I chose a recipe from Simply Recipes because it called for ground almonds and I had half a bag sitting in my cupboard. Overall, it was easy to prepare, but I had to make the caramel topping twice. I didn’t let the first batch boil long enough on the stove and the sugar didn’t dissolve, so I let the second batch boil for the full recommended four minutes.

The pineapple slices fit just right in the pan.

And after pouring in the batter and baking for an hour and 15 minutes, the cake released from the pan the moment I flipped it over. It was a bit off center, but I was too terrified to move it.

This is what victory looks like:

They did have some sweet signs, though.

When the exam was over, I refused to take the subway home and spend an hour in a larger tube, so I took a cab instead. I rolled my window down as we passed over the Brooklyn Bridge and looked out over the river. My sunglasses were on, the city wind pulled at my hair, and I knew there was only one way to celebrate freedom: baking some damn cookies. Namely, some cookies with oatmeal, cranberries, and chocolate chips.

I’d call them Oatmeal Triple C Cookies, but the Internet tells me Triple C is the street name for a cough medicine teenagers like to trip on. Hm. Let’s stick with the more descriptive Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe)
Makes about two dozen cookies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat oven to 350º.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Mix into the butter and sugar mixture until the flour disappears.

4. Fold in the oats, cranberries, and chocolate chips with a wooden spoon until they’re evenly distributed and coated with batter. At this point, you can chill the batter if desired or bake right away. Chilling will give you thicker cookies.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Place the cookies two inches apart on the sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown but they’re still a bit soft in the middle. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for five minutes and then move to a cooling rack.

Not so.

I stuck with the food cleanse (with a number of modifications and a few cheats) until day 11 when I gave up and bought a big falafel platter. Why did I stop blogging? Why did I fail? Truth: Things got crazy at work and then I got sick. I lost the will to blog. My body felt great from the cleanse until unrelated illness struck, but when it did, I reverted to quick meals and salad bars.

I still think the cleanse was a success and full of tasty recipes anyone could enjoy, so I’ve compiled a few of my favorite photos from days 5-11, like this photo of a grape, walnut, and arugula salad and pan-roasted vegetable curry:

Pumpkin tofu curry and a grapefruit, arugula, and avocado salad:

More vegetable curry, braised leeks and kale, and orange-scented bulgur wheat (so, so good).

Omelette with slow-roasted tomatoes:

And finally, the cleanse death blow. The platter from Mr. Falafel:

When I arrived at work, breakfast was tea and ten-grain hot cereal with blueberries and nuts. I’m terrible at eyeballing liquid amounts and we don’t have measuring cups in the office kitchen, so I didn’t use enough water. The cereal was a little undercooked, but I ate it anyway during a morning meeting.

The cleanse menu relies on leftovers. It saves on cash and cooking time, but if a dish goes wrong, it has a ripple effect throughout the week. My beet soup failure on day two meant I had to remix lunch on day three and forgo soup on day four. The stir-fried bok choy with tofu and brown rice pilaf were plenty though, and held up well as leftovers.

The moment lunch was over, I was already looking forward to my afternoon snack: pear slices with lowfat Greek yogurt and maple syrup. Yes. Maple syrup. As good as I felt without refined sugar, I still craved sweets constantly, and this craving may have manifested itself as I packed my snack in the morning. I misread “2 teaspoons” of maple syrup for “two tablespooons.” Oops?

I got home late from work again and went to work on dinner. It was supposed to be Cider-Glazed Chicken Breasts with Broccoli Rabe and a Fennel-Lemon Relish, but since Ramsey was out and I hadn’t bought the chicken or rabe yet, I made a cost-effective cleanse dinner for one. I made another batch of the Roasted Sweet Potatoes from day one to go with the relish, made a salad with arugula and Granny Smith apple, and heated up a few scoops of lentils. Dessert was a simple peeled orange. I missed the chocolate, but after my maple syrup transgression, it was for the best.

Coming up on day five: more remixing and a sweet curry.

Read my other cleanse posts.

I also modified the suggested lunch. Monday night’s salmon barely made it out of the pan so I didn’t have any leftovers. In its place, I packed lentils and Greek yogurt to go with the grapefruit salad. Grapefruit salad, where have you been all my life? You may be able to tell that I mangled the grapefruit during the slicing process. My hack job was so bad that one of my coworkers asked if there was raw chicken in my salad. I need to learn how to cut citrus fruit.

My afternoon snack was avocado on rye crackers. As I spread the avocado with a butter knife, a line from this weekend’s The Splendid Table podcast kept looping in my brain: Margo True, the food editor of Sunset Magazine, quoted an article subhead from the seventies about the avocado. “It’s endlessly versatile! It’s a dip! A sauce!  A dressing! A spread! It’s guacamole!” It’s also my new favorite snack.

I got home late from work, exhausted and ready to collapse, but it was time to make dinner: stir-fried bok choy and brown rice and carrot pilaf. Both recipes were easy to make, but the pilaf took an hour to cook, so I didn’t sit down to eat until 9:30. Oy. But, all of that cooking time gave me an opportunity to take pictures of bok choy. I’ve decided it’s the most elegant vegetable. Mostly flavorless, but elegant.

A successful cleanse dinner! No disasters, no beet soup spills, no lingering fish smells that pervade my apartment for days. The pilaf was also the best brown rice recipe I’ve ever had; the nutty rice flavor was perfect with the sweet carrots and chicken broth. I wasn’t hungry for a dessert since I ate so late, so I saved the citrus for another day and did the dishes.

Coming up on day four: another lunch remix and the sugar shakes.

Read my other cleanse posts.

• One (1) tiny container of Greek yogurt
• One (1) medium container of muesli (nonfat yogurt, fresh orange juice, oats, frozen raspberries, shredded apple, etc.)
• One (1) large container of mixed greens that also contains one (1) teeny tiny container of miso and lime dressing
• Two (2) ziploc bags, one containing rye crackers, the other containing chevre
• One (1) small container of French lentils
• Three (3) freewheeling produce items (avocado, apple, navel orange)

Between my meals and the make-ahead items I had stored in the fridge, like lentils and caramelized onions, I was out of storage containers. The other challenge of workplace cleansing is documentation. Behold! Cell phone photos. Muesli and iced tea for breakfast:The muesli tastes better than it looks, although I wish there were more oats.

As I mentioned yesterday, I swapped the day one and two lunches, so I had salad with oranges, avocado, and miso lime dressing with a side of lentils and Greek yogurt.

The afternoon snack was a chopped apple on rye toast with chevre arranged on one of the cheerful office plates.

Two meals and a snack. Easy, right? The came dinner: salmon with cilantro and pumpkin seed pesto, beet soup, and lentils. The pesto was easy, the lentils were already made, and cooking the salmon was a little tricky, but it turned out fine. The beet soup, however, did not. The recipe called for cutting the beets into wedges and placing them in a large glass measuring cup with a few cups of vegetable broth. After fifteen minutes in the microwave, they should have been tender, but I didn’t check. I threw them right in pot with the aromatics, added more broth, and simmered for a bit. It wasn’t until my immersion blender refused to blend that I realized the beets were still raw. This was at 8:45 and there was no way I was going through the whole recipe again. I set aside the beets and went with what I had.

For dessert, I had pear slices and a few squares of fancy Mast Brothers Chocolate.

Coming up on day three: the most elegant vegetable and a great recipe for brown rice pilaf.

Read my other cleanse posts.

The time has come to get back to healthier eating, and when I spotted Bon Appetit’s 2012 Food Lover’s Cleanse last week, it seemed like the perfect way to start. It’s focused on real, whole foods and doesn’t involve any of that juice and protein shake nonsense. The only drawback is that is requires a lot of ingredients: over 140 items for the first week alone.

To try to save money and cut down on waste, I printed out the shopping list and all of the recipes on Saturday morning to cut what I already had, what I knew I wouldn’t make, what I thought was absurd (two kinds of rice vinegar?), and to account for portion sizes. I trimmed almost half of the list, but as I stood in the middle of Fairway Market in Red Hook that afternoon, my arms laden with produce and my path blocked by half the geriatric population of south Brooklyn, I almost lost it. Perhaps the cleanse gods were punishing me for the lobster roll I ate before shopping as a last hurrah.

I got up early the next morning to make my first cleanse breakfast before a photography class in Bushwick. I made the suggested ten grain hot cereal with blueberries, but substituted pecans I already had for walnuts. It was my first ever bowl of hot cereal and it was surprisingly delicious. A new addition to my regular breakfast rotation.

I got home from my photography class around two and threw together a lunch salad. I swapped the Sunday and Monday lunches because Monday called for an entire can of tuna and I hate stinking up the office. Five ounces really is a lot of tuna: The salad was also topped with cannellini beans and a vinaigrette with minced shallots. It the dressing called for walnut oil, but I used olive oil instead since I already had it on hand.

The rest of Sunday afternoon was spent prepping items I’d use throughout the week, like a big pot of lentils and caramelized onions. I also went on a hunt for the black cod I had to make for dinner, but I couldn’t find it anywhere in Park Slope. My solution: buy regular cod—because really, how different could it be—and follow the same recipe. This solution was a mistake, because just a few minutes into cooking, this is what I had:

Yikes.

So, I salvaged what I already made for dinner and turned it into a salad of mixed greens with roasted sweet potatoes, apples, and a balsamic vinaigrette. My despair manifested itself in a whimsical pinwheel design.

The roasted sweet potato slices with orange zest and chile powder were my favorite food item from day one.

Sunday wound down with a few episodes of Stephen Fry in America on Netflix and a tiny plate of orange slices and one (1) ounce of chocolate.

Next up: Day two of the cleanse and a beet disaster.

Read the rest of my cleanse posts.

The answer: a Moroccan-inspired stew, complete with preserved lemons, cumin, cinnamon, and saffron. Saffron always looks pretty…

…but preserved lemons kind of freak me out. They look like an ingredient for a witch’s brew.

If you aren’t familiar with preserved lemons, they’re pickled in lemon juice and salt. They aren’t hard to find in most big grocery stores or specialty shops, and depending on where you live, they shouldn’t cost too much. The jar pictured above cost around $4 at Fairway. You can always substitute fresh lemon juice in the stew, but it won’t have quite the same flavor.

Whether you use legit preserved lemons or lemon juice, when combined with the cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and saffron, they take a jumble of simple vegetables to a new level. Did I also mention that the whole recipe takes under an hour to complete? Yes, my friend. This is a vegetable stew you can make on a weeknight (or a busy weekend). Let’s get to it.

Moroccan Squash Stew
Serves 6-8
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen. Note: The original recipe also called for 2 cups of chickpeas, so feel free to add them in.)

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound peeled butternut squash, large dice
• 1 pound red potatoes, skin on, large dice
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
• Pinch saffron threads
• Pulp of 1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped
• 1 cup brined green olives
• Steamed couscous, for serving

Optional garnish:

• Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• Toasted slivered almonds
• Plain yogurt

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add onion, garlic, cumin, ginger, and cinnamon, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add squash and potatoes, season with a bit more salt and pepper, and stir to coat with with the oil and spices. Cook until the squash and potatoes start to become tender, about seven minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the broth, tomatoes and their juices, and saffron. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the squash and potatoes are completely tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make your couscous according to the box directions.

5. Once the vegetables are tender, remove the stew from heat and stir in the preserved lemon pulp and olives. Serve over couscous and your garnishes of choice.

It started with a grapefruit sliced in half.

But I needed to place the grapefruit in a pan that was safe for broiling. See this glass pan? While pretty, it’s not the best for broiling. And by “not the best,” I mean it could explode in the oven under the extreme heat. (I remembered this important fact as I took the photo below.)A quick switch to a metal pan and all was right again. I ran a paring knife around the edge of the grapefruit flesh and between every segment to loosen things up.

I drizzled each half with melted butter, sprinkled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and ground ginger, and broiled for about seven minutes. The result: A warm, satisfying breakfast in a city covered in snow.

Broiled Grapefruit

• 1 cold grapefruit, right out of the refrigerator
• 1 tbs. butter, melted
• 1 tbs. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1. Pre-heat the broiler.

2. Cut the grapefruit in half crosswise and place in a broiler-safe pan with the cut side up. If the grapefruit won’t stay upright, slice a small portion off the bottom. Run a paring knife around the edges of each grapefruit half and between each segment. This will make it easier to eat once cooked.

3. Drizzle each half with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and ground ginger. (Feel free to add more to your taste.)

4. Broil for 6-7 minutes, or until the sugar begins to caramelize. Let cool for 2-3 minutes and serve.

Few of us have time to prepare a spread of sandwiches, scones, and clotted cream to enjoy with an afternoon mug of tea, so my go-to accompaniment is a buttery, crunchy cookie.  That’s why I immediately flagged this recipe from The Kitchn. Butter, rosemary, and sugar? Perfect.

I followed the exact recipe from The Kitchn and had great results, but I wanted to try making a chocolate version. Truth: I liked the original, non-chocolate version more than the chocolate version I created. It didn’t let the rosemary flavor come through as much as I like. But! If you’re in the mood for a chocolate shortbread, give it a try.

Chocolate, Rosemary, and Walnut Brown Butter Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen (Adapted from The Kitchn)

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped small (none larger than pea-sized)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup confectioner sugar (or another 1/4 cup granulated, if you don’t have confectioners)

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan occasionally until the butter stops foaming, turns brown, and small dark brown specks form. It will smell like roasting nuts. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Mix the walnuts, rosemary, and dry ingredients in a medium bowl. While beating on medium speed, add the cooled butter until it’s fully incorporated and the dough takes on the consistency of damp sand and holds together when you press it into a ball. Add a few teaspoons of water if it doesn’t hold.

3. Pour the dough onto a large cutting board or other work surface and form into two logs about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least thirty minutes (up to three days).

4. When you’re ready to make your cookies, preheat the oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Unwrap one of the dough logs and use a sharp knife to slice it into 1/4 inch cookies. Place them on the parchment paper about a 1/2 inch apart. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will keep in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.