Cooking for Others

FUN FINGER FOOD: BBQ Chicken Satays; Herb and Lemon Buttered Popcorn; Heirloom Tomato Brushetta; Sweet Pea and Crab Crostini

It’s a sad truth of NYC life is that hardly anyone just drops by, at least not without a phone call, email, g-chat, or text. It’d be nice if people did, but friends live all over the city, and I can’t imagine many of them winding up outside my door unannounced.

Yet somehow knowing that I have the ingredients to create an impromptu cocktail munchie (and an impromptu cocktail) should a friend buzz…

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MORE PANCAKES: Pumpkin Pancakes; Root Vegetable Pancakes; Sweet Almond Pancakes with Fresh Raspberries; Apple Pancakes; Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce

My family has never been much for Mother’s Day. In the past, we’ve sometimes let my mom get away with claiming that “every day is Mother’s Day” and not having a particular lunch or brunch or dinner to celebrate. But as my grandmother has gotten older, we’ve conceded the win to the [Hallmark] holiday. I like the change, since getting together means the chance to see my grandma, my aunt, and…

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With Earth Day approaching (it’s this Sunday, the 22nd), I racked my brain for a recipe to share with you guys that felt, well, green. That emphasized saving the planet, or at least eating local.

It took me a few minutes before I felt as dumb as I deserved to for approaching Earth Day totally wrong. Environmental stances are the kinds of beliefs that all of us have to arrive at on our own, like viewpoints on eating meat or strategies for staying healthy. Preachiness just kind of sucks.

A friend once bragged to me…

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Big Girls, Small Kitchen is super duper proud to be one of Saveur Magazine’s finalists for Best Cooking Blog. But we need your help! Head on over, sign up, and vote for us. Thank you!

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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 am 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:…

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It might appear in the transcript of my BGSK life that I’ve become a bit of a dinner party delinquent. This is partially, but not entirely true. I still try to have people over for a meal once a week, which is certainly down from the 2-3 night frequency that in part gave birth to this site, but by no means qualifies me as a bore (or so I keep telling myself).

The problem is, I have become a bit of a snooze when it comes to my menu. I’ve been cooking a lot of…

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It’s slow cooker week here on BGSK and SKC! All week long, we’re teaming up with Kelsey Banfield, The Naptime Chef , to bring you the first ever Slow Cooker Challenge. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway, and read on for another great slow cooked recipe!

For a lot of quarter-life cooks, store-bought tubs of hummus are subsistence-level forms of nourishment, akin to cereal and peanut butter, or, in Alex’s case, sardines.

For the slightly more domestically inclined, we’ve offered loads of hummus and hummus-like recipes that entail just opening a can or two and blending.…

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It’s almost New Year’s Eve. That means it’s time to run to Party City and buy a $15 plastic punch bowl. (Lucky you if your parents’ attic yields a free glass punch bowl.) It’s time to fill the punch bowl with a basic vodka punch improved by freshly squeezed juices, homemade sugar syrup, and mint. It’s time to grab a pack of tropical paper umbrellas to garnish your punch cup. It’s time to toast 2012!

I’m currently far, far south across the Caribbean & the Atlantic. (I wrote this before I left, naturally.) I’ll be spending New Year’s in…

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CHRISTMAS WITH FRIENDS: Puff Pastry-Wrapped Asparagus; Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Fennel and Apple; Fresh Bread; Green Salad; Best Brownies à la mode

Frankly, most holiday main course meats are really, really expensive. Yet having a roast or a ham or a turkey can feel like a requirement, especially if you’re hosting parents or more traditional types. Give up the notion of a big hunk of meat and replace it with this savory, wintry stew, rich with slow-cooked onions and fennel, not to mention our favorite meat: pork.

Of course the least expensive cut of pork…

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BEST HOLIDAY SIDES: Alta Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios, Apples, and Creme Fraiche; Barb’s Corn Pudding; Glazed Carrots with Cayenne; Smashed New Potatoes with Peas, Parsley, and Chives

When I think of potatoes au gratin, I think of the holidays. I also, as many of you might too, think of France.

Back in 2003, when I was a freshman in college, my parents and I took a trip to Paris for the holidays. I remember looking forward to reliving the smells of my childhood—the patisserie’s buche de noel, the confiserie’s pâtes des…

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