A Full Belly

2 Oatmeal Cookie Recipes to Try

I don't like chocolate chip cookies (insane, I know!), but I do love a good oatmeal cookie. Both these recipes call for sprinkling coarse salt over the cookies before they go in the oven—sounds like an excellent idea to me.

Cook's Illustrated's Crispy Salted Oatmeal Cookies
Habeas Brûlée's Salty Oat Cookies

Chicken + Lardo = Perfecto

As Emeril would say, Gourmet assistant editor, Alan Sytsma, "kicks it up a notch" with his roast chicken technique:

"... I have a secret weapon in the fight against dried out, tough meat. A secret ingredient so simple, and so easily implemented, that once you try it, you'll never make a chicken without it again: lardo, otherwise known as cured pig fat."

"Just cut thin slices of lardo and place them under the chicken's skin everywhere you can find room, then roast it as you would otherwise. How thin should the lardo slices be? The thinner, the better. A skilled hand and a filet knife will give you adequate results, but if you have access to a meat slicer, you'll get the so-thin-it's-almost-see-through effect that you're looking for; the idea here is really to blanket the meat in pig fat, so that the lardo will just melt into the flesh as it roasts." [emphasis mine]

I like the way this man thinks!

5 Minute Bread

My only successful attempt at bread-making has been the no-knead recipe, but I'm going to have to try Dr. Hertzberg's recipe for simple crusty bread from his book, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. It sounds just as easy, takes less time to come together, and appears to yield great results.

Makin' Biscuits

For my biscuit recipe collection: Touch-of-Grace Biscuits adapted by Orangette.

David Chang-apalooza

For my and your future reference:

David Chang's Budget Holiday Menu on New York Magazine, with recipes:

• Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Soup With Whipped Tofu
• Shrimp Spring Rolls
• Chap Chae
• Braised Tofu With Ginger Scallion Sauce
• Bo Ssäm
• Fresh Asian Pears and Persimmons

And his "Hungry Heart" menu from the October Gourmet:

• Apple Soju Cocktails
• Pickled Vegetables
• Pork-Belly Buns
• King Oyster Mushrooms with Pistatchio Puree
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Apple and Smoked-Bacon Salad with Lychees and Chili Nuts
• Clay-Pot Miso Chicken
•  Steamed Asian White Rice

Apples, Pumpkins, Cranberry, and Ginger

Seasonally appropriate weather may have finally arrived, which means I can start thinking about some of my favorite fall ingredients and recipes.

Apple
Mattbite's Green Apple Galette
Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Apple Sauce

Pumpkin
Spiced Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Whipped Cream

Cranberry
Cranberry Ginger Sauce
Cranberry, Orange & Walnut Bread

Ginger
Shuna's Famous Gingerbread
Carrot Ginger Cupcakes

Self-portrait with Brussels Sprouts (Yes, I am a dork)

Self-portrait with sprouts
Originally uploaded by Alaina B..

I'm not doing anything fancy with these tonight (olive oil, salt, pepper, roast), but the next stalk of brussels sprouts to enter my kitchen undoubtedly will find itself on the receiving end of the David Chang treatment.

Celebrating the Meatloaf

tamarind glazed meat loaf and roasted potatoes with southern indian spices
Originally uploaded by Alaina B..

It's a meatloaf extravaganza at Serious Eats today. To celebrate, I made tamarind glazed meatloaf (recipe).

8/29 Green Market Booty

I'm trying to make a habit of stopping at the green market on my way to work at least once a week. Lots of great stuff to choose from this morning, I filled up my bag with corn, red onion, tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, a tiny leaf variety of basil, and bok choy. Thanks to Elise, I think my corn will become part of an arugula corn salad with bacon. Still daydreaming about the rest of my green market booty...

On my to bake and eat list

My super-talented friends, Souris (aka Lanha) and Heidi, make madeleines. YUM. Instant inspiration.