Quick and Easy

Homemade Vinaigrette

July 26, 2009 by Charles 2 Comments

A simple vinaigrette requires no more than four ingredients and can be whisked up in a matter of seconds. The simple rule for a vinaigrette is vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil, with the olive oil to vinegar ratio at 2:1. A little Dijon mustard helps emulsify the combination.

But since you’re making this at home, there’s no reason to settle for simplicity. You can add diced shallots, roasted garlic, grated ginger, dried oregano, or wild honey to your vinaigrette, tailoring it to the tastes and dishes before you. A homemade vinaigrette will typically …

Tomato Gazpacho

July 16, 2009 by Charles 4 Comments

Tomato gazpacho is not redundant.

Gazpacho got its start in Andalusia, the southern-most province of Spain, sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries – long before the tomato arrived on European soil. Owing to its origins and its meaning – gazpacho comes from an Arabic word meaning “soaked bread” – some food historians believe the Moors brought the dish to Spain as a sophisticated field ration.

Other food historians trace the dish to the early Romans, who soaked their stale bread…

Classic Hamburgers

July 8, 2009 by Charles 2 Comments

Jeffrey Tennyson, an artist and satirist, once remarked that the real American icon is not apple pie, but the hamburger. And Tennyson would know; he spent a good part of his life writing about the hamburger and collecting hamburger memorabilia. When it opened in 1993, Tennyson’s memorabilia formed the core collection of the now-defunct Hamburger Hall of Fame, in Seymour, Wisconsin.

Seymour, Wisconsin, according to some, is the birthplace of the hamburger. In 1885, Charles Nagreen stuck a meatball between two slices of bread, and served the sandwich at the Seymour fair, giving rise to what would later become the modern burger.

Meanwhile, in New Haven Connecticut, Louis Lassen was busy grilling the leftover trimmings …

Grilled Sweet Potato and White Potato Fries

July 7, 2009 by Charles 12 Comments

It seems almost unpatriotic to serve a burger without fries. So when grilling my favorite hamburger, I always make sure to have a few servings of these grilled sweet potato and white potato fries ready!

These fries are yet another expression of my love for sweet potato wedges and/or sweet potato fries. Like those recipes, these grilled fries are a healthy alternative to deep-frying. Throwing them on the grill makes them quick and easy to make, with less mess. The colors and grill marks …

White Chocolate- and Chocolate-Chip Blondies

June 9, 2009 by Charles 9 Comments

A little while back, Caitlin and I were invited for a trivia night. The invitation was somewhat last minute, so we needed to find a dessert we could make quickly. These blondies were prepped and done in a flash. And naturally, they were great. That is, the blondies were a much bigger success than we were that evening. (People definitely had more blondies than questions we answered correctly).

The next time you need a travel treat,…