breakfast, simply

The truth is, breakfast is simpler than I originally thought. I'm used to the 30-second approach: remove a bowl from the pantry, fill it with cereal, splash milk over the top, eat. Aside from the no-cook method, I also love cereal for the slightly sweet, crunchy o's swirling in my almond milk. I'm a texture person, and I've loved cereal for as long as I can remember. Since it's one of the last bits of processed food I eat, I wanted to at least make an attempt to let go, so I made a pact with myself towards the end of last year that I'd make a concerted effort to give up cereal.  

Over the last two months, I'm happy to say that I've almost eliminated it. Almost. There was no use removing it completely, at least until I came up with some new things to eat. Now that I have a growing aresnal of morning meals, I wanted to share a few of them with you.

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year in review | 2011 favorites

It's that time of year. Here, a look back at my favorite CAF recipes from 2011.

JANUARY | Red Lentil Soup

This soup was all about simplicity. Minimal ingredients, simple preparation and the beauty of making something wholesome from scratch.

FEBRUARY | Mujaddara with Spiced Yogurt

This is a near-perfect pantry dish with lots of flavor and a comfort-food quality perfect after any busy day. It was also something I never cooked before, so I loved that it taught me something new.

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the body knows

By the time Christmas comes along, I've had my share of cookies, pies and late-night sweets. More than my share, in fact. I usually give baked goods away, but then I made an amazing batch of cookies, froze the dough, and proceeded to eat a cookie (or two) for dessert every night for a week. (No complaints from Andrew, mind you.) Then there was the caramel pie I ate for dinner once. Chocolate cookies. Cookies with ice cream. Cake. Sugar. Butter. Flour....

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the best chocolate chip cookies

Between cookie exchange parties, baking for school and office parties and whipping up dessert for yourself or gifts for neighbors, there are many sweets vying for your attention this season. These cookies are not frosted, painted, or rolled in sugar, but they are the best chocolate chip cookies I've had, so that's worth something, I think.

I was always skeptical of these 24-hour cookie recipes. Who wants to wait that long to eat a cookie? Beyond the time commitment, there are two types of flours, neither of which are all-purpose, so that might seem inconvenient unless you happen to have them in the pantry. Andrew and I did a little quality control just to be sure this cookie was worth everything it claimed. We baked two cookies from the freshly made dough, and chilled the rest as instructed. They were good, but the next day's batch was exceptional.

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recipe redux: pomodori al forno

The last time I made this dish was in 2008 after reading Molly Wizenberg's Bon Appetit column. I posted a lone photograph with a link, and offered very little insight into the finished dish. It was time to revisit one of my favorite, long lost appetizers.

When two friends came over for dinner earlier this month, pumpkin risotto was on the menu, but I also wanted to make something that could serve a dual purpose of appetizer and entree side dish, should anyone need to munch on something after licking their risotto bowl clean.

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