I need my breakfast. Absolutely need it. Without my morning meal, I’m listless and unthinkably slow – both on my feet and in reflection.
Fortunately, this oatmeal hits the spot. The regular oats can be a bit worn and thin. Not as sustaining as I might need. The steel-cut variety, available in any grocery store, comes packed Continue reading
This has been quite the whirlwind week.
Once again, I’m preparing to move: this time from Cincinnati, Ohio to Silver Spring, Maryland. This past week has been devoted to finishing up my projects at work and cleaning and packing up my apartment. But in between those two activities, I have been doing my best to take advantage of my last few days in Cincinnati.
Last Tuesday night, I drove to Mt. Adams, the neighborhood overlooking downtown Cincinnati from its eastern perch. I got lost navigating the winding one-way streets, as always, but eventually found a narrow street sandwiched between two apartment buildings and leading up to the edge of the Mount.
I unpacked my camera, set up my tripod, and took in the lights Continue reading
These sweet potato home fries make a perfect side dish as part of a warm breakfast. They also go well with a Continue reading
Posted in Breakfast
Tagged Brunch, Cast Iron, Comfort Food, Southern, Sweet Potato, Vegetables
If you’ve seen my camera after I’ve been in the kitchen, you might think that it doubles as my sous chef. The shutter button is a little greasy and there’s flour dusted along the hand grip and on the aperture dial. There may even be a little sugar along the shoulder strap. Even the tripod may bear some semblance of kitchen work. Cinnamon or nutmeg may be sliding down its leg.
One of my favorite parts about creating my blog entries is assembling the collage, putting together the step-by-step tasks that create the final product. But to do so requires shuffling my floured hands back and forth, from the cutting board to the shutter, and then, possibly, to the white balance meter and the focus arrows.
Once the shot looks good, it’s back to the board, Continue reading
Posted in Appetizers, Breakfast
Tagged Baking, Cinnamon, Puff Pastry, Quick and Easy, Snacks
Quinoa is a pseudocereal – a plant that looks like a grain and behaves like a grain – but that, in fact, is more closely related to spinach and beets, than any wheat or oat. Gluten-free and packed with protein, quinoa has seen its popularity surge in recent years.
Unfortunately, this sudden rise in popularity has produced unintended consequences in the global market.
As the demand for quinoa has surged, so has its price, commensurate with the laws of supply and demand. Bolivian farmers have responded to the demand by shipping their quinoa harvest abroad, reaping Continue reading
If you know Caitlin and me, you know that we love a good pancake. You can find us at IHOP now and then, but for the most part, we prefer making our own. And boy have we: from gingerbread to butternut squash to lemon ricotta.
From the sheer number of pancakes we make, you might think that pancakes hold a special place in our relationship. You’d be right — I made banana sour cream pancakes for Caitlin on our first date (and in spite of my friends’ concerns about having a date in the morning).
So when Caitlin suggested Continue reading
Popovers are one of my favorite things to make – and eat. The only problem is that, right now, I’m usually cooking for one. And it’s just not safe to leave me alone with warm popovers. Indeed, the last time that happened, I wolfed down five vanilla eggnog popovers before noon. I think I was able to save one for Caitlin, but I may be wrong.
This past Friday, I attended a pot-luck “dinner.” Only instead of the usual dinner items, everyone was charged with bringing a brunch item. There were donuts, scrambled eggs, french toast, more french toast, smoked salmon, bagels, and the like.
My contribution, naturally, was popovers. Herb and cheese popovers to be exact. I had been meaning Continue reading
Arepas may be the best dish I’d never heard of.
Arepas (ah-RAY-pahs) are half-inch thick corn cakes that are an absolute staple of Colombian and Venezuelan cuisine, their origins dating back to the original Indian inhabitants of the region.
Arepas are made from masarepa flour, sometimes called arepa harina. Unlike cornmeal, which is made from uncooked, ground corn, masarepa flour is made from precooked (preconcida) ground corn. As a result, you cannot use simple cornmeal to make arepas; you must use masarepa flour. I used Goya-brand yellow masarepa flour that I found at a Hispanic grocery store. Since then, though, I found that even the local Kroger carries PAN-brand white masarepa flour in its international section.
The beauty of arepas lies in their simplicity and adaptability. Arepas are Continue reading
I must have read Shoeless Joe sometime in grade school, no older than eight or nine. At the time, I loved baseball and everything about it. But even more than watching it or playing it, I enjoyed reading about the game. Between all my baseball books, W.P. Kinsella’s debut novel held a special place on my young bookshelf.
Of all the great writers, from James Thurber to Ring Lardner, to have tried their hand at a baseball story, none captured the magic and drama of the game like Shoeless Joe. And as wonderful as the book was, the movie adaptation Continue reading
Gingerbread pancakes are the perfect treat on a cold Winter weekend morning, when there’s nothing better than curling up on the couch, drinking your hot coffee, and folding over sections of the Sunday paper.
Caitlin and I grated some fresh ginger for these pancakes. For a little extra touch, you can add some Confectioners’ sugar and top with a piece of pickled ginger.
And if you do decide to brave the cold, well at least Continue reading
