The Interview: Conversation Over Tea

An interview meme is making it’s way around the food blogs, but in this one you don’t get tagged, you ask to be interviewed by someone who has already gone through the process. So I’ve brought this on myself, but I thought it would be fun. After you read my responses, you’ll have an opportunity to be interviewed by me, if you wish.

My questions come from The Passionate Cook herself, Johanna, who gave a great interview last week. She asked me some very good questions! I think it would have even been more fun if we could have done this in real life over coffee or tea, but we’ll have to settle for some virtual tea.

1. You’re a wandering soul, it seems: which destination has influenced your cooking the most? What are you missing the most? Read more

Adapting to a New Kitchen

New home, new kitchen, new blog design.

We’ve been in our new home for a little over two weeks. At first we camped out while waiting for our worldly possessions to be delivered. The kitchen felt so empty without my cooking gear and dinnerware, but of course it wasn’t empty—the appliances, counter tops, and cabinets were all here, waiting to be filled and used. We ate with disposable plates and utensils while sitting on the floor since we didn’t have a table and chairs, but it was fun, like a picnic.

I took time to plan where everything would live in the new space. The Kitchen Aid mixer would fit nicely in the corner next to the sink. The toaster oven would work next to the wall ovens. A coffee/espresso/tea station would be nice next to the hand painted coffee plates near the frig. The polish pottery would go into the cabinet with the glass doors. Cutting boards and small appliances would live in the island. Wine would go in the dining room. Cookbooks would fit perfectly in the shelves in the mini office. I had a plan.

Then came the movers and everything descended into chaos. Read more

Favorite Cold Remedies

There’s no escaping bugs when you have two little boys in preschool. They bring home an amazing assortment of bacteria and viruses, some of which leave them feeling awful for days or even weeks on end. I usually manage to avoid catching their miseries, but this week it’s my turn. We’ve been working overtime prepping the house to sell, as well as researching towns, schools, and homes in the DC area. Plus the baby still wakes up to be fed once or twice each night, and sometimes he just wants to party instead of going back to sleep. So when I woke up Thursday a week ago with a sore throat and a headache, I wasn’t the least bit surprised. It did make our house hunting trip last weekend a bit tougher, though.

This is not my typical cooking post, but it’s cold and flu season and I got to thinking about it over the last few days, wondering about other possible remedies for the common cold. Stores stock their shelves with a huge assortment of cold medicines, many designed to cover a range of symptoms Read more

A Fresh Start and Recipe for Low-Fat Blend

With over 100 cookbooks on my shelf, it’s easy for some to go unopened for a while. Our busy schedules keep us from being as creative with our meals as we would like. So the cookbooks languish with disuse and our meals tend to start repeating with ever-increasing frequency. Does this sound familiar, or am I the only food blogger that gets into occasional food ruts?

To avoid a rut, I opened two cookbooks recently that have sat forlornly on my shelf for a while—Great Good Food and Fresh Start, both by Julee Rosso of The Silver Palate fame. Very appropriate considering I’m in another watch-what-I-eat swing. Baby #3 arrives in early September, and I’ll be in my third trimester during the hot summers months. Knowing my luck, it will turn out to be the hottest summer on record! Read more

Layered Bean Dip and a Tribute to Fundraiser Cookbooks

I have a relatively small collection of fundraiser cookbooks. One is from my grandmother’s church, two are from hospital auxiliary groups, two are from elementary schools, two are from overseas women’s groups, and one is from a law firm that donated the proceeds to charity. I would really like to have more fundraiser cookbooks, because these books are treasure troves of all the great regular kinds of foods that people eat. The recipes are contributed by moms and grandmothers—veterans of the kitchen who know what it’s like to try and put a meal together while juggling kids, job, and everything else. So when I go hunting for a recipe, I almost always start with these because there’s a good chance that I’ll find what I’m looking for, or at least something very similar.

Today’s recipe is a good variation on the layered bean dip. It’s called “Walking Tostada” and it’s from the ClearGourmet fundaiser cookbook, submitted by Lana Crist and Elsbeth Simon. This dip is great for parties, poker or Bunco night, or just whenever the mood strikes. Read more

My Top Ten Culinary Flops (So Far)

You know what I’m talking about. We plan like crazy for a nice meal, then something is either forgotten, burned, dropped, broken, or grossly undercooked, and usually at the last minute when you have no time to plan for an alternative. Believe me, I’ve done my fair share! Good thing I’m not a professional chef.

So in honor of my 40th birthday (today), I thought I would have a good laugh while looking back on my worst culinary flops. I’m sure that I have many more flops coming in the years ahead, but here is my top ten list to date. Enjoy, and feel free to share yours!

10. My early attempts at pie crust. It was a horribly painful experience. I couldn’t roll it into a circle, it was too dry, and it was falling apart as I tried to move it into the pan. And when it baked it was tough as nails. I kept trying, but many tears were shed and I swore off making my own pie crust for several years. I trudged the aisles of local grocery stores buying frozen crust. Yuck. Especially when we are talking about frozen crusts that have been shipped to far away, overseas locations. After much cooking therapy, I started making pie crust again a few years ago. And I no longer look upon it with the same dread. Lesson learned: Making pie crust is good therapy in itself, as long as you have an open mind and leave the Type A personality at the door. Read more

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