Search: classics

Brown Butter and Bacon Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Jillian Bedell February 10, 2012

For the first time in twelve years, and with our baby about to be born, we spent New Year’s Eve sober, sitting on the couch. Our first New Year’s Eve together was in the year 2000. Remember how we all almost died in Y2K, or were inconvenienced, or something? On break from college, Malcolm was staying with [...]

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Classics: Linguine with Mussels and Clams

by Jillian Bedell January 9, 2012

A wader-wearing fisherman steps out smiling from the refrigerated barnlike structure, where haddock and other local fishes are getting sorted and processed, cleaned, scaled and filleted, to help the customer, who was me. I was charmed and happily waited in the cold sunshine for the burly guy to go inside and bag up my stuff. I made off with a pound each of steamers and mussels for [...]

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Chinese New Year: General Tso’s Chicken

by Malcolm Bedell January 6, 2012

It’s difficult to imagine that anyone in China has ever eaten anything even remotely resembling General Tso’s Chicken. Even the origins of the dish are a little murky. Ostensibly a delicacy with origins in the Hunan province (though Hunan cuisine doesn’t typically feature very much sweetness, opting instead for sour flavors), and named after General [...]

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Chinese New Year: Scallion Pancakes

by Jillian Bedell January 5, 2012

Scallion pancakes were never part of our takeout repertoire when I was a kid. My little sister got steak-on-a-stick, my mom and I shared spare ribs, spring rolls and wonton soup, and my dad was most often banished to the garage to enjoy his lobster egg foo young in private, where it could not offend our [...]

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Chinese New Year: Fried Wontons

by Malcolm Bedell January 4, 2012

Chinese takeout-style fried wontons are perhaps one of the most perfect examples of a bastardized Cantonese classic, served by the foil bagful at two in the morning to college students for whom spending $3 on a late night snack is a rare luxury. A type of soup dumpling, served not in a broth, but instead [...]

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Chinese New Year: Chicken and Broccoli

by Jillian Bedell January 3, 2012

Here’s what I love about chicken and broccoli: everything. I love that it’s glossy and viscous. I love eating it on the couch, straight from the takeout container, while watching movies on TV that you own on DVD. I love eating it at the mall off a plastic tray in the middle of an acoustically [...]

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Chinese New Year: Steamed Pork Dumplings with Homemade Wrappers

by Malcolm Bedell January 2, 2012

Early last year, we conducted an exhaustive survey of the Chinese takeout options in the greater Portland area, sampling several restaurants’ versions of steamed pork dumplings, sweet and sour chicken, fried wontons, and scallion pancakes. It was a sampling of our favorite classics from the “greatest hits” collection of Chinese take-out, and we searched far [...]

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The 10 Most Popular Recipes from 2011

by Malcolm Bedell December 28, 2011

We cooked dozens and dozens of dishes in 2011, from classic New England one-pot slow cooker dishes to our twists on authentic Mexican street food, from chocolate no-bake cookies to all-day smoked pulled pork. Which of our recipes registered most highly with you, our readers? Here are the most popular recipes from 2011, according to [...]

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Classics: Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast

by Malcolm Bedell December 7, 2011

Look, these are tough economic times. Not every lunch can be the aged hangar steak at Five Fifty-Five, and not every dinner can be the spit-roasted pork loin with a crisp Cold River gin martini seated at the bar at Fore Street. Sometimes, the cable bill is 45 days past due, payday is still 10 [...]

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December Giveaway: $100 Stonewall Kitchen Gift Card

by Malcolm Bedell December 1, 2011

Last year, to celebrate the New Year, we gave away a $50 gift card to Stonewall Kitchen. How can we top that? We can DOUBLE it! This year, we’re helping you start your 2012 off with a bang (and by “bang,” I mean, “ton of jelly,”) with a $100 gift card to Stonewall Kitchen. You [...]

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