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Strip Steaks with Balsamic Cream Sauce

 My love for balsamic vinegar is endless. It began in the dining halls of college. There I was, plate full of salad greens and vegetables, eager to put the last meal of free pizza and cookies behind me, when I glanced upon the selection of dressings. My options were lumpy ranch, congealed caesar, and a fluorescent yellow concoction referred to as “dijon mustard”. I almost gave up and resolved myself to an entire food pyramid of carbs when I saw the bottle of balsamic vinegar, a gleaming beacon of untouched condiment that didn’t require refrigeration. I doused my greens and haven’t looked back since. Of course, my balsamic vinegar affair…

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Aunt Suzi’s Brisket

 I feel I should begin by saying I have no idea who Aunt Suzi is. She’s certainly not my aunt, but by god she makes a good brisket. This is the kind of meal that tortures you all day. The smell will permeate your kitchen and it’s a mouth-watering one. After my long run yesterday, I was tempted to place the roasting pan on my lap and devour the entire thing while watching Adele on 60 Minutes (I love her). Aunt Suzi developed the best sauce ever. Brown sugar, chili sauce, ketchup, onion soup mix, and beer come together to caramelize the vegetables, tenderize the meat, and coat every last…

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Sweet Potato Cornbread

 I love cornbread, and I love sweet potatoes. When they’re combined, they create an unbelievably moist bread. This is a “healthy” cornbread. Whole wheat flour, minimal sugar and butter make it the perfect guilt-free meal addition or, as I like to think about it, an opportunity to eat it more often. It’s not very sweet, which I love. I love cornbread crumbled on top of chili or on a plate of barbecue. However, more often than not, I use this particular recipe as a breakfast item or dessert. Cornbread for dessert? You ask. I treat it like a buttery sheet cake. I mix up 2 tablespoons of PB2 and slather…

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Penne alla Vodka

 Turning twenty-one is a milestone birthday I’ve since passed. In all honestly, I looked forward to the cooking aspect much more than the shots in a bar part. I’ll never forget one summer afternoon back in high school, I was watching Everyday Italian. Giada was making a dessert that had me glued to the screen. I had to make it. However, there was one caveat: the main ingredient was limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur. That dessert wasn’t the only recipe I was restricted from making. My birthday card should have shown tiramisu, beef bourguignon, beer cheese soup, crepes suzette, and my all-time favorite Italian dish: penne alla vodka. Cooking with…

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Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls

 With the Super Bowl a couple weeks away, it’s time to start planning your menu. If sports aren’t your thing, I actually made these egg rolls for my Golden Globes soiree last weekend because I prefer a red carpet to an end-zone any day of the week. I love that these egg rolls are baked. Not only are they healthier, they’re also less time-consuming. A quick mist of nonstick cooking spray and a hot oven add an egg roll crunch, without the excess oil. Egg rolls, like pizza recipes, are ripe for customization. Fill the egg roll with whatever contents suit your mood. Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls have just the…

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Cinnamon Brown Butter Puffs

 I got stuck with the dessert portion of our office potluck. I’ve seen Top Chef enough times to know that the teammate who makes dessert is usually the one eliminated. Dessert is a biggie. It’s the closer. Our theme was Chinese New Year. The only dessert I could remember eating from a Chinese restaurant, besides a fortune cookie, was Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts. I’ve made doughnuts in the past and the thought of making them on a work night seemed too daunting. Then I remembered my “12 Recipes” blog post. One of my 12 recipes to make for 2012 was Smitten Kitchen‘s Cinnamon Brown Butter Breakfast Puffs. I’m a sucker for…

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Chicken Enchilada Pasta

 Along with a slight tendency to substitute ingredients or accidentally double them (cough, Sweet and Sour Chicken, cough), I also have been known to forget ingredients entirely. Glancing over this recipe, I thought the sour cream was just a garnish. The clue should have been that it had a measurement, but I was on a quest to find a ripe avocado. I loved this pasta. Even though it was missing the sour cream, the sauce was still very creamy. The enchilada sauce with added garlic, onion, chile, and seasonings created the essence of an enchilada in a flavorful pasta dish. However, I may be biased. When I was younger, I…

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