I made this pizza based on this month’s Bon Appetit cheese article. An article about cheese you say? Yes, it’s incredible and if you even just like cheese you should get this issue! I didn’t use their dough recipe, I like my stand by and used the fresh oregano from the Jamie Oliver chicken dish and added it to the dough. One thing I tried that was different was I rolled out the dough to the pizza size, covered it, and let it sit for another 10 minutes - I think this really made the crust light and fluffy instead of cardboard like. I also did the cider fondue recipe in the article and used the other half of kielbasa from that for the pizza, another hit if you’re not serving vegetarians. Definitely an impressive movie night meal thats better than anything from Domino’s. Oh, and use the premade crusts to make this even faster.

I love making lasagna. It’s a very impressive dish, and the no-boil lasagna noodles makes it so easy. I have a butternut squash lasagna I love to make, which I’ll do as soon as I see those great big squashes at the market. This one is a nice summer version, and not super heavy b/c of the ricotta and pea blend. Even after 3 large servings for me, Johnathan, and one of our favorite friends, Adrienne, there’s plenty for a couple lunches. I also appreciate a great vegetarian meal - I had trouble finding super flavorful dishes while I was subscribing to that lifestyle (plus I was in a college dorm and the cafeteria is not a forgiving place for veggies). Johnathan doesn’t even miss the meat when he eats a dish like this. This takes a while to bake, but is great to get you through the week for lunches. I also find leftovers more tolerable when I eat them for lunch, so each dinner feels new and is a new project for me.

The cake, ah, the cake. I really think this is the FIRST cake I’ve EVER made! I’ve made loaves, muffins, and coffee cake if that counts, but this is the first actual 2 layer cake I’ve made. This is also breakfast this morning - a habit I’ve picked up from my mom. There’s a note in the cake recipe about coconut cream. I couldn’t find it on my shopping trip, even at Whole Foods, so I substituted coconut milk instead. While this sub worked fine, it didn’t give the cake the same coconutty flavor I think the cream would give it. But man, that mint whipped cream is so light and flavorful, much better than a frosting. You could use the mint cream in so many things, it’s very impressive as well, and again super easy to make. I’ve always sympathized with Rachael Ray when she says she can’t bake and really has no knack for it. I still think my baking skills and attention to exact measurements is far from detail oriented, I was happy with how this cake came out, and it’s really yummy too! *** Update *** The artichokes in the lasagna get a bit bitter when they’re reheated (bummer). BUT, the cake tastes even better when refrigerated and cold.

The big boy and the slice

Endless Summer Taco Truck, Brooklyn

So, if you’re following this blog closely, you’ll realize I haven’t made one dish this week - the roasted portobellos with taleggio. Sometimes, life happens, and you end up at the burrito truck in Williamsburg or eating fried clams while celebrating a friend’s birthday in Coney Island. No need to worry - I’ll be making the roasted ’shrooms today for lunch - luckily I saved and procrastinated on a dish that won’t rot in the fridge.

I was trying to think about what I wanted to make this week, and I don’t necessarily want to have a “theme” every week, but some sort of guideline helps me sift through the books, magazines, and cravings I seem to be having the more I do this cooking thing. So this week I’m turning to the publication that made me ditch my vegetarian lifestyle with their 50th anniversary issue - Bon Appétit. Out of all the magazines I get in my little mailbox - and I’ve somehow subscribed to more than I thought - I get so excited about this one, and really pour over each issue cover to cover. I usually don’t skip the long articles like I do with some other magazines like New York magazine - do we need to talk about Obama’s marriage for 6 small typed pages, front and back? OK, I used recipes from issues from 2006-this months. I also wanted to use summer issues so I could try to find recipes that were relevant to what’s at the farmer’s market. I also find a lot of the Bon Appétit recipes challenging, and pricey. So I have my shopping list, but depending on the price of things - I don’t know how much a small game hen is - I might substitute some ingredients. I’ll splurge another time. I’ll also be able to link the recipes (well some) easily so you can download them from Epicurious. Here we go:

Monday - Rory’s Ribs with Grilled Corn, Cantaloupe, and Fresh Herb Salad - Johnathan has been BUGGING me for ribs - so I caved…ok, I lied about this link - this was a cover recipe and there’s no archive online…. - July 2007

Tuesday - Sweet Pea and Artichoke Lasagna - June 2007

Wednesday - Whole Roasted Game Hens with Grits and Wild Mushroom Sauce - I may be subbing some skin-on chicken breast and thighs depending on prices and another one that is not online - oy - September 2006

Thursday - Handmade Pasta with Pancetta, Cherry Tomatoes, and Herbs - September 2006

Friday - Edamame Ravioli with Browned Butter-Mushroom Sauce - July 2007

*Dessert at some point - Coconut-Mint Cream Cake - I saw this in this month’s issue and HAVE to try it!

Is it actually possible? Melissa Clark seems to think you can be a food writer, eat out every night, and fit into a size 2. It’s genetics, you say! She says, no. She must have figured something out, right? She does eat at the best NY restaurants nightly and tastes endless parades of chocolate mousse and foie gras. She cites in her article that she changed her foodie outlook and realized she didn’t need to finish everything on her plate, and only eat what she likes. I can remember so many amazing, tasty meals at restaurants and at home where I felt a button was going to pop on my jeans. It’s not a very good feeling. The food would taste just as good if I ate 2/3 of it than if I cleaned my plate with the bread basket, letting out a long slow exhale of stuffedness. Her other point is not denying yourself food you like, but ordering more veggies and not finishing the main plate, just enjoying the taste of your favorite food slowly. As a woman who is eternally trying to lose weight, I can attempt to subscribe to the Food Writer’s Diet - which also comes with a side of exercise…. grrr….. I don’t get away that easily…. It’s going to be hard not finish my favorite beurre blanc lobster gnocchi next time it’s wafting in front of me in all its buttery glory. We’ll see if it happens… Here’s an excerpt I think summed up Melissa’s food strategy, “By using this eat-what-you-like-don’t-eat-what-you-don’t-like strategy, together with ordering (and eating) a salad or a vegetable side dish every time I went out, plus exercising 3-4 times a week, the weight came off. It’s stayed off since”. The Bon Appetit article also has some other tips like ordering appetizers, and making sure there are 3 forks for every dessert ordered. So, if your mama told you to always finish your plate because there are starving children around the world, maybe it’s time to block out this particular mama-ism and trim your waistline instead.

Giada De Laurentiis of Everyday Italian

Have you ever watched Giada cooking on Food Network? it’s her “penny pinching” episode, which includes pancetta, mascarpone, and special wonton pockets? While Ms. Laurentis has her unlimited supplies of “everyday” Italian delicacies to do her penny pinching with, my impulse mascarpone purchase for her recipe cost me $5.00 for 1/2 cup. I think a lot of us, myself included, watch or read some great recipes - grab our wallets and head out the door to collect all the ingredients mentioned. Hence, the $50 dinner for you, or you +1. And you have to do the dishes. This is where planning can be very empowering.

I’m a huge Jamie Oliver fan. He always emphasizes the importance of simplicity and freshness, which in some cases can translate into $$$. I also subscribe to Bon Appetit - another money trap with its pages of beautiful photography, glamorous party ideas, and “in” foods and restaurants. Before I know it, I’m at the Whole Foods fish counter buying a pound of tuna, pancetta, fresh pasta, and some unknown delicacy!

However, I do feel it is important to eat well, experiment, and really love what you’re cooking and get excited about it. BUT, a little bit of planning can make a world of difference. For example - I’ve discovered fresh blocks of parm are not cheap - as is most fresh cheeses used in great italian cooking or fondue (a guilty favorite). But to me, the flavor of fresh parm is important - so I plan on 3 different recipes during the week that use parm. Last week I bought 1/2lb at Whole Foods for about $7.00. It’s lasted through a crostata, fish meatballs, and a chicken/mushroom bake plus dusting on other dishes. But what I learned during this shopping trip is Trader Joe’s has a better price on fresh cheeses. So, if you’re dying to make the Semolina Gnocchi with Oxtail Ragu from this month’s Bon Appetit, go for it! Use the veggies from the recipe for 1 or 2 more meals, as well as the parm, and make some extra gnocchi for another meal. However, I’m not sure how much oxtail costs, so this may be a stretch for some budgets. Whats the recipe you’d like to indulge in?