for the past several months, i’ve been taking friday evenings off – it’s the end of the week, and i’m really feeling the sleep deprivation for that particular week. plus, i work the weekends, so essentially friday nights are my weekend. usually i find myself […]
a couple weeks ago, i fell in love. i don’t normally go for non-classic bundt pans because they are usually too complicated. why would i want a sunflower-, rose-, or sandcastle-shaped bundt pan? that the cake isn’t a standard layer cake is already enough for […]
The night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to…
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known…
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine
At last
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friends, this is a momentous occasion: the brownie hunt is over, thanks to katharine hepburn and her brownie recipe. i have fond memories of slightly-undercooked brownies, allowed to chill in the fridge before being consumed in a state of cold, slightly chewy fudginess. i certainly used to sneak more than my fair share…
in general, if it’s homemade, it’s better than the mix version. however, i held out in the case of brownies for years, as homemade brownie after homemade brownie didn’t meet my standards: too cakey, too dry, not chocolatey enough… unfortunately, this belief was proved wrong when i tried two brownie mixes last fall, in a bid to revisit the glory days of cold, fudgy brownies. all of a sudden, i really could taste all of the chemicals and preservatives that go into these mixes, and they lacked both richness and depth of flavor. to add insult on top of injury, i failed to be attentive enough to the brownies and allowed them to overbake, bringing their texture closer to foam blocks than fudgy heaven. (more…)
for the entirety of this summer, i have been trying to convince myself and my health that i am on vacation, and that life is normal again. for about a year – since june 2008 – i haven’t had a real break, one where i […]
have you ever wondered what it would be like if you made a cookie with cookies in it? well, it’s kind of like the show-within-a-show trick – but naturally, much better. these best-of-both-worlds concoctions don’t always work out – instead of increasing your utility, the […]
this year, upstairs on the square must have a new chef, because the food is a lot more exciting and adventurous than it usually is. it also appears to be suffering a bit business-wise, even though the food is better than it has ever been; so i’m doing my part towards the country’s economic recovery by having had lunch twice at upstairs in the past two weeks. the first time wasn’t particularly worth talking about – a clam chowder that tasted mostly of creme fraiche and a fish sandwich on too-thick bread – but the second time was really quite wonderful. i went with my mother and sister, and we had:
the tomato soup was absolutely delicious – i often find tomatoes to be too sweet, but these were sweet and plenty tart. the addition of the scotch bonnet is also quite wonderful – adding a crucial bit of warming heat to the cold soup. the avocado was delicious, but unnecessary. (more…)
really, this isn’t much of an experiment, as evidenced by a very robust thread about homemade vanilla on eGullet. however, it’s an experiment that’s new to me, so i’ve invested in vanilla beans – good quality, cheap beans from a seller on ebay (the […]
for a few weeks, carrie and i have been trying to partake of either the bpl’s courtyard tea, or the special lobster-and-corn-themed menu at upstairs on the square. as luck would have it, the menu got extended a few days past its stated last day, […]
lindsay: would you like to try some of this?
buster: [tasting] so watery…yet there’s a smack of ham to it.
lindsay: …it’s hot ham water!
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in warren, john and i drove by a place called “ham king II.” unfortunately for our curiosity, but more fortunately for our stomachs, we satisfied ourselves with a slow driveby of the fairly dilapidated storefront – plastic tarp for windows, dinginess abounded. we also passed “ham cafe,” which we also graced with a driveby, but no economic patronage.
instead, star market got my economic patronage when i returned from warren, interested in making a ham (not just for my own curiosity, but also for keith, whom i imagine subconsciously pining for ham over any other form of pork save bacon). well, just you try getting a ham in july. they’re not so much in demand in cambridge, at whole foods, harvest, or star market. i had intended to do a ham for july 4, but ended up doing barbecued ribs instead because i couldn’t find a ham. a week later, i still couldn’t find a true, thanksgiving-style ham, so i settled for a bone-in smoked pork butt from star market. (more…)
it’s no secret that i love pudding. i mean, really, how can you not like pudding in all of its various forms: regular pudding, panna cotta, pot de creme, creme brulee (which is clearly more pudding than custard)…i’ve posted a couple of pudding recipes here […]