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Leena Eats: Just kidding…NOW I’m back! And with dinner party photos!

Leena Eats: Just kidding...NOW Im back! And with dinner party photos!

DUDE. You guys. I made this. For reals. Lovin the Momofuku Milkbar cookbook right now!

So. I said I was back, and clearly, I lied. What I actually meant is, hi, see you again in four months or so. Leena Eats: Just kidding...NOW Im back! And with dinner party photos!

I spent from mid-June through early October studying my ass off for a little test called the GRE, because I decided hey, wouldn’t it be fun to get a doctorate and research food and culture for a living? It paid off, because I didn’t completely fail the math, and I did ok in the verbal and kick-ass in the essay section. BUT. It also meant no brain energy was left at the end of day to cook, let alone blog about food. Or exercise. Or eat well.

But I did occasionally bust out some winners, the cake above included. That bad-ass monstrosity was a chocolate chip cake layered with passion fruit curd, chocolate crumbles, and coffee buttercream frosting from the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook.

More after the jump!

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December 12th, 2012
Posted in Appetizers, Leena Cooks, Leena Eats, Mains, Meat, Parties, Pork, Sorbet, Soup/Salad, The Gastronomical Leena, Vegetables | 4 Comments »

Leena Cooks Thanksgiving pt. 2 Sides- deviled eggs with chives and bacon

Leena Cooks Thanksgiving pt. 2 Sides deviled eggs with chives and bacon

It's not a holiday in my house without deviled eggs!

Turkey day is just a few weeks away, and I’ve already been daydreaming about my menu. Every special occasion in my household growing up had similar side dishes–mustard potato salad, broccoli and cheese rice casserole, and my fave, the almighty deviled egg.

Simple to make and even more fun to eat, deviled eggs are the perfect holiday appetizer, side dish or snack. Or day after holiday breakfast. But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

More food porn and the recipe after the jump.

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November 8th, 2010
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Posted in Appetizers, Leena Cooks | Comments Off

Leena Cooks: Thanksgiving starter- Curried Sweet Potato and Apple Soup with Curry-fried Shallots

Leena Cooks: Thanksgiving starter Curried Sweet Potato and Apple Soup with Curry fried Shallots

The perfect Thanksgiving or holiday starter: my curried sweet potato and apple soup with curry-fried shallots.

This soup is a favorite of mine–it yields maximum flavor for minimal effort, and the sweet potato makes it perfect for any holiday meal. The key is frying your curry spices before making the soup, and making fresh curry powder if possible. Get the recipe after the jump.

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November 1st, 2010
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Posted in Appetizers, Holidays, Leena Cooks, Soup/Salad | 4 Comments »

Leena Cooks n Cans: The Perfect BBQ Appetizer- Tomato Basil Jam

Leena Cooks n Cans: The Perfect BBQ Appetizer Tomato Basil Jam

The makings of a great tomato basil jam. Makes a killer summer bbq appetizer!

Leena Cooks n Cans: The Perfect BBQ Appetizer Tomato Basil Jam Welcome to the August Tigress Can Jam, topic: TOMATOES!!

By now, most of you know that I am participating in a year-long canning group hosted by Tigress over at Tigress in a Jam. The rules are simple. Each month, someone picks an ingredient, and everyone has a few weeks to create something with that ingredient, can it using a water bath canner, and post it on their blogs. Here’s the run down of the past seven months:

January: Citrus- I made blood orange port marmalade

February: Carrots- I made a gajar ki chutney with caramelized shallots

March: Alliums- I made an onion, apple ale relish

April: Herbs- I made a strawberry rhubarb rosemary jam

May: Rhubarb- I made a spiced rhubarb jam June:

Berries- I made my famous Chinese 5 spice pickled cherries

July: Cucurbits- I made 5 different pickles and relishes: spicy garlic dill cucumber slices, bread and butta cucumber slices, bbq zucchini relish, spicy garlic dill cucumber relish, and Indian cucumber relish

And here we are in August. I have been dying to make this since the herb challenge, but tomatoes weren’t in season back then. Now they are, and here it is: my tomato basil jam. Not only is it delicious on its own, but it makes the perfect easy bbq appetizer- just top a cracker with your favorite cheese (I used goat cheese and marinated mozzarella) and finish with the tomato basil jam. The combination of salty and sweet is ridiculously addictive and perfect to awaken the taste buds for the rest of a kick-ass bbq.

More food porn and the recipe after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

August 16th, 2010
Posted in Appetizers, BBQ, Canning, Condiments, Jam, Leena Cooks, Savory | 14 Comments »

Gastro Friday: Trip to Turkey and Food Travel Tips with Claire!

Gastro Friday: Trip to Turkey and Food Travel Tips with Claire!
Claire in Turkey, surrounded by food, just as she should be.

Last Christmas, a lackadaisical Jew (Dan) and a lapsed Catholic (myself) spent 13 days eating their way through 6 cities of a secular Muslim country (Turkey). After we got home, Leena so very kindly offered up the use of her blog for me to poop on. I mean, post on. Sorry. I found out the hard way that a diet of nothing but Turkish food really tests the sturdiest of GI tracts.

We started and ended our trip in Istanbul ? the geographical and cultural bridge between Europe and Asia. Therefore, I?ll discuss two food-related highlights of our trip ? one at the beginning and one at the end.

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February 26th, 2010
Posted in Appetizers, Gastro Fridays, Leena Cooks, Leena Travels, The Gastronomical Leena | 1 Comment »

Acquiring Taste, a Perspective on Food & Advertising from Chris Montwill

Acquiring Taste, a Perspective on Food & Advertising from Chris Montwill

Hey guys. Today’s guest poster is my long-time friend and advertising guru, Chris Montwill. He has studied advertising at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and Chicago Portfolio School (where he now teaches art direction), worked at several large ad agencies including BBDO & Hoffman York, and currently owns his own creative boutique agency based out of Chicago, Moniker Creative. If you dig his writing like I do, check out his advertising-based blog here.

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How many times have sipped cold Pabst Blue Ribbon and claimed it was the best tasting thing on earth? Probably a few. All this despite its gym shoe like scent and hangover inducing recipe. Don’t get me wrong, I drink the stuff, but…why? PBR falls into the same category as olives, caviar, scotch, coffee and wine. It’s an acquired taste- things we don’t consume because we like them, but things we learn to like in order to create a social bond or sense of exclusivity (Just look at the group of hipsters who made this beer all the rage). Read the rest of this entry »

February 25th, 2010
Posted in Appetizers, Gastro Fridays, Leena Cooks, The Gastronomical Leena | 6 Comments »

Leena Cooks ( n Cans): Gajar ki Chutney with caramelized shallot (carrot chutney) for Tigress’ Can Jam

Leena Cooks ( n Cans): Gajar ki Chutney with caramelized shallot (carrot chutney) for Tigress Can Jam

My kick-ass gajar ki chutney with caramelized shallots.

Wow. This month’s ingredient for Tigress’ Can Jam, carrots, was around 1,000 times more difficult to work with than I had anticipated. For one, carrots need a ton of acid to preserve them without creating that lovely little bacteria botulism, so this month’s recipe had to be a derivative of a PUBLISHED carrot canning recipe. Guess how many published carrot canning recipes there are in the world? Oh, about six. And I could only find two.

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February 24th, 2010
Posted in Appetizers, Canning, Condiments, Leena Cooks | 17 Comments »

Leena cooks: C.I.’s Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

Leena cooks: C.I.s Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup

You know how Campbell’s tomato soup comes out of the can in one fell slump sort of like cranberry sauce? This soup isn’t NEARLY as fun, but about 712 million times more delicious.

My first Californian winter has been a lot like my first South Australian winter: a bit rainy, leaves changing colors and falling, and slightly chilly weather. And by slightly, I mean 47 F at the lowest Leena cooks: C.I.s Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup Which is awesome. But I’m such a weather wimp, that is actually a bit nippy for me.

But as the rest of the country goes through Snowmaggedon and subzero weather (I’m looking at you, Chicago), I thought you might appreciate a nice soup and sandwich recipe to warm you up. So this week, I’m making creamy creamless tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich made from homemade brioche.

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February 15th, 2010
Posted in Appetizers, Leena Cooks, Soup/Salad | 3 Comments »

Leena Cooks: Dark Chocolate Pudding with Candied Pistachios

Leena Cooks: Dark Chocolate Pudding with Candied Pistachios
My dark chocolate pudding with candied pistachios. Make someone love you by making them this for Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate pudding does NOT photograph well. I had two different set ups, a layered pudding dish with the pistachios and the spoon you see above, and took around 100 photos, only to have two come out not looking like dog doo on a spoon, to put a finer point on it. But I suffer for you, dear reader. Because I know whether you have a special someone in your life or you’re rocking the single life, you want, nay, NEED you some chocolate.

And not just a stupid little box of chocolates in the shape of a heart, but a rich, thick, hearty chocolate dish that doesn’t just fill your tummy–it damn near gives you a hug.

So let’s hug it out with my Dark Chocolate Pudding and Candied Pistachios.

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February 12th, 2010
Posted in Appetizers, Leena Cooks, Mains | Comments Off

Leena Eats: Pizza in the Hospital Waiting Room

Leena Eats: Pizza in the Hospital Waiting Room
This WAS going to be a delicious healthy dinner made of butternut squash and parmesan pasta sauce topped with bacon and chives. WAS.

In this episode of Leena Eats, I tell you exactly how to have a pretty bad kitchen accident.

Step one: Work really hard on a new recipe and delicious dinner for your family.

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February 10th, 2010
Posted in Appetizers, Leena Cooks, Leena Eats | 8 Comments »

Leena Cooks: Appetizer Party week! Asian pan-fried pork dumplings

Leena Cooks: Appetizer Party week! Asian pan fried pork dumplings
The best dish at my appetizer party: Chinese pan fried pork dumplings with caramelized onion sauce. Photos by LW Photography.

Never underestimate the power of a food friend. As a person completely obsessed with food, it is fun to cook and try new foods, but after a while, it gets lonely. Food is so much more fun when it is shared with friends and family, especially when they also happen to obsess about food as much as you do. If you are a food lover and you suddenly find yourself surrounded by a group of like-minded individuals you regularly interact with, bounce ideas off of and most importantly, cook and eat together with, then you are a lucky person indeed. Read the rest of this entry »

May 6th, 2009
Posted in Appetizers, Leena Cooks | 10 Comments »

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