There’s no better recipe to share along with a post about our current political climate than these matcha shortbread cookies, because I know the owners of the matcha brand that I used would be proud. My friends Joel and Lily run Lovely Day, and they sent me this matcha literally a million years ago. I feel like I made these cookies about that long ago, too, but as I mentioned, things have been a little nuts as of late. Despite that, this matcha is the good stuff! And I swear, they aren’t paying me to say this, they just happen to be pals that make some delicious matcha. They even sent me a proper whisk, so I’ve been whisking it up like a pro at home and drinking it in the late afternoons instead of a fourth cup of coffee. It makes me feel very fancy. In addition to tea, I felt compelled to bake something with the matcha, so here are these chocolate dipped, buttery little matcha shortbread delights (topped with sprinkles from Molly Yeh’s book release party that I found before I moved). These cookies truly taste like matcha, they’re not just green. One of my friends did not like them because of that, but if you are a matcha fan, then you’re going to fall in love with these. They dissolve on your tongue with each bite, like a good shortbread should, in my opinion, and the chocolate helps round everything out. Plus, aren’t they cute? Up your cookie game and try something a little different – but make sure to donate $5 (or more!) to one of the above organizations first, if you please.

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My latest tattoo of a garlic bulb from Nadia at Fleur Noir, a giant piece of pizza that I shot at Pizza Barn in Yonkers, cheese curds from Burnside, and crazy stacked cones from Ice & Vice in Brooklyn (that I also shot!). You can always find more from me on the ‘gram.

In honor of this trip, I’m posting yet another recipes from Appetites. This one is simple, but eye-opening all the same. I roast beets a lot at home. Kramer used to hate them, but in the past few years, he really came around to them and now they’re one of his favorite vegetables (much like eggplant, which he is also a huge fan of now). Typically, I’ll just roast them in some olive oil and then add some salt or maybe ricotta or something simple like that, and these are still simple, but the bite of cider vinegar, the crunch of the red onions, and the brightness of the fresh oranges really transform this staple into a more exciting dish that I can’t wait to devour. I could easily eat two servings of this in one sitting, especially with some wilted greens or maybe a piece of fish. It’s light enough to keep you going back for more, but obviously, seeing as how it’s beets, it’s not going to make you feel bad about having a second helping. Bourdain says in the book that his daughter absolutely loves this dish and he makes it for her all the time. Smart girl.

Roast + toss = you’re done.

You’ve really got to make this soon.

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Roasted Orange Beet Salad with Red Onions and Oranges

Author: Sydney

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  1 hour

Total time:  1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 4 as a side

 

Another banger from Anthony Bourdain, this time as a wonderfully bright side-salad that everyone will love.

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby beets (6-8 beets), scrubbed and trimmed (you can, of course, sub in regular beets here, though the cooking time may increase slightly)
• 2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
• ½ medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a combination of both red and white)
• 1 navel orange, peeled and cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick wheels
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 12 fresh mint leaves, torn (optional - I used dried mint)
• small pinch of salt
• a few turns of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the beets in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of oil, and roast in the oven for 45-50 minutes (I covered mine with foil so that the skins would peel away more easily). Once the beets are tender enough for a paring knife to slip easily into the center, remove from the oven and let them cool. Once cool, the skins will peel away easily.
2. When cooled, slice the beets into ¼-inch thick slices. Place in a mixing bowl with the onion, orange, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, and mint. Season with your salt and pepper, taste, and serve.

Adapted From

Appetites: A Cookbook

3.3.3070

 

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I made these lime bars a while back and brought them to a bar for some friends to eat. Their reaction was as I had hoped it would be. They were in love. And I was in love, too. These bars rule. I love lemon bars, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something about these lime bars that kind of blow them away. Yes, you could use Key limes, but look, I already have tendonitis as it is, so I’m not really about to spend time juicing 1,000 little limes. Regular ol’ limes will do the trick just as well. Juice and zest some of those bad boys, bake off your shortbread crust, and get ready to bite into the thickest, chewiest lime bars of your life. These aren’t wimpy little thin, sad bars. Nope. I refuse to have any of that. If you’re making a citrus bar of any kind, you better make it at least two inches thick. That’s what the people want. These are the perfect thing to sort of tease spring out, especially if you’re like me and you’re looking at your PTAC unit and it doesn’t even say a temperature, it just says “LO.” Fear not! Make some lime bars–the oven will warm up your apartment AND you’ll be a hero among your friends and family for bringing a little sweet sunshine into their lives.

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I figured I’d share a simple recipe today, given everything that’s going on and the fact that we should really be focusing on toppling the patriarchy and all. But a girl’s gotta eat, and more importantly, a girl’s gotta snack. This buttermilk pound cake is honestly just amazing. It truly brings a tear to my eye. I had like, I don’t know, half a jug of buttermilk a few weeks ago, and I was scouring the internet trying to find something that used more than two tablespoons of it. This recipe popped up and I’ll be damned if it isn’t one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. The crumb is buttery and dense, but not overwhelmingly so, and the crust on top, oh the crust! It’s crunchy and crispy and contrasts perfectly with the velvety cake. I could truly have made myself sick eating this, but thankfully I had the willpower to give some of it away to friends. Who knew that such simple ingredients could result in the most wonderful cake? It’s incredible on its own, really, but if you’re so inclined, spread a little jam and whipped cream over a slice, or take two slices and stick a few scoops of ice cream in between them for the best damn ice cream sandwich you ever did have. Maybe even bake a loaf and bring it out to the next protest you attend–you’ll make friends faster than ever before.

As you can see, I made this a while back. Life just really flies by sometimes, doesn’t it?

Yer batter.

Ready for the oven, complete with a generous sprinkling of sugar.

Look how perfect that crunchy piece of top crust is.

So good!

Always slice this bad boy thick.

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Buttermilk Pound Cake

Author: Sydney

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  1 hour

Total time:  1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 10-12 slices

 

Just a really delicious pound cake. 10/10 would make again. 10/10 would turn into an ice cream sandwich.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1¾ cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• Raw or granulated sugar, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Butter well and set aside.
2. Beat together your butter and sugar until light and fluffy, at least 4-5 minutes (don't skip this part). Add in your eggs, one at a time, beating each in until adding the next, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Add the flour alternating with the buttermilk into the butter mixture. So start with ⅓ of the flour, mix it in, then add in ½ of your buttermilk, mix it in (and scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed), add in ⅓ of your flour, then the rest of your buttermilk, then the rest of your flour. Mix until just moistened.
4. Spread your batter into your prepared pan, sprinkle generously with sugar, and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is set and a deep golden brown (some ovens may take 5-10 minutes longer - be patient). Let cool for 30 minutes in the pan before removing and letting cool completely before slicing. This is truly excellent on its own, but is also great with jam, ice cream, whipped cream, or whatever else you can imagine. It will keep well in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Adapted From

Food52

3.3.3070

 

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After you’ve done your political activism for the day, I encourage you to sit back, relax, and take care of yourself. Maybe have some friends over this weekend, and over discussing the current political climate that we’re all living in (and how we can fix it), perhaps you could bust out some of these tarts? They’re incredibly easy to make, but they look super fancy because they’re made with puff pastry, which I actually hadn’t ever used before this. I had a package of it in my freezer for months, thinking I’d use it to make all kinds of tasty finger foods, but it wasn’t until New Year’s Eve that I decided to make these (wow, I’m really behind on posts). It’s always nice to have something vegetarian to offer to your friends, and while they are made with buttery pastry, the result is a light, crispy appetizer perfect for popping in your mouth and not having to worry about crumbs falling all over the place. You can use pretty much anything here–maybe use mozzarella cheese and add some olives, or sprinkle chives over everything to make it extra gourmet. You could add sausage or peppers or even just keep it simple with onions and cheese. The world of puff pastry is your ready-to-bake oyster. I made these earlier in the day on NYE, then popped them in the oven quickly to warm up before people came over. They were all gone by the end of the night, thankfully, or else I would have had to eat them all myself.

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I was inspired to make these ribs by my friend Jeena’s mom. I’ve never met her, but she is an angel who always sends Jeena back from her home state of California with lots of goodies for me. I’ve gotten a big tub of gochujang, which is a sweet and spicy Korean pepper paste, a bag of gochugaru, which is a Korean chili pepper, toasted sesame seeds, different kinds of pickles and banchan, and more. It’s awesome. Jeena even once brought me a tub of some kind of paste that I can’t remember the name of, but it’s pungent and sweet and sour and spicy and all of the good things you want to use as a base for a soup or a marinade. You can, of course, get gochujang and gochugaru at a local specialty or Korean market, but it really makes me feel special to get these little packages from Jeena and her mom, especially because there’s always something new that I’ve never tasted before in there somewhere, and what’s more exciting than that? These ribs are fall-apart tender, but they’ve got that punch that you expect from Korean food, which Kramer and I love. I added a little honey for sweetness near the end of the cooking time, just to caramelize the tops and give the ribs a bit of crispiness, but otherwise, this simple four-ingredient marinade is all you need to make wonderfully delicious ribs.

Chelsea really ~ captured me in the moment ~.

Okay, so – what you’re really here for: ribs.

The sauce is super easy.

Just rub it all over your ribs.

Cover, bake, baste, and eat!

Yum.

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Gochujang Ribs

Author: Sydney

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  2 hours

Total time:  2 hours 15 mins

Serves: serves 3-4

 

Super easy pork spareribs with a sweet and spicy Korean-style glaze.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork spareribs
• 2 tablespoons gochujang
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons gochugaru
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F, line a baking sheet with foil, and fit a cooling rack into the baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together your gochujang, soy sauce, gochugargu, and sesame seeds. Place your ribs on your prepared baking sheet and smother your ribs with ¾ of the prepared sauce. Cover the baking sheet with foil and bake for 1½ to 2 hours, until tender.
3. Once tender, remove the foil and whisk together the remaining sauce with the honey. Turn the heat of the oven up to 450 degrees F. Rub your sauce and honey mixture over the ribs, then place them in the oven for 5 minutes, flip, and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until slightly charred. Drizzle with any juices from the bottom of the pan and serve immediately.

3.3.3070

 

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So, in the spirit of working towards the common good, a group of food bloggers decided to get together and share some stories about immigration from our own friends and families. Obviously, American food has been hugely influenced by immigrants. We really wouldn’t have the various foods we eat on a daily basis here without immigrants. Sadly, we certainly have a history of denying entry to people from a wide swath of places throughout America’s history, but for those that were able to come to the States for a better life, with them, they brought their food. My great-grandfather was Irish (though he went to Canada first before my mom’s parents moved her and her siblings to the US in the 60s/70s) and my great-great-grandmother was Italian. My husband’s family came here from Eastern Europe during the pogroms in the early 1900s. They came here and started a rope-making business, eventually turning it into a robe (yep) business, if you can believe that. Kramer’s grandmother still has a few of them. My own great-grandfather was from Poland, which is why I’m sharing with you this recipe for Szarlotka, or Polish apple pie. It’s sort of a combination of a cake, a pie, and a cobbler, but it’s not-too-sweet and perfect for breakfast or a light dessert. The top has a sort of biscuit quality to it, which I personally find to be irresistible and so did the people I shared it with. We never fully embraced the Polish side of our family as we did the Italian side, but I always loved hearing stories from my grandfather about growing up with a Polish father in America. My favorite story was about his class pet. Remember having a class pet in elementary school? Everyone would have to take turns watching it over the weekends or on long breaks. We had a hamster and I remember my mother absolutely hated it when I brought that thing home for the weekend. I was thrilled then, but now, if someone tried to make me take care of a hamster for the weekend, I’m not sure how stoked I’d be. Either way, my grandfather excitedly brought the class rabbit home for summer break. He put it out back and then left to play with his friends. When he returned, he discovered that his father had taken a liking to the rabbit…so much so that he decided it would make a delicious dinner. He cooked the rabbit before my grandfather could explain that it was a pet, a concept my great-grandfather was not familiar with. Dogs are pets, cats are pets, rabbits are dinner. For the rest of the summer, kids from school would see him on the street and bring him discarded vegetables from their gardens to feed to the rabbit. My grandfather didn’t have the heart to tell them what had happened, so he accepted their vegetables and gave them to his mother to cook. This was during the Depression, after all, so he felt extremely guilty for taking even these discarded bits of lettuce and carrots. He said that, eventually, after a month or so, the kids forgot about the rabbit, as kids are often wont to do, and he kept the secret to himself for years. My grandfather went on to fight in World War II, earn a purple heart, become a mason, and build his own typical American life for himself, but he always remembered that rabbit (and I will, too). I remember him talking about fitting in and feeling a little different than everyone else because his family ate food that others found weird, or that his parents didn’t speak the best English, but that also made him who he is today. Now, I think about who I’d be if my great-grandparents hadn’t been able to come to America in the early 1900s. Where would I be, if at all?

Your ingredients.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter until pea-sized crumbs form.

Beat together your eggs and vanilla and mix with a wooden spoon.

Add in enough milk to form a sturdy, yet still slightly sticky, ball.

Press 2/3 of the dough into a buttered springform pan, and wrap the rest in plastic wrap to chill in the freezer until ready to use.

Bake until lightly golden on the sides and puffed up.

Cook your apples with the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon for about 10 minutes, until slightly softened.

Add the apples to the top of the warm crust, then crumble the chilled dough on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden and set.

I love the layers here. They’re so pretty.

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Polish Apple Pie (Szarlotka)

Author: Sydney

Prep time:  30 mins

Cook time:  1 hour

Total time:  1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 10-12

 

A traditional Polish dessert made with three layers of cake, cinnamon-caramel apples, and a crumble topping.

Ingredients

For the Crust/Topping:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-4 tablespoons whole milk

For the Filling:

• 4 pounds apples (usually about 4 apples), thinly sliced (you can peel them if you like, but I prefer the texture of the skins)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-inch springform pan. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add your flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together. Cube your butter and add to the flour, then use your hands to cut the butter into the flour until pea-sized crumbs form. Beat your eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl and add them to your flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon to mix until moistened. Add in your milk and use a wooden spoon to mix. Add a little more milk, if needed, until a firm but still sticky ball of dough comes together.
3. Divide the dough into two balls, one with about ⅔ of the dough and the other with about ⅓ of the dough. Wrap the smaller ball in plastic wrap, form into a disc, and place in the freezer until ready to use. Add the remaining ⅔ of the dough to the buttered pan, pressing it into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until puffed up and starting to get golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside.
4. While the bottom crust bakes, slice your apples and cook them over medium heat with the brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or so, until slightly softened. Remove from the heat pour over the warm bottom crust.
5. Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and break it up in uneven pieces all over the top of the cake (it should be rustic looking, so don't worry about it being perfect). Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden and set.
6. Allow the cake to cool for at least an hour before running a knife around the cake and removing it from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without whipped cream or ice cream. This cake will keep well covered and at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Adapted From

Curious Cuisiniere

3.3.3070

 

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It’s honestly hard for me to even put a recipe up right now. It’s hard to think about anything other than the current political climate and all of the horror that is being inflicted upon people, from this ban to the struggle of so many other people in this country, but it’s important to rest and stay focused and spend some time re-energizing yourself. If that means going for a run, watching a movie, meditating, or, in my case, baking or cooking, then that’s a good thing. One of my friends sends out a weekly email blast with various calls to action and ways to help, and one thing she mentioned was that it’s easy to burn out, so find the things that you are passionate about and make sure you take care of yourself while you work on them. I’m trying to do that as best I can. I am obviously very lucky and I am in a position where I am able to donate, protest, and try to spread information to others. Not everyone is so fortunate, and I realize that. That’s why I feel a responsibility to use this blog and whatever reach it has to try to do some good. But at the end of the day, it is a food blog, and I do want to share some recipes with you, if anything, to help alleviate some of the pain everyone has been feeling. And bread is a great way to do that. Kneading the dough together is soothing and therapeutic, and there’s really nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread. This is a simple rye bread recipe. It’s perfect for sandwiches or toast or even just snacking with some butter and salt. We made a brisket a few weeks back, had some friends over, made sandwiches, and watched a movie. This bread was wonderful slathered in mustard and piled high with tender slices of meat, pickles, and onions. If you’re new to baking, especially to baking bread, then this is a wonderful place to start. Bake some bread, take care of yourself, and while it rises, give your representatives and senators a call. Thanks to everyone who has been working tirelessly to make a difference, and thank you especially to all of the people around me who are inspiring me to be better and work harder.

Your ingredients.

One tiny ball of dough, ready to rise.

The same dough, all big and tough and ready to punch down.

Rolled out and folded.

A second rise.

Baked.

My favorite way to eat this is with some butter and sea salt.

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Beginner's Rye Bread

Author: Sydney

Prep time:  2 hours

Cook time:  1 hour

Total time:  3 hours

Serves: 1 loaf

 

This super-easy recipe is perfect for beginner bread makers. It's great for sandwiches, toast, or even all on its own.

Ingredients

• ¼-ounce (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water (about 110-115 degrees F)
• 1½ tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, plus more for topping
• 2¼ teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1¼ cup rye flour
• 1 egg white, for brushing

Instructions

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or just a large bowl if you're making the bread by hand), sprinkle your yeast over ¼ cup of your warm water. Add in ½ tablespoon honey and whisk until the yeast dissolves. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes, until foamy.
2. Add in the remaining water and honey, as well as the butter, caraway seeds, and salt. Mix to combine, then gradually add in both flours, one cup at a time, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and forms a sticky ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface or with your dough hook for about 5 minutes, then shape into a ball. Transfer to a large buttered bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
3. Butter a 4-1/2 x 8-1/2 inch loaf pan and set aside. When the dough has risen, punch it down and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out to a 7 x 7-inch square, then fold it into thirds, like a letter, and pinch the ends to seal. Place the dough seam-side-down in the loaf pan and brush with your egg white and sprinkle with extra caraway seeds.
4. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it on top of the dough (so that it doesn't stick when you peel it away later). Let stand for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the dough touches the plastic wrap.
5. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F, then when ready to bake, lower it to 400 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 45-55 minutes or so, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until the top is a nice, golden brown. Let the bread cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing and slicing. This will keep well, wrapped in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to a week.

Adapted From

Martha Stewart

3.3.3070

 

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My happy place is cooking, as you all know, and in particular, lately, it’s cooking from Anthony Bourdain’s most recent cookbook, Appetites. I’ve made at least five things from it so far, all of which have been phenomenal, and I’ve read it cover-to-cover. I even plan to get a tattoo of some of the artwork from the book at some point. That’s how much I love it. The book covers simple, straight-forward recipes that you can easily put together and readily make substitutions as necessary, if needed. It’s great, simply put. I recommend it to all of my friends. These pork chops are no different. They are incredibly flavorful, crispy as all hell, and are as wonderful between two simple pieces of white bread as they are atop a bunch of cooked greens. We ate them both ways. The five-spice and two kinds of vinegar are really what do it for me here, as well as pounding out the pork chops extra-thin so that you get the perfect ratio of meat to breading. If you need some comfort food this weekend, don’t worry. Tony’s got you.

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In the spirit of healthier eating, I present to you this super, super, SUPER easy garlic-lemon chicken. All you have to do is combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker, set it, and depending on whether you decided to cook it on low or high, four to eight hours later, you’ve got incredibly tender, extra garlicky chicken, ready to be devoured. I grated a little cheese on top for some added richness, and served the chicken thighs alongside some roasted veggies for dinner. The next day, I sliced the leftovers up and ate them on a big, green salad. This is the kind of thing that makes New Year’s resolutions a little bit easier, I promise. Thank you, slow cooker gods, for being there for me when I need you most.

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