Author Archive

Alex and I started The Wire on hurricane weekend (that’s August 27-28 for those of you not on the East Coast). We were glued to the TV for at least an hour a night, sometimes more, til December. We watched the last episode not long before Christmas. I was heartbroken (spoiler alert!) at the unresolved trouble that had befallen 98% of The Wire‘s characters. But I not unhappy to be unglued.

Full disclosure. I’m not a TV person, not even necessarily for the Oscars or the Super Bowl. I grew up under an iron rule: no…

» read more

SEE ALL OUR QUICKBREADS, MUFFINS, AND SCONES!

If you scroll just a little bit back in our archives, you’ll see that between the two of us, we’ve been taking an awful lot of inspiration from Heidi of 101 Cookbooks.

I’m not going to make any generalizations about why, beyond to say that Heidi’s cooking is original and, well, inspiring. Any explanation of the phenomenon would distract me from showing you why this bread, which I call Oatmeal Quickbread with Walnuts and Heidi names “Easy Little Bread,” is so…

» read more

Eggplant Caponata Crostini • Mushy Pea Crostini • One-in-the-Pot-One-on-the-Floor Lobster Rolls • Pesto-Potato Focaccia • Atlanta Oven-Baked Ribs • Slumdog Samosas • And-Then-I-Blackmailed-Him-for-Almost-$60,000 Pass the [Puff Pastry-Wrapped] Asparagus • To-Infinity-and-Beyond! Chicken Finger Rockets • You-Never-Know-What-You’re-Gonna-Get Chocolate Bark

» read more

One of the foodie new year’s resolutions I suggested for 2012 was that we all make more pancakes. Pancakes was really just a stand-in for any slightly involved, completely delicious breakfast treat. And I didn’t suggest it so we’d all enter 2013 all chubby from eating coffee cake instead of yogurt every morning (I have a wedding dress to wear in late 2012–remember?). On weekends, I like to make pancakes for Alex or cake and baked eggs for friends I’ve invited for brunch. It’s fun to spend longer in the kitchen than the time it takes to…

» read more

EGG ON TOP MEALS: Polenta with Fried Capers, Red Pepper, and an Egg; Grits with Old Bay Frizzled Shallots and a Fried Egg; “Eggs in Pipérade” Pizzas with Crispy Prosciutto; Baked Eggs with Tomatoes & Smoky Potatoes; Ginger-Scallion Noodles

There is perhaps nothing I like better than finding leftover quinoa in a Tupperware in the fridge. And if there’s a night when I’ve gone out to dinner with friends while Alex stays home, it’s not unlikely that the next day I will get to feast on the remains of his dinner–unless he’s made himself…

» read more

ITALIAN PASTA CLASSICS: Penne alla Vodka; Tuscan Spaghetti Bolognese; Crispy Spaghetti Carbonara with Dandelion Greens and Pecorino; Linguine Aglio e Olio con Acciuga; Garlicky Angel Hair with Shrimp and Scallops; Sardine Linguine with Sundried Tomato and Olives; Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto; Genovese Pesto Pasta

Recently, I had a bunch of friends over for taco night. It’s such a good dinner for entertaining a crowd–we’ve done it here and here, and my family’s been…

» read more

Italian cuisine plays a lot of roles in our kitchens. It’s easy. It’s cheap. It’s comforting. And despite being all of the above, it’s also romantic.

Proof? The best way I can think to celebrate Valentine’s Day is with Alex and a few of my best friends over brick-oven pizza at a downtown NYC Italian restaurant. Comforting, easy, and full of love.

But pasta is the Italian staple we come back to the most. We’d venture to guess that you do, too. And as such, it can sometimes get old. Pasta with tomato sauce is a classic and our favorite,…

» read more

CHOCOLATE DESSERTS: Airy Chocolate Mousse; Best Brownies; Hot Fudge Sauce; Chocolate Pecan Tart; Raspberry-Chocolate Mini Brownies; Double Chocolate Cookies with Milk Chocolate Chips; Nutella Soufflé

In some old notebook, on some crinkled, doodled-upon page, I have a list of dishes and categories that Phoebe and I brainstormed at a BGSK meeting early last fall. In addition to “lasagna,” and “vodka sauce,” “apple pancakes,” and “chicken tikka masala,” under the heading of Classic Comfort Food I wrote “more everyday cakes.”

Because I used to…

» read more

CHECK OUT OUR 10 Best Super Bowl Snacks AND Vegetarian Super Bowl Buffet!

The Super Bowl is coming up, and it’s bound to be a good game. We hear people are excited.

What do we have to contribute? Cool old Giants sweatshirts, lots of team spirit, some luck to the office pool, and food.

Together with Food Network and a host of other food sites and bloggers, we’re participating in the Big Game virtual potluck. And we’re bringing Pulled Pork Quesadillas, which are colorful, easy to assemble, and based on our favorite game day meat: pork butt. To…

» read more

Check out my beloved Grilled Cheese Pinboard!

My apologies: it’s the second to last day of January, and I’ve yet to post about grilled cheese. It doesn’t mean that 2012 isn’t a year of eating and writing about my favorite sandwich, er, meal.

Fortunately, it’s a good one, a classic inspired by the rich French soup, and perfect for winter. It’s also incredibly simple. Just two ingredients make this sandwich, a red onion jam created by Merrill over at Food52 and first seen on BGSK in another simple dish, a

» read more