tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59150466453243958932024-09-29T00:22:08.613-05:00[for the love of food]Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-43442837055517607602014-05-17T19:05:00.001-05:002014-05-17T19:05:38.054-05:00

Umm... sooo... it has apparently been almost two (TWO!?!) years since I have posted anything new on here... my bad. And what is it that can pull me from such a slump? MORELS. in the bag "The gem of the Midwest," as my fellow food blogger Anny called them earlier. These, ladies and gentlemen, are the most delicious mushroom known to man (or at least to me). This has been an amazing

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-10151663019484915912012-07-03T18:04:00.002-05:002012-07-03T18:05:45.216-05:00

It being the eve of the the birthday of our nation, I felt it appropriate to blog about something... American. Cuz, you know... 'Merica. And all that jazz. I think it's funny, of course, to pigeonhole 'American' food. After all, we Americans come from all corners of the globe, and everyone has contributed to our amalgam of cuisine. When I think of standard 4th of July fare, hot dogs, burgers and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-17599236421761124362012-06-20T19:53:00.000-05:002012-06-20T19:57:27.365-05:00

           I've never really been a picky eater. For one thing, I was not really allowed to be too picky... growing up, I was required to try anything I thought I didn't like at least once a year. 'Your tastes change as you grow up,' my mom would say, and even though five-year-old me definitely didn't believe her, guess what? She turned out to be right. (Moms are

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-62533995201574137282012-06-10T22:07:00.000-05:002012-06-10T22:11:25.223-05:00

I'm sad to say I've missed the downtown farmers market the past two Saturdays. However, my weekend indolence led to a delightful weekday discovery - the Tuesday evening Beaverdale Farmers Market! We just so happened to catch opening night, and plan to go again this week. With plenty of food vendors to give us dinner options and everything from bacon to spinach for sale, it's the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-79197545290192098572012-06-05T22:30:00.000-05:002012-06-06T07:09:31.516-05:00

The good news is... I am no longer unemployed! The bad news is... I haven't posted lately! Well, that's something I can fix pretty easily. I'm here to share an extremely easy, economical and enticing dinner idea... all qualities that fit perfectly in my new [much busier] schedule! 4 ingredients and 40 minutes - tops - and enough to serve a hearty dinner for three with plenty leftover for lunch

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-41926727016522479672012-05-31T15:23:00.000-05:002012-05-31T15:23:43.966-05:00

It's not yet been a year since my adventures 'round the Emerald Isle, but I find myself becoming nostalgic about that journey lately. The other night some friends and I enjoyed a warm evening (something I can't say I had the pleasure of experiencing in Ireland, I must admit...) over a few drinks outside the pub, swapping memories of our voyages across the pond. The conversation's catalyst? A

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-28605939852294844072012-05-29T14:55:00.000-05:002012-05-29T15:00:17.357-05:00

This past weekend, for the first time since moving here, I finally made it to the famous Downtown Farmers Market! My brother was visiting us for the weekend, and we'd planned an entire day of sights and food and drink, beginning at 9 a.m. with the five minute walk to Court Ave. The market was every bit as wonderful as I had heard - sprawling for blocks in all directions, bustling with

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-46810768325267084852012-05-25T11:43:00.000-05:002012-05-25T11:43:59.421-05:00

courtesy of makinghealtheasier.org

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-25631397485608731402012-05-23T16:50:00.000-05:002012-05-23T16:52:55.225-05:00

this is what chicken & dumplings should look like!! I'll never forget the first time I tried to make homemade chicken and dumplings. I was maybe 12 years old, just starting to peruse cookbooks on my own and imagining myself the budding chef de cuisine of our household. Looking back on those days, I'm sure I was a disaster and a half in the kitchen, but I had an awesome mom who was

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-75686772834926892762012-05-21T17:36:00.000-05:002012-05-21T17:36:51.656-05:00

french toast, bacon, and cabbage... a rather international breakfast I'm writing this about a week later than intended thanks to a complete failure of internet at the new apartment. Ah, well... several hours spent on the phone with the internet people and one new modem later, we're back in business!  Last Monday, after a long weekend of moving and unpacking, breakfast for dinner was

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-37723370920867387332012-05-11T17:52:00.000-05:002012-05-11T17:52:27.684-05:00

Well, I can't say the past week has been particularly great. A steadfast cold, an emergency room visit, ongoing problems of home-ownership, a missing cat, and hurry-up-and-wait-to-NOT-be-selected job interviews have started to coalesce into a feeling of general dismay. But you know what? It's Friday. We got the keys to our new apartment. A care package is on its way. I'm dressed up to go out for

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-74177491642032877402012-05-08T14:15:00.000-05:002012-05-08T14:16:12.057-05:00

Some days I kind of miss being a kid. Especially when I've been trying to kick a cold for a solid week and I'm still going through a box of Kleenex about every three hours and have to take aspirin constantly so that my throat doesn't swell completely shut. I miss lying in bed, reading Calvin & Hobbes and having lovely nourishing and comforting things brought to me by my mother.  Hot

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-69601675405348062662012-05-04T15:30:00.000-05:002012-05-08T14:17:01.347-05:00

The first time I had poke (pronounced poh-kee) was seven years ago in Pueblo, Colorado. My mom, brother, grandparents and I were visiting my grandma's brother and his family. Uncle Bob and Aunt Rickii live in Colorado Springs, but one night we all took a short road trip to visit their daughter Roni in Pueblo and go out for sushi with her family. They ordered Hawaiian poke, a sashimi dish of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-48499029608393378972012-05-03T15:15:00.000-05:002012-05-03T15:16:52.546-05:00

(...that's what a lovely dinner is made of.) pepper duo Well, it was definitely a cold that had me feeling under the weather on Monday. A really nasty bug that had me feverish, achy, congested and otherwise miserable for a good three days. I tried to maintain a somewhat normal schedule and at least put dinner on the table, but I was too wiped out for anything too fancy. So I turned to an old

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-63993640365930978212012-04-30T15:18:00.000-05:002012-04-30T15:18:36.056-05:00

Chocolate, men, coffee - some things are better rich. I have a major case of the Mondays. I'm not sure if I'm coming down with a cold or if yesterday's hangover just won't give it up, but I woke up feeling like garbage today. Thankfully, the cure was only a few steps away in my refrigerator: a pitcher of toddy. Sometimes a regular cup of coffee just doesn't cut it. Today I wanted something

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-55500365312954931892012-04-27T15:21:00.001-05:002012-04-27T15:31:28.455-05:00

I know I say this about things all the time, but... I. Love. Barbecue. It's funny because once upon a time, I was one of those angsty teenage vegetarians. Then bacon brought me back into the meat-eating world (never heard that one before, eh?) and from there I kind of went whole-hog (pun intended). Don't get me wrong - I definitely respect vegetarians, and I probably eat a vegetarian meal at

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-69547156656841505632012-04-24T17:17:00.000-05:002012-04-27T15:28:33.196-05:00

...that is to say, Vietnamese spring rolls! I love, love, love fresh spring rolls - cold, crisp, and succulent, with rich peanut sauce for dipping (recipe here). They make an excellent dinner, especially on a warm day, and keep perfectly as leftovers, especially quick and easy to throw in a lunch box with an ice pack. I started making mine at home to save money, but I have to say that I

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-12426341520870363932012-04-24T17:14:00.001-05:002012-05-08T14:17:59.877-05:00

1) Prepare your herbs by de-stemming them (here, I'm using basil) 2) Stack several leaves on top of each other 3) Roll the leaves up 4) slice width-wise across the roll ta-da!

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-19883958136327949652012-04-23T15:41:00.001-05:002012-04-23T15:42:19.891-05:00

Well, I've once again been temporarily M.I.A., this time thanks to the process of lining up a post-grad, career-building job and moving to the big city (well, as big as you can get in this state, anyway). After a nerve-wracking interview today, I decided to relax a little by unpacking my kitchen things and making a pitcher of sweet tea. The perfect way to unwind and refresh myself. Sweet tea&

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-10570708790872856762012-04-11T19:21:00.001-05:002012-04-27T15:30:10.842-05:00

It never fails that when anyone close to me gets sick, my mother hen instincts kick into overdrive. Case in point: when Parker came down with strep throat last week, I instantly made sure he got on the right antibiotics and stayed on the couch, and supplied him with plenty of Gatorade and chicken soup. Depending on how much time I have, I either buy a rotisserie chicken for meat and use

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-72153012548856547482012-04-09T20:01:00.001-05:002012-04-27T15:34:26.217-05:00

Funny story... I used to kind of hate wings. I felt like they were too fiddly and messy to eat - generally not worth the hassle. And the whole meat-on-the-bone thing? Believe it or not, I was once really squeamish about such things. (Had you told high school me that I'd one day prefer cooking raw, whole chicken for soups and stocks rather than using boneless, skinless chicken breasts and carton

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-7153225373385067082012-04-08T15:29:00.000-05:002012-04-27T15:36:49.323-05:00

I like cooking. I really do. But sometimes I just run out of fresh ideas, or feel too wiped out to try anything new and complicated. Thankfully, my guy is good at coming to dinner's rescue. He suggested enchilada casserole the other night - something I'd never made, but he assured me it was quick, easy and inexpensive... not to mention it would be an ample amount of food for all the boys.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-5089427691540705002012-03-23T15:00:00.001-05:002012-04-27T15:40:51.641-05:00

'Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.'                                                               - James Beard You know how a while back I confessed I'd

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-58592523178528939522012-03-21T12:25:00.000-05:002012-04-27T15:41:16.756-05:00

'If you want a subject, look to pork!'                          - Charles Dickens, Great Expectations Digging through my fridge yesterday morning hoping to find some inspiration for dinner, I hit the jackpot with the discovery of a thawed pork loin (thank you, past self!) and a few slices of bacon. Combined with the makings for

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5915046645324395893.post-43193687425489204812012-03-16T21:33:00.000-05:002013-03-15T15:06:59.053-05:00

There are only two kinds of people in the world: the Irish, and those who wish they were.  I have two traditions on St. Patrick's Day: drinking from dawn to well past dusk, and supplying friends and bar staff with car bomb cupcakes. The latter is thanks to one of my friends who a few years ago, on his way to work at 5 a.m., woke me up with a text demanding that I bake him Guinness cupcakes

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0