2010 Archives

Summer Appetizer: Smoky Chipotle Guacamole

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 18, 2010 at 3:12pm

If you’ve eaten at Barrio Tequila Bar lately (and if you haven’t, you should…), you’ll recognize this guacamole presentation, with sliced jalapeños and radishes. I copied it because I’m absolutely smitten with the extra crunch and heat of the raw vegetables – as if I needed yet another reason to love guacamole. Or anything at…

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Summer Appetizer: Bite-Size Tomato Tarts on a Parmesan Crust

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 16, 2010 at 3:04pm

Here’s a new twist on an old favorite, turning this lovely 101 Cookbooks tomato tart into little tomato tart canapés. Don’t worry, I didn’t mess with that perfectly buttery, cheesy crust. Oh no. I just baked it in a flat rectangle instead of in a tart pan, then cut the still-warm crust into bite-size squares….

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An Ode to Breadcrumbs

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 14, 2010 at 4:00pm

Bored with broccoli? Tired of tilapia? Sick of scrambled eggs? Add breadcrumbs! A spoonful of buttery, toasty crumbs can make the most ordinary dish sublime.             Like the portabella mushroom, endive gratin, baked eggs, and fried chickpeas, above. What began as potentially bland fare – vegetables, an egg, canned beans…

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Grilled Steaks with Herb Butter

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 12, 2010 at 12:08pm

May I suggest adding a pat of herb butter to your grilled steaks? The butter melts over the hot beef, of course, pooling with the steak’s juices to create an obscenely addictive sauce. It’s a classic bistro presentation, alongside pommes frites, and is so delicious that you’ll soon be adding pats to everything. Grilled fish,…

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Sangriaah!

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 9, 2010 at 3:40pm

John and I love to sip sangria on a warm evening, despite the fact that it goes down like dangerously icy buttah. Beware the smooth deliciousness – there’s alcohol in that glass even if it doesn’t taste like it. John in particular is a fan of Masa’s sangrias, one sparkling, one white, and one red….

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Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 8, 2010 at 11:08am

Suffering in this heat wave? I suggest a little cool, creamy heaven. Save the egg whites and make Schaum Torte a few days later. Ice cream and meringue, the yin and yang of desserts. You heard it here first. The sun’s hot, mosquitoes are biting, I’m sipping gin & tonics, and I’m craving ice cream—’round…

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Ooh! Aah!

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 5, 2010 at 3:59pm

I cooked my brains out this weekend and loved every minute of it. See Saturday’s results – icy cold gazpacho, as well as poached eggs over potato pancakes – below. Both are new favorites, and why not? Crunchy, creamy, salty. Pretty much everything I crave. So where, you might wonder, are the pics of Sunday’s pork…

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Summer Saturday Lunch: Gazpacho, and Poached Eggs Over Potato-Green Pepper Pancakes

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jul 3, 2010 at 11:48am

Have I got a gazpacho recipe for you.  This version is smooth and creamy (without cream), made crunchy with a garnish of minced cucumber, green pepper, tomato, and croutons.  Serve it icy cold for summer in a bowl.             Or cup – sip it while you fry a few potato…

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Fresh Cherry Galette – Failed Yet Fabulous

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jun 30, 2010 at 7:23pm

I had high hopes for this quick little galette.  What’s not to love about fresh cherries in a flaky, buttery crust?             It looked so perfect when I slid it into the oven, plump and sweet and full of promise.  But when the timer went off and I opened the…

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Spaghetti Carbonara…Sort Of

Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Jun 28, 2010 at 6:34pm

As you might have noticed, I’ll eat eggs with pretty much anything.  Polenta, potatoes, bread, bread crumbs, salad, tomatoes, soup, on and on.  Take it from a former egg hater – eggs elevate all of these dishes from something ordinary to sublime. For pennies. For around 75 calories. So lovely. This dish is a sort-of…

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