As a fairly regular fixture in the kitchen, I’ve started to somewhat pride myself on the homemade-ness of our little family’s meals, snacks and baked goods. We don’t buy cookies in boxes or muffins from the grocery store. Our freezer is shockingly empty save for a few things I’ve made ahead and frozen for another…
Pasta + cheese = comfort
Cooking can be a pretty mathematical process sometimes. For the mathletes among us, that’s probably reassuring. Knowing that spaghetti + sauce = dinner is likely just as comforting as knowing that 2 + 2 = 4. Simple cooking truths, just like simple math, are the building blocks of kitchen know-how, and though the real fun…
Don’t tease the underdog: Fettuccine with eggplant
Eggplants are inherently funny little guys. They grow in the garden along with all the other squash-like things — think zucchinis, summer squash, cucumbers and the like — but they’re slightly stranger, quite a bit tougher and decidedly less popular because they look a bit too different. Actually they remind me of little Rudolph at…
Factory-made — at home: Louisiana Chicken Pasta
Whew! Last week was an absolute whirlwind at Casa Jared and Katrina. Between Jared’s birthday, the move out of our apartment and a puppy surgery for poor little Ella all in a six-day spread (yes, we know we must be bonkers), we’re just now starting to catch our breath. Luckily we (along with all of…
You’re never too old for mac and cheese
Comfort foods are comfort foods for a reason. They warm you up, fill you up and make you all sorts of happy at the same time. With the weather getting warmer and the days getting busier, we haven’t been doing a lot of comfort-food making lately, but every once in a while, the tummy wants…
Hi ho, asparagus! ‘Tis the season
Asparagus is one of those vegetables that (prior to this pasta salad escapade) I only knew how to make one way: roasted in the oven with a dot of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. It’s a simple method, but it’s always delicious and nearly foolproof. And it’s no secret that I…
It’s the lazy (wo)man’s risotto: Creamy orzo
There’s a lot of new-recipe trying going on at our place these days. With everything from desserts to soups to entrees, my pre-grocery-shopping routine usually involves a good hour of cookbook and computer diving to the find a slew of new dishes we can take for a test drive. Some are great, some are so-so,…
Happy day food: Lemon spaghetti, a la Giada
Ah, lemon. Is there anything more fresh, more beautiful or more satisfying than a citrus-infused dish or dessert? I think not. A while back, Jared grabbed a gigantic sack of organic lemons from the grocery store; he figured we could put them to use before their time ran out. And use them we have (think…
Good things take time: Butternut squash risotto
Few acts in the kitchen can make an amateur cook feel quite as accomplished as the successful preparation of homemade risotto. For a single dish, you get to chop, grate, season and sauté before spending 30-plus minutes standing over the stove while tending to your impending masterpiece. Yes, it’s more labor intensive than spaghetti or…
Let them eat pasta
When it comes to cooking, I’m a firm believer that pasta is one of the greatest inventions in history. Think about it: When a picky kid won’t eat his dinner, what can you feed him? Macaroni and cheese. When you’re an amateur in the kitchen who’s cooking for a crowd, what foolproof dish can you…