I found some great pears on Ninth Street the other day, so with Thanksgiving nigh upon us, I decided to bake a traditional pear cake. Well, I’m sure it’s a tradition somewhere. The recipe calls for peeled pears, but I don’t bother as I don’t notice the peels once they’re baked. Also, I like to … Continue reading Pear Cake
Recipes
Tomato Soup
I went looking for a tomato soup recipe and the very first one I found turned out to be the one I tried. And it turned out to be quite tasty too. It’s called the Best Ever Tomato Soup. I can’t vouch for that, but it is quite good. I made it for lunch and … Continue reading Tomato Soup
Walnut Coffee Cake
I love walnuts. So the other day I decided to look for a coffee cake recipe with walnuts. And I think I found a good one. It’s from a great-grandmother so it’s got to be good, right? It’s pretty easy except the topping called for cutting the butter. I guess I should have looked … Continue reading Walnut Coffee Cake
Banana Bread
I had some bananas that were ripening faster than I expected, so I decided to bake some banana bread. Did you know that banana bread was invented during the Great Depression in the 1930s when frugal homemakers needed to find uses for overly ripe or even rotting bananas? Plus, baking soda and baking powder were … Continue reading Banana Bread
Hamburger Barbecue
Growing up, we always called it hamburger barbecue, never sloppy joes, and that’s how I still think of it. And I don’t think I’ve ever made it the same way twice. Ground beef, onion, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper, those seem to be the defining ingredients. I looked up a bunch of recipes yesterday and … Continue reading Hamburger Barbecue
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe
A recent episode of America’s Test Kitchen offered two pasta recipes. The first one, Pasta with Cheese and Eggs sounded easy and delicious, but it turned out to be disappointing. First, I opted for olive oil rather than than their recommended lard, so I guess that cut down on the flavor a bit. Plus, I … Continue reading Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe
Exploding Eggs
I’ve become somewhat obsessed with making poached eggs in the microwave ever since Graham Norton mentioned doing it on his radio show/podcast a few weeks ago. According the Graham, just break an egg into a ramekin that has a small bit of room temperature water in it, then throw it into the microwave for between … Continue reading Exploding Eggs
Banana Daiquiri
When we had those extremely cold days near zero degrees F. a few weeks ago, I got to thinking about warmer climes. But I dislike hot whether as much as I do cold, to say nothing about my aversion to travel. So the next best thing is a tropical style drink. So I looked up … Continue reading Banana Daiquiri
There Is No Recipe
When I was searching for a different bourbon drink to substitute for a Manhattan due to a temporary drought on vermouth, I decided to try an Old Fashioned, and I made an interesting discovery. Despite its name, which implies it has been around for quite some time, there is no universally agreed upon recipe—nowhere near. … Continue reading There Is No Recipe
Shrimp Jambalaya
I made shrimp jambalaya for lunch today for the first time. I was surprised by two things. How easy it was to make and how delicious it turned out. Will definitely make it again. Probably try some variations.