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SRaffel

  • Location: Manhattan/Brooklyn
  • Favorite foods: Sushi, tart yogurt, fresh berries, dark chocolate, coffee.
  • Last bite on earth: Some variety of ice cream!

Bake the Book: Smoke & Pickles

cobbler!

Favorite On-The-Go Bars

I'm a server and have the same issue. I like Larabars. No preservatives or added sugar -- just fruit and nuts. They don't replace a meal, but they hold me over on a long shift.

I make these for my fiance's breakfast, because he likes to grab and go: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2013/01/08/breakfast-oatmeal-cupcakes-to-go/ They're really fast and easy, and pretty cheap! I use honey or agave and usually add raisins or dried cherries and cinnamon to bulk them out more.

Cook the Book: 'Gluten-Free Girl Every Day'

Lentil stew! Lentils, diced tomato, mushrooms, onions, peppers, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, fennel, lemon zest. It's so hearty, gluten free and vegan. My meat-loving guy even likes it.

Giveaway: Win A Limited Edition "Zelda Collection" from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

For a well-known one... brandy alexander. I tried a strawberry & basil concoction at a local place a few weekends ago, though, and I think I'd like that as well but maybe as a sorbet.

Bake the Book: Old School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned To Cook

Cheese & crackers, or ice cream

Cook the Book: 'Family Table'

My family uses every excuse to get together, and the dinners are always great. I personally like Christmas Eve the best, because we focus on lots of small dishes. Baked brie, shrimp, smoked salmon...

Cook the Book: 'The New Persian Kitchen'

Give me a warm pita with hummus and baba ganoush and I'm happy for days.

Cook the Book: 'New York a la Cart'

lobster rolls

Picnic location

It's not traditionally landscaped in the way that the gardens are, but what about the High Line? There are chairs if you're into that, but also an amphitheater-like area that looks over the street, or a lawn... Plus you could hit up Chelsea Market!

Preserved Oranges?

Thanks all! I guess I will give them a shot since they are in the fridge, but now I'm not optimistic.

lemonfair, I'm kicking myself for not trying that! I read about candied orange peel, but didn't think to separate the peels and just refrigerate them while I was away.

Healthy eating site

I would love a section dedicated to healthier options, but what would be even better in my opinion would be nutrition info posted for each serving of a recipe. It could be revealed with an extra click if some users don't want to see it. I always end up plugging my recipes into a nutrition calculator anyway. I'd rather make my own decisions about what's healthy or not.

It'd be even more awesome if we could search the recipe section based on macronutrients (like I could search for all vegetarian recipes with more than 10g protein, for example).

Cook the Book: 'Vegetable Literacy' by Deborah Madison

a medley of asparagus, summer squash, pepper, and potatoes on the grill is my favorite.

Bake the Book: La Boulange Bakery: Cafe Cooking At Home

almond croissant

Cook the Book: 'Pati's Mexican Table'

chiles rellenos

Bake the Book: Mad Hungry Cravings

Ice cream or sushi.

Cook the Book: 'The Chinese Takeout Cookbook'

I'm boring. Shrimp and broccoli with a spring roll.

Cook the Book: 'Rachel's Irish Family Food'

I ate lots of great Irish food when I lived in Dublin, but on Paddy's day, I had hummus and pita in between pints of Bulmers.

Bake the Book: Nigellissima

Amaretti cookies.

Cook the Book: 'Classic Snacks Made from Scratch'

I liked graham crackers broken up in a bowl of milk, or dunked in tea!

Your bestest Quinoa recipe

I don't really have a set recipe, but I like to hollow out a zucchini (or other squash), bake it, and stuff it with quinoa mixed with vegetables and cheese. Tomato, pepper, and feta/goat cheese is a favorite combo.

If I want to skip the cheese I throw a fried egg or tzatziki on top. When you're not going meatless, tuna, shrimp or salmon are also good mix-ins.

As a cold salad, my favorite combo is quinoa, black bean, mango, scallion, red pepper, jalapeno, grape seed oil, vinegar.

Cook the Book: 'Every Grain of Rice'

Dumplings

Care Package Suggestions? (International Shipping)

The things I missed most while living in Ireland were Rick's Picks (Hotties, specifically, but they might be heavy to ship), Fage yogurt (probably not allowed), Vosges Red Fire/Amalfi bars, nunu chocolates, Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter cups, and sweet potato crisps. Most of them involve dark chocolate, I think because milk is so prevalent there, but maybe the UK is different!

Bake the Book: The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen

Savannah

Cook the Book: Food and Wine's 'America's Greatest New Cooks'

I had a snow crab omlette in Orlando this weekend. Nothing too fancy, but it reminded me to play around with omlette ingredients more!

Bake the Book: Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook

My grandma's peanut squares. I requested them on every birthday.

Preserved Oranges?

Right before I went on vacation in February, I was given a bag of fresh oranges. I didn't have time to bake or cook with them. In desperation, I preserved some jars. I cut the oranges into quarters and squished them into their own juices with salt between them (found the technique on Food52), figuring they'd keep like preserved lemons. Then I stuck the jars in the fridge and forgot about them.

Did I do the right thing? There's no reason oranges would act any differently than lemons, right? I haven't cracked open a jar yet. I'm kind of scared because I've never preserved anything before, so I have visions of dying of a horrible disease. How do I use them? Can they stand in for preserved lemons or will they taste weird?

Substitute for Heavy Cream in Savory Scones?

Hello everyone--long time reader, first time starting a topic.

I'd like to try a recipe for roasted red pepper & feta scones. I know, scones are not diet food, but I'm trying to make them a little less fatty. The recipe calls for 3/4 c heavy cream. I'm wondering if I could substitute almond milk or maybe almond milk plus an extra egg yolk (there's 1 egg in the recipe already). The other fat in the recipe is 6 tbsp butter and 4 oz feta.

I did a little internet research and found a site that suggests using almond milk plus 2 tbsp oil in place of heavy cream, but at a 2:1 ratio (!). I'm skeptical. That seems like a lot of extra liquid.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'm not worried about dairy, so I'm open to other options, too.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

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