tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55013152718950736812012-02-16T12:48:18.898-08:00The Astronomer in the kitchenThe Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.comBlogger521100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-8862634675049708022012-01-26T23:46:00.000-08:002012-01-26T23:46:51.468-08:00

Growing up, I viewed brussels sprouts in an extremely negative light. They stank up the house when my mom boiled them, and if I was ever brave enough to actually put one in my mouth, I definitely didn't give it a fair chance to impress. However, in the past couple of years I've come around and realized that they can be one of the most delicious vegetables out there. Maybe it was the brussels

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-71642876686464158812011-12-22T22:30:00.000-08:002011-12-22T22:35:57.701-08:00

I saved the most traumatic cooking experience of the year for December. It had come time to use the fruits from the young dwarf Meyer lemon tree that the Gastronomer and I have been lovingly caring for since March, and I wanted to make something special. I picked out this recipe from among the La Times' "100 things to do with a Meyer lemon". It sounded right up our alley, and yet different

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-7024749506472246492011-12-08T23:55:00.000-08:002011-12-09T00:11:39.254-08:00

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, this Saturday is the fourth iteration of the Eat My Blog bake sale benefiting the LA Regional Food Bank. Over 50 talented bakers and restaurants will be contributing an incredible collection of creative, irresistible desserts; you can check out the menu at http://eatmyblogla.wordpress.com/. If you're in the mood for something a bit less avant-garde, but

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-69152014556841347072011-12-04T23:08:00.000-08:002011-12-04T23:09:06.617-08:00

When I was looking for a recipe to try from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, the obvious choice would have been to attempt a flatbread. However, for some reason I settled on this selection from the "flavors" portion of the book instead. I think it was the mint--I'm obsessed with herbs. I planned to make this salad as part of a four-course birthday meal for The

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-87299475463607209062011-11-06T17:56:00.000-08:002011-11-19T19:06:43.943-08:00

As noted previously on the blog, for the Gastronomer's 28th birthday present I promised her a set of five extravagant home-cooked meals. A year before I had given her a similar gift and followed through with all five meals; however, this time after meal #2 she decided that she no longer wanted to spend her Saturdays alone while I slaved away in the kitchen on three- and four-course feasts. She

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-87038285869364386282011-06-28T21:36:00.000-07:002011-06-28T21:40:18.544-07:00

As I mentioned previously, The Gastronomer tends to acquire cookbooks at a faster rate than she can try out the recipes. Last year, I decided to help her out by attempting at least one dish from each of the neglected books. At the time, this task appeared quite feasible, but since then our collection has swelled by a factor or two or three, and it seems that our cooking progress may never catch

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-13674856103798092192011-06-18T21:10:00.000-07:002011-06-18T21:11:45.361-07:00

When I was drawing up the menus for The Gastronomer's 28th birthday meals back in February 2010, this recipe seemed like an ideal introduction to the "complete world of pork." It seemed straightforward and not too intimidating, and it was hard to imagine how it could fail to be delicious. Then last summer I was introduced to the wonderful pork adobo from Los Angeles's first Filipino food truck,

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-48164641834650027862011-04-06T23:04:00.000-07:002011-04-06T23:04:59.978-07:00

A new cookbook for The Gastronomer to review arrives at our doorstep at least once a month; thus over the past couple of years we have acquired a rather impressive recipe library. With such bounty in our bookshelves, it was pretty tough deciding on 15-20 dishes to make for her 2010 birthday present. With the exception of the Susanna Foo trifecta that I prepared for Meal #1, I resolved to go for

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-55102574512059759442011-03-13T22:20:00.000-07:002011-03-13T22:21:04.806-07:00

In my first post about The Gastronomer's 2010 birthday meals, I mentioned that I was trying to seek out recipes that would that would push my limits as a cook. Making knife-cut Chinese noodles from scratch certainly qualifies. This recipe definitely has the potential to achieve the ideal Chinese noodle texture, although mine were a bit too square and thick. Next time I'll roll the dough out

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-14302871971955997292011-02-14T22:28:00.000-08:002011-02-14T22:32:00.308-08:00

Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine is well on its way to becoming the second unofficial cookbook of Stellar Recipes, joining the ever-reliable America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Before serving poached pears for dessert during the first of The Gastronomer's 2010 birthday dinners, I made these scallops as a starter. Despite not being a tomato lover, I found them to be quite delicious, but The

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-26153682296730068512011-02-06T21:19:00.000-08:002011-02-06T21:20:15.748-08:00

One more from the CSA box--The Gastronomer did most of the work preparing this one, but the honor of blogging about it has fallen to me. We don't like arugula enough to use up a whole bunch in salads, so this recipe was a great alternative. The bitterness/bite of the green is actually quite nice in a spread, and I thought the mint garnish was an excellent touch. The recipe doesn't actually use

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-1557825052431478462011-01-21T00:15:00.000-08:002011-02-06T21:12:18.487-08:00

After valiantly cooking our way through our leafy CSA box for a solid week, we had used up the bok choy, tatsoi, Siberian kale, broccolini, romaine, arugula, turnip, radishes, and cilantro, but one stubborn vegetable remained. With their shockingly intense horseradish-like flavor, red mustard greens are a fascinating item, but not one that I would want to put in my mouth on a regular basis. The

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-67034945591685342252011-01-17T21:45:00.000-08:002011-01-17T21:48:49.992-08:00

One night last week, I was all set to make mixed herb pesto with the bunch of parsley from our CSA box and the basil I had purchased at Trader Joe's the day before. Suddenly, as I was washing the parsley, something didn't smell right. I brought the bunch a bit closer to my nose. Sure enough, it wasn't parsley after all--it was cilantro! I didn't think basil and cilantro would go together too

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-84809194758259640802011-01-10T23:28:00.000-08:002011-02-06T21:12:59.900-08:00

Although we appreciate fresh local produce and support small family farms in theory, The Gastronomer and I have a notoriously poor track record when it comes to finding our way to farmer's markets on the weekends. Thus I recently decided it was time for us to try a Community Supported Agriculture delivery program. When Christmas came around, along with the hilarious new Stuff White People Like

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-27342551438678212242010-12-18T23:34:00.000-08:002010-12-18T23:36:36.237-08:00

The five 3-course meals I prepared for The Gastronomer for her 2008 Christmas present were a hit, so I decided to repeat the gift for her birthday in 2010. This time, however, I vowed to be more adventurous in my recipe selection--venturing away from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook in search of dishes that would challenge me and open up new frontiers in our kitchen. For the first

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-28537202609679320312010-12-03T00:03:00.000-08:002010-12-03T00:19:04.112-08:00

It's time to get excited for the third edition of the Eat My Blog charity bake sale, hosted by The Gastronomer and friends at Tender Greens in West Hollywood (Los Angeles) this Saturday. For the last bake sale in June, I contributed an old family favorite--applesauce spice cake. This time, I wanted to try something new and settled on these pumpkin cheesecake bars. Any recipe with "cheesecake"

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-70575501677746992832010-11-21T23:20:00.000-08:002010-12-29T15:21:20.823-08:00

Finding a use for leftover ingredients can be a constant struggle in cooking. No one wants to be wasteful, but what are we to do when parsley is only sold in massive bundles, buttermilk is hard to find in containers smaller than one quart, and a single butternut squash is just so bloody big? In our attempts to finish off large boxes of herbs and other such common leftovers, The Gastronomer and

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-3666149113083587752010-10-27T22:35:00.000-07:002010-10-27T22:41:45.983-07:00

For days when you feel like eating extra healthy, you really can't beat a lentil soup. Every 35 g serving of green lentils has 11 g of fiber, 10 g of protein, and no fat. Pretty incredible. I chose this recipe, courtesy of fatfreevegan.com, because of it contains a stellar array of spices---I always get excited about diving into our spice cabinet. When I first finished making it and dug into a

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-69904539359228374702010-10-14T21:39:00.000-07:002010-10-14T21:41:03.012-07:00

Long-time readers of Stellar Recipes may recall that back in November, I served The Gastronomer smoked salmon canapes, Castilian stew, and rosemary cream biscuits to cap off her 2008 Christmas present. You might have worried that this meal didn't include a sweet finish.... What kind of Christmas present makes the poor recipient forgo dessert? Well, never fear--dessert was indeed served, even

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-47823711605844588202010-06-29T23:23:00.000-07:002010-06-29T23:25:36.142-07:00

Popovers are pretty cool. Four simple ingredients, flour, butter, eggs, and milk, are transformed into magically airy treats that melt in your mouth like few bread products known to man. Add a bit of salt and minced herbs, and you have an irresistible snack. Even though it was 10:30 p.m. when these came out of the oven, The Gastronomer and I couldn't help eating three each.Getting them to turn

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-61636908869523913522010-06-21T21:00:00.000-07:002010-06-21T21:08:07.483-07:00

Growing up I didn't like icing, but that didn't stop me from loving cakes. When my birthday rolled around, I would always ask my mom to make one of my three favorites: cinnamon coffee cake, chocolate pound cake, or this applesauce spice cake. In recent years I have made it myself several times and gotten rave reviews from The Gastronomer. Thus it seemed like the perfect treat to bake for

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-86725722053808380822010-06-12T18:25:00.000-07:002010-06-12T18:27:06.611-07:00

When it's not a special occasion, I typically shy away from buying scallops because they're so darn expensive. However, I recently decided to give Trader Joe's frozen New England wild jumbo scallops a try. They're relatively reasonably priced, and my understanding is that most "fresh" seafood sold in grocery stores has in fact already been frozen and defrosted, so I figured they might be just

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-55357346062901997772010-06-03T00:14:00.000-07:002010-06-03T00:14:53.553-07:00

After the spaghetti and meatballs were gone, the engagement ring was still burning a hole in my pocket, but having missed my opportunity to carry out my planned proposal at the beginning of the meal, I had no choice but to carry on with dessert. These Napoleons were delicious but messy--the pudding and cream mixture wasn't thick enough to stay inside the "sandwiches", as can be seen in the

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-24964209463972553332010-04-29T23:55:00.000-07:002011-03-02T21:25:02.788-08:00

It's been a very special week in the world of (G)astronomy. Thus the timing is right to share the dinner I made on the very ordinary Monday last March that I chose for my marriage proposal. It was a covert operation, so the meal couldn't be too extravagant--the shopping and cooking had to be done in a single day and be finished by 6:00 p.m. This was no easy task for a plodding cook like me.

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-37968713588557360102010-03-31T22:44:00.000-07:002010-04-02T22:59:06.924-07:00

While enjoying some R&R in our hotel room in Seattle during my spring break, The Gastronomer and I stumbled across a preview episode of the new show "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution". Although I usually let The Gastronomer take care of the non-sports TV watching in our relationship, this show had me hooked right away. The basic premise is that British food network star Oliver is visiting public

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-7870432597059483022010-03-19T07:00:00.000-07:002010-03-25T23:42:56.809-07:00

These are great biscuits--certainly not the healthiest bread product out there, but simple and just about perfect in taste and texture. They are extremely easy to make--the step that took me the longest was picking and cutting up the fresh rosemary.The bottoms of the biscuits were browning a bit too fast, so I had to flip them over for the final five minutes of cooking. This led to a somewhat

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-2633367314672833332010-03-16T23:41:00.000-07:002010-08-01T17:04:59.831-07:00

When I originally drew up the menus for The Gastronomer's 2008 Christmas present, I intended for the final meal to culminate with chicken cordon bleu. At the time, wrapping one meat in another seemed like an appealingly extravagant conclusion to my series of culinary efforts. However, I somehow managed to forget that chicken is The Gastronomer's least favorite animal to eat, and besides, maybe

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-45332573693307997832010-03-11T23:00:00.000-08:002010-03-25T23:45:08.897-07:00

On November 21, 2009, nearly 11 full months after I pledged to make The Gastronomer 5 three-course meals as a Christmas present, I finally came through with the final feast. This one needed to be extra special, so I started off with one of her all-time favorite foods: smoked salmon. You might not guess it by looking at her, but she has a Jewish soul.The accompaniments here are classic, and they

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-27602619169694469902010-02-25T22:39:00.000-08:002010-02-25T23:11:59.114-08:00

When our Cooking Light magazine arrived last August with pictures of skewered shrimp on the cover and the headline, “Fire up the coals: Great ideas for grilling tonight", I felt inspired to break out the Smokey Joe and attempt my first grilled seafood and vegetables. The recipe for Fiery Grilled Peach and Habanero Salsa sounded particularly appealing, and although it was suggested as an

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-3270123953387302462010-02-20T17:51:00.000-08:002010-02-20T17:56:41.328-08:00

These crepes from Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine go wonderfully with Mandarin Pork with Brandy-Infused Hoisin Sauce, and they’re hard to resist eating alone too! They have a nice soft texture, with excellent flavor enhanced by the salt and scallions. I found that it was hard to get both sides of the crepes to look nice and golden brown (the appearance might have been improved if I had chopped the

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-34108476615205707782010-02-14T21:40:00.000-08:002010-02-14T21:49:42.134-08:00

Four years ago at the beginning of February, The Gastronomer sent me an email asking, "Will you please make this cake for Valentine's Day?" She was totally kidding---the recipe was crazy complicated, involving repeated siftings, double boilers, overnight chilling, horizontal cake-cutting, alcohol and tea, mousse and ganache, and a strange baking container known as a "cake ring." I had baked a

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-28040597118087859792010-02-09T23:39:00.000-08:002010-02-20T17:58:17.549-08:00

A few posts back, I mentioned that I used to like Susanna Foo's restaurant in downtown Philadelphia. What I did not describe was how much I had to beg and plead to get The Gastronomer to go there with me. When she finally agreed to take me for my 22nd birthday, I eagerly anticipated a wonderful meal prepared by one of America's foremost Chinese chefs. However, as we dug into our appetizers,

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-4839610232477374732010-02-04T22:21:00.000-08:002010-02-04T22:32:12.484-08:00

I absolutely love sweet Chinese sauces, so when The Gastronomer saw this recipe on The New York Times website, she knew it was perfect for me. This was my first foray into caramelizing sugar; unfortunately I haven’t quite mastered it yet. The first time I cooked it a bit too long and the end product tasted slightly burnt, while the second time I was overly conservative and ended up with a sauce

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-71190523770180641942010-02-01T21:57:00.000-08:002010-02-01T22:14:12.175-08:00

Today almost went down in history as the first time I ever managed to get a meal on the table in the published preparation time. This was possible because the majority of the time was allotted for boiling the water and cooking the gnocchi, and there was minimal chopping and other prep work required. Alas, when I looked at the clock after grating some Parmesan over two servings, I had to admit

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-19932121529741304242010-01-29T00:07:00.000-08:002010-02-01T22:18:37.356-08:00

Back when I lived in Philadelphia, my aunt learned that I liked Susanna Foo’s restaurant and gave me two of her cookbooks for Christmas. More than two years later, I still had not attempted a recipe from the books—in my inexperienced, cautious state, attempting to replicate the offerings of a high-end Chinese restaurant simply seemed like too intimidating a challenge. Finally this past spring,

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-4406448762426656162010-01-25T23:47:00.000-08:002010-01-29T00:28:40.264-08:00

The Gastronomer has always been a seafood lover. Recently, however, she has begun to feel that the fish she consumes simply must be raw. Cooked fish is largely flavorless, she complains (crustaceans excepted), and she refuses to order it at restaurants. Fortunately, she is a bit more flexible in the home; when I feel inspired to fry up a simple white fish preparation, she consumes it with a

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-1605114891355753722010-01-19T23:19:00.000-08:002010-01-19T23:55:55.193-08:00

I'm a big fan of couscous, although I don't cook with it very often. I like the dry texture, kind of like Vietnamese com tam, and the Moroccan seasonings commonly used with it. Thus, when I found this recipe in The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, it seemed like a surefire winner. The bacon spinach salad I served before it was a tough act to follow, but the couscous held its own,

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-51459293990036019732010-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:002010-01-04T23:27:29.408-08:00

I eat a simple spinach salad nearly every evening to start my dinner, usually topped with apple slices, nuts, and a store-bought vinaigrette. It's quite palatable, but I started the habit more to ensure that I got my daily servings of fruits and vegetables than as a way to tickle my taste buds. The following spinach salad, however, is an entirely different story. It's bloody delicious--eating

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-44825720164892335242009-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:002010-01-04T23:27:50.996-08:00

After presenting The Gastronomer with a meal of crackers with artichoke dip, stuffed bell peppers, and potato-leek soup, I concluded with a chocolate mousse for dessert. I considered other mousse recipes but chose this one for its simplicity, and because it uses marshmallows rather than raw eggs. Apparently some people think you can't make a good, fluffy mousse without raw eggs, but I assure

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-315611633927836592009-12-19T23:00:00.000-08:002010-01-04T23:28:04.949-08:00

I served this soup alongside stuffed bell peppers for The Gastronomer's second Christmas meal. Or more accurately, I should say I served it after the stuffed bell peppers. Unfortunately, my timing wasn't quite right on this night; as a result, we were quite full of peppers by the time the soup arrived and weren't in the right mood to enjoy its milder flavors. I'll have to make it again sometime-

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-80912421893084528822009-12-17T23:20:00.000-08:002010-06-29T23:20:30.825-07:00

After suffering through one of the coldest weeks I can remember in Los Angeles, I felt compelled this past weekend to break out The Scandinavian Cookbook. I flipped right to the January chapter--given that the temperature hadn't cracked 290 K in days, it just seemed like the right thing to do. This open-faced seafood sandwich caught my eye--a new take on familiar ingredients. Shrimp are one of

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-67678267807162858422009-12-11T19:05:00.001-08:002010-01-04T23:28:38.597-08:00

This dish makes an excellent weeknight dinner. It's very fast, and the flavors are simple but satisfying. I like spinach fine, but generally prefer its flavor to be kept in the background. However, in this dish it really works well with the garlic and anchovies. I was glad I splurged for pine nuts--they really do add to the experience. The recipe calls for capelli, which as far as I could

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-25132799975987493592009-12-05T22:51:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:54:18.176-08:00

Of all the recipes I made for The Gastronomer's 2008 Christmas present, these bell peppers may have been her favorite. She frequently requests that I make them again, and once when I was out of town she ate them for four meals straight. The original appeal for me was the apparent intricacy of stuffing meat inside a vegetable, but in fact they're a classic American dish that's quite easy to

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-52770334864639310842009-12-03T10:00:00.000-08:002010-01-04T23:29:05.293-08:00

This was first dip I ever made at home--I don't buy this sort of thing at the store very often, so I can't really compare the quality of the final product, but it was so easy, I'd definitely make it again. I recommend whipping some up before sitting down to enjoy the Alabama-Florida game this Saturday (unless you live in Los Angeles, in which case you should stock up on baked goods Saturday

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-28648243557164362752009-12-01T22:05:00.001-08:002010-01-04T21:55:21.987-08:00

It seems appropriate to follow up a barbecuing post with an uber-healthy vegan recipe. Looking for an alternative to our usual Asian tofu preparations, The Gastronomer and I stumbled upon this recipe on epicurious.com. Aided by The Gastronomer's brilliant suggestion to supplement the prescribed mustard coating on the tofu with Panko bread crumbs, it turned out wonderfully.Recipe adapted from

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-21586253528047722822009-11-29T22:40:00.000-08:002010-01-04T23:29:31.463-08:00

Eager to help me properly assume the role of Man of the House, The Gastronomer purchased a Smokey Joe grill and some top-notch grilling tools for me last Christmas. After browsing cookbooks and the internet for basic grilling tips and consulting with my dad, I stopped by Target to purchase some charcoal. I combed the store but could not find the charcoal anywhere. When I bumped into a store

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-26952040845382577492009-11-27T20:30:00.000-08:002010-01-04T23:29:52.026-08:00

I made these muffins for dessert following the dates stuffed with parmesan, minty buttery peas, and salmon and leek pot pies. The recipe was chosen with The Gastronomer's fondness for fiber in mind, but in hindsight she would have probably preferred to conclude her feast with something a bit more decadent. Even though we were too full after polishing off the pot pies to properly enjoy the

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-44538727045483642502009-11-21T16:42:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:49:28.801-08:00

I never realized how awesome dill was until I tried the Vietnamese dish cha ca. The fresh version in particular adds a unique, wonderful flavor to dishes such as these pot pies. I served them alongside sauteed buttery peas with mint for The Gastronomer's Christmas meal #1.I realize that this blog is already at risk of becoming one big America's Test Kitchen advertisement, but I must point out

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-57251912223376066962009-11-19T18:56:00.000-08:002010-01-04T23:30:15.272-08:00

These dates were the appetizer for The Gastronomer's Christmas Dinner #1. They were a nice snack, but the real legacy of this recipe has been the incorporation of toasted nuts into my daily routine. I never realized how easy it was--now whenever I add walnuts or pecans to a salad, I make sure to throw them in a frying pan for a couple of minutes first to enhance their aroma and flavor.Recipe by

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-56949608748407754122009-11-14T22:39:00.000-08:002010-01-04T23:30:28.193-08:00

After spending my first 24 years enjoying the fruits of others' labor in the kitchen while rarely making my own contribution to the dinner spread, my culinary career was jump-started when I decided to give The Gastronomer five 3-course dinners as a Christmas present last year. The menus were taken almost exclusively from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, a fantastic, foolproof resource

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-80423240751086246712009-11-13T23:05:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:53:03.617-08:00

There's nothing The Gastronomer appreciates more than coming home to a stellar meal after a grueling day at the office, so I'm always on the lookout for simple, delicious recipes for weeknight dinners. Our subscription to Cooking Light (a Christmas present from my mom last year) has been an excellent resource for this. To be honest, this one was pushing it in terms of intricateness (I'm not

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5501315271895073681.post-21617758949461071592009-11-13T22:45:00.000-08:002009-11-14T22:37:18.395-08:00

Despite being incompetent with a knife, incapable of multitasking, and generally lacking all semblance of culinary instincts, every so often I bravely step into the kitchen and attempt to produce a three-course dinner. These are generally all-day affairs, fraught with danger and near disasters. When the end product is a success, I am often too tired to eat it. Luckily, my fiancee has a deep

The Astronomerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09094248944338052325noreply@blogger.com2