Apps and Sides

Ritz Cracker Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips

March 3, 2011 by Charles 14 Comments

I’m a sucker for a good recipe contest. Cooking, for me, is already a fun and creative hobby. So the thought of prize money is just icing on top.

One day in the supermarket, I passed a giant display of Ritz Crackers, complete with football goal posts, inflated balloons, and a nearly life-size cutout of Guy Fieri. Drawing closer, I saw that Kraft was running a recipe contest for its Ritz Crackers. With a grand prize of $20,000, I decided to grab a box or two, and see what I could do.

My first thought was toward a cookie. …

Homemade King Cake

February 22, 2011 by Charles 14 Comments

Of all the foods characteristic of New Orleans – from pralines to muffalettas – my all-time favorite remains the King Cake (la galette des Rois).

I can remember gathering around the large loaf in grade school, eagerly holding out my plate, and wondering if my piece would be the lucky piece. If the teacher was feeling generous that day, she might indulge our personal choices, and allow us to select that prized piece ourselves. There were those that favored the edge pieces. Others favored a particular color of icing – be it green, yellow, or purple – certain that good luck lay beneath it. And others still allowed simple chance to play its part.

I don’t remember what my particular stratagem may have been, but given the importance of the situation, I certainly had one. You see, hidden in the dough was a small plastic baby. And whoever pulled the baby from his or piece was king or queen for the day.

In grade school, this was no mere sinecure. …

Apple Sauce

February 14, 2011 by Charles Leave a Comment

When I think of apple sauce, I can’t help but thinking back to those plastic cups, sold in packs of six, filled with what looks to be nothing more than puréed apples. Apple mush. Bland, flavorless, apple mush.

This recipe is not a …

Arepas with Guasacaca

February 13, 2011 by Charles 9 Comments

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 …

Lemon Ricotta Waffles

February 8, 2011 by Charles 6 Comments

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 …

Panko-Crusted Salmon with French Lentils

January 30, 2011 by Charles 9 Comments

There are over twenty cookbooks on my kitchen shelf, the collection squeezed between a small, black, plastic bookend on one end, and the beige kitchen wall on the other end. From the kitchen, you can see the various spines, with a variety of colors, types, and themes. There are books on baking and grilling. There are books devoted only to Italian and Greek cooking. And there are books from restaurants encountered along the way.

My collection, in other words, has a nice variation. Except in one respect. On the wall side, wedged between my Cooking Light Desserts and Justin Wilson’s Cajun Cookbook, sits seven books, each spine beginning with the words “Barefoot Contessa.”

Ina Garten is, in other words, my go to chef. So with my New Year’s Resolution to make more main courses, I naturally…

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread

January 24, 2011 by Charles 9 Comments

Growing up, we used to devour this stuff. I can remember my younger brother popping two slices into the toaster, waiting for that mechanical “pop,” and then throwing a slab of butter between the warm slices as he placed them on his plate. After which, he put two more slices into the toaster.

This past Thanksgiving, I showed my youngest brother how to make scrambled eggs. Saturday night we went to the Kroger, picked up a pan, a whisk, a dozen eggs, and a DVD from the Red Box. After a quick tutorial, we settled down on his dorm couch to scrambled eggs, raisin bread, and The Girl Who Played with Fire.

My mind must have wandered to that night. That, combined with my love of bread-baking, inspired me …

Gingerbread Pancakes

January 16, 2011 by Charles 19 Comments

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 …

Vegetable Fried Rice

January 9, 2011 by Charles 4 Comments

For the new cooking year, one of my goals is to make more dinners.

I’ve become very comfortable with side dishes, breakfasts, appetizers, and dessert, but sometimes I lack the motivation to make a full-fledged entrée. When I first started cooking, I didn’t think I’d ever use the word “comfortable” to describe how I felt in the kitchen. But now that certain cooking styles and methods …

Granola Bars

January 3, 2011 by Charles 4 Comments

Ever since his clementine clafoutis, I’ve taken Mark Bittman’s suggestions for specific recipes with a whole heaping tablespoon of salt.

But when it comes to general ideas and cooking methods, he’s often spot-on. These homemade granola bars were a wonderful idea, and best of all, easily adapted to your own tastes and preferences. The original recipe called for apricots, which was a definite no-go for me. But sticking …