A Hungry Bear

buttermilk pancakes

15. March 2008

Whenever I crave good pancakes, I always assume this means I have to make a trip to either the Flying Biscuit (great oatmeal pancakes) or to the Original Pancake House in Atlanta. I associate at-home pancakes with the crappy Aunt-Jemima all-in-one mix or Bisquick or whatever, and those don’t come even close to “real” pancakes. This morning I realized I had some buttermilk, some flour, some eggs — why not try to make them from scratch? I found this fairly generic recipe on foodnetwork.com, and made a half batch (the half batch is listed below), which made 6 pancakes. (more…)

sauteed spinach

15. March 2008

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There’s a similar recipe for this in the Moosewood cookbook, but I’ve adapted it from its original (which was a wilted spinach salad with pecans) to more of a fully-cooked sauteed version.

Grocery list: 1 9 or 10-oz bag of fresh baby spinach, 2-3 cloves garlic, handful of walnuts, handful of dried cranberries.

Start by mincing the garlic and heating 1-2 T of olive oil in a large saute pan. Cook the garlic for about 2 minutes, then add the bag of spinach. Keep rotating the spinach around so it cooks — it will look like a LOT of spinach but will quickly cook down into 2 servings. After the spinach has wilted, add the cranberries, walnuts, salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook for another few minutes. That’s all there is to it.

lynn’s chocolate kahlua cheesecake

15. March 2008

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I don’t normally make a lot of desserts, and I’m one of those weird people that never craves chocolate. I’ve wanted to learn how to make this for A, knowing that it’s his favorite dessert ever. The recipe comes from Lynn, a coworker who adores A (she says he reminds him of her son) and makes this for him every year on his birthday. My first 2 or 3 attempts were disastrous (first time, I didn’t think it mattered if I used a regular cake pan instead of a spring-form pan, other times I didn’t realize how long the cake needed to cool before removing the outer edge of the pan…). I’ll try and give very specific directions so you can nail this on your first try. (more…)

green beans with apples and almonds

13. March 2008

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Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables ever, and this is my favorite way to prepare them. Grocery list: just green beans, an apple, and handful of slivered or sliced almonds.

Wash the green beans and snap the ends. Cube the apple. Heat olive oil over med-high heat in a large pan. Add the green beans and cook a few minutes before adding the apples and almonds. Stir frequently until the beans are as crispy-done as you like them. The apples will caramelize a little and get even sweeter, and the almonds will toast. Season with salt and pepper and that’s it…

old school mac-n-cheese

12. March 2008

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My mom used to make macaroni and cheese with hot dogs when we were kids, so it’s a true comfort food for me. the hot dogs are definitely optional, but if i want a grown-up mac-n-cheese dish I usually take an entirely different approach. (more…)

parmesan chicken tenders

11. March 2008

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An easy, crunchy, Italian version of fried chicken, which is a combination of my 2 favorite types of food… Grocery list: 1 pound chicken tenders, parmesan cheese, italian bread crumbs, and buttermilk. For the vinaigarette, you’ll need 3 garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. The recipe below is for one pound, but you can adjust for more/less. (more…)

making strawberry syrup

10. March 2008

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a quick note on strawberries… i normally slice up a pint of these for the challah french toast. if you slice them the night before (or early in the morning before brunch), put them in a tupperware container and sprinkle a handful of sugar on the top. the sugar reacts with the strawberries to create the perfect strawberry syrup to drizzle on top of the toast when serving.

challah french toast

10. March 2008

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this is my favorite french toast recipe ever. it’s actually not as unhealthy for you as most, since it reduces fat and adds more protein by substituting vanilla yogurt for a lot of the cream and eggs. (more…)

crab jambalaya

7. March 2008

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Jambalaya is normally made with shrimp and andouille sausage, but this recipe swaps out the shrimp for crab (an idea from F&W again). It’s easier to make than I expected — it’s not too spicy either, so you can kick it up with extra hot sauce when serving. (more…)

fontina stuffed veal meatballs

6. March 2008

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These meatballs are so flavorful and perfect, and who doesn’t love a cheese surprise in the middle?? (This is another F&W recipe.) Grocery list: 1.5 pounds veal (or half veal, half pork, or any ground meat you prefer), 1 onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, white bread, 1 egg, parmesan cheese, fontina cheese, tomato paste, 28-oz can diced tomatoes. (more…)