blueberry ginger pie

Recipe from Everyday Food magazine.

breakfast sausages

in a pool of maple syrup



(I was at a diner eating this—with waffles, not pictured—while my bf was doing a triathlon... is that wrong?)

gazpacho

When I think summer, I think gazpacho.

There are tons of gazpacho recipes out there, but I chose this one from Anne Burrell, because I was intrigued by her incorporation of bread (an ingredient that never would have occurred to me). I think the bread added a wonderful body to the soup, so it feels like you're eating something substantial (gazpacho can sometimes tend to be a bit watery). If you're looking for a good gazpacho recipe, I highly recommend Anne's.

french toast

dinner at sandra's

A glorious July 4th meal prepared by my friend Sandra...

Shrimp with hot peppers:


Baked asparagus with oil & balsamic:


Roasted fennel:


My contribution—Crostini with nectarine, goat cheese, scallion & jalapeno:
(is it just me, or does it look happy?)


Homemade pesto:


Fried zucchini:


Manchego with the chorizo, before it was cooked:


Chorizo and onions sautéed in red wine:


(don't worry, lonely chorizo, I will eat you.)


Biscotti and raspberries, with a raspberry lambic:



Thank you, Sandra!
As much as I love to cook, sometimes it's nice to just be the eater :-)

potato-crusted tilapia with chives and rosemary

I used this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.
(the recipe calls for purple potatoes, but I just used regular yukon gold)

chorizo & fried bananas

the chorizo: sliced & sautéed in a little oil, until edges are crispy.

the banana: sliced, dipped in egg wash (1 egg + 1 TBSP water), dredged in panko, seasoned with a little salt, and sautéed in oil until crispy.

soft pretzels

I used this recipe from Bobby Flay.

amaretto-cherry ice cream

A bowl of cherries splashed with amaretto liqueur makes a fine dessert. But it's even better when served over vanilla ice cream. In this case, it's nice to transform the amaretto into a syrup. Just boil the amaretto in a saucepan on the stove, until it reduces to a syrup-y consistency (cool for a few minutes so it doesn't melt the ice cream upon impact).

paris revisited

Feeling wistful for my incredible Paris trip in May '07, so I pulled some photos from the archives...

les escargots (very garlicky)...


a wonderful steak, saignant (cooked very rare)...


croque-monsieur (toasted ham & cheese with melted cheese on top)...


and one of my favorite meals: picking up various food items from the markets, and assembling them into a meal in the hotel room, looking out the terrace...

bacon

natural beauty

stuffed mushroom

The filling: equal parts seasoned bread crumbs & parmesan, plus chopped parsley and minced garlic. Add just enough olive oil to bind everything together.

Clean mushrooms, remove stems, and spoon filling into the hollow part. Arrange on an oiled baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes (until breadcrumbs are golden).

crêpes, part deux

I did a crêpe post a while back, but after a lot of photography practice (and brand new lighting!), I thought I'd try again...




I also reshot my strawberry-balsamic-basil crêpe cups, in a slightly more dainty presentation:

garlic burger

Lean, ground angus beef, with a minced garlic clove mixed in, and seasoned with salt & pepper. Cooked in a very lightly oiled pan on the stove, until the outside has a nice crust, and the inside is slightly on the rare side of medium. The bun is a toasted potato roll—each side has a light coating of mayo, and a dusting of freshly ground black pepper—and the burger is topped with a paper-thin slice of tomato.

yummm