Pasta with Spicy Tofu and Pistachios

Tofu’s unnatural geometry is much less off-putting when coated in chili powder from Santa Fe. Still, when my imagination returns me to the child version of myself, when I look at this dish, I see a foam pit into which I might jump. Thankfully, this foam pit is delicious. The pistachios, essential.  Jump in to […]

Potato Waffles Up

Easter brunch has its staples. KP and I are accustomed to heading out to North Carolina to celebrate the culmination of Holy Week with our dear friends the Warrens, but this year, we are on the Left Coast to bid my parents a happy fortieth anniversary. Palm Sunday in New Orleans was a first for […]

Crispy Summer Squash Pancakes

Of course I want to be healthy. We all do. But when you look at an earnest summer squash in the produce section, who thinks pancakes? Well, now you will. I give you, the perfect summer dinner. Guilt free.   Crispy Summer Squash Pancakes Adapted from Food and Wine 2 medium yellow squash, grated on […]

Mocha Bundt Cake

Glorious Springtime Weekend. Planting seeds by day, House of Cards by night. There is a new chicken at the Hammer ranch, Juicy. She’s a beauty. And a new flower post fashioned from a PVC pipe, hole punched and spray-painted and stacked with petunias and other bloomers. Pretty sure this is un-waterable…. didn’t think about that […]

Juicy Wine Cakes for my Favorite Dunce

“When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” -Jonathan Swift, from “Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting” Happy 7th Birthday, Izzy, bulldog of mine. You and Ignatius Jacques Reilly, the fat buffoon protagonist of Jonathan Kennedy Toole’s Confederacy […]

Double Chocolate Mocha Cookies

The inception of the Year of Chocolate was the gift of the Theo Chocolate cookbook which inspires this week’s chocolate special: caffeinated dark chocolate cookies. Just the thing to keep my eyes open on the ICU night watch this week. Thank you for this cookbook, Marilyn! And the baking chocolate! #7 Gooey Double Chocolate Mocha […]

Mini Chocolate Cream Meringue Tarts for Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras! A time when an entire city wanders amongst themselves seeming to hum “What a Wonderful World” in raucous harmony. We are so delighted to be back in New Orleans to enjoy firsthand the magical experience. Because we are Midcity-ites, we had a huge party to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Endymion. So […]

Black and White Moon Pie

For this week’s chocolate challenge, a genius hybrid. I’ve taken two classic confections, the Seinfeld race-relations Black and White Cookie, and the popular edible Mardi Gras parade throw, the Moon Pie, and created a delicious masterpiece just in time for the Oshun and Cleopatra parades last night. Ooh these are good! And yes, KP and […]

Buckwheat Chocolate Torte

It’s my birthday week! Among my favorite gifts rolling in was this generous box of bittersweet chocolate baking bars from Sarris Chocolates, to whom I dedicate this post. I decided to use the bars to bake a healthy chocolate torte with buckwheat. Gluten-free dessert that tastes amazing! Such a success. Last time I tried to […]