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If you’re like me at all, you have a collection of overripe bananas in your freezer, destined for bread. I have a pretty fool-proof (and delicious) recipe for banana bread given to me by my mother, but I wanted to change things up this time around. And what better way to do that than with […]
Photo credit: Ryan Soderlin/ The World-Herald From time to time, I will write restaurant reviews for the Omaha World-Herald. I really enjoy doing it; I get to try new restaurants and share my thoughts with readers of the newspaper. Most recently, I reviewed Railcar Modern American Kitchen. You can read the review here. Chef Jared […]
This last Sunday was the second week of the farmers market here in Omaha and it was a gorgeous day. Just a week ago, the sky was overcast and there was a biting wind slapping us in the face. Not a fun trip to the market at all. The start of the farmers market always […]
What do you think of this artsy photo of my tortellini?? Pretty yummy looking. Am I right?? I woke up yesterday thinking, “Today I will make pasta.” I wanted to challenge myself and make a style of pasta I’ve never tried before. Tortellini it was. Now, I know that if I had a tortellini craving [...]
I think the last time I posted I lamented the sluggishness of the oncoming spring weather here in Omaha. Well, surprise surprise, it’s still not here. We’ve had freezing rain, snow, rain, clouds, wind, and pretty much everything else you can think of that isn’t spring weather. To top off the disappointing weather, I have [...]
The weather here in Omaha is on the fence. It doesn’t know what it wants. Sunny? Overcast? Chilly? Rainy? Make up your mind already and move on! Yes, it is Spring, but my brain wants nonstop sunny weather. Anyway, I woke up the other morning unsure of what to make for that night’s dinner. I [...]
Last week Scott and I spent five days in one of our favorite cities, New Orleans. We went with two of our closest friends, Sarah and Matthew. It was their first time to the Crescent City, but Scott and I have had the pleasure of visiting many times. It was a treat to spend time [...]
I have been so behind on posts lately! Ack! I’m sorry. Hopefully, this super simple recipe for ricotta gnocchi will make up for my absence. I made this not long ago and served it with roasted broccoli and it was delicious. It had the flavor of ricotta cheese and maintained its pillowy texture – not [...]
Yes…it’s true. The past two weeks have been two of the busiest weeks so far this year. School is really throwing down and it seems like just when I have it all under control, my classes knock me down again. Oh, and I should mention our furnace died earlier this week and it’s winter in [...]
Fat Tuesday was this week and while others around the nation were stuffing themselves, I was eyeball-deep in required reading for class. As a reward for my academic diligence, I thought I would whip up a batch of homemade beignets. After some research, I began to feel a little intimidated. I don’t have a very [...]
If you’ve followed this blog at all, you know that I have a special place in my heart reserved for America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. Last April, I was chosen as a finalist for their “Learn To Cook” series. Alas, I did not win, but I still love them and put my full [...]
Around noon yesterday, my husband and I met our friend Ryan at one of our favorite bars near our home, Krug Park. Sundays are the perfect day to sit down for a Bloody Mary, and Anne knows how to make a good one. We met there not just for the great drinks and good conversation…we [...]
Forgive me for my brief absence, dear readers. My husband had an art opening in Wichita this weekend, so I was unable to experiment in the kitchen. I did miss it, though, and got right to it on Sunday night. However, that night was a simple dinner of pan seared chicken breasts with a light [...]
Twice now, I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Omaha World Herald as a correspondent writing dining reviews. My second installment is a write-up on a lovely restaurant called Harvest Cafe & Wine Bar. If you live in the area, be sure to check it out! Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Harvest Cafe & Wine [...]
I realize, dear readers, that I can sometimes go a little nuts with the desserts on this blog. I really have no excuse for why or how that happens. It just does. Perhaps I like the way desserts look when they’re finished. Perhaps I make more desserts because I like the challenge or because I [...]
It’s winter here in the midwest. The sun may be shining, but it is by no means warm outside. This is the weather of sledding, hot cocoa, fireplaces, and heavy blankets. Certainly not the weather of ice cream, right? Normally, I’d agree with you, but in this case, you’d be wrong. Perhaps it was the [...]
“Now, just hold it right there,” you’re thinking. “Bacon jam? Jam, like the sweet spread one puts on their morning toast and eats for breakfast?” Well, not exactly. But pretty darn close. This…condiment…as I’ll call it, is TOTALLY DELICIOUS. And totally worthy of being eaten with a crusty piece of bread, on pork chops or [...]
Aren’t we the cutest? From L to R: Truman, my lovely husband Scott, Fischer, me, and Jackie. Photo courtesy of The Mullers. What you’re about to read is an obligatory holiday blog post. I, like many others, spent the last two weeks prepping and cooking in anticipation of Christmas. My goal is always to have [...]
A few things have happened in the last week. First, a week ago today I turned 33-years-old. I treated myself to a manicure and my lovely husband treated me to dinner at my favorite Indian restaurant in town. Second, my fall semester finally ended last week and I have to say that I am pleased [...]
Things have been really busy around here since Thanksgiving. I’m right in the middle of finals, so writing a final paper on The Picture of Dorian Gray is proving to be much more important than blogging about what silly things I’m trying in the kitchen. However, I just couldn’t take it anymore, so I decided [...]
In case you all were wondering, our ‘Thanksgiving for Two’ menu: Brined and slow-roasted bone-in turkey breast with homemade gravy Grandma Vera’s sage stuffing Port and cranberry gelée Kale salad with apples and hazelnuts Brown sugar-roasted sweet potatoes Homemade rolls Maple pot de crème Cardamom, orange, and chocolate ribbon cookies I think I may have [...]
Growing up, Thanksgiving was always a huge deal with my family. I recall wading through a veritable sea of aunts, uncles, and cousins just to get to my grandmother’s world-famous (well, Grand Island famous) sage stuffing. There was nothing I wanted to eat more than that stuffing. In addition to the stuffing, there were the [...]
My good friend Sarah once told me that one of her favorite confections were Rolos. I had to confess that they were on my list, as well. What’s not to love, really? Decadent chocolate and creamy caramel? Pair one little Rolo with a cup of hot coffee or espresso and you have the perfect sweet [...]
I’ve mentioned this before on the blog, but Sunday evening is most often reserved for dinner with our friends, Pat and Holly. We head over to their house with the pretense of watching whichever HBO show we’re following at the moment – right now it’s the beautifully violent Boardwalk Empire – but we always share [...]
When it comes to cooking and baking, I’m no quitter. I will try and try again if something doesn’t work out. In my last post you may have read that I had a terrible day in which most things went horribly wrong. One of those things was a cake. I wanted to bake a seasonal [...]
Going to the market is one of my favorite things. But so is not going to the market. I love looking in the fridge and pantry at dinner time and realizing that I have everything I need to make a dish. Especially after the day I had yesterday. 6:45 a.m. came way too early yesterday [...]
I wanted to share with you, dear readers, my first professional food-related writing. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to write a restaurant review for The Omaha World-Herald. The restaurant is called Ponzu Sushi and Grill. Huge thanks to my dear friend and food writer Sarah Baker Hansen, for the opportunity. Check [...]
Growing up, my mother always seemed to bake the most perfect chocolate chip cookies. I used to think her success was genetic, as my grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies were nothing short of life-changing. Oh, how wrong I was when I tried to follow in their culinary footsteps. I absolutely could not bake a decent chocolate [...]
“Less cake, more meat!” This was the single comment left on my last post. The post about cake. I know I post a lot about desserts. I know this. As I was writing, this song happened to pop up. It seems fitting, no? The great Dizzy Gillespie had it right: Hey Pete! Let’s Eat More [...]
Always with the cake, right? You’re thinking, “Geez, Sara, do you only bake cakes?? Can’t/won’t you do anything else??” Of course I will. But right now, I want to bake cakes. Lots of them. All the time. I want to have a bake sale every day at my house. Maybe even a cake walk, sort [...]
“Most of the time…I can handle whatever I stumble upon.” This song by Bob Dylan came on my iTunes this morning as I was drinking my coffee, alone, in my living room. I know it’s about a breakup, but that one line really hit home with me. Usually, I can handle whatever comes my way; [...]
Wow, you guys. I am shocked at how long it has been since I’ve posted anything! I’m super sorry! I guess I was enjoying my summer off a little too much and time got away from me! Scott and I went to Florida a couple of weeks ago in order to celebrate our marriage with [...]
I was lucky enough to be nominated by Sweet Little Thang for the “One Lovely Blog” Award! I feel so honored, given that my blog is new(ish) and there are so many beautiful blogs out there! So, thank you!! Here are the rules: 1. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them [...]
As the saying goes, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” Now, I would never claim to have the culinary skills of the venerable Julia Child, but hey, I can imitate, and that’s good enough for me. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “Sara, we’ve already seen Julie and Julia, we don’t need to [...]
