Launie K. – Page 13

Cider-Braised Pork Tenderloin with Onions and Apples

There’s an expression that sums up living in New England in the fall: “We take half of our pay in the view.” The leaves have started to turn but they aren’t at peak quite yet. And once the leaves are bright gold, red and orange, the delicious aroma of apples will float into my open car windows while I’m driving down the road. I think it’s pretty magical, but in reality the smell comes from apples that have fallen from trees and are disintegrating on the ground. But I don’t dwell on the science of the aroma – I just look forward to it. Continue reading →

Spicy Chicken Fajitas

The photo of my fajita made my husband sad, because he thinks that sour cream is the devil’s dairy product. But, to many of us a fajita isn’t complete without a little dollop of the creamy white stuff. And I’m not going to fib – this fajita wanted a little mellowing out because I made the pico de gallo extra spicy. (The chicken wasn’t slacking in the heat department either.) This is an excellent recipe if you are fighting off a cold because the spiciness of the fajitas will clear your head and the lime juice will bolster your Vitamin C intake for the day. Continue reading →

Food Blogging on the Cheap

The phrase “cooking on a budget” helps to sell a gazillion magazines a year. But do you know what? Those “cooking on a budget” magazines are a contradiction. Those magazines at the checkout are ridiculously expensive. So, if you can afford to buy a six dollar magazine about “cooking on a budget” than you’re not really on a budget. The rest of us know that the six dollars could buy such glamorous items as a small 4-roll package of toilet paper and ½ pound of swiss cheese. So, I want to amend that phrase to simply “cooking and still being able to afford a 4.99 bottle of wine to go with dinner.” (From here on out that will just be referred to as, “casbataa4bowtgwd.”) Continue reading →

Quick Beer Bread with Monterey Jack Cheese and Scallions

Earlier in the week when it was gray and rainy I made a batch of chicken curry soup. It was the perfect meal for an early fall day, but soup needs bread – and sometimes you can’t just don’t have time to play around with yeast. So I made an old stand by, quick beer bread. You can make this bread with a lot of interchangeable ingredients including (but not limited to) dill and cheddar, corn and chipotle cheese, or (to go with a spicy curry) monterey jack and scallions. Continue reading →

Recipe Sunday: Tomato Gratin with a Cripsy Cheddar Topping

We’re lucky in the summer because not only do we have a CSA, my husband’s father has a big vegetable garden too and he likes to share his bounty. On Thursday he gave us a bag of tomatoes and summer squash that were perfectly ripe. But by Friday night when I went to use some of the tomatoes they were really ripe – and I knew that I needed to use them or lose them. Continue reading →

Beet Greens on Orzo with a Spicy Basil Parmesan Sauce

We received some beautiful beet greens in our CSA basket this week, but there weren’t enough to make a full side dish. So I decided to try something different. Instead of spinach with pasta why not have sauteed beet greens with orzo? I made a spicy basil sauce to go on top of the pasta, and it was a delicious combination of fresh greens and a decadent cheese sauce. Continue reading →

In Defense of Jewish Food

In an April edition of Time Magazine, American food writer and historian Josh Ozersky talks about how awful European Jewish food is his Taste of America column entitled “The Kugel Conundrum.” His thesis: “Nobody is giving Jewish food the Torrisi treatment, raising up to a world-class level and celebrating its flavor profiles.” Continue reading →

Travel Guide to Burlington, Vermont

I only lived in downtown Burlington for about 6 years, but it’s one of those small cities where even if you move a little bit north or a little bit south, once you hit the intersection of North Winooski and College Street, you know you’re home.

A friend of mine once summed up the reason that he lived in Burlington like this: “It’s the only town I’ve ever seen that has two sunsets. One over the lake, and one reflected over the mountains.”

Continue reading →

BLT with Pickled Jalapenos

There aren’t many things I brag about – except the fact that, back in 1997, I learned how to play pool well enough not to embarrass myself.

And I stopped bragging about that in the early aughts.

But I do make the world’s best BLT. It’s not bragging if it’s true, right? Continue reading →

Chicken and Olive Salad with Homemade Marinated Artichokes

In the early to mid-1990s there was a restaurant in Burlington named Carbur’s, and it was a place where people in the service industry hung out. Or at least where my co-workers and I would go after waiting on people all day – when we could afford to go there. If I was feeling somewhat solvent after the rent was paid, I would splurge on their chicken and artichoke salad. Continue reading →