Recipe Flash: Hot Fudge Sauce

BEST VEHICLES FOR HOT FUDGE: Matzoh Crunch Ice Cream; Pecan-Pumpkin Pie; Pound Cake; Coffee-Toffee Ice Cream Squares; Chocolate-Bottomed Blondies

In honor of my impending birthday, dessert week at BGSK plunges on! On today's menu: hot fudge sauce.

When I was a college student, I found my sanity in wax paper cups of ice cream with hot fudge sauce from Herrell's in Harvard Square. It was the kind of treat that was small enough not to seem overly unhealthy--my grandma eats ice cream with hot fudge sauce every day, and she's 93--but large enough to assuage any stress that exams, professors, or snow might contribute to my life. I ate ice cream all winter, all fall, and all spring.

So here I bring to you my recipe for hot fudge sauce, and perhaps the best-ever way to use it, atop a decadent brownie sundae (on a plate on which you may be able to make out the words Happy Birthday):

If hot fudge can be an everyday treat, a brownie sundae is a true extravagance, best left to times of celebration. Like Friday, my 26th birthday. Or tomorrow, moving day. I'm saying goodbye to 25 and to my closet kitchen, where I've cooked nearly everything I've posted on this blog. I'm saying hello to a beautiful, just-redone cooking space but a few blocks away, and I'm greeting another year--happy!

From my kitchen, albeit small, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Hot Fudge Sauce
Makes just under a cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup cream

3 tablespoons butter

pinch salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

2 tablespoons chopped chocolate

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon espresso powder

Combine the cream and the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the mixture has just come to a boil. Stir in the sugars and the pinch of salt and cook for another minute, letting the mixture barely simmer. You want the sugars to be dissolved, and you can test this by spooning a little bit onto a plate and then rubbing it in between your fingers to make sure it's smooth, not gritty.

Add the cocoa powder slowly, whisking as you go to stir out any lumps. The sauce should be uniformly smooth, thick, and dark.

Take the sauce off the heat. Add the chocolate, vanilla, and espresso powder. Let sit for about a minute, then whisk again until smooth.

Serve immediately, over ice cream or your dessert of choice.

Store in a wide-necked container in the fridge. It will solidify as it cools, so slowly reheat the jar in a bowl of hot water, or microwave in short bursts.

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Baking For Others: Budino

EVENT: Roomie Reunion
VENUE: Phoebe's Parents' Apartment, Upper West Side
PARTY SIZE: 2
TYPE: Casual Weeknight Dinner
MENU: Zucchini-Fennel Slaw; Tuna Burgers with Lemon Paprika Aioli; Preserved Lemon Budino

As you well know, I am not the baking half of our little quarter-life kitchen marriage. When Cara comes to dinner, I make her bring dessert. When she does not, the lack of a third course makes more room for wine. But sometimes a sweet comes along that's so extraordinary, I just can't resist testing my hand at it. That was certainly the case with this budino.

In honor of Cara's birthday on Friday, she's deemed this week All Sweets Week, so get prepared to be indulged. This budino is only the start.

On Christmas Eve, my friend Mike had a small group of us wayward Jews over to his apartment for a semi-traditional holiday dinner. I brought Potato Latkes to start, Mike roasted a giant leg of lamb, and Rebecca made two loaves of No-Knead Bread and six ramekins of budino, which she baked off right after we had finished plowing through the meat.

Budino is the Italian word for pudding. But really, Rebecca's version, borrowed from the Bon Appetit recipe below, was more akin to a light and airy, gooey yet moist cake. Though we were all deep into our holiday food comas by the point dessert came out, we all perked up with the first bite of budino and proceeded to inhale it.

Though it took me over six months to aquire the ramekins I needed to make the dish, my mind never stopped thinking about this budino. Caitlyn was the lucky recipient, and I used some of Cara's preserved lemons instead of the meyer that the recipe calls for to give it an extra somethin' something.

The whisk attachment of my imersion blender came in handy to beat the egg whites, but I've also just used my super muscular arm to whip them up in the past. If you don't have ramekins, I'd be curious to see how the budino fares in a small 8 x 8 inch baking dish. Perhaps this will be my next Baking For Others experiment next time Cara lets me use the oven.

From my kitchen, where budino is a reason to bake, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Preserved Lemon Budino
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Makes 2 servings

3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, separated
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced preserved lemon peel
1/4 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 3/4-cup ramekins. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, egg yolks, flour, lemon juice, and preserved lemon peel in medium bowl and stir to combine. Whisk in the milk.

In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with a sprinkle of salt until frothy. Gradually add remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Fold into the lemon mixture until just combined. Divide between the two ramekins, and place them in a baking dish with just enough water to reach half way up the ramekins. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until just beginning to become golden brown on the top.

Serve at room temp or warm.

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Cooking For Others: Late-Summer Chicken Stew

CHANGE OF SEASON MENU: Eggplant Caponata with Balsamic Drizzle; Late-Summer Chicken Stew; White Rice; Fig and Walnut Cake

We all know that feeling, around May, when our appetites finally shrink after a long winter of craving mashed potatoes and stew. It's a refreshing feeling, like we no longer need to eat more than our share to be satisfied. For me, this year, that diminished appetite simply didn't last that long. When we set up a photo shoot, in July, that included Beef Stew, I found myself wanting to eat every last morsel of the hearty dish, in spite of the fact that it was sweltering outside.

Now that it's cooled down slightly, I imagine other people's appetites have caught up to my own. It's time, once again, for filling food. Hey, we're only two months away from Thanksgiving! Perhaps best of all, it's cool enough again that I can turn on my oven without cranking up the A/C--but that's a dessert story for next week.

Still, in spite of moving from salad to stew in my cravings, the world keeps giving me salad ingredients. Corn is still being harvested; beautiful tomatoes still crowd the tables at the farmers' markets. Though winter squash has joined summer squash in the crates, the summer squash is undoubtably still there. And the herbs remain plentiful.

So this dish, then, is a response to all of the above. Yes, it's kind of warm, and homey, and perfect for fall. And yes, it incorporates those last-of-summer ingredients that even those of us prone to craving mashed potatoes in July will miss dearly come October.

From my kitchen, picking a dish just perfect for the season, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Late Summer Chicken Stew

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
2.5 pounds chicken (I used 3 chicken drumsticks and 4 chicken thighs, all skin on)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
½ red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
¼ small jalepeno pepper, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Juice of half a lemon
¾ cups white wine
¾ cups chicken broth (or water)
¼ cup mixed fresh herbs—whatever the garden gives you. I used a combination of basil, lemon thyme, oregano, and chives.

1 1/2 cups white rice

Season the chicken pieces on both sides with about ¾ teaspoons salt and lots of pepper.

Over high heat, brown the chicken in the oil, in a large Dutch oven. Be sure not to crowd the pan—you’ll probably have to do this in two batches. Chicken pieces will take 3-6 minutes to brown. Remove to a plate.

Turn the heat to medium low and add the onions. Cook for about 3 minutes, until nearly translucent. Add the red pepper and the minced jalepenos and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the peppers soften. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook just until they begin to break apart. Add the garlic cloves and the remaining salt. Squeeze the lemon over and mix to combine.

Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetables, and stir in the fresh herbs. Pour the white wine and chicken broth over everything; the chicken pieces should be nearly submerged.

Cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Towards the end, taste for salt. The chicken should be cooked through and even slightly falling apart.

Cook the rice according to package directions and keep warm while the stew finishes.

Serve over the rice, along with some bread if you like. Top each serving with more fresh herbs and drizzle with some basil oil if you have it.

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Recipe Flash: Grilled Salmon Sandwiches

HIGHBROW SANDWICHES: Roast Beef Baguettes with Cider Onion Jam and Fennel Remoulade; Tuna Burgers with Lemon Paprika Aioli; Lobster Salad on Toasted Brioche Rolls

There is a certain camp of foodies that doesn't believe that highbrow ingredients should be incorporated in such lowbrow ways as, say, ye old pedestrian sandwich. These are also the staunch purists who don't believe oysters should be fried, Kobe ground and slapped together in patty form, or caviar used as a common condiment for potato chips. Perhaps it's because Ina Garten introduced me to the last at age 12, but I've never been one of these people.

As a quarter-life cook, my concept of highbrow has expanded to include anything at the meat or fish counter above $10/pound. And in order to enjoy some of my favorite items on days when someone else isn't paying for them, I indeed turn to lowly, carbo-centric vehicles like the sandwich.


Grilling both the salmon and the bread (stove-top), adds a great smokey flavor to an otherwise straightforward fish sandwich. Serve it for lunch or dinner, so long as there are no haters at your table.

From my kitchen, albeit small, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Grilled Salmon Sandwiches with Heirloom Tomatoes & Chive-Cashew Pesto
Makes 2-3 sandwiches

Ingredients

4 slices fresh sourdough or country white bread
1lb wild salmon fillets
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 heirloom tomatoes (assorted colors), cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/3 cup chive-cashew pesto (recipe follows)

Set a stove-top grill pan over high heat, or fire-up your outdoor grill.

Brush each piece of bread lightly with olive oil. Grill the slices one at a time until nicely crisped--about 1-2 minutes per side, rotating 90 degrees on each side to create a nice cross-hatch.


Remove any noticeable bones from the salmon. Slather the mustard on the flesh-side of the fillets, and season with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon, one fillet at a time, flesh-side down until opaque halfway up the sides, about 4 minutes. Flip the fish, and cook skin-side down until cooked to your desired doneness (medium-rare pictured).

Meanwhile, slather 2 slices of bread with mayonnaise. Divide the grilled salmon fillets between the two pieces. Arrange the tomato slices on top of the fish, slather with pesto, and top with the remaining grilled bread.

Serve immediately.

Chive-Cashew Pesto
Makes about 1 cup

1 garlic clove
1/4 cup roasted or toasted cashews
2 cups snipped chives
Juice of ½ a lemon (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
¼ - ½ cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small food processor pulse the garlic and the nuts until finely chopped. Add the chives and lemon juice and blend until the herbs have begun to break down. Add the olive oil, and puree until the mixture is smooth and at your desired consistency, adding more oil as necessary to break down the nuts and herbs. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and extra lemon juice for acidity as needed.


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Cooking For Others: Barely Legal Egg Salad & Bacon Wraps

EVENT: Grizzly Bear at Governor's Island

WEATHER: Rain
PARTY SIZE: 2

TYPE: Stealth Picnic

MENU: Egg Salad, Arugula & Bacon Wraps; Mustardy String Beans with Pickled Shallots; British Biscuits

Whenever I go on vacation, my mom gives me a strict warning. "Be careful," she says. "Really." Her words may not be dissimilar from those of most parents', but her worries are more targeted. While out of town, I have a tendency to believe that rules are not for me. I cut in line, cross caution tape, and disobey every museum guard in sight, and I guess my mom hopes I won't wind up in a Moroccan prison.

Apparently a trip to Governor's Island was considered enough of a getaway for me to put away my law-abiding New York self and hand over the rule to my criminal side. Alex and I went, in August, to the performance of Grizzly Bear on Governor's Island. You have to take a ferry there, and since the concert started early, I decided to pack dinner. I figured it would be thriftier and more delicious than anything they might have at the concert--if they sold food there at all. But as we waited in line for the ferry to take us there, guards swarmed around us. "No food!" they shouted. "No drinks!" Ahead of us, I could see the bag searchers confiscating granola bars and jelly beans.

Alex looked at the paper shopping bag I was carrying, packed with egg salad wraps, and motioned to me to get out of line. "We can't bring those," he mouthed. I stood right where I was.

I didn't mean to be so delinquent. When I checked the website (in between checking the weather, which again and again confirmed rain), it said nothing about food. Nothing at all. And once I'd made my beautiful sandwiches, there was no way we were giving them up. Nor was I about to allow us to scarf them down outside the ferry terminal in the drizzle.

I shouldn't be announcing this publicly, but when it was my turn at the bag search, I simply put my messenger bag on the table. I didn't volunteer the dinner bag. Cool as a cucumber, I walked in between the gates onto the boat.

Once on, I too panicked. What if they kicked us out of the concert over a few little egg salad sandwiches? The whole ferry ride I clutched the bag of wraps to my chest. On shore, I continued to worry. It wasn't until we got down to the "beach," planted with lighted "palm trees" that we could blend in.

NYC's version of palm trees

Stands were selling food, people were drinking and eating, and no one would deduce that our picnic was a stealth one. Alex and I sat down in the shade of a palm, where the ground wasn't too wet, and we slowly enjoyed my labor of love, cooking, and law breaking.

From my kitchen, where there's no rule against eating, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Egg Salad, Arugula & Bacon Wraps

Makes 4 wraps

This egg salad is awesome, and it makes great sandwiches even if you don't use the bacon.

Ingredients

6 hardboiled eggs
¼ cup mayo
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon tarragon
freshly ground pepper
2 stalks celery, very finely diced
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
4 slices bacon
1 cup arugula
4 wraps

Cook the bacon using your favorite method. I like to fry it in a pan with the tiniest bit of olive oil over medium-high heat, flipping once, until it's crispy. Set aside on paper towels to drain.

Smash the eggs with a fork. Mix in the mayo, mustard, salt, tarragon, pepper, celery, and red onion, and stir well.


Warm the wraps slightly in the microwave, under a damp paper towel for about 30 seconds. Put a small handful of arugula in the center of each, and top it with one quarter of the egg salad. Top with a slice of bacon.

Wrap by folding in either end and rolling the wrap away from you. Pack in a container with the seam side of each wrap facing down.

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Potluck Parties: Naptime Cocktail Cruise

EVENT: Naptime Cocktail Cruise
VENUE: Kelsey Banfield's Boat, Martha's Vineyard
PARTY-SIZE: 6
TYPE: Casual Summer Sail
MENU: Ina's Guacamole (Kelsey); Gorgonzola & Pear Toasts (Kelsey); Pesto Shrimp "Lollipops"

Last summer, I tweeted about making one of these rainy day salads on Martha’s Vineyard. Or, perhaps it was a tweet about how Obama’s security helicopter circling the island was giving me a headache. Whatever it was, The Naptime Chef responded enthusiastically that she too was on the vineyard, and began a tweetastic repartee about our favorite farm stands and things to eat around town. We also vowed to get together, and this summer, one year after the tweetfest, we made it happen.

Kelsey was generous enough to whisk me away on a cocktail cruise with her whole family. I met the Banfield clan outside their beautiful home on the Lagoon, with Shrimp “Lollypops” in hand, and was met by a deeply adorable little girl, who might have been the only mate more excited than I was to head out to sea.

Once aboard, Kelsey handed me a glass of crisp white wine and a slice of Pear & Gorgonzola Crostini, which even for a fruit-hater like myself, was downright delicious. We chatted about the state of the blog-to-book business (Kelsey recently got a deal with Running Press, and I couldn’t be more thrilled for her), while her husband navigated us through Vineyard Haven Harbor, and Daphne played house (serving her grandmother imaginary spaghetti and meatballs!) in the cabin below.

I’m a sucker for other people’s parents, so being joined by Kelsey’s was an added bonus to my evening on the water. I loved hearing about Mr. Macmillan’s early bachelor years experimenting in the kitchen, and how the Naptime Chef eventually outgrew her pickiness as a child, and embraced the recipes herself.

It was a wonderful way to end the summer, and the start of a great new tradition, one that I will certainly be looking forward to all winter long.

From my kitchen, going nautical with The Naptime Chef, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Pesto Shrimp "Lollipops"
Makes 20 bites

The baking of the shrimp was inspired by this Food52 adaptation of Bittman's recipe.

Ingredients
20 large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined, and shells removed
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pesto (I used this 3-herb version, but you can use basic basil)
1/2 baguette, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)

20 skewers (6 to 8-inches), soaked in water for 20 minutes

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the shrimp together with the lemon juice, zest, olive oil, salt, and pesto. Add the bread and toss just to coat. Thread the shrimp onto the skewers, head first, then add a piece of bread, and thread the skewer back through the tail of the shrimp. (If using smaller shrimp, you may need to just thread the bread on after the whole shrimp. Repeat with the remaining skewers.


Place the skewers on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the shrimp is pink and just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Taste one for seasoning, and sprinkle with salt if needed.
Allow to cool completely, then pop in a tupperware container and take with you on the road!
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Giveaway: Back-to-School Lunch Tote Winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Back-to-School Lunch Tote Giveaway courtesy of Built NY.

We chose a winner randomly from the list of commenters and recent newsletter subscribers. Congrats to reader Elizabeth!

Here's what she had to say:

Cannot imagine ever being without 11-inch round comal. Tortillas are a staple in my family, so use it practically every day. This one heats up quickly and also cools off fast, good for getting it out of the way when done. Make quesadillas, heat up pita once in a while, bolillo, and pizza for the delicious toasted crunch. Needless to say I dislike microwaved tortillas.

If you weren't as lucky as Elizabeth, and would still like to own one of these fabulous lunch totes, buy it now from our Open Sky Shop!

Thank you again for sharing all your favorite products with us. We'll be borrowing some of your ideas soon and potentially selling them ourselves.

We'll have more questions and more exciting kitchen toys--to give away, and to sell--coming to the site soon.

Keep coming back for seconds!

From our kitchen, albeit small, to yours,

Cara and Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOKS

**Store**

Built NYC Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote
$22

Product Details

This sleek black multi-purpose bag is made from neoprene, and it both insulates and protects your lunch. It's stain resistant and machine-washable, just in case your tupperware containers fail you or you like to load your totes with stray chocolates and candies like we do. The tote features one large zipper-topped compartment with a small inside pocket, perfect for stowing utensils or, say, a bottle opener, in case you decide to bring a beer along with.

Buy Now

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Recipe Flash: Saucy Mama Finger Food

OTHER FINGER FOOD FAVES: Black Bean Cakes; Open-Faced Spinach Pie Bites; Smoked Mozzarella Tartlettes; Zucchini-Scallion Cakes

Hot off the heels of Cara’s family’s competing kugels, we quarter-life cooks have also embraced the spirit of friendly competition. Today’s Recipe Flash features our two entries in the Are You a Saucy Mama Contest. Our friends over at Barhyte Specialty Foods sent us a box of their Saucy Mama brand marinades and condiments to play around with. Our experiments resulted in two finger food faves, jazzed up with these fabulous new condiments.

We’ll leave the final decision to the Saucy Mama peeps, but in case you want to judge for yourself, try your hand at Phoebe’s Oven-Fried Chipotle Chicken Fingers and Cara’s Savory Bread Pudding Bites with Sweet Onion Marinade for your next party.

From our kitchen albeit small, to yours,

Cara and Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOKS

**Recipes**

Savory Bread Pudding Bites with Sweet Onion Marinade

Makes about 16 bites

Ingredients

4 slices white bread or brioche

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons Saucy Mama Sweet Onion Marinade, plus more for serving

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the crusts off of each slice of bread. Now cut each crustless slice into 4 equal square. Arrange the squares in a shallow pan or bowl in one layer.

In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add the milk, Saucy Mama Sweet Onion Marinade, salt, and pepper. Pour this over the bread squares, making sure to drench them all.

Carefully transfer each square to the parchment-lined sheet. Bake for 5 minutes.

Using a spatula, flip each square. Sprinkle the tops with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes until the square are golden and slightly puffed and the cheese is bubbling.

Transfer to a serving dish. Serve warm or room temperature, with a small bowl of extra marinade for dipping.

Oven-Fried Chipotle Chicken Fingers
Makes about 10 fingers

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breast
1/2 cup Saucy Mama Lime Chipotle marinade
1 cup panko
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with olive oil or cooking spray.

Place the chicken breast on a work surface and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin, frying pan, meat mallet, or other heavy object, pound the chicken until 1/2 inch thick. Remove the plastic and cut into 1/2-inch strips.

Place the marinade and panko in two separate shallow bowls. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and combine the remaining salt with the panko.

Coat the chicken strips in the marinade, then toss in the panko until fully covered in crumbs. Shake off any excess bits and arrange on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken fingers so they brown on the other side, and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the crust is brown.

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Cooking For Others: Meatless Monday Noodle Kugel

BREAK FAST MENU: Noodle Kugel; Phoebe's Brisket; String Beans with Mustard Dressing and Cured Shallots; Asparagus with Tarragon Vinaigrette; Caramel Apple Cake

My family is a little competitive. When, at Rosh Hashanah dinner last week, my cousin Jordyn announced that she had just been chosen field hockey captain for her high school team--the fourth cousin to hold such an illustrious position--all eyes turned to her little sister Randi. The pressure was on. Randi had exactly three years to secure her captainship, or you could just tell that Rosh Hashanah dinner 2013 was going to be very tense until we found out that our brood had given birth to five field hockey champions.

So when I unwrapped my just-made noodle kugel on the counter next to a very similar-looking noodle kugel, you can imagine the adrenaline rush I felt and the fan-like cheers that rose up around the kitchen. Turns out, due to a lapse in communication, I had no idea Aunt Cindy was making kugel, and Aunt Cindy had heard not a peep that I was too. When Aunt Cindy and Uncle Michael put out the dinner buffet, Aunt Cindy grabbed the "Cara" and "Cindy" place cards from the table to identify whose kugel was whose.

In fact, we would have only had one dish of noodle pudding--Aunt Cindy's--if it hadn't been for the always-hungry twitterverse. A few weeks ago, I was going on about my favorite potato kugel, when twitter friend One Tough Cookie chimed in. She had a noodle kugel that I just had to make. Though I'd already been volunteered to bring an apple cake, when Gail of One Tough Cookie sent me the recipe, I couldn't resist. I did of course tweak it a little bit, omitting the cornflakes and replacing them with a cinnamon, sugar, and butter topping that gave the top of the kugel a beautiful brown crispiness.

From my kitchen, where I'm running for dinner captain, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

P.S. Meatless Monday is a campaign dedicated to reducing the amount of meat everyone eats. Though we eat meatless meals way more often than just on Monday, we're going to be posting some of our favorites on Mondays, since cutting out meat once a week is a good start to reducing meat consumption.

**Recipe**

Noodle Kugel

Serves 10

Adapted from a recipe by One Tough Cookie

Ingredients

1 pound broad egg noodles
8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
7 large eggs
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream

For the topping:

1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Generously butter a 9X13-inch pan that looks nice enough to be set on the table. Cook the noodles in highly salted water according to package directions, stopping after the minimum cooking time, about 8 minutes. Drain the noodles.

While the noodles are cooking, combine the butter, cream cheese, and sugar and beat with a stand or handheld mixture and beat until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and beat again, until smooth and lightened. As soon as you've drained them, add the hot noodles to this mixture and stir to combine. Spread it into the prepared pan, and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at least 1 hour on the counter, or refrigerate overnight.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the cinnamon and the sugar in a small bowl. Dot the kugel with small pieces of the softened butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the kugel is set and the top is quite golden. Be careful not to burn the top of the kugel, and turn down the temperature 50 degrees if it seems to be getting too brown. Let sit for 30 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve warm or room temperature.

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Cooking For Others: Breakfast at the US Open

EVENT: Breakfast at Wimbledon
VENUE: Phoebe's Grandparents' House, Martha's Vineyard
PARTY-SIZE: 4
TYPE: Televised Sporting Event & Egg-Eating Session
MENU: Bluefish Hash with Mustard and Lemon Thyme; Olive Oil Fried Eggs
WHAT YOU'LL NEED: Lodge Cast Iron Skillet--Buy It Now OpenSky!

I don't really watch sports, to put it mildly.

I’m still not sure if I understand the rules of football. I "went" to a number of games in college—but never actually made it into the stadium for most. I’ll occasionally attend televised sporting events at bars or my guy friends' apartments—mainly Adam’s Super Bowl Party—but if it were appropriate to do so, I would rather stay home and eat wings while watching The Rachel Zoe Project.

The one exception is tennis. I love watching this sport, especially when my future husband, Rafa Nadal, is playing. I find tennis exciting, but I also find that it has the highest percentage of attractive men, which is impressive, since there are usually only two players on the court. Usually both of them are hot.

That probably was the reason why my grandmother always had the TV tuned to tennis. I have many summer memories of going over to my grandparents’ house on Martha’s Vineyard and joining my grandma to watch Wimbledon. She’d offer me ginger-peach tea and Nilla wafers, and then complain about how Pete Sampras’ power serve ruined the sport. I thought Agassi was way cuter, so I’d agree.

Now, my parents have taken grandma’s place on that very same couch. This summer I was there to join them for the Wimbledon final, and I made a breakfast of champions to help cheer on Mr Phoebe Lapine (né Nadal). We always seem to have leftover blue fish out here from the previous night’s dinner, and I tossed that in a skillet with a few fingerling potatoes from Morning Glory Farm some fresh lemon thyme from the garden, and voila.


The breakfast (and the outcome) was ideal. And when my hero is done winning grand slams, and dating the beautiful Spanish woman who was sitting in his box during the match, I will make it for Rafa as we watch the Wimbledon final from his Uncle Tony’s sofa in 2018.

But in the meantime, I’m going to be making this hash for my friends, who are coming over this weekend to watch the US Open final, eat brunch, and debate who has the better backhand, and the better butt.

From my kitchen, serving a breakfast of (tennis) champions, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Bluefish Hash with Mustard and Lemon Thyme
Serves 4

You can really use any type of leftover fish for this recipe. Salmon, even, would be delicious.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 red potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), in a 1-inch dice
1 small onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon Coleman's mustard powder
1 tablespoon lemon thyme leaves (1/2 tablespoon regular thyme)
1/2 pound cooked blue fish, flaked
Juice of 1/2 lemon

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over a high flame. When hot, add the potatoes. Saute over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until beginning to brown. Add the onion and continue to saute until the potatoes are very brown and cooked through, another 10 to 15 minutes. Add the mustard powder, thyme, and blue fish. Saute for another 5 minutes, until the fish is heated through, stirring infrequently (you don't want to break apart the fish too much). Season generously with salt and squeeze the lemon over the hash.

Serve with an olive oil fried egg.


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Cooking For Others: Making (Fish) Balls With Economy Bites!

EVENT: Economy Bites Guest Appearance
VENUE: Allie's Apartment, Brooklyn
PARTY-SIZE: 2
TYPE: Small Kitchen Love Fest
MENU: Spaghetti with Fish "Meatballs"

Earlier this year, we began noticing another 20-something duo gracing the blog feed of Huffington Post, where we publish a weekly post. Economy Bites is the brain child of Allie Schwartz and Daniel Schloss, who have set out to solve the "don't-feel-like-cooking/can't-spend-the-money-on-take-out" issue that most of us twenty-something nine-to-fivers have dealt with since inhabiting our small kitchens.

In their webisodes, Allie shows us how to make inexpensive (less than $30 for 5 servings) dishes that will hold up in the fridge and feed you all week long. As true believers in the brown bag, and make-ahead meals in general, we dug their philosophy and, frankly, were just waiting for our invitation to lend a hand in Allie's small kitchen.

Patience paid off, and eventually Allie and Dan sidled up to us via email and asked us to be on their show. We felt excited, wanted, and cool.

A few weeks later I joined Allie to make spaghetti with fish "meatballs" in a red pepper sauce. The dish itself was something I fed my father at the beginning of the summer when I first moved back home. As I've mentioned before, he no longer eats meat, but still loves all things that revolve around and/or occur on top of spaghetti. I had some leftover piperade sauce in the fridge, and that took the original place of this spicy red sauce. If you don't happen to be cooking on Sunday, like Allie, and you get started a day or two earlier, you can make the sauce in advance. Whip up the fish balls and pasta right before you are ready to eat, and dinner will still be on the table in 20 minutes.

As for the experience cooking together in Allie's small kitchen. Well, it was messy, spicy, and fun. And best of all, you can relive it with us by watching this week's Economy Bites episode here (as well as below).



Make sure to check back with the E-Bites team next week for Cara's appearance making Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing--we'll be tweeting and sharing the video when it airs, so stay tuned!

From the Economy Bites kitchen, where we cook on Sunday and eat til Thursday--just like Allie, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Spaghetti with Fish Meatballs in Spicy Red Pepper Sauce
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients
1 slice white bread, crusts removed
1/2 lb white fish (I used tilapia, but whatever is on sale), coarsely chopped
1 shallot, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup parsley leaves
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
dash of cayenne
2 cups spicy red pepper sauce (recipe follows)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and toss with a bit of olive oil.

In the meantime, make the meatballs and sauce.

In a small food processor, pulse the bread until it resembles crumbs. Set aside in a medium mixing bowl. Add the fish to the processor and pulse until resembling the texture of ground beef. Remove to the bowl. Add the shallot, garlic, and parsley and mince in the processor. Toss together with the bread crumbs, fish, egg, salt, and pepper. Form the mixture into balls, about 1 1/2 inches wide, and set aside on a cutting board. You should have about 8 balls.

Coat a large lidded skillet or saute pan with olive oil and set it over medium-high heat. Brown the fish balls in batches until seared on both sides. Set aside.



Clean out any burnt bits from the pan. Either add premade Spicy Red Pepper sauce, or follow the directions below to make it. When the sauce is finished and simmering, add the balls back to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, covered, then turn the balls in the sauce and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the balls are cooked through completely.

To serve, place a forkful of spaghetti on each plate and top with a spoonful of sauce and 4 meatballs. Garnish with parsley.

Spicy Red Pepper Sauce
Makes about 2 cups

1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
pinch cayenne
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes

Pulse the onion and red pepper in a small food processor until finely chopped (or finely chop by hand).

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion and red pepper in enough olive oil to coat the pan. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 6 minutes. Add the paprika, cayenne, garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes, until the mixture is very fragrant. Add the salt, and carefully stir in the tomatoes. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are very tender, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and taste again for seasoning. (This can be made up to a week in advance).

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Recipe Flash: Zucchini & Rice Gratin

END OF SUMMER FEAST: Corn Cakes with Lemon Chive Creme Fraiche; Zucchini & Rice Gratin; Greens with Dried Tomatoes & Roasted Chickpeas; Blueberry Tart

The end of summer is both bitter and sweet. Bitter because soon there won't be any summer squash and zucchini at the farmers' markets around here. And sweet for exactly the same reason.

Raise your hand if you're a little bit sick of summer squash. Raise it higher if it's possible you're even sick of some of summer's other bounty. Peaches? Tomatoes? Corn? We don't judge.

The rice, cheese, egg, and breadcrumbs in this potluck portable are fantastic foils for all those vegetables you think you've exhausted. When you chop them up, saute them in olive oil with onion and garlic, and bake them with the aforementioned accoutrements, they taste almost novel. Come the first days of fall, you can use vegetables that actually will be novel. And when winter starts to arrive, I think this gratin will be a tasty vehicle for those end-of-autumn vegetables you can no longer fathom cooking with.

From my kitchen, albeit small, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

Zucchini & Rice Gratin

Serves 4-6

Adapted from The Splendid Table

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, to taste, minced
3 small-medium zucchini or other summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 pounds)
1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup cooked Arborio rice (cook according to package directions)

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup fresh arugula
2 eggs, beaten
3 ounces white cheddar cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Cooking spray, or about 2 teaspoons more olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Oil a deep-dish pie pan, a Dutch oven, a castiron skillet, or any other attractive (or in my case, portable) pan. The pan should hold about 2 quarts.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it's translucent. Add the garlic and stir cook it for just 30 seconds or so, until it begins to smell fragrant. Stir in the squash. Cook, stirring often, until the squash is soft but hasn't lost its shape, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and thyme. Taste to make sure the veggies are salty enough.

Combine the rice with the butter. Remove the pan with the sauteed vegetables from the heat and stir in the rice.

Stir the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the cheese, and the arugula into the zucchini mixture and combine well. Pour into the baking dish, and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top. Spray with cooking spray, or drizzle on the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is browned and the gratin is sizzling. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serve this hot, warm or at room temperature.

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Giveaway: Built Back-to-School Lunch Tote

As you well know, we have always been a big fan of packing our lunches for work. Unless, of course, work is taking place in one of our kitchens. Thanks to Built NY, the brown bag just got a whole lot more attractive and useful. And we're excited, in honor of back-to-school season, to be giving away this Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote to one of our lucky readers!

We've been doing a lot of product perusing lately. Not just because we happen to be on 500 random list serves pouring back-to-school sales into our inboxes. But because we are about to launch a store of our own.

We've partnered with OpenSky to help us launch our own BGSK Store, where we're offering all our favorite kitchen essentials for stocking first houses and apartments. There are many snazzy sets out there, but as with our food, our product list will stress quality over quantity and give you a chance to own the top twenty or so things you need to get started.

Of course, we'll also be offering fun everyday items for outside the kitchen--products that are both cool and uselful, like pretty aprons, napkins, and lunchbox totes.

To win this Built NY bag, tell us about your favorite small kitchen or bare bones entertaining item. It can be something you couldn't cook without, the way Phoebe feels about her Le Creuset Dutch Oven, or something that's a little bit less essential to life, but perhaps more awesome for being so, like the blue cake stand Cara got for her birthday, and uses whenever she can.

Leave your comments below! We can't wait to hear all about your favorite products.

Check back next week to find out if you are a winner--if not, you'll be able to purchase this tote straight from our brand spanking new store!

From our kitchens, recommending our favorite products to yours,

Cara & Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOKS
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Cooking For Others: Potato Salad in Party-Town

Hooray for Labor Day!

EVENT: Labor Day Weekend
VENUE: Phoebe & Keith's Parents' Houses, Martha's Vineyard
PARTY SIZE: 20+
TYPE: Long Weekend Party
MENU: Breakfast Burrito Buffet & Pimm's Cup; Man Burgers & Margaritas; Potato Salad; Corn with Herb Butter

Though we've been known to liven things up during winter months with cook-offs and the like, my friend Keith and I earned our status as a camp counselor tag team three summers ago on Martha's Vineyard. We've both been coming to the island ever since we were little, but after we became friends in college, summer on the vineyard became that much more fun.

My whole extended family used to congregate every year at my grandparents' house. Since some of the older folk passed away, the house has been rented for most of the summer, and my parents set up shop in a little cottage next door.

But a few summers ago, around the time of this scallop meal, my mom told me that the house had failed to be rented for Labor Day. I notified Keith. Then Keith notified everyone we knew. And by the end of the month, we were picking up people from the ferry--some I knew, some I did not--and camp was in session.

Thanks to the recession's effect on island real estate, we've been able to maintain our Labor Day festivities for the past few summers. And it is the weekend I look forward to all year long.

Here's how it tends to go down...

We start the morning off right with a Breakfast Burrito Buffet.

Adam and Whitney threaten each other with paring knifes and cucumber slices to determine who makes the best Pimm's cup.

We taste test their concoctions at the beach.

Everyone's excitement turns into a volley ball game.

My team wins.

We return home. And have a dance party in the driveway.

Adam gets started on his Man Burgers.

The girls get to work dipping plastic cups in salt for my dad's famous hand-reamed margaritas.

A few boys get cocky and ask Adam to make them one-pound man burgers.

Matt wonders if he can finish in under an hour.

Cue: second dance party.

Cue: enthusiastic animal drinking game.

How does the night end you might ask? Not with late night pizza. Not with people passed out on the sofa (ok, well maybe that does happen). But with people crowded around the kitchen island, eating the remains of my mom's potato salad with their fingers.

Because despite the dancing, the drinking, the gaming, and the amazing group of friends participating in these activities, the best part about Labor Day weekend is the potato salad. And even if you aren't able to get away and celebrate the holiday with friends, I hope that you can at least make my mother's version in your kitchen, and enjoy it right along with us.

From my kitchen, where I am drinking Pimm's Cup and eating potato salad with my friends, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Sarah's Herbed Potato Salad
Makes 10 - 15 servings

Ingredients
8-10 large red potatoes (about 5 pounds), halved
6 extra large eggs
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup minced vidalia (or spanish) onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Coleman's dry mustard powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons capers

Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill it with water until they are submerged. Salt the water and bring it to boil over high heat. Cook the potatoes until tender, but not falling part. Drain and set aside to cool.

In the meantime, place the eggs in a small lidded pot and fill it with water until submerged. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes. Run the eggs under cool water if too hot to handle, then remove the shells.

Whisk together the mayo, mustard, mustard powder, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

(Everything up until this point can be made 1-2 days in advance.)

Cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks and add them to a large mixing bowl. Roughly chop the hard boiled eggs and add them to the bowl. Add the thyme, parsley, chives, capers and mayo-mustard mixture. Toss the potato salad together until incorporated. Taste for seasoning, and serve.

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