RECIPE ONLY Moist, tender, sweet (honey-sweetened, with a little molasses, no sugar), and rich, spiced but not overly so, this is best traditional-styled carrot cake I have ever tasted. I never order carrot cake no matter how good the bakery or restaurant, because I know it won’t be as delish as this one. Thank you, Evelyn Cross… who gave me… Read More
IRISH POTATO-CHEESE SOUP WITH RED ALE, VEGAN
Here’s the recipe for my vegan version of this luscious Irish soup, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. And here’s the full story — in which you’ll learn a lot about its ingredients, and a smattering of Irish history. RECIPE NOTE: This is very adaptable. You may use all leeks or all onions instead of a combination of the two; the… Read More
IRISH POTATO-CHEESE SOUP, TRADITIONAL
This page is just the recipe for this luscious Irish soup, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s the full story behind it. Recipe Note: this is very adaptable. You may use all leeks or all onions instead of a combination of the two; the potatoes may be peeled or unpeeled; and you may use a more readily available beer or ale…. Read More
GUINNESS STOUT CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE (RECIPE)
Recipe only: click here for the full story of this lush, indulgent cake. Guinness Stout Chocolate Layer Cake Ingredients Drizzling Syrup: 1/3 cup Guinness Stout (measured after foam has subsided) 1/3 cup dark brown sugar 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, non-dutched 1 teaspoon vanilla Cake: 2/3 cup Guinness Stout (measured after foam has subsided) 2/3 cup dried currants 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons, unsweetened cocoa powder, non-dutched… Read More
HERE’S THE RECIPE FOR THAT STORIED WASHINGTON POST-WORTHY LENTIL SOUP, “RICH, FRAGRANT, SATISFYING”
WHO MAKES AND EATS A SOUP, THE SAME SOUP, DAILY, FOR LUNCH, HUNDREDS OF TIMES? REID BRANSON, OF SEATTLE, THAT’S WHO. THIS IS QUITE A STORY… AND MY PAN PAL AND FELLOW BEAN AFICIONADO, WASHINGTON POST FOOD EDITOR JOE YONAN FOUND IT AS IRRESISTIBLE AS I DID (EXPECT A POST FROM ME ABOUT HIS NEW BOOK, COOL BEANS, IN THE… Read More
JUST WHAT THE HECK IS A “NON-REACTIVE” POT, ANYWAY?
AN OCCASIONAL KITCHEN WISDOM POST Every so often a recipe (such as my Dragonwagon-Dewitz Pickled Eggs) will call for a “non-reactive” pot, saucepan, or other cooking vessel. Has this happened to you, and are you WTF-ing? I suspect so, if you found your way to this page. So here we go. REACTIVE VS NON-REACTIVE What’s a non-reactive pot? First, understand… Read More
“IMPOSSIBLY GOOD” VEGGIE BURGERS
Refried beans, walnuts and tempeh add heft and heartiness; the smoked tempeh also gives a little bit of that grilled-over-a-fire taste. Shiitake mushrooms double down on umami savor. Although I’m generally a from-scratch girl, using a few ingredients that already have seasoning greatly simplify the usual home-kitchen veggie-burger prep. These are vegan. INGREDIENTS 1 (15.4-ounce) can vegetarian organic refried black… Read More
THE *** BEST *** BLACK-EYED PEAS FOR NEW YEAR’S DAY
HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR BLACK-EYED PEAS YET? DO YOU, PERHAPS, EVEN HAVE ‘EM SOAKING? (EITHER BECAUSE YOU LIKE TO DO THINGS A LITTLE AHEAD, OR BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT THE LONGER INGREDIENTS IN ALMOST ANY KIND OF STEW-Y DISH CO-MINGLE, THE BETTER THE FLAVOR?) HOWEVER… HERE IS A CROCKPOT VERSION OF AN EXCELLENT BLACK-EYED PEA RECIPE, WHICH YOU CAN EVEN… Read More
GREEK-STYLE SMOTHERED OKRA
IF YOU THINK YOU DON’T LIKE OKRA, JUST TRY THIS RECIPE. I do three vegetables in this way, with slight variations: summer squash, and green beans (my Greek-Style Green Beans were featured on The Splendid Table, and were one of the show’s three most popular recipes of that year). P.S. The reason they are Greek-style rather than Greek, is that… Read More
OKRA: LOVE IT, RIGHT NOW
OKRA-HATERS! STOP MALIGNING A VEGETABLE YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND OR HAVEN’T HAD COOKED RIGHT! OKRA-LOVERS! LEARN A NEW WAY TO ADORE THOSE GREEN PODS! EITHER WAY, DO IT QUICKLY, RIGHT NOW, BEFORE SUMMER DEFINITIVELY ENDS. (PLUS, TWO DON’T-MISS BOOKS, AN EXAMPLE OF YANKEE WTF-NESS, RACISM IN THE KITCHEN, AND THE QUESTION OF SLIMINESS, DEALT WITH ONCE AND FOR ALL) People who… Read More
MY MIXED-BERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE: FROM SCRATCH, OH-SO-EASY & SIMPLY DELICIOUS
To dessert-lovers, a good cake has no down side. Unless, of course, it happens to be an upside-down cake. (Go directly to recipe here.) To those of us who love making dessert — who find baking from scratch as much or more fun than eating it — the upside-down cake is a high-scorer. If short on time needed for your… Read More
“PAROXYSMS OF JOY”: EASTER BRUNCHING ON FEATHERBED EGGS
FEATHERBED EGGS, A SWOONINGLY DELISH, DO-AHEAD CASSEROLE — AN EGG MIXTURE IS POURED OVER CRUMBLED, SLIGHTLY STALE CORNBREAD, AND THE WHOLE SHEBANG IS BAKED TO A FARE-THEE-WELL — IS PROBABLY THE PERFECT MAIN DISH FOR AN EASTER BRUNCH WHERE YOU DON’T WANT TO SPEND THE WHOLE TIME FUTZING IN THE KITCHEN. IN HONOR OF THAT, THE RECIPE, WITH THIS STORY… Read More