American Chop Suey: A Love Story

I got a kick out of Thrillist.com’s “22 Things You’ve Definitely Eaten If You Grew Up In New England” post the other day. All the usual suspects were there – Fluffernutters, NECCO Wafers, Hoodsie Cups… But I learned something, too. Apparently, American Chop Suey is a New England thing. I was shocked. Just shocked, I […]

Getting My Just Desserts in Southie

It hit me when I walked in the door of the kitchen: the smell of eggs boiling on the stove. My stomach flipped. If this was how I was to begin my Tuesday cooking stint at Paraclete Academy, I was in for quite a ride. As readers of this blog are well aware, eggs are […]

WANTED: Good Rice Pudding Karma

Faced with a 3-pound bag of short-grained rice, a few half gallons of milk, 2 quarts of heavy cream and lots of leftover candied citrus peel, I got back in the rice pudding game. I admit I was a little stove-shy after last week’s rice dessert debacle (see previous blog post). But I couldn’t possibly […]

Baking…For Reals

Who leaves a three-month bakery apprenticeship and just days later feels confident enough to bake for 400 people? Of course, that would be me. Full disclosure: I never baked anything at Flour Bakery + Cafe during my tenure. They don’t let the interns near the ovens except for toasting nuts, which I did many times […]