Monthly Archives: February 2011

2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: A Series

27 February 2011 by local kitchen

Food media outlets were abuzz a few weeks ago with the release of the once-every-5-years update of Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 (released on January 31, 2011 just so we could all make the requisite slow-as-the-federal-goernment jokes), prepared by the USDA and the US Department of Health & Human Services. I read some of the news bits, and caught some reactions on Twitter, but I deliberately held off on reading the full policy document because I basically knew what my reaction would be: […]

Categories: Dietary Guidelines • Tags: diet, dietary guidelines 2010, food, USDA

Sausage & Swiss Chard Lasagna

26 February 2011 by local kitchen

Do you know how hard it is to take an appetizing picture of lasagna? Well, let me tell you: it’s hard. Especially in dreary, grey, rainy February afternoon “daylight.” There’s a reason that lasagna photos are always tarted up with fresh basil or a white-aproned chef, proudly bearing the baking dish: lasagna is ugly food. Lest that dissuade you from making this dish, however, let us remember The Kitchenette’s cardinal rule: ugly food is delicious. (And on a completely unrelated note, […]

Categories: 100% local, basil, main course, pasta, sausage, winter, year round • Tags: cooking, food, lasagna, local, pasta, recipes, sausage, winter

Bourbon-Glazed Cinnamon Buns

24 February 2011 by local kitchen

As promised, Bourbon-Glazed Cinnamon Buns! (Or, you know, cinnamon buns. Whether or not you dress them up with a boozy, sugary topping is entirely up to you. But I’ll never tell.) The bourbon glaze on these buns was entirely serendipitous: a friend of Tai’s has been visiting for a couple of days, so they could spend some quality time climbing frozen waterfalls in the Catskills before the dreaded Spring thaw. Last night, just as I was taking the buns out […]

Categories: baking, breads, breakfast, whole wheat flour, wine, beer & liquor, year round • Tags: baking, bread, breakfast, cooking, food, local, recipes, whole grain breads

Texas Grapefruit & Tahitian Vanilla Bean Marmalade

21 February 2011 by local kitchen

I had such high hopes for this marmalade: the flavor of the Rio Red grapefruit from G & S Groves was nothing short of amazing; the aroma of the fruit, simmering on the stovetop with Tahitian vanilla bean, was glorious; I was determined to add enough water this time, and enough sugar, to achieve the perfect trifecta of taste, appearance and texture. Well, as they say: 2 outta 3 ain’t bad. Marmalade set is notoriously tricky: even experienced jammers have difficulties. The […]

Categories: canning, citrus, preserves, preserving, winter • Tags: breakfast, canning, condiments, cooking, food, grapefruit, local, marmalade, preserving, recipes

Easy Cranberry Sauce

20 February 2011 by local kitchen

I know, I know – Thanksgiving was months ago. But I don’t need a holiday to enjoy cranberry sauce slathered on a turkey sandwich, dolloped onto mashed potatoes, or glazed over a roasted chicken. I also don’t need a holiday to enjoy this cranberry walnut galette, which I brought to a party a couple of weeks ago. What I do need, apparently, is a way to keep track of what is in my own fridge. Specifically – cranberries. Thawing. Waiting to be used in […]

Categories: condiments, cranberries, holiday, preserving, sauces, wine, beer & liquor, winter • Tags: condiments, cooking, food, local, preserving, quick & easy, recipes, winter

Use It or Lose It! Glazed Blueberry Tart with Lime Curd

17 February 2011 by local kitchen

We had a dinner guest last night, a former colleague and my former boss, in fact. We’ve both moved on in our careers since then, but I’m not above trying to impress the old boss, nor above trying to impress anyone who tastes my cooking for the first time, if truth be told. I wanted an impressive dessert, but I’ve been absolutely swamped with work this week, so it needed to be fairly easy to throw together. I had made […]

Categories: berries, citrus, dessert, Use it or Lose it!, winter, year round • Tags: baking, berries, blueberries, cooking, dessert, food, local, recipes, tart

Homemade Hand Cream

15 February 2011 by local kitchen

I am a crocodile. Well, not literally, obviously (opposable thumbs being a great boon to typing ability) but my skin is so dry, especially in winter, that it feels more true than not. Given that both of my grandmothers were Irish and one grandfather was Scottish, 75% of my DNA is used to a moist, mild climate. Not the description I would use for this buried-in-snow, always-below-freezing New York winter. Just before Christmas, I stumbled upon this recipe for homemade […]

Categories: home goods • Tags: body lotion, frugal, hand cream, homemade, quick & easy, recipes, thrifty

Happy Love Day

14 February 2011 by local kitchen

I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day. It’s such a hokey, Hallmark, twee sort of holiday, and unlike other holidays, it seems so much more difficult to make it your own: to celebrate love in your own way, with or without chocolate, or flowers, or cheesy red hearts. Maybe it’s just my contrarian nature: the mere fact of someone telling me that this is the one day that you must celebrate love makes me feel, well… unlovey. Love, however: love […]

Categories: community • Tags: cooking, food, love, valentine's day

Use It or Lose It! Marmalade Chicken Fingers

11 February 2011 by local kitchen

Once you’ve had your fill of spicy marmalade on toast, whip up these easy marmalade chicken ‘fingers’ for a quick weeknight meal. Empty a jar, do a little victory dance, and enjoy a delicious dinner. Leftovers are fabulous in a cold chicken sandwich (or straight from the fridge, washed down with OJ from the carton. Not that I would ever condone such a thing. Put it on a plate, son: you’ll enjoy it more.) Inspired by this great article in […]

Categories: chicken, main course, quick & easy, roasting, Use it or Lose it!, winter, year round • Tags: chicken, cooking, food, local, preserves, quick & easy, recipes

Cara Cara Chile Marmalada

9 February 2011 by local kitchen

After my last orange marmalade candy-in-a-jar experience, I did quite a bit of research before starting this one. I had some beautiful organic oranges from my local whole foods market and I knew which recipe I wanted to use as a base: an orange chile marmalade from the Ball book. That recipe, however, specifies nine (9!!) cups of sugar, which I knew was never going to work for me. So, I looked at traditional marmalade recipes in Gourmet Preserves, The Glass […]

Categories: canning, citrus, condiments, hot chile peppers, preserves, preserving, wine, beer & liquor, winter • Tags: canning, cara cara, chiles, condiments, cooking, food, local, marmalade, preserves, preserving, recipes

Roasted Flageolet Beans & Vegetables with Preserved Lemon

8 February 2011 by local kitchen

Update: The original was good, but as I suspected, additional vegetables and preserved lemon take this dish over the top. Updated to detail the most recent version, this one with carrots, parsnips, leek + scallions, preserved lemon, dried mint and yes, more free spice mixes from Penzeys, this one Turkish Spice. Enjoy! ———————————————————– After the excess of “man-food” over Superbowl weekend (Why is it that men lay claim to meat & grease why women get salads & ‘light’ pasta? Food/gender […]

Categories: beans, citrus, garlic, heirloom beans, quick & easy, roasting, side dish, vegetarian, winter, year round • Tags: beans, cooking, flageolet, food, heirloom beans, local, quick & easy, recipes, vegetarian

The Other Football

5 February 2011 by local kitchen

Haven’t decided yet what you’re cooking for the Superbowl? Just in case the other 7,000 “big game” round-ups out there haven’t inspired, here are a few ideas from my kitchen. Enjoy the game tomorrow tonight – and since I have lots of friends from Pennsylvania (and not so many in Wisconsin) – Go Steelers although I live in New York, I was born & raised in Boston: Go Pats! ———————————————————– Finger Food Nachos (wow ’em with homemade Refried Beans and homemade Corn Tortilla chips!) Crispy Baked […]

Categories: appetizer, dessert, holiday, main course, winter • Tags: appetizers, chili, cooking, food, local, quick & easy, recipes, superbowl

Jamie Oliver’s Chicken in (Butter)Milk

3 February 2011 by local kitchen

When Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution first aired, I was impressed by the show and thought that maybe I should try out some of his recipes. As I discussed in that post, I haven’t been a big fan of Jamie Oliver, or of celebrity chefs in general, especially ones who tout quick-n-easy “recipease” (blech); therefore I stay away from celebrity recipes in general, and had never tried one of Jamie’s. However, I was impressed enough by the show, and by Oliver’s mission to improve […]

Categories: braising, chicken, citrus, garlic, main course, sage, winter, year round • Tags: braise, chicken, cooking, food, jamie oliver, local, recipes, roasted chicken

Dark Days: Christina’s Vegetable Soup

1 February 2011 by local kitchen

I think this winter I’ll just write a generic “Hey, it’s snowing, and I’m eating soup!” post and put it up once a week. Still, it is snowing, and I am eating soup: specifically, my friend Christina’s garden vegetable soup, that I made back in October with some of the last CSA vegetables of the season. This is my favorite fast food meal; locavore fast food, wherein it takes 5 minutes to re-heat a bowl of homemade soup, made when farm-fresh vegetables were abundant, and just […]

Categories: 100% local, Dark Days Local, soup, winter • Tags: cooking, food, local, soup, vegetarian