Archive for December 2011

CHRISTMAS WITH FRIENDS: Puff Pastry-Wrapped Asparagus; Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Fennel and Apple; Fresh Bread; Green Salad; Best Brownies à la mode

Frankly, most holiday main course meats are really, really expensive. Yet having a roast or a ham or a turkey can feel like a requirement, especially if you’re hosting parents or more traditional types. Give up the notion of a big hunk of meat and replace it with this savory, wintry stew, rich with slow-cooked onions and fennel, not to mention our favorite meat: pork.

Of course the least expensive cut of pork…

» read more

Thanks to all of you who entered our ModCloth Kitchen Ready-to-Wear Giveaway! We chose a randomly selected winner to receive this fabulous apron and potholder set.

Congrats to Rose!

Here’s what Rose had to say:

I’m known for my banana bread, and unfortunately on a tighter budget than usual, so I plan on baking mini-loaves and some sort of handmade gift for everyone.

From our kitchen, albeit small, to yours,

Cara and Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOKS

» read more

BEST HOLIDAY SIDES: Alta Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios, Apples, and Creme Fraiche; Barb’s Corn Pudding; Glazed Carrots with Cayenne; Smashed New Potatoes with Peas, Parsley, and Chives

When I think of potatoes au gratin, I think of the holidays. I also, as many of you might too, think of France.

Back in 2003, when I was a freshman in college, my parents and I took a trip to Paris for the holidays. I remember looking forward to reliving the smells of my childhood—the patisserie’s buche de noel, the confiserie’s pâtes des…

» read more

‘Tis the holiday season, and that means it’s time for lots and lots of cocktail parties. While we usually spend more time tending to our finger food than what’s on top of the bar when we’re hosting, there’s nothing like a specialty drink to make your guests extra merry. In today’s prep school video, Phoebe makes a classic eggnog with rum that is sure to get your bells jingling.

» read more

Baked Eggs with Tomatoes and Smokey Potatoes • Pumpkin Pancakes • Apple Crumb Coffee Cake • Chai Tea Lattes

» read more

Christmas Cookies! With just a few short weeks to go, it’s time to start baking…or at least time to start thinking about baking.

Just the mention of cookies smiles to our faces. Between holiday parties and cookie swaps, we’ll be eating our fill. The question is, what to bake? There is the classic: a sugar cookie, artfully decorated. There’s the historical: a mandelbread recipe, passed down from Cara’s grandma. And there’s the seasonal: a spiced snickerdoodle, or a super-gingery gingersnap.

The best Christmas cookies look pretty and taste great, and they also keep well. That last quality means they…

» read more

We pooled our tips and tricks for keeping your holiday parties on budget for our friends over at Culinate. Check them out here!

» read more

Joan Nathan is truly the mother of Jewish cooking. She’s written 10 cookbooks on the subject, including the venerable tome Jewish Cooking in America, and her latest Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France. So when I started thinking about the food and guides we wanted to feature on BGSK for Hanukkah, her name naturally came to mind.

I was lucky to be able to chat with Joan and ask her all our Hanukkah cooking, entertaining, and gifting queries. We talked about her favorite edible presents and how to get your home to not…

» read more

Our first-ever BGSK gift guide highlights eight days of presents we know you want to give and receive. To cut through the cluttered shelves of kitchen-oriented goodies, we’re spending eight days showing you the best of the best of the kitchen goodies to wrap up for or unwrap on Hanukkah and Christmas.

Today is Day #8—Gifts in a Jar: Poached Pears.

In our world, the edible gift is an obvious choice in the roster of kitchen-y gifts. But you can’t gift the mundane; no soups, stews, or salads here. You can give a jar of hot fudge,…

» read more

See all our favorite Christmas cookies here!

There was a time when Phoebe and I had this little, you know, cookie conflict. As you’ll know if you read every word of our book’s introduction or have ever glanced at our about page, back in the day, just a couple of years after we met in the seventh grade, we were engaged in an oatmeal cookie competition. I stood by one recipe, Phoebe another, and like any good world political conflict, there appeared to be no middle ground. We used to make our friends taste…

» read more