This really fun idea came from D.I.Y. blogger and party planner Jordan at Oh Happy Day. I thought it was so cute, my sister Paige and I had to try it! We made two of them, one for my sister in pastels, and one for me in bright colors. (more…)
DIY Confetti Tablecloth March 2, 2012
Super Natural: Wild Rice Casserole February 28, 2012
Although it may seem like all I eat is king cake, citrus pie, and bourbon-pecan bread pudding, I definitely take care to eat lots of foods that are good for me too—often much to Doug’s chagrin. (While he’ll eat vegetables, he’s very much a meat and potatoes man.)
I recently picked up Heidi Swanson’s new cookbook, Super Natural Everyday, and it’s chock full of fabulous vegetarian and whole-grain recipes that are simple enough for everyday. In the past few days alone I’ve made several of her healthful recipes, including her whole-wheat yogurt biscuits (spiced up with cheddar cheese and jalapeno, and doused with goetta gravy for Sunday brunch), Weeknight Curry (a Thai red coconut curry loaded with vegetables and tofu, perfect for my vegetarian personal chef client), and this beautiful Wild Rice Casserole.
With everyone in my immediate family focused on losing weight (my sister’s wedding is in September), eating filling and nutritious foods is No. 1 priority. This simple and hearty Wild Rice Casserole was a perfect side dish for our girlie Oscar party, but it would also be great served as a main course at a vegetarian feast. As often happens in vegetarian cuisine, mushrooms stand in for the protein, and here they provide a wonderfully savory umami flavor. Cottage cheese, eggs, and sour cream are combined to create a luscious base for this rice casserole, and fresh herbs give it beautiful color and a pop of bright flavor. (more…)
Everyday Luxury: Vanilla Sugar February 23, 2012
Vanilla beans are one of those luxury baking items home cooks don’t use enough, especially in ways as simple as this. Vanilla sugar is simply sugar that has taken a nice, cozy nap with a vanilla bean or two. You can use fresh vanilla beans, or you can use vanilla beans that you’ve already used in another recipe.
For instance, instead of throwing out whole vanilla beans you’ve sliced in half and used to make vanilla bean ice cream, simply wash the vanilla beans, let them dry on a paper towel on your counter, and then put them straight into your sugar jar. Even after they’ve been used and washed, vanilla beans still have a strong fragrance that perfumes granulated sugar. (more…)
A Mardi Gras Tradition: Cream Cheese-Filled King Cake February 20, 2012
It’s back to holiday-themed baked goods again this week, dear readers. What can I say? I love a good celebration, and every good celebration—especially one requiring 40 days of fasting afterwards—needs a colorful dessert.
I used to celebrate Mardi Gras like every other good college student or young adult—with shots and raucous parties—but now that I’m older, that seems like a bit much for a Tuesday night.
But king cake, a traditional Mardi Gras celebration cake made of soft, supple pastry dough and filled with a sweet cream cheese spread—now that sounds more like it. As soon as the Southern Living recipe hit my email inbox last week, I knew I had to try my hand at making it. (more…)
For Your Sweetheart: Citrus Pie with Chocolate-Pistachio Crust February 13, 2012
Forget about going out on Valentine’s Day. Who wants to sit elbow to elbow and eat a crummy prix fixe anyway? Not us. This year, we’re staying in, and I’m cooking, of course. Dessert, though, is already made, and you’re looking at it.
This Citrus Pie with Chocolate-Pistachio Crust (which I’ve already made twice this week) actually came about by accident. I was all set to make Key Lime Pie for my father-in-law, but I ran out of limes as I was making the filling. Rather than run to the store to buy more, I decided to juice the blood oranges and lemons I had picked up at the farmer’s market to finish the filling. The resulting pie was incredibly delicious—if not very beautiful in color—and what I thought might sit in my fridge for a week was gone in two nights.
With another family gathering coming up, I made the pie again, this time purposefully using a variety of citrus, including my beloved blood oranges, which made the color much more palatable. Look at that gorgeous color! (more…)
Take Out at Home: Sweet and Sour Pork February 9, 2012
We’ve been eating a decent amount of Chinese take out these past few months (once a month is enough for me!), so I decided it was time for me to get out my wok and stir fry my way to dinner.
As usual, I picked out a recipe that was a bit more complicated than expected for a weeknight, but this Sweet and Sour Pork is well worth the effort, especially if you have a weakness for sweet and sour sauce like I do. It’s not something I order very often because of its—let’s be honest—seriously high calorie count, so making it at home seemed like a good way to up the dish’s veggie content and leave all the MSG behind. Here’s what it includes:
Naughty But Nice: Bourbon-Pecan Bread Pudding February 3, 2012
Sometimes you just have to treat yourself: to shoes and handbags, or a night on the town; to a new video game or tickets to see your fav sports teams; to something truly decadent, like truffles and caviar; or maybe, just maybe, to bourbon-pecan bread pudding.
You see, bread pudding is one of those desserts you save up for. Not save up in the monetary sense, because bread pudding is incredibly easy on the wallet, but save up in a more goal-oriented way, like when you’ve had a difficult month to work through or when you’ve finally achieved a longstanding goal.
For instance, in the past three weeks my husband Doug has had two surgeries—meaning not only do I have to do all of my usual work, but I also have to take care of Douglas, who isn’t particularly mobile, and try and keep the house clean by myself. Fun, fun, fun! But this woman has made it to the other side—through the worst of it, you might say—and it feels mighty good. Hella good. And this, my friends, is how I know I deserve a bread pudding, and a bourbon-pecan bread pudding at that. (more…)
The Delish Dish February 1, 2012
Hello, dear readers! Once again, I’m looking to you for some much-needed feedback. I’ve been thinking and thinking and thinking, and I think I might finally have a name for my new personal chef business. While I love Kitchen Bitch—and I plan on keeping the blog up and running—I wanted something sassy and fun (and decidedly less inflammatory) for my new personal chef business. I’ll be offering homemade meals—fresh, frozen, or “take and bake” (i.e, meals made my me, baked by you in your own home)—as well as small-scale catering (less than 50 people) and cooking lessons to the greater Cincinnati area. So, drum roll please, what do you think about the name:
THE DELISH DISH
I haven’t decided if I’m going to tack on “Chef Services” to the name, but I think it might be helpful. Folks, I’d LOVE your feedback on this. Love it? Hate it? Let me know if in the comments section!
Happy Hump Day!
The KB
Cooking with Julia: Beef Bourguignon January 27, 2012
I remember when I first purchased Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking: I nestled into my parents’ welcoming La-Z-Boy and proceeded to read the entire tome almost cover to cover, lovingly marking recipes I wanted to try with my trusty Post-It notes. One of those recipes was, of course, the famous beef dish, beef bourguignon: tender chunks of beef simmered slowly in red wine and beef stock and garnished with buttery pearl onions and earthy mushrooms. Julia calls it “certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes ever concocted by man.”
DIY Fun: Bourbon Brown Sugar Mustard January 25, 2012
I experimented a lot with do-it-yourself food gifts this past Christmas, and although I failed miserably to share them with you then, I’m finally going to do so now. How nice of me, right? 
My dear friend Ian is what you might call a mustard connoisseur: His pantry is always full of a variety of expensive pretzel mustards from Europe gifted to him by his aunt, and his condiment shelf in the refrigerator always has at least three different kinds of mustard. Classic Dijon, spicy horseradish, fiery wasabi, or rustic stone-ground—you name it, he’s got it.
All I knew for sure is that Ian needed some homemade mustard, and that I was going to produce it. Plus, I love little canning projects like this, and it’s another way for me to check items off my “Need to Make” list. (more…)
