cooking spree

Cooking Spree: Raspberry Tiramisu

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Following a bleary-eyed week of little sleep but joyous puppy loving, I somehow pulled myself together this weekend to knock off another item on my 2011 resolution list:  home entertaining.

Some of my dearest ladies came over to experience my reinterpretation of the Italian feast. And to finish the meal after a hearty heap of pasta, I thought there was no better accompaniment than the Italian dessert classic tiramisu. During my New York days, I made tiramisu a couple of times but it’s been at least six years since … I don’t know why, because it’s so easy! The hardest part is tracking down real ladyfingers, which was simple in Queens but is a little more of a challenge in Charlotte. Thank goodness for Pasta & Provisions.

This time around I felt that the traditional chocolate-espresso tiramisu needed a lighter makeover, since the Italian feast of meat and sauce is on the heavy side and our weather has been in the 80s already (in March!). So this is a summer-ized riff on the classic recipe with raspberries, whipped cream and orange liqueur. It’s fluffy and creamy, yet tart and really not too sweet. Keep reading »

Cooking Spree: Cake balls

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It has come to my attention that some of you don’t know about a little thing called cake balls.

They will change your life. And your waistline.

I first discovered cake balls at my cousin’s wedding — I thought they were truffles, but instead I bit into this gooey, creamy, flaky, unidentifiable substance. It was delicious heaven.

When I got back to the office, I was raving about these wonders and my fellow-foodie coworker scoured Google for them. That’s how we found Bakerella, the grande dame of cake balls. Her blog is the go-to source for all cake ball varieties and amazingly inventive ways to decorate them, and her “cake pop” cookbook is on the New York Times bestseller list.
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Cooking Spree: Chinese Takeout

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For many years I lived in the heart of NYC, where anything you can imagine was delivered straight to my door:  food, groceries, laundry, cupcakes, wine, even prescription medicine. That came in really handy when I had the flu and could order Gatorade, a bagel and some chicken soup from the deli downstairs. You become friendly with your regular delivery folk, in an awkward, overly-familiar kind of way. When the laundry comes back, you try to meet their eyes, smile and thank them at the door while hoping they weren’t the ones folding your clean underwear earlier that day.

In Manhattan, almost all restaurants deliver, and you’ll find a folder crammed full of countless menus in every NYC kitchen. When I didn’t feel like cooking, I reveled in my ability to order takeout from anywhere at anytime. I explored the world’s cuisines from the comfort of my own couch — sushi, Indian, Thai, Italian, Mexican, Hawaiian, Greek. Now that I’m back in the suburban South, my options are limited to pizza. Or pizza. Needless to say, I don’t have food delivered anymore.

That’s okay, since I discovered how to make some of my favorite Chinese food at home. I give you sweet & sour chicken with coconut rice and sesame noodles. I won’t claim either to be authentic, but they’ll do for me.
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Cooking Spree: Pimento Cheese

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Growing up, I thought pimento cheese was disgusting. I guess it was because the only kind I ever ate was from a plastic tub in the grocery store that had been sitting there for who knows how long. It was pink and overly mayonnaise-y, had no distinctive taste (especially not of cheese) and was just grody all around.

One year, I went to a July 4th picnic and someone brought homemade pimento cheese — a revelation. You could see cheese in it, the pimiento wasn’t overpowering and it had a hint of garlic. That was the first time I realized there was another kind of pimento cheese.

I’m not sure why it’s a southern staple (or why we spell it wrong), but you’ll find pimento cheese on menus and in homes all over the South. The classic way to eat it is sandwiched between two slices of white bread, but you’ll also see it stuffed into celery sticks, in grilled cheese or melted atop a burger. Yum. I prefer to eat it with something crunchy for texture, so I serve mine with Triscuits. Something about the salty crunch with creamy cheese just works. Keep reading »

Cooking Spree: Brunswick Stew

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Hello, world! It’s been busy days here at Constitution Lane, so I’m sorry I had to drop off for a bit. You’ll be glad to know that I followed through last weekend on a cooking spree and made Brunswick Stew. (Suffice it to say that I cook when I’m stressed.) The stew is pretty delicious, and it’s the perfect meal for chilly, early fall in the South.

I love a stew, since like soup you just throw a mess of ingredients in a pot, cook it for a couple of hours and, voila!, you have a thick, rich meal to warm up your insides. The other good thing about a stew is that it is entirely manipulatable – you can get creative or just throw every leftover in your kitchen into it, and it will be wonderful. Keep reading »

Cooking Spree: Blueberry Scones

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I’m a big freezer.

(I mean, I freeze a lot of things. Not that I’m a large appliance.)

(But you probably knew that.)

As you saw earlier, I’m in the midst of a cooking spree. I noticed that I had some leftover frozen blueberries for some reason. Sometimes when I buy fresh blueberries, I pour them onto a sheet pan, freeze them and then store in a Ziploc bag to preserve them. I hate throwing away food, so I decided to seize this perfect opportunity to make scones. Keep reading »

Cooking Spree: Chocolate Banana Bread

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I have a confession to make:  I’ve been on kind of a cooking spree.

Well, a baking spree. It’s what happens when I don’t cook for awhile. It all builds up and comes out in a binge.

I was visiting a friend in D.C. a couple of years ago, and she served this amazing banana bread with chocolate chips. A winning combo. I don’t make banana bread often, maybe once a year, but I had some leftover bananas just about to turn and a hankering to bake something. Plus I live and breathe for chocolate. Any kind, anywhere, anyhow. Keep reading »