Recipe Maverick

Browsing Archive: October, 2009

Sausage Rolls

Posted by Emma Barker on Friday, October 30, 2009, In : Sides 


Last night the cooking club on campus that I participate in was having a meeting/potluck, and I needed something to bring. It had to be fast, easy, and delicious, of course. But since this potluck was taking place on campus in a classroom with no way to reheat food, there were the added challenges that it needed to be reasonably easy to transport, and it needed to taste good cold. Usually when I go to these potlucks, I just make cookies. This time, though, I wanted to bring something savory r...

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Pizza Margherita

Posted by Emma Barker on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, In : entrees 


    Last night, I had pulled the pizza dough I'd been waiting to use all weekend out of the fridge and started preheating the oven when the phone rang.

It was one of the managers at the dining hall calling to ask if I could possibly come into work that evening. (I cursed myself for answering the phone). I could have said no, and I seriously considered it...I mean, c'mon! Who hasn't thought about blowing off work to stay home and make pizza?

But I didn't. I put the pizza dough back in the fridge...

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Herbed Macaroni and Cheese

Posted by Emma Barker on Saturday, October 24, 2009, In : entrees 


         Macaroni and Cheese from a box has its place in my diet; it's comforting, it's easy, and it comes in Spiderman shapes.  However, when it comes to taste, texture, and actually knowing what went into what you are eating, you can't beat homemade.

This recipe is similar to the one my mom makes, which she got from the fine folks at America's Test Kitchen. I added basil to mine and baked it in small, individual size ramekins. I was really pleased with the way it turned out-as cheesy and co...
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Dulce de Leche

Posted by Emma Barker on Monday, October 19, 2009, In : Desserts 
    This recipe isn't quite in the spirit of cooking for the busy and broke. Although it is cheap to make, it also takes about two hours. Why this sudden departure from the theme of my blog? I have a story about that...

    Today I was sick at home with what might possibly be Swine flu. Not that I particularly wanted to go to class feeling as lethargic as I am, but my official reason for staying home today is that I have received several very nice emails from the Chancellor of UC Davis and var...
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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted by Emma Barker on Monday, October 19, 2009, In : Desserts 


    What’s more comforting than a chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven, lovingly spatula’d onto a plate by Mom and accompanied by a cold glass of milk? How about one you made yourself? This simple recipe was handed down to me by my mother and allows lots of room for creative modification.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg
1+1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
6 oz (half a 12 oz package) semi-sweet chocolat...

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Garlic Bread

Posted by Emma Barker on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, In : Sides 



I love the taste of garlic bread way too much to care how bad it makes my breath smell.

Ingredients:
Sourdough bread, sliced 1 inch thick
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp butter
*makes 3 slices

Crush the garlic. In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the garlic to the butter, and mix well. Spread the garlic/butter mixture generously on one side of each slice of bread. Toast in the broiler at 350 degrees F for about 2 minutes, until the edges of the bread begin to turn brown.




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Tomato Soup

Posted by Emma Barker on Wednesday, October 14, 2009, In : Soups 


Today was the first rainy day of the school year, and I faced it without an umbrella. It was raining in torrents all day, which meant that by the time I got back to my apartment, I was soaked. After changing into dry clothes and putting on the fuzziest socks I own, I warmed myself up with a hot bowl of tomato soup accompanied by garlic bread. This simple vegetarian soup is not creamy like the canned variety, but chunky and brothy. It's excellent for dipping toast or a grilled cheese sandwich ...

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(Inspired by) Philly Cheese Steak

Posted by Emma Barker on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, In : entrees 


Not being a native of Philadelphia, I hesitate to call this a Philly cheese steak. Rest assured, however, it is a cheese steak and it is definitely something you should make for yourself.

I was not in a very good mood today. It was the sort of day that people think of when they say they hate Mondays, the sort of day that feels like pushing needles through rubber bands just trying to get through it, the sort of day where the sky is overcast and you wind up biking against the wind because you m...
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Mint Cheesecake Brownies

Posted by Emma Barker on Monday, October 12, 2009, In : Desserts 


    This delectable morsel not only beats the crap out of brownie mix brownies, it was pretty easy to make. If you are pressed for time, then you can use brownie mix for the brownie portion of this recipe. However, I would urge you to invest the time to make the brownies from scratch, because it will make a difference in the taste of the final product. First you mix up the brownies and pour them into a pan, then you mix up the cheesecake and pour it on top. You swirl it with a knife to make i...

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Chicken Mole

Posted by Emma Barker on Saturday, October 10, 2009, In : entrees 


Last weekend when I was at the grocery store, I bought chili powder. All week, I've been chuckling gleefully to myself at odd moments just thinking of what I was going to make with it: mole sauce. Teehee, mole sauce. I remember the first time I ordered chicken mole at a restaurant, I thought putting chocolate on meat was just about the craziest thing ever. I still feel giddy and silly when I think about the combination of chocolate and spices and chicken. Today, after waiting all week in anti...

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Pesto Pizza

Posted by Emma Barker on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, In : entrees 


At the dining hall where I work, there is a station devoted entirely to making pizza. They have a pizza oven, pizza trays, pizza paddles, and a machine that presses the dough into pizza shape for you. As nifty as all this equipment is, you don't actually need any of it to make good pizza. This pizza recipe will leave you with just one question: is it easy, or is it simple?

You can buy premade pizza dough at some grocery stores, however if you would like to make your own, it's not too difficult...
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Chili-Cheese Skillet Fries

Posted by Emma Barker on Sunday, October 4, 2009, In : entrees 


What is there to say about this, except "Yum!"? I'm thrilled that this recipe turned out successfully, because I wasn't at all sure that it would. The usual method of making french fries (No, I will NOT call them freedom fries) is to deep-fry pieces of potato. I didn't want to make mine that way because it uses so much oil, and leaves you with a pot full of nasty, potato-ey oil when you're done that you have to get rid of somehow. I wanted my fries to have the soft interior and crisp exterior...

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Banana Bread

Posted by Emma Barker on Saturday, October 3, 2009, In : Breakfast 

The smell of baking bananas filled the air...my housemates sniffed it appreciatively while I took the banana bread out of the oven to test it for doneness. I stuck in the knife, only to have it come out dirty again. What was going on? Why was my banana bread taking so ridiculously long to bake? The recipe I was using said 20 minutes, and it had been 25!

But wait! There's the problem! The recipe I was using was for Banana Nut Muffins...and of course muffins don't take as long to bake as a loaf ...
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Welcome to my blog! I'm Emma, a recent college graduate with a BA in French. I am passionate about cooking and writing, among other things. Come share in my love of food!

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