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We were hoping to bite into some savory juicy burgers “Americain” at H.A.N.D. (Have A Nice Day) in Paris. But we were all disappointed. The burgers were mediocre, there was hardly any cheese on the cheese-burgers, the cokes were flat, the onion rings looked like they were frozen Oreida, the milk shakes were watery and my strawberry cupcake tasted like nothing. There was no service to speak of, they didn’t bring enough water and we were there for three hours. Man! When it rains, it pours–and it poured all week in Paris, so I guess we topped off the week in a deluge of disappointment! Mince alors!

The NY Times seemed to think it was great though: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/a-hamburger-in-paris/

This place is being touted as part of the New Brooklyn in Paris, the “Best Burgers in Paris, ” “Vrai NY in Paris.” I beg to differ!

And then I turned to the Desserts section of my “Pulitzer Cookbook” to finally create a 1978 NY Times recipe for Key Lime Pie.

I was a little shocked as I was creating it as this recipe calls for 5 egg yolks and condensed milk with some lime juice mixed in. The meringue top half is 5 egg white and sugar. WOW. Haven’t had a dessert like that in a long time. I substituted lemon juice for Cream of Tartar, because that doesn’t exist in French grocery stores (or certainly none in my neck of the woods). The only problem with this recipe was that I didn’t make a graham cracker crust, which I think is probably nearly essential for a real Key Lime Pie. I am sure there were some sort of cookies I could have bought (like McVities cookies) but I was running out of time.

It came out delicious, but would have been better with the graham cracker crust. Next time!

Well, after about 20 years of sitting in my famous 3-ring binder “Pulitzer’s Cookbook,” I pulled out our beloved Cheese Enchilada recipe from “Country Folk” newspaper. After about two days and many trips to the grocery store, I finished them. Of course, I once again goofed on my measurements and put in 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper instead of 2 tablespoons of chili powder. It was so hot I coughed and couldn’t take much other than a prickly sensation in my mouth. I diluted it by straining out 1/2 the sauce (preserving the onions) and then added another can of Campbell’s Tomato soup. I also substituted chicken instead of ground beef, as an effort to be healthier.

When my two girlfriends came over to indulge in these marathon creations, I forgot to serve the sour cream to help counter the hotness. Ooops.

Here is the chicken:

And the finished product:

Here is the famous recipe:

In July 2000 Shape Magazine had a recipe for “Black-Bean and Zucchini Pancakes” that I have been meaning to make. I finally did! And it was worth the wait. The only things that added time to the whole preparation was having to roast the garlic and I didn’t have salsa at home so I ended up making it from scratch. Both were worth is because they were super delicious. I will definitely make this recipe again–even the salsa!

On the occasion of my baby boy’s 6-month birthday, I decided to throw a little party. I have always wanted to make Red Velvet cupcakes because when I discovered Red Velvet cake (just a few years ago), I was fascinated. The “Neiman Marcus” cookies (as I have also discovered are a hoax and not from Neiman Marcus) are also a favorite of my husband’s and mine.

As much as I love living in an ordered live, I have come to realize my cooking style is a bit chaotic. As you will see, I often don’t always have all the exact ingredients necessary for almost all my meals, so I improvise. And, as usual, I tend to multi-task. In case you are too bored to watch all the way through, I’ll recommend NOT ironing white curtains in the middle of making Red Velvet anything!

Well, if you have six minutes to spare, you will see a drawn-out episode of me cooking some Macaroni & Cheese with Cauliflower. PS. There are some of my classic kitchen gaffes.

Last week I went through two 3-ring binders of recipes. These “Pulitzer’s Cookbooks” were started in 1983 and there are some recipes in there I still haven’t made! Going through them inspired me to start cooking again! Most of the recipes are from the The New York Times. Some are from Country Folks newspaper, with a hearty dose of recipes full of full-fat, lots of butter and cooking “like they used to.”

The Wiener Backhandl was from The New York Times magazine, back in the early 80s.

It was a lot easier than I thought…I’ll definitely add it to my repertoire. It is served with some parsley and lemon on top. You have the option to drizzle melted butter on top, but I figured with frying it in 1/4 cup of cooking oil and 6 tablespoons of butter, that was enough! My side dish was rice with green lentils and diced cherry tomatoes. Once again, I devoured about half of the dish before I thought to snap a photo!

Well, my first few attempts at Quinoa were not very good, but I think I’ve mastered a good recipe! I figured out how to cook it properly and then I add carrots, string beans, mix in some lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley. It’s my new favorite salad!

I know “afternoon tea” isn’t really something Londoners actually do (or have time for!), but I couldn’t resist taking an afternoon out with some friends (none of whom happened to be British, btw) for it. We went to the Orangery at Kensington Gardens, which is a beautiful restaurant:

The food came out in courses and not one of those tiered tea trays, which is what I expected. They served us the tea fist, followed by three courses: First, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches–sans crusts, of course:

Then, scones with jam and clotted cream, followed by orange sponge cake:

Everything was really delicious! It was a really nice, relaxing way to spend the afternoon. I think we spent a leisurely 3 hours there, eating and chatting. Was fahbulous, daahlings (and pretty cheap, too!).

http://www.hrp.org.uk/kensingtonpalace/cafesandrestaurants.aspx

Just a reminder of how here’s Courtney Pulitzer’s Hoppin John recipe.