Corncakes Rancheros

My goodness I've been terribly absent lately.  It's not because I've been globe-trotting or accepting awards or whatever you probably assumed I was doing.  It's just because the usual stunning DEB meals have not been exciting enough to share with you.  Or have been gulped down too quickly to allow for photos.... It's all coming to an end, though.  There are grocery lists and notes jotted down on various receipt-backs and stuffed into my purse that are waiting to be referenced over the next week.  My planner is once again serving its ultimate purpose as a place for meal-planning, leaving dentist appointments and lunch dates woefully forgotten.  But all in the name of good eats!  

Hand Pies!

I'm not sure why I've been entranced with the idea of hand pies this month.  It could be that with the busy schedule I like the thought of having something to go from freezer to plate that's homemade and flavorful after a long day of work.  It could be that I just like any excuse to use my killer pie crust.  It could be that I need something appropriately British to match the accent my internal dialogue has picked up since I spent two sick days on the couch watching Downton Abbey.  Or it could be that they're just a really great idea.  A pie you hold in your hand.  A pie you can eat all by yourself without getting funny looks.  A hand pie!

Savory Dinner Tart

My sincerest apologies for being absent these past few weeks; I'm still getting into the rhythm of this whole blogging thing.  Things have been pretty busy, but in a very good way.  There has been lots of thesis-finishing, a bit of job-hunting, some dog-sitting, birthday-celebrating, new flavor-discovering, good book-reading, exciting new book-starting, warmer weather-appreciating.... and of course cooking. The DEB kitchen has been rather busy, and I have loads of tasty treats to share with you that will trickle out as I get the photos uploaded. (Note- photo quality may be lacking in the upcoming posts as I'm doing the edits on my lap-top and I can't ever tell if the color is right.  As always, you have to trust me that I don't actually cook or eat ugly things.) To start, here's a simple recipe that's perfect for the coming end of the season: one more taste of the winter greens and squashes, warm and light, and perfect with a glass of white wine to remind you of warm and sunny days ahead.  

Fennel and Cabbage Slaw

I didn't take any pictures of this dish, so instead we've got some lovely shots of Rugby Boog.  She's new to the sport, but seemed to really enjoy being part of a team.  Or at least wearing the uniform of one....

Savory Bread Pudding

I swore I would make a recipe as I baked this dish.  I would be testing two different permutations, so certainly I could keep tabs on how much of each ingredient I used so as to best direct you toward the perfect savory bread pudding.  But instead, I got caught up in winging it and the drooly anticipation of my dinner, and so instead, I have a wobbly sort of recipe, and a set of suggestions- AND links to where you might find less wobbly recipes and more suggestions.  I do all of this because I want you to make this bread pudding, before it gets warm and the fun of comfort food is replaced by the bright colors of spring vegetables.

Sweet Potato Latkes with Apple-Goat Cheese Slaw

I know what you're thinking, who starts off the new year with fried foods? Didn't we just indulge for 3 weeks straight? BUT, this fried food is topped with a slaw.  A slaw with no mayo.  A slaw made with fruit.  (Slaw is starting to look like a really weird word right about now...)  So relax, your resolutions are safe.  And you will thank me, because this is a fantastic dish.  Perfect to snack on, a great dinner accompanied by a green salad, and likely to be a show stopper at a party.
WARNING: Sections of this post are rated PG for being "Pretty Gross."  Or "Particularly Goosey."  Or "Perceptibly Greasy."  Or... ok I'll stop.  Basically, what I'm saying is that there are waterfowl body parts graphically depicted. 

Navy Bean Stew

 The holidays are behind us and it's back to real life. I haven't posted in a while because I've been working so hard on my thesis enjoying the time off work and trying to finish the leftovers our families bestowed on us after Christmas... so there hasn't been much to blog about.  Short notes on the Dog Eat Blog Holiday include:

Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Tofu

Ah, the Brussels sprout! Seeing as it's related to broccoli, it's no wonder I love this veggie.  But the trick is to cook it right- when overdone, sprouts release a chemical, called glucosinolate sinigrin, that contributes to bitterness and stinkiness but which is also a potential anticancer agent.  Therefore, it is in your best interest to be sure not to cook the living daylights out of your sprouts.  I think color can be one of the best indicators- if you have bright green sprouts, with still a little firmness to them, they are not overdone, and shouldn't be stinky. (Don't go using these pictures as a reference for color, my ancient camera seriously misrepresents the beauty of a good sprout.)

Butternut Squash Ravioli

So.... I need a pasta machine if I'm ever gonna do this again. I love kneading bread, and I don't mind that my arms can get sore from it, or that 10 minutes of kneading can feel like 50 minutes of cardio- because it always produces good results (and sometimes sore arms).  It's worth it.  But rolling out pasta as thin as you can, giving it time to rest so it will stop fighting you by springing back after each roll, and then thinking you made it sooo thin only to have it come out surprisingly thick is just not for me. I need results.  Or maybe I should say, I knead results.  

Turnips for Supper

Photograph: Wataru Yanagida/Getty

Okay, I know what you're thinking.  This is not only a really boring, but quite possibly icky-tasting idea.  This is one of those meals that I love having for dinner, but that E (and probably a lot of other people) considers just a side.  I am not the biggest turnip fan, but I think adding a little garlic and crunchy pecans into the mix fixes what can sometimes be a kind of watery, why-isn't-this-as-tasty-as-other-root-vegetables kind of dish.  By the way, I'd love an alternative method for cooking turnips.  I have no idea what else to do with them, so if you have ideas, please share!

Christmas Curry

In the summer of 2009, The Boog systematically destroyed my hopes for a crop of home-grown vegetables and herbs by digging up whatever I planted.  Had I planted a shoe-tree or a bacon-bush, she no doubt would have pitched in with the watering and weeding.  Seeing no real benefit for herself by allowing Green Intruders to occupy what were otherwise perfectly decent Digging Spots and Future Mud Holes, Boog promptly removed the gorgeous basil, peppers, and tomatoes I had managed to nurse into adulthood. Mind you, I was the idiot who figured that we might as well start a garden in the spot Boog dug up, because there was already a hole. It wasn't "a" hole, it was "Boog's hole," and she was not interested in sharing.

Unlike our dogs, E and I are easily trained.  We learned that if we were going to grow anything, it would have to be well-protected from our nefarious beasts. Thus the construction of a simple chicken-wire fence around our garden last spring, and an ensuing feeling that we were officially Gardeners.  I mean, it's nothing to go bragging about, being the result of 4th-grade-level engineering and $20 worth of supplies from the hardware store.  But it did its job...for 4 months.