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Tag Archives: comfort

Dark gingerbread cake with rum and citrus

This recipe has been sitting in my files for years, and while we’re on the cusp of summer, gingerbread cake is a comforting reminder of what is behind us—and something to look forward to. This cake uses a lot of ginger, both fresh and powdered, and you could use either oranges or lemons for the […]

Yorkshire pudding with poultry sausages, or toad in the hole

After many years of trying to encourage volume and height in our Yorkshire pudding attempts, I finally found a dependable recipe via Jamie Oliver. This is yet another variation on popovers, where an eggy batter needs rest (if containing gluten), a hot oven, and a well-greased pan. With sausages, this becomes the comforting dish, toad […]

Cornbread

I don’t bake or eat quick breads that often, so it has taken a while for me to get around posting one of my favorites, cornbread. When I discovered blue corn flour (finely ground cornmeal) back in the 1990s, I went nuts making cornbread…then stopped for some reason. I think the following recipe has a […]

Cream scones

I can’t believe I haven’t posted a recipe for cream scones! My version is somewhere between the classic and cream scone recipes from The Joy of Cooking, wherein I use cream, eggs and butter. This yields a very tender and very rich scone, as one could imagine.

Cauliflower with black garlic, anchovies & white wine

There was a head of cauliflower sitting in the vegetable box in the refrigerator. I didn’t feel like steaming it, or making a gratin, but wanted a dish that was flavorful yet on the lighter side. Jeremy F. had mused about cooking this veg with anchovies and garlic, and I thought, “Hey, that does sound […]

Chicken broth with tomatoes

I interrupt the stream of remodeling entries with something on one of my more usual topics: food. 🙂 I had started writing this in early September, so while tomatoes are no longer in season (wub!), the thought of soup remains timely. Okay, perhaps this might be more useful for early autumn, when there are still […]

Rice cooker porridge

I’ve been stuck with a bug that is slow to go away. But I think I’ve found an edible weapon: rice porridge made in the cooker. Or, perhaps a better name might be not-quite-insta-pseudo jook. Either way, it’s easy and tasty.

When summer overwhelms you with zucchini, make pancakes!

Once again I’m reminded of what happens when I turn my back and not do anything with zucchini for about five days: I get nearly six pounds of summer squash, looking up at me, threatening to explode into space-aged proportions. A remedy: Perform the summer version of the tuberous pancakes! The recipe is basically the […]

Potato pancakes with sweet potatoes and scallions

Why limit yourself to latkes during Hanukkah? Potato pancakes are for anyone, anytime! After all, they do look like little FSMs, albeit somewhat flattened. I’m sure His Noodliness would still approve. Moreover, savory pancakes can be made from many different root vegetables, in my case baking potatoes and sweet potatoes, with a kick of scallions […]

Basic bread recipe for sandwiches and focaccia (and pizza)

It’s been years since I baked yeast-based breads. Glad I’ve picked up the habit again! Having focaccia to snack on, or just a decent loaf for sandwiches, makes for comforting (not to mention tastier and fresher) eats. The dough is versatile, so I also use it for pizzas. Three cookbooks aided me in my rediscovery […]