bites out of life

Bangers and Mash

When I was talking about my television habits last week, I neglected to tell you that I’m the worst kind of TV watcher: I’m a TV proselytizer. Not only do I talk about my shows all the time, I also tell everyone I know how they have to watch this show and it’s the best show ever and “oh, you’re really missing out.”

Mili finally tired of my constant refrains of “Downton Abbey is amazing! You’ve gotta watch!” and last weekend, came over to marathon the first season (it’s on Netflix — how convenient for you all). Obviously for watching a British show, we needed British food. Given the choice between dignified, classy dishes such as tea and scones or Sunday roast, and crass ones, obviously we went with the latter, deciding that bangers and mash was too funny of a name to pass up.

Bangers and mash is a simple dish of English sausages (which, unlike most sausage varieties, are fresh and unsmoked prior to selling) served over mustard-spiked mashed potatoes, occasionally with an onion gravy on the side. It’s considered working-class pub food, not quite what Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley would be eating.

It’s a shame because they’re really missing out. The sausages were good, but the mashed potatoes? From now on, I refuse to eat mashed potatoes without mustard and creme fraiche. Creamy and luxurious, but with quite the tangy kick, they would pair nicely with other meats I’m sure. (I of course ate the leftovers plain, with broccoli on the side.)

So, to own up to my proselytizing ways, make these (at least the mash). And then turn on PBS and watch a little Downton. You won’t be disappointed, I promise! …

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake

Remember when I told you I had never baked a cupcake? Well … now I can officially say that I’ve never successfully baked a cupcake on my own. How many ways could I have messed it up? How much time do you have?

The cake-baking started out innocently enough, with me realizing halfway through the process that I need an electric mixer and running to Duane Reade to get one. Then I overfilled the cupcake tins (we only had mini-cupcake tins) and watched them expand to form one gigantic cupcake-sized blob.

The best part? They were completely cemented to the tin. As in glued. Unbudgeable. Mili and I had to scoop pieces of them out of the tin with a spoon. The cake was too crumbly and soft for any kind of real shape. Given that I still had a TON of leftover batter, I decided to stop playing the cupcake game and just bake the rest of the batter in a 9-inch cake pan.

Then there was the whole salted caramel frosting part of the cake. Making the caramel made me nervous, but everything seemed to be going swimmingly. Until. My spatula, which I assumed was heatproof, actually melted in the caramel. Thankfully it tasted okay. (carcinogens = yum?)

The frosting finally came together in one overly sweet, sticky mess. Unfortunately, when I tried to drape it on the crumby cake, everything fell to pieces. I managed to squish it all back together, but then there was the question of the cupcake crumbs. I scattered them in a heart-shape (for Valentine’s Day!) but I have a pile of crumbs left. And an almost saccharine cake that somehow isn’t quite the chocolate-salted caramel pairing I imagined.

But the cake is ridiculously cute (and let’s be real, it’s still pretty tasty) and so, I present it to you, in hopes that you can fix it. Perhaps with your Valentine! …

Ultimate Chickpea Veggie Burgers

When I moved out of my aunt’s house and started paying rent back in August, I had to make some sad sacrifices. I’d like to say that I gave up cabs or mani-pedis, but let’s be honest — we both know that’s not true. Instead, I gave cable. I made the (I like to think) smart decision to forgo cable and get a gym membership instead, with the pretense that rather than sitting on the couch watching my shows, I’d go to the gym and watch while running.

(I bet you think I’m going to say that this didn’t end up happening, and I never actually go to the gym.)

You’re only half right. (Ha!) I go most days, but usually in the mornings. So while I get my regular Morning Joe fix, I’m still sitting on the couch watching television most nights. I say this because I’ve managed to get knee deep into an astonishing number of shows, even without cable. Of course I have my regulars (seriously, if you do nothing else today, watch.that.last.clip.), but to that I’ve added Mad Men, the Tudors, and of course, my new obsession, Downton Abbey. Soapy drama + stuffy Brits — is there any question I’d be into it?

Now that I’ve just spent 200 words talking about my TV habits, let’s get to the point. Most nights I want a dinner that requires minimal effort and can be prepared in between episodes. (Netflix doesn’t even give you ad breaks!) Black bean soup and beer cheese both fit the bill, as do these chickpea veggie burgers.

While I love a good beefy burger, preferably topped with melted sharp cheddar and a few slices of crispy bacon, what makes my heart truly sing is a well-made veggie burger. The one at Friedman’s Lunch is the closest I’ve come to perfection, with it’s perfectly crisp exterior, soft, lush interior and spicy tomato jam topping (the goldenÂ herbed fries don’t really hurt either … ). I’m not a fan of soy-based burgers (or soy-based anything, to be frank) but all-vegetable patties are the best.

Mili sent me this recipe months ago, and in my misguided stupidity, I waited to make it. For a girl who loves both chickpeas and veggie burgers, this was a can’t miss, especially once I spiked the burgers with cumin and cayenne. A quick pan fry and a topping of avocado(!) and hot sauce(!!)* creates a perfect dinner in under 20 minutes, healthy and tasty and filling to boot.

*If you know me, you know that I have an aversion to both avocado and hot sauce. But the combo is so good on this burger. It’s like I don’t even know who I am anymore. Also our kitchen light was still out when I made these, which is why there are no pictures of the actual process. …

Beer Cheese

My second favorite day of the year is upon us. (We all know Thanksgiving is my number one.) Not-so-oddly enough, the Super Bowl features many of the same desirable attributes as Turkey Day, namely food and football, in that order.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good game and this year promises lots of drama. I suppose since I’ve lived in NYC for over 5 years (WHOA.) I should root for the Giants, though as a longtime Redskins fan it pains me a little to support a division rival. But I also avidly dislike Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Classic rock-and-a-hard-place situation.

So instead, I’ll focus on the food. And thankfully, there’s a lot of amazing-ness to go around. Wings, nachos, dips, burgers, fries — all of it coronary-inducing and yet so.friggin.good. Seriously, I have worked out every morning and walked the 5 miles home from work every day this week, just so I can gorge on everything almost guilt-free.

Since last year’s wings were a huge success, I had to go big ~~or go home~~ this year (in a repeat of last year, I will be going home for the big game again this year, but definitely not because I’m a big disaster in life and need to get a new driver’s license). Since beer and cheese are two pillars of Super Bowl staples, I decided, inspired by one of my favorite neighborhood bars, to make beer cheese.

The beer cheese at Earl’s is one of my favorite cheap eats in New York. Six dollars buys you plenty of warm buttered toasted baguette slices, which you rub with a garlic clove and then top with tangy, creamy, garlic-y, slightly spicy cheddar-y goodness — god I love this stuff.

Making it at home proved to be difficult and first and then embarrassingly easy. There aren’t a ton of recipes out there, but thankfully I found one at Mighty Appetite, a food blog of the Washington Post. I also learned that beer cheese is a Kentucky Derby staple — who knew?

Grating the cheese was also a chore, but once that’s done, the entire process takes zero effort. Simply dump a bunch of ingredients into a food processor and let the machine do all the work for you. The best part is, it tastes better a day or two after making, so you don’t even have to work on Super Bowl Sunday. Tell me that’s not the best thing you’ve ever heard.

Also, the most exciting part of all of this was that this beer cheese tastes almost exactly like Earl’s. So I’ve also now saved you a trip to NYC/the Upper East Side! You can thank me by making me some beer cheese. …

Spicy Black Bean Soup

So remember when, in a slightly less than stellar state, I told you guys about fabulous tandoori chicken? What I didn’t tell you about that night is that I also spent some not-so-quality time in the kitchen, bumbling around making soup.

My coworker often has canned beans for lunch. She drains them and microwaves them and then douses them with hot sauce and the occasional garlic powder packet in what might be the weirdest variation of black bean soup I’ve ever seen.

Inspired by her um, innovation, I decided I needed to make real black bean soup one day. It’s one of my faves, especially when spiked with cumin and a heavy hit of jalapeños. This recipe, from Epicurious, has plenty of both. After buying all of the ingredients in an excited frenzy the same day I made this, I promptly forgot all about it.

So um, two weeks later, when I noticed a not-so-hot-looking jalapeño in the fridge, I finally made soup. Thankfully the recipe was literally foolproof, as I could barely cut an onion on Sunday night. The only problem was that it called for using the cans undrained, which I refused to do. (Bean sludge in my soup? No thank you.) Also our kitchen light was out, so I was cooking in relative darkness. And I had to use a stick blender. As you can imagine, it was quite an adventure.*

The soup was well worth the (considerable, given my state) effort. Hearty and spicy and full of flavor, it definitely hit the spot. It’s definitely my favorite way to consume canned beans.

*Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the process, since there was no light and also, I was just barely a functional human. …

Tandoori Chicken

For the past year, I’ve been talking about creating a recipe for tandoori chicken. Our family makes it often, but always using a pre-mixed spice blend. While it’s always delicious, the recipe wasn’t quite ready for this blog, as I don’t believe in using ready-made mixes in these recipes. Also, I really wanted to see if I could replicate the spice mix on my own. Challenge accepted.

Based off the ingredients on the box, my mom and I created a spice blend that approximated the pre-made mix quite closely. We decided to grind the spices ~~since we didn’t have anything better to do~~ because they’re much more fragrant and potent than pre-ground. But obviously, ground spices work equally fine (I’ve given the ingredient amounts for ground spices here).

The end result was pretty perfect, if I do say so myself. Tangy and spicy, charred in all the right places — it was everything I want out of my tandoori chicken. And the best part is, I no longer have to rely on a box mix for my food. Well no, the real best part is: challenge defeated.

Note: I apologize for the incoherence/brevity of this post, but I’m running on 3 hours of sleep and the after effects of a very long Saturday night. And of course, I’m simultaneously watching my new favorite show. …

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Confession time: I kind of don’t really like muffins. Like, at all. While they’re meant to be wholesome, they’re often much too sweet and much too dense for my taste. Also, if it looks like a cupcake and is sweet like a cupcake, it better be a friggin’ cupcake.

It’s a shame, because if done correctly, a muffin can be a great breakfast. Packed with nuts and grains, fresh fruit and oats in a naturally transportable shape, they could easily best the grab-and-go granola bar in terms of convenience and healthfulness.

So when I unintentially woke up at 7:30 this morning, I decided to use the extra hours to make a better breakfast muffin, something I could eat with a dollop of yogurt, and more importantly, without a twinge of “I’m eating cake for breakfast” guilt.

After searching ~~for a few minutes on my phone while lying in bed~~ long and hard for a recipe that included only ingredients we already had, I landed upon one from Eating Well magazine. I had to adapt it to since I only had fresh blueberries and chopped walnuts, and I rejected the loaf pan for a Texas-sized muffin tin.

It’s a quick recipe involving just two mixing bowls and a fork, packed with fresh berries that go soft and slumpy in the oven and an inherent nuttiness that comes from the whole wheat flour and, obviously, the walnuts.

These whole wheat blueberry muffins were just barely sweet (my parents thought they could use a little more sugar), light and pillowy — far from the dense, saccharine offerings I’m used to. While they may not have made me a muffin convert just yet, a few more and I may be singing a different tune. …

Hearty Beef and Mushroom Ragu

What is comfort food?

In theory, it should be something that is traditional, dishes that have meaning or sentimentality attached to them — something you ate while growing up.Â Comfort food is the culinary equivalent of a bear hug, a pick-me-up for those really trying days.

I say this because, based on the above definition, comfort food is a very personal thing. My comfort foods are mainly Indian staples likeÂ kitchuree, a one-pot mixture of rice and dal, and aloo paratha, flatbreads stuffed with potatoes and onions. I’m sure my sister considers different foods her comfort food staples, even though we grew up eating the same things.

This dish, a rib-sticking beef and mushroom ragu that made the apartment smell like heaven, technically isn’t comfort food for me, since I’d never once eaten it before this weekend. BUT. If bear hug is what you’re looking for, then look no further. It’s heavy and hearty and warming and oh so filling (I dare you to eat more than one bowl) — perfect for the long nights of winter.

It was a little surprising to see that something I had never tried before could evoke similar feelings of nourishment to something I had eaten for years on end. Perhaps some foods are more comforting because they can provide a sense of comfort to anyone, regardless of their background. It’s another reminder that food can be so much more than just “fuel.”

What’s your favorite comfort food? And have you ever had food that isn’t technically your comfort food but evokes a similar feeling? …

Stovetop Braised Short Ribs

First off, happy new year — hope that your 2012 is filled with laughter!

Now, let’s talk about the weather. It currently feels like 20 degrees in New York City, and I’ve been forced to bring out both the puffy jacket and fur hat. (Let me tell you, it is not a good look.) In case you couldn’t tell already, I’m co-o-o-old, at least everywhere that isn’t my apartment, which has been blasting so much heat into my little bedroom that I’m forced to turn on the fan every night.

In need of a hearty dish that would keep me warm while bracing frigid winds, I of course turned to short ribs. Lord knows how much I love them, especially when braised slowly until they fall to shreds. I’ve already found the perfect recipe, what with its wine and root vegetables and thyme. But I was intrigued by the idea of cooking short ribs entirely on the stove, in almost a stew of sorts.*

The recipe, from Food & Wine, is easy and requires only a few minutes of effort. The payoff? Pillow-soft pieces of meat entrenched in a broth fragrant with thyme, carrots, celery and wine. Don’t make these on an empty stomach — the aroma may literally drive you to madness. But best of all, these stovetop braised short ribs fill you with enough warmth to brave the coldest of nights, much needed in the frosty days to come.

*I shredded the short ribs in the leftovers so that it would become more of a stew, since there were such copious amounts of sauce. …

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

Tonight, we’ll toast to 2012, saying goodbye to 365 days of laughs, tears and life lessons.Â 2011 was eventful for me, as I moved domains and then apartments, found a new job and made many a recipe that I’d label “keeper.” (How’s that for an efficient way to recap the year?)

But instead of looking back (I’m more of a look forward kinda gal), let’s talk about tomorrow, and your big plans for January 1.Â Most likely you’ll be feeling the after effects of your New Year’s Eve celebrations, and will want something delicious to pick at while you watch Detective Stabler for hours on end.

Enter this cinnamon pecan coffee cake. Make it today while your wits are still about you. Fill your home with the aroma of brown-sugar-and-cinnamon-coated pecans in your last baking adventure of the year. Then wrap it in foil, celebrate, and wake up tomorrow to plush, buttery cake enveloping a layer of warm-spiced nuts. While the recipe is similar to this summer’sÂ chocolate chip coffee cakeÂ with its use of sour cream and cinnamon swirls, this recipe involves fewer bowls and no separating of eggs.

I, for reasons better left unexplained*, started making this cake late on a Wednesday, and finally pulled it out of the oven well after midnight. Somehow, in that state of tired delirium, I managed to make something delicious, so what I’m really saying is, this cake is idiot-proof. And you should make it. Seriously, is there a better way to ring in a new year than with cake?

*Okay fine, I’ll explain. I decided at 9 p.m. that I really needed to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 instead of baking, and then after the movie ended 2-1/2 hours later, I decided I really needed to bake something. Reason #1,938,454,739 why you never want to be me. …

Dijon-Braised Brussels Sprouts

In addition to being the most wonderful time of the year, the end of December also feels like the busiest time of year. Time really flies when you’re deathly ill, cooking/sous-chef-ing up a storm*, cleaning, hosting, partying, working and reading one very funny book.

So I hope you’ll forgive me for being about two weeks late with this recipe, which probably would have been the perfect side dish to your holiday ham or turkey (or in our case, Cornish hens). But it’s also a great way to kick off “diet season,” also known as the first two weeks of the year. Unlike the bacon-laden, cheese and breadcrumb-packed Brussels sprouts of my past, this recipe coaxes flavor out of the tiny cabbages with white wine and Dijon mustard — a Frenchified version of Brussels sprouts, one might say. Was there any doubt I would love it?

The only changes I made to the recipe were to omit the cream (didn’t have any), use more Dijon and add some fresh thyme. The only thing that makes them better is a glass of white wine (hey, you had to open the bottle anyway!) and a side of Jean-Ralphio.

I foresee a lot of these Dijon-braised Brussels sprouts in my new year, and hopefully, they’ll be in your new year too. Cheers!

*We made spinach-artichoke dip, trifle dessert cups and spicy cream-cheese pinwheels, among many, many other things. I took pictures of exactly nothing. It’s really hard to multi-task when you’re still cooking 10 minutes before guests arrive … …

Peppermint Bark

Let me start by saying that this right here is prize-winning bark. Entered in the very prestigious About.com holiday bake-off, this recipe bested a cutthroat field of four to make it to the top.

The recipe, from About.com’s Candy site, is very easy in theory, layering white chocolate on top of a layer of dark chocolate and topped with peppermint bark. Somehow, in my infinite ability to mess up the easiest recipes because of immense pressure to “get it right,” for the second consecutive night, I managed to ruin my treats.

In yet another entry of the “first kitchen chronicles,” I had to use metal bowls to double boil, rather than the heat-proof Pyrex I’m accustomed to. Naturally, we don’t have any oven mitts, so I was forced to use a kitchen towel to hold the bowl as I spooned the chocolate out onto the cookie sheet. And of course, while the Â dark chocolate layer went smoothly, I dropped the bowl into the white chocolate layer because the bowl was too hot.

A few burned fingers and one very er, marbled slab of peppermint bark later, I tried to evenly sprinkle the peppermint, and instead ended up with great unequal swaths of red-and-white glitter. Thankfully, once broken into pieces, there were a few pretty-enough pieces for judging purposes — just enough to fool everyone into believing that sometimes I am a semi-competent baker/dessert-maker. (That rhymes, and may be my new official title. Get ready for the business cards.)

Note: These are great candidates for packing into tins and shipping, in case you’re a better person than I am and make lovely homemade gifts for your friends. …

Vanilla Crescent Cookies

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! There’ll be cookies for baking and egg nog for making and Christmas trees lit all a-glow …*

You may not know that I’ve been obsessed with Christmas musicÂ ~~for the past few months~~ er, lately. Aside from the obvious fascination with a Biebs-Mariah collaboration (it’s Super Festive!Â Also, I’m so glad that birthing twins hasn’t adversely affected Mariah’s wardrobe), I’m very into the holiday offerings of Zooey DeschanelÂ and of course, the Bubs, with some Trans-Siberian Orchestra thrown in for good measure. Yes, I am a joy to be around this time of year.

I do love the holiday season, even though none of the holidays are my own. Everything seems cheery (might one say merry?), wishes for peace and love and joy abound, and also, there are cookies. Lots and lots of cookies.Â

I’m not sure why Christmas is associated with cookies, but it’s a tradition I wholeheartedly support. Buttery shortbreads, rich chocolate treats, nut-based cookies, fruit-based cookies, bars, brownies, balls — the opportunities for ~~eating~~ baking are endless.

These vanilla crescent cookies were borne out of a desire to share cookies in this time of giving. (Doesn’t that sound so noble? Sadly, in reality I was invited to a cookie swap and needed to bring something.) These vanilla crescent cookies caught my eye because they required only 5 ingredients and seemed foolproof, simple butter cookies formed into fun shapes and then coated in powdered sugar. They could be made in advance and were please-all’s — who can object to butter and vanilla and sugar?

I seem to be at my worst in the kitchen when the pressure’s on, and true to form, I went ahead and burned the cookies, ya know, because. I still haven’t figured out our oven (I blame the fact that it doesn’t open all the way) and while trying to do three things at once, I left the cookies in a few minutes too long. Thankfully there were just enough “nice” cookies to bring to the party, and the burnt ones weren’t half bad … not that I’d eat burnt cookies or anything. Never.

*There’s more where that came from: “Have a holly jolly Christmas, it’s the best time of the year. Say yum-o to dry Merlot and cookies, candy and sweets.” “Oh there’s cookies inside the oven, and the wine is all a-mullin.’ There’s plenty more food to go, so have some more, have some more, have some more.” I slay me.

Note: Not into butter cookies? (You weirdo). Try any one of these this holiday season: Dark Chocolate Meringues, Classic Christmas Sugar Cookies, Chewy Almond Cookies, Chocolate-Toffee Cracker Crunch, Coffee-Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies, Mini Chocolate Crackles, Sables, Regal Shortbread Cookies and my personal fave, Toasted Pecan Sandies. …

Mushroom Quinoa “Risotto”

Though you wouldn’t exactly know it from this blog, I love me some risotto in the wintertime. Creamy, rich, cheesy — who could resist that? (Clearly, not me.) It’s comfort food at its finest, and pairs nicely with the winter squash and heavier vegetables of the season.

But some days, I want the heartiness of risotto without all of its attendant richness. This year’s winter has been weirdly mild, and last week, a heavy dish like mushroom risotto felt like almost too much. So instead, I made an approximation of risotto, using quinoa.

Risotto is so creamy in part because of the starchiness of the short-grain rice used to make it, typically Arborio or Carnaroli rice. Though, to be fair, the addition of copious amounts of butter and cheese help. Obviously I knew that my quinoa risotto would not be able to approximate that, though because I wanted a lighter version of risotto, I was okay with that. Perhaps adding a touch of cream would have helped, but I didn’t have any at home.

My end result was more akin to a cheesy mushroom quinoa pilaf than true risotto, albeit a pilaf laden with sauteed mushrooms and roasted garlic and fresh thyme. Oh and cheese, lots and lots of Parmesan cheese. …

Cranberry Orange Scones

Today was such a Monday. The disappointment of a not-warm-enough shower led to the frustrations of a heavily packed train and a very busy day at work (which was not brightened by the eagerly anticipated arrival of my Kindle AmazonFail), which then resulted in a shortened gym visit and leftovers for dinner. Boo.

You know what would have made today better? A freshly baked scone. Perhaps that was a very contrived opening to this post, but all I can think about as I sit here looking at photos of these cranberry orange scones is how much I want one right now. Buttery and warm, sweet but tart, soft, plush interiors with a crisp crust — nothing can turn a frown upside down quite like a scone.

We had these for breakfast Thanksgiving weekend, topped with crunchy almonds that toast up in the oven to add a pleasant nuttiness to the whole thing. I made the dough, rolled them out and flash-froze them a few days earlier, then put them on a baking sheet, topped them with the almonds and baked them each morning.

I wish there were a few more left, hanging out in my freezer right now. They’d go perfect with a cup of hot chocolate, a good book and a quiet Monday night. …

Stewed Red Lentils with Carrots and Chorizo

As the main component in dal, a staple of Indian cuisine and therefore my childhood dinners, the lentil is no stranger to my life. There are various kinds: yellow, red, black, green, and they all sit in large jars in my pantry at home, colorful little gems that meant very little to me at the time.

Because I ate them pretty much every single day growing up, I eschewed lentils when I began cooking on my own. Though I love it, dal kind of gets boring after a while, and sometimes I need a respite. Unfortunately, my parents packed two large canisters full of lentils for me on their last visit, leaving me with plenty of red and yellow split lentils, but no desire to cook them. Since they don’t go bad, they just sat languishing in my cabinet for months on end (my parents don’t visit often … ).

Somehow, it never occurred to me that lentils don’t always have to be used in dal. Faced with a mostly empty fridge a few weeks ago and a looming 10-day long decampment to Maryland, I was forced to improvise. Chorizo + carrots + shallots + lentils? Oookay. In the words of my sorely missed Project Runway fave Tim Gunn, “make it work.”

The blend of fiery spices, garlicky pimentÃ³n from the chorizo and sweetness from the carrots created a stew-like dish that is hearty and rich, layered with flavor and bursting with warmth. It wasn’t the best thing I ate that week (I did go home that weekend, to be fair), but it was a nice dish to come home to after Thanksgiving. Filling fare without being particularly sinful — exactly what I need as I try to curb my eating habits during the holiday season.

By the way, if you have any lentil recipes that don’t involve dal, please let me know — I’d love to try them! …

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Once, long before this blog ever existed, I made a pumpkin pie. The recipe most likely came from the can of pumpkin I used, the crust was undoubtedly pre-made (while I’ve dabbled in pate brisee, I’ve never actually made a traditional homemade pie) and the reception was lackluster.

After that, I stopped making pumpkin desserts altogether. It wasn’t until last year, first with the pumpkin whoopie pies and then with the ginger pumpkin tart, that pumpkin gained its way back into my good graces. But that left me with a dilemma for this year’s Thanksgiving: do I try a pumpkin pie again?

Thankfully, Joy the Baker gave me an easier option: pumpkin pie bars. I love me some bar cookies, mostly because they’re small and portable and therefore much easier for large parties than slicing a pie would be. Plus, there was no rolling of dough involved, and with the countertops already sticky from a scone adventure (oooh, foreshadowing!), this recipe gives everyone a break.

Pumpkin, cream cheese, warm spices, walnuts, brown sugar, butter and oats all come together to form a barely sweet, subtly spicy, creamy, crunchy little bar. It’s the sassy little sister of pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, pumpkin is less de rigeurÂ in December than it is in October and November. I hope that doesn’t mean you’ll wait a year to make these. I know I certainly won’t.

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! I’m thankful for the chance to laugh and eat with family and friends. I’m also thankful for all of you, who make this blog so much fun! …

Thyme-Roasted Beets with Walnuts and Chevre

Before Sunday, I had never really cared for beets. A taste here, a bite there — all were less than memorable, even if the vegetable was pink. But that all changed this weekend, when I encountered my first roasted beet at Founding Farmers, my new favorite restaurant in Maryland.

Beets are earthy — to me they literally smell like ~~dirt~~ soil. But when roasted at high temperatures, they turn sweet, their copious amounts of sugar caramelizing to an almost candy-like state. While nibbling on a roasted-to-the-point-of-near-death beet and then another and then another, I contemplated my previously beet-free existence. That dirt flavor mellows. Into something sweet and candy-like. But it’s a vegetable, so it’s good for you. And it’s a beautiful magenta color. Where has this been all my life?

To make up for the years of missed opportunities, I dragged Isabel and Nila straight from brunch to the grocery store, and came home with two bunches of baby beets. I immediately thought of a recipe I had seen on Kiss My Spatula months before, memorable because of the beautiful, colorful pictures. Thyme is one of my favorite herbs to begin with, so thyme-roasted beets it was.

Rooting around in the kitchen, I found some goat cheese and some walnuts, a perfect pairing for my roasted beets. A little toasting of the nuts in a skillet, a little crumbling of the goat cheese, some peeling of warm beet skins (this is by far the most tedious part of the recipe, and leaves your fingers a shocking shade of fuschia) and voila!

A side dish that is tangy and sweet and earthy and snappy — perfect for a Thanksgiving meal, if I do say so myself. If you, like me, care more about the sides on Thanksgiving than the turkey itself, then this is a dish for you.

Note: If you’re still shoring up your Thanksgiving menu (coughwithonlyafewdaysleft?Iwouldneverdothatobvicough), here are a few of my favorites, compiled into a neat little recipe archive. Feel free to add your favorites in the comments! …

Baked Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes

It feels like everyone I know, including myself, is infinitely busier in fall than at any other point in the year. The carefree days of summer are over, and there are a few months to buckle down and wrap up the year before the cheery break that is the holidays. The arduous slog is made worse by the decrease in daylight,Â as there are literally fewer hours in the day in which to get everything done.

Oddly enough, I kind of love this about fall. While I’m always seemingly extra busy, I appreciate those spare hours of free time so much more. That morning cup of coffee means more to me when it also doubles as a hand warmer against the brisk autumnal breeze. Â What was a standard bedtime ritual during the summer, reading before bed*, has now become a luxury, and I look forward to it all day long.

Being extra busy also means that dinners lean heavily towards the “comfort food” territory. For me, that obviously involves cheese and carbs. While a traditional mac and cheese would certainly have filled my requirements, I decided to create a pasta version of one of my favorite dips: spinach and artichoke dip. (Don’t even try and get between me and spinach-artichoke dip. Homey don’t play.)

While the original recipe for the pasta calls for frozen creamed spinach, (un)fortunately, I couldn’t find that at Whole Foods, so I made the creamed spinach myself. If you’re short on time, you can try the frozen (thaw it first), but making the spinach yourself takes barely 10 minutes and is so. friggin. delicious.

I also added a good amount of red chili flakes, to wake the whole dish up. The resulting baked pasta with spinach and artichokes is a mess of cheesy goodness, creamy and rich but somehow not overwhelming — it’s like the presence of green things makes it feel less like a caloriffic bomb.

*I’ve just started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, and I’m riveted. A friend recommended it to me two (!!!) years ago and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t pick it up sooner. …

Tales from San Francisco

Last weekend, in the short breaks between stuffing my face, having serious existential crises regarding this blog (who am I? what do I do? how do I articulate that in 10 seconds?) and tearing through the surprisingly not overrated Freedom, I also explored San Francisco.

As a lifelong East Coast-er who can’t fathom leaving New York City, I’ve never been terribly interested in the left side of this country. To add insult to injury, both Milan and Nila have decamped to the San Francisco area in the past few years, leaving me resentful of the area for stealing some of my closest friends.

But San Francisco’s food scene is something to behold. The emphasis on fresh, local ingredients prepared in creative ways beckoned to me, as did the stories of delicious Chinese, seafood and sourdough bread — oh the bread! I’d heard so much about the San Fran sourdough, tangy with a crisp crust and a soft interior, the perfect foil for California cheeses, seafood chowders from Fisherman’s Wharf, rich, sweet cream butter, Nutella — I had so many plans for this bread. Buoyed by dreams of delicious dinners and luscious lunches, I braved the six-hour flight.*

Mere hours after landing, I found myself at Zuni Cafe, the famed restaurant that just happened to be near where Milan lives. Zuni is known for its succulent roasted whole chicken, made to order every time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t hungry enough to eat the meant-for-two meal by myself, and too hungry to wait the hour for the chicken to be made, so instead, I had short ribs. Melt in your mouth short ribs, served alongside greens and eggplant. The dish was so good I didn’t even notice that I was eating eggplant.

The next morning, Milan took me to another neighborhood favorite, Dottie’s True Blue Cafe. The outside of the restaurant is unremarkable, save for the long line of people waiting to get in to this small restaurant. Because we were eating at 8:30 a.m. on a Friday morning, we only had to wait a half hour (!!!), but by the time we left the place an hour later, the line had already started stretching down the block.

And for good reason — everything was delicious. The jalapeÃ±o cornbread was spicy and sweet, the potatoes were perfectly crispy, my poached eggs atop black bean cakes was heavenly and the caramel bread pudding … well, I think you can guess how that went. The best part? They were both quick and generous with coffee.

While FoodBuzz accounted for most of my meals after that, I ended my trip with a taste of Mexican from San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, a far cry from the California Tortillas and Baja Freshes and Chipotles of my youth.

The food was everything I had hoped for: fresh, flavorful, varied in influence.Â Sadly, however, I never got my bread. There’s always next time …

*I’ve always been solidly of the opinion that if you’re flying more than 3 hours, you better be going to a different country. Oh the agony of a nonstop flight!

FoodBuzz Festival 2011

I’m ashamed to admit that prior to this weekend, I was in a bit of a food blogging rut. While I was happy with the food (not to brag, but there have been some real winners in my kitchen recently), the photos were unimpressive, the writing was too often hastily constructed and there was just a whole lot of ennui regarding this blog. Awful, I know. I’m embarrassed to admit it, especially when you all have always been so supportive.

Part of the problem was an extremely busy month at work, while another was the fact that I joined a gym — waking up at 6 a.m. to work out morning makes it really difficult to ~~write~~ ~~cook~~ ~~think~~Â do anything other than veg out in front of the TV at night. Whatever the cause, I was in a rut.

Thankfully, the third annual FoodBuzz Festival in San Francisco was this weekend. While I love the city, getting away for a much-needed vacation, seeing Milan for the first time since May, and most of all, meeting/learning from some of the best food bloggers on the Interwebs provided the recharge I needed to (hopefully) kickstart this blog again.

A sampling of desserts from the Welcome Dinner

The festival, my first, featured a jam-packed schedule: a welcome dinner on Friday night, instructional sessions Saturday morning, a tasting pavilion in the afternoon, plus a gala dinner with Tyler Florence in the evening, and then Sunday brunch with a crazy-spicy Bloody Mary.

Meeting fellow food bloggers, many of whom have been doing this for much longer than I have, was so exciting — there was so much to learn from everyone! One of the hardest challenges for me was answering the question, “so what do you write about?” I’ve never thought of this blog as a brand, so being asked to boil it down to its essence was tough. That was one of the many questions swirling in my head as I flew back home.

Rather than going through everything I did and ate at the event, I’ll briefly mention the five most important things I took away from the festival. While some of these things pertain to food blogging specifically, there were some larger points about writing in general as well.

1) Find your own unique personal “brand” and stick to it — make your voice/writing style clear.

2) Carefully consider every single element of a post. Don’t slap together a few photos and a few words and call it a night ( … oops.)

3) Create a narrative when composing food shots. Tell a story and build a shot in which every element adds to that story.

4) Use social media to engage readers and find friends, not just followers. Truth be told, I seldom used Twitter for blog purposes before the conference, but inspired by what I’ve learned, I created a bites out of life Twitter account. If you tweet, let me know!

5) No personal story is off-limits. While in a panel featuring some of the most well-known/experienced bloggers out there (Kath Eats, Peas and Thank You, Joy the Baker, Shutterbean and How Sweet It Is), all of the ladies reinforced how important it is to talk about yourself and your life — those stories connect you to readers more than anything else.

Tyler Florence at the Tasting Pavilion

In a dream world, you’ll see the results of these lessons at some point in the very near future. To be honest, I’m a little overwhelmed with how much I should be doing, and how little I’ve been doing thus far. Writing a blog started out as a personal pet project almost two (!!!) years ago, but now that I’m attending conferences and meeting bloggers and getting *gasp* swag bags, maybe it’s time to kick myself into gear. One of the most ridiculous things I learned this weekend was how so many bloggers juggle children and jobs and blogging. I’ll never say I was “too busy” again …

It will take me a few days to fully absorb everything that I experienced this weekend. But my hope that as the calendar inches closer to my favorite time of year, perhaps my new inspiration coupled with my love of the holidays will kick this rut to the curb and I’ll produce some of my best work yet!

Note: Don’t worry, I have plenty to say about actually being in San Francisco — I’ll share that soon.

Also, sorry for the lack of photos. I was too distracted by the amazing food to take photos. Bad blogger, bad!

Arroz con Pollo

Growing up, dinner was usually a predictable affair. We knew that the food would be Indian, there would be some sort of protein, usually in curried form, at least one vegetable, salad — all served with, as always, rice.Â I say this not as a bad thing, as there was usually plenty of variety within the different “categories,” almost too much variety for a ~~picky~~ discerning eater like myself. Rather, I say this because in my lifetime, I’ve eaten a LOT of rice.

The funny thing is, I’ve never actually made rice myself. Usually there’s a mom or an aunt or a sister or a dad or a neighbor or a stranger around to make it for me — to make sure that the ratio of water to rice is correct, that the rice doesn’t overboil or become mushy or scorch or any of the millions of other issues that can arise while cooking rice. I’m not a huge fan of it anyway, and in my grownup life, have branched out to different grains.

But last week, hampered by a fierce craving for arroz con pollo, a Latin American chicken and rice dish, I decided to make my first batch of rice while also cooking chicken, chorizo, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onion in the same pot. While traditional versions of arroz con pollo include beer and annato in the recipe, and do not rely so heavily on tomatoes, this Food and Wine version offered the stewy, hearty magic I needed to warm up on these *shudder* wintry nights.

Unfortunately, the use of a very large pot on a small, less-than-satisfactory stove led to many rice-cooking issues. While the rice in the middle of the pot cooked in the suggested 25-minute time range, the rice on the sides of the pot remained raw, and took close to an hour to cook. The chicken also cooked unevenly, since the heat from the tiny burner didn’t distribute well under the large pot. If you too have a, shall we say ghetto, stove, I would check the arroz con pollo every 15 minutes or so, to stir the pot and make sure everything cooks evenly.

Cooking issues aside, this recipe made me actually miss rice. The act of eating stewy, saucy chicken reminded me of home-cooked chicken curriesÂ and the Spanish-influenced flavors (helped along by a generous helping of chorizo) made me miss Madrid once again. It’s slightly sweet, garlicky and tomato-y, with little bites of salty, spicy goodness scattered throughout. I’ve got leftovers for days, and, in a strange twist of fate for this leftover-averse gal*, I’m kind of really excited to eat them.

*My dislike for leftovers stems exclusively from the fact that we have no microwave in my new apartment. Thus, reheating food requires the use of a pan or pot, then the washing of said pan or pot. Not. Fun.

Note: I’m currently on my way to San Francisco (oh the magic of the Interwebs) for the 2011 FoodBuzz FestivalÂ / to see the fabulous Milan. I’m sure I’ll be doing lots of eating and learning and photo-taking, and I can’t wait to share with you all once I get back! …

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

The weather has taken an unspeakably sharp turn for the worst recently. Torrential winds and rain on Thursday turned into a full-blown snowstorm by the week’s end, leaving me to wonder whether I should carve pumpkins or have a snowball fight on Saturday afternoon. (I ended up doing neither, and drank wine and made movie-night treats instead.)

In an attempt to ward off the cold, I made this pumpkin and black bean soup Thursday night, an homage to Halloween in both color and taste. It’s both trick and treat: warm, smoky, sweet, creamy. And unlike most soups and stews, it takes little time to make, requiring only the chopping of an onion and some garlic and the opening of a few cans in terms of work. Relying on cumin, cayenne, chili powder and curry powder for flavor, the soup manages to capture the essence of “cold-weather food” without being overly rich.

The inclusion of curry powder scared me at first, since I’ve never cooked with it before. Curry powder is a blend of spices, usually coriander, cumin, fenugreek, black pepper and turmeric, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg, caraway, fennel, mustard seed, ginger, garlic — depending on the recipe, there can be endless possibilities.

Because blends can vary wildly, my family never uses it (I don’t think I had ever encountered it until college), but for the purposes of not overcomplicating a very simple recipe, I used it this time. (My powder was aÂ blend of tumeric, fenugreek, coriander, mustard flour, cumin, ginger root, black pepper, allspice, cayenne and fennel.) The flavor imparted is mildly “Indian,” with hints to the food I grew up with, though it was very clear that my mom must use a different blend for her food.

Not only did this soup cure me of my weather-related malaise (maybe the wine helped), it also cured me of my aversion to pumpkin soup. Like with butternut squash, I find that too many pumpkin soups are cloying, too full of cinnamon and cream to be anything other than liquid pie filling. Most gourds are already inherently sweet, so I much prefer recipes that balance that sweetness with spice. This soup packs in tons of spice, especially once I dumped in a good heaping of chili powder.

If only it could dry out my still rain-soaked shoes. Now that would be truly magical. …

Mummy Pretzel Rods

There’s not much to say about these mummy pretzel rods, other than:

A) They’re chocolate-covered pretzels, aka a winning combination of salty and sweet.

B) You can make them in less than a half hour, depending on your skill with a piping bag/ability to chop chocolate.

C) Adorable does not even begin to describe the end result. Especially if you buy small pretzels too, and then make mini-mummy pretzel rods.

D) At About.com’s annual Halloween party (which, oddly enough, took place yesterday), they were mentioned honorably in the company’s “bake-off.”

Whether you’re exploring the world of homemade candy this Halloween weekend or just need a delicious snack, these pretzel rods are spook-tacularly good. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I’ll stop typing now and turn in my writing credentials.)

Note: I recently wrote a story on Diwali sweets, featuring my family’s recipe for Gajar ki Halwa (a sweet with carrots) for City Spoonful. Check it out! …

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