Many BGSK readers-to be are graduating from college just about now. Cara’s sister Kate (aka the Best Commenter Ever), is taking the leap from college to real life this very Sunday.

In honor of her and the rest of the soon-to-be graduates, who in a matter of weeks will be stocking fridges and cabinets of their brand-new (to them) tiny kitchens, we’re hosting a giveaway over this Memorial Day Weekend. The item up for grabs is this Le Creuset 28cm Large Stainless Steel Saute Pan. It’s an awesome pan-enough surface area for frying, but also great for sauces and sautes…

EVENT: Dinner, anytime, anywhere
VENUE: Cara’s apartment
PARTY SIZE: 2
TYPE: Simple, infinitely adaptable
MENU: Ginger Scallion Noodles with Pickled Cucumbers, Carrots, and a Fried Egg; Ginger Scallion Noodles with Pickled Carrots, Bok Choy, Grilled Eggplant, and Gomasio

The first time I tried Ginger Scallion sauce was the same night I was introduced to the Momofuku Pork Bo Ssam. The sauce is one of the many that arrives at your table and is meant to be piled on the rice-lettuce-pork wraps. The only problem with the array of sauces is that the rice-lettuce-pork…

COCKTAIL PARTY MENU: Cilantro Succotash Quesadillas; Caprese Skewers; Corn Cakes with Lemon Chive Crème Fraiche; Jonestown Punch

Aside from the occasional crab cake (when someone else is paying), we rarely feature fancy ingredients like lump crab meat in our recipes. But in this case, the crab meat in question was for a birthday party we catered (on which more soon!). It was a special occasion and we wanted the food to match. Still, we tried to channel our usual frugality and stretch eight ounces of quality crab meat across as many…

EVENT: Matt’s Birthday
VENUE: Phoebe’s Parents’ Car (Bobby), I-95
PARTY-SIZE: 5
TYPE: Friday Night Roadtrip (with lots of fun traffic)
MENU: Roast Beef Baguettes with Cider Onion Jam and Fennel Remoulade; Ancho Chicken Sandwiches with Avocado and Chipotle Mayonnaise; Friendship Crispy Treats

Over the course of the past year, most of my friends have been celebrating year 25, the great quarter-life birthday milestone, and making my life more festive than ever. For many, it was a matter of pulling out all the stops…

SPRING-Y BRUNCH MENU: Toasted Pecan Scones; Scrambled Eggs with Caramelized Onions, Arugula, and Gouda; Toasted Baguette Slices

After making 6 plus batches of Yes, Pecan! cookie dough for ThinkBlue’s Valentine’s Day party gift bag, I was left with a cup or so of toasted pecans. I put them into an old takeout container and put them in my freezer, thinking I’d keep them stocked for future cookies or chocolate bark. But then I found myself sneaking into the freezer, cracking open the container, and grabbing a couple of nuts. Every morning, I put

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MORE QUESADILLAS: Avocado Quesadillas, Cilantro Succatash Quesadillas, Curried Sweet Potato Quesadillas, Butternut Squash & Leek Confit Quesadillas, Spinach Pie Quesadilas

In his book A Platter of Figs, David Tanis has a recipe for avocado quesadillas. I remember reading it at my mom’s over breakfast and noticing that it sounded delicious, but also thinking it was curious to be featured in a book that also contained recipes about how to make duck leg hams from scratch. Of course the idea of the cookbook, captured in its name, is…

SPRING DINNER MENU: Seared Salmon with Green Sauce; Asparagus Spears with Burrata & Prosciutto; Warm Blue Potato & Green Onion Salad; Lemon Tart with Cream

It’s rare that I splurge on expensive ingredients like proscuitto and buffalo mozzarella. But when I lived in Rome, it was easy enough to make a meal out of a few slices of high quality cured meat, combined with a few bites of silky cheese, rounded out some crusty bread dipped in olive oil. Meals like this don’t really need recipes. When the…

SPRING DINNER PARTY MENU: Coconut Curry Mussels; Crusty Bread; Mixed Greens with Creamy Mango Vinaigrette; Lemon-Almond Cake

This is my new favorite cake. It has so few ingredients and such a fresh, clean taste, I can’t help but want to make it for every dinner party, every box of treats, every day.

One of its best traits is having no butter in it whatsoever. This is good for a few reasons, none of which is health. The main reason is Alex, because he can’t eat dairy, and because I, as the baker, prefer recipes that

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WEEKEND BRUNCH: Zucchini-Shallot Frittata; Panzanella Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette; White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

My mom makes the best frittatas. As it turns out, it was the first dish she ever cooked for my dad. And while eggs are a sure way to any man’s heart, she must have done something very right with that particular frittata.

When I was growing up, the frittata was the only breakfast item that we consistently ate for dinner. It often made an appearance when there was some sort of miscommunication as to whether we would all…

BBQ DINNER MENU: Five Spice Pulled Brisket Sandwiches; Cilantro Slaw; Warm Blue Potato & Green Onion Salad; Chocolate Bark with Cinnamon-Coated Nuts and Cherries

When I made my Passover Brisket this year, I accidentally cooked it a little longer than usual. This wasn’t a disastrous mistake. It just meant that the meat ended up being too tender to slice into long, neat pieces. But when the filling of a sandwich, this tenderness is really something to strive for. Since the glop of stringy meat wouldn’t have looked so gorgeous alone on a plate…