A few weekends ago, my friends and I took a quick day-trip to Philadelphia (“Philly”). We had one day to cram in as much eating as possible. I think we did alright.
We started with coffee at La Colombe, followed by a mid-morning snack stop at Federal Donuts. Two donuts, strawberry shortcake and blueberry mascarpone, shared four ways.
On Tuesday I picked up my first ever Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box of produce from Corbin Hill Farm. Corbin Hill picks the produce based on what is in season, and all of the produce is grown in New York State using sustainable farming methods. There are options to add “extras” to the order, such as dairy, eggs, meat, bread, beans or extra fruit.
In my January box of produce, I received apples, butternut squash, cabbage, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, shallots, sprouts, arugula and an enormous Macomber turnip.
While I like to go to the markets and pick out my own fruits and vegetables, I thought the CSA box would be a nice mini kitchen challenge.
First up: butternut squash. Continue reading
A few notes and noshes from my short stay in Madrid, Spain. We arrived on Christmas day and spent the night with a sweet family that cooked a special, traditional Christmas meal for us. Some of the food was unfamiliar, but we tasted new things and were grateful for the warm welcome into the city. I did not take any pictures that night, but below are some snapshots of the rest of the trip.
A requirement: churros con chocolate (pictured in the middle) + cafe con leche for breakfast
We visited the Reina Sofia and the Prado art museums. This was a pretty installation at the Reina Sofia.
Exploring the parks was another favorite activity. The park near Casa de Campo had a section with some colorful birds. Random yet pretty.
El Mercado de San Antón was a big food highlight. The downstairs section of the market is for picking up gourmet groceries and snacks, and the upstairs section is full of tapas-style fancy food vendors.
We ordered a Continue reading
I hope your holiday was delicious and special. My friend Natasha and I co-hosted and cooked most of the food together. Our friends brought extra sides (sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, green bean casserole), desserts (mascarpone tart with berries), and drinks (wine, beers, cider), all of which were amazing!
The menu:
Castelvetrano olives
Kale salad with apples and walnuts
Extra-buttery mashed potatoes
Mashed sweet potatoes
Kale stuffing with dates
Brussels sprouts with bacon
Green bean casserole
Spatchcocked turkey with gravy
Roasted garlic
Cranberry sauce (homemade and jellied)
Dessert:
Upside-down cranberry cake
Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Praline Topping
Peanut Butter Pie
Mascarpone tart with berry sauce
Hand-whipped cream
Clockwise from left: stuffing a la Samin (and Charlie!), with dates instead of prunes and no sausage; spatchcocked and carved turkey from the Serious Eats recipe and video; cranberry sauce (can be made one week before TG) Continue reading
When it comes to food, I like to be in control. I like to be the one picking out groceries and I like to be the one cooking. But honestly, grocery shopping can be a pain sometimes.
Inspired by the discount offer of two free meals for first time users of Blue Apron (Blue Apron has also been sponsoring some of the podcasts I listen to lately), I decided to try out the services. With my discount offer, I paid about $40 for three meals intended to serve two people (regular price of about $60).
Blue Apron is a food delivery service that takes care of the grocery shopping, allowing customers to enjoy and focus on the cooking experience. After noting dietary preferences, Blue Apron ships three pre-shopped and pre-portioned meals on a week-by-week basis. The food gets carefully portioned and packaged and is shipped in a refrigerated box.
I wanted to keep an open mind, so I did not check off any dietary preferences to see what they would send me. The week before my delivery, Blue Apron sent me an email with the ingredients and recipes I would be receiving:
Each meal is slated to take an average of 35 minutes to prepare. While no nutrition information is provided for individual recipes, Blue Apron notes that each meal contains between 500 and 700 calories per serving.
Below I discuss the meals I received and cooked, showing pictures and providing individual feedback for each recipe.
I cooked the fish on my first night Continue reading
Figsinmybelly 