Launie K.

149 posts
Launie K. "AKA SteveHolt'sMtr" is a freelance writer/photographer in a "suburb" of Burlington, VT. She cooks big food in a small kitchen, and her husband and cats are tolerant of the fact that she plays the same Wilco and Son Volt albums over and over while pontificating about the beauty of cumin. Check out teenytinykitchen.com for more recipes and photos.

Recipe Sunday: Weeknight Heirloom Tomato Tart

This time of year (at least where I live), having puff pastry in the freezer is like having half of a meal made before even starting to cook.

Just throw something pretty on puff pastry, add some cheese, and (wowza!) dinner’s on the coffee table in 30 minutes.

And because I hang out at the farmers market with my husband selling his wares, that means I get to know the vendors. They’re nice and generous. Sometimes they slip me extra tomatoes because they know that I’m a tomato geek. Continue reading →

Cocktail Saturday: Tomato Water Bloody Mary

Bloody-MaryRecently my husband and I have been watching a lot of Top Chef, which has been really fun. Thanks, Hulu! We’d only seen a few episodes on television, because we only had Bravo for a nanosecond in ’07.

However, it did give us an evening of fun a few years ago. We wrote a little “Top Chef” parody called “Cooking For Your Life” where cooking contestants didn’t realize that they’d signed onto a show where the loser would be hunted down by “Parma” and killed at the end of every episode. Continue reading →

Recipe Sunday: Yes, Virginia, You Can Freeze Scallions and Make a Sriracha Pancake with Them

The title is a play off of the movie “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus,” because for the last two years I’ve only had these amazing scallions in the summer and was stymied about how to make them last.

Then it dawned on me – freeze them for the winter! Yay! It’s like Christmas in August. So, instead of having my refrigerator overrun with two-foot scallions that go bad before I can use all of them, I have them for soups, stews, sauces and salsas in December. Continue reading →

Recipe Sunday: Avocado, Ancho and Cilantro Hummus

Summer is great for eating. Hello, Nature’s Bounty! But the combination of hot weather and outdoor parties can leave me a little perplexed about what to bring to a barbecue or gathering by the lake. Dairy? Absolutely not. Pasta salad? Of course! However everyone brings those. (Literally. Everyone. I went to a party a couple of years ago that should have been called “The Great Pasta Salad Potluck of 2012.”) Homemade hummus though, works perfectly. Especially when it’s spicy and creamy like this one. Continue reading →

Recipe Sunday Hot Weather Hack: Broken Noodle Salad

Depending on where you live – man-oh-man – it’s been hot over the last week. I’m not ready for 90-plus degree days and humidity that makes the cats nap in the cool bathtub.

So the other day when I was craving pasta salad and realized that I didn’t have anything but lasagna noodles, I was irked. Who has two thumbs, A/C, and didn’t feel like walking several blocks to buy shells or elbow pasta? This woman. Continue reading →

Recipe Sunday: Strawberry Salad with Baby Greens and Lemon Vinaigrette

Sometimes you just need to laugh and get childish. Oh, and eat well and day drink. My cousin is my best friend – and that’s pretty amazing. It’s cool to have a friendship that doesn’t just span from elementary school to the present, it actually spans from her toilet training me (even though we’re about the same age) to the present.

What can I say. She’s a 7 months older and more mature than I am. Continue reading →