This was the first weekend my Saturday market produce haul has truly felt exciting in quite some time. And even though I’m usually tempted to purchase a rainbow of vegetables on these outings, this was a monochrome venture and that was fine with me. The bright greens of pencil-thin asparagus, Brussels sprouts, spring onions, and cilantro captured my eye. Some of this was imported from our neighbors to the south, admittedly, but I’ll take their hinting promises; no peas yet, but they are assuredly on the way. Back at home, there was also a largish pile of actual cookbooks that I had been stocking up all winter and have now finally put to use (as opposed to looking again to… Continue reading »
Matchmaker, Matchmaker: Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie
Note to self: Never volunteer to make the dessert (or any dish, for that matter) for any social occasion unless you have already determined what you will make. You have an underdeveloped ability to make a decision and an overdeveloped fear of disappointing people. You are also a Libra. This is a deadly equation. Even your cat worries for you when, four hours later, you are still Googling things and changing your mind every 10 minutes. It’s dizzying. Yes, faithful readers, here I was once again this weekend hunting for a little something sweet to take to an informal gathering of music friends. While I had strong interest in things like browned butter and salted caramel, and a love/hate thing… Continue reading »
Homesick for Life on the Road: Mutter Paneer
Making paneer reminds me of the brief time I spent in Nepal. Not of the streets I walked and the music I was there to study, but the many quiet hours I spent in the kitchen with the family who had taken me in, cooking alongside the “sister” who had adopted me into her household, welcoming me with an infectious smile and a cup of tea. I miss watching Hindi soap operas with her to this day, and I didn’t understand of word of them (so that’s saying something). Aside from your basic college survival budget cooking (lots of rice and beans and steamed carrots, in my case) I was not all that sophisticated when it came to food prep… Continue reading »
DIY Condiments: Leave the Hellman’s in the ‘Fridge
What’s better than a jar of freshly made cilantro chutney? How about the same recipe, but swapping out the chilies for a generous scoop of Harissa? I’m scraping the bottom of that jar you see above just a few days later, so I think we can call that culinary experiment a five star success. But it’s got me thinking about other condiments I might try my hand at making at home. Dressings and spreads leave so much room for play, and making them in my own kitchen means all those ingredients I can’t pronounce–the stabilizers and the color correctors and the preservatives–are left out of the equation. Here are a few others that I’ve tried and loved in the past… Continue reading »
A Pot o’ Gold: Saint Patrick Irish Cheddar Soup
When it comes to culinary heritage, I claim the closest affinity with the Slavs thanks to the maternal side of my family tree. With a name like Molly Marie Sheridan, I don’t feel too obnoxious trying to get in on a little of that luck of the Irish as well, however, especially on St. Patrick’s Day. Exercising an American flexibility when it comes to culture is useful like that. My celebration of the day here in Baltimore is a far cry from the festivities put on at my last address. Instead, this year I went the monastic route and turned to my copy of Twelve Months of Monastery Soups, pulling out a recipe for Saint Patrick Irish Cheddar Soup from… Continue reading »
For Want of a Cookie
You know how people always say don’t go grocery shopping hungry? I think I may need to apply a similar rule to recipe research: don’t go browsing while indecisive. When I sat down at my kitchen table to figure out what dessert to bring to tonight’s potluck, I knew I needed something easy to eat, small and sampler-plate friendly that would suit a smorgasbord for 15. But with not much more of an idea than that, once this Libra started spotting cookie recipes in line with my pantry stores, well, it was hard to stop at one. Or two. Or three. Luckily, at that point I was out of time, out of counter space, and out of sugar, or else… Continue reading »
