Rice pudding

This post is something I'd saved in my drafts and promptly forgotten about. There was nothing wrong with it, but I guess I thought I'd save it for a rainy day, when I hadn't had the chance to cook something for the blog. I'm posting it now though, because why wait for that rainy day? You deserve rice pudding!

Many moons ago, Jana gave me a book called Scottish Cookery. I loved the sentiment, but my experience of Scottish food was limited to shortbread and haggis. Shortbread is great, if a little bland, but haggis?? Haggis is the stuff of my food nightmares (if I had nightmares about food) and I'm usually pretty flexible about the creative use of animal parts in food. In any case, I was flipping through Scottish Cookery recently and, to my surprise, I found a lot that I want to try out. First up on the list: rice pudding.

Chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies

These cookies are crowdpleasers. You'll be hard pressed to find a person who recoils at the thought of  a chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside, chocolate chunk oatmeal cookie. Pair it with a glass of ice cold milk, and you've got yourself a new best friend, if you happen to be in the market.

Vietnamese coffee popsicles

I'm a weirdo. I like cold things in cold weather. I like to eat ice cream slowly and cold weather makes that possible.

So, let's make popsicles, OK?

Sweet, caffeine-providing popsicles.

My brother, the hand model. 

Spicy stuffed bell pepper soup

There are times when I find myself marveling at how I've mastered the Art of the Last-Minute Meal. You know, the ability to look in your fridge, take immediate mental stock of it, your freezer, and your pantry, and figure out what might make a decent meal. Witchcraft.

Bell peppers of all colors must be really in season somewhere in Mexico, because the grocery stores are filled to the brim with them and they're all on sale. Red, yellow, orange, and good old green--they're all delicious. Green bell peppers are good when I don't want something sweet, but I like the taste of the warm-colored bell peppers. I think they're also better for you too, richer in beta carotene and vitamin C. I went a little nuts and bought six of them a week ago, thinking I'd be healthy and eat one each day as a snack or veggie side to a meal. HAH. HA. HA. HAHAHAH. I was so optimistic though!

Pumpkin banana muffins with a cinnamon swirl

Okay, so after making the pumpkin oatmeal, I had about half a can of pumpkin puree left and I felt compelled to use it. I know, what was I thinking? Pumpkin is not a favorite thing of mine, but I don't like to see it wasted. I also had a ripe banana and it too needed to be put to use.

Enter muffins. Sweet, sweet muffins with a sweet, sweet cinnamon swirl. All brown sugary and autumnal. Yes, autumnal. What can I say? I gave into seasonal flavor madness and now have TWO pumpkin recipes on my blog. You gotta problem? Take it up with the Self-Taught Bakers Union. They'll get to it, right after they address our obsession with steel-cut oats and sea salt. Godspeed.

Granola

You won't hate me if I say I like raisins, will you? . . . .

FINE. I DIDN'T NEED YOUR FRIENDSHIP ANYWAY. TAKE YOUR RAISIN-LESS EXISTENCE AND TAKE A HIKE.

Please, come back. I didn't mean it. I say crazy things when I'm hopped up on raisins. They're powerfully sweet, aren't they? I like them because they remind me of childhood. In school, they'd give us those little red Sun Maid cartons in order to give kids a "healthy" option when snacktime came. This meant that I was always lousy with raisins, because, believe it or not, there are a lot of kids willing to give up their raisins to the crazy raisin-eating kid with stirrup pants and really wide eyes from all the sugary dried grapes she's just ingested.

This is all a minor anecdote that is meant to explain why I put raisins in the granola. You certainly are under no obligation to do so, but I recommend it. You can use any dried fruit you want--cranberries, apple slices, mango, currants, blueberries, banana chips. Heck, you can even skip the fruit, if that's not your thing. Add chocolate chips instead. That's the same, health-wise, right?

For this recipe, I use a great raisin medley from the grocery store that has great big purple raisins, golden sultanas, and a couple other varieties. I've definitely graduated from those small purple sugar pills in the tiny red cartons.

Yes, ENOUGH WITH THE RAISINS ALREADY. NO ONE CARES. I get it. Moving on . . .

Baked pumpkin oatmeal

Hey, this is me, giving into the seasonal pressure of cooking with pumpkin. As a rule, I avoid pumpkin-involved things, but that's mostly because the pre-packaged stuff is overly sweet or artificial-tasting. I can't handle it.

This recipe, however, is always a winner. Baked pumpkin oatmeal. I made a big batch and I ate it for breakfast for the next week. I mean, I kinda got sick of it by Thursday, but I'm the type that craves variety.

Chipotle cheddar scrambled eggs with onions and peppers

I like spicy things, as you may well know. When I eat food with people who also like spicy food (or will, at least, tolerate it) then I usually end up going a little wild with the pepper/red pepper/gochu garu/hot sauce. I tell you this, because I want to be admired for my restraint in this recipe. I only used one chipotle pepper and only added a quarter of a teaspoon of black pepper. Does that not deserve a pat on the back, friends?

Yeasted waffles (risen waffles)

Until I started searching, I had no clue that people put yeast in waffles. Yeast was one of those scary ingredients that I didn't mess with for a long time. I had a bad first experience making bread with old yeast that ended up not activating, and it took several years before I felt like I could trust it again. I decided to take the risk this past weekend. Twice!

Feast, vegetarian brunch edition

Jenn and Atyya, two of my favorite people from grad school, came over for brunch this weekend and I wanted to make some really good food, a meal to test out my tiny kitchen. It's the first time I've lived alone in five years and I like having my own little space to share with just one little dog.***

So, what did I do to celebrate living in my new space and reuniting with my DC-area friends? I made waffles. And pumpkin oatmeal. And chipotle cheddar scrambled eggs with bell peppers and onions.

Yeah, it was a lot of food for just three people, especially since we weren't also planning on going into winter hibernation directly after eating. BUT. I wanted to put my kitchen through its paces and I like having leftover waffles that I can freeze and eat during the week. The leftover oatmeal got stored in little containers and will be toted to work for a few delicious breakfasts this week. There were no scrambled eggs left.

The waffles were not just any waffles. They were yeasted waffles. Waffles that fermented! Waffles whose batter smelled suspiciously like beer and had to sit out on the counter overnight! Crazy waffles. Crazy DELICIOUS waffles. The BEST WAFFLES I'VE EVER EATEN.

In addition to the waffles, I conceded to the season and made pumpkin oatmeal. This is one of the very few pumpkin dishes that I can eat and actually enjoy. I think it's because the steel-cut oats make the pumpkin texturally interesting. 

Finally, for something salty, I made chipotle cheddar scrambled eggs with bell peppers and onions. It was an excellent accompaniment.

We ate and talked and ate and talked some more. It's surprising how much catching up there is to do after only a few months. We were stuffed. Filled to bursting. Ready to fall away into blissful food comas. Brunch, y'all. It's what's up.


***Speaking of the little dog:

Buster is currently living it up with my parents, while I settle into my new place and get a routine going.
I am told he is enjoying the occasional scrambled egg for breakfast and chicken or beef for dinner.
Dog food? Yeah, my mom doesn't think it's nourishing enough on its own. DON'T GET ME STARTED. 

Look at this spoiled little mug. He sneaks onto the bed and uses my mom's pillows!
And he has the nerve to look annoyed that the camera woke him up.

He will be back with me soon enough though. A time of little doggy reckoning.

Cake batter fudge

I am the first person in line to throw serious shade at white chocolate. It's too sweet! It's not real chocolate! It crushes dreams and dims souls! . . . Okay, so maybe not the last thing, but you know what I mean. If only they didn't call it white chocolate, maybe I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand as the lesser chocolate, the pale (ha!) shadow of a more glorious form. Comparing white chocolate and dark chocolate is like comparing tomatoes and oranges. You're gonna be disappointed if you expect them to satisfy the same needs.

Why would I even attempt to use white chocolate as a base for fudge? I have a hell of a nerve, right? Yes, it's true, but I also have a wonderful friend who recently got herself knocked up, and I needed white chocolate in order to replicate cake batter in a way that wouldn't pose a hazard to her new uterine passenger. Raw egg consumption is generally frowned upon during pregnancy, so I thought I'd try to figure out a way to replicate a cake batter that I could mail halfway across the country. I chose cake batter, because my friend is that person who would (pre-pregnancy) much prefer to eat cake batter and cookie dough, instead of an actual baked good.

Twice-baked potato (forage)

Since moving into both a new apartment and new job, I haven't exactly had the time or energy to cook something involved. Now that I'm mostly unpacked and my job--while still overwhelming in its newness--is moving to a manageable level of chaos, I think I'll have some time to cook and bake. They may be less intense things for awhile, as I continue adjusting to being on my own again. This twice-baked potato is the result of a lack of energy to cook something labor-intensive.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder . . .

Also, I've been crazy busy, interviewing for a job, getting the job, finding a place to live, moving all of my stuff, unpacking all of my stuff, starting my job, and getting used to being a working stiff again.

Sorry! I know I have, like, 10 people who really read my blog and I know I've let you down by not posting. I'm going to try to make up for it soon. First, I will post a recipe for a twice-baked potato. It was delicious and I highly recommend it. Later in the week, I will post about the cake batter fudge and candy corn cookies I'm sending to a friend (who, hopefully, will not guess they are for her when she reads this).

While I get my shit together, why don't you check out the recipes I've added to my list of things I must eat and drink in the very near future?

French Onion Mac and Cheese from Smells Like Brownies

Chocolate Pavlova from Okra's Book Club

Praline Pumpkin Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting from Pinch My Salt

Ginger Bourbon Cider from Hungry Girl Por Vida

Sunday Morning Eggs Benedict from Sally's Baking Addiction

Parsley Salad with Almonds and Apricots from Budget Bytes

Sriracha Honey Popcorn Clusters from Heather Christo

Honey peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies

That's a mouthful, right? These cookies satisfy a lot of my wants, cookie-wise. They're slightly chewy, texturally interesting, not composed primarily of chocolate, and mildly honey-flavored.

Cinnamon brown sugar latte (vegan or no, choose your own adventure!)

How much do you love lattes? A lot, right? Me too. How much do you love paying $4-5 a pop? Yeah, not so much.

I saw a recipe for the dreaded (at least, for me) pumpkin spice latte and figured making myself a cinnamon brown sugar latte at home couldn't be too hard. It would also save me from dropping serious money at Starbucks every time I get a craving. 

Okara carrot muffies

As my many donut and dessert posts can attest, I'm not what you'd call a "clean eater." I don't ascribe to any particular diet, but I can appreciate vegetarian and vegan things. I'm still a little iffy on what exactly the Paleo diet is, but, (insert some sarcasm here) thank goodness, there are a bajillion websites that I can visit in order to get a better grip on it, if I feel so inclined.

Chocolate ganache

Ganache is one of the easiest things you can do to class up a plain cake, pretzels, or some less-than-stellar strawberries. It's just chopped chocolate with scalded hot cream poured over it. Use whatever kind of chocolate you like, though let's be real: white chocolate is NOT OKAY (if you're trying to feed me anyway). In this recipe, I used a mix of Ghiradelli Twilight (72% cacao), Trader Joe's 72% dark chocolate, and one cup of Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Victoria sponge (yellow cake)

There are so many yellow cake recipes out there, but I've found many of them to be disappointing and kinda wasteful for what you get. EIGHT egg yolks?? Are you joking with that? Maybe if I had some angel food cake to make right after and needed the egg yolks, but man! I'd already sacrificed six egg yolks to the custard and I didn't feel right using only half of eight more eggs.

I searched high and low for a good yellow cake recipe and guess what? The Brits are lousy with them! But you wouldn't know it, because the crafty devils call it "Victoria Sponge." Hmph. Even worse, they don't slather it with chocolate buttercream like any DECENT American will normally do. They eat their cake with jam. JAM, I TELL YOU.

Vanilla pastry cream

For backstory, see my post about Boston cream pie.

I trust Dorie Greenspan more than any other cookbook writer/chef. Her recipes have never let me down. I own two of her cookbooks, Baking: From My Home to Yours and Around My French Table. I've used Baking way, way more than the other book, but everything I've made has been delicious so far. Given my current transient state (most of my stuff is in storage!) both cookbooks are packed away somewhere, so I had to go searching online to find her pastry cream recipe. Thankfully, there are many, many Dorie devotees online, who love her as much as I do.

Feast: Boston cream pie for my brother's birthday

My brother's birthday is this month and I wanted to make him something impressive. Not, like, "foie gras truffle oil blah-de-blah I'm so snooty" impressive, but something that he loves that he doesn't get to eat very often because it's not a typical dessert you find everywhere. And if you do find Boston cream pie, oftentimes it's composed of vanilla pudding, boxed yellow cake, and a gooey chocolate stain of a ganache. Okay. Now I'm getting a little snooty. There's nothing wrong with Jell-o vanilla pudding or boxed cake mix. I grew up eating (and loving!) these things because my mom really had no interest in baking.

But, I've cleared several levels in the game of life, baking-wise, and I've progressed beyond cake mix when making a birthday dessert for someone. If I can, I'm going to make it from scratch. Settle in, dear blog readers, as I embark on a quest to create a Boston cream pie worthy of my serious, cynical, funny, meticulous, caring, science-loving, occasionally petty, mostly awesome brother.

Kale, sausage, and potato soup (forager's minestrone soup)

Sorry for the absence! I came down with a late summer cold, which was the worst. I mean, I'm given to frequent fits of hyperbole, but seriously. Being sick when it's sunny and 90F outside and all you want to do is lie huddled under blankets in a darkened room is just . . . the pits. I'm coming back to the blog now, with a restorative soup, meant to warm you up with its slightly spicy, earthy goodness.

The season for soups and stews is almost upon us and I have the perfect soup for you to try out. This recipe came out of a desire to make a hearty lunch without having to go to the grocery store first.

All of my photos of this soup were kinda blurry and awful, which is such a disservice to this tasty soup!

Crispy chickpeas, two ways (forage)

At the job I had before grad school, my friend Lenore (who has a food blog too!) introduced me to the concept of "mouth-bored." You know that feeling you get when you're not really hungry and gum just won't satisfy, but you still have the compulsion to eat? Yeah, that's mouth-bored. She'd eat carrots (sometimes peeling them at her desk!) or green peppers and I'd usually have some kind of stash of stale crackers and a small tub of peanut butter with which I could make do. It was a sad state of affairs.

I thought about this as I looked into my pantry last night. I like to munch on a little something when I'm in between meals and/or when I'm mouth-bored. It was lookin' a little lean, snack-wise. I did have two cans of chickpeas just hanging out and I knew that roasting chickpeas was a thing (just google it--you'll be buried in recipes) so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Crank up your ovens, y'all! It's time to make some crispy chickpeas!

Ragù Bolognese

Prior to this recipe, I'd never made anything with veal before. It kinda squicks me out, but I was cooking for my parents and my mom requested veal, so I bit the bullet and decided not to put up a fight. This was the sauce I used to accompany my homemade pasta and it was really incredible. Classic bolognese is made with pancetta and a mixture of ground beef and ground veal, but guess what? It's hard finding pancetta in a small town in Virginia and I had a pound and a half of ground veal in the fridge ready to use (and no ground beef). For all that, I don't think my sauce suffered one bit.

Homemade pasta (fresh tagliatelle)

Damn. Homemade pasta is not for people with weak arms. I mean, if you're not me and have a pasta press or some fancy KitchenAid with a pasta-making attachment, I bet pasta-making is a delight. However, I only get new kitchen implements when people (re: my brother) decide to buy them for me. Don't get me wrong--I would love a pasta maker/chitarra/KitchenAid with attachment. I just have other things higher up on my list, like feeding my dog, maintaining a Netflix account, and not being crushed under the weight of student loans.

Whinging aside, here's how you make pasta the old school, put-your-back-into-it-girl way.

Chocolate ice cream

Guess what? Continuing with the trend of getting me one-trick pony gifts, my brother got me an ice cream maker for my birthday! I've been wanting one forever, envying all of the amazing homemade ice creams I see other people's food blogs. I know I've said I'm not chocolate's biggest fan, but I wanted to make something just a touch fancier than vanilla for my first try. This (not-so) dark chocolate ice cream recipe from Jeni Britton Bauer, of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, was really delicious.

Tangy chicken and tomatoes with penne

So, there are times when the going to the grocery store is a real pain in the keister and I have to make dinner. You have those times too, right? To keep myself from making instant ramen or scrambled eggs too often, I try to keep a dozen or so things stocked in my pantry or fridge at all times. What are these staples (beyond spices and condiments) that I try to always maintain a healthy supply of in order to make meals on the fly? I'm glad you asked!

Quinoa caprese

I love Caprese salad, which is just a fancy way of saying I love eating lots of cheese. Honestly though, the three ingredients that are required in a caprese salad are all at the top (or close to the top) in their respective food fields for me--basil is my favorite herb, tomatoes are my favorite fruit that masquerades as a vegetable (sorry, avocados and eggplants!), and mozzarella is one of my top three favorite cheeses.

If you make something a la caprese ('in the style of Capri'), chances are, I'll eat it. Enter Quinoa caprese. I'll eat this alllll day. All day, son!

Chocolate buttermilk donuts

Jackpot! I've been trying to perfect my chocolate donut recipe for awhile now, because my brother loves them so much. Each time I've made them, however, they were either too dense or too dry or not chocolatey enough. Well, after poring over a dozen or so recipes for chocolate donuts, buttermilk donuts, and chocolate buttermilk donuts, I think I was able to fashion a recipe of my own that I like very much. I present to you now, my best chocolate donut:

How to carve a watermelon

Is there a fruit or vegetable that screams SUMMER more than watermelon? I defy anyone to say so (unless you're in a country where watermelon isn't plentiful and cheap in the summer like it is here). Sure, there are people who love their tomatoes and peaches and corn and squash, but, let's be real. You can get those things any time of year. Obviously, the quality suffers, but watermelon consumption is still very much limited to the summer. 

I don't know about you, but this means I eat as much watermelon as possible for the entirety of the summer. I can't get enough of it. I don't really enjoy other melons, but sweet, crisp, juicy watermelon is something I'll never turn down.

Kale salad with apples and toasted almonds

I love greens. Turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, arugula/rocket, you name it. I will eat sauteed greens until the cows come home and wonder where all their greens went. The only problem I have with leafy vegetables is that you can come home with two big, beautiful bunches thinking you'll feast for days on it. The sad reality is that your lovely, seemingly bountiful supply of kale will cook down into a puny, sad-looking lump, making your dinner companions think you want to starve them.

So, check it: you don't have to cook your kale! You can eat it raw, in this really tasty salad and, though chopping it up does decrease its volume, you still look like you have a respectable amount to serve to people without their wondering whether they can have seconds. Yes, Virginia, they sure can have seconds. And they'll want them too. This is the best kale salad I've ever had. No joke. 

Kale jokes are lame anyway.

Tangy slaw (without mayo!)

I've made this recipe many, many times. I've served it with tacos, fajitas, hamburgers, barbecue chicken, and sloppy joes. Tangy and light, it's a perfect summer salad--the kind of thing you can leave out on a picnic table without giving people food poisoning. I mean, don't leave it out all day, but it'll hold up nicely for a couple hours, certainly. It's also a great side dish for vegans or those who hate mayonnaise (I won't shame the mayo-haters on this blog by calling them out by name, but....they know who they are).

Smoky eggplant dip

This is another throwback from college, when all I had access to was my janky old blender and my roommate's George Foreman grill. Alison really loved all things eggplant, brought on by a summer spent in Sicily, eating her weight in pasta alla norma (eggplant and pasta in a marinara sauce). I remember kind of hating this, because I always associated eggplant with a soggy nightmare food. This, I will concede many years later, is probably not a fair assessment. 

Lime in da coconut pie

In undergrad, I would make lemon/lime bars using Keebler Sandies cookies as the crust. I can't remember why I did it in the first place, probably because they were easy and my mom would always pack them in the groceries she sent back to school with me. After college, I stopped making citrus bars and subsequently stopped using shortbread cookies. This short backstory is only relevant because I was sitting in my apartment a while back, trying to think of ways to use up limes and I remembered my college obsession with citrus bars. I had some Nilla wafers on hand and knew I could construct a pretty bangin' lime pie. I call it a pie instead of a bar dessert, because I used a round dish and the lime filling is more custardy and less solid than one might expect of a bar.

Limeade

I like nothing better than sweet and tart things. Citrus of all varieties is one of my favorite ingredients, especially limes and lemons. In the summer, there are two things I love to drink: limeade and my mom's sun tea.

Broccoli salad

The last few weeks have been rough for various reasons, but it has reminded me how excellent my friends and family are. The emptiness of friendship is one complaint I've yet to make. I had so many people help me pack up my stuff, haul boxes to storage and the donation drop-off, and clean up my disaster of an apartment. To them, I say, "Thank you, I love you, I don't know what I would have done without you."

I'd probably have done a lot of crying without you. A lot a lot of crying. Thanks, folks! On to food . . .

Sausage stirfry

I am happy to eat kimchi jjigae for several meals, protein or no protein. I cannot say the same for my younger brother. He never really developed a taste for kimchi, even though he loves spicy food. For dinner recently, I decided to make that old standby, the stir-fry. It's quick and delicious and a great way to empty out the fridge. I used up a couple of bell peppers and a link of andouille that I'd had every intention of turning into part of a jambalaya. Oh well. "Best laid plans" and all that.

Kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew)

You know how you crave your mom's mac and cheese? Or your granddad's spaghetti and meatballs? Or your auntie's spicy fried chicken wings? You want comfort, you want home. When I crave my mom's food, I want something spicy. I want clear-your-sinuses, steam-coming-out-of-your-ears hell broth. That's my favorite taste of home. When I'm feeling homesick for my mama's cooking, I make kimchi jjigae. It's quick and spicy and smelly and delicious.

Buttermilk Belgian waffles

For my graduation, my brother got me a waffle iron. This continues the tradition of food-related gifts that are both thoughtful and self-serving. I ain't even mad, because look at the amazingness that I made:

Frittata with arugula, sundried tomatoes, and goat cheese with a blackberry arugula salad

Alison and her fiancé Tapan came to visit recently and I made a big ol' brunch. Alison and I were roommates in college for three years and she's like my little sister. She's technically a few months older, but the dynamic is undeniable ;-). She and Tapan live in Philadelphia, but, fingers crossed, maybe they'll move down to Maryland so Tapan can do his residency. They were in DC for a wedding, so I had them over for brunch the next day.

I made a frittata, which is like a crustless quiche. Frittatas are basically lots of eggs and any of the fillings you have in an omelette, all mixed together and baked in a cast-iron skillet.

Procrastinator's bbq chicken

I brought potato salad and this chicken to a potluck my friend was having before she moved to Richmond for a new job. Southern food seemed appropriate for a southern move.

Southern potato salad

I've been on a Southern food kick lately, mostly because this is the time of year when things like potato salad and BBQ pulled chicken (coming soon!) are eaten with great joy. It's the start of the barbecue and summer potluck season. I, for one, couldn't be happier.

Strawberry yogurt mascarpone pie

I love my friend Sarah. My old roommate is really one of a kind. I'm less upset now that her husband decided to marry her and take her away from me than I once was, but, I think he knows what a sacrifice I made by giving her up to him. Yes. Because it was definitely MY decision. . . .

I don't get to hang out with her as much as I want to, but I'm hoping we'll see more of each other now that the craziness of grad school is behind me. Sarah and her husband came over for dinner this past week and, since she loves cream pies with fruit in them and I happened to have a flock of strawberries waiting to be eaten, I figured I'd fix them a strawberry cream pie for dessert.