Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Graham Crackers with.....Butter?!

I've never tried it myself, but it sure sounds tasty...that is, if we're talking real butter, not margarine.

I love peanut butter on graham crackers. Crunchy peanut butter sandwiched between two cinnamon graham crackers. Mmmm....now that's a great mid-morning work snack.

sandn8r9 at 12:23AM on 02/03/12

The Vegan Experience, Days 1 and 2: What's For Breakfast?

I'm an unapologetic steak fiend, but your vegan meals look delicious. I'm actually trying to go vegetarian 2 days a week. It hasn't been that hard for me. I bring a salad to work for lunch most days. Dinners are easy, too - rice and beans, omelets, vegetarian chili, or whole wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce are all tasty, viable options. And Kenji, I know you'll give me lots more great ideas. I look forward to following your progress.

By the way, your dog eats better than I do! I'm an instant oatmeal kind of person...I'm impatient like that.

sandn8r9 at 10:18PM on 01/16/12

The Worst Thing I Ever Found in My Food

I know someone who claims to have found a tooth in his enchiladas at a well-known Fort Worth Tex-Mex restaurant. *shudder*

sandn8r9 at 11:39PM on 01/11/12

Food Commercials? Which ones tempt you (or not) the most?

That Golden Corral chocolate fountain looks NASTY. "It's like going to a wedding, but I don't have to get dressed up!" *facepalm*

Popeye's ads make me kind of insane for spicy fried chicken. Love that stuff!

sandn8r9 at 1:05AM on 01/07/12

Focaccia, the Easiest Homemade Bread

I topped mine with two diced cloves of garlic, kosher salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, and of course plenty of olive oil. It was delicious, but it stuck to the dish like crazy and looked like a mess by the time I pried it out. Word to the wise: use LOTS of olive oil to grease your pan. Next time I make it, I'm going to line the pan with parchment as extra insurance.

sandn8r9 at 10:33PM on 12/30/11

Tom Kha Gai

Before internet? Whaaa? I can't imagine cooking without the internet to help me!

sandn8r9 at 9:31PM on 12/29/11

Rustic Chicken Minestrone

I just made this for dinner, and it was very tasty. I particularly liked the kale. I thought the liquid-to-vegetable ratio was a little low in the recipe - I guess I just like a broth-ier soup.

sandn8r9 at 9:16PM on 12/29/11

The dish from the black lagoon.

When I was in high school, my next door neighbors at the time always invited my family to their Thanksgiving dinner. They were great cooks, so most everything they made was delicious. The turkey was always juicy and carved perfectly, and the mashed potatoes were gloriously smooth and creamy and loaded with garlic and butter.

However, the patriarch of this family insisted on making Indian pudding for dessert. I don't know if he had a weird recipe, or if he had defective taste buds, but that stuff was weird and lumpy and nasty. At least he had a sense of humor about it - he knew everyone else thought he was crazy for his dessert abomination, so he let us enjoy the pumpkin pie.

sandn8r9 at 1:25AM on 12/27/11

What food/cooking items did you get for Christmas?

My dad bought me a Kitchen Aid stand mixer! I've been wanting one for years. He ruined the surprise, though. He called me at work last week and said, "That mixer you want is on sale at Costco. What color do you want, red, silver, or black?" (I chose the black!) About five minutes after I unwrapped my new mixer, I put it to work kneading the dough for dinner rolls. They turned out great!

In addition to the mixer, I got a Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven from my mom a few weeks back. I already used it to braise a pork butt and a pot roast, both of which were excellent.

Since I live with my parents, I suspect they only buy me these cooking things to encourage me to make them food....oh well. I love them because they're awesome, and also because they charge me ridiculously cheap rent. :-)

sandn8r9 at 1:06AM on 12/27/11

Who Would You Ask A Culinary Question To?

Jacques Pepin would be a great choice, as would Alton Brown.

sandn8r9 at 12:41AM on 12/27/11

How are all of your leftovers being used?

For three people (my mom, my dad, and me), I cooked the following: an 11-pound turkey, sausage and sage cornbread stuffing, orange-maple candied sweet potatoes, Grand Marnier cranberry sauce, roasted brussels sprouts, and an apple pie. Aside from a slice of pie and about a half a cup of cranberry sauce, there's nothing left.

My dad can EAT!

sandn8r9 at 11:03AM on 11/26/11

Taste Test: Storebought Stuffing

I love Stovetop. It's so mushy and salty and delicious...it tastes like happiness. Last year, I made from-scratch cornbread stuffing with sausage and sage for Thanksgiving. It was pretty good, but I will definitely always prefer that delicious Stovetop.

And stuffing muffins? Genius! I may just make those with my leftovers next Friday. :-)

sandn8r9 at 11:20PM on 11/17/11

Cooking for peers @ work: Do you, and do they think you're nuts?

I don't understand the stigma of being "the girl who bakes for everyone." I am a 22-year-old female engineer. I'm the only girl in my group, and the youngest by about a decade. That doesn't stop me from bringing cookies every Monday and cupcakes for birthdays. Everyone appreciates it, and nobody looks down on me for it - they just genuinely appreciate a tasty, homemade snack that's not some vending machine crap. In fact, my next-cube-neighbor said last week of my snickerdoodles: "These are perfect - they are like the ideal culmination of butter, sugar, and happiness." When people tell me nice things like that, it makes it worthwhile.

I also work with a bunch of total food snobs, so that may have something to do with the positive reception.

sandn8r9 at 2:39AM on 11/12/11

Perfect Risotto

Risotto on a weeknight? In my house?

Yes.

Kenji, thank you very much for the excellent recipe. A delicious bowl of risotto for dinner totally made my day. :-)

sandn8r9 at 9:54PM on 10/17/11

Video: Hambone's Cereal Taste Test

I'm not even much of a dog person, but seriously...Hambone is so adorable! I really want to give him a gigantic hug.

sandn8r9 at 12:27PM on 09/16/11

Serious Salads: Asian Chicken Noodle Salad with Ginger-Peanut Dressing

Thanks for the excellent recipe! I, too, used honey in place of the sugar in the dressing. I started off with just one tablespoon, but I ended up using two - it tasted really sour before the extra honey. Anyway, this was delicious. My leftovers for lunch tomorrow will surely make me the envy of my cubemates.

sandn8r9 at 10:05PM on 08/08/11

Culinary No Fly Zones

Ranch dressing. The slimy, viscous, oily white substance with little black pepper specks...yuck. Can't do it. I even attempted to make a homemade version with buttermilk, fresh herbs, and spices once, and I still couldn't bring myself to try it.

I've eaten durian before. I was in Thailand with one of my friends and we were staying with his (Thai) parents. They delighted in serving durian to their American visitors and watching their reactions. The first few bites went down okay, but the smell got to me after a while.

sandn8r9 at 6:36PM on 07/16/11

No More Good Eats

Alton Brown is the reason I learned how to cook. A few summers ago, I was home sick from college. I couldn't fall asleep one night, and I caught the beef tenderloin episode of Good Eats in the middle of the night. After I watched that, I knew I needed to learn how to cook. I'm sad the show is ending, but I'm glad Alton will have a chance to move on to other things.

sandn8r9 at 4:33PM on 05/13/11

What's for Dinner Tonight?

Fish tacos and margaritas at one of my favoritest places in Fort Worth, Flying Fish. I've had a rough week, okay?

I'll cook tomorrow night, I promise.

sandn8r9 at 6:30PM on 04/29/11

Friday Night Cheat Night

This entire week has been cheat time for me. The last few months, I've been bringing salads to work for lunch and exercising three times a week.

This week, though...ugh, there was some boy drama last weekend and I felt terrible. On Wednesday, I ate a chicken sandwich and a mountain of fries for lunch, and wontons and half a pint of Cherry Garcia for dinner. And this morning I made a huge, melty, awesome grilled cheese sandwich (extra sharp cheddar and spicy mustard on sourdough FTW!) for breakfast. Yes, breakfast.

I'm back on the wagon next week, though. Tonight I am making a trip to my favorite organic/healthy grocery store to stock up on fresh produce.

sandn8r9 at 6:27PM on 04/29/11

Will all the avocado lovers please stand up.

I am a big fan of the avocado sandwich. I have been made fun of for eating such "hippie food," but I enjoy it nonetheless. Take two slices of sunflower seed bread, toast them lightly, and spread half a lightly mashed avocado on it. Apply a generous sprinkle of kosher salt. Eat. Yum. It's probably my favorite workday breakfast.

I want to venture into the world of dessert avocado applications. I'm intrigued by Alton Brown's avocado ice cream recipe, and I plan to try it soon.

sandn8r9 at 1:15AM on 04/15/11

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese

Help! Impromptu dinner party!

I also like the idea of a baked pasta dish. I am particularly fond of Martha Stewart's mac and cheese:

You could serve with a green salad. For dessert, I'd go with something light to counteract the heavy cheesiness of the main course - maybe angel food cake with berries. Enjoy your dinner with your friends. I'm also hosting company tonight - in fact, this is my first time ever cooking for anyone besides my family (I'm 21 years old and relatively new to the cooking thing).

sandn8r9 at 1:15PM on 04/02/11

How to Make Potato Gnocchi

Thanks so much for the helpful tutorial. I just made these for dinner, and they were excellent with pesto. The texture was perfect - not gummy or dense, but nice and fluffy on the inside. I will definitely make the baked gnocchi and cheese soon, it looks awesome!

sandn8r9 at 8:02PM on 03/27/11