Vanilla Cake with Blueberries
Posted on 6 July 2010 | 7 responses
That’s it — I am officially obsessed with blueberries. And I’m heartbroken that the season will soon end. So I took my own advice, bought a giant bag (more than a quart) this weekend, and have been coming up with excuses to eat them ever since.
I ate some straight. I ate some in yogurt. I ate more straight. I ate some in oatmeal. I ate even more straight. I briefly contemplated making blueberry-ginger jam.
But then I stumbled across this tiny jar of ground vanilla in the pantry and knew that they had to come together in a vanilla-blueberry haze of wondrous delicosity.
Tasty treats
Posted on 2 July 2010 | Comments Off on Tasty treats
- Yay for canning guides! What to can this weekend? Decisions, decisions. (Epicurious)
- Thanks, Chow, for compiling the perfect summer reading list. (Chow)
- You didn’t think that I would let you get away without yet another grilling guide, right? This time, it’s for the best steaks for grilling. Mmmm. (Bon Appetit)
- Yum watermelon! (NPR)
- I’m definitely making whoopie pies this year. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Plum-Blueberry Spritzers
Posted on 29 June 2010 | 4 responses
One (the only?) of the things that I really hate about summer is how every weekend is crazy busy. You’re trying to fit every bit that you can’t fit in during the week (due to that pesky thing called the day job) into a 48-hour period. Plus, the best food is in season so you need to cook as much as you possibly can in order to take advantage of it. Or you’re otherwise preserving said food (freezing, canning) so that you can eat in the dark, dank winter months when you’re just so sick of leafy greens and root vegetables. It makes me tired just writing about it.
Since this past weekend was going to be tight, I knew I had to select an easy recipe. Preferably one that utilized the best of fruit available now. That’s how I found this recipe for plum-blueberry spritzer.
Not only does it contain two of the very best in summer fruits, but it can also be served with sparkling wine. I knew that I had a winner.
Tasty treats
Posted on 25 June 2010 | Comments Off on Tasty treats
- Since I completely missed summer solstice, how about some ideas for a July 4th menu? (Chow, Epicurious)
- Which could include grilled meat from my girl Martha. (Martha Stewart)
- Everyone needs an induction burner (including me). (The New York Times)
- Mmmm…basil. (Bon Appétit)
- And other summer produce. This is my favorite time of year. (Cooking Light)
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
Posted on 22 June 2010 | 10 responses
New Orleans is — hands down — my favorite city to visit. What’s not to love? There’s the history, the architecture, the music, and, most importantly, the food.
Come on, when you put that many cultures together in one place (Native American! French! Spanish! African! American!), something wonderfully mouth-watering has to emerge.
My friend Scott is from New Orleans and knows of my quest to make the perfect gumbo. He invited us over for his tantalizing, fall-off-the-bone-tender ribs (but that’s a story for another day) on the condition I make him my gumbo.
What? No. I had made gumbo only once before and it was middling. How could I bring gumbo to his house — especially after he talked it up to his friends — and produce the vaguely watery (but still tasty) mess that was my first attempt?
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