Apartment Dining

Spring Carrots with Apricots and Pistachios from The Splendid Table: A perfect side dish to welcome the spring weather. It also packs a lot of flavor for such an inexpensive dish, as you can easily omit the pistachios.

Homemade gnocchi and marinara sauce: I’ll be posting a full account of this recipe later this week. Surprisingly easy.

Brown Sugar-Brined Chicken: I made a modified version of this Splendid Table recipe when I was unable to track down ancho chilis in my neighborhood. Instead of creating the chili paste, I just mixed a bit of chili powder and extra pepper with the orange zest, juice, garlic, and oil, and then rubbed it underneath the skin. You can tell from the photo a bit of the minced garlic ended up on top of the skin. Whoops.

The overnight brining resulted in a much better roast chicken and I may make it standard pre-roasting practice from now on. Some people complain of it making the meat too salty, but I found it to just make the chicken extra moist.

As I was caramelizing onions for a goat cheese and puff pastry dish I was testing out a few weeks ago, I started looking for other vehicles for one of my favorite flavors. I am not a huge fan of raw yellow onion, but with a little olive oil and some time in a skillet, they become tender and gain just a hint of sweetness. This sandwich is a simple blend of caramelized onions with four other classic flavors: steak, Dijon mustard, mayo, and a crusty baguette. » Read the rest of this entry «

Much to the dismay of my Irish ancestors, I made meat and mushroom lasagna on St. Patrick’s Day instead of a hearty stew or potato-based dish. I watched a bit of the parade and had an Irish coffee, but I was really just in the mood for Italian. Lasagna also meant that dinner the following night could be leftovers, meaning no prep and only a few dishes to wash. It seems to always taste better on the second day too.

If you’re a vegetarian, you can easily substitute the meat with more mushrooms, roasted eggplant, and zucchini, and still have a very hearty lasagna. » Read the rest of this entry «

The White House announced this week that Michelle Obama has decided to plant a large vegetable garden on the South Lawn to provide food for the first family and various events. It’s a inspiring move in a time of economic hardship when more and more people are turning to fast food establishments, believing that they’re the cheapest way to buy a meal for their family. The New York Times reports that the entire garden will only cost $200, essentially the cost of mulch, seeds, and other supplies, and it includes 55 varieties of vegetables.

My indoor garden is much smaller and currently features only two kinds of edible plants: basil and mint. I’m hoping to pick up a few more herbs in the coming weeks, as paying $2 for a few ounces of cut, fresh herbs at the supermarket when all I need are a few leaves is a waste. I’m also looking into a dwarf tomato plant to supply some cherry tomatoes for summer salads.

Quick breads are what simple breakfast dreams are made of for me. Defined by their use of chemical levening agents like baking powder or soda in place of yeast, quick breads can be thrown together in a matter of minutes and baked for about an hour, resulting in a dense, cake-like treat. They’re typically made up of just liquid, butter, egg, sugar, flour, and a leavening agent, so chances are good you have all of the ingredients for some sort of quick bread in your kitchen right now.

When my boyfriend Ramsey mentioned his love of banana bread a few weeks ago, I realized I had never actually made what may be the quintessential quick bread. I’d made pumpkin in the fall, but had yet to attempt banana. Thus, I went on a hunt for a classic banana bread recipe that would bring back memories of childhood breakfasts.

I first tried Mark Bittman’s recipe from How to Cook Everything, and while good, it wasn’t quite as moist as I wanted. I’ll try it again soon and modifying a few things, but in the meantime, I found what may be the easiest, fool-proof recipe on Simply Recipes. I’ve made it twice since finding it over the weekend and it doesn’t even require a mixer! Dishes are also easy, with just a loaf pan, bowl, fork, and spoon left to clean when all is said and done.

Baked brie is one of my favorite appetizers. It’s made by wrapping a wheel of brie, brown sugar, and almonds in a sheet of puff pastry and baking at 350°F for an hour. After letting it cool for a few minutes, it’s served with crackers and tends to last only a few minutes at any party. It’s a delicious combination,  with mild flavor of the brie mixing with just a hint of sweetness from the brown sugar.

I wanted to recreate the flavor of baked brie in the form of a grilled cheese sandwich; a sort of baked brie for one since no one needs to make and eat an entire baked brie alone on a Sunday afternoon. Here’s the recipe. » Read the rest of this entry «

I took my second foray into candy making on Sunday afternoon. My first was with chocolate truffles for a New Years Eve party and this time around, I decided to take on salted caramels. The inspiration came from a Barefoot Contessa episode I saw a few weeks ago, during which Ina Garten made Fleur de Sel Caramels rolled into small circles and topped with a sprinkling of salt. They looked delicious and easy to make, as long as I had a candy thermometer and kept a close eye on things. » Read the rest of this entry «