Cast Ironic

Is this stupid?

 

Or ironic? Or pointless? Or genius?

I cooked tofu for the first time... without bothering to clean out the grease from this morning's bacon. Does anyone else do this? Because bacon-flavored tofu is delicious.

Mean Street Breakfast

New York is the place to be for breakfast. All over this country misguided diners and delis serve what they think are Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwiches. But this most perfect morning confection is only truly available to folks in the Empire State-- and I don't even know if I should include anything north of Poughkeepsie in that statement. Oh wait... except now, you can make it at home because I've figured out that all you need is loads of bacon grease, a cast iron skillet and an attitude that says "I'm better than you."

So welcome to the new order of amazing weekend breakfasts. I used to spend my Saturday mornings whipping up a veritable smorgasbord: scramby eggs, whole wheat pancakes, oatmeal raisin scones, lots of fruit. But not any more. And  it's a good thing i figured out how to make these little sandwiches now, considering all of the ingredients will probably be illegal in New York very soon.

Dogface

What? No Mastiff love? 

{Dogs organized by typeface by Grafisches Buro}
{via Swiss Miss}

Old Habits Die Hard

"Now, I'd like two eggs, over hard. I know, don't tell me; it's hard on the arteries, but old habits die hard — just about as hard as I want those eggs. Bacon, super-crispy. Almost burned. Cremated. That's great." 

{Image courtesy pulkes.org}

Chocolate Chiffon Flan Cake

How I discovered this cake in just four steps and a few mindless hours:

Stalking Flickr --> Gargantuan thread for food bloggers --> started by Just Pic n' Julie --> who also has a blog called Little Sister Cooks.

I tried out Julie's recipe for Chocolate Chiffon Flan Cake and it was everything she promised: "Creamy leche flan on top, airy chocolate chiffon cake layer on bottom..." Yes, it's delicious. And, yes, you're technically preparing two cakes... aaand you have to let it sit in the fridge for a while before you get to eat it. But, really. It's so worth it. Promise.

Read on for Little Sister's Chocolate Chiffon Flan Cake!

Whip It

image via Marco Varinga

Are all the other blogs you're looking at today sharing recipes for shepherd's pie and Irish soda bread?

Ok, well how about we talk about the opposite of simple, hearty can't-fuck-it-up-if you try meals. And that would be... a lesson in whipping egg whites.

Whipping egg whites is about adding volume to your food. Meringues, chocolate mousse, the infamous soufflé... they all use whipped egg whites. And it's no coincidence that they're all very fancy. In celebration of one especially successful chiffon cake I made (hold your breath! recipe to come tomorrow!) I thought I'd write this post as a sort of primer to one of the dessert's make-or-break ingredients.

Frico Salad

I had to make these when I saw them.

Yes, they're ridiculous. They're little baskets made out of parmesan cheese and they're ladylike as all hell. Plus, calling them fricos really helps them rise above the white trash stigma associated with shaping anything out of cheese. I witnessed Giada making them the other day-- she was doing some lonely-ladies-luncheon or something and I knew if I wanted to be a real lady... I had to make these little fricos.