It's cold. Last week was like November in Philly - grey, wet and really really cold [so, low of 11 degrees...just above 50...but cold is relative but I don't do cold, especially wet cold]. The weather has sent me into a comfort food spiral of soups, breads and hearty winter vegetables. The other night as I was rummaging through the crisper and decided I HAD TO HAVE Braised Red Cabbage. This is a pretty quick recipe. None of that bake for 2 hours stuff going on here. It keeps a bit of … [Read more...]
Garlic Greens
So the Cavalo Nero from yesterday...this is how it most frequently makes an appearance...sauteed with garlic and olive oil, usually at least twice a week. Like spinach, it cooks down by at least half - if not more, so cut up at a minimum an entire bunch. It goes with everything, or even on it's own. It is currently filling my NEED VEGETABLES cravings, and we have exterminated the vampires for miles based on the amount of garlic we are going through. If you can't find Tuscan Cabbage, … [Read more...]
Cavalo Nero
Cavalo Nero aka Tuscan Cabbage is one of my new 'use as often as possible' ingredients. I figured I'd show you what it is before adding it to almost everything. There are a few other things going on here as well. For starters this is my DIY wooden board, secondly this was photographed with my new lens - had big aperture happening so the bokeh is a touch out of control but you get the idea. This stuff is fantastic. It almost melts down when sauteed lightly and wilts instantly in … [Read more...]
Yogurt Cheese
Yes this is a little bit random, but I've got to tell you about this stuff before I start posting recipes that use it - and besides, it's good. Yogurt Cheese is really, in the simplest terms, yogurt from which the liquid has been removed. It subsequently becomes really thick and spreadable and can stand in for sour cream or even cream cheese. The 'cheese' part of the name describes the texture of the finished product more than the process of making it. The best thing to start with is a good … [Read more...]
Maybe next time Cornbread
We were at a cafe recently that had on the menu Cornbread Toast with Bananas and Syrup. I didn't get it [the poached eggs were calling my name much louder that day] but of course came home and decided I NEEDED to make a yeasted Cornbread loaf. I love regular cornbread, but I find that if made correctly it tends to manifest itself as crumbly moist chunks rather than a hardy crumb that can stand up to slicing from a loaf and even holding a sandwich. Because I can't just go the simple route I … [Read more...]
Chocolate Cake Karma
Happy Mother’s Day to mom, mum and all the other wonderful mothers out there! I hope you get a day to do whatever you need to do for yourself. Now on to the real reason we are all here...cake! I'm sharing this recipe with you based on the reaction my girlfriend had when I sent it to her recently...K and I lived together for a semester in college after I got back from my study abroad in Sydney. Other than being in the same organization, we hadn’t really hung out much until then… it ended … [Read more...]
Singapore Chili Crab
The great thing about a country that is more concerned with having a few days off than with public holiday political correctness is that everyone gets a 4 day break for the Easter Long Weekend. This year, Anzac Day happened at the same time and we all ended up with 5 glorious [albeit rainy] days off. Thursday was like Friday, Saturday lasted for 4 days and Tuesday evening has had that Sunday feel about it... We did very little for most of it and I cooked alot. [I know 'alot' is not really a word … [Read more...]
