Carly Ellen Kramer's Blog, page 2

Kids in the Kitchen: Strawberry Waffles

This recipe is super easy, fun, and a big hit with kids and teens! Here at Crowded Earth Kitchen, a double batch of Strawberry Waffles was featured on a weekend sleepover midnight breakfast buffet. There were zero leftovers. 🙂 Ingredients (makes about 15 mini waffles) 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons baking […]

Seafood Moqueca

Versions of this luscious dish are credited to indigenous Brazilians, Angolans, and Portuguese. This version is made from easy to find ingredients, and is one of those kitchen wonders that tastes like you’ve been cooking all day, but is really quite simple to throw together. Aproveitar! Enjoy. Ingredients (Serves 4 generously) 1 pound raw, deveined […]

Four Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin

While these are “technically” a side dish, these Four Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin are delicious enough to serve as a main course for a simple weekday dinner. Enjoy! Ingredients (Serves 4 generously) 4 large potatoes, washed and sliced 1/4 inch thick (no need to peel) 1 large onion, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick 4 […]

King Cake

King Cake is a staple of Mardi Gras festivities, Mardi Gras being the joyful and exuberant two week period ending with Fat Tuesday. Throughout much of Europe and the Southern United States, Mardi Gras is when Christians indulge in butter, eggs, sugar, and other luxuries, in preparation for the coming austerity of Lent. As you […]

Oysters Rockefeller

On a trip to New Orleans, my youngest child discovered that he loves oysters. Unfortunately, they aren’t always easy to come by back home in the Midwest. Recently, I was lucky enough to find trays of frozen raw oysters on the half shell at one of the more upscale markets in my area. They were […]

Savory Chickpea Stew

This recipe was inspired by the Coconutty Beans and Greens recipe from bon appetit magazine, and adapted to use ingredients on hand. The spicy warmth of this stew will linger delightfully on cold winter days. Enjoy. Ingredients (Serves 4 generously) 1 large onion, peeled and rough chopped 1 large tomato, rough chopped 1 cup fresh […]

“I’m Bored” Gingerbread Train

Originally posted on Crowded Earth Kitchen:
So, the kiddos are home from school on Christmas vacation, and you are smiling as you assure the world that everyone is having a jolly good time. I get it. But you aren’t fooling me. The little darlings are professing boredom and starting to argue with each other, aren’t…

Roasted Chestnuts

These delightful morsels remind me of a recent trip to Paris with my middle child. We purchased a dozen warm, roasted chestnuts wrapped in a cone made from a grocery store flier from a cheerful street vender near the Louvre. Delicious! Roasted chestnuts are a satisfying snack – they taste a bit like sweet potatoes. […]

Preserving Summer Fruit

The most beautiful storefront in all of Western Europe can be found on a little cobbled street in Salzburg, Austria.  In this storefront, a dazzling assortment of every imaginable kind of fruit, each beautifully and deliciously preserved, is arranged in an abundant and artful display.  It is spectacular to see.  The prices, alas, are also spectacular – spectacularly high […]

Palm Free Almost-Nutella

If you’ve been to Brussels, you know all about the Belgian obsession with chocolate hazelnut spread, most commonly known by the brand name “Nutella.”  In the US, most markets will stock just a few jars of Nutella somewhere near the rows and rows of peanut butter jars.  In Belgium, this trend is reversed.  Here’s an example: I’m […]