Are you tired of spending $20 a night on takeout? Do your parents tease you about not knowing how to boil water? Then you should probably come to Cooking for Broke Dummies at The Brooklyn Kitchen where I will show you the basics of making dinner on the cheap. Save for a few kitchen staples, you’ll leave knowing how to make at least five dinners for under $5 each. It’s happening next Wednesday, April 15—tax day! Or D-Day if you’re a freelancer like me (okay, okay, it’s file my extension day). Then Tuesday, April 21 I’ll be on the Woman’s Day radio show at noon EST when I’ll be giving out 10 autographed copies of my cookbook Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven.
Author Archive
Cooking for Broke Dummies and Other Stuff
April 10, 2009There is Room for This Food Blog, And I Will Use It
March 23, 2009Remember when I said I’d post more after my move? Yeah, major FAIL. But after returning from South by Southwest Interactive, and attending Rachel Kramer Bussel’s panel on food blogging, I am determined to post at least a few times a week. I wrote up a recap of the panel for Gourmet.com and the editor tacked this question onto the end: “is there room for more food blogs?” I certainly think, given the economy, there’s room for this one.
The Ultimate Recession Food (Duh)
December 18, 2008
One of the great things about publishing a book is that you become an expert of sorts and I, of course, am happy to serve as the authority on casseroles. So when The Daily Beast asked me to write an article on the casserole as the perfect recession food, I was more than happy to oblige.
Read it here.
Crazy in Life, Not Just Casseroles
December 18, 2008
I’ve been terrible about updating this blog lately. And I apologize. I was just interviewing Rachel Kramer Bussel for SXSW World and though she has a full-time job and edits books, she manages to update Cupcakes Take the Cake at least six times a day. She is obviously doing something right that I am not.
Anyway, part of my craziness involves the fact that I’m planning a move to Kansas City in, oh, two days. I ran out of boxes and still have to pack my entire vintage Pyrex collection (save the green mixing bowl my friend broke when she was trying to be helpful by doing the dishes).
Part of the reason for the move is I need more mental and physical space to write, and well, I want a bigger kitchen. I promise to update the blog more in the new year and I can’t wait to tell you all about the new book I’m working on, but I will—wait that is.
Until then, check out all the great press I’ve gotten for the book. Or listen to my call-in to WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show today.
Day After Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Dinner
December 5, 2008Better late than never, right?
I hadn’t cooked Thanksgiving dinner since 2001 and decided that this year, my last year in New York, Thanksgiving was going to be perfect. I had two guests coming into town, my friend Lacey was coming over for dinner and my roommate would be around. That Monday, I went to Whole-Foods and bought the smallest organic, free-range turkey I could find (11 pounds), Brussels sprouts, red potatoes and ridiculous amounts of butter.
Tuesday, my roommate and I got into a fight. Wednesday, my friends called to say they had to cancel their trip due to a family illness. Lacey is a vegetarian.
I asked around to see if anyone needed a place to go, but everyone already had plans. Lacey and I, being Thanksgiving orphans, were able to attend another friend’s dinner. But I still had an 11-pound turkey in the fridge.
This gave me an idea: The Day After Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Dinner. I had a turkey to get rid of, people would want an excuse to leave their families early and, damnit, I still wanted to host the perfect Thanksgiving. I sent out an email to a few friends I figured would be around and… forgot to brine the turkey.
In the mean time, I asked the friend who was taking Lacey and me in what she would like us to bring. But she didn’t need a turkey or Brussels sprouts or even mashed potatoes. No, she needed stuffing.
In my family, stuffing came from a box, Stove Top to be exact. I would fill my plate with it as a kid, with a little turkey and cranberry sauce on the side. But, being the casserole queen and all, showing up with a fake casserole would be a little, um, bad? So, I came up with this recipe, headed over to Lacey’s with the ingredients on Thursday morning and crossed my fingers it would turn out okay. What follows is the recipe for The Best Vegetarian Stuffing Ever:
Good, Great, Better
November 22, 2008
How is it that a great review for “Casserole Crazy” is in one of my favorite magazines which features one of my most beloved female singers on the cover?
Have the stars just aligned in the shape of a vintage Pyrex dish?
I think they have.
Upcoming Casserole Crazy Events
November 18, 2008Wednesday, November 19th 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Frozen Assets: Easy, Budget, Homemade Meals for Your Freezer at Whole Foods, Bowery
With a chill in the air, a slump in the economy and the holidays fast approaching, there’s no better time to perfect the art of fixing and freezing a healthy, hearty casserole. Emily Farris, author of Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven and founder of New York’s first “Annual Casserole Party” demonstrates how to make a few of her favorite oven meals and shares tips for properly freezing and re-heating each one. Participants will take home one dish to freeze and enjoy with family friends at home.
On the menu: Sweet Potato Not Pie, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Chicken, Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomato Casserole, Kugel With Sweet Peas and Onions $55 (They’re offering a twofer for people who come straight from my blog).
Thursday, November 20, 2008 6:30PM
Casserole and Beer Tasting! FREE at The Brooklyn Kitchen
Emily Farris, Greenpoint resident and author of Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for your Oven, will demonstrate and sample out two of her delicious casseroles straight from the book. And to complement, Spuytin Duyvil Grocery in the Bedford MiniMall will sample out some crazy pumpkin beerthat you are going to have to get for Thanksgiving!
Saturday, November 22nd, from 2-5pm
Thankful Giving Crafternoon and Casserole Extravaganza with Maura Madden, author of “Crafternoon” at WORD
Crafters are encouraged to knit or crochet hats and scarves to be donated to those in need. We’ll have lots of yarn and knitting needles on hand, but feel free to BYOYarn and Needles to work with. And if you’d like to get a jump on your project this week, well, heck, go right ahead. We’ll be happy to take finished products.We will be donating these winter accessories to the Greenpoint Reformed Church. The church runs a food pantry, so please bring along a can or two of something tasty to pass along.
I’ll make some casseroles and you should bring one to share, too.
It’s Almost Like You Were There: The Fourth Annual Casserole Party
November 15, 2008Watch Eric Gunnar Rochow of Gardenfork TV navigate his way through the sea of cheese—and people—at the Fourth Annual Casserole Party last Monday at Brooklyn Label.
Fourth Annual Casserole Party Winners
November 13, 2008
Thanks to everyone who came out for the Fourth Annual Casserole Party Monday night at Brooklyn Label. I’m traveling and don’t have too much time to share anecdotes or my favorites (tuna noodle macaroni and cheese with Durkee onions on top, anyone?) but the winners (not the tuna noodle mac and cheese) deserve some damned recognition. Congratulations to:
First place: Theodore Peck team “Caulifornication”
Second Place: Natalie Bell and Ethan Murphy team “Fidel Castroroles”
Third Place: Ashley Bell and Shamina Singh team “Bellsinghausen”
Thanks again to the judges Cathy Erway (who filled in for Camille Becerra at the last minute after Paloma’s tragic fire), Harry Rosenblum and Zachary Schulman and the sponsors: The Brooklyn Kitchen, Brooklyn Label Dandelion Wines, Le Creuset, Sheena’s Cocina and WORD.
Also! As soon as I return from San Francisco next week, I’m teaching a class at Whole Foods that will very likely be canceled if more people don’t sign up. So sign up!
All Day I Dream About Le Creuset
November 6, 2008
This is the grand prize for the Fourth Annual Casserole Party. Mind you, I don’t actually own one. I just cooed over this one at the Brooklyn Kitchen tonight. Yet again, you’ll have one and I won’t. Why, oh why, does the cookie crumble so?
