I’ve been making homemade granola for Douglas for a few weeks now, and it’s been a hit or miss experience. The first batch was incredibly delicious, so I thought I had it down pat. NOT! I overcooked the second batch (easier than you might think) and the third batch just didn’t have the flavor I was looking for. There was something missing from these batches that just didn’t add up. (more…)
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…)
It’s been 3 long months since we moved in, and I FINALLY have my kitchen in decent working order—and it’s finally organized enough that I don’t go crazy just trying to bake some cookies, much less make a meal for 12 or 20. I thought this would be the perfect time to share with you the space in which I make almost all the dishes that appear on this blog and share some of my favorite kitchen organizational tools. For instance, you can see that on either side of my stove I have Le Creuset utensil crocks. I love these because they hold so many tools and look beautiful at the same time. I also love my little Le Creuset honey pot, which I received as a wedding gift.
I love classic cookies just as much as the next person, but I find a lot of joy in putting a modern spin on old-school classics. Sometimes this means changing the recipe completely, and sometimes it means just swapping out one ingredient for another.
Doug has always adored snickerdoodles, a traditional sugary Christmas cookie that’s rolled in cinnamon-sugar before baking and that’s characterized by a cracked surface. I’d never made them before, and while the recipe looked good, I thought it could use a little pizzazz.
A light went off in my head: Why not swap in Chinese Five Spice Powder, a unique spice blend that epitomizes the Chinese cooking philosophy of keeping all four tastes—sweet, warm, cool and spicy—properly balanced, for half of the cinnamon called for in the recipe? (more…)
Winter is upon us. But that doesn’t mean we still don’t crave the fresh flavors of spring and summer, right? I know you’re with me here, dear readers. And while I love a good soup, stew or braise just as much as the next person, it’s nice to put some light and fresh flavors on the table during the cold months to remind us that, although winter is just starting, spring isn’t really that far away. (more…)
There are some dishes so easy to make at home that they completely fall off our radar, and we end up buying the sub-par megamart version, hoping for greatness. (more…)
I spent almost 60 hours of the past two weeks preparing traditional dishes from each of Mexico’s 31 states. It was a wild ride: the kitchen was hot, the pace was frantic, the ingredients were exotic, and the food? The food was extraordinary. I really wanted to give you, my dear readers, an overview of some of the fantastic stuff I got to make in the last week of my Mexican Master Class, which culminated in a banquet and reception at Kendall College for over 100 hungry folks.
Each morning after lecture in our Mexican Master Class, Chef Fernando has a meeting with each group of students to let them know how to proceed with their assigned recipes for the day. Chef came up to my partner Angela and I and said, “Favorite team, today you are making sopa seca—it’s a dry soup.”
“What?!” Angela and I exclaimed as we exchanged looks.
“Yes, dry soup,” he said matter of factly, so we nodded and did as we were told. Somehow Angela and I always mange to get assigned recipes without recipes, so we’re always flying by the seat of our pants trying to figure out exactly what chef wants us to do. I think that’s why he likes us so much—we do whatever he tells us with a grin.
I really liked this recipe; it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before. (more…)
I’ve loved Mexican food for as long as I can remember. I eat some form of taco at least three times a week, and my life would be very sad indeed if tortillas or chiles were to disappear. So when my culinary school announced an intensive Mexican Master Class that would be offered between the spring and summer quarters, I emailed my advisor immediately and told her to sign me up.
Happy almost Thanksgiving dear readers! I arrived at my parents’ house in Northern Kentucky last night, and I started preparing for Thanksgiving this morning. It may sound ridiculous to start this early in the week, but when you’re feeding 30 very hungry Linnemanns, it’s best to begin preparing sooner rather than later. Plus, if I spread out all my tasks over the week, it’s not bad for me or my feet, which always hurt after a long day in the kitchen. And, of course, my parents are slammed with work this week, so getting the house and food ready is all up to me again. Let’s just say it’s becoming an annual tradition.
On the plus side, I’ve delegated out most of the side dishes to my lovely aunts and cousins, who were all willing to pitch in and lend a helping hand. That leaves me making the stuffing and desserts, handling the turkey, and whipping up a giant vat of my favorite cranberry chutney.
The turkey pictured above is the one I roasted last year. I like to brine my turkey in an apple cider-salt water solution and then rub it down with a yummy herb butter before stuffing it with lemon, onion, rosemary and sage. As you can see, it’s one helluva turkey. I’m probably going to do a riff of this brine by the Pioneer Woman, an excellent food blogger who just threw down with Bobby Flay last week and won.
Today I made Alton Brown’s recipe for candied ginger. What do I use all this damn candied ginger for, you ask? Cranberry chutney! I like to give out jars of my cranberry chutney to guests to eat with leftover turkey, so I make a large stockpot of the stuff a few days before. The chutney is a sweet-tart mix of cranberries, apples, pears, onion, raisins, spices and, of course, candied ginger. It goes incredibly well with the turkey and it’s delicious on it’s own as well. I’ll be blogging about that recipe tomorrow, if all goes well.
I really like to hear what people are having for Thanksgiving, so I thought I’d share what we’re having this year. Here’s the list:
Apple Cider-Brined Turkey with Rosemary and Lemon
Alice Moeves’ Traditional Stuffing
Goetta & Herb Stuffing —a new Kitchen Bitch concoction still in the works
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Dried Cranberries
Cranberry Chutney
Soul Sweet ’Taters
Green Beans with Almonds
Cheddar Biscuits
Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Pioneer Woman’s Pecan Pie
Sour Cream Apple Pie Deluxe
Pumpkin Bread Pudding by Bobby Flay
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (recipe by David Lebovitz)
Homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream (recipe by David Lebovitz)
So, dear readers, what I am missing that you make at Thanksgiving? What are you favorite Thanksgiving dishes? Do you roast a turkey or skip it altogether and go with another protein?
