Baklava

This past weekend, my friend Nina came to visit me from Chicago.  We had a good time exploring Chapel Hill and the surrounding environs and, of course, we ate pretty well.  Both of us love to bake, and we each come from cultures where baklava is a staple food group.  Basically, there was no other option on a rainy Saturday but to bake some of that flaky, buttery dessert.

With our two powers combined, we came up with a four-layer single-nut baklava drenched in sugar and butter.  Is it good for your body?  Probably not, though I can think of worse things to eat, dessert-wise.  But it is definitely good for your mood and your tastebuds, so I'd recommend you give it a try the next time you're feeling gloomy.  This kind of moist baklava can't be bought (or is extremely hard to find).

Bahamian Macaroni and Cheese

My sister came home for spring break on Friday night with one request: A home-cooked meal.  Until she went to college, Junior consumed a very limited diet, consisting mainly of cinnamon-raisin bagels.  Since then, she's become a much more adventurous eater.  One of the first more flavorful meals I ever cooked her was Bahamian Macaroni and Cheese, so I decided to make it again for old time's sake.

The original recipe for this delicious pasta dish comes from my high school friend Eva's family.  Eva brought it to a potluck supper and it instantly broadened my macaroni and cheese horizons: Who knew you could put vegetables in mac 'n' cheese?  I've tweaked the recipe a little bit to add some whole wheat pasta and a little more veg, but it's pretty much the same recipe from five years ago.  So: Thanks, Eva!  For my money, your macaroni stands up next to the gourmet versions of Manhattan and it's still one of my (and Junior's) favorite recipes ever.

Greek Roast Chicken

Cooking for my family can be a bit of a balancing act: My dad is more-or-less carnivorous (though he doesn't eat pork) and my mom doesn't really like strong flavors (read: garlic) or massive amounts of meat.  So what to make for my first home-cooked supper in North Carolina?

It's decidedly spring here and, as such, a young girl's fancy turns to thoughts of Greece.  "Ah-ha!" I thought: Roasted chicken with lemon, olive oil, and scads of oregano—simple, fresh-tasting, and delicious. Basically, this is my take on a dish that is often on offer at tavernas called kotopoulo fournou (κοτόπουλο φούρνου), which is served with pan-roasted potatoes and a green salad.

Goodbye New York, Hello Again Chapel Hill

New York, it turned out, was not for me.  The everlasting winter, the crowded subways, the shock that registered on peoples' faces when I was polite: None of these things really agreed with my system.  As much as I enjoyed the people that I worked with and the overwhelming access to culture, the past nine months have taught me that I'm cut out for a somewhat slower pace of life.

So on Saturday, I drove back with my dad to Chapel Hill.  I'm hoping that I'll be starting a master's program in library science in the fall, but if I don't get in this year, there's always the next.  New York lent me some perspective on what I want to get out of life and I made some fantastic friends, so I will always be grateful for this past year.

One thing that was rough about New York was that I rarely had anyone to cook for (I don't blame anyone for not wanting to make the trek out to Flatbush) and, when I did, I was too exhausted to do so.  Returning home will hopefully also mean a return to cooking, with my family as my culinary guinea pigs and a more relaxed schedule.  So look for more blog posts in the near future.

Spinach-and-Mushroom Baked Penne

Nothing says comfort food to me like a big bowl of pasta, red sauce, and lots and lots of cheese.  At the end of a long day at work, that's what I want to come home to (or find in my Tupperware at lunch, or graze on in the middle of the night, as the case may be).  Can you keep your Sophia Loren figure while indulging in an old-country carbohydrate feast?  I'd say yes.

Please, tell me more.

The key here is whole wheat pasta, a moderate amount of various cheeses, and a heavy load of delicious vegetables—spinach, mushrooms, onions.  Because of all the other flavors and the moistness of the sauce, the whole wheat pasta doesn't overwhelm the dish or make it overly dry.  So make sure not to skimp on the greenery!  As my grandmother would say, "A little bit of veg never hurt anybody."

Linzer Bars

The clocks are set back, the leaves are finally changing color, and it's getting dark far too early: These are all indisputable signs of cookie season's arrival.  That little bite in the air tells baking fiends across the country, me included, that it's time to get down to the serious business of making (and sharing) sweets.

Back in July, I attended my very first canning party, from which I brought home a jar of homemade strawberry jam.  Since I'm not much for toast-and-jam (butter is my topping of choice), the jam has been guiltily staring at me for the past three months.  Solution: Make it the basis for a cookie.

This recipe comes from The Gourmet Cookie Book: The Single Best Recipe from Each Year 1941-2009, which is coming out this month.  It's a really terrific book with lots of beautiful illustrations, plus it's interesting to see the evolution of what American readers of Gourmet expected from their cookies over the past 60+ years.  I adapted this recipe from their 1979 selection, leaving out ground almonds and other ingredients not readily at hand.

Special thanks for this recipe goes to Kirsten, without whom there would have been no jam, no cookbook, and no cookies.

Roasted Acorn Squash: An Illustrated Guide

Tonight is Halloween, meaning that I've gone the whole of the month without posting a new recipe.  Bad, bad Dani.  But I happy to be able to now share with you one of my all-time favorite foods, the acorn squash!  Catch me on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday in autumn (Union Square Green Market days) and, likely as not, I'm probably packing several pounds of acorn squash in my bag.  What to do with them?  I'm glad you asked!

Step one: Admire the perfection of the squash form.