A lot of people have buckets lists when it comes to things they want to do or accomplish in their lifetimes: skydiving, running a marathon, climbing a mountain, those sorts of must-dos. Although I haven’t put together an official life bucket list (I have no desire to go skydiving, though climbing a mountain might be…
Project NYT: Old South Buttermilk Biscuits
I don’t know exactly why, but I’m continually amazed when something that I cook or bake turns out to resemble a prepackaged grocery store product that I used to eat or buy. I realize that one of the best things about going the homemade route in the kitchen is that you’re avoiding all the prepackaged…
Project NYT: Peanut butter cupcakes
True confession: I am not a cake person. Or an icing person. In fact, for most of my life, pretty much any cake + icing combo won an automatic spot on my eat-it-just-to-be-polite list. I’ve never been one for typical birthday cakes either (neither is my sister, so two out of four sibling birthdays regularly…
Project NYT: Chocolate quakes
This morning, I awoke to a rather timely tweet from @Real_Simple. “Today’s thought: ‘There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.’ — Charles Dickens.” Well, Mr. Dickens, today I come bearing chocolate. Today, I am a friend to all. There’s nothing better than a looker of a cookie, and…
Project NYT: Mark Bittman’s Real Ranch Dressing
Five or so years ago, I was having a conversation with my brother about salad dressing nationality when I made the observation that our U.S.A.-made salads were in need of a little patriotism. Italy, France and Russia all have dressings bearing their names. “What about America?” I wondered out loud. “Why isn’t there an American…
Project NYT: Maida Heatter’s preheated-oven popovers
Popovers are another one of those mystic foods that seems impossibly tricky until you give them a go for yourself. I tried out this recipe a few afternoons ago; I had a bit of time on my hands and was looking for something to bake with my less-than-impressive grocery supply (a trip to the store…
Project NYT: Flat-and-chewy chocolate chip cookies
For most of my life, I’ve defined cookie perfection based on a few standard characteristics: taste (that’s a given), texture (which depends on the cookie kind) and overall fluffiness (fluffy = good; fluffier = better). Although I dabble in a lot of cookie making, I always come back to these traits as signatures of success,…
Project NYT: Brown sugar shortbread
I am a major coffee fan, but there are some foods that demand a right cup of tea rather than my usual cup of Joe. Shortbread is definitely one of those foods. It’s such a slightly sweet, slightly crisp, delicate as all get-out kind of cookie, it just seems wrong to overshadow its subtle flavor…
Project NYT: Spiced pumpkin oatmeal
I’ve never been to summer camp, but I’ve seen enough mid- to late ’90s movies staring Lindsay Lohan and the Olsen twins to know how it works. You row canoes, learn to fence and mingle with fancy folks from across the pond. Then after a long day of reconnecting with your long lost twin and…
Project NYT: Garden minestrone
There are some recipes that will confuse you from the very beginning. They’ll ask you to cook something on low when medium seems more logical. They’ll call for slicing and not dicing, when you know in your gut that the vegetables will never lose their crunch in a 20-minute cook time. They’ll give you strict…