Recipes

KUGEL WITH APPLES AND GOAT CHEESE

My friend and I entered an Anything But Apple Pie cooking competition, the goal being to cook with apples, making anything but apple pie, natch. We opted to use what I already had on hand, which happened to be egg noodles, shallots from the green market and about five ounces of goat cheese. I also had eggs and five medium green apples, making a noodle kugel the obvious choice. The judges loved our kugel, and said it was everything a kugel should be, but that the goat cheese overpowered the apple. But hell, we’d actually run out to get more goat cheese, because as far we’re are concerned, there’s no such thing as too much cheese—especially goat cheese. Read more.

SWEET POTATO NOT PIE

Watch me make one of my favorite recipes (and it requires no stove-top preparation), Sweet Potato Not Pie, here.

DECONSTRUCTED ZUCCHINI LASAGNA

Today I made casserole for my local soup kitchen. I’ve been saying I was going to do it for months, and shamefully, have just gotten around to participating. I made my deconstructed zucchini lasagna (a dish that would pretty much be a lasagna if I’d used lasagna noodles and layered it instead of mixing it). I doubled my original recipe (after the jump) and filled two 9 X 13 baking dishes. Even doubling the recipe, the grocery bill came in at just around $20, so in addition to this meal being delicious and hearty, it’s a great way to feed at least 12 people on the cheap. Read more.

FRIDAY CHICKEN

Every Friday I have friends over to test the casseroles I make, and help me get rid of them. But after four straight weeks I got tired of entertaining and decided to cook for myself tonight. I made my own pasta sauce from scratch for the second time in my life—it’s surprisingly easy and cheap, and it tastes so much better than the jarred stuff. I also decided to cook up the chicken I was going to put in the casserole I didn’t make tonight. I know this Friday Chicken isn’t a casserole but it was prepared in one dish and is too good and easy not to share. So good, in fact, I had to call a friend over to help me eat it. Read more.

THE GREENPOINT

I live in Greenpoint—a predominantly Polish neighborhood in Northern Brooklyn—and I’m obsessed with the flavors there: kielbasa, cheese, mushroom, potato and sauerkraut. I always said I wish I could mash all the flavors together so I could have them all at once, and instead of making one giant pierogi, I made this casserole. Read more.