Shake and Bake...

..some cake! I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with baked goods lately. We (Lo-lo and I) had a delightful yellow cake from Alice Waters (1234 cake) that had a layer of snickerdoodles baked into the center.

This little piggy got sauced

I am fairly intimidated by sauces of almost any variety. So when my friend David made a delicious pork shoulder sauce with what seemed to be minimal trouble and intelligence (just kidding, David. You can untwist your panties now), I got inspired. I got excited. I got...

...Slabs of meat! These piglets became a hearty Pork and wine sauce, stew, type thing. This has to simmer for several hours, so make sure you allot an appropriate amount of time for it or else it won't meld properly.

Creamy Pea Pasta

It may sound stupid, but it is so good. Giada gave it some other name, but let's face it: mine is better.

Italian Sausage, sweet peas, and mascarpone pasta. Boom goes the dynamite.

I brake for fried foods

Lauren and I decided to go with Southern cuisine, after much deliberation and battles of will. We threw around Red beans and Rice, Gumbo, and a variety of seafood dishes, but finally we settled on a dish that no one can be dissatisfied with:

Fried stuff on bread with some vegetables as an afterthought! Or, as it is more widely known, Shrimp Po'boys.

Flippin' Frittatas

One does not actually flip a frittata, so don't go trying anything crazy here. But I would highly recommend giving frittatas a shot for a whole slew of reasons: you can make them super healthy, they are delicious hot or cold, and it's a great way to get rid of leftover veggies or meat. I went on a major food kick over the Fourth of July and made everything from Peach-blueberry pie to Strawberry Cake to Filet Mignon. But what really got me thinking was a discussion I had with my cousin Kathy about frittatas and how gosh darn delicious they are. So here it is:

Golden Chard Frittata with Goat Cheese, Caramelized onions, and Yams.  Isn't it pretty?