By Ari, on December 29th, 2011%
Also known as “seven layer cookies.”
Or “Italian-American cookies that don’t actually exist in Italy.” (Trust me, we looked.)
Let’s review: as I’ve said before, baking is not my forte. All the measuring and preciseness just does not suit me (…unless we’re talking about the to die for rosemary shortbread, which is easy peasy and perhaps the greatest invention of life — please go make some immediately). But I’ve always loved a good challenge.
A few weeks ago, John brought home a box of these lil’ cuties. Per our usual self-restraint, we quickly ate them all. I knew I wanted to try making them at home, but was just waiting for a recipe to fall into my lap.
Ask and ye shall receive. Just last week, Heather Homemade posted this very recipe! Basically, the cookie gods wanted me to bake. And who am I to disregard such indirect orders?
So what the heck are rainbow cookies anyway? Other than delicious, I would describe these as almond-cake cookies coated in a thin layer of chocolate.
Alright, fingers crossed. Let’s do this.
Continue reading Rainbow Cookies
By Ari, on December 28th, 2011%
Julia Child. The woman who brought cooking to television; who reassured home cooks that making mistakes was okay. The woman behind boeuf bourguignon.
A few years ago my friend Dana and I went to the movies and saw Julie & Julia. We were smitten, head-over-heels even, for Meryl Streep’s character, and promptly began talking to each other in our best “Julia Child” voices. (This may still happen on occasion…) After the movie, we walked over to Barnes & Noble and each picked up a copy of Julia’s infamous cookbook: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. (Yes, we are the type of people this movie targets — the women who run out and buy the highly re-publicized object of affection within an hour of seeing the film. Way to go, marketing department.)
Somewhere between reminiscing over our times in Paris and the smell of buttery croissants, we decided to make Julia’s presence in our lives more prominent. Thus began our intimate monthly Julia Child Dinner Club. It only happened a handful of times (apparently grad students have a limited schedule or something), but a few of our closest friends would get together once a month and prepare several dishes from MtAoFC.
As we prepared our first dinner, Dana and I were shocked when we realized just how much butter and cream were thrown into these recipes. It’s almost as if Julia was actively trying to scare people away. But alas, we stuck it out. We delightfully tossed in a bit of butter here, a large splash of cream there, and copious amounts of salt, resulting in one hell of a meal. (With the amount of calories these recipes pack, you only want to do this once a month. Trust me.)
My time in grad school has obviously come to an end (R.I.P. Julia Child Dinner Club), but there’s a part of me that still wants to keep Julia’s legacy alive. I cannot imagine making some of her recipes in the heat of summer, but now that we’re dropping down into the 30′s during the day, I have no excuse.
There is no other recipe in MtAoFC that screams Julia Child quite as much as her famed boeuf bourguignon. After months of hiding on my bookcase, it was time to dust the ol’ lady off and bring her back to life.
Continue reading Julia’s Boeuf Bourguignon
By Ari, on December 25th, 2011%
Twas the morning of Christmas, and all through the town,
Not a creature was stirring, except Jews in nightgowns,
They left in a hurry, from their warm cozy beds,
With coffee in hand, as they ran for their sleds,
To Russ & Daughters, or Katz’s, they flew with delight,
In search of pastrami, and nova, so right!
They pushed Moishe and Miriam out of the way,
To be first in line on this merry Christmas day,
After an hour long wait, they successfully left,
And returned to their kitchen, to fry up the best,
Little latkes in town, (except for her Mother-in-law’s,
Whose recipe is a secret, and guarded with claws),
One latke, two latkes, three latkes, four,
All topped with salmon, and creme fraiche galore,
Then scattered with scallions, and piled up high,
As they both sat down, with a twinkle in their eyes,
Belly lox on the left, Scottish salmon on the right,
And within moments, they disappeared out of sight,
Their stomachs were full, and their kitchen a mess,
The smell of hot oil covered her dress,
They changed into sweatpants, and opened some wine,
And bummed around the house, just killing some time,
With the tv turned on, and marathons playing
Law & Order! NCIS! Their favorites (just sayin’),
They caught up on blogs, and cleaned up their place,
Until dinner that evening, (Chinese food, around 8),
After a long day of eating, they settled down for the night,
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good bite!
 Continue reading On Christmas
By Ari, on December 22nd, 2011%
I know what you’re thinking: how could I go away for almost two weeks and not give you any notice?!
Believe me, it wasn’t intentional. I think we’re all in agreement that the holidays are busy and stressful, but these past few weeks have been exceptionally sporadic. Fortunately, I come bearing a winner of a dish: imagine an Italian sausage sandwich, oozing with cheese and sauce… turned pasta.
Onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, spicy sausage, ricotta, and juuust a touch of cream.
 Continue reading Rotini with Spicy Sausage and Ricotta
By Ari, on December 9th, 2011%
Last weekend John and I were lucky enough to enjoy a stellar meal at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Not just any meal, I assure you. Two of our friends were gifted the infamous fried chicken dinner in celebration of their engagement last year. As with all family-style meals at Momofuku restaurants, there is a minimum requirement of four people, and a maximum of eight. How fortunate we were to make the cut!
After ordering a few drinks to toast the bride- and groom-to-be, we started with a few appetizers.
You can’t go to Momofuku Noodle Bar (or Ssam Bar… or Milk Bar… you get the drift) without ordering David Chang’s highly publicized pork buns. Small steamed buns are filled with unctuous pork belly, hoisin, scallions, and cucumber. If you’ve never experienced these before, you are truly missing out.
 Continue reading Momofuku Noodle Bar – FRIED CHICKEN!
By Ari, on December 6th, 2011%
This just in: I made a delicious soup! (And it’s not matzah ball or chili!)
I was really beginning to doubt my soup-making abilities, guys. I told John earlier in the week that I was going to attempt another batch of soup. He raised his eyebrows and said, “Alright,” but what he really meant was, “Please don’t make me eat it.”
As I was prepping the ingredients, I had a feeling this would be good. It’s basically all the spices and accoutrements that I would use to make tacos. But in a soup.
The final verdict? Home run.
Hah! Take that, husband of mine. I’m taking this for lunch every day this week and you’re not getting any of it. No soup for you. Continue reading Chicken Tortilla Soup
By Ari, on December 5th, 2011%
I seriously could not wait to post this recipe. I almost posted twice yesterday, but that seemed a little excessive.
Let’s be honest: I’m a much better cook than I am a baker. Every once in a while I get an itch to whip up brownies or cheesecake, but in general, I’m more of a savory kind of gal. When I came across this recipe, I knew, I just knew it would be my kind of dessert. First of all, it’s got two.sticks.of.butter. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Combine all that butter with chopped rosemary, turn it into a giant cookie or tart, and BHAM! My perfect dessert.
For all you skeptics out there scratching your head at the thought of combining fresh herbs with something savory like shortbread… think again. This is by far one of the tastiest desserts I’ve ever baked. And the best part? It can double as a savory side dish!
Dessert, appetizer, whatever. These savory delights know no bounds. Continue reading Rosemary Shortbread
By Ari, on December 4th, 2011%
Here’s the deal: This quiche has it all. Bacon, eggs, and cheese. I’m just not sure you could ask for anything else from a quiche. Possibly a flaky crust, but trust me when I say this is the creme de la creme of quiche crusts (this is the only tart or quiche dough I make). Compared to the multiple feasts we had last weekend, this quiche feels surprisingly light!
And look, if you’re really concerned about the calories, use egg whites to replace whole eggs, substitute turkey bacon, and instead of adding cheese (I always use reduced-fat, anyway), add something low in calories and fat, but high in flavor… like pesto!
…but then this wouldn’t be the quiche that “has it all.” Think about that.
 Continue reading Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Quiche
By Ari, on December 1st, 2011%
I know what you’re thinking. “Baked wings? Finally! Something healthy after all the holiday gorging from Thanksgiving! I should make these immediately!”
Well, maybe…
These little guys look innocent enough. They smell like buffalo wings. They taste like buffalo wings. But much to my dismay, they contain calories… just like fried buffalo wings.
Apparently we forgot that tiny little detail as we inhaled these bad boys. I will admit that we purchased a family pack of wings for two of us. I will not admit, however, that we finished said family pack. In one night.
It is miraculous that I’m not 20 lbs heavier.
But listen, just go ahead and make these. You’ll only regret it if you, like me, have a problem with portion control when confronted with ridiculously delicious foods.
Continue reading Baked Buffalo Wings
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