Iron Chef America

I should probably mention that I'll be liveblogging Iron Chef America with my blogger pals Spencer Ackerman, Megan Carpentier, and Verena von Pfetten over at Air America tonight. Blogging starts here at 8.

Introducing the Internet Food Association

Some friends of mine and I have started a food blog, called the Internet Food Association. We were cooking, having dinner parties, and sharing recipes so much that these bloggers decided to start a site of their own. Predictably, my first post is on the gender politics of home cooking.

I Must Be Hungry Today

I stumbled upon this today, which I found highly useful.

Easter Brunch

I meant to post this last week, but I made this recipe but substituted butternut squash for celery. I took the following before pictures, but, um, didn't take after pictures because I burned it and it wasn't very pretty. It still tasted good, though. Anyway, I thought the lamb was delicious and I'd recommend the recipe. I just don't recommend burning it.

Sear the shanks before putting them in the oven.

Saute the veggies.

And this is what it looks like before you put it in the oven. Looks petty yummy, right?

Adventures in Baking

Tonight I made this super easy recipe for Blackberry Crumble. Obviously, you could use any kind or combination of berries. It was very delicious and easy to make. Here's hoping my summer-style baking brings warm weather.

UPDATE: This reminds me of my very perfect mixed berry pie I made over the holidays.

Adventures in Cooking

Tonight I attempted to cook. Don't be too shocked. I tried a vegan sweet potato gratin from Moosewood. Ingredient list at the bottom.

While I cooked the rice, I peeled and chopped the sweet potatoes.

Then I made the coconut milk mix, which combines the lime juice and zest with the garlic, cilantro, thyme, salt, pepper, and coconut milk. I found it a little dry, so if I make it again, I'd probably put in two cans of milk instead of one.

I would say it's a lot like making lasagna. You have to do a lot of layering. You put a third of the milk mixture and then layer sweet potatoes, half the rice, half the black beans, and half the spinach. Then you repeat that layering sequence and pour the rest of the coconut milk over the top. I might have used brown rice instead of white if I would have had some.

When you're done layering, you need to make the topping, which is very fast, just mix all the ingredients together with a fork.

Sprinkle it over the top. This is what it looks like before you put it in.

Cook for an hour at 375 degrees and the sweet potatoes should be soft and the topping should be golden brown.

The smell of thyme was quite strong while cooking and definitely influenced the taste. If you're not a huge fan of thyme, I might consider cutting back or eliminating it. But I have to admit, it was really tasty.

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, pressed
1 1/2 tsp. lime zest
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 can coconut milk
2 peeled and sliced sweet potatoes
1 cup cooked rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach

topping
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt