Jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread

Posted on August 7, 2011 | 9 Comments

Cornbread is a so-called quick bread, because it doesn’t contain yeast and doesn’t require any rising or kneading.  All of which makes it ready to bake in a flash!

Another great thing about cornbread is that no two recipes need be alike.  You can mix and match ingredients as you see fit.  Play with the type of cornmeal (coarse or medium), the flour (whole wheat or not), the cheese (cheddar or monterey) and the acid (buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt).  Add corn or jalapeno slices . . . or both . . . or neither.

I made this particular recipe twice, Continue reading →

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Posted in Breads

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Tuscan White Beans

Posted on July 31, 2011 | 7 Comments

These days there are legions of bloggers, forming a veritable army of individuals tapping dutifully on their keyboards from all around the world.  And for those who aren’t blogging, there are still brigades of those tweeting and providing regular status updates on facebook.  All of which can seem very much like overkill.

But maybe it isn’t.

I’ve been listening to Continue reading →

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Posted in Entrees, Soup

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Baked Macaroni and Cheese with a Kick

Posted on July 23, 2011 | 9 Comments

The other day, I noticed that there were three unopened boxes of elbow macaroni, sitting peacefully in my cabinet.  And I know what happened.  Every trip to the Kroger leads me through the pasta section.  And I think, “Hmmm.  I wonder if I have any macaroni at home?”  Better safe than sorry, I pick up a box and add it to the cart.

Tired of pushing those boxes out of the way Continue reading →

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Posted in Entrees

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Homemade Sea Salt Caramels

Posted on July 17, 2011 | 152 Comments

These are amazing caramels!

When Caitlin and I were in San Francisco last month, we stopped in the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero.  It was around 11:00 a.m. and, even though had lunch plans in an hour, we thought it would be fun to wander through the marketplace.  We shared a sorbet from the Ciao Bella stand and then went across the hall to a small food store to find (something else) to hold me over until lunch.

At the checkout stand, there was a tin bin, filled with several varieties of caramels.  I can’t remember the different kinds, but I do know that we grabbed two or three to have “later.” Continue reading →

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Posted in Desserts

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Low-Fat Vanilla-Pistachio Caramels

Posted on July 16, 2011 | 12 Comments

After making my cream caramels, I decided it would be fun to experiment.  In particular, I was curious to know if the recipe would work with low-fat milk instead of cream.  Unfortunately, my adherence to the scientific method was somewhat lackluster.  Instead of introducing a single variable, I introduced two:  pistachios and low-fat milk.

These caramels were not as soft as the plain ones, but they were not altogether hard.  I suspect, though, that it was the chopped pistachios and not the absence of cream that made these caramels a little harder.  On the topic of taste, I’m happy to report Continue reading →

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Posted in Desserts

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Spicy Black Bean Burgers

Posted on July 10, 2011 | 4 Comments

Veggie burgers have a come a long way.

I can remember going to a BBQ and watching the hamburgers and hot dogs come off the grill.  That moment where the football game ends and the conversations stop, and people line up to grab their meal, before shuffling over to the condiment bar.  And then, like some back-alley, black-market transaction, someone casts their eyes over the party, slips a furtive hand into their purse, and hands the chef a frozen pattie from plastic baggie.  The veggie burger.

But no more.  Continue reading →

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Posted in Entrees

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Sweet Potato Home Fries

Posted on July 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

These sweet potato home fries make a perfect side dish as part of a warm breakfast.  They also go well with a Continue reading →

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Posted in Breakfast

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Roasted Beet Salad

Posted on June 30, 2011 | 2 Comments

It seems like most of the restaurants we’ve been to lately offer a beet salad.  And I really like them.  There’s just something about the vibrant red colors and that soft, sweet taste that I find mesmerizing.  So, as with any good dish I’ve seen on the menu, I asked myself if I could make it at home.  The answer, resoundingly, was Continue reading →

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Posted in Salad

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Chickpea Salad

Posted on June 14, 2011 | 2 Comments

Chickpeas are a complicated bunch.  The first time Caitlin and I cooked with chickpeas, we opened a can, drained them, and prepared a mixture to make falafel.  It was a total disaster.  The canned chickpeas disintegrated the minute they hit the frying oil.  Fortunately, dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, worked like a charm.

With that lesson in mind, Continue reading →

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Posted in Salad

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Homemade Cinnamon Twists

Posted on June 5, 2011 | 4 Comments

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 →

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Posted in Appetizers, Breakfast

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