From the kitchen of a semi-vegetarian with a serious sweet tooth
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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! ...
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 ...
These pancakes…I don’t even know where to start. They’re glorious. Autumnal. The epitome of a relaxing weekend breakfast (though I'd be happy to eat them any day of the week!). Sweetly spiced and fragrant. Delightfully delectable and decadent. They just about melt in your mouth. I wish there were a way to make an electronic scratch-and-sniff sticker, but since there isn’t, you’ll just have to take ...
The summer after I graduated from college, I moved across the country and in preparation for the program I was about to start, I enrolled in an intensive language program—a year’s worth of material crammed into six short weeks (though at the time, it felt like an excruciatingly long six weeks). ...
Halloumi, where have you BEEN all of my life?! Besides, you know, Cyprus. Apparently. This was my second time using this glorious Cyprian cheese, and I have a feeling I'll be buying a lot more of it in the coming months. I’ve never been to Cyprus, but given its ties to the Greek world—trade networks between Cyprus and Greece existed even as far back as the fourteenth century BC—and the ...
Happy National Guacamole Day!!! It’s a fairly well-known fact among my friends that if there is an entrée that involves guacamole on a restaurant’s menu, nine times out of ten that is what I’ll order. I <3 avocados, but it was not exactly love at first sight. ...
My family recently had to put down our dog, Cookie. Cookie was the first (and only) non-goldfish pet I had as a child, and it had taken years of me begging for a dog before my parents agreed. At one point, in response to the counter-argument that my brother might be allergic, I tearfully asked, "Who cares if he can't breathe?" Clearly, I had my priorities straight: dog > brother. ...
