Dinner with Kirsten

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Entries from December 2008

Ostakaka (Swedish Cheesecake)

December 30th, 2008 · 73 Comments

Christmas Eve is the one day a year when my family embraces Swedish customs. When I was young, Grandma Lois would make a light dinner of salmon loaf with dill gravy (an American stand-in for Lutefish, the traditional dried codfish served in Sweden). She would try to force-feed me pickled herring from the relish tray. […]

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Tags: baking · dessert · recipes

Orange Pistachio Crescent Cookies

December 24th, 2008 · 57 Comments

I wasn’t sure if I should (or could) make these cookies. The prospect of small pastries filled with candied orange peel was just plain intimidating. Nevertheless, I went out and bought a new 3-inch round scalloped cookie cutter, just in case the urge struck.

Then I made a batch of macaroons. And as I was trying […]

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Tags: baking · dessert · recipes · weekend project

Slow Cooker Success: Pulled Pork Sandwiches

December 19th, 2008 · 63 Comments

Years ago, as an undergraduate, my roommates and I threw many a meal into the crock-pot before classes. Then we would returned home to succulent scents of dinner, ready and waiting. I loved it!
When I bought a new New York crock-pot, I couldn’t wait to show off the magical wonder of slow-cooker dinners to Geoff. […]

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Tags: dinner · quick fix · recipes · salad

Chocolate Butter Cookies

December 18th, 2008 · 38 Comments

I sometimes like flipping through old magazines, revisiting old recipes that I once tried (or meant to try). In the Nov/Dec 2005 issue of Cook’s Illustrated, I came across a recipe for Chocolate Butter Cookies that claimed to be “the best,” combining strong chocolaty flavor with classic butter-cookie texture. I decided to try.

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Tags: baking · dessert · quick fix

Dinner for One: Pasta with Greens and Goat Cheese

December 15th, 2008 · 63 Comments

An evening alone. . . Sigh. . . I love being alone sometimes. There’s no pressure to “do” anything, there’s no struggle for the remote, there’s no need to brush my hair or take a shower and, most of all, there’s no need to compromise over dinner. So, when Geoff made last minute plans to […]

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Tags: dinner · italian · quick fix · recipes · salad

Lemon Sandwich Christmas Cookies

December 13th, 2008 · 70 Comments

I made these glittery cookies from Gourmet for a cookie party at work. The recipe is a little weird – it uses cornstarch for some of the flour, powdered sugar instead of regular and not a single egg. But hey, I wanted something different and these didn’t disappoint. The texture was perfectly light and crumbly […]

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Tags: baking · dessert · recipes · weekend project

Cardamom Christmas Cookies

December 8th, 2008 · 67 Comments

It’s cookie season!! I’m starting out slow this year, with a simple recipe my sister made a few years ago. I remembered it because of the distinctive cardamom spice. There’s no other flavor like it, really. 

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Tags: baking · dessert · recipes

Better than Frozen Banana Pancakes

December 4th, 2008 · 56 Comments

On weekend mornings when I don’t make pancakes, Geoff invariably pops Trader Joe’s frozen banana waffles into the toaster. For frozen waffles, I have to admit they’re very good. That’s how I knew this recipe from The Pancake Handbook would be outstanding.

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Tags: breakfast · quick fix · recipes

Thanksgiving at Home

December 2nd, 2008 · 70 Comments

My family knows how to pull together a great Thanksgiving. Sure, the dog may have helped herself to mashed potatoes and my Dad called the security company to keep the firefighters away in case of an alarm (how many years in a row have I set it off?), but everything came together for a beautiful […]

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Tags: baking · dessert · dinner · recipes · slideshow · thanksgiving · weekend project