Comments (1)

By Caroline, February 24, 2010

I definitely would not have eaten this as a kid. Not because it isn’t a good soup, but because my taste as a kid was a bit limited. Let’s take a moment and look back at all of the other things I didn’t eat as a kid:

Hamburgers. Yeah, I know, I am the only kid in America that grew up not liking hamburgers. For a short time as a teenager I thought they were the greatest thing on earth, and then in college I gave up beef and now I’m back to and sans-burger diet. Sorry burgers, we just weren’t a good match.

Fish. I have no defense for this, other than to say that I’m making up for it now by attempting to consume my weight in sushi at least once a month.

Apple Pie. I know, right? I used to think that cooked apples were “slimy” and therefore wanted nothing to do with them. Cherry pie rocked my socks. However, I now make apple crisp as often as is humanly possible. I haven’t had cherry pie in over 5 years.

Continue reading 'Arugula Soup with Goat Cheese'»

Comments (8)

By Adrianna, February 13, 2010

I secretly LOVE Valentine’s Day.  I mean, how can I not? I LOVE love!  Here’s a small little list of what I’m loving right now:

I love my family dog, Chuck, mainly because he has weird habits like biting his nails and smelling his ear wax. He’s weird. Like me.  Also, his paws smell like chips, particularly Fritos.

I love my family because all of them, in their own way, have taught me how to be a human being.

I love my friends because they can make me laugh ’til I cry.

I love small stuff like sleeping in without having an alarm set, my tempur-pedic pillow, french pressed coffee…and…umm…this blog. I really do love this thing.

Continue reading 'Croque Madame'»

Comments (8)

By Adrianna, February 3, 2010

Biscuits rule, period.  Sadly, I didn’t always know this. Yeah, it’s true.  Even though I was born in the South and was raised by parents who spent most of their youth in the South, biscuits weren’t part of my childhood. This is mainly due to the fact that my mother was not much of a baker and, in general, my parents are not huge fans of Southern food.  In fact, my first real introduction to biscuits was a random trip to Kentucky Fried Chicken—and from then on, I was hooked.  Yes, I’ll proudly say that KFC has some pretty glorious biscuits. Everyday after tennis practice, on my way home, I’d go through the drive-thru and order two biscuits with honey and butter.  It was heaven in a to-go bag.

These biscuits are also heaven, even though they’re nothing like KFC’s biscuits. I’ll even go so far to say that these are better–much better.  Don’t believe me? Well, here are a few reasons why my biscuits stomp the KFC competition.

#1 All of the ingredients in my biscuits are pronounceable.

#2 These biscuits aren’t meal-specific.  You can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even for a random snack, if you like.  They’re like um…a unisex shirt, or a shirt that’s ’size fits all.’  I love when stuff is like that.

#3 They have cheese in them.  The end.

Verdict: I win!

Continue reading 'Buttermilk Cheddar Jalapeño Biscuits'»

Comments (8)

By Caroline, January 14, 2010

So, I’m back in California. Back to the real world, with alarm clocks that go off at 6:00am and traffic that robs me of hours in my day and blahhhhh…. I just don’t want to think about it anymore. Instead, let’s pretend I’m still in the South and mull over that for a while. For starters, Southern folks really love to fry their vegetables. And, we really love grits, especially cheesy grits. So, yeah that’s what I would rather think about, okay?

First, a word on cheese grits. Most self-respecting Southerners have a cheese grits recipe that involves baking in the oven to really get them just right. You know that scene in “My Cousin Vinny” where the guy is offended at the suggestion that he uses instant grits? Where he proudly says in the courtroom, “I take pride in my grits!” Yeah, that’s not an exaggeration. This recipe, however, is the “quick” version of cheese grits, meant to be prepared over a stove in less than 30 minutes. If you’re lucky I’ll give you the recipe for my stepdad’s “real” cheese grits, but that will have to wait for another day.

Continue reading 'Fried Green Tomatoes with Jalapeno Cheese Grits'»

Comments (5)

By Caroline, December 11, 2009

There are two clear types of holiday recipes. There are the time-tested kind, the ones that have been made over and over again, and will always be around because 1) everyone loves them and 2) the person making the recipe could do it with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their back. There are also the newer kinds of recipes, those that are maybe a little more modern, with unusual ingredients and were probably found in a magazine or, ahem, a food blog.

This recipe is hands-down an example of the first type. My mother’s cheese dip graces pretty much every holiday party she attends in December, it is a rare occasion when she’s able to bring any leftovers home. This is the kind of appetizer that you snack on before dinner, and then return to when you’ve finished dessert. It’s the kind that you can’t stand in front of for more than 5 seconds without compulsively piling some on a cracker, until you’re wondering where all the crackers went and why you feel so full all of a sudden.

Continue reading 'Mom’s Holiday Cheese Dip'»

Comments (4)

By Adrianna, November 18, 2009

I think we all secretly enjoy sick days…at least a little.  Sure, you’re sick and that sucks, but there’s really nothing better than having an excuse to be cozy in bed during the middle of the day, watching television with mug in hand.  So last week when I went home sick, I was pretty excited that all of that was in my near future.

When I got home I immediately put on my pajamas, turned on the television, grabbed my computer to answer a few emails and got in bed.  Playing in the background was an episode of Martha Stewart, solely dedicated to the vendors at the Brooklyn Flea.  I was only half paying attention until a woman, who was a ricotta vendor there, began making Lemon-Poppy Seed Ricotta Pancakes alongside Martha.  I was totally in love.

Continue reading 'Lemon-Poppy Seed Ricotta Pancakes'»

Comments (12)

By Adrianna, November 15, 2009

Everyone, please meet my go-to. You all have a go-to, right? Let’s first discuss what constitutes as a go-to….Well, it’s usually one of those super easy, simple meals that you know will be a crowd pleaser.  And best of all, a go-to is something you can make sans recipe and probably, if your life depended on it, with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back.

You see, me and this dish have a history. A long history that first started with me making it as a side dish to a roast lamb on Easter. (This dish won against the lamb, by the way.)  And then it made a dinner at a pot luck dinner with some supper club friends. And then I served it to some friends along side a salad for a light, vegetarian dinner.

Continue reading 'Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Gratin'»

Comments (3)

By Caroline, October 31, 2009

Halloween has gotten a little crazy this year at my apartment building. Last year, the decorations consisted of perhaps one string of lights and some scattered cobwebs. In 2009 however, without any discussion, every apartment around us has decided that this is the year to go all out. The windows surrounding us are covered in lights, cobwebs, spiders, bats, everything you can imagine. The garden in the courtyard is covered in fake skeletons, rats, and jack-o-lanterns, not to mention the scary music that is playing to accompany it.

Continue reading 'Pesto Pizza with Sun-dried Tomatoes'»

Comments (3)

By Adrianna, October 21, 2009

Everyday I sift through various food blogs and websites looking for recipes that hook my attention.  And time after time the recipes I’m most attracted to are grown-up versions of things I ate as a kid.  One thing I loved as a kid, Mac and Cheese!  I loved every type of it–I didn’t discriminate.  Actually, Kraft macaroni and cheese was the first thing I learned how to cook and I cooked it regularly as an after school snack, and with pride I might add.  I remember getting all fancy with it, playing with the consistency and adding pepper…and hot sauce.  And when I went to college, I wasn’t too good for Easy Mac.  I would cook it up in a microwave at midnight and not think a thing about it.  Basically, my love affair with mac and cheese goes WAY back.

Continue reading 'Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese'»

Comments (3)

By Caroline, September 28, 2009

Ever notice how certain events seem to occur in multiples? Like, how the film industry will put out two movies about deadly volcanoes in the same month, or how Michael Jackson died on the same day as Farrah Fawcett? It seems that the same phenomenon often occurs in the blogging world. Granted, there are a million blogs out there and it shouldn’t be unusual for us to all have some of the same recipes in mind, but really, is it that hard for us all to just post them at different times?

That brings me to my current post. Now, zucchini is one of my favorite veggies, and in true Southern fashion I feel that one way to make your vegetables even better is to fry them. I cooked a big batch of these fritters, ate them all that afternoon and felt content that I had found something tasty and unique to share with you all.

Continue reading 'Zucchini Fritters with Goat Cheese'»