cooking.

I plan to share three of my favorite dishes from this book. I made this at a Family Dinner (every Wednesday I go to my favorite male friends’ house and cook up a storm) and I had to make a second double portion.

I make this Asian fusion by cooking it in a wok– that’s how Asian fusion works right?

Fettuccine Al Triplo Burro/Alfredo

About 1/2 pound of fettuccine (I used spinach fettuccine)
1/3 cup of heavy cream
3 1/2 Tablespoons of butter
A couple pinches of nutmeg
1 1/3- 1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan
3/4 tsp of ground pepper
pinch of salt

While the fettuccine is on boil, combine the cream, butter, and nutmeg over medium heat until they start to simmer.  Add the Parmesan slowly, along with 4 1/2-6 Tablespoons of the pasta cooking water, pepper and salt. Drain the fettucine when it is still slightly undercooked and toss it in the sauce over a medium heat until coated well.

If you haven’t noticed, I love birthdays.  I enjoy celebrating the lives of the people I love and an excuse to stay out late, finding a little trouble. When my friend Jo Anna told me she had no birthday plans, I insisted I make her a cake. Without skipping a beat, she insisted I make her a strawberry shortcake.

.

Readers, I was a little at a loss. Strawberries, as you know, are out of season and I wasn’t quite sure what constituted a “shortcake.” Sure, I’d seen those weird circular cakes sitting in the package, but I was going to make this from scratch- FROM SCRATCH, I SAY! So, after brief research I learned two things about shortcake.

1. Traditional southern shortcake is made with biscuits.
2.  Most recipes require you to use Pillsbury biscuits.

Since I’m not one to use Pillsbury biscuits and Jo Anna wanted the more modern sponge cake version, I scorned the web until I realized I had the perfect recipe right on the cover of my own copy of Sky High Cakes. The problem was I didn’t have any 6″ pans.  I improvised the assembly of the shortcakes to phenomenal results.

This strawberry shortcake is sweet, but not sugary. Though it takes some time to let the strawberries marinate in its own juices mixed with sugar and the recipe is easy and quick enough to make as the dessert for a late lunch. After sitting for a couple hours, the juice, sugars, and whipped cream meld into a sweet and fruity, light dessert.

The downside to this treat is it does not store well. It must be stored in its three separate components, hence the alternate ways to make the cake. That way you can make exactly how much you want for the time being.

Sky-High Strawberry Shortcake
(from Sky High Cakes | serves 8-10)

Can create one 6-inch triple layer cake or six mini double layer cakes and a couple dessert cups.

Ingredients for Cake & Strawberry Filling
For cake:
5 TB unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 c plus 2 T of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 c cake flour
2 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
2/3 c buttermilk
1 1/2 c heavy cream
Whole strawberries for garnish

For Strawberry Filling
2 pints strawberries
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c sugar

Cake Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottoms and sides of three 6-inch round cake pans. (You can line the bottom of each with a round of parchment or waxed paper) If you chose the second option, grease a 9×13 pan.

2. In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter, 3/4 c of sugar, and the vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the batter, alternating with the buttermilk. (Start with the dry ingredients and end with the dry ingredients). Divide the batter amoung the three prepared pans/put in the pan.

4. Bake the cake layers for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for ten minutes before inverting onto wire racks. Let the cake cool completely.

5. In a large chilled bowl, whip the cream with the remaining 2 T of sugar until stiff (about 3 cups)

Strawberry Filling

Clean, hull, and slice the berries about the thickness of a nickel.  Placei n a bowl and add the vanilla and sugar. Stir to coat them, cover the bowl and let the berries macerate at room temperature until they exude their juices (about one hour.)

Assembly

To assemble the shortcake, place one cake layer, falt side up, on a cake stand/serving plate. Top with 3/4 of the fresh strawberry filling, spooning it over the entire layer and making sure any uices go onto the cake layer and not the plate, if possible. Top this with 1c of the whipped cream, spreading it evenly over the berries. Repeat with the second and third layer.

The alternate assemblies: using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out circles from the pans. Don’t worry about the extra cake, that will be used later. Cut each cake circle in half. Top the first half with 2T of strawberry filling, then 2T of whipped cream. Repeat for the second layer.  With extra cake, cut into large square pieces and place in drinking glasses. Fill with left over strawberry filling and whipped cream.

I keep trying to start this blog post, but as I keep starting, I’m quickly realizing these pictures and the recipe need barely any introduction.  This is my roommate’s birthday cake. My roommate asked me for something chocolate, oozy and not too rich (I got two out of thre three.)

I want to thank her for being the first one to love every single ugly creation I’ve made within our closet/kitchen without a single snide comment.  She inspired me to start actually attempting to decorate and though this is my first try, I know she adored this. Love you, Kate

I love this cake. It’s the best chocolate cake you can make for anyone. It’s the chocolate cake all other chocolate cakes dream they can be.

Special Notes: I weighed my KitchenAid bowl prior to starting and all three prepared cake pans (I used 8-inch, because I wanted three layers). When it came time to divvy up among pans, I took the weight of the entire mixture in the bowl, subtracted bowl weight, then divided by three. This told me how much to put in the pans to make it perfectly even.

Double Chocolate Triple Layer Cake
(serves 12-14 people, originally appeared in Gourmet 1999)

Serving instructions: This cake can be eaten for breakfast the next day. No one can judge you.  (Mom & Dad, I swear I’m eating well.  It was only this one time…)

For cake:

3 oz of semi-sweet chocolate
1 and 1/2 cups of hot brewed coffee
3 cups of sugar
2 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 tsp of baking soda
3/4 tsp of baking powder
1 1/4 tsp of salt
3 large eggs
3/4 c of vegetable oil
1 and 1/2 c of buttermilk
1 tsp of vanilla extract

For ganache:
16 oz of semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup of heavy cream
2 T of sugar
2 T of light corn syrup

I noticed in my blog I don’t mention something very important.

Before the new year, I was about 95% sure I was crazy. At about 2:55pm today, I had 100% confirmation.

I stood in my tiny kitchen, moments before Gino and Kishwer were supposed to record an interview for their podcast and I realized I had cooked six recipes for a quick podcast. Maybe I went overboard, I thought, as I burned myself for the 100th time on the oven, because I still haven’t gotten the hang of the whole “The Oven Is Hot” concept.  No, I convinced myself, overboard would have been the cranberry curd shortbread.

After the interview and eating, I woke up from my immediate food coma and stood in my kitchen/closet and looked at the left overs. Six dishes was probably too much…

We started with a Sausage, Spinach, and Lentil soup and macaroni and cheese, perfect for the rainy day.  After we moved onto two kinds of sliders, a vegan black bean burger and a meatball sliders, both served on a modified Parker House rolls recipe (which is not vegan.)

Sausage, Spinach, and Lentil Soup with mushrooms, onions, and garlic.

Meatball Sliders on Rosemary Pepper Parker House rolls.

Finally… cookies, sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies with lemon icing.

Check out my Talkadelphia interview with Kish and Gino and keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the recipes to show up on here. I’ll be eating leftovers for the next two weeks.

Dear friend,

You have germs and more than usual. It isn’t that I don’t love you, it’s that I don’t love your germs and right now, you are chock full of them. No thank you, I do not want a hug.  So I made this soup. It’s full of great vegetables like leeks and carrots, plus there’s some black-eyed peas, perfect for good luck on New Year’s Day. Maybe hum some of “My Lumps” while you sip on the hot broth.

I’m delivering it to you… in a hazmat suit. Again, it’s nothing personal, I mean, after all I’m bringing you soup… or at least telling you how to throw this together, because, my darling, I am not going near you. I’ve already used my sick days this year and my hazmat suit is at the dry cleaner’s.

Love,
Christine

(makes 6 sevings | takes anywhere from an hour to six, see directions)

Six cups of chicken broth
Two leeks (the white and light green parts) chopped
Three stalks of celery, chopped
Three carrots, peeeled and chopped
One can of black-eyed peas (or two)
One pound of chicken chopped into one inch pieces
1 T of oregano
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
two handfuls of chopped parsley (two T of dried parsley)
salt and pepper to taste

There are two ways to make this.  You can either drop all of this goodness in a slow cooker  on low and wait five-six hours. Or cook the chicken until lightly browned in olive oil.  Set aside.  Boil all the ingredients for 30-40 minutes, until everything is soft and tender and lets off a lovely aroma. Throw in salt and pepper as needed for taste. Add chicken until warm (this will keep it nice and juicy) about five minutes. Serve to sick friends.

There are people who do not like macaroni and cheese, and I am one of them.  I do not like macaroni and cheese, I love macaroni and cheese. And I need the creamy, ooey, goeey kind. I’ve tried several “creamiest, bestest, macaroni and cheese” recipes and have been pleased, but a little disappointed.

Here are some rules about making a smooth macaroni and cheese:

1. It will involve béchamel/white sauce.
2. It will have a lot of delicious cheese.
3. It will not have an egg.

I love the following recipe, it’s a great start, you can add bacon or mix up the cheeses, though the melty ability of American really helps.  To make it thicker, use less milk. I like mine a little runnier, so I add an extra cup of milk.

Creamy Macaroni & Cheese
based on Panera Style Mac and Cheese by VOD Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 lb medium pasta shells
5 T of butter
4 T of flour
2 cups of whole milk
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese
6 oz of American cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta and drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.
2. In the large pot, the pasta was cooked in, melt the butter on about medium (if you’re newer to sauce making, slower is better than faster, make sure it’s well mixed and there are no bits of flour). Whisk (I used a fork) in the flour, cooking until well blended and smells nutty.
3. Slowly whisk in the milk, keep whisking

at a slow boil until the sauce is thick and creamy.
4. Lower heat. Add the cheese, stirring the sauce so it doesn’t boil. Once all the cheese is melted, throw in some salt and pepper, turn off heat.
5. Mix the sauce and shells together.

When reheating, throw a little milk in the mix to thin it out a bit.

I’m returning from a long hiatus. Finally. I know.

Shortly after my last post, I had a big move from Northern Liberties to Washington Square West which officially makes me a city girl. But with becoming a city girl means leaving yet another kitchen behind and trading it for another. This time… I lost some space.

I. Lost. A. Lot. of. Space. Even a few months in, I’m still getting some stuff figured out. I have a new furniture piece, some tighter organization, and a lot of creativity.

I’m finally becoming more comfortable in here, even making dozens and dozens of cupcakes for events.

I have a few great recipes I can’t wait to share with you. Keep faith, only the best is yet to come!

Jay is one of my roommates and he is my lovely lady killer.  Yesterday, he turned 25, and I knew I wanted to make him something extra special.  Step in Car Bomb Cupcakes.  Now, I’ve never had an Irish car bomb, but they are traditionally a half a pint of Guinness, then a half an ounce of whiskey with half an ounce of Bailey’s, dropped in and then chugged.  I’m not sure why someone would want to drink this, but the flavors sounded like a delicious combination for a cupcake!

I used Double Chocolate Stout instead of Guinness.  The alcohol is burned off in one of the beginning steps of this, also, you can opt out of the whiskey in the middle and replace the Bailey’s with cream or half and half.  Also, instead of doubling the recipe, i just made two batches but only one and a half times the filling and frosting.

Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes
from smitten kitchen.  (I’m not one to directly take from the site, but Deb puts the instructions in such a precise way I found it hard to reword, so not all the words are mine, but I followed them and all the pictures and fat calories from eating a dozen cupcakes ARE mine.)

Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes (but I got 30!?)

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes

1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temp
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)
1/4 tsp of mint extract
1 tsp of the ganache

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pan.

In a medium sauce pan, bring butter and stout to a simmer over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.  Set aside to cool.  Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until blended well.

Beat eggs and sour cream together in an electric mixer until lighter in color, add chocolate mix, and beat slowly until mixed.  Gently fold in dry ingredient mix until combined.  Fill cupcakes about 3/4 of the way.  Bake for about 17-18 minutes until tester comes out clean– rotate once.  Cool completely before removing the centers.

Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake only about 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.  Ice and decorate the cupcakes.

Do ahead: You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)

But our love, our brotherly love, is not so frivilous as to be fair weather.  The recent tragedy of Sabina Rose O’Donnell broke the heart of the city and sent a pain that resonates with everyone, especially my fellow residents of Northern Liberties.  Moreover, the passion the city has for its Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers is a spark compared to the bonfire that errupted from this loss.  We celebrate together.  We mourn together.

Sabina, you may have left us physically, but the monster could never destroy the influence you have on us.  We will carry on your bright light.

If you have the constitution, read the story of Sabina Rose O’ Donnell on nbcphiladelphia.com.  I personally ask you to donate to her memory.  Funds go towards funeral expenses (including hopefully flying members of her family to her funeral), catching her killer, and a memorial garden.  You can donate in cash or check at PYT or via this website.  You can even text SABINA to 56624 to securely donate $5.00.

Be safe readers.  Do not walk home alone.  Do not bike home alone.  Travel in groups.  Take a cab.  Be aware.