Let me set the scene for you. I’m standing in my kitchen, holding a recipe from Food to Film that promises Mexican Chicken Tostadas. I’m not entirely sure what I’ve done to deserve this, but as it turns out, I am about to make the best shredded chicken of my life. Despite my lack of competence, despite my questionable use of measuring spoons, and despite the fact that I used store-bought tortillas and coleslaw because I am both lazy and under no illusions about my culinary abilities. So if you, like me, are someone who can’t be trusted to boil water without supervision,
Tag: food
Coop’s Place Review: Where the Smoked Duck Quesadilla Is Perfect, and the Drinks Are Trying to Kill You
So, let’s talk about and review Coop’s Place in New Orleans, a joint that has the vibe of “We’ve been here forever, and we are never, ever changing for you or anyone else.” Which, frankly, is the energy I want from any establishment in the French Quarter. You want polished service and sparkling glassware? No. You get exposed brick, slightly sticky tables, and bartenders who serve drinks with warnings attached. And we love them for it. First up: The Smoked Duck Quesadillas So, let’s talk about the duck quesadillas. On paper, they seem simple: shredded duck, cheese, and tortillas. You think, “Oh, I’ve had
Beet Box: Turning Purple Never Felt So Violent
Okay, first things first: beets. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent a significant portion of your life avoiding them. I mean, they look like tiny heart transplants waiting to happen, and they taste like… the Earth. Not “earthy,” not “fresh,” just straight-up dirt. If you told me they were dug up yesterday by some farmer named Hank, I would believe you. So when I came across *The Kitchn’s* *beet box* recipe, my initial reaction was a healthy dose of skepticism and fear. But, seeing as I am a mature adult who tries new things (this is not entirely
Chicken Marbella
You know those recipes where you look at it and think, “That can’t possibly work?” Hello, Chicken Marbella from the blog Seasonal Cravings. It’s chicken marinated in a sauce made of… Wait for it…. Prunes, olives, balsamic vinegar, capers, and olive oil. Did you SEE that it says PRUNES?! It sounds so wrong, yes? Color me corrected on this one guys. It’s delicious. It’s this wonderful fruity sauce with complex Mediterranean undertones that plays along the tongue and kinda makes you wish you made more. The crazy thing? I know that the prunes were pivotal in making this so damn yummy.
Tempeh Bacon
Tempeh Bacon From But I Could Never Go Vegan by Kristy Turner I have a crack like addiction to bacon. For me, it just makes every meal better. I believe that you could put bacon in anything and it’ll be ten times more delicious. I have yet to be disappointed by this logic. The problem though is… well, bacon is unhealthy. It’s something I know on a certain subconscious level, but routinely push away because the idea of not having bacon is low key devastating. But people, I tried today. I really gave it a solid effort by making the tempeh bacon recipe in
Chouquettes (Sugar Puffs)
I think we all, at some point in the middle of being locked in at home, will run out of frozen dinner and start to actually cook. Or in my case, BAKE. I love to bake. The end result is most likely yummy and full of sugar, two elements that I love to have incorporated into my food. You can see why chouquettes sounded good. They’re sugar puffs. That must mean yummy. Sugar + yummy makes me happy. My chouquettes turned out… a little deflated. Let’s just say that they did NOT look like what I saw on Chocolate and
Thrashers – A Food Stand in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
I’ve had a long time to think about Thrashers, and you know what? I still don’t get it. When we went to Rehoboth Beach, I did the typical thing that any tourist would do–Google must-eat things in area. Thrashers was the place apparently. It was touted as the “must-do” because if you didn’t, then you missed the point of going to the boardwalk. Okay, well then. Go to Thrashers. The only thing Thrashers served was French fries. Also, you had to salt them yourself. Oh, and you could douse them in vinegar if you so chose. Did you hear that?
Pressure Cooker Lentils
This was unexpectedly well liked. Even my fiancé thought he’d give the Mr. Yuck face to this… but he didn’t. To be honest, I only made this because I have this rad pressure cooker from Breville and I try to find reasons to use it. Regardless of recipe, whether it sounds good or bad, if it requires a pressure cooker, I gleefully save it so I can whip out that bad boy and press “Power”. So when these pressure cooker lentils appeared on my browser, I thought, “YES!” My fiancé wished I would just make your everyday Mexican beans and
Creamy Crab Croquettes
Many times I choose a recipe simply because I think it’ll be a challenge. You could think of it almost as an invitation to fail, because failure means I learned something. Spoiler alert: I did not fail. This recipe was oh-so-delicous. So delicious that my significant other became homesick. It reminded him too much of food served at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. It was the best compliment he could’ve given me. The recipe of course is for Creamy Crab Croquettes stolen from Beyond the Plate. We couldn’t decide which way was better–fresh out of the fryer or straight out
Creamy Pork Stew
I am not a big fan of pork. By that I mean pork chops, because YOU KNOW I love ham and am having a not-so-secret affair with bacon. But pork chops? Hard. Pass. BUT, since I’m always in the pursuit of new recipes, and diving into foods that I would normally say “No, thank you” too, I decided to give this Creamy Pork Stew a try aaaaaaaand…. I think I just found *THE* winter soup recipe of the year. Really. And it’s strange because one of my favorite parts of this was the pork. It was all juicy and tender