Ms. WellWhatever

Wow, is this soup easy and delicious! I didn’t do the cheese lid because I didn’t have bowls I thought would work. Instead I got some Dorset smoked cheddar and made a grilled cheese sandwich on peasant bread. Yum.

Here’s something I really miss about my home state, North Carolina. Lots and lots of people there plant vegetable gardens, and inevitably they plant tomatoes. At the height of tomato season (which is right about now), everybody has more tomatoes than they know what to do with, so they bring them to work or give them to their neighbors. The transitive property kicks in, and all of a sudden YOU have inherited more tomatoes than YOU know what to do with. And that is a delightful thing, because you can make this French Tomato Tart, which is light and refreshing and perfect.

Sigh. Nobody I know in Brooklyn has more tomatoes than they know what to do with. Looks like I’m going to the Greenmarket.

(Incidentally, the tart dough David Lebovitz uses for this recipe is terrific, easy, and works with lots of other tarts, too.)

Photo: David Lebovitz

I can’t wait to make this recipe. Frittatas are terrific because they seem fancy while actually being super easy, and most of the cooking is done in the oven, so you get extra time to lounge around reading the paper. Not to mention you can sneak in all kinds of healthy vegetables.

I’ll probably bake some blueberry muffins to go with this. And did somebody say mimosa?

Photo: Everyday Food

Cooking classes are a great way to try new cuisines and techniques without shelling out for special equipment or exotic ingredients you might not use again.

I wanted to learn some advanced baking techniques, and the Institute of Culinary Education’s croissant and brioche class was a great chance to try something new — and make a mess in somebody else’s kitchen.

The first thing I learned was there is a LOT of butter in both of these pastries. A “just-don’t-think-about-it” amount.

But the second thing I learned is that, while they’re a bit work-intensive (and messy) to prepare, croissants and brioche aren’t that complex to create!

The third, and most important, thing I learned? These pastries are so tender and delicious straight out of the oven that all that mess and work are genuinely worth it.

Salami has never been a regular item on my grocery list, but I bought some the other night to put on a pizza, and the amazing guy at Fairway sliced it absolutely tissue thin. It crisped up in the oven perfectly. So delicious!

But even a quarter pound of tissue-thin salami ends up being kind of a lot of salami, so I also got turkey and provolone and rolls to make Italian-sub type sandwiches the next day, nice and cold with lots of crunchy shredded iceberg lettuce. And still there was salami left!

Enter this panini-style sandwich, with lots of cheese melted to gooey perfection. The only problem is, now all the salami’s gone, and I want to make another one!

Turkey-Salami Panini

• 1 tbsp. Italian red chile paste (if you can’t find this, use 1 tbsp diced roasted red pepper)
• 1 tbsp. mayo
• 1 tbsp. shredded fresh basil
• 2 slices provolone
• sliced fresh mozzarella
• 3 thin slices roasted turkey breast
• 4 extra-thin slices spicy salami
• Kaiser roll

Combine red chile paste, mayo, and basil. Spread on each half of the roll. Layer meats and cheese inside sandwich, then toast on a hot, buttered panini press (or grill in a pan on the stove) until bread is crisp and cheeses are melted.

I was thinking the other day how annoying it is when TV writers give female characters played by very thin/fit actresses a “quirky” diet of unhealthy food. I’m looking at you, Liz Lemon and your night cheese, and also you, Leslie Knope with your waffles and whipped cream. But this article points out another thing that bugs me - scrawny actresses who “regularly indulge” in burgers and fried chicken and such, especially when being interviewed for Esquire. I know some women genuinely can eat whatever they want and stay thin, but I find it hard to believe they’re in the majority. As someone who routinely selects gustatory pleasures over healthier choices (and looks like it), this skinny-girl-eats-fatso-food does not ring true, and feels a bit like an indictment (i.e., “She eats the same stuff you do, but she’s not fat! What’s wrong with YOU?).

It’s totally true - we ladies love nothing more than yogurt and salad.

sarah-ball:

In homage to the Hairpin’s latest genius, Women Laughing Alone With Salad, we give you Women Seductively Holding a Spoon Over Yogurt.

(via markcoatney)

While I don’t advocate having a lot of one-use kitchen gadgets, I also find it extremely satisfying to have just the right tool for the job. My mom recently gave me a Side Swipe, and the first time I used it was a “Where have you been all my life, you beautiful thing?”-type moment.

It really does scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl! Okay, it’s not totally necessary, but it does save time, and keeps you from getting your fingers all sticky trying to maneuver the spatula down between the paddle and the side of the bowl. I’ve used it for cookie dough, cake batter, and frosting, and it’s been great every time.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Otherwise known as “Perfection in Disc Form.”
Light and crisp exterior, chewy delicious interior. Nom.
NO RAISINS, please. Unless you want.

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.
    •     1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
    •    3/4 tsp baking powder
    •    1/2 tsp baking soda
    •    1/2 tsp salt
    •    1 1/4 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (NOT INSTANT or QUICK)
    •    1 c. walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
    •    4 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
    •    12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but cool
    •    1 1/2 c. brown sugar
    •    1 egg
    •    1 tsp vanilla extract

    1.    Heat oven to 350.
    2.    Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, stir together oats, nuts, and chocolate chips.
    3.    In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until no lumps remain. Scrape down bowl, add egg and vanilla, beat on medium-low until fully incorporated.
    4.    Scrape down bowl; with mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated, then add oat/nut mixture.
    5.    Scoop about 1/4 cup dough, roll into 2 inch balls. Space about 2 1/2 inches apart. Flatten each dough ball to 1 inch thickness.
    6.    Bake 12 minutes, rotate sheet, bake another 5 minutes and check.
    7.    Bake until cookies are medium brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft. Cookies will seem underdone and will appear shiny in cracks. Do not overbake!

Alex Balk at The Awl ponders the existence of things like Four Loko and Whipahol, a spiked whipped cream. “No wonder this country is falling apart.”

(via theweekmagazine)