Category

Recipes

  • Lentils with Bacon

    Lentils with Bacon

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I really like Anne Burrell’s show on Food Network. I Tivo it and watch it each week, and more than other current Food Network show it inspires me to cook. I’ve made her deviled eggs, I’ve made her chicken liver mousse (which didn’t come out too…

  • Nectarine Cake

    Nectarine Cake

    So yes, when you come home from a foreign country, you want to cook all the things you ate there–to see if you can recreate the magic–but then you also want to cook something familiar: the kind of food you missed when you were abroad. The very first thing that I made when I came…

  • Frittata & Aioli

    Frittata & Aioli

    I promised I was done with my trip to Barcelona, but–as often happens when I travel abroad–I came home eager to cook my trip. Of all the things we ate during our ten days there, two dishes were immediate candidates for the Amateur Gourmet treatment: frittata & aioli.

  • Brownie Sundaes

    Brownie Sundaes

    “What do we need that for?” asked my grandmother, and she had a good point. You see my whole family, well most of my family–mom, dad, grandma, grandpa–came to see my Brooklyn apartment on Friday, and after a lovely lunch at Miriam (where we shared hummus and I ate an Israeli breakfast), I led my…

  • The Best Casserole Ever

    The Best Casserole Ever

    Hyperbole is a dangerous tool for food bloggers. Yes, it’s easy to call something “the best” this or “the most amazing” that but do it too often, and you start to lose credibility. “If everything’s the best,” you might think, “then what makes this one any more special?” Fair enough, ungentle reader, fair enough. But…

  • Crostata Crazy

    Crostata Crazy

    Ok, let’s play a game, a game called: marry, boink, kill. (Note: “boink” is the G-rated version). Usually you play this game using celebrities (who would you marry, boink, or kill: George Clooney, George Stephanopoulos, Boy George.) Today, however, we’re going to play this game with pastry. Are you ready? Marry, boink, or kill: pies,…

  • Fun with Toasted Almonds (Toasted Almond Gelato & Toasted Almond Raspberry Blondies)

    Fun with Toasted Almonds (Toasted Almond Gelato & Toasted Almond Raspberry Blondies)

    Hi everyone, my name is Toasted Almonds. You might not think much of me–I know nuts aren’t the most beloved of foods, and toasting? It sounds like a waste of time, right?–but I’m here to convince you that I’m a worthy addition to your cooking repertoire. My brother, Plain Almonds, is a nice guy and…

  • Fresh Peas with Mint

    Fresh Peas with Mint

    Anyone who watched last season of “Top Chef” will remember Carla’s pea dish. She wowed the judges with her side of fresh peas, purchased from Whole Foods, cooked–according to this blog (the Bravo recipe site is too hard to navigate)–with tarragon, butter and lemon thyme. Inspired by Carla (who, by personality alone, should’ve won the…

  • Fresh Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce

    Fresh Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce

    Lounging around on a hot Saturday afternoon, you don’t want to think too hard about dinner. You read your book, you cheat and start the Sunday crossword puzzle a day early, you watch old episodes of “Lydia’s Italy” on Tivo. Perhaps it’s that last fact, though, that propels you–hours later–off the couch, into your kitchen,…

  • Easy Biscuits

    Easy Biscuits

    It’s a good thing to know how to make biscuits. I mean, at what point of the day would you say “no” to a hot buttermilk biscuit, fresh from the oven? The answer is: “No point of the day, Adam. I would eat a biscuit any time.” I’m right there with you, imaginary person. I…