Corinna Sherman

In-N-Out Burger fries, animal-style

They look disgusting and will probably shorten my life, but what the heck.

I picked up the squash for this soup at the farmers market in the Strip District this morning. I’ve no idea what kind it is, but in its pre-cut state, it looks a little like a mini-watermelon that swallowed one of those Star Men from Super Mario Brothers. Also, can I just say that starting today, I am a big fan of raisins in soup?

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Dinner tonight is a steaming bowl of garlicky chickpea soup with swiss chard, carrots, and celery. Can you see the steam? =)

I was a little worried I would get frustrated only having one 50mm prime lens for my new digital SLR camera, but so far it’s suited my needs. I know what you’re thinking, though – what will I do the day I want to photograph someone else’s bowl of soup from 500 feet away??? All I can say is, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

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To be precise, the last raspberry and chocolate chip Belgian waffle I will have before I start my graduate program in interaction design…

Oh Yeah!
232 S. Highland Ave
Pittsburgh, PA

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My first attempt at nori rolls made for a tasty although less than picturesque lunch.

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Since I’ve left New York, the closest thing I get to restaurant eating is lunch from the food trucks next to campus. I’m not going to get into a big comparison between New York street food and Pittsburgh street food, as it’s really no contest. Suffice it to say I have taken the opportunity in this culinary lull to reacquaint myself with the pleasures and pains of home cooking. Today I made a white bean soup with escarole (that’s wrinkly lettuce for the folks without Food Network – poor souls) and baked up some yam biscuits. Those of you who remember my closet-kitchen back in New York may be amused to learn that my Pittsburgh kitchen is nearly the same size, though it’s big enough that the refrigerator actually resides in the kitchen instead of the living room. Counter space is still pitiful, which, as it turns out, makes kneading biscuit dough well nigh impossible. But the beauty of home cooking is that no matter how questionable your experiments turn out, they are so much work that you’ll eat them anyway. And dipped in enough soup or smothered in enough apricot jam, they taste all right.

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AKA dinner tonight.
Heat pan. Add edible stuff. Eat.

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Some friends and I got together for a combined Fat Tuesday potluck and Oscar-watching party last Sunday, engaging in a spirited red carpet dress review while feasting on spicy crawfish, onion and jalapeño cornbread, vegetarian jambalaya, shrimp and sausage gumbo over brown rice, and bananas foster. I made the cornbread using a recipe from Veganomicon in a 12″ cast-iron skillet. I don’t actually own a skillet, so I brought the ingredients to the party and used the host’s skillet. I could have used a baking dish at home instead, but there was something incredibly satisfying about sautéing the onions and jalapeños in the skillet on the stovetop and then pouring in the batter and popping the whole thing in the oven to bake. Furthermore, everyone at the party got to eat cornbread fresh and warm from the oven, an undeniable bonus. I’ll be a little more aggressive with the peppers next time to see if I can generate some more heat, since the cornbread turned out quite mild. Now if only I can figure out how to bake an Oscar statuette into a King Cake…

The East Village’s Momofuku bakery & milk bar sounds like a Zen haven for cute Japanese dairy-based desserts, but do not be fooled. The food is unapologetically American, from chocolate chip cheese cake and brownie pie dispensed in ridiculously large slices to cereal milk soft serve.

And Zen ambience? Not even close. The place has all charm of a government office, complete with a number system to manage order processing and a condescending cashier. Pull open the glass front doors stamped with Momofuku’s signature lucky peach, and you will find people clustered around the few high standing tables, all shouting over each other to be heard. Don’t get me wrong; the place is obviously popular, but the name sets some false expectations, and it’s not clear to me why, especially when the nearby Momofuku noodle bar serves things like ramen and kimchi.

Unfortunately, the most intriguing thing on the blackboard menu – pancake cake – was “coming soon,” so I got a slice of the chocolate cake instead. (Who advertises menu items in advance, anyway? Peddlers of disappointment, that’s who.) Eating in the midst of that human crush was out of the question, so I escaped to the tranquility of a nearby Starbucks to devour my treat in peace. The cake was reasonably moist and had a frosting reminiscent of cheesecake but didn’t make much of an impression on me. I might go back if it’s less crowded another time but only to see if that pancake cake proves to be vapor-dessert or the real deal.

I just started taking an online class on freelance writing. The instructor wrote an article a while back called “Chasing the Perfect Taco Up the California Coast.” I can tell this is going to be a good class.