Monthly Archives: March 2012

Rosemary & Thyme Crusted Prime Rib Roast

The last time I ate prime rib was at Christmas, when we were visiting Dan’s family. It was amazingly delicious, and I’ve been wanting to reproduce it in my kitchen since then. But, prime rib roasts are huge and it’s just me and Dan in the house most days, so I haven’t really been too pumped about cooking a ton of meat just to have a few slices for dinner. Still, my craving for a nice juicy roast hasn’t faded, so when I invited a few friends over for lunch today and one of them jokingly suggested I make prime rib for us to enjoy while we played Settlers of Cattan, I jumped at the chance to do it. Surely four people would put...

Editor’s Note: Today’s blog post is brought to you by my friend Job. We met my freshman year of college when I stumbled into his fraternity house after a boat cruise. I sat down next to him on the stairs, he bit me in the leg, and a magical friendship was born. These days Job is a ski bum in Tahoe, and dabbles in mostly vegetarian cooking. Here is his recipe for butternut squash soup. (All pictures in this post courtesy of Job.) Living up in Tahoe, groceries are expensive and we usually wait until we have a reason to go to Reno to restock the fridge and cabinet. Typically, I flip through the cookbook to find a handful of recipes to make over the next couple...

So, The Hunger Games movie premiered this week. Most. Exciting. News. Ever. I only discovered the books a few months ago but like most people I was hooked right away. I tore through the series in about a week, and I’ve re-read all the books like 4 or 5 times in the last month alone. If you’ve been on the Metro lately and seen a short Asian girl on the Orange line train to Vienna choking back tears while staring intently at her iPhone, that was probably me, re-reading the part where Rue dies and District 11 scrapes together enough money to send Katniss a loaf of bread. *Sniff* When I heard a Hunger Games movie was coming out I almost peed my pants...

As a general rule, I don’t love cupcakes unless they’re in carrot cake or chocolate-form. Vanilla, especially, is a very “blah” flavor for me. I would never eat a vanilla cupcake voluntarily. They’re boring, and I’ve been forced to eat far too many over-frosted, over-sugared vanilla treats at birthday parties over the years. But these cupcakes…I would eat them again, and do it happily. They’re dense but soft, extremely moist, perfectly sweet, and packed with — dare I say it — wonderful vanilla flavor. So, why are these called “Strawberry Crepe Cupcakes”? Because that’s what I had in mind when I was making them, and that’s what they taste like. Sweet vanilla crepes filled with fresh strawberries and Nutella. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Purists might say that these don’t really taste like strawberry crepes, but that’s...

You know, I really thought that being alone with the cats for four days would be kind of boring and lonely, but so far it’s been pretty great. I’ve completely caught up on sleep, been to the movies, satisfied my craving for lobster rolls, spent an entire guilt-free afternoon shopping at Crate & Barrel and The Container Store, and enjoyed a delicious steak dinner with friends. AND, there’s no one around to yell at me when I decide to watch four straight hours of the Big Bang Theory. A girl could really get used to this kind of lifestyle… Since Dan doesn’t like runny eggs, they rarely make an appearance in our house. BUT, since he’s not here right now I decided to take advantage...

Baked Chicken Roll-Ups with Light Mushroom Cream Sauce

So Dan has abandoned me for the snowy slopes of Tahoe this weekend. Yeah. Weather’s finally getting really awesome in Virginia and the guy voluntarily leaves all this warmth and sunshine for a place buried under six feet of snow. Dan’s idea of fun may be rolling around in a big pile of snow, but me…all I want to do today is roll around in a big pile of these baked chicken rolls and rub the mushroom cream sauce all over myself. Strange and creepy? Maybe. Super amazingly delicious? Uh huh. The greatest thing about this recipe is that it looks super decadent but is actually relatively light and healthy. Lets break it down: two boneless, skinless chicken breasts are sliced in half,...

The last time I had an Irish Car Bomb was senior year of college. As I recall, I didn’t even really want to drink it. I hate beer, and I stay away from whiskey if I can help it, but my friend Melissa told me that if I chugged the drink really quickly all the ingredients would mix together and taste exactly like a chocolate milkshake. She LIED. The Car Bomb was nothing like a chocolate milkshake. As I choked down the thick fizzy brew, all I could taste was the bitter yeastiness of Guinness, the burn of cheap whiskey (Canadian Mist), and the faintest hint of sweetness from the generic cream liqueur we bought instead of real Baileys. It. Was. Not. Delicious. I was not happy....

No, dear readers…your eyes do not deceive you. Those are, in fact, Oatmeal Cream Pies. Yup. Little Debbie is back, and she’s better than ever. These cakes are as delicious as they were when we were kids, but not nearly as sweet and processed — a fact for which your grown up taste buds and metabolism will thank you. I mean, you’re still going to want to inhale half a dozen cookies in one sitting, but at least you’ll feel slightly better about doing it. For more pictures and the full recipe, check out my guest post over at the new Mor.sl blog. And while you’re at it, check out the new Mor.sl website for great dinner ideas!

The last time I had homemade slow-cooker pulled pork was at the Summer Supper Club’s Southern Night 2 years go (holy crap, has it really been that long??). I made shrimp & grits, Karen brought over about a ton of tangy pork, and I think there were green beans, potatoes, and biscuits involved too. Yeah. It was an awesome dinner. While I’ve been mainly pulled pork-free since that summer (except for a recent food truck experience…which was awesome), Dan’s been ordering it almost every time we go out to eat — for some reason PP sandwiches are served at all the restaurants we go to around here. A couple nights ago we had dinner with some friends and Dan ordered himself a PP Reuben. He ate half...

Monthly Archives: March 2012

Rosemary & Thyme Crusted Prime Rib Roast

Butternut Squash Soup

Apple Goat Cheese Tarts

Strawberry Crepe Cupcakes

Eggs Chesapeake

Baked Chicken Roll-Ups with Light Mushroom Cream Sauce

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Pulled Pork Sandwich

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