One of the saddest things you should probably know about me is that I’m a terrible host. I don’t mean to be; in my head, I’m the kind of person who would find out you were coming over, quickly gather some wildflowers from the side of the road, put them in an old Mason jar, pour-over some coffee from a local roaster, steam cream from an upstate dairy in a spouted glass and pull out something warm and enticing from the oven right as you arrived. In my head, I understand that none of these things are terribly difficult to pull off. In reality, were you to come over right now, you’d find a plate of pears (one with a toddler mouth-sized bite removed) and mostly-empty jar of something delicious, but alas, too delicious to have lasted until you arrived, on the table, a colossal explosion of wooden train tracks and fire station parts all over the carpet and a fireman in a time out (“What did he do?” I asked. “He did NOTHING!” I was informed. Well, then…). Also notable is the absent aroma of freshly-brewed coffee. Upon closer inspection, you might see that I don’t actually own any coffee-making apparatus. And not a single warm thing has left the oven this morning; we had stove-top oatmeal for breakfast again.

Seriously, you’d revoke my book contact if you saw this place. I might have kept this to myself forever, but I have been found out. I have been found out because in the last month, more strangers have entered my apartment than have in the three-plus years we’ve lived here. They come under the auspices of writing articles about tiny kitchens or wanting to watch me make a recipe from the cookbook, but I know the truth: they want to see how we really live and when they find out, well, I hope they are relieved because are all of the fruits in your bowl intact? Are no firemen in unjust time outs? Good, you’re a step ahead.

… Read the rest of roasted pear and chocolate chunk scones on smittenkitchen.com

© smitten kitchen 2006-2012. |
permalink to roasted pear and chocolate chunk scones | 89 comments to date | see more: Breakfast, Chocolate, Fall, Pear, Photo, Scones/Biscuits

4.56 / 5 Stars | 20 Reviews

by Jill

“This quick and easy salsa can be made in just a few minutes with a food processor. Green onions instead of white onions give it a nice, mellow flavor to balance the kick of the jalapenos. This recipe also works well with 2-3 habanero peppers instead of the jalapenos. But be sure to remove the seeds and membrane from the habaneros first! Grab a bag of tortilla chips, dip, eat, and enjoy!”

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4.2 / 5 Stars | 11 Reviews

by LEAH72

“Shying away from the typical tomato or wine based steamed mussel recipe? This one features tequila and lime and it as easy as 1..2..3 to prepare! Serve right away with some crusty Italian bread to soak up the juice.”

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4.67 / 5 Stars | 377 Reviews

by MARBALET

” We like spicy and sweet and this hummus is both. And easy too. Everything is popped into the food processor and pulsed into deliciousness. Cumin and cayenne add a bit of kick and pair nicely with the sweet, sweet roasted peppers. Makes lots.”

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This was my lunch last week. I know that it may look less like lunch and more like penance, some apology for eating too many squares of salted-caramel-glazed fanned-apples-atop-1000-layers-of-buttery-pastry. I realize that most people think that when you start serving them bowls hearty grains and roasted squash that you might have an ulterior motive, like their thighs. I understand that most people don’t believe me when I say this, but it doesn’t make it any less true: I don’t eat food because it’s good for me; I eat it because I like it. And this was one of the most delicious lunch salads I’ve ever made.

Herein lies my approach to grain salads: I like whatever vegetables I’m using in the salad to be the bulk of it, and the grains to be the accent, like a crouton. When you make grain salad this way, you get to appreciate the its texture, and not just lament that it’s not plush as a mound of fine couscous, something you’d hardly notice eating. This, however, does not mean that they’re to be crouton-free; all salads need punch and crunch, and here, it comes from toasted, salted pepitas (though any nut will do), crumbled ricotta salata (though any salty, crumbly cheese will do) and minced red onion that I pickled at the last minute in sherry vinegar.

… Read the rest of butternut squash salad with farro and pepitas on smittenkitchen.com

© smitten kitchen 2006-2012. |
permalink to butternut squash salad with farro and pepitas | 65 comments to date | see more: Fall, Grain/Rice, Photo, Salad, Vegetarian, Winter Squash

4.41 / 5 Stars | 14 Reviews

by Michele O’Sullivan

“Serve this sweet and spicy sauce over meatballs!”

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4.52 / 5 Stars | 76 Reviews

by LOUISGUCCI

“This has always been a crowd pleaser in my home. This is wonderful as an appetizer served on tostadas or even with tortilla chips. Make sure to refrigerate before you serve, it tastes best when very cold. I like to serve on tostadas with a thin layer of mayonnaise for a nice refreshing lunch.”

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4.58 / 5 Stars | 20 Reviews

by Michele O’Sullivan

“Salsa, EASY and not hot or spicy. If you prefer to put some zip in this, you can add jalapeno and yellow chilies.”

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4.49 / 5 Stars | 368 Reviews

by dailyn2003

“A light marinade of soy sauce, brown sugar, and sherry with sesame and spices tenderizes these chicken pineapple kabobs into an aloha grilled dream of a dish!”

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My husband likes to joke that every other comment on this site in the month of October is, “Help! I went apple picking and I brought home 20 pounds of apples and I don’t know how to use them up!” It’s not true, of course; it’s every five or six comments. We mostly have a giggle about it because we didn’t know how one could go to an apple grove and not realize that 20 of apples is an impossible amount to munch your way through, no matter how enthusiastic of an apple-eater you might be. Furthermore, seeing as quite often, only one apple type is ripe at a time, which means you’re you’re not likely bringing a mix home that might sustain your interest from apple to apple, ad inifinitum. So, you know where this is going. Guys, we went apple picking last weekend and I brought home almost 15 pounds of apples! What do I do with them?

I am kidding, mostly. I have a few ideas for them. The first 6 pounds went to the largest batch of applesauce, ever, half of which is in the freezer for my resident Applesauce Junkie. The next few pounds were munched on, happily. A few pounds are on the table in a bowl, though I think Ramona Quimby must have snuck in because I keep noticing single, tiny bites taken out of each (because the first bite is the tastiest). Next, well, this happened. And once this happens, I think you’re going to be glad you have a bunch of pounds of apples left, because this is the kind of stuff that calls for a repeat performance.

… Read the rest of apple mosaic tart with salted caramel on smittenkitchen.com

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permalink to apple mosaic tart with salted caramel | 45 comments to date | see more: Apple, Fall, Photo, Tarts/Pies