August 2011
1 post
Thai Pork and Green Beans
This past weekend, reminiscing about a trip to Chicago turned into reminiscing about our favorite Thai restaurant, a hidden gem on the city’s north side where they actually made the food as spicy as I asked them to. Next time I may even be more cautious: The moo krawp (crispy pork belly) make me cough!
After mentally reliving the meal, appetite whetted to say the least, I marched...
July 2011
1 post
Peanut Butter and Nutella Thumbprint Cookies
You know what’s lamer than not blogging? Blogging about how guilty you feel for not blogging. Which is why I absolutely will not do that right now.
What I will complain about (because honestly, there’s always something) is moving. I hope I never move again. Er, for awhile anyway. Nothing completely distracts you from your priorities like moving does, even if your priorities, like...
June 2011
3 posts
Linguine Carbonara with Bacon and Peas
With moving day rapidly approaching, the stress of organizing my life into boxes paired with an onset of paranoia as I realize that I can’t quite remember what the new place looks like (why do I remember the exposed brick but not whether there is a hall closet?!) is quickly turning my excitement to anxiety. Long days at work roll into long nights of packing, and I’ve been squeezing...
1 tag
Basil and Pecan Pesto Ice Cubes
Recipes are good. Recipes are your friend. A good recipe (one coming from a cookbook or a trustworthy website - beware sites that allow users to upload their own recipes) is tested, tried and true. The measurements should be, for the most part, precisely correct and should lead you to create a dish with balanced flavors.
But sometimes, just sometimes, recipes make us overthink. We get caught...
2 tags
Granola with Cherries and Apricots
I am too headstrong and stubborn to be a practical home cook. When I want something, I want it. I wanted granola, for example. I couldn’t buy it for goodness’ sake. Too easy. So what if granola has to bake for hours and hours? Does it matter that it’s 90ºF and the apartment is itself a little oven? No. A little thing like summertime wasn’t going to stop me (and it...
May 2011
5 posts
Pan Fried Tilapia with Cornmeal and Parsley
Here’s another post in which I rave about the ease of cooking seafood, and also complain about my complete ineptitude where aioli is concerned.
Firstly, a reiteration: Cooking seafood is easy. It is so easy that practically anyone can cook it. This is a very simple recipe - one of the simplest I’ve ever posted, probably - thanks to the removal of the intended condiment...
Penne all'Anita
Full disclosure: My dad was trained as a chef, so I’ve had a definite advantage in the learning to cook department. He’s my go-to resource when a dish doesn’t turn out correctly. But my mom, Anita, is also an exceptional cook, though she might not get as much recognition as Papa does. This past weekend I visited my parents for an evening and, in a total moment of...
Chorizo Quiche
I’m staring out the window at another wet and gloomy day as I write this, and I finally feel like the weather might be making me insane. Last Friday evening, Colin and I hosted a few friends for paella and wine on the patio, and I actually worried about us being too warm and wanting to escape to the air-conditioned interior. (Did you know they have air conditioning in Columbus? Yeah, me...
Macaroni and Cannellini Beans with Tuna, Lemon and...
I realize I’ve given this post a pretty long title for what is essentially my health-conscious, weeknight take on pasta e fagioli. Trust me, I like to take a traditional recipe and adapt the heck out of it, but the reality is that sometimes the result looks so little like the starting point and I can’t in good conscious call this recipe what it is not.
For the past few weeks,...
2 tags
Dirty Mashed Potatoes
I’m picky when it comes to mashed potatoes. I like them decadently buttery, slightly coarsely mashed, and dirty (without any skins removed). Garlic and herbs are only afterthoughts and not really necessary if the potatoes are well prepared.
My mom always made dirty mashed potatoes, she claims out of laziness (honestly, peeling potatoes is dull), but now I really miss the flavorful skin...
April 2011
5 posts
2 tags
Minted Peas with Shallot
Peas have gone completely unrecognized by this blog, yet they’re one of my favorite legumes and one of the only green things I’ll buy frozen. In fact, I read recently in Bon Appétit that frozen peas are often just as good, if not better, than fresh ones, and now feel much more justified. (Frozen food = guilt, at least in Little Gourmande Land).
The greatest thing about a bag of frozen peas is...
2 tags
Thai Green Curry Soup
Ever since I traded my hectic, stressful, unpredictable job for one with a more regular schedule, I’ve been absolutely reveling in my new routine. I used to find routine boring, but oh, how wrong I was! How silly and naive. Routine is glorious; predictability is divine!
Okay, so I may have taken my rediscovered love of routine a bit far by eating the same dishes again and again. Like,...
2 tags
Baked Brie with Preserves and Almonds
This one feels a little bit like cheating. Sometimes I get myself all worked up over coming up with complex, 100% from scratch recipes because I want to punish myself impress you. I can’t tell you how often I have slaved, I tell you, slaved for hours over a recipe that turned out to be very What? This Simple Thing That I Could Have Easily Bought At The Store In Less Time And For Less...
2 tags
Tri-Colored Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I’m constantly lamenting the dearth of sweet recipes I post here. It misrepresents me! I love sweet things: love dreaming them up, baking them, decorating them, sharing them. The problem with maintaining a recipe blog is the amount of food one needs to consume (or give away to be consumed), and I just can’t keep up with ultra-sweet dessert posts. Fortunately, this will soon change...
1 tag
Sesame Edamame Dip
Phew! I have finally managed to regain my bearings after a particularly tumultuous couple of months. I’m settled into my new job and my new apartment, which, by the way, abounds with delicious, creative food that I’m completely abashed not to have posted here.
An important fixture in my new routine are evenings spent with Adam, my roommate, glued to a particular television drama,...
January 2011
1 post
2 tags
Mushrooms on Toast
I’m back from my long blogging vacation with a recipe that’s as versatile as they come.
My family starts every new year alike: with a hearty breakfast of mushrooms on toast. This savory breakfast holds a special place in our family arsenal of traditional recipes, partially because of its amazing ability to soak up New Year’s Eve champagne and ease hangover woes, and...
November 2010
1 post
2 tags
Morale-Boosting Cranberry Pancakes
The past few days have found me marooned in my apartment with a fever, a hacking cough, a sore throat, swollen glands, itchy ears, and chills. (If you’re one of the people to whom I’ve lately mused about how an illness might afford me some much needed down time, rest assured that I’ve learned my lesson.) I don’t get sick very often and so when I do, I’m a real baby...
October 2010
2 posts
Rustic Pumpkin and Sausage Tarts
The combination of pumpkin and Italian sausage in this dish came to me in a familiar fashion: In the middle of the day, not at lunchtime or dinnertime, no, that would be too convenient! I thought, “Pumpkin! Sausage! Yum!” and decided that I was absolutely too curious about whether the two flavors would work together to wait until the next meal to test it out. There was a brief...
3 tags
Riz au Lait
This ridiculously simple French rice pudding is soul food that’s equally delicious for dessert as it is for breakfast the next morning. It may also be the best cure for a broken heart, especially when served to those you love most, which is why I packed an overnight back and made the hour-long trip to my parents’ house at midnight a couple of weeks ago, and then cooked them up a...
September 2010
3 posts
2 tags
Chocolate Craving Muffins
Like a lot of my baking urges, this one came late at night and to the familiar tune of “Mmm, chocolate!” I have a bar of extra dark chocolate in my pantry, reserved specifically for such cravings. However, “Mmm, chocolate!” rarely goes away after a square, or even two, of extra dark chocolate; “Mmm, chocolate!” is too complex to be quieted by a dark chocolate...
1 tag
Steak Summer Rolls and Peanut Dipping Sauce
Last night’s dinner was a total cleaning-out-the-fridge meal. It’s really rare that I have much in my fridge to “clean out” because lately I’m too poor to buy groceries.Nonetheless, Colin came to visit last week and left behind an entire steak, something I rarely eat, and I happened to have some odds and ends from a bag of groceries my mom cleaned out of her fridge...
2 tags
Poached Pears with Prunes
I escape the languid last days of summer by imagining that I’m somewhere far and away. For all of my complaining about the heat, I actually don’t mind it that much (I do live without air conditioning by choice, but shh, don’t tell or I’ll lose my whining rights!). I actually just mind the wilted, burnt flora of Ohio, dressed in a brownish green that would put even the...
August 2010
2 posts
Seared Scallops and Israeli Couscous with Tomato...
I left work at the restaurant yesterday afternoon and walked straight into a heavy rainstorm. A coworker and I ran through the flooded streets and ducked into the neighborhood’s best ice cream parlor to split a French press. It’s been a long time since I’ve been chilly enough to relish in a warm cup of coffee, and so when we parted ways I knew I wanted to take advantage of the...
2 tags
Basil and White Chocolate Cream
I’ve mentioned before that I have a weakness for sweets with unexpected ingredients. The idea for a basil-infused sweet cream came to me on my evening run, which I cut short to race home and act on my possibly questionable inspiration. I say questionable because I’ve never made basil-infused anything and didn’t consult a recipe. I’m still not sure what my...
July 2010
5 posts
Mussels Steamed in Beer with Cream, Tomatoes and...
When my boyfriend came to visit last weekend, I wanted to eat something special to celebrate my having finally found a job. (Hooray!) To me, a celebration with shellfish beats just about any other kind of celebration I know. I immediately thought of mussels, which I adore, and consoled myself that I could handle the price because I have a job now, remember? Anyway, I was shocked, shocked,...
1 tag
Herbed Zucchini Fritters and Paprika Yogurt
It only took two words to make it impossible to think about almost anything but the smell of fried dough: state fair. I’ve actually never been to the state fair, which a coworker mentioned was happening this week, and I’m not sure I have any interest in going, but I certainly am in the mood to eat crispy, hot, fried treats. I narrowed down my options based on two main truths: (1)...
1 tag
Toasted Goat Cheese and Honey Sandwich with Lemon...
I finally found a job! A last-minute interview last week led to my employment in my favorite bakery-café in town. (Remember that incredible French toast with banana syrup? It looks like I’ll be indulging more often!)
Job transition arrangements and a fairly last-minute trip to Chicago have left me a bit scattered, and while I was in the mood to spend my whole evening in the kitchen...
2 tags
Simple Bruschetta
I’m sorry to sound like such a complainer but I feel it would be dishonest to neglect to mention again how hot it is here. Not just hot even (temperatures well above 90ºF), but really humid and sticky. Going outside is akin to taking a steam shower and the heaviness of the air is so nauseating, it’s hard to find my appetite.
That said, a girl still needs to eat. And her...
2 tags
Sweet and Salty White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal...
The sweet little girl I watch loves to ask me when I’ll have babies so she can babysit them. I can empathize because I’ve been waiting for my favorite childhood sitter to reproduce for what seems like ages. She has such a nurturing, motherly disposition that she deserved only the most adorable little bundle of joy out there. Her little baby boy was born one month ago, and after...
June 2010
6 posts
2 tags
Mama's Granola
It’s hotter than you-know-where in my little apartment! Though I’m normally keen on a perfectly over-easy egg on a piece of toast for breakfast, there is no way I’m turning on my stove in the morning, when the apartment has finally cooled (which is not to say that it is cool - maybe lukewarm is a more appropriate word?) after a night of inactivity and open windows. No, I...
1 tag
Pork Spring Rolls and Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce
My sister is the official tradition keeper in our family, and if we do anything twice, she remembers and expects that we do it exactly the same way, every year, forever. Last year for Father’s Day we children cooked up a feast of Guinness-battered fish and chips served wrapped in newspaper and a heaping mound of smashed peas. This year, Vietnamese food! I think we’re roped into a...
2 tags
Cinnamon Challah French Toast and Warm Banana...
For someone who claims she doesn’t like bananas, I can’t believe this is my second banana-centric post. I prefer to think that general distaste for bananas is a testament to how amazing these recipes truly are, because somehow they’ve broken me down, brought me metaphorically to my knees, begging for more bananas! And once again, it was with my boyfriend that I was brave enough...
1 tag
Quinoa and Chick Pea Salad with Lemon Tahini...
On a recent visit with my boyfriend in his hometown, we took a long walk on a gorgeous afternoon. We meandered through the neighborhood where we used to live, which happens to be our favorite neighborhood in the city, and found ourselves headed toward our favorite house, a beautifully maintained white stucco number from the early 1900s with beautiful stained glass windows that stands high above...
1 tag
Gazpacho
I promise to stop posting cold soup recipes soon, but never having lived a summer with air conditioning, they are a staple to my summer diet. My parents’ gazpacho was a chunky affair, and I’d become accustomed to eating gazpacho that was only slightly smoother and less spicy than salsa. I couldn’t believe how refined this recipe seemed, processed and then pushed through a fine...
2 tags
Lemon Curd and Olive Oil Tarte
I’m a sucker for any dessert that uses ingredients normally associated with savory dishes. The Thai chili ice cream from the gourmet ice cream shop in my neighborhood is a prime example: Is the Thai chili better than the mango lassi? I may never find out, so tempted am I by more unexpected ingredients. My interest was then naturally piqued by the idea of this olive oil tarte when it was...
May 2010
4 posts
2 tags
Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
When I got this recipe via e-mail from one of my mom’s friends, I absolutely knew I had to make these cookies. Maybe it was the appeal of a challenge - in this case, making wheat germ seem appetizing - or maybe just the tantalizing thought of a peanut butter cookie more unique than the traditional criss-cross kind. Actually, it might’ve been the prospect of a cookie so chock full of...
1 tag
Cold Cucumber Soup
Summer hasn’t officially arrived yet, but as surely as if it were the middle of July, the heat seems to have hunkered down for the season and is getting awfully comfortable. A staunch opponent to air conditioning, I usually resign myself to sundresses and cold compresses with relative ease, but forecasts that predict high temperatures in the mid- to upper eighties throughout the entire...
2 tags
Gougères, and Tomatillo Guacamole
This weekend I’m going to visit some friends in Akron who are hosting a lock-in. This group of friends meets weekly for what we call, simply, “hangouts.” I regularly attended when I lived in Akron but now I just tag along whenever I’m visiting Colin. He won’t be there this weekend but I’m going anyway, since I never turn down an invitation that promises board games, homemade pizza, pajamas...
2 tags
Midnight Banana Cake
I’m not indecisive, I just like everything. Of course, there are some things I prefer to others, and frankly bananas aren’t among them. I don’t often feel inspired to snack on a whole banana, and when I do, it’s usually only if the skin is tinged with green and the fruit inside is still tart.
If there’s one person whose love for bananas is inspiring enough to make me pick up a bruised...