Novel Eats » vegetable oil

Carrot Cake Muffins

Samantha — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:06:16 +0000

A couple of weeks ago when we went strawberry picking at Boxx Berry Farm, we also had the fortunate opportunity to pick some vegetables from a small farm called Half Acre Farm located on the same property. They had a variety of vegetables ready, but we decided to pick only a couple of items – [...] Related posts:

Mexican Cornbread

Samantha — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:57:57 +0000

Most of my childhood was spent in the South – Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. I grew up with things like fried green tomatoes, grits and boiled peanuts. I liked them all, but one Southern food I never enjoyed that much was cornbread. It was just okay and I often found it to be dry and [...] Related posts:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Samantha — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:37:23 +0000

I have to tell you that I am a little surprised with myself that I have not shared a chocolate chip cookie recipe with you yet. It’s not like I never make them – I probably make these every few months. Plus it’s not like I don’t like them either, because if you put one [...] Related posts:

Blueberry Muffins

Samantha — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:20:27 +0000

For the last several weeks, many farmers at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City have had a sea of organic blueberries covering their tables. They’re both good looking berries – a purplish blue – and have a lovely flavor when you pop them into your mouth. If you are luckier than I, you [...] Related posts:

Apple Strudel

Samantha — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:50:01 +0000

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

I love it when I see a new Daring Bakers challenge that allows for easy veganizing and gives me a chance to try something truly new. This month's challenge was all about the phyllo dough – you know, that paper-thin (or thinner than paper-thin) stuff you buy in boxes in the frozen foods aisle at your local grocery store. As with pretty much most challenges, we had to make the dough. The other stuff, the filling, was a piece of cake. Related posts:

Pumpkin Bread

Samantha — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:32:49 +0000

These last couple of weeks have been a bit of an adjustment for our cat, Pixel. When we first got him, he was still young and pretty resilient, but I think as he has gotten older he's become a bit more fussy and picky. Even though we moved very close to our last apartment, he was fairly traumatized and weirded out by the whole thing. Here's the palatable version - pretty soon his system essentially stalled and we were desperate to figure out how to get things moving along again. After a failed visit to the veterinarian (don't get me started), we relied on the internet for hints on what to do. One way to get a cat or dog to do its business? Feed it pureed pumpkin. Now things are back to normal and I had quite a bit of leftover pumpkin, so I decided that I'd use it for less practical purposes and indulge in making some pumpkin muffins for breakfast. Related posts:

Lavash Crackers with Artichoke and Sundried Tomato Dip

Samantha — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:29:33 +0000

This morning I thought I'd check in on the Daring Bakers website to see how much time I still had to make this month's challenge. I discovered that today was my deadline! I had actually hoped to get this one created earlier in the month, but we had family over, then I was sick last week - and sadly I'm still sick. I am on the verge of wellness, so I figured that I could still make and post these lavash crackers and dip today. And hooray! Here we are! No related posts.

Lentil Curry with Roti

Samantha — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:55:40 +0000

It has been amazingly hot here in New York City. "Heat wave" doesn't even do it justice. It has only been yesterday and today that we've seen a reprieve from 100+ degree weather - today was high 80s, and tomorrow promises to be a cool 82 degrees.

A couple of weeks ago, however, when the weather was more tolerable I spent some time in front of a hot stove and made some Indian food. While I've made food from other cuisines like Chinese, Mexican, and Italian, I've rarely made Indian food, aside from that mango lassi I made in February. Perhaps I've been too intimidated by it - the exotic spices, the unusual breads, the aromas... The whole cuisine is almost other-worldly.

The Boleyn Inheritance – Twice Baked Potatoes

Samantha — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:19:27 +0000

The dinner is delicious, but I pick at my food because at court there is always someone watching you, and I don't want to seem greedy. Our table faces the front of the hall, so it is natural that I look up to see the king at his dinner. In his rich clothes and great collar of gold you might mistake him for one of the old pictures over an altar; I mean, a picture of God. He is so grand and so broad and so weighted with gold and jewels, he sparkles like an old treasure mountain. There is a cloth of gold spread over his great chair, with embroidered curtains hanging down on either side, and every dish is served to him by a servant on his knees. Even the server who offers him a golden bowl to dip his fingers and wipe his hands does so on bended knee. There is another server altogether to hand him the linen cloth. They bow their heads as well when they kneel to him, as if he were of such unearthly importance that they cannot meet his eyes.

-The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory Reading a novel by Philippa Gregory is like eating chocolate. It's so smooth, rich, and delicious that I find myself disappointed every time I finish one of her books. My only consolation is that I still have yet to read all of them - and hopefully she'll never stop writing. Historical novels need to be written well for me, and hers meet my expectations. This one centers around Henry VIII and three ladies in his court - you know, the one who had multiple wives and killed nearly every one of them. You can almost taste the fear of the women who surrounded him, and wonder how any of them wound up surviving.

The Mosaic Crimes – Creamy Italian White Bean Soup

Samantha — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:02:36 +0000

"Here you are, Messere!" The host's voice took his mind off his worries. The man placed a wooden platter in front of him, containing slices of dark bread soaked in a reddish slop. On top were two slabs of cheese with a thick, moldy rind. "And here is some wine, true nectar of Saint Dennis!" he exclaimed, setting down a moist earthenware jug. "Dionysus," Dante muttered. "Saint Dionysus?" "No, Dionysus the god." "By God, Messere, you are right; the other was Saint Damian." The prior dismissed him with a nod and looked around for a spoon. He resigned himself to using his fingers, and after having rolled up his sleeves, scooped up and swallowed a dripping mouthful. Not so bad, aside from the mold on the cheese, and not too different from what the kitchens of the Priors' Palazzo dished out, he thought as he fell upon the wine.

-The Mosaic Crimes by Giulio Leoni, Anne Milano Appel

There are some books which sound good in the description, but wind up being disappointing to me. Sad to say, this is one of those. I typically enjoy reading books that are along the lines of The Last Cato, The Da Vinci Code, or Labyrinth. They are not exactly what I would call fine literature, but they are entertaining and keep me on the edge of my seat. This book, centered around Dante Alighieri and his quest to solve a handful of mysterious crimes, never swept me into the story. Dante was portrayed not as a hero, but more as a self-centered jerk and in the end did little that was impressive. The only real impressive thing was how often he managed to be in a tavern and seem to only subsist on wine. The above quote is the only mention of food in the entire book (at least that I recall). Related posts: