January 15, 2012
It’s a snow day. We don’t get much snow here in the Pacific Northwest, but when we do, it incites a mixture of widespread panic and delight.
Put me in the delight column. I love snow. It immediately puts me in a better mood, a more relaxed one. When it snows, I’ll be more likely to make you a cup of cocoa and go for a walk in the snow than be in my normal state of frantic espresso-drinking while huddled over my computer, working.
It’s also a Sunday, which is my main cooking day of the week. Typically, I make a couple of large meals like a big pot of soup or a roast to last us through the week without having to cook on weeknights. Tonight, I’m making meatloaf, a favorite meal of Casey’s.
While checking the cabinets and fridge for all the ingredients, I had a minor spat of panic, even in my snow-lulled state.
We have no ketchup.
December 12, 2011
Hunger inspires some of my favorite recipe ideas. Everyone has those days where there’s “nothing in the fridge”, you’re hungry and feeling a little lazy on the cooking front.
This happened to me last week. I was home by myself all day, and as noon approached and I hadn’t yet eaten anything, it was time to scour the fridge and the pantry to see what I could come up with. All I had was some wild rice, a big, clunky squash and some celery and onions.
It was time to break out my favorite cooking method: Roasting. Roasting vegetables is the simplest, easiest, most brainless way of cooking vegetables. The beautiful thing is that roasting them at a high heat brings out a vegetable’s sweetness by caramelizing its natural sugars. Just pop them in the oven and boom, 20 minutes later you have tasty little morsels of goodness.
November 30, 2011
Two cookie posts in a row?!?! I know, I know. ‘Tis the season, right?
I live with two little birds who sometimes make little peep-peeps for me to cook them something special. Yes, Jeff and Casey, you make little peep-peeps.
Last weekend, as the Christmas decorations went up, they wanted Christmas cookies. I told them to pick out the cookies they wanted and I would make them. Because I’m such a nice sister and wife. Sometimes.
They flipped through my cookbooks and made their selections. Jeff wanted snickerdoodles (that’s for another time), and Casey chose the most Christmasy cookie he could find, these red velvet whoopie pies. And if that wasn’t enough…they are stuffed with peppermint cream cheese buttercream.
November 24, 2011
I’m sure you have all of your Thanksgiving desserts under control. If so, put this one on your list for your Christmas cookie power baking day. Because I’m sure you have that day, right? The one where you try to make every cookie in your repertoire, just because you can. And you must.
Maybe skip the sugar cookie cutouts this year for something a little more interesting. Not to mention, if you’re not exactly the Martha Stewart of cookie decorating, these are much more forgiving.
Spice cookies are the warm hug of cookies. These ones are particularly lovely with the addition of honey for that extra depth of something-something.
Take a little nibble nibble of a spice cookie, a sip of latte, repeat. Do it. It’s a mini holiday.
Many folks’ Christmas trees are already up, and holiday lights seem to start twinkling soon after Halloween. What about the less glitzy, (slightly) less commercial Thanksgiving? Though it seems Thanksgiving doesn’t get all the credit it deserves, it is one of my personal favorite holidays.
The plethora of exceptional food is, of course, one reason I love it. More importantly, each year it never fails that I am reminded to quit worrying about little things and to focus on positivity and how truly lucky I am. It may seem cliche to talk about what you are thankful for on this day, but I’m going to do it anyway.
November 19, 2011
Photo Courtesy Bugs and Fishes
Holiday gift shopping can be tough, especially when you have an aspiring home chef, entertainer or gourmet in your life. How do you know what they already have, or would love and use in the kitchen? I mean, you may be Santa, but your elves are probably on permanent vacation. There are so many days when I wish I had a staff of elves. Anyway…
As an avid home cook myself, I compiled this list categorized by price (because let’s face it, we all have different gift budgets). There’s also some creative stocking stuffers and gifts to get kids in the kitchen.
I handpicked these gifts from some of my favorite retailers and artists, including Williams-Sonoma Cookware, Anthropologie, Sur La Table, DEAN & DELUCA, artist Carrol Boyes, Amazon, Crate & Barrel, UncommonGoods and more. Each item is available online to make your holiday shopping a little easier.
Whether you’re shopping for friends, family or, ahem…yourself, these gifts will inspire your home cook to create all kinds of goodness in the kitchen.
