The Food Life

How Bad Can That Be?

2011-10-17T18:14:00.000+01:00

Warm Bulgur Wheat Salad with Poached Egg

2009-01-23T14:48:00.006Z

I started out with the best intentions. A delicious, healthy, and flavorful lunch was what I was after. And then I opened the door to the fridge and found some leftover pancetta that needed to be used. So, granted, the calorie count shot up, but I’m not sorry. Not only did I succeed in two out of the three initial requirements I had for my lunch, but I also succeeded in ending up with a clean

Marshmallows

2008-11-25T21:52:00.006Z

Never mind that I second guessed myself at every turn during this recipe. Also, never mind the fact that while I was making these I was entirely certain that if I were to spill some of the molten hot sugar syrup down myself, no one would have been around the house to hear me scream, let alone take me to a hospital.Because frankly, all things considered, it was worth it. There aren’t many recipes

Lemon Yogurt Almond Cake

2008-11-09T09:41:00.004Z

I don’t know why I waited so long between making this delicious cake and telling you all about it. It may have something to do with the fact that every time I thought about sitting down and writing about this cake, I was suddenly overcome with the desire to make it again and have some rather than just talk about it. The acidity of the lemon zest and the cool tang of the yogurt work so well

Ode to a Mushroom...

2008-10-14T16:59:00.004+01:00

So, I watched Il Postino the other night. Just like every other time I’ve watched it, the film left me a) wanting to move to a remote island off the Italian peninsula, b) even more in love with the poetry of Pablo Neruda, and c) craving a nice, big bowl of pasta. Unfortunately, this blog is not the appropriate forum to discuss issues A and B. Issue C, however, prompted me to create this nest of

The Nothing Special

2008-10-01T13:14:00.002+01:00

The fact is: you have to eat. Unfortunately, meals can’t always be glamorous and extravagant, but they can always be delicious. This recipe for oven-roasted vegetables and couscous salad is great for when you want maximum flavor and nourishment but have minimal desire to slave away. I eat it at least once a week. Euan calls it Couscous Delight and has his drizzled with balsamic whereas I prefer a

A Short and Sharp Shock to the System

2008-09-16T16:52:00.003+01:00

Hello dear readers, I wonder if many of you are, like me, threatened by the recent presence of a distinctly autumnal climate. No? Oh, you saw this coming? Well, yeah I suppose coming back to London last week, I should have been prepared for the drop in temperature. Still, I brought my flip flops along in defiance. Today, I made a dish that is wholesome and satisfying without being over-the-top

Apricot Bread Pudding

2008-06-29T16:32:00.004+01:00

Bread pudding, like marmite, is just one of those things: you either love it or hate it. I belong in the first camp, along with my mom, who is a bread pudding super-enthusiast. The addition of apricots here gives a nice tartness to an otherwise very creamy dessert (as does the addition of Grand Marnier, which I think most desserts should endeavor to include), transforming a wintery dish into an

Plum Tatin

2008-06-27T15:58:00.007+01:00

With over-stuffed suitcases and nerves shot from exams, I arrived home to summer in California. Jetlag gives me at least 4 hours alone in the kitchen before anyone else even bats an eyelid, and the beautiful summer produce rolling in from the backyard is currently keeping my hands pleasantly busy while watching the drama unfold.Last year when the plums came in, I made a nice preserve that was

It’s Hard for Me to Say I’m Sorry…

2008-04-19T00:16:00.006+01:00

I won’t dance around the issue: I’ve been busy. Like monumentally, running-around-like-a-headless-chicken busy. I’ve already told most of my close friends and family members that if I EVER utter so much as a word about wanting to get another degree, they all have permission to physically detain me from going through with it. None of this, however, is an excuse for neglecting my readers (I know

Ricotta and Raspberry Compote

2008-03-12T18:03:00.003Z

This is a delicious use of one of my favorite ingredients ever. I am referring of course to the fresh, creamy yet textured dairy delicacy that is ricotta cheese. Here it is undeniably the star: sweetened very conservatively and topped only by the simplest of berry compotes to add a little bright piquancy to the overall effect. As with most things in life, what you put into this dish is what you

A Quartet of Dips

2008-02-28T20:00:00.011Z

Ok, ok, so I went a little crazy here. But when you’re house-sitting (read: squatting) in a house with such a fantastic kitchen, how do you not go overboard? The real impetus behind my food processor frenzy was really my totally dip-able wholewheat version of Nigella’s flatbread. It deserves more than (God forbid) store-bought hummus. No, I stand resolutely by my lifelong motto that anything

Panzanella

2008-02-07T20:17:00.000Z

Without trying to sound whimsical, I can honestly tell you that I was introduced to this dish in the kitchen of a Tuscan winery by an extraordinary woman who makes not only her own tomato sauce, pesto, and preserves, but her own wine and olive oil as well. Now that’s the kind of life I want to have one day. Indeed, my old buddy Jenna and I gained access to the indescribable culinary enclave at La

SlowFood Bread Class Photos

2008-01-27T21:17:00.000Z

For those of you who were at the Breadmaking class, here they are: the photos that the sunday papers would love to get their hands on: "Look at those sexy slashes!" SlowFoodies: Please feel free to peruse the rest of my blog and try some of the recipes--I'd love to know what you think!

Old School New York Bagels

2008-01-27T20:33:00.001Z

Right off the bat, I'll tell you: making your own bagels is a bit of a project. That said, I have to follow up by mentioning: it's incredibly fun and unbelievably rewarding. The resulting bagels are chewy on the outside with a tightly woven crumb on the inside, resulting in unbelievable flavor and texture. Making them does take a bit of time (about 3 hours start to finish) but believe me when I

Vanilla Salted Caramels

2007-12-27T23:43:00.001Z

One of the nice things about spending your time reading food blogs is that you stay up to date with current trends in food and you can get feedback on recipes before you even try them. I'll admit, I'm not a big candy-maker (I often get put off by the use of candy thermometers), but I saw three separate bloggers like myself attempt different caramels, so I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring.

Alpha Bar Brown Rice Salad

2007-12-27T22:55:00.000Z

When all of the big eating holidays are said and done, this hearty warm salad provides a great winter meal without the guilt. It is inspired by the Alpha Bar, a legendary Oxford lunch take-away frequented by many a health-conscious student. It's my location of choice at least twice a week, owing to its never-boring create-your-own-salad box. Their version of this salad uses cabbage, which I've

Roast Butternut Squash Risotto

2007-12-11T19:04:00.000Z

On a cold day like this when your face and hands are frozen and you walk in the door, packages in hand after a day full of frustrations and an overall lack of Christmas cheer, this recipe is what you want to have set in front of you for dinner. Not only is it deliciously seasonal and hearty, but I think the process of making risotto is somehow therapeutic. Standing over a pan full of sauteeing

Wild Goose Chase Baklava

2007-11-11T19:44:00.000Z

For this, the inaugrual post on The Food Life, I think I should start with a small anecdote that attempts to show the extent of my ongoing quest to find new food and cooking experiences. Most anyone you speak to about making baklava from scratch will tell you that it's not worth it. Store-bought is often very good, and making it can be very labor intensive, so why bother?For me, the fact that you