From the kitchen of a semi-vegetarian with a serious sweet tooth
Figuring out what to do with the surplus of apples from the U-pick orchard is quickly becoming a fall tradition in our household, as I gather is the case in many other households as well. This year, we timed our visits (that’s right, plural) at the right time to pick both Fuji apples (my personal favorite for snacking) and Granny Smith apples (my personal favorite for baking, so that means we ...
Later this month, many college freshmen will make their first trips back home for Thanksgiving, and I’m sure that they’ll be eager for some of their favorite home-cooked meals. While I never traveled home for Thanksgiving in college, I was lucky enough to swing by for a single night in the middle of my first term, since I was in the marching band and we were traveling to an away game near where my ...
When I was a child, I asked my mom what her favorite season was, and she told me that it was fall. I was a little insulted, assuming that it was because my brother and I went back to school in fall, but now that I’ve moved to the Midwest (and grown up and realized that not everything is directly related to me), I better understand her reasons. Fall in the Midwest (which is also where my mom grew ...
Once upon a time, I had oodles of time to cook well-planned, lovingly-prepared meals several nights a week. Or that’s how I remember it, at any rate. I’m no longer even sure when (or if) these culinary golden days took place. Maybe during my senior year of college? Maybe during the summer months of grad school when classes weren’t in session? The details are hazy. ...
Today, I'm excited to share with you one of the most quintessentially fall recipes I have ever created. It’s got apples. It’s got maple syrup. It’s got pecans. It’s got gingersnaps. It does not have pumpkin, but there are more pumpkin recipes in the works, so worry not! I’ve been planning out the details of these apple maple pecan cheesecake bars ever since our trip to the apple orchard a few ...
Do you ever find yourself in a side-dish dilemma? I bet you know what I'm talking about: dinnertime is drawing near, you’ve got the main dish covered, but you still need something more to complete the meal. I often find myself in this predicament. While there’s no shame in plunking down a few random veggies or a dinner roll and calling it a side, these last-minute additions can sometimes feel ...
Apparently, I missed the memo that carrot cake is a springtime thing. My first carrot cake recipe appeared in the summer and I shared an updated version this past winter, so it seems only fitting that I should once again post about carrot cake in fall, the last of the carrot cake off-seasons. This recipe, however, is totally outfitted for fall: these are pumpkin carrot cake muffins! ...
Swedish meatballs were on my radar (and my plate) long before I ever set foot in an IKEA. My mom got the recipe from her sister-in-law, who has Scandinavian ancestry, and it has been a part of her cooking repertoire for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until I started living in an apartment and furnishing it with Klobos and Fjellses and Börjes, however, that I realized that my family does ...
Having a routine is often beneficial. Routines provide structure and a certain amount of comfort—those of us with pets or small children know this especially well! But sometimes, routines can turn into ruts, and I find this to be particularly true when it comes to food. In order to prevent food burn-out—like my major aversion to turkey sandwiches, which I mentioned the other week—it’s important to ...
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m feeling a bit rough around the edges after this holiday weekend. While we still technically have another week or two of summer, school is now back in session, the campus is flooded with undergraduates again, and I’m fairly certain I have never before started an academic year feeling this haggard and un-refreshed. It’s like that feeling when it’s ...
