Good food

 

I've been trying out a lot of new recipes. You won't see many actual food pictures on my blog, because I live in the land of no sun, and by the time I cook dinner, it's been dark for hours.

 

I also tend to make quite a mess and use every pot and appliance available, including, on occasion, a  waffle iron. (The quarter-inch gingham checks give you a rough idea of the size of this cookware, which both my mom and I played with. The waffle iron is maybe an inch across. How we managed not to lose any of those little lids is a mystery.)

 
 
I've been enjoying the new Gourmet cookbook, which was a Christmas present from my husband. Cookbooks are good gifts, because they can inspire you to try new foods at what can be a fairly uninspiring time of year.
 
 

A new cookbook can get you interested in eating healthy food.

 

Or some not-so-healthy food.

Thanks to my new cookbook we enjoyed a meal of  Korean marinated beef, savory rice cakes and rice-studded Chinese meatballs, which was far superior to any Chinese take-out we could have found, and, once all the chopping was done, not at all difficult. I'm looking forward to some beef chow mein, too. And these two recipes -garlic and cheese crostini and antipasto pasta salad - look like they can't miss.

There's some other fun stuff in the cookbook, like how to make fresh ricotta, which looks very easy, and how to make an egg cream, which has no eggs and no cream and sounds like the ice-cream sodas of my youth.

But my most favorite recipe so far is the oven-braised barbecued brisket, for which, alas, there is no link. However, if you found yourself a nice 4-pound brisket, browned it on both sides, doused it in a bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce and put it, tightly covered, in a 325-degree oven for 3 or 4 hours, you would eat very well. (The recipe calls for making your own sauce, which was very easy.) We're having the leftovers as sandwiches tonight.

The other nice thing about this recipe is the opportunity to use the phrase "a nice brisket." I went to all of my local grocery stores in search of a nice brisket and ended up driving to the second-largest Wegmans in the world (well, one of the really big ones) to find said brisket. There's something about the phrase "nice brisket" that's very comforting and makes me think of apron-wearing housewives in Brooklyn in the 1950s.

 

The other recipe I really want to try (and there's also no link to it - sigh) is the cannoli roll, which is a sponge cake roll filled and frosted with whipped cream and sprinkled with pistachios and bittersweet chocolate. Although I'm certain I could eat the whole thing by myself, I'm certain I shouldn't, and so I might have to have some company over for that.


 

Comments

[HeidiAnn]

Oh, that furniture, food and cookware is all so adorable!
And your post is making me hungry, and making me feel like I need to start cooking more!

[Into Vintage]

My, what tiny waffles you have. If you're looking for volunteers to help out with the cannoli roll, look no further. It's a bit of a drive but sounds like it'll be worth it.

[Martha]

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I look forward to your posts -- each one more clever than the last. You always brighten my day, which is important because daylight in Seattle is now 8h 29m, whereas yours is 9h 12m -- not a huge difference, but I'm just saying.

[Sherrie]

For a chance at good food, I say a road trip should be in order. But how many cannoli rolls can you make?

[laurie - magpie ethel]

I'm nice and hungry after this post and am off to have lunch...the bbq brisket sounds awesome, but it is lentil soup day for me. That waffle iron is AMAZING..kudos to you for not that treasure.

[Kim]

Truth be told, some of the food pictures I see out there make me a bit nauseous. I'd rather look at your fake food any day. The waffle iron is amazing.

[Brenda Kula]

I don't know how you managed not to lose any of that little stuff either. I can barely keep my head on without losing it. Yes, I do like the sound of a "nice brisket." Sounds very culinary and housewife-ish. (And maybe, if you say it a lot, a little Stepford Wife-ish and "round-the-bend-ish!") I don't know why you bothered crediting 93 cents, my dear. T'wouldn't have worried be a bit!
Brenda

[Lavender Dreamer]

The recipes sound yummy...but your precious doll furniture and food is what I LOVE! Very sweet and cute! Enjoy your weekend! I always look forward to seeing what you show us next!

[Maureen]

Love your photos today. My grandmother would fit perfectly, your image of a 1950's apron- wearing housewife cooking up a "perfect brisket."
It is so sad that the supermarket butchers of today have no clue about the meat they work with. Recently I asked not one, but five of them, what cut of meat do I use to make sauerbrauten. I was met with blank stares. We need to turn back the clock, and bring back the real butchers. Have a great weekend.
Maureen

[Beth Leintz]

You certainly set a cute tiny table- I especially like the cake.

I think brisket is a regional cut of meat. I learned about brisket when we moved to Kansas City- its the basis for Kansas City beef barbeque- but you can't find brisket in North Dakota. My mom thinks the North Dakota butchers turn their brisket into corned beef.

[Mary Ellen]

Ummm... you didn't call me when dinner was ready. Great post.

[susan]

oh my goodness, that is the cutest set i've ever seen!

[Vicki]

Did you mention something that was braised? Well, lucky me, I could make that meal because mom bought me a Braising Pan for Christmas. Before I had this little beauty I had to make a stew in a 9x13 Corningware dish with aluminum foil on top...so amateurish... I NEED the recipe for the cannoli roll. Don't make me go out and buy another Cookbook. I am out of shelves!!! Hope 10 is going well so far.

[C. Dianne Zweig]

I really enjoyed this post...your blog is great, come by and say hello, Dianne

[Margaret]

Hi, B -- Got a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas and have been debating whether to get this book. Your post decides it for me! Try Dominick's on Lodi Street (corner of Hawley) or Liehs & Stiegerwald for brisket. I lucked out at L&S and just walked in and bought one one time. Other times, not so lucky. I call ahead and order. There's a really easy brisket recipe in "The New Basics'' that we love. No BBQ sauce. You smother it with about 2 pounds of sliced onions.

[Rebecca]

Mmm, everything sounds delicious! I hear you on it being too dark to take pictures of dinner. But it's also a good excuse to make fancy breakfasts on the weekends, just to get pictures! :)