Weekend Cooking – FoodWatcher

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Everything We Think Barbie Would Cook in Her Dream Kitchen

As a millennial born in the late 1980s, I’ve watched Barbie go through many life cycles: she’s had over 200 career paths, raised her various siblings, and built an incredible community in her fictional, plastic version of Malibu. In this time, there have been brief forays into cooking, mainly in her iterations as Pasta Barbie, Baking Chef Barbie, and Ice Cream Shop Barbie.

As we usher Barbie into her new, flat-footed era of self-discovery, I’ve been thinking a lot about how and what Barbie would eat during this chapter of her life. As a fellow home-owning, city-dwelling millennial woman (I haven’t figured out how to float through my home yet, but I’m working on it), the possibility of having unfettered access to a dream kitchen feels daunting—but thrilling. I do recognize that none of these interpretations are serious or absolute. Think of them as simple daydreams and musings of pink house grandeur.

A Make-Ahead Menu for a Laid-Back Dinner Party

We’ve teamed up with our friends at Line 39 to share a step-by-step guide for weekend entertaining, featuring top-notch bottles. From citrusy Sauvignon Blanc to plum-forward Merlot, each Line 39 wine is crafted in California with care.

Some people’s…

Some people’s summer hobbies include surfing, fishing, tanning—I partake in none of these activities. My preferred summer hobby is sitting outside on a warm night with lots of food to graze on. Often these nights happen at the end of full days, when the sun has made me a little sleepy, friends are over, and bottles of wine (something light and refreshing, like Line 39 Sauvignon Blanc) crowd the table.

How to Make Swirly, Flaky Sfogliatelle

Buckle up, guys—this pastry is definitely a project. But trust me, it’s a super fun, satisfying, and delicious one. There’s nothing like a batch of still-warm sfogliatelle (or if you’re just referring to one, sfogliatella), an especially beautiful Italian pastry. Multiple layers of gorgeously thin dough (rolled using a pasta machine) encase a creamy filling made with a base of semolina “pudding” and ricotta cheese. The pastry, sometimes referred to as “lobster claws” (not “lobster tails,” that’s something else) here in the States, bake up gorgeously golden and crisp. The result is a seriously impressive pastry that’s time-consuming, but totally doable at home, and worth it. Ahead, I’ll walk you through exactly how to make sfogliatelle at home using my go-to recipe and you’ll be folding and shaping dough in no time.

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But First…How Do You Pronounce Sfogliatelle?

Let me take a stab at this one—Ss-fog-lee-uh-tell-ee.

Homemade Pork Tamales Are the Ultimate Weekend Cooking Project

I’ve always wanted to learn to make pork tamales. So when I had the opportunity to cook with my wonderful friend Janet, I asked her if she would show me how they are made in her home country of Mexico. Before we started, she warned me that pork tamales…

Many countries have their own version of pork tamales. Even in Mexico, tamales vary from place to place, family to family: Some wrap their pork tamales with corn husks, while others use banana leaves. Janet told me that where she is from in northern Mexico, corn husks are the preferred cooking sleeve, and she feels that they yield a tender, softer exterior. The fillings for tamales, too, are matter of preference. Some like to add refried beans or chicken to the masa dough, but for Janet’s family, the favorite is slow-cooked pork flavored with ancho chile. (And she uses any leftover pork to make tostadas or fill tacos).

12 Martha Stewart Recipes We Can’t Stop Making—From One-Pan Pasta to Slab Pie

According to my mother, Martha Stewart is the queen of, well, everything. From her chic crafting supplies and flower-arranging tips to her party decor ideas and her cooking show with Snoop Dogg (yes, that Snoop Dogg), there doesn't seem to be anything she can't do. And at 80, the lifestyle guru continues to evolve. She has launched a line of CBD products for both humans and dogs; written close to 100 books; starred in a mini-series on HGTV called Martha Knows Best featuring a very handsome lineup of guests like Richard Gere, Antoni Porowski, and Zac Posen; and she even will soon be in the freezer section of your grocery store (in the form of high-quality prepared dinners). But of all the things Martha has mastered, her recipes are her greatest contribution—at least to my life. And on October 12th, 2021, Martha will be releasing her 99th (!) cookbook, Martha Stewart's Fruit Desserts: 100+ Delicious Ways to Savor the Best of Every Season.

Timeless and foolproof, Martha Stewart’s recipes have been a staple in my kitchen ever since I moved into my first apartment (we inaugurated those digs with her classic macaroni and cheese). And while I've never had a Martha recipe steer me in the wrong direction, there are a handful of favorites I turn to time and time again, most of which happen to live right here on Food52. One of her most popular recipes of all time is One-Pan Pasta, which calls for cooking spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, and onions all in one large pasta pot in less than 10 minutes. It looks just as good cooking in the pan as it does when it’s twirled into a perfect mound on the plate, and it’s perfect for days when sweating over the stove for a long time is not an option. Martha also makes use of beloved appliances like the Instant Pot and slow-cooker for recipes like Vietnamese-Style Chicken Soup and Italian-Braised Pork.

Food52’s Ultimate Guide to the Long Weekend

There’s no better feeling than realizing on a Sunday evening that, “Hey, wait—I have off tomorrow!” The glory of the long weekend. This year, summer weekends feel especially sweet with many Americans slowly resuming pre-pandemic activities and reunitin…

There's no better feeling than realizing on a Sunday evening that, "Hey, wait—I have off tomorrow!" The glory of the long weekend. This year, summer weekends feel especially sweet with many Americans slowly resuming pre-pandemic activities and reuniting with loved ones after spending so much time apart.

To ensure you're making the most of every long weekend made available to you, we've come up with a guide to help you prepare for them all. Whether you're kicking back à la staycation, playing host to friends or family, or getting away yourself, we've got a menu idea, cleaning hack, or trusted product to make it easier for everyone.

20 Best Baking Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make This Weekend

Happy weekend. If Monday through Friday is all about quick and easy (and did I mention quick?) dinners, Saturday and Sunday are about leisurely baking projects: warm bread, buttery scones, gooey blondies, extra-chocolatey cake. Treats you plan to share with your neighbors, but end up eating most of on the couch while binge-watching You on Netflix. Here are 20 recipes on our must-bake list right now.

Muffins & Cakes

Cornmeal-Cherry Scones

Cornbread, meet scones. Scones, meet cornbread. You two are gonna love each other. Note: This recipe calls for dried cherries, but feel free to swap in fresh ones (or even any berry).

A Gateway Fresh Pasta for Those Who Want the Project, but Not the Fuss

When I want fresh, homemade pasta—but don’t want the fuss of an elaborate cooking project—I turn to my favorite Sardinian pasta shape: malloreddus (1). Also known as gnocchetti sardi, this shape requires neither a rolling pin nor a hand crank, and the …

When I want fresh, homemade pasta—but don’t want the fuss of an elaborate cooking project—I turn to my favorite Sardinian pasta shape: malloreddus (1). Also known as gnocchetti sardi, this shape requires neither a rolling pin nor a hand crank, and the process of making them is so simple that it can become a truly relaxing, even meditative, cooking project.

Most traditional fresh pastas are made using eggs and finely ground white flour. The malloreddus dough, on the other hand, is comprised of water and durum wheat semolina flour. If you don’t have a lot of experience making homemade pasta, then this eggless malloreddus dough is perfect practice because it’s exceedingly forgiving and utterly affordable.

What Are You Cooking This Weekend?

Jenny is in perpetual search for easy recipes to attempt to feed her family. When they balk, she just eats more. Today, she’s back with a new column in light of what’s happening in our world right now.

We are marking time now, noticing what is missi…

Jenny is in perpetual search for easy recipes to attempt to feed her family. When they balk, she just eats more. Today, she's back with a new column in light of what's happening in our world right now.

We are marking time now, noticing what is missing from our days: train rides to work, soccer practice, ACT tests, happy hours, dinners alone at our favorite bars. But also what somehow still remains: sunrises, dog walks, passive aggressive encounters with colleagues (now via conference calls where someone always refuses to mute), and the delivery of mail.

How to Make Puff Pastry, According to the Fearless Baker

I’ve always had a thing for dough. Bread dough, pie dough, biscuit dough…I love diving into a big bowl of ingredients and coming out of it with floury hands and something delicious to show for my efforts. This is why, despite being one of the m…

I’ve always had a thing for dough. Bread dough, pie dough, biscuit dough...I love diving into a big bowl of ingredients and coming out of it with floury hands and something delicious to show for my efforts. This is why, despite being one of the more complicated recipes on my long list of doughy loves, I adore making puff pastry.

Puff pastry is made using a method known as lamination, where a block of butter is wrapped fully and sealed inside a dough. The dough then goes through a series of folds, where it is rolled out to a certain thickness and folded over onto itself. The first fold creates a series of layers (thin, alternating layers of dough and butter). The subsequent folds increase these layers, ultimately creating a versatile dough that can be used to make a huge variety of impressive desserts. (The dough for puff pastry can also be yeasted, which is then used to make things like croissants and Danish, and while the method is similar, this article focuses on a non-yeasted puff.) When the dough hits the heat of the oven, the moisture inside the thin layers of butter evaporate, creating steam, which creates the crisp, insanely flaky dough that is puff pastry.