The Bitten Word

Doctor-Your-Own Potato Chips + Other Menu Ideas for the Super Bowl

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living (September 2011)

 

Our interest in sports can be summed up in this small snippet of recent conversation: 

Zach: "I don't even know who's playing in the Super Bowl."

Clay: "Uh, duh? Madonna."

So yes, it's Super Bowl Week, when America's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of snacks.

And whether you're a fan of the Giants or the Patriots -- or just Madonna or the commercials -- we've got the perfect snack for the big game: heated and spiced potato chips.

Yup, you heard us.

Pickled Shrimp

Saveur (October 2011)

Back in the summer, on one of those steamy, swampy, oppressively hot evenings that Washingtonians know so well, we went to our friends' Trevor and Owen's place for a potluck dinner. The air was thick as velvet, and all the guests arrived sweaty and bedraggled from the heat.

Then, a lifeline: Our friend Jen had brought a bowl of pickled shrimp.

We all dove in. The lemony, pickly, vinegary shrimp was the perfect antidote to the sweaty summer night. The sharp flavors of the chilled shrimp instantly cooled things off for everyone. (A libation or three didn't hurt, either.)

So when we saw this recipe for Pickled Shrimp in the latest issue of Saveur, we knew we wanted to try it out ourselves.

Frozen Chocolate-Mousse Trifles

Everyday Food (June 2011)  

When summer starts to set in, and the mercury creeps up toward triple-digit temps, there's really only one necessary ingredient for a great summer dessert: goosebumps.

A terrific summer treat should be a spoonful that's spine-chilling and skin-tingling -- a spoonful that makes you forget, just for a minute, how oppressively hot it is outside.

We're talking about something exactly like these Frozen Chocolate-Mousse Trifles. If you're looking for goosebumps, you've found 'em.

Minted Pea and Prosciutto Crostini

Everyday Food (April 2011)

Just a couple weeks ago we said that crostini and other party snacks can "get a little tiresome."

Let's retract that statement, shall we?

Because these Minted Pea and Prosciutto Crostini are anything but tiresome. They're fresh, filling -- and easy, to boot.

Best Easter Brunch Ideas

With Easter coming up this Sunday, food magazines are full of lunch and brunch ideas to fit the occasion. We're actually having some friends over for brunch on Sunday, and we're excited because Zach's mom is sending us an Easter ham from the Loveless Cafe in Nashville!

Here are some of our favorite recipes for an Easter brunch. Whether you're planning more of a breakfast-y brunch or a lunch-y brunch (or some combination of both), we think you'll love these dishes!

Have any of your own faves?  Let us know in the comments!

If you want a breakfast-y brunch...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Best Blueberry Muffins
• Bacon with Citrus Glaze
• Crusty Buttermilk Biscuits
• Granny Ragland's Chocolate Gravy
• Eggs with Ramps and Asparagus
• Strawberry Scones
• Breakfast Buttercups
• Classic Eggs Benedict
• Kentucky Mimosas

If you want a lunch-y brunch...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Shaved Raw Asparagus with Parmesan Dressing
• Bourbon Mint Tea
• Sugar Snap Pea and Radish Salad
• Pineapple-Mustard Glazed Ham
• Spring Shells and Cheese
• Butterflied, Rolled and Roasted Leg of Lamb with Fresh Mint Sauce
• Popovers
• Perfect Carrot Cake
• Tres Cocoas Leches Cake

 

 

 

 

Garlic-Herb Pinwheels and Harissa-Sausage Pinwheels

Everyday Food (April 2011)

When you have guests over for dinner -- or any get-together, really -- it's always nice to have some snacks for them to nibble on. After all, depending on how the cooking is going, you may have some time to kill. We've served more than our fare share of late dinners while entertaining, so we're always sure to have some sort of snack on hand in case, you know, dinner actually ends up being served at 9 p.m.

And while crudités, crostini and a bowl of nuts are great, they can get a little tiresome, so it's always good to have a few other tricks up your sleeve. We love to serve something that's easy to make but also impressive on the plate, like pinwheels: pre-made dough filled with flavors of your choosing, rolled up, sliced and baked. 

For our book club meeting last week (where we also served Bagna Cauda Dip with Assorted Vegetables), we wanted something simple and tasty, so we were happy to see these Garlic-Herb Pinwheels in Everyday Food. And they inspired us to try our own version -- a Harissa-Sausage Pinwheel.

Bagna Cauda Dip with Assorted Vegetables

Bon Appétit (April 2011)

Food magazines frequently have a page toward the back of an issue where they'll pull together some of the recipes featured that month into little menus for different dinners or events.

We often find these menus a little humorous, just because they can be oddly specific, like "Bridal Luncheon" or "Poker Night." Like, "We'll, I hadn't thought of throwing a baby shower, but gosh this menu sounds good..."

Anyway, the joke's on us, we guess. Last night, we hosted a meeting of our book club. And there at the back of the April issue of Bon Appétit, right at the top of a menu labeled "Book Club," was this Bagna Cauda with Assorted Vegetables.

Steamed Pork Buns

Fine Cooking (February/March 2011) 

Growing up in the small-town South, our Chinese food options (at least in the 1980s and 90s) were pretty limited. The kinds of Chinese places in our hometowns were bland, strip-mall eateries with long buffets filled with steaming trays of overcooked brown noodles; limp, watery vegetables and greasy, fried egg rolls. (And because it was the South, you were just as likely to find trays of fried okra or mac 'n' cheese alongside the Beef Lo Mein and General Tso's.) 

It's not that those suburban Chinese buffets were bad food. It's just that they weren't really anything special.

But our entire notion of Chinese-American cuisine got turned on its ear about four years ago, the first time we ate at Shun Lee West on New York's Upper West Side. It's not that Shun Lee is the most authentic Chinese place in New York -- it's dozens of blocks from Chinatown, and the original Shun Lee Palace only opened in 1971. But it's the first time we ever realized that Chinese food could be upscale and made well, that Chinese cuisine could highlight fresh, great-tasting ingredients. (By the way, our other life-changing Chinese food experience was House of Nan King in San Francisco. Absolutely phenomenal.)

That's a long-winded way of saying that you need to make these pork buns, and you need to make them today.

Holiday Party Food: Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread, Parsnip Bacon & Imperial Punch Royale; Plus, How to Make an Ice Ring

Recipes from Food & Wine and Bon Appétit

When it came time to taste our 12-Month Aged Eggnog, we invited a group of friends over for the event.  It ended up being a small gathering of about a dozen folks, including our friend Ralph's parents who were in town.

But we couldn't just serve something as boozy as the eggnog without also having some food on hand, so we used it as an excuse to make three recipes that we had tagged in recent issues. 

The first was Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread (pictured above) from the December Food & Wine.

Smoked Salmon with Black Pepper Potato Chips and Lemon Crème Fraîche

Bon Appétit (May 2010)

You know in old sitcoms, when the husband comes home from work, frantic, because the boss and his wife are unexpectedly coming over for dinner?  And the wife (unless she's Samantha Stevens) flips out, because how can she possibly plan and cook a dinner with no notice? Especially one that'll impress the boss and help her husband land that big promotion he's up for!

These hors d'oeuvres are worth keeping up your sleeve for just such an occasion.

The little bites use all store-bought ingredients (unless you want to make your own crème fraîche, which actually is incredibly easy) and can be assembled in seconds.

They sound impressive, they look delectable and they're a snap to throw together at the last minute. Your hubby's boss will be wowed!

There's just one little problem: They don't taste all that great.