Chestnut Pasta Dough & A Long Week
This has been a long, long week of cooking. Lots of newness, and experiments, and some tride and trues. Right now, it is 3:45 in the afternoon on Monday, and I am still lying in bed. At 10:45 last night, I almost collapsed on top of my beige down comforter, refusing to brush my teeth, and shower away ten hours of cooking at Delancey, but I convinced myself not to be lazy. I slept for a full twelve hours, and have been watching trashy television, eating Amy’s frozen burritos and monster cookies from my amazing sister in law, while snuggling with the dog and playing around on Twitter.
My prediction is that I will be doing this exact same thing until tomorrow morning, leaving the responsibility of laundry and unloading the dishwasher until the sun rises again. Yes. It has been a long week. Read the rest of this entry »
Seven Yolk Pasta Dough + A Four Year Anniversary
My arms are tired, and it has nothing to do with my new commitment to work out. Yes, I actually have to make a commitment to myself to work out now that I don’t exercise for a living. Stop laughing. You know, your body goes to shit when you stop moving and then eat/cook for a living.
By. the. way.
I never thought it would get to this point, but alas…
Roasted Squash Loaf + Acorn, Butternut, Pumpkin
It had been two and a half years. Right around the time that I started this blog. As I stepped off the plane, I felt a sense of security and peace. People smiled at me, genuinely making eye contact, and saying, “Pardon me” and “How y’all doin’ today?” in their southern twang. Big hair, pink lips, and dressed to the nines. I was home.
The first thing I did was order a sweet tea, which I regret because it was nothing like I remembered and within that first sip, I destroyed any special memory I had coveted in my mind. Read the rest of this entry »
Penne alla Carbonara with Spring Leeks
Carbonara has been ubiquitous in all of the cookbooks and magazines that I have been reading lately. It seems easy enough, if you know the basic method. It requires pasta (generally spaghetti but I am using penne), some sort of onion (leek or scallion), hard cheese (parmigiano or pecorino), egg yolk (or whole egg), cured fatty pork (such as pancetta or bacon), and cracked black pepper. This seemed like the perfect meal to make on a lazy Sunday, while watching movies.
The origin of the recipe is unknown, but the name “carbonara” is derived from the Italian word of charcoal, and could have been made as a hearty meal for the Italian charcoal workers. Others says that this pasta was named carbonara because of the specks of bacon and pepper that look like charcoal throughout the dish. Nevertheless, it has not been around for a long time, and was thought to have been made up outside of Rome during the second World War.
I have never cooked pasta with eggs before, but it is really a delicious way to make a simple sauce. Just a tip: Keep your pasta hot when you drain it. Do not rinse it with cold water. The pasta cooks the egg yolks to make the creamy, silky sauce.
Three Cheese and Basil Frittata
I have recently been into making BIG weekend breakfasts. I guess it is because by the time I actually get out of bed, and ready for my day, I am so hungry that the thought of going to a restaurant just seems overwhelming. Plus, there are long waits, screaming children, and I like the way I make my coffee the best!
This morning, we had my Mom over for breakfast. Besides burning the cinnamon toast (twice-in a toaster), the breakfast was really delicious! This is my third time making this frittata, and I finally found the perfect combination of cheeses: Manchego, Parmigiano, and Ricotta. The Manchego gives a tanginess, the Parmigiano has a kick of salt, and the Ricotta adds a creaminess.
I served this meal with bacon wrapped rosemary stems, and cinnamon raisin brioche.
Blue Cheese Onion Butternut Frittata
I love having breakfast for dinner! This meal is more of a method than a recipe. You can use any cheese, any vegetable, any meat, but cook it the same way, and it will turn out wonderfully. Frittatas are meant to clean out your refrigerator. The only ingredients I had to buy for this dinner were the squash and the bread. Everything else, I had! I want to thank Donna Hay again for her creative inspiration for this dish in her cookbook “the instant cook”. This meal is fun to eat, and delicious! Enjoy.
Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
This dessert is foolproof and impressive at the same time! It is also so delicious that it could be eaten as a meal by itself. The key to these cakes is that the outside is cooked, but the inside should still be gooey like cake batter. I add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for an extra touch of decadence.
