Archive for June 2010

MEXICAN FINGER FOOD MENU: Black Bean Cakes; Chorizo Pigs in a Blanket; Chips and Guacamole
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Cookie Sheet/Jelly Roll Pan

As you very well know, we love us some quesadillas. But for large finger food parties, they just don’t make sense. When cut into triangles, the result is a bit messy, and for catered cocktail parties, we tend to want something neater. But when we were throwing around ideas for Sarah’s 25th birthday, we felt like we needed something cheesy, crispy, and delicious–like a quesadilla, but not. Something vaguely, if not authentically …

This is less a post and more a plea for help. How do you make great peanut butter granola bars?! I’ve made them again and again, and I’m having trouble solving a few issues. So rather than give you a recipe (though I’ve given you my working formula, which is delicious if not quite perfect), I’m imploring you readers for a recipe.…

I like crunchy granola bars, so the method I’ve come to use is heating a sticky mixture, made of honey and/or sugar, peanut butter, and oil. Then I pour that over a dry mixture: toasted oats and nuts,

EVENT: Not Quite Sure…
VENUE: Phoebe’s Apartment, Flatiron
PARTY SIZE: 4 mystery eaters
TYPE: Taco Tuesday…or something like that
MENU: Ancho-Rubbed Chicken & Chorizo Tacos with Mango Salad, Avocado, and Chipotle Crema

It’s a sad story when you’ve made so many tacos in a month that you can’t remember who came to eat them and why. I made these ancho-rubbed chicken tacos sometime before April 17th. I know this because the ancho chili powder inspired the marinade for these backseat chicken sandwiches. But I cannot for the life of me remember the dinner. I even checked my calendar. …

DISH: Sweet Pea Ravioli with Scallion Cream Sauce
TYPE: Sunday Night Dinner
MAIN INGREDIENT: Pea Puree, Wonton Skins, Cream

Wonton skins are truly a random, unwanted leftover’s best friend. I discovered using them for making ravioli a few months ago, and it really opened up a world of possibility, giving a second life to the odds and ends in my fridge. With all the testing for the book, there has been a constant array of leftovers in stacked plastic containers. I usually welcome these bits and pieces. But lately, that stray cup of risotto, half-eaten bean dip, or …

LIGHT SUMMER BUFFET: Rainbow Rice Noodle Salad; Spicy Thai Beef Salad; Eggplant with Sweet Sesame Soy; Berry Yogurt…

I’m starting to think that if you gave me a plate of noodles for most any meal, from whatever cooking tradition–Asian or European–I’d be without any complaints. Especially with regard to simplicity, there’s just nothing more satisfying than a bowl of my favorite carbs.
This rainbow rice noodle salad was made for a picnic on a sweltering day, with an eye toward flavor and lightness. It’s inspired by the Vietnamese bun I sometimes get at restaurants–oodles of rice vermicelli topped

EVENT: New BFF Pizza Party
VENUE: Phoebe’s Apartment, Flatiron
PARTY-SIZE: 9
TYPE: Get-to-know-you Buffet Dinner
MENU: White Pizza with Ricotta, Sundried Tomato, and Scallion; Pepperoni & Shallot Pizza; Margarita Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella & Basil; Spinach Salad with Avocado, Red Onions, and Pecans; Make-Your-Own Cupcakes (Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing and Blueberries, Toasted Coconut, and/or Chocolate Chips)

Though on a day-to-day basis we talk about how best to stretch a can of chipotle chiles or how to make cookie-like scones, the sub-plot of our blog has everything to do with friendship.

We’ve known each other since 1997, …

MEATY MEALS FOR DAD: Mustardy Turkey Meatloaf; Five Spice Brisket; Parpadelle with Lamb Bolognese; Penne Gratin with Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms; Broiled Flank Steak with Sautéed Wild Mushrooms and Chive-Parsley Butter

Oftentimes, the grill is still considered a man’s domain. My friend Keith even went so far as to say (perhaps obnoxiously) that if a girl grilled for him on a date, it would make him uncomfortable. As Father’s Day approaches, the web has been saturated with man food—not just stuff to throw on the grill, but also bacon hash for breakfast, Brisket Sandwiches for …