Flashback Friday – Would You Believe?

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 7/16/08 at Exit 51

Would You Believe?

Rose Levy Beranbaum talked to me?   Well she did. And I can prove it.

Ok, so it’s not like we had a leisurely chat over coffee or anything. She was on today’s Free Range on Food chat hosted by the Washington Post. Seeing as how I had drooled all over myself reading her pie recipes, this was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up to ask a few questions.

So I did.  And she answered ‘em.  Check it out: Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Would You Believe?”

Cucumber Tzatziki

I’ve officially given up on trying to grow any vegetables here at the BAH compound.  My experiment in container gardening was a complete disaster and my failure to remove the offending containers from the back porch is a daily reminder of that.  The only thing that I was able to propagate was a bumper crop of weeds.

In that perfect world of mine, I would have a wee patch of garden overflowing with tomatoes, squash, peppers, and cucumbers.  Universe, are you listening?  I get it.  In my life, I may never add master gardener to my list of accomplishments.  Clearly, you have other life lessons in store for me that take precedent.  So I will quit fighting it and rely on the generosity of those who aren’t horticulturally challenged when they offer to share the bounty of their garden with me.

Cucumber Tzatziki

BAH Note: Slather this on your sandwich, use it to dip fresh veg, or gobble it up on toasted pita.  There really isn’t a wrong way to enjoy this.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

  • 28 ounces plain yogurt (not low or non fat)
  • 3 medium cucumbers, peeled and seeded
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • kosher salt
  • ground celery seed
  • ground corriander seed

Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and line with several layers of cheesecloth or paper towels.  Empty the container of yogurt into the lined strainer and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours to drain.

Meanwhile, coarsely grate the cucumber and place it in a second strainer placed over a bowl.  Let stand for 3 hours to drain, squeezing out any excess moisture after 3 hours.

Once the yogurt has thickened, transfer it to a medium bowl and discard the liquid.  Add the grated cucumber and dill and mix well.  Season to taste with kosher salt, celery seed, and corriander seed to taste.

{printable recipe}

Perfect One Dish Dinners

I may, or may not, have a cookbook obsession.  It’s been a few months since I last put a new cookbook on the shelf.  It’s also been a few months since I picked up any of the cookbooks that were already on that shelf.  Maybe I’m more a cookbook collector than a user?  But don’t tell The Mistah that otherwise I’ll have to resort to sneaking new cookbooks into the house under the cover of darkness.  Some women buy new clothes or shoes they don’t want their husbands to know about.  My guilty purchases tend to lean more towards purses, camera gear, and cookbooks.  Don’t judge.  I know you come here for these peeks into the crazy. My point is that I have a weakness for cookbooks. Continue reading “Perfect One Dish Dinners”

Beet Chips

2010 has been full of my own personal food discoveries.  Not in the sense that I’ve discovered new food like some culinary Christopher Columbus or Neil Armstrong.  Although the mental image of me walking through the farmers market, claiming the beets and radishes and peas in the name of Bon Appetit Hon, and planting my flag is rather amusing.  I also don’t mean it in the sense of discovering the extreme cuisine of different cultures.  Traveling the world in search of culinary adventures isn’t my dream job. I don’t have the stamina or stomach of Anthony Bourdain.  I’m just a home cook from Baltimore who is trying to overcome some of my prejudices about what is palatable.

Take beets.  Until 2010 I would have said that meaning “please take them away from me, they are dreadful”.  But now, I mean they are a prime example of a food I have embraced this year.  I initially went a little overboard with the roasted beets and had to step away from them for a while.  But then the Universe found a new way to bring us together – beet chips. Continue reading “Beet Chips”

Flashback Friday – Today’s Count

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 7/2/08 at Exit 51

Today’s Count

If you read my July 1st post, you are already aware of my problem when it comes to collecting recipes.  Just to illustrate how in need I am of an intervention, I thought I’d share with you the recipes I found today. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Today’s Count”

Tool Time

image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 6/29/09 at Exit 51.

Tool Time

The kitchen here at Exit 51 is kind of small.  When I say that I’ve stayed in hotels with bathrooms bigger than my kitchen, that’s not an exaggeration.  It took a lot of creative thinking when we renovated to try and balance maximized storage space with everyday functionality.  And even after all that, it’s still a struggle to keep things in check.

Laugh if you like, but I think it is necessary to have three separate pairs of spring loaded tongs. If I had my way, I’d have every conceivable kitchen gadget on the market.  Well, maybe not every one.  But I’d definitely have more.  Because even though gadgets and gizmos won’t make you a better cook, they can certainly make it easier for you to be the best cook you can.

Continue reading “Tool Time”

Flashback Friday – On Probation

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 7/1/08 at Exit 51.

On Probation

I’ve got a secret, I’m addicted to finding new recipes to try. So far, I haven’t found a program to help me overcome this affliction. Instead, I try to keep it hidden away in folders and binders in dark corners of the house. The problem is that on this information superhighway, there’s no shortage of rest stops that tempt my demons. I have folders stuffed with pages from websites, magazines, and even some newspapers.

To balance this habit, I rarely buy cookbooks. I’m still trying to get through recipes I pulled years ago from Cooking Light, so how can I justify spending money on a book full of recipes I would have to put in the test rotation? At that rate, my folders would overflow like the loaves and fishes. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – On Probation”

God Doesn’t Make Mushy Peas

Fresh Peas

There’s been some lively discussion among the Baltimore Food Bloggers recently about peas.  Not just any peas.  Fresh picked peas. From the Farmers Market.  To quote Noel of 990 Square, “And if you have never had peas from the pealady – you simply don’t know what you’re missing. These are the best peas ever. And they never fail to disappoint. These peas are to pea-experiences what the chicken I had in Florence was to eating poultry. A revelation. Am I exaggerating? Check out the line they garner every Sunday – it’s bigger than the Zeke’s line….. and doesn’t really die down until the peas are gone. People ask – why’s the line so long? And you know they have never had these peas. Because if they had, they’d be in line and not asking stupid questions. The line’s long; it’s because it’s good.” Continue reading “God Doesn’t Make Mushy Peas”

Kumquat Jam

I have a terrible habit of generalized procrastinating.  Sure the bills get paid on time and birthday cards appear in mailboxes without needing to apologize for the lateness of their arrival.  But most other things that have deadlines?  I tend to cut those really close or miss them all together.  Calendars don’t help me.  I have three of them.  And somehow, whatever appointment or date or deadline I need won’t be on the calendar I happen to be looking at.  Maybe I need a personal assistant to stay on top of things.  I had hoped that The Mistah could take on that responsibility but he’s more scattered than I am…we’re quite a pair, really.  So until the cat learns how to coordinate my day planner, Yahoo calendar, and the 12 months of Sock Monkeys for 2010 hanging on the fridge, I’ve got only myself to blame.

And since I do the cooking around here, I can only blame myself for letting ingredients sit unused and unloved in the refrigerator until they go bad.  I’m at my worst with produce.  Fruits and vegetables get buried in the bins until they bear only the slightest resemblance to their former selves.  Cleaning out the crispers is always an archaeological adventure.  The bag with mushy dark green torpedos covered in fuzz?  Could be the cucumbers I bought weeks ago for salad.  Or it could be a weapon of mass destruction lurking about my Frigidaire.  And I could swear that the Tupperwear had jicama slices in it.  But now it’s filled with an oozy slime that renders the contents unidentifiable. I sometimes wonder if I should be wearing a hazmat suit on those occasions when I  get around to cleaning out the fridge. Because I’m sure that labs, where they actually mean to produce mold and penicillin, take safety precautions.  And I’ve seen enough episodes of “How Clean Is Your House” to be properly skeeved out by the knowledge of what havoc bacteria can unleash. Continue reading “Kumquat Jam”