Quick and Easy

Jalapeno-Cheddar Cornbread

August 7, 2011 by Charles 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, …

Chickpea Salad

June 14, 2011 by Charles 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, …

Homemade Cinnamon Twists

June 5, 2011 by Charles 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, …

Cheese Straws

June 5, 2011 by Charles 2 Comments

A savory alternative to cinnamon twists is cheese straws. The preparation and process is much the same, but instead of cinnamon and sugar, try gruyere, parmesan, …

Birds’ Nests

May 18, 2011 by Charles 10 Comments

Two years ago, Caitlin and I designed the Grim Peeper, our submission for the Washington Post’s annual Peep Contest. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the time to collaborate on any recent peep project.

And yet, I still had a bag or two of those yellow marshmallows sitting around the kitchen, chirping to be used. Around Easter, I noticed a few food blogs featuring bird’s nests, combining chow mein noodles with some of the ubiquitous bagged candy.

Though I liked the concept, the idea of chow mein noodles and chocolate did not sound appealing….