Savory Not-Exactly-Waffles Adventure

February 29, 2024 by Alyssa D in main course

Do not buy a waffle maker. Do not buy one. Don’t do it.

Every few years I contemplate the purchase. Imagine the brunches. Sweet waffles! Savory waffles! Chicken and waffles! Everything waffles!

After a few fun meals, though, the contraption would probably end up occupying valuable space deep in a cabinet never to be used again. By us, at least.

The familiar pang returned recently while watching a Junior Bake Off episode where Ravneet Gill challenged the young contestants to make crispy baked chicken sandwiched between cheesy waffles.

Butternut Squash Cornish Pasties Adventure

December 08, 2023 by Alyssa D in baking, main course

My cooking mojo felt off for a while. Then I realized it wasn’t a dearth of inspiration or motivation or interesting ingredients, but stress from major issues with our house. Moving proved wrenching yet necessary.

As we unpacked and relied on takeout from various specialty eateries in the new neighborhood, a return to culinary adventures started to seem realistic. Just in time for the holidays, too.

Springtime Savory Greek Leek Pie Adventure

April 26, 2021 by Alyssa D in appetizers, main course

Snow, again. Much though I’d normally rejoice at the coziness of flurries, this was not a welcome sight in April. Peering through the dining room window at giant flakes mounting on the tree limbs, outdoor chairs, and our battered grill, my exclamations startled the cat.

Forget about planting seeds and sipping rosé in the warm sun. Let’s go get the snow shovel.

On the bright side, the Greek cheese and leek pie from Rena Salaman’s “The Greek Cook: Simple Seasonal Food” felt just right.

Greek Breakfast Pitas Adventure

November 17, 2019 by Alyssa D in breakfast, sides

Eating the Greek breakfast wrap at the farmers market required sitting down — and both hands.

It was the perfect flavor combination and surprisingly affordable, too. Lemony potatoes spread on a giant warm pita piled with seasoned scrambled eggs, chicken gyro strips, fresh spinach, crumbled feta, tomatoes, and a dollop of tzatziki sauce.

Then one year the Mediterranean food stand failed to return. I was on my own.