The Diva That Ate New York // Jackie cooks
One of my earliest “I want to cook” memories was at the summer house in Copake Lake when I was not yet tall enough to reach the stovetop. We had this glorious gourmet summer where we grew our own veggies and combed through cookbooks to plan and prepare every meal. We made “exotic” dishes like rijstaffel, fromage romanesque and Swedish meatballs (back then, the meatballs were super-fancy-schmancy—dating myself again). Being the youngest, I was relegated to the lowest rung on the cooks’ totem pole (peeling bloody carrots!) and I was not happy. I vowed I would rise to rule the stove. Cooking for friends and family (and even professionally) has been one of the thrills in my life—it makes me happy and it certainly makes others happy. If one of my dishes evolves to something you use to make your peeps happy, how wonderful is that?
Ja-Ja, my niece, has evolved into a little lady since her first birthday. Now double her age, she has grown into her actual name, Janea. For her second birthday I built the menu around a savory birthday cake made of macaroni and cheese. I have some decorating ideas floating in my head, but we’ll see how it evolves.
Posted by Jackie on May 6, 2010 – 1:37 PM
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I had a bit of spare time and a lot of extra chocolate this holiday season so I started dipping and whipping up a storm of Xmas cookies. When I finally finished and I looked back at the boxes of over twenty types of goodies I’d made, the thought did cross my mind that I might need some sort of intervention. I also decided that next year, if I am feeling cookie compelled I would get some elves —if it’s good enuf for Santa… I shared them, I traded them, I gifted them and even had some hand delivered to Trinidad. Needless to say I spread them around and made a few folks very happy.
Posted by Jackie on Dec 29, 2009 – 12:25 PM
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My mom learned this chicken curry recipe from Portuguese-Indian friends that lived next door to us on the Lower East Side in the land before time. It’s dead easy crowd pleaser.
Posted by Jackie on Dec 27, 2009 – 12:47 PM
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Perfect for cooling the heat of curry or as a side dish for a BBQ. I had extra apples so I whipped up this raita recipe.
Posted by Jackie on Dec 27, 2009 – 12:00 PM
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A divine, easy cookie that I made up because I had a ten pound block of gianduja (Callebaut’s hazelnut milk chocolate — like Nutella’s richer, classier and more delicious cousin) to get rid of. It’s going folks, slowly, but surely. I may weep a little when it’s actually gone.
I made these for a friend’s birthday party after the caramel layer I was planning broke and started burning and spitting clarified butter all over the stove — very unattractive. After chucking that mess, I rushed to whip these up and ran to the party leaving them behind! There is a lesson in there. I believe it is: If you forget to bring the dessert with you, you get to keep it all for yourself. YIPPEE!!!
Posted by Jackie on Dec 21, 2009 – 8:06 AM
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The “blizzard: made me do it! I used a couple of tricks from my Aussie catering days to make these. Using sparkling water helps to make the scones lighter and cooking the scones close together helps them rise. Twisting the cutter is a trick from the great Australian chef, author and restaurateur Stephanie Alexander, that helps scones rise to greater heights too. The dog ate my pictures…...
Posted by Jackie on Dec 20, 2009 – 6:51 PM
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When life gives you chutney, you better find ways to serve it up. I made these for Thanksgiving starters to sate the guests till the turkey is ready! I had two Thanksgivings and this was a bacon Parmesan johnny cake the first day, but they were just okay, so I whipped these up and they were stunning!
Posted by Jackie on Nov 30, 2009 – 6:26 PM
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Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday! I’m so excited about Thanksgiving (read: since I don’t have my chocolate cafe weighing on me like it has the last four years) this year that I’m having it twice! For the family on Thursday and on the Friday for my friends who have to work in restaurants on Thanksgiving with a sprinkling of who were otherwise occupied on Thursday. Here is the menu as it stands now. I use a combination of dishes that that are traditional with dishes I make up to use up stuff I have too much of (read: chocolate, nuts, toffee) and a couple of things that are new and fun in the starter section. Until I actually make dinner, there are no pictures. I will do my best to get some shots on the day!
Posted by Jackie on Nov 23, 2009 – 8:08 PM
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Since there is nothing more interminable than slip skinning Concord grapes, every year I swear that it’s the last time I am harvesting any more than a bunch of them for munching from my garden. Yet every year the fruit lures me back with promises of chutney and maybe some ketchup or jelly and I fight the mosquitoes, spiders, birds and bees for them and set aside a day for making chutney.
Posted by Jackie on Sep 16, 2009 – 6:49 AM
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I whipped this up yesterday from things I found in the fridge and it was awesome and beautiful to look at. I didn’t think to take a pic of it until I’d nearly nibbled it out of existence, but I restrained myself and got a wee shot. The proportions of the ingredients are very flexible. I had it with some jerk chicken and garlic bread.
Posted by Jackie on Sep 16, 2009 – 6:25 AM
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