Apartment Dining

I have been missing in action for over a month. A very hectic time at work has now ended, and as we enter the new year, Apartment Dining will become a priority again. There will be a return to my schedule of three posts a week!

A new feature on AD will also be the occasional video. I picked up a Flip HD camera at Target during a serious Black Friday sale, and I put it to use for the first time this weekend at my apartment. My roommates and I threw our first cocktail party, and I documented the preparation for the event, from the pitchers of sangria to the Krispie Kringle.

Cocktails and Cookies from Mo Cahill on Vimeo.

If I’m forced to choose between all of the pies that appear on the dessert table at a Thanksgiving dinner, pumpkin pie always wins out. I love the custard filling, and I find it difficult to pass up another vehicle for whipped cream during the holidays. My mind also rationalizes that it must be healthier than an apple pie because it has only one crust, conveniently forgetting the amount of sugar and cream required to make the filling.

I have attempted two pumpkin pies over the last month as part of my Pie and Manicure Sunday series, during which I bake a pie and get an very cheap manicure around the corner from my apartment. The first pie’s crust had some issues, and the amount of cream in the filling was overwhelming. I made the second one yesterday and I think I’ve found the correct ratios, but the cooking process was not without incident. More photos and a recipe after the jump » Read the rest of this entry «

I spent Christmas in Binghamton this year and took a few photos during my visits to the homes of relatives and friends. I forgot to grab my camera during our actual meals, but did manage to take a few photos of desserts and snacks. As a disclaimer, I should mention I cooked/baked/prepared nothing pictured here, but it was all delicious. More shots after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

There are many benefits to cooking with alcohol. Wine adds an extra depth of flavor to certain meat dishes, a splash of brandy brings a special zing to a fruit tart, and when it comes to Christmas cookies, Irish cream is the perfect addition. Case and point: Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies, which I first experienced a few years ago when my aunt made them for the post-Christmas dinner cookie platter. If you consider your holidays incomplete without enjoying a Baileys on the rocks at some point during the party season, then these are for you. Even if you’re not a big Irish cream fan, the slight hint of whisky makes them worth a try.  » Read the rest of this entry «

I spotted some ramekins at the store over the weekend and was inspired. What better way is there to indulge on a budget than with a chocolate soufflé? All of the required ingredients are inexpensive and are probably in your pantry already, plus it’s a fabulous way to end a pre-holiday dinner party. Plunking down individual soufflés topped with raspberries in front of each of your guests will earn you the reputation of a master cook, while all you did was melt some chocolate and beat some egg whites. » Read the rest of this entry «

You can tell it’s mid-December by looking at most streets in Manhattan. They’re crowded with shoppers laden with gifts, tourists blocking foot traffic in front of window displays, and all manner of other manifestations of “Silver Bells” song lyrics. You can also tell it’s mid-December by looking into the kitchens of most apartments across the city and finding people baking dozens upon dozens of cookies. The traditional cookies and bars in my family range from Seven Layer Bars to Bailey’s Irish Cream Cookies to the dreaded Snowball Cookies (pecan cookies rolled in confectioner’s sugar), which I ate ten too many of when I was a child and proceeded to toss in the bathroom soon after. 

I got into the baking spirit last week and as I was deciding on the kind of cookies I would make that afternoon, I was torn between peanut butter, chocolate chip, and oatmeal. The result was just throwing them all together to create Indecision Cookies, the first in a series of recipes for holiday treats I’ll be sharing over the next few weeks. » Read the rest of this entry «