Archive for the ‘cooking’ Category

Pickles.

It’s borderline insane and almost bizarre that I have yet to write about pickles, considering they are my all-time favorite food. Dill cucumber pickles, to be exact. Sechler’s Polish-style dills to be even more exact. But alas, I’m not trying to better the best today. I’m all about pickling other things. Like carrots.

I think I made these pickled carrots at least 30 times last year. Addiction is such a… strong word, but sometimes it is fitting. They’re just so damn tasty. No other way to put it. Not only are these quick pickled carrots dead easy, they’re so unbelievably refreshing and crisp and my mouth is literally watering as I type this. Not even kidding.

For anyone who’s ever been afraid to pickle or even worse, preserve and jar things, these are for you. Since they’re refrigerator pickles they just sit in the brine in your fridge which means they’re quick – but also means they don’t last more than 5 weeks. Not that it matters because they’ll be eaten long before then.

Trust me.

Sriracha is one of those running jokes amongst people in the food & beverage industry. You can walk into any kind of restaurant kitchen – Italian, French, Latin American, etc, – and more than likely, a bottle of the green-lidded fiery red sauce will be found somewhere. For some, it’s a substitute for everything from ketchup to mayonnaise, and will be poured on any and everything they eat. I always think of the episode of Top Chef when Casey put it into her Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. I’m not that hardcore, but it is delicious. It’s simply a paste of chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. Spicy, sweet, and commonly seen with Thai or Vietnamese food, it’s well-loved (and rightly so).

So when I saw a recipe for buttermilk sriracha salad dressing a few months ago I kept it in the back of my mind, waiting to use it until the right idea struck. And finally, it did.

I’m a big fan of indulging in spicy chicken wings dipped in ridiculously rich and cooling sauces, so the idea of chicken drumsticks dipped in this srirarcha buttermilk ‘ranch’ seemed perfect. Making a Vietnamese-themed marinade (I know I know srirarcha is Thai but it’s right there on the table at any Vietnamese restaurant, too!) and grilling the chicken makes this a fresh and fun summer dish and great to serve at parties. You can go with wings and legs (or even breasts), just use whatever chicken you like best. It’s all good.

I have had quite the dilemma this summer.

Summer produce is quite possibly the best thing about the season. And other than just eating the fruits and veggies raw, baking is the next best thing. However, when choosing my new apartment I went for style over practicality (“It’s ooold and pretty and look at the crown moldings and who cares if there’s no AC in the kitchen?”). It didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but 3 months later I’ve realized just how horrible and downright impossible it is to use your oven in a windowless room when it’s 95° outside. Woe.

But I woke Saturday morning to cloudy skies and mid-70′s temperatures, knowing I wanted to make something for my coworker Robin’s summer party that night, and jumped on the chance to bake. Since blueberries are gloriously cheap right now and simplicity is the best approach to summer fruit, I decided to make these easy and delicious crumb bars which honestly have ingredients almost any average kitchen will have (minus the fruit). Buttery and sweet crumb layers with tart and juicy blueberries in between, these will be a hit at any party or just serving yourself.

I know I posted some healthy, conscientious, figure-friendly banana chocolate chip muffins awhile ago. They’re great. Delicious. Healthy.

These are greater. More delicious. Not healthy. Many more chocolate chips. A lot more butter. A lot.

I made these as a thank-you gift to Rach’s sister who graciously let us stay at her house this past weekend during my visit to Minnesota. I had the most awesome time in Minnesota seeing Rach and my other girlfriend Steph for the first time since graduation. We laughed, we cooked, we watched Jon Woo movies. It was just like old times. And these muffins was our glorious breakfast for the weekend. The espresso powder doesn’t do much but make the chocolate really sing, and these are so moist they keep for days with no loss in texture or taste.

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Everyone seems to be choosing the Pimm’s Cup as their favorite summer drink this year. Not me. Pimm’s is my favorite anytime drink. I don’t discriminate based on season.

It is incredibly refreshing and bubbly and has citrus garnish, making it the ideal summer cooler, but the underlying pungent, almost spicy nature of the cocktail also makes it one of my favs for fall…winter… and even spring. Pimm’s No. 1 is a gin-based liqueur infused with spices, fruit, and botanicals. Combine it with ginger ale and some thin slices of cucumber (plus lemon and orange for me), and you’ve got a Pimm’s Cup.

I love cocktails like this because they’re simple, require no special tools, and can easily be served for a crowd. Just muddle some slices of citrus and cucumber, add the Pimm’s, and top with with ginger ale. Sip. Savor. Sigh.