Archive for May 2010

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 have no dairy …

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 be around on a given evening, …

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 next to someGreen …

OTHER MOM-INSPIRED FAVORITES: Fried Noodles; Green Goddess Soup with Zucchini, Chard, and Cilantro; Seared Salmon with Green Sauce; Rich Chocolate Celebration Cake

My mom made us breakfast every single day while we were growing up, before we piled into the car and she dropped us off at school on her way to work. When I say I don’t understand people who don’t eat breakfast, I say this with the perspective of someone who ate scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast, corn muffins, and hot raisin bread every morning, not just someone who ate, you know, a bowl …

BRUNCH: Julia’s Citrus-Sugared Dutch Babies

COCKTAIL HOUR: Sarah’s Coconut-Lime Coolers
DINNER: Lainey’s Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Tacos with Red Slaw
We host and attend our fair share of potluck parties. But they all take place in the city. There’s one on the agenda that’s a meet-up of all the good NYC folks who participate in Food52, but that’s only as far away as Central Park. Small fry when compared to St. Thomas.

In St. Thomas, instead of seasonal green salads and pesto chicken sandwiches and green beans with cured shallots…, we eat Citrus-Sugared Dutch Babies and

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Mother’s Day Roasting Pan Giveaway courtesy of LeCreuset. We so loved reading about all of your favorite childhood dishes, and the love they continue to bring into your adult lives.

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

Here’s what Laura had to say about her mother’s dish–we can’t wait to beg her for the recipe so we can make it ourselves:

My mom made the best stroganoff growing up, it was my favorite meal! Now I make it for my friends and myself all …

BOOZY AFTERNOON SNACK MENU: Deviled Eggs; Pigs in a Blanket; Turkey Pepperjack Melts; Chocolate-Bottomed Blondies

When I pass a lemonade stand (a rare enough occurrence these days) and I notice that the kids are simply pouring Minute Maid into little cups and selling Enteman’s soft chocolate chip cookies, no matter how cute the young entrepreneurs, I feel anger welling up. When I was a kid, we made lemonade for lemonade stands from scratch! Still, as a grown-up, no amount of anger can prevent me from feeling guilty that I’ve just been biking by and consequently have no …