My birthday this year was on a Friday, and we are going to have a family birthday party on Sunday to fit everyone’s calendar better. We thought it would be nice to have a small cake for my actual birthday, and looked at the options in America’s Test Kitchen’s The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook. Read More …
Louisiana barbecued shrimp are very tasty, but they are not at all what their name describes, since they are actually shrimp cooked in a skillet with a spicy and buttery sauce. This version is adapted from a recipe in Food52, which I noticed because it used a moderate amount of butter vs. the extravagant amount Read More …
We just got home from a week in the Caribbean and were looking for an Ash Wednesday dinner which would be easy on our stomachs, which are a little worse for the traveling. This was a successful improvisation using “Char’s Maine Fish Chowder” in Cook’s Country: Best Lost Suppers as a starting point. Many fish Read More …
These brownies were a hit at last night’s choir party. They are essentially a brownie sandwich, consisting of a brownie layer, a caramel-pecan layer, a second brownie layer, and a topping of nuts. This is an adaptation of the recipe which is on the package of Kraft caramels, and which is also very similar to Read More …
Shrimp Etouffee, or smothered shrimp, is a Louisiana classic. This is a rather simple, low spice version, suitable for family dining midweek and is adapted from an Ann Maloney recipe in the Washington Post which was reprinted in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Carol liked it quite a bit. I pumped up the heat in my bowl Read More …
There are many versions of bean and sausage stews (feijoada) in Portugal and Brazil. This is a simple version from Portugal which is suitable for car camping in winter weather. This version was adapted from Ana Patuleia Ortins’ Portuguese Homestyle Cooking. I will discuss below the basic recipe and how I plan to adapt it Read More …
This is a very easy tapa which makes a nice dinner with some good bread and a salad. I have made this many times over the years. This version is adapted from one of my oldest and most used cookbooks, Penelope Casas’ Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain. 1 lb. Spanish chorizo, in ¼ inch Read More …
Twice now we have made individual apple tarts using some leftover pastry dough. They turned out well, so I am starting to document how we made them. More to come. Dough Leftover pastry dough, such as from Canadian Butter Tarts Filling (for 2 tarts) 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced ¼ cup brown Read More …
This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe in thekitchn.com and is an example of a style of baking pioneered by Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery. The technique using long rising times and folding to develop gluten, and baking in a hot enclosed pot to simulate the conditions used to get crusty breads. Read More …