mgcappab's Blog

What we're reading: March 30

By Mary Cappabianca
March 30, 2011 - 1:33 pm
A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What we're reading

French Chefs and their Houses

(The Selby) Cool apartment, pictures of food, Parisian lifestyle. This is what dreams are made of.

Ex-Microsoft Guy now Makes Food

(Vanity Fair) And it's molecular gastronomy! Okay, not surprising that a computer geek even cooks using geeky technology. I'm not making his centrifuged grits anytime soon, but still cool to ogle.

Onward: The SBUX Story

I recently heard a book report on Howard Shultz (Starbucks CEO)'s first book from a girl who really liked it. Onward, his second book, supposedly explains how Frappuccinos aren't an example of selling out. We're approaching this one with skepticism.

What we're cooking

Supernatural Brownies

(Saveur) These look great. And with two-plus sticks of butter, I can guarantee they taste great too.

How we're finding jobs

Saveur is hiring!

Looking for a way to gain 20 pounds this summer? You could be an editorial intern for Saveur! It's unpaid, but a true food lover would pay to get this gig.

Carrot Cupcakes

By Mary Cappabianca
March 28, 2011 - 4:42 pm
A perennial favorite, carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing are delicious and nutritious- that's what the carrot's for, right?

Carrot cake in adorable cupcake form. Enough said.

 

1/2 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

zest of 1/2 lemon

zest of 1/2 orange

2 medium carrots, grated

1/2 cup raisins

 

1/2 cup cream cheese (1/2 a package)

1 2/3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons lime juice

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Beat together sugar and oil, add eggs one at a time. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and citrus zests. Fold in grated carrots and raisins.

3. Spoon batter into muffin cups, bake 20 minutes. Cool the cakes.

4. Beat cream cheese in a bowl until softened, then beat in powdered sugar. Squeeze in the lime juice. Taste for the perfect match of cream cheese flavor and citrus punch. Frost the cupcakes.

Makes 12

What we're reading: March 23

By Mary Cappabianca
March 23, 2011 - 1:54 pm
A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What we're reading

Veggie Burgers

(New York Times) As a vegetarian, I'm excited for veggie burgers to get a chance to shine. Word of caution: the veggie burgers in the slideshow do not look appetizing, even to a five-year veg. So, view at your own risk.

Tops Turns Orange

(Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician) Everyone's favorite right-next-to-South-Campus grocery is now Syracuse-themed.

Supermarket Rip-Offs

(Slashfood) Don't buy boxed cereal, or Funyuns.

What we're cooking

Asparagus Shandong-Style

(Savour) Asparagus season just can't come soon enough! I can't wait to cook this simple and beautiful recipe.

Indian food from Nigella

(Cooking Channel) I just watched the Indian food episode of Nigella Feasts. This easy muttar paneer recipe looks divine.

What we're reading: March 9

By Mary Cappabianca
March 9, 2011 - 6:10 am
A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What we're reading

Tour de Gall

(Vanity Fair) Glamourous celebrities and stunning food in the City of Light. Voyeuristic Vanity Fair writing at its best, but this time about a restaurant.

In-N-Out Super Secret Menu

(A Hamburger Today) Next time you visit the West Coast eatery, everything will be different. Learn about every possible variation on the menu.

A recipe for toast

(Food Network Humor) Thanks to Bobby Flay and Food Network, we can now all learn how to toast a bun for a burger. See also: Dark Chocolate as a Snack.

How we're planning the rest of our lives

Good Food Jobs

Not to stress all the seniors out there, but this search engine for careers in the food industry is a great resource for finding that thing that starts with a "j" and ends with an "ob," including those in the business, media and non-profit sectors and all related to food!

What we're cooking

Brown Rice Treats

(Sprouted Kitchen) The most beautiful recipe for a healthy dessert ever. Even if this recipe requires a trip to Green Planet Grocery, if it makes my life as serene as these photos, I'm in.

Snickerdoodles

By Mary Cappabianca
March 7, 2011 - 12:06 pm
You'll feel like a master host(ess) who can whip these up within ten minutes of your guests' impromptu arrival.

Snickerdoodles aren't the fanciest cookie, but they are among the tastiest and easiest. It's almost embarassing how many times I've invited over friends, realized I had no food, and thrown these together. If your guests are anything like mine, they'll be excited to help you roll the cookies in sugar and cinnamon and pop them in the oven.

 

Snickerdoodles

1 2/3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and salt.

2.In a large bowl, cream butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until pale in color. Beat in egg and vanilla.

3. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until smooth and looks like cookie dough. Spoon 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon in a bowl.

4. With your hands, roll cookie dough into walnut-sized balls, and roll each in the cinnamon-sugar bowl. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

5. Bake for 15 minutes. Take out of oven ad leave to rest on baking sheet 1 minute before eating or placing on wire rack to cool.

What we're reading: March 2

By Mary Cappabianca
March 2, 2011 - 5:01 pm
A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What we're reading:

The Mutato Archive

(Edible Geography) You know that joy at finding a freak misshapen strawberry? This produce movement in Berlin takes it to a whole new level. Read this article about European Union agricultural standards (more interesting than it sounds), or just view the freaky fruits at artist Uli Westphal's website.

Top 10 Airport Restaurants

(USA Today) This Spring Break, don't wait in line at the airport Subway. These 10 restaurants boast gourmet-quality cuisine for your layover.

King Cakes

(Saveur) Celebrate Mardi Gras with a gallery of beautiful purple and gold cakes straight from NOLA.

Unhealthy Military Diets

(Slate) Perhaps the only thing sadder than the horrible institutinalized diet of children in public schools is the horrible institutionalized diet of U.S. troops.

What deals we're buying:

Boba Suite on Groupon

$4 for a $8 gift card to Boba Suite Tea House off Marshall Street. An awesome deal we'll use to buy mini cupcakes and mango smoothies with large boba.

Cheese Crackers

By Mary Cappabianca
February 28, 2011 - 9:20 pm
These are the best snack to eat with anything. Cheesy, buttery, flaky... need we say more?

"Cheese-Its on crack" is how my friend recently described these amazing crackers. This recipe makes a huge batch, but I promise that you and your friends will quickly eat them all!

Cheese Crackers

1 cup butter, room temperature, chopped

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Process until mixture comes together and forms a ball. If you don't have a food proce

ssor, use a mixer or handmixer until the ingredients form a ball.

2. Knead the mixture for two minutes. Roll dough into a 4 rolls 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Make each roll the length of a roll of plastic wrap. Wrap in plastic wrap, then foil and freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Remove roll from freezer, let stand 5 minutes. Cut into thin discs, about 1/4 inch wide. Place on baking trays lined with parchment baker. Bake biscuits 10 minutes, until toasted golden. Allow to cool on baking trays. Repeat.

 

Chickpea and Pasta Soup

By Mary Cappabianca
February 23, 2011 - 8:08 pm
Take a breather today and make a hearty vegetarian soup.

I'm glad Kathleen decided we should make bean soups this week! Some of my friends laugh at me for making my own soup instead of just opening a can. But making a pot of soup in 30 minutes makes me feel great about myself, and you can eat as many servings as you want without any guilt- you deserve it!

 

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (optional spices: one dash ground mustard, two dashes coriander)

16 oz. can tomatoes chopped, with juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups broth (Any kind, I used vegetable)

2 cups cooked chickpeas (if canned: drain and rinse)

1/2 cup small pasta, cooked al dente

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup feta cheese

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter with olive oil to prevent burning. Add onion and spices, stir occasionally until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes with juice and garlic. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

3. Add broth and chickpeas, simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add pasta and pepper, cook until pasta is warm. Serve with a generous helping of feta cheese.

Serves 6

 

What we're reading: February 23

By Mary Cappabianca
February 23, 2011 - 1:01 pm
A round-up of food-related articles and recipes we're digging into today.

What we're reading:

Making Fisheries Sustainable

(Yale Environment 360) A serious read for the the fish-eater who wants to know where her food is coming from.

Eating Insects

(Wall Street Journal) Eating insects is on the rise, and soon, according to this article, will be the norm. Follow the recipe for Crispy Crickets to be the real trend setter among your friends.

Voting for the Turkey Hill Cow

I'm from the home of Turkey Hill ice cream (and iced tea, etc), and am getting super excited for the Turkey Hill Experience- a hands-on museum about ice cream! Before the anticipation literally kills me, I'm voting for the design they should put on a giant cow that travels around Central PA.

What we're watching:

Pauly D Talks about Miracle Whip

Finally, something I have in common with Pauly D from Jersey Shore: We both hate Miracle Whip. Other celebrities have weighed in too, including everyone's favorite homemaker Amy Sedaris.

Whose tweets we're reading:

Rainn Wilson on "foodies"

"If hear anyone else call themselves a 'foodie' I'm going to pull out their tongue & pour kerosene on it."

 

Candied Grapefruit

By Mary Cappabianca
February 16, 2011 - 7:20 pm
It's citrus season! Have your fruit and enjoy it too with this quick two-ingredient recipe.

This is the perfect recipe for when you accidentally buy way too much citrus (or are gifted too much for a holiday), have been eating halved grapefruit everyday, and want to enjoy a sweet snack with little additional effort.

 

1 grapefruit

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

 

1. Turn on the broiler.

2. Half the grapefruit to expose segments, cut around each segment. Sprinkle a generous tablespoon of sugar on top of each half.

3. Place grapefruit halves under a broiler for 5 minutes.

Serves 2 (But don't feel guilty if you make it for one)