It’s always cool when I find old pictures buried on my laptop, especially from back in the days before Craving Mad. I had a lot of cool ideas that I can push even farther today. Take this Pecan-Crusted Chicken: I made this for the first time almost four years ago, and you can see derivatives…
Walnut Chermoula Tilapia
I’ve been making a lot of “components” lately– you only have to check the homepage to see what I mean: lots of confit, tahini sauce, roasted tomato spread, and for the first time, Chermoula. It’s a North African condiment (you know I couldn’t just stop at harissa) that contains cumin, lemon, herbs– and in my…
Seared Catfish |Corn & Pepper Sauté | Chimichurri | Tahini
You’ve had tahini, and plenty of chimichurri…but what happens when you swirl them together? I’ll get back to that. I’ve been doing everything in double time lately, just trying to launch the new year as strongly as possible– and believe it or not, I haven’t come up with anything super remarkable so far. Instead, I’ve…
Rosemary-Pomegranate Chicken |Wilted Red Chard | Couscous
Week two of the decade is upon us– time to bring a few unused ideas into the light. I found some pomegranate molasses for the first time in about a year (thank you, Atlanta markets) and I have plans for that bottle… Let’s start here: Pomegranate molasses is slightly sweet- but very tart syrup made from reduced…
Akara: Nigerian Bean Fritters
Akara is one of those foods that can absolutely suck to make–but it’s delicious when you get it right. If you’ve never had them before, they are like a cross between felafel and hushpuppies… but with black eye peas, onions, and peppers. There’s nothing complicated here, but the first step–peeling the beans–is a mountain. I…
Leek & Olive Chicken | Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Man, I’ve been busy lately. It’s already mid-December?? When did that happen? It’s been my spottiest period with the blog since I started it two(?) years ago, but I’m going to get back to my consistent best soon. This is a simple meal that incorporates ingredients that are in abundance right now to revise a…
Braised Lamb Shoulder | Mushroom Squash & Gnocchi Sauté | Jägersoße
I’m baaaaack. I still have to catch up with the blog after a few spotty weeks, but I’ll post an update to the Professional Amateur Challenge at the same time this one goes live. Stay tuned… Can you believe that I haven’t made any red meat since APRIL? Nothing unusual I guess– but clearly I…
“Pro Amateur” Challenge
I’m a professional amateur, you’re a professional amateur…we’re all professional amateurs. For this challenge, YOU get to do the cooking. Pick any of the dishes from the blog (or invent your own) and tag @craving_mad on Instagram by November 1st! I’m flipping the camera around this time– time for you to show off. There have…
Orange-Rosemary Trout | Cotija Grits
Time for the good news and bad news of fall in Atlanta: it’s no longer 98 degrees every time you walk outside (summer had us the the third quarter though, not gonna lie) BUT you have to deal with days of misty rain and piles of wet leaves– which are definitely among my least favorite…
Peppercorn Shrimp | Habañero-Kaffir Lime Broth
No, it isn’t Pho– I am not even going to try to tackle that one yet. Instead, it’s one of those Saturday morning experiments that will only get better as I refine it over the next few weeks. It’s another slow burner, but not as slow as the 16-Hour Ramen. In fact, the broth looks dark…
