Archive for April 2010

CINCO DE MAYO MENU: Black Bean Cakes; Guacamole; Cilantro Slaw; Curried Sweet Potato Quesadillas; Salmon & BBQ Black Bean Tacos with Queso Fresco, Cabbage Slaw, and Chipotle Crema

Cinco de Mayo is approaching, and we’ll be featuring several Mexican-inspired dishes in the coming days. But I’ve been cooking tacos for months.

I was telling Cara the other day how disproportionately I eat Mexican food at home in comparison to how often I go out to Mexican restaurants. I’m much more likely to pick up a slice…

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To win this LeCreuset Stainless Steel Roasting Pan, read on and comment below!

We’ve begun the countdown to Mother’s Day a little on the early side this year with our Virtual Bake Sale for Pediatric Cancer. And while we hope your gift to mom will include one of our Peanut M&M Blondies, it got us wondering about our readers’ Mother’s Day traditions and about how good old Mom factors into your cooking today.

We often feature recipes From Our Mother’s Kitchen. Thanks to Sarah, Phoebe has an unhealthy…

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Afternoon Snack: Peanut M&M Blondies (OK, Not Health Food, But Here’s Why Eating One Can Help Fight Cancer)
By Sarah Jio

“I recently discovered the fabulous blog, Big Girls, Small Kitchen (a must read!), where bloggers Phoebe and Cara share all kinds of yummy, healthy recipes. But what caught my eye was their mission to help support the fight against pediatric cancer with a bake sale. A part of the proceeds go to The Valerie Fund, a nonprofit that provides support for the comprehensive health care of children with cancer and blood disorders.”

Read the full article here.

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SPRING BBQ MENU: Turkey Burgers with Red Onion and Beet Relish; Warm Blue Potato & Green Onion Salad; Spring Tonic Salad

When the weather starts getting warm, and we begin breaking out our best bright pink sundresses and laying our best bright blue picnic blankets on the Great Lawn, I start craving potato salad. It’s no secret that my mother has a bit of an obsession with mayonnaise, so it should be no surprise that the version I grew up with contained plenty of it.…

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Act natural, colorful, warm!

EVENT: Cara and Phoebe’s Quarter-Life Kitchen Photoshoot #2
VENUE: Central Park
PARTY SIZE: 4
TYPE: Saturday Picnic

MENU: String Beans with Mustard Dressing and Cured Shallots; Pomodoro Fresco Pasta Salad; Hard Boiled Egg Sandwiches; Carrot Raisin Cookies

Recently, we staged a picnic photoshoot for our book. Though the food, the friends, and the sun were real, and the mud was definitely real enough to engulf poor Essie’s new gladiator sandal, the constant smiling

…

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DISH: Soba with Kale, Parmesan, and Walnut Sauce
TYPE: Craving For Fusion
MAIN INGREDIENTS: Soba, Nuts, Cheese

I’ve been thinking for a while about using soba noodles in an Italian-style dish. Though buckwheat isn’t hugely popular here, I do see it around: buckwheat pancakes and crepes on menus, buckwheat flour on grocery shelves, and kasha varnishkas, which I avoid at any buffet. But there was something about the nutty, grainy taste of soba that to me sounded like it would be perfectly complemented with Parmesan. However, I wasn’t about to grate cheese on my soy sauce, ginger,…

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HANGOVER BRUNCH: Fried Egg Sandwich with Red Onion Jam; Sweet Potato Fries; Spinach with Bacon Bits

I discovered Merrill’s Red Onion Jam on Food52 a few months ago and have been making it pretty much bi-weekly ever since. I’ve used it to top these little Smoked Mozzarella Tartlettes, sweeten up a savory Turkey Melt, and if there’s just a little bit left in the jar, I’ve successfully found a home for it on my

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Red Onion Jam
Makes about 1 cup

Read the original post here.

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Thanks to everyone for participating in our wine rack giveaway. We were fascinated by the responses and especially comforted to know we’re not the only ones who a) buy inexpensive wine and b) glory in the extra wine that remains the day after a dinner party.

We chose a winner randomly from the list of commenters. Congrats to reader kylewright! .

Here’s what Kyle had to say about wine, complete with great tips and excellent-sounding recommendations we can’t wait to try:
One of the best things (sometimes) about dinner parties is that you end up with at…

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THE PERFECT MOTHER’S DAY GIFT: Peanut M&M Blondies

We have always been the types to bake up a batch of cookies or brownies, pack them into an empty shoe box or oatmeal canister, and ship them off to friends in the place of actual material gifts. We’ve made these tins of treats for many reasons–for love, for gratitude, to assuage guilt, to apologize. But our friend Emily has made a business out of baking and sending tins of treats for charity, and we…

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