Apps and Sides

Irish Soda Bread

March 22, 2010 by Charles 1 Comment

Despite my blog name, there’s very little overlap between my time in the kitchen and my time in the courthouse. But last week, Caitlin gave me a fitting opportunity to meld the two seemingly disparate fields.

The day after St. Patrick’s day, Caitlin sent me an article by Clarence Darrow, the famous criminal defense lawyer. In the early 20th Century, Darrow represented a number of high-profile defendants, but none more famous perhaps, than John Scopes, the public school teacher who faced prosecution for teaching human evolution in Tennessee.

Several years after the verdict in the Monkey Trial, Darrow published his thoughts on selecting a jury in an article that appeared in Esquire. At the time of publication, Darrow was at the end of his illustrious legal career, and near his death. Yet, the article held nothing back.

“Selecting a jury is of the utmost importance,” he notes, and “choosing jurors is always a delicate task;” sentiments no less true today. But the insights he offers …

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Pancakes

March 15, 2010 by Charles 2 Comments

For me, chocolate is a lot like Ben Affleck – it’s best in a supporting role.

Chocolate-chip cookies, chocolate croissants, and chocolate-chip blondies are definite draws. Think Good Will Hunting, School Ties, and Mallrats. But put chocolate in a starring role – chocolate cake, chocolate truffles, or chocolate pudding – and you have a Gigli or Daredevil in the making.

By my standards, these pancakes are well cast. The chocolate chips meld into the oatmeal-buttermilk batter, giving a subtle performance, but one that adds to the overall production. They don’t steal the scene, but rather, focus it.

We all know chocolate as a dessert, but it’s a role it often plays, and usually overplays. But after making these pancakes, …

Twice-Baked Potatoes

March 7, 2010 by Charles 2 Comments

When it comes to potatoes, repetition is key.

For the best french fries, it’s essential to double-fry them. It should be no surprise then, that the best baked potatoes, should be twice baked.

On Superbowl Sunday, I invited my friends over to watch the Saints defeat the Colts. I told them to bring their wives and girlfriends, but also to bring their appetites. Given my New Orleans roots, I knew …

Lentil and Penne Soup

March 1, 2010 by Charles 4 Comments

Some days you feel like a home-cooked meal. But most often, that time is after a long day at work, when you least feel like spending the remaining hours of the evening waiting in a checkout line.

That was me the other day.

Walking to my car, lips chapped and cheeks red, I just wanted to head home, where I could kick my feet up and turn on the television. I was in no mood to bundle up, break out a grocery list, and trudge through the aisles. After all, Jon Stewart and a warm apartment were waiting.

So when I got home, I flipped on the DVR, and checked…

Roasted Cauliflower

February 24, 2010 by Charles 6 Comments

Hello, all – it’s Caitlin here!

Charles has graciously ceded the wheel to me for today’s posting, thus giving me the opportunity to discuss one of my favorite dietary topics: fiber. I’ll preface this discussion by saying that Charles eats a very healthful diet, with oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and bananas ranking among his favorites.

Yet, when I suggested that he swap his white bread for a whole grain alternative (more fiber!), he balked at the suggestion and characterized my beloved wheat bread as “cardboard” (blasphemy!). Despite these accusations, …

Broiled Salmon with Orzo Salad

February 20, 2010 by Charles 8 Comments

When I read the instructions for preparing orzo, I was a little taken aback.

Orzo is sometimes referred to as “Italian rice.” And rice, I know, absorbs the liquid it’s cooked in. So, when the instructions called for 2 quarts of water to cook 1 cup of orzo, I was a little confused. With a water to orzo ratio of 8:1, thoughts of football-size orzo grains popped into my head.

Fortunately, I read the rest of the directions, and noticed …

Perfect Coffeecake

February 12, 2010 by Charles 3 Comments

Coffeecake may be a bit of a misnomer, but I’m not complaining. Coffeecake is one of the ultimate comfort desserts or snacks, a perfect combination of cinnamon and moist cake to accompany a hot coffee or chai tea latte (in my case) , on a cold wintry morning. Indeed, this coffeecake comes together so quickly and effortlessly, it might be ready in the time it takes…

Sour Cream & Honey Cornbread

February 11, 2010 by Charles 2 Comments

Despite its relative utility, chemistry never held much sway. Instead of chemical compounds and balanced equations, I preferred studying the subjunctive tense for être and avoir, or drawing the shape of parabolic curves, or studying the machinations of medieval European princes. Even looking at plant cells seemed more interesting than mixing chemicals.

Admittedly, some of my classmates saw things differently. Walk into a French, Algebra, or History classroom, and the setting is sedate and similar: rows of desks, facing a blackboard. Walk into a chemistry classroom, and the mood is one of potential and excitement: Bunsen burners, microscopes, lab coats, test tubes, fire extinguishers, and an emergency chemical-bath. As one of the Chemistry teachers liked to boast, “You can’t die in English class.”

And yet, all I could muster up was a stifled yawn. Chemistry …

Red Beans and Rice

February 4, 2010 by Charles 2 Comments

Memories are a funny thing. I look back at certain events or times, and wonder what it was that made a certain scene memorable, that gave it such staying power.

With childhood memories, the question evokes a stronger response – owing, perhaps, to the idea that a memory resonates with more emotion the more distant it seems. There’s something inspiring and captivating about looking back in your subconscious and finding a picture of yourself at a younger, more exciting age.

There I am, 20 years old, turning a corner outside of a Paris cafe, and bumping into the Prime Minister. There I am, 18 years old, sweating under the bright lights of my high-school…

Brown Rice

January 30, 2010 by Charles 2 Comments

Making the perfect pot of rice is no easy task. In my first few attempts, it boiled over, came out gummy, and stuck to the bottom: the trifecta of bad rice. But with some practice, and a few google searches, I came to perfect my rice.

Rice is finicky, like a set of rabbit ears on an old television. The more you handle the rice, the worse it turns out. With rice, delicacy is the watchword. Like those thin metal rods, you need to place the pot of rice in the right place, and then leave it alone, trusting it to work as it should.

In practice, this means …