Apartment Dining

Much like the terrible internet connection in my old apartment, my bandwidth has been very limited lately. Work has been busy, and by the time I’m done with things for my full time job and my freelance job, I can’t stand to look at a computer screen anymore (can I get special glasses for computer eye strain?). I promise to get back to my regular posting schedule next week as I’m vowing to get more sleep and start cooking more, even if I’m exhausted. A woman can only eat so many lazy pasta dishes and I have a lonely pie pumpkin sitting on my shelf.

When most people think of brussels sprouts, fish sauce is not the first thing to come to mind. However, when I had the brussels sprouts at Momofuku Ssäm Bar last year, they were a perfect match. I’ve had plans to recreate a very simplified version in my kitchen, but have been met with a challenge at the farmers’ market every week: beating the competition.

I usually arrive at the market around noon on Saturdays, so the the crates of brussels sprouts are picked over and only a few sad sprouts are left, leaves splayed out and smashed. However, last Saturday morning I woke up at 7:30 to conquer the weekend. I was at the farmers’ market by 9AM and a mound of fresh, perfect brussels sprouts was waiting. I bought half a dozen cider doughnuts to celebrate my victory and started plotting my side dish. » Read the rest of this entry «

It was a banner weekend: dinner on the Upper West Side on Friday night, the farmers’ market in Grand Army Plaza on Saturday morning, shopping and macarons in SoHo in the afternoon, beer and tacos in Sunset Park at night, and finally on Sunday, manicures, pints of pumpkin ale, and lots of cooking in Park Slope. It felt the way a New York weekend should, with just the right balance of adventure and absurdity, and enough scenic views for a Woody Allen film. Much of it also revolved around food, so it was natural to wind down by baking a pie Sunday afternoon with my well-manicured hands.

I wanted to go recipe-free to make an apple cranberry pie, so I tried to remember as many techniques as I could from last year’s apple pie adventure and winged the rest. The pie was a success, but I forgot to add flour to the apple mixture which resulted in a little excess liquid. I’ve corrected it in the recipe after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

Michael Pollan has been collecting people’s personal eating rules for a new book and he posted some of his favorites on the New York Times website. It got me thinking about my food rules. They include:

• Don’t eat anything that’s still alive (recently shucked oysters excluded).
• Always use real butter and never use skim milk.
• Order the half or small plate. Then, order dessert.
• When at a fancy restaurant, kick off the night with the most absurd cocktail on the menu.
• If a food has more than four legs and you’re not lost in the woods, proceed with caution.
• Try a bite of every new food that you’re offered.
• Baked goods taste better when they’re shared.

What are your food rules?

Things have yet to die down completely around here, so I’m keeping tonight’s post short and straight to the point: Sweet potatoes! Cut, season, roast, serve with fattening (and delicious) dipping sauce.

During the Sunday of Sandwiches, Angela showed me a menu from her recent trip to the UK and one of the side dishes was sweet potato wedges with tarragon mayo. It sounded fantastic, so I picked up some sweet potatoes at the farmers’ market and improvised a recipe this evening. » Read the rest of this entry «

There are a number of recipes written on random stationary in my grandmother’s collection. This is on hotel stationary, while others come from factories, a research facility of some sort, and (what I believe to be) my aunt’s algebra homework.

According to my mother, this recipe for honey whole wheat bread was one of her favorites. After making it today, I can see why. The crust is crunchy, the interior is soft, and there is the tiniest hint of honey. My baking process wasn’t error free, however.

More photos and the full recipe after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

This week has been hectic between work, freelancing, and preparing for a weekend trip, so I’ve taken a brief cooking break. I’m heading down to DC Friday evening to live blog, tweet, and lend a helping hand at the First National Tween Girl Summit all day Saturday. I will try not to reflect on my bookish, nerdy tween days, during which I was nicknamed both Wednesday and Daria by girls dressed like Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, but it will be hard to resist.

Are you cooking something fabulous this weekend? Let me know in the comments.

The kitchen table in my apartment offers a rotating assortment of baked goods in tupperware containers and ziploc bags. Last week, Erin made pumpkin cookies and banana nut muffins. Then, Clare made pumpkin bread and muffins, followed a few days later by Magnolia cupcakes (mini and full size). Erin made corn muffins yesterday, then I made zucchini bread. Erin made zucchini cookies, a batch of brownies, and more muffins this afternoon, and finally, while not baking-related, Jess made a whole bunch of edamame tonight. There’s nothing better than getting home from work to a fresh plate of cookies, or waking up in the morning to a plate of muffins waiting for breakfast.

My zucchini bread recipe came from Simply Recipes, my new trusted source for baked goods. They’re behind the brownies and banana bread that I have shared with many friends and they’re always a hit.

My friends Angela and Sean hosted a small gathering Sunday afternoon to celebrate an a match made in culinary heaven: grilled sandwiches and beer. They gathered an impressive array of meats, cheeses, mustards, and more, and were ready with some fantastic combinations. More photos and combos after the jump » Read the rest of this entry «

For my last cop out entry of the week, I need to inform you, dear reader, of this. You’ll know it’s October 26th by the scent of pork wafting from my kitchen