This was my first foray into making real fried chicken. I was nervous, to say the least. Something about the dish feels unfair to me. It’s almost as if every step has to be completed perfectly to end up with good fried chicken. Also, doesn’t it seem as though every recipe out there claims to be the best? I have been eyeing the recipe from the Ad Hoc cookbook for a while now. I figured, go big or go home.
Oh, and for your viewing pleasure…I’m told this is a well-loved song in the south. It’s charming, kind of.
Scones are sort of a sweetened version of biscuits. I couldn’t resist taking advantage of the cherry season and I whipped up a batch of these for friends and family. They certainly did not last long. Shortly after placing my scones in the oven, my entire kitchen was filled with wonderful aromas of cherry baked goodness. I can’t think of an easier to way to wake up my house-guests early on a Saturday morning- a house filled with beautiful smells and a belly soon full.
I’ve been spending my last few weeks of summer cooking and enjoying Boulder before I head west for a few months. While I am excited in the journey that awaits me in Napa, I will most certainly miss Boulder. I decided in honor of Boulder and my love for cooking I’d share some local Boulder farm links. Here’s to summer, local farming, and Boulder! Happy Friday and Happy Cooking!
Summer is not officially here until I make bruschetta with real tomatoes. And when I say real tomatoes, I mean the kind I pick fresh off the vine and are still warm from the sun. The kind that never, ever get refrigerated. Fresh tomatoes and basil served over grilled bread might be my favorite meal. Maybe an ear of sweet corn and a peach for dessert to round things out. Can it get any better than this? I love summer. I love the fresh produce it brings. And the first tomatoes, before there are so many you don’t know what to do, are the best.
Sometimes I forget about sloppy joes, and I was thinking maybe you forget about them sometimes too. So consider this your reminder that sloppy joes are a fun dinner idea.
If your fiance is anything like mine he really likes sloppy joes and would be really happy if you made them every week. Well, I average about once every three years….not to bad right.
I think the reason I kind of forget about them sometimes is because I didn’t really like my moms sloppy joes growing up. I can’t believe I just wrote that. My mom occasionally reads this blog….In my defense I’m trying to recall something I ate when I was six, and back than I could be a bit difficult when it came to trying new things. Love you Mom!
I recently somewhat reluctantly made sloppy joes, and to my surprise they were wonderful…I’m chalking this one up to maturing taste buds and an open mind about food- much different from a six year old’s interpretation.
Lot’s of fun stuff happening lately, mostly in the kitchen… I’ve been working with Michael DeBeor who runs a culinary camp for children called ‘Camp Culinary’. Over the past week, he’s taught me a number of valuable skills many of which I can apply in a professional kitchen. Stay tuned for yummy new posts and as always keep cooking! Happy Friday, and Happy Cooking!
I have gone through most of my life with an unfair prejudice against coleslaw.
It IS coleslaw, after all. Because it’s usually relegated to sloppy side items at barbeque restaurants, picked-over picnic salad platters and soggy summer parties, coleslaw gets a bad rap. How many times in your adult life have you thought “Wow, I’m REALLY craving some coleslaw right now.”
Yeah, I thought not. But if you’re like me, you probably just haven’t had coleslaw done RIGHT just yet.
Coleslaw, as we know it in American foodie culture, usually consists of raw green or red cabbage shredded finely, with some sort of creamy, mayonnaise-based dressing to bind and flavor it. There are many different types of cabbage as well as different varieties of dressings and add-ins. Coleslaw doesn’t have to be a mayonnaise-laden mess of shredded cabbage and carrots. The following recipe is a great simple summer salad that will bring loads of flavor and color to any picnic or barbecue.
Ingredients (makes 8 cups):
1. vegetables of your choice (I used red bell pepper, fennel, celery, purple cabbage, carrot, cilantro, and parsley)
2. 1/2 Cup of EVOO
3. 1/2 Cup of White Vinegar
4. 1 1/2 tbs of sugar
5. 1 tbs of mustard
6. Salt and Pepper to taste
7. toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Method: Combine ingredients to taste and let rest for several hours.
Friday yet again, woot! After spending a few days in California with my parents, I thought why not post some California relevant links. Although, I did not get to do much cooking this week, I’ve been busy planning and celebrating a few other life events that have taken place most recently.
There’s something sexy about an Italian hotel in Tuscany where you can learn how to cook and get a good rubdown. With two restaurants by multi-Michelin starred Chef Gordon Ramsey, Castel Monastero is poised to take its place among the top destinations for Tuscan cuisine. A regular schedule of courses in gastronomy taught by renowned chefs and wine experts is all part of the resort’s culinary experience.
Castel Monastero is a converted monastery with a busy but efficient kitchen where chef Fabrizio cooks up fantastic traditional cuisine of the region with the minimum of fuss and maximum of fresh, ….. This wonderful restaurant serves traditional cuisine with a modern twist. I was lucky enough to get to take a cooking class from Chef Fabrizio himself. Drinking wine and cooking in the kitchen with Fabrizio and his team was one of the highlights of my recent trip. Fabrizio taught me about the importance of using olive oil in Tuscan cuisine as well as teaching me to make dishes taught to him by his grandmother.
I hardly feel like an expert, but after cooking with Fabrizio for a few hours I saw cooking in Italy as a tradition. A pastime filled with wonderful aromas, and fond memories of those who came before. Italians treat cooking just as importantly as the importance they place on family. This is exactly how I left Toscana- full of wine, memories, and a new love found and expressed through cooking.
