Tag: Washington Post

Random

Flashback Friday – Thanks, But No Thanks

by WendiLeave a Comment on Flashback Friday – Thanks, But No Thanks

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 1/22/08 on Exit 51.

Thanks, But No Thanks

I get way too many catalogs and junk in the mail. It all ends up in the recycling bin and most of it never even gets a second look. The way I figure it, if I want to buy something from Crate and Barrel, William Sonoma, or Eddie Bauer, I’ll go on their website. Them sending me catalogs every few weeks isn’t going to prompt me to make a purchase.

And the thing is, once you do order something from a merchant it seems like an avalanche of random catalogs follows. Just last week, I got one from Sundance. ‘Scuse me, I’ve never been to Sundance, never knew they had a retail side, never visited their web site, and certainly never bought from them. But sure enough, I got their catalog.

I was pretty much resigned to just being reactive to the onslaught. But after reading this article –

Stop the Paper Trail

– in the Washington Post, I went on the offensive. I’m not endorsing these websites or their services, but I think it’s worth checking out if it means less junk in the mail. I will be interested to see if I manage to escape the catalog crush going forward. Pottery Barn…you’ve been put on notice!

Main Course, Pasta

Ragu

by Wendi12 Comments on Ragu

Penne with Mushrooms

Would it surprise you if I said that for most of my life, I thought ragu meant the spaghetti sauce that came in the jar with the picture of a gondola?  Tragic, I know.  It’s a wonder that I have any kitchen skills after years of being exposed to high levels of prepackaged food radiation.  I have since come to appreciate that a ragu is traditionally a sauce of ground beef, tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, white wine, and seasoning.  But I struggle with homemade pasta sauces, maybe because I’m so accustomed to eating the jarred stuff, after making a few modifications of course.  So instead of trying to master a traditional ragu, I decided to give mushroom ragu a try. Continue reading “Ragu” →

Chicken, Main Course

Asparagus Chicken With Creamy Dijon Sauce

by Wendi9 Comments on Asparagus Chicken With Creamy Dijon Sauce

Sauced and Plated

I’ve cooked many a boneless chicken breast in my day.  If I’m being honest, I’ve ruined more than I’ve gotten right.  It all started in college, in a tiny campus housing apartment with an electric stovetop.  Neither UMBC nor the Office of Residential Life trusted us enough to put ovens in the apartments.  And for whatever reason, it never occurred to me to cook the chicken in the toaster oven before it eventually went up in flames.  Continue reading “Asparagus Chicken With Creamy Dijon Sauce” →

Sweets

Fluffy

by Wendi17 Comments on Fluffy

White Frosting

Fluffy is one of my more colorful nicknames, thanks to a former coworker (hi Grage, howyadoin?).  But as the years have gone by, it seems as though things have gotten less fluffy in general.  Life has a way of deflating and obscuring the fluff, which is a shame because fluffy is light.  Fluffy is fun.  Fluffy is happy.  These are all good things.  And did I mention that, in the kitchen, fluffy tastes good? Continue reading “Fluffy” →

Main Course

Commitment

by Wendi5 Comments on Commitment
image from www.istockphoto.com
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

I have a fear of commitment when it comes to some things.  Like slow cooked beef.  For about a year, I’ve had my eye on a slow cooked beef recipe that I found at Washingtonpost.com.  The first time I thought about making it, I figured I must have misread the recipe because I didn’t remember that it would take 10 hours to cook a 4 pound roast.  So back in the folder it went.  I kept coming back to it over and over but just couldn’t commit to it.  It got to the point that I decided I was never going to have what it takes for slow cooked beef and threw the recipe out.  But the Universe had other ideas and over the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, the WaPo food folks were singing its praises and confirming that the time was not a typo. So I decided to make the commitment and fix slow roasted beef for Christmas dinner. Continue reading “Commitment” →

Appetizers

Flashback Friday – What’s Cookin’

by Wendi16 Comments on Flashback Friday – What’s Cookin’

Flashback Friday

Today’s Flashback Friday entry was originally posted on 9/3/07 at Exit 51.

What’s Cookin’

There was a time when my ‘cooking’ skills consisted of zapping frozen meals, heating up cans of soup, or adding butter and water to a packet of dehydrated whatever and calling it dinner. Then through the magic of food magazines and cooking shows, I discovered that with a little more effort, I could take a bag’s worth of ingredients and turn them into a meal.

Of course, this is not to say that I don’t give in to the seduction of convenience food from time to time. There are days when I want the mac n cheese but don’t feel like the fuss and Trader Joe’s is more than happy to oblige.

I do try and plan at least one meal a week that is pulled from the stack of recipes I’ve gotten off the web or out of magazines. The keepers get put into a bulging three inch binder for future use and the rest get recycled. Here’s one of the latest keepers, adapted from a recent Washington Post food chat:

Sweet Pea Guacamole

Washington Post

1/2 pound frozen peas, thawed
1 shallot
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
fresh cilantro to taste
tiny pinch red pepper flakes
juice from half of a lime

Place ingredients into food processor and pulse until combined to your preferred texture. If you like a chunky texture, pulse less. If you want a smoother texture, pulse more.

I added some block style feta cheese in brine – maybe a tablespoon’s worth – to try and mimick that creamy smoothness you get in guacamole.

Great as an appetizer with chips but also nice spread on a turkey sandwich…yum.

Uncategorized

Introducing Flashback Friday

by Wendi4 Comments on Introducing Flashback Friday
Flashback Friday
calendar graphic from istockphoto.com

I’ve been thinking for a while how nice it would be if I had my posts from Exit 51 here at Bon Appetit Hon.  Actually, what I’ve been thinking is how much I wish I would have just been all BAH from the start of my life as a blogger but there’s no changing the past, only moving forward.  So to kick off 2010, I’m introducing Flashback Friday.  Each Friday I will feature a post from Exit 51.  My terminology over there was slightly different so please translate Exit 51 as BAH and SFC as The Mistah.  Without further ado, I give you Flashback Friday! Continue reading “Introducing Flashback Friday” →

Appetizers, Side Dishes

If At First You Don’t Succeed

by Wendi4 Comments on If At First You Don’t Succeed

Skillet Roasted Fish

As trite as it may sound to say ‘try, try again’, that’s exactly what I’m going do. Because the Skillet Roasted Fish that I tested for Cook’s Illustrated before our breakup came close to their goal of being well browned and moist. Except that it wasn’t well browned. It got the moist part right though, which is why I’m going to do two one thing:

  • Tinker with the recipe myself and see if I can’t find a foolproof way to get a golden brown crust.
  • Hold onto the test recipe to see if Cook’s Illustrated changes it in any way when it goes to print.

Since this is a recipe currently in development by CI, I cannot go into the how of it all just now. But if you’re curious about the accompanying veg, you’re in luck.  This originally appeared on Exit 51, but that’s no reason it can’t have a place at BAH.

Sweet Pea Guacamole

Adapted from the Washington Post

  • 1/2 pound frozen peas, thawed
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
  • fresh cilantro to taste
  • tiny pinch red pepper flakes
  • juice from half of a lime

Place ingredients into food processor and pulse until combined to your preferred texture. If you like a chunky texture, pulse less. If you want a smoother texture, pulse more.

I added some block style feta cheese in brine – maybe a tablespoon’s worth – to try and mimick that creamy smoothness you get in guacamole.

Great as an appetizer with chips but also nice spread on a turkey sandwich or served as a side with some not quite browned Skillet Roasted Fish…yum.

{Printable Recipe}

Uncategorized

Berger Cookies

by Wendi13 Comments on Berger Cookies

berger cookies
image from http://mylittlekitchen.blogspot.com/2008/03/state-by-state-maryland-berger-cookies.html

If you’ve ever spent any time in Baltimore, you’ve most likely heard of, and perhaps experienced, the phenomenon that is Berger Cookies.  For those of you not intimately acquainted with cakey, fudge topped goodness of the Berger Cookie, you have my condolences.  Because they are epic.  Really.

I came across a DIY Berger Cookie recently on washingtonpost.com.  Now, my experience with at home versions of store bought classics tells me that it’s a crap shoot.  Sometimes, the ends justify the means.  Other times, it’s a total bust.  But I’m willing to give Berger Cookies a chance.

Those of you on my Christmas mailing list down in Florida, I don’t want to get your hopes up but if these work, Santa (or the mailman) may be bringing you a taste of Bawlmer in time for the holidays.

My thanks to My Little Kitchen for the use of her photo.