I go through phases of what I like to eat for breakfast. Back in high school, after my yogurt and Cheerios phase ran its course, my mom showed me how to make oatmeal from scratch and that became my breakfast of choice for the next year and a half until college. By senior year of college, I was back to oatmeal, then off again the two years after graduation. Then there was my first semester in grad ...
Archives for October 2013
Turkey Chipotle Chili
Last week was the first particularly chilly one we’ve had here this fall. In previous weeks, I’ve still been able to get away with going to campus in sweaters and cardigans, but when there was frost on the ground and ice on the cars, I knew it was time to get out a coat. I didn’t even own a coat for most of the time that I lived in California, and I only remember having the heater on for perhaps ...
Elderberry Linzer Bars
Towards the end of the summer, my uncle sent me a jar of his homemade elderberry jam. Without any clear memory of having tried it before, I was a little unsure when he told me that elderberries have a distinctive flavor and that it’s not for everyone. I really like it, though! The jam isn’t overpoweringly sweet like many store-bought fruit jams, and it has a nice sort of wholesomeness that ...
Tater Tot Pizza
You might be thinking, “Tater tots? On pizza?! Why would you put tater tots on pizza?” Well, tater tots are tasty and pizza is tasty, so why not put the two together? (I realize this logic does not hold up in many cases. For instance, bacon and chocolate has become a fairly mainstream combination, but I, for one, believe that bacon has no business being anywhere near my chocolate.) ...
Spicy Chipotle Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Macaroni and cheese was always one of my favorite dishes as a child, whether made from scratch or from a box. Either way, my mom usually tried to spiff it up, adding tuna or broccoli or something. Truth be told, even though I liked tuna and broccoli, I preferred my mac and cheese unadulterated – I just wanted straight-up pasta and cheese. Total kid food, right? My tastes have become somewhat more ...
Cornmeal Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Brandied Cherries
Chocolate and cherries are a fairly traditional combination. Alcohol and breakfast…not as traditional (except for mimosas, perhaps). But hey, since I’ve already gone there once with my amaretto poppy seed pancakes, why not another boozy pancake recipe? The flavor of the brandy comes through much more prominently than the amaretto, so I definitely wouldn’t serve this to any kiddies—these pancakes ...
Mini Poppy Seed Chai Pumpkin Muffins
Although I’m always reluctant to let go of summer, I’m pleasantly surprised each year when I am reminded of how beautiful fall can be. Having spent my college years in southern California where seasons have all but ceased to exist, I was awestruck by the brilliance of fall colors the first year I spent on the east coast. For me, there’s something so powerful about those crisp, clear days when the ...
Cranberry Sweet Potato Couscous
Couscous and I did not get along when I was a child. I think I regarded it as a poor substitute for white rice, which I loved. It wasn’t until sometime in college that I realized that couscous was actually pretty great in its own right, and—the best part for a student pressed for time—it cooks a lot more quickly than rice! ...
Chicken Salad Salad with Roasted Grape Vinaigrette
Earlier this fall, my boyfriend and I took a cooking class together. It was a one-time date-night class, and I was surprised to find that we were by far one of the youngest couples there (I had thought that in a college town, there would be more couples our own age, but maybe most couples our own age don’t consider having to cook your own dinner a proper date night. Their loss!). Although we ...