You haven’t heard from me. That’s because I’ve been holed up in my (new, clean, mushroom-free) apartment (with oven knobs and all!) finishing my book.
Archive for the ‘book’ Category
My Book! My Book!
January 4, 2008A Culinary (and Entrepreneurial) Experiment
September 4, 2007As most of you know, I have been — and will continue to have to — make five to seven test casseroles a week. If I eat them all, I’ll get really sick of casseroles, and probably gain some weight (because let’s be honest, they’re not all so healthy.. though some are!). Say I posted on Monday what casseroles I’d be testing that week. Let’s say you’re interested in testing said casserole. Would you email me and pay me a small-ish fee to make it and deliver it to you within Williamsburg and Greenpoint in my bike basket? It’s a gamble, but you’d get hearty food and you’d be an official recipe tester.
Bad, Bad Blogger
June 28, 2007I’ve been a little lax in posting lately, but there’s been quite a bit going on in my real life (vs. my cyber life). I met my editor for the first time, I signed my contracts, and I’m planning my trip to the Museum of Glass in Corning, New York to learn more about how companies like Pyrex and Corningware played a role in the casserole’s popularity in the United States during WWII.
I’m already overwhelmed by what I’ve found in their online catalog, but post-research I’ll head up to Lake Ontario to relax. (Read: get really sunburned and drink beer out of a koozie.)
Deep Thoughts on Dessert Casserole
June 21, 2007People often ask me if I’ll include dessert casseroles in the book, and my answer is always no. As far as I’m concerned, any dish that would qualify as a dessert casserole would probably also qualify as an already-established dessert like a cake, a crumble, a pie, etc.
Take Rice Krispies Treats, for example. They are more established than something like Rice Krispies Casserole, because even if you add some nuts and chocolate chips to the mix, it’s still a pimped-out Rice Krispies Treat. If anyone wants to refute this point, I’d love to hear it in the comments section.
I’m ba-ack!
June 11, 2007And in full-on work mode. For the next seven months, I will do nothing but eat, sleep and probably drink casseroles. Fun, right? Right!
Before leaving for my European Adventure (which was amazing, by the way, thanks), I had a few friends over to celebrate my book deal. I learned a few things from this experience:
1. My kitchen is not equipped for making five casseroles at once.
Remember when I said I have everything I need in there? Ha. Believing this, I attempted, in two hours, to create five casseroles. Originally, they were all going to be unique, but about half an hour in, I had to give up and mass produce.
My friends were to arrive at 8, and I burst through the door at 6 , arms full of Fairway bags. At 6:20, after realizing that I only had one pot big enough to boil pasta, while said pasta was boiling, I did the dishes I’d let pile up the day before. Because the sink was not empty, I could not strain the pasta in time. And by the time the dishes were done, the pasta had overcooked just sitting in the pot of hot water. I had to shut down the whole operation and run to C-town for more Cavatelli.
2. Fairway does not carry French fried onions.
This does not please me.
Send ‘em in…
May 16, 2007If you’ve come to this site, like me, you’re probably a little casserole crazy. And if you’re a little casserole crazy, you probably have a few favorites. And where there’s a favorite, there’s a recipe.
Do you think Grandma’s turkey tetrazzini or Aunt Pat’s hamburger surprise deserve to be published? If so, send them in. I’m always searching for the best casseroles out there. And if I find something I love, it could end up featured here or in my upcoming contemporary casserole cookbook.
Book Deal
May 14, 2007For those of you who can’t get enough casserole craziness, you’ll soon be able to buy my contemporary casserole cookbook (tentatively titled: “Hot Stuff: Not Your Mama’s Casserole”). Today I agreed to a publishing deal with Perigee, a division of Penguin books.
Coming to a bookstore near you…in about a year and a half.
