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Pasta and Bean Soup

 After a few bites of this delicious soup, I couldn’t help but remark, “I love a soup that feels like a meal.” As much as I love soups, I know Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is not enough to satiate me. It requires a side or a complementary entree. A Pasta and Bean Soup dinner felt complete and my subsequent lunch the next day did too. This recipe reminds me of a soup you’d order at an Italian restaurant and think that it tastes too complex to ever attempt. There are a couple keys to this recipe. The first is the pureeing of half the beans. It adds body to the…

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Featured Recipe: Chocolate Stout Cake

 This is the BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER and I use all caps sparingly. When I read this recipe from 101 Cookbooks, one of my favorite food blogs, I knew immediately I had to make it. The only problem was I didn’t have a bundt pan but in all honesty, I welcomed a little tweaking. There’s…

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Pennsylvania Dutch Corn and Chicken Soup

 Four years ago, my college roommate and I boarded a train to Lancaster, PA. We were two bright-eyed eighteen year olds, desperate to escape the city and experience a bit of Amish country for the day. As our train rolled into the station, I think our hearts dropped simultaneously. There were no buggies, or bonnets, or freshly baked pies awaiting our arrival. Our naivety was dripping from our sweating brows. We were in the suburbia surrounding Amish country with no taxis or buses in sight. One call for an expensive cab ride later and we had arrived. Just about every market and store was closed because it was a weekday.…

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Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Asparagus

 Some of the food blogs I’ve bookmarked are superfluous. I know I’m never going to make a Peanut Butter Brownie Chip Cookie Dough Explosion Bar. (Okay, I made that up, but I bet it exists.) However, I still enjoy looking at pictures of them. Why am I never going to make what could possibly be the most amazing creation on the planet? Because a proper serving size would probably be a teaspoon and I would inhale a cup worth. I know some people would say to just bring them to work or give them to friends. If my co-worker brought those to work, I would want to shoot them. (Perhaps…

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Traditional Buttermilk Scones

 It’s my sister-in-law’s birthday tomorrow which means one thing in our family: Red Velvet Cake. Since Red Velvet Cake calls for buttermilk, I like to maximize my ingredient usage. Therefore, scones are always in order. Of all the breakfast pastries, I think scones are my favorite to make. (Croissants may be my favorite to eat…) I have fond memories of bringing them along to brunches with friends and eating traditional ones with clotted cream and the works in London. There’s something wonderfully simple about a scone. I prefer them plain with a bit of strawberry jam or honey.

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Indoor Barbecued Pulled Pork

 You know that moment when you’re reading a really great sounding recipe and you hit the ingredient you despise or the method of cooking that seems beyond your abilities or the cooking time that would eat up your entire day? For me, that moment usually involves a grill or a vat of oil. Beyond a George Foreman, my grilling skills are non-existent. Lately, I’ve been loving the 30-minute supper recipe cards in Cook’s Country Magazine. They’re quick and delicious. When I read “Indoor” on the pulled pork recipe, I let out an exclamation of glee. Pulled pork is one of those recipes that is typically grill-exclusive or left to the…

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