May 17, 2012

The Schwan's truck was one of the great mysteries of my childhood. It stopped at my aunt's house, delivering chips, cakes, and cookies, but why didn't it ever stop at mine? This baffled me. The most exciting thing delivered to our house was, well nothing as exciting as chips and cookies, let me tell you. While my cousins happily scarfed down their Schwan's potato chips, my favorite treat were the powdered sugar-coated lemon shortbread cookies. I don't remember what Schwan's technically called them, but now I know these cookies as "lemon coolers."

This recipe recreates those lemon cookies. Thanks to the lack of a gluten structure, this version is especially tender. And, as with the Schwan's cookies, you must beware of the powdered sugar dust all over your lips.

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May 16, 2012

One thing to know before making a batch of jalapeño poppers: they are slippery little buggers! So slippery, in fact, that prepping them for frying takes a little extra care so that in the end, you have jalapeño poppers and not jalapeño exploders.

Here's how to do it!

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May 15, 2012

This time of the year, I often add asparagus to pasta dishes. Here's a quick way to cook the asparagus without having to dirty another pot! . . . keep reading

May 14, 2012

The fact that lobster goes on sale regularly around here is just one of the many perks to living in this area (upstate New York. Near Albany). Last week, lobster was only $6.99 a pound. I couldn't pass that up. So I picked up a few at the store for dinner. There were three of us eating; so I asked for five lobsters. And, as you probably guessed, I had leftovers. What a glorious problem to experience, leftover lobster

I made this quick and easy lobster and asparagus pasta in a garlic parmesan cream sauce with the leftover lobster. While, the meal only took about 30 minutes, it didn't taste like a "quick cook." meal. 

Here's how to make this easy and elegant gluten-free pasta dish: . . . keep reading

May 11, 2012

Are you celebrating Mother's Day? Are you cooking anything special?

I think I'll make a batch of these chocolate chip cookie pancakes for my mom. Unlike other chocolate chip pancakes, which just add chocolate chips to regular pancake batter, this recipe uses brown sugar, butter, and a generous amount of vanilla to taste like, well, chocolate chip cookies! They're light, fluffy, and, thanks to the dark chocolate chips, special enough for a holiday. 

And if you're not celebrating Mother's Day, these pancakes are perfect for any special breakfast.