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Young & HungryIf you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen! |
| 22 August |
I am a diehard fan of fresh pasta, any shape or way you cut it. My Nonna taught me how to make fresh spaghetti with her at a young age and some of my best memories are of us hanging the long strands over a broomstick under the ceiling fan to dry. Eating it late night for dessert with Grandpa’s spicy sauce was pretty great too! In class we started with the traditional pasta all’uovo and then learned how to translate the basic dough into various flavors and shapes by adding spinach or squid ink and changing the types of flour to produce the correct consistency. We then learned how to properly finish a pasta in the sauce and, of course, al dente, which means “to the tooth.”
| 10 August |
Oh salad, fresh salad, how I could write an ode to thee. After a week of cooking pasta fresh, stuffed & dried pasta, gnocchi, risotto, and pizza a salad actually sounds quite exciting. I know you, out there, are anxiously awaiting the aforementioned recipes, but first things first for us Americans that often preface our meals with leafy greens. Many Europeans actually finish their meal with salad as a digestivi, to freshen their breath, and for other varied reasons. Alas, I’m still American and prefer a big fat scoop of ice cream for dessert, but maybe I’ll at least day crave il formaggio , or cheese course, to round out a nice dinner.
These salads can, for the most part, stand alone. I’m taking creative liberty to mix and match recipes from different lessons throughout my studies thus far to bring you these salad selections. At this point I’m happy to have any vegetable that is placed before me, but these are particularly delicious.
| 1 April |
I don’t know when exactly I fell in love with the concept of Bed & Breakfasts, but I can recall at least a couple fond memories of beds and breakfasts past. The first was on my tour de colleges all around the southeast. My recollection of that stay, being more than 10 years ago, is limited to a delicious Mocha Muffin Recipe. My next experience found me actually in college and staying with my parents and Grandmother in a nearby residence in Winston Salem for Easter. We had both the western style basement suite and a Victorian room upstairs. B&Bs tend to gravitate towards themed rooms; a trait I find quite endearing. Since then I lived next to a very pretty B&B on Piedmont Road in Atlanta. It actually went up for sale, but after several attempts that at least I thought were quite compelling to convince my parents to purchase the beautiful house for Mom to redecorate and me to manage, I was denied.
This trip found me on a tour de Florida and in the lovely town of St. Petersburg where we stayed at the Larelle House on a lazy cobblestone street lined with droopy moss, yet bright with history. The house dated to way back before I was around and was constructed by a hardware salesman for his bride to be! I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect place. Walking up the gated entrance you immediately feel relaxed surrounded by the lush green yard soon to spot the big front porch swing that you just can’t wait to plop down on! But wait, your host Larry is about to welcome you in and give you a tour of his home, beautifully decorated with a myriad of antiques by his wife. When you think it can’t get better, you catch a glimpse of the backyard where they have bicycles for the guests aka yours truly to enjoy and the most elegant underground hot tub surrounded by a flowery gazebo in case you need to relax after a hard day’s vacation. Grabbing a homemade cookie on the way upstairs, the four rooms, themed of course, are just as delightful. I stayed in the Longley room named after the original owner, which sported very luxurious fabrics, a giant fantasy sized bed, and the courtesy bottle of sherry that comes with all the rooms. Since there were only two couples staying at the time I was able to peek into the Hemingway room, which was more studious, but with a dash of fun courtesy of the leopard accents. The Victorian room was also quite nice and just as rosy pink as you would imagine it to be.
| 13 March |
Here’s my take on Katy’s Love Muffins. They’re just as delicious, but have a sweet flair. I don’t know when exactly the whole sweet & salty trend came to be, but I do know that I love it and that a breakfast that is salty alone will never satisfy me! My inspiration came first from J Christopher’s where I spent my time between college and the real world waitressing. They served an egg Mc Muffin of sorts except theirs had turkey, bacon, and was on a raisin English muffin. Upon further investigation I don’t actually see this delicious combo on their menu, but it may just be that I made it up myself! Next up, was Einstein’s with their Einstein Grill – a turkey sandwich with French toast like bread and raspberry sauce. Yikes! This too does not contain raisin bread… Well I know that my egg sandwich does, in fact, rest between 2 slices of raisin filled bread so despite whether you can get it in your nearest Atlanta restaurant or not, you can get it here:
| 11 February |
Here is my final recipe suggestion for all you love birds out there. This recipe is a big undertaking, however, so if you’ve waited this long to make plans, you might have waited too long to mentally prepare for the challenge that is the Big Night Timpano! If you’re still reading, however, or if your boo bought one of those scalped reservations on the web…I bid you well and recommend you don one of those new skirts with the elastic waistbands that seem to have come back into style at JUST the right time.
I first discovered this recipe in a dark movie theatre at the Aspen Film Festival. In Stanley Tucci’s 1996 movie Big Night, the chef Primo slaves away at this towering pasta pie, among countles other dishes, in attempt to save his and his brother Secondo’s dying restaurant. While the guest of honor, charged with brining celebrity buzz to the small unknown trattoria, never shows, the night is anything but a loss. Actually, I suppose they do lose quite a bit of money, but they have a big extravagant evening filled with endless courses of food, wine, and dancing. Additionally, they learn the importance of being and being true to yourself and your talents, which may not be as loved and appreciated by others as you would expect, but are the only thing that will bring you true happiness.
| 20 November |
My roommate makes me these for brunch on the weekends after late nights out and about. They’re easy. You have these things on hand. If you don’t keep them around they freeze well. And last forever. So no excuses. Add these ingredients to your grocery list. They. Will. Save. You.
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