I aspire to be Giada.

It's true. Giada de Laurentiis is probably as close to perfect as a human being can get. She's gorgeous, has an attractive husband and awesome daughter, can cook up a storm, and doesn't break a sweat during any of it. I figure if I keep making Italian food, I'll eventually become Giada. 


Italian is probably my favorite to both cook and eat. There are so many different flavors and combinations to try, and Italian cooking always brings about a family vibe to the table. So, here's my stab at reinventing a classic family dish.


The Meal: Lasagna with Sausage and Bechamel Sauce

The Working Man's BBQ

In my four years spent in North Carolina during college, I never did understand the difference between Eastern and Western Carolina barbecue sauces. But ssshhh, don't tell anyone from North Carolina. They may actually rip your head off. 


Southerners, and in particular, North Carolinians, are passionate about their barbecue. Every family and restaurant probably has their own unique recipe for a sauce, which makes barbecue one of the great kitchen equalizers. You can never really screw it up if you stick with the basic ingredients. Then, you can add your own little flair to give it a unique twist.


I suppose this recipe is an East-meets-West BBQ sauce. I didn't use pork (sacrilege!) because I had a ton of chicken in my freezer. Really, you can use almost any protein you want with barbecue, which is the beauty of it all.


The Meal: BBQ Pulled Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries

Mastering the Art of French (Country) Cooking.

Bill's idea for this meal was to teach everyone how to cook the perfect roast chicken. My task was to create the side dish to pair with the chicken. How convenient, then, that Bill got a new cookbook by Skye Gyngell entitled My Favorite Ingredients, and one of the first recipes is a side dish served best with a roast chicken and salad greens. 


So, when we added in the dessert, this happened to turn into a meal inspired by the French countryside. (Bill knows these things. I just know that it's good food.)


You may think that French cooking is rather difficult - my only exposure to the style is watching Julie & Julia, as I suppose it is for many of you - but this is one of the easiest and most delicious meals I've ever made. 


The Meal: Herb-Roasted Chicken with Asparagus Gratin

Brunch on the run!

In the great amount of time I had this morning between getting a decent amount of sleep and heading to a long day of rehearsal, I decided it would be the best idea to get up and cook. Why not spend my free time today doing this?


When I bought the potatoes for the Fish and Chips this past week, Russet potatoes were buy one, get one free at the grocery store. So, a five pound bag of spuds has been staring at me from the counter, begging to be used.


There is nothing I love more than home fries for my Sunday breakfast. With this recipe, it's nearly (and could possibly be) a square meal. 


The Meal: Rosemary & Thyme Potato Frittata 

Birthdays are for indulgence.

The happiest of birthdays today to my fellow chef, Mr. Bill Clark. Many drinks were consumed last night in honor of the occasion/St. Patrick's Day. Which meant I had to get up at 7:00 this morning and bake furiously before work at 9:00. Oof.


But, I'm a champion and I did it.


And, I figured that since I wasn't going to partake in the consumption of these tasty treats, I could make them as decadent as I wanted and spoil the birthday boy. Honestly, making dessert for the former pastry chef makes me nervous, but he gave his approval and I breathed a sigh of relief.


The Dessert: Red Velvet Cupcakes Two Ways

Today, everyone is Irish.

Far be it from me to frown upon celebrating a holiday that involves good food and lots of beer - even if I'm not of that country or don't even know what the holiday actually celebrates. If drinking Guinness and eating this meal makes me Irish today, so be it!


Being the artsy people that we are, I have a feeling that many of these meals will have themes. Sorry, but we're just a little cheesy that way.


That being said, there was no way I was letting Bill talk me into making corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's day. No way, no how. I really don't eat red meat, and I've never been able to stand the taste of cabbage. My sister ate it like candy when we were kids. I had a turkey and cheese sandwich those nights.

(This actually hangs in Bill's kitchen above the fridge. Appropriate, no?)

So, this meal was our compromise. I think I made out pretty well in this deal.

The Meal: Beer-Battered Fish and Chips

The Everyman Meal

First of all, credit for this meal goes to my partner in kitchen crime, Bill Clark. He did all of the prep work yesterday while I was in rehearsal. So, it was yet another late dinner after a day of rehearsal and acting class.


And now, to the task at hand. It completely blows my mind that some people can't or don't cook. For me, it's a break from all the chaos in my life. It's still an opportunity to be creative, but in a very different way. So, we're billing this as "The Everyman Meal." I firmly believe that even if you can't/don't/won't cook, you should have one meal you cook well for a special occasion. This is it. It's virtually foolproof.


Case study: Mr. David Ruttura. David is in town directing our production of "The Secret Garden" - which you should see, because it's going to be fantastic. (Purchase Tickets Here) Besides chocolate chip cookies and eggs, David doesn't really cook for himself. Really, David? You go out almost every night for dinner? I still don't get it. I'm not judging. I promise. 
So naturally, Bill and I demanded that he participate in the prep and cooking of the meal. Here's our culinary student hard at work:

The Meal: Buckwheat Pasta with Tomato Sauce

Today's word is: Dedication.

I am dedicated to keeping this blog updated. I began it as a passion project because I love cooking, and I don't want to let it fall by the wayside. But, six nights a week for the next three weeks will be spent pursuing my first love - theatre. It's going to get harder and harder to find time to cook, but I'm determined to do it. Hence me starting these burgers at 9:00 last night.


I have made a lot of burgers in my time. But this, my friends, is by far the BEST burger I have ever made. Believe me. You're going to savor every bite. Your breath may not be the friendliest of odors afterwards, and I definitely wouldn't make this for a date night, but it's a damn good burger.


The Meal: Blue Turkey Burgers with Caramelized Onions

That's so Asian.

I don't know that I've ever met someone who doesn't like Chinese takeout, or any other kind of Asian food, for that matter. But nearly everything I want when I order Chinese is deep-fried, so I decided to make my own healthier version tonight.


And just a quick rant before we begin the formalities: I don't know why everyone around here loves the Super Giant. Every time I have gone there looking for some special ingredient - usually on the advice of someone else - THEY NEVER HAVE IT. Nary a wonton wrapper did they have. I'm just going to learn my lesson and stick with the good old Food Lion. 


This was inspired by Sunny Anderson's "Cooking For Real" show on Food Network. She knows what she's doing - and I'll be using more of her recipes for inspiration in the coming months. 


The Meal: Pork Pot Stickers with Vegetable Stir Fry

I'm having a love affair.

With garlic and rosemary. I absolutely could not live without these two ingredients. I'll use them quite often, so I hope you like these marvelous flavors!


Having gone to college in the South, I think I know biscuits. They just know how to make them down there. I think the first true biscuits I had were in the hills outside of Chattanooga, where my great aunt introduced me to "cat head biscuits" - so-called because they're about the size of cat heads. I adore this term - especially said in your best Paula Deen voice.


That being said, I put my own twist on these. Buttermilk biscuits are great. I think these are better.


The Food: Garlic and rosemary biscuits

Paula Deen would be proud.

Tonight was an attempt to recreate (and put a little spin on) a meal from Salt Air, a farm-to-table restaurant here in Rehoboth Beach. A group of us ate there back in the fall when Sundays were $19 three-course meals. WHAT?! Yes. At that point in my life, I was pretty sure it was the best meal I'd ever had. Seriously, if any of you ever visit me, we're eating there.


But, in my ever humble opinion, tonight's meal easily bested the restaurant-quality meal. This is a meal you might only make once every couple of months because it very rich, but soooo worth it.


The Meal: Shrimp and cheesy grits with sauteed arugula 

Let's start at the very beginning...

Here we go.


My Finer Things Club began on Valentine's Day this year, as my friends and I held a Single's Dinner. The name comes The Office - so if you don't like/watch this show, that's fine. But I don't know if we can actually be friends.


After chatting it over with friends on a trip this weekend, I decided I needed something new in my life - and this is it! Rather than writing recipes down and storing them in a notebook that no one will see, why not share them in the hopes that they will help someone else?


The Mission: Live on a limited budget while still trying to eat and live well. 


The Meal: Southwest Soup with cornbread


I knew I wanted to make soup tonight, and I was tired of making the standard chili or chicken noodle. Not a huge fan of the cream-based soups either. So, I strolled down the canned soup aisle for inspiration. Why not just buy the can soup, you say? Well, there wouldn't be much point to this blog, then, would there?

The Ingredients: Smoked turkey sausage
                               Olive oil
                               1 large sweet onion, diced
                               2 bell peppers (your choice), diced
                               2 jalapenos, diced
                               3 carrots, diced
                               3 tbsp. kosher salt
                               2 tsp. ground black pepper
                               2 tbsp. ground cumin
                               1 tsp. chili powder
                               1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
                               1 tsp. garlic powder
                               3 cups chicken broth/stock
                               3 cups water
                               2 cups brown rice
                               16 oz. (2 cans) diced tomatoes
                               8 oz. (1 can) black beans, rinsed and drained
                               8 oz. (1 can) sweet corn, drained
                               1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped


It being near the end of winter, fresh produce is not only hard to come by, it's also way too expensive and, most of the time, not too great. So, there's a mix here. When buying canned vegetables, I buy "no salt added" products just so I'm adding my own flavors and not eating a lot of unnecessary sodium.