#food blog
Bake fall-spiced biscotti in 30 short minutes
Everyone likes cookies, but I would be hard-pressed to believe anyone likes cookies more than Italians. You can think of all those cute chocolate chips any time of the day, but when it comes down to it, Italians just have more recipes and more variations than anyone else. One of their more uniquely Italian cookies is the classic biscotti (or cantuccini if you’re a hipster). Generally “Biscotti di Prato,” the original are twice-baked cookies made with almonds. more 
Walk on the wild side with vegan pudding
Now you can ask anyone who knows me, I am not a vegan, a vegetarian or a pescetarian. Sometimes though, the urge strikes me to jump out of my comfort zone and see how other people eat foods that might appear to be restricted from them at first. Today, that such food is pudding. more
Forgo Whole Foods and make a cake from scratch
For the average person cake is usually something you run to Whole Foods for or that can be made from a boxed mix from the supermarket. If you take the time to make a cake from scratch, though, you can achieve the most perfect crumb and texture and taste so easily. While cake is a basic term used to cover pound, chiffon, sponge, biscuit (pronounced bees-kwee) or quickbreads, this is a recipe for a typical butter cake. more
Celebrate the mild winter by making your own ice cream
It’s just a little weather people, not the end of the world. True, it has been sort of an odd winter, with 40-degree days and sun, but that’s no reason to get extreme. In fact, it really just proves my next point: Seasonal ice creameries are stupid. In fact, they may be the absolutely most stupid business idea around. If you don’t understand the beauty of ice cream, which apparently all seasonal ice creamery owners don’t, then you have no right to wield a scoop. Yup, I’ll say it. ice cream is a year-round kind of treat. It’s everything wonderful about dairy, sugar, and luxury, frozen into a perfect scoop. When it’s cold outside and snow is blowing like the sky just can’t hold it, a wonderful little scoop of vanilla bean topped with espresso and melted chocolate will do just fine. Spring and summer need no explanation: They’re seasons built for ice cream. more
Entice your Valentine’s Date with quiche and bellinis
Depending on your relationship status – and how attached to said relationship you really are – Valentine’s Day can either be a heart-filled celebration complete with pink and red, flowers and chocolate or a day where you pretend to remember what number comes after 13. On the other hand, Valentine’s Day is really just a celebration of love, so it doesn’t really matter what’s going down as long as you’ve got somebody or a whole group of somebodies to celebrate that four-letter word with. more
Wake yourself up with Irish coffee
Dumplings, pho, and scallion pancakes constitute a good meal. One hundred dumplings, three hours of dough rolling, and a dinner that stretches out over five hours constitute a great meal. A great meal that I’m lucky enough to enjoy, partake in, and help create once a year on New Year’s Eve. But such a great meal is, fortunately on most days yet unfortunately on New Year’s, often complemented with an intense food coma and a need for the closest sofa. Not a good symptom to endure when trying to ring in 2012. Thankfully—and to my surprise considering that this family-oriented dumpling party is complete with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandmothers—the host of this year’s dumpling extravaganza is something of a cocktail enthusiast. And so he offered up the perfect remedy to food-induced sleepiness: Irish Coffee, to which I promptly said, “No, thank you.” more
Let the red, white, and blue run through your veins with this oh-so American meal
If an old-fashioned American meal consists of anything, it’s going to have a starch, a vegetable, and a protein. What are the most typical 1950′s America choices? Mom’s meatloaf, some potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Now, you might be screaming at your computer screen, “Why sprouts? You must be crazy, because that stuff is nasty!” Fear not, you can make appetizing sprouts. I promise. more
Roast Brussels sprouts, Lidia Bastianich-style
If you are unacquainted with Lidia Bastianich, it pains me to inform you that there is currently a large hole in your life. A gaping parmesan void. more
Bake the perfect apple upside-down cake
Cupcakes, with piled-up frosting so acridly sweet it makes tongues seize and jaws lock from pure saccharine overload, say goodbye. There’s a new kind of cake in the bake shoppe. more
Become a rebellious bran muffin baker
In the 1960s, Jerry Garcia was at the forefront of the counter culture revolutions. In addition to sweet music and chill times made in San Francisco, he introduced a few culinary innovations to the American plate. And no, we’re not talking about his inspiration for one of the most phenomenal ice creams ever. Forget that sweet cherry and perfectly chunked chocolate cream. Today, it’s all about the bran muffin. more
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