Quick and Easy

Classic Tabbouleh

April 14, 2016 by Charles Leave a Comment

As I noted last post, I have been on a Jerusalem kick. The flavors and ingredients of the Near East are exotic, yet delightful, offering a welcome change from some of the normal mid-week meals. One such ingredient is tahini, a ground sesame paste, that is central to hummus, halvah, and other staples of middle eastern cuisine. Another ingredient is bulgur, which is a critical component of kibbeh (a stuffed meatball) and tabbouleh.

In one recent dinner, a layered kibbeh pie, we had a mix of bulgur and tahini (along with ground beef, pine nuts, and plenty of chopped parsley). Speaking of chopped parsley, tabbouleh can properly be seen as a vehicle for parsley and more parsley. It is a parsley-heavy salad. But it is also a cool …

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

July 10, 2015 by Charles Leave a Comment

I am not a huge meat-eater, and red meat is particularly rare. Though I still do enjoy the occasional burger and roasted chicken. Caitlin is almost exclusively vegetarian. So the hunt is often on for a new twist on vegetarian cooking.

I came across this recipe while flipping through our copy of the Vegetarian Times (that, by the way, is not a sentence we’re likely to hear around town). The potato chips offer a fun and crunchy twist on the standard stuff vegetable recipe.

With our CSA in full swing, these zucchini boats …

Kasha Varnishkes

July 10, 2012 by Charles 4 Comments

This is one of those recipes from the old-country, dating back – literally – over a thousand years. But that doesn’t make it a relic, some phonograph gathering dust in the attic, that’s brought down once a year so that grandchildren can marvel at the sound-machines of yesteryear. This recipe is nothing more than last year’s iPod, ready to figure into the regular rotation of modern life.

This recipe has all the attributes of a modern meal. …

Blondie Layer Cake with White Chocolate Icing

December 9, 2011 by Charles 16 Comments

Caitlin celebrated her birthday last week. And in preparation of the big day, I scanned my collection of recipes and cookbooks, searching for the perfect layer cake. Last year I made her the pumpkin crepe cake. The year before that, the butternut squash layer cake.

This year, I decided, it was time to stray from the harvest theme. I was looking through my cookbooks, feeling uninspired, when I resolved to make my own cake. No recipe. No guide. I would just with it….

Weeknight Spaghetti with Roasted Butternut Squash

November 6, 2011 by Charles 3 Comments

This meal answers that important, incessant, weekday question.

After braving our respective routes — Caitlin, the Red Line, I, the Beltway — we arrive home around 7:00 p.m., tired from the day’s activities. After a quick moment of reprieve, we often head down to the apartment gym to get some much-needed exercise.

Once we’re back upstairs, the question rears its head. The question that creeps into our minds every night, demanding an immediate answer. The question is bandied about …