Honey-Orange Glazed Carrots

Searching for something to compliment hummus and fill a pita without going to the grocery store, I found it in this dog-eared recipe from a Barefoot Contessa cookbook. I only roughly followed the recipe, using about 2 instead of the 5 cups of carrots and trying to cut down the other ingredients appropriately. I've decided this recipe is pretty foolproof, and any recipe that calls for ginger just ends up tasting great in my book.

The hummus I made a week ago--it's hiding in the recesses of these pita pockets--is also a Barefoot Contessa recipe, too sesame-y for my tastes (I'll try reducing the tahini next time). After photographing and tasting this sandwich, I poured a little Indian chutney inside, which, though complicating the flavors, felt like an enhancement. This sandwich is something that would never be on a menu (too many different flavors mingling in incompatible ways: sesame, orange, ginger, chile...), but it hit the "good enough" mark for a fridge-clean-out meal. On second thought maybe the chutney was just masking the ridiculous combination of flavors...at least it looks nice, right?

Chocolate Cake needs no occasion

I made chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting last Sunday. I didn't have an occasion, unless Sunday counts. I hate Sundays, especially lonely ones at the end of dull weekends, but what better way to throw a pity party than with chocolate cake?!

I used a recipe by the lovely Ina Garten from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I've wanted to make this for a long time since I love this cookbook so much. In an act of wisdom, I cut the buttercream frosting recipe in half because I know Ina loves her frosting, and as much as I do too, I also like my arteries to be clear. The recipe calls for a POUND of butter. That's on top of the 1/2 pound in the cake. The two sticks needed for a half recipe of frosting is not quite so heart-attack inducing.

I think this was the third or fourth layer cake I've ever made from scratch (but my childhood made me a pro at baking from cake mix), and I think I've found my new pastime. Something tells me my boyfriend, housemates, and coworkers won't mind my new interest. Also, cake really comes in handy when you don't hear your alarm go off and you wake up at the time that you should be walking in the door at work. Cake for Breakfast!

Snowtorious B.I.G.

We had a little snowstorm here in DC. Nothing too big, just 2 feet or so. Luckily, the National Weather Service was forecasting a snowpocalypse, so I was well-prepared with food when the snow started falling.

I made Ina Garten's Butternut Squash Risotto with Saffron on Friday night, which is, as always, absolutely delicious. Maybe not so photogenic, but the perfect stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal for a snowy evening. This was the first risotto recipe I ever made.Saturday, there was no way I was going out until the snow stopped falling, and everybody needs a hardy breakfast before they shovel snow. Ambitiously, I attempted to make an omelet, maybe the 2nd or 3rd I'd ever made. I started with Basil Pesto Chicken & Turkey Sausages from Trader Joe's (love TJ), onion and red pepper. After I removed them from the pan and added some more butter, I started on the eggs. Unfortunately, the end result was more hot mess than omelette. I think I made (at least two) mistakes, 1) I cooked the eggs too long before tossing the filling inside. Then when I tried to flip it, the egg was too dry and rigid, causing it to break rather than fold, 2) I used too much filling for the size of the pan/amount of egg.

But enough with the critique; it tasted really good! I tried it again on Sunday, but hadn't really learned my lesson, and cooked the egg a bit too long again.

Here's Saturday's hot mess:

Sunday: Please allow the oranges to distract you from the ugly plate, and the structurally unsound pile of eggs.

My omelet-making experience got me thinking about this habit of trying something without really having any good idea of how to do it. Obviously, one learns to cook through experimentation, but I'm sure even my first and second efforts could have been more successful had I done some kind of research beforehand. The sort of pathetic part is, I'd still like to learn how to make an omelet that doesn't fall apart, but haven't sought out the advice yet. Any ideas on where to start? A good-old cookbook, like Joy of Cooking? The web? Blogs?

Just as I've been dreading the end of the summer, this week's CSA share included not just two, but 4 tomatoes. Let's hear it for The King of the Vegetables (shh...we all know it's actually a fruit)! That's an unofficial title of course, granted by....well, me--one of the tomato's biggest fans.
I think I'm going to eat at least two of them raw, but I'll have to think of something creative to do with the others. Ideas?

Here's an alternative (less cheerful) take on this week's share...

Just as I've been dreading the end of the summer, this week's CSA share included one of the heftiest veggies of the autumn harvest...butternut squash. Where did the summer go? Don't get me wrong; I love butternut squash, but not until October or November maybe. One of my favorite recipes is the Barefoot Contessa's Butternut Squash Risotto. I have fond memories of shopping for and cooking this recipe with an old friend. We had to hunt down the saffron threads, but we found them at the delectable Treasure Island grocery store (which I just realized I'd forgotten about, but now miss terribly). However, I have no desire to eat risotto anytime soon. Especially not if this hot and sticky weather holds up. Give me more summer veggies...I'm not ready for the hearty squashes yet!