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…
Even though we both grew-up eating it, especially in high school when Carolyn’s dad would bring this dish to field hockey potlucks, tofu has kind of gotten the cold shoulder on this site. Perhaps it’s because we both cook for our boyfriends (or fiancé, in Cara’s case), and there is just something about tofu that rubs some men the wrong way.
It wasn’t until Josh’s boss went vegan and he started grabbing lunch at Birdbath in the East Village, that I even considered tofu as a viable dinner option. But…
It was nearly a week into our Peru trip when Alex and I looked around and observed something important.
Everyone, everywhere was eating soup.
Now in the mountains, this makes sense. Though December and January are technically summer, certain areas of Peru suffer from what’s known as la clima loca. A foggy early morning might turn into a clear, blue late morning (the kind of clear that will get a pale New Yorker very sunburnt) only to devolve into early afternoon clouds and a late afternoon downpour. After that roller coaster, soup for dinner sounds fantastic.
At…
GREAT VEGETARIAN PASTAS: Creamy Zucchini Orechiette; Eggplant Parmesan Rigatoni; Inside-Out Squash Ravioli Pasta; Linguine Cacio e Pepe with Butternut Squash
Happy new year!
What better way to start off 2012 than with a confession?
Here goes. Alex and I are obsessed with eating cozy Sunday night dinners at home. After a hectic weekend (which even non-New Year’s Eve weekends tend to be), I can’t think of anything better than curling up in front of the couch, setting our bowls on the coffee table, and eating and talking until our…
I never realized that my tendency to overbuy at the farmers’ market was a hereditary condition. If you open my mother’s refrigerator at any given time, you’ll probably find a bunch of chard, just waiting to be turned into a green soup. But just one bunch. Not three. It wasn’t until I visited my aunt and uncle in Los Angeles that I saw my own habits reflected in someone else’s refrigerator, and on their countertops.
Back in October, after Steph and Rodrigo’s Santa Barbara wedding, I decided to milk my West Coast trip…
OTHER BOOZY FOODS: Oatmeal Stout Cake; Beer-Braised Short Ribs with Soy and Honey; Baked Tofu with White Wine, Mustard, and Dill
If my ex-boyfriend North had his way, he would have eaten Penne alla Vodka for every meal. No matter what the venue—New York diner, upscale Italian restaurant, or our college dining hall—he would try to order this pasta dish, and amazingly enough, most of the time he got his way.
I’ve never been one for depriving myself of rich, indulgent food. But somehow I drew the line at Penne…
Gluten-free living is short on quick, portable lunches. It’s not like the corner deli can offer to put your sandwich filling inside an arepa. Luckily, in New York, for every corner deli, there is also a freakishly fragrant halal truck sitting right outside its door. As I mentioned in my guide to eating out gluten-free, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines are great go-to’s. It might not be quite as portable without the requisite pita pocket, but you can still easily pick up a plate of schwarma or halal with rice and condiments on…
GREAT QUICK VEGETABLE SIDES: Caramelized Corn; Patty Pan Squash Sauté; Alta Brussels Sprouts with Apple, Pistachios, and Creme Fraiche; Garlic-Rosemary Mashed Potatoes; Roasted Fennel; Spinach with Bacon Bits
The thing about cabbage is that it’s just such an ideal, quarter-lifey vegetable. It’s inexpensive and serves a crowd. Best of all, it keeps almost forever in the fridge, making it what we call a “pantry” vegetable: there for you to eat when you need food the most and are feeling least enthusiastic about shopping for and preparing it.…
GREAT BAKED PASTAS: Mushroom Lasagna; Updated Tuna Noodle Casserole; Baked Macaroni and Cheese; Noodle Kugel; Baked Spinach Gnocchi with Three Tomatoes; Baked Orzo Ratatouille
My mom makes a mean eggplant. Her signature are slices of grilled eggplant, charred on the outside and creamy–almost gooey–on the inside. Though she doesn’t pre-salt, rinse, and pat dry the eggplant, she does salt it pretty well, which is often part of something tasting great. Her technique is to put eggplant slices in a big plastic bag with olive oil, salt, and…
OTHER QUICK PASTAS FOR ONE: Soba Noodles with Kale and Walnut Sauce; Spaghetti with Spicy Red Sauce; Pad See Ew; Garlicky Angel Hair with Shellfish; Linguine Aglio e Olio con Acciuga
When no one else is around for dinner and I get hungry, chances are I’ll whip up some pasta for myself. As anyone who cooks for one knows, it’s one of the best ways to make a single-serving portion, and as everyone in the world knows, pasta is just about the best foil for whatever ingredients and leftovers you have…
Delicata Squash Salad with Balsamic-Oregano Drizzle