About Incidental Cooking is a blog written by me, Vika, an office worker by day, a graduate student by night, and a cooking novice in my free time. Incidental Cooking is as much of a reference as it is a personal diary of my journey in the world of cooking. I have always feared long, complex recipes. After meeting a few people who were incredibly passionate about their cooking, I got inspired. So, here I will try different recipes and report the results (good or bad), along with pictures and, if you’re lucky, some disaster stories.Contact Me: vika{at}incidentalcooking{dot}com Daily Reads 101 CookbooksBella Eats The Wednesday ChefThe KitchnSmitten KitchenSassy RadishSerious EatsThe Pioneer WomanOrangetteCake and CommerceChicago GluttonsThe Bitten Word …and the list is growing If you have some blogs to recommend, please do! Ask Me (almost) Anything!Conversions and Equivalents*archive*rss*random*mobile*twitter*photos*other posts I found resourceful Search Recipes: var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11954807-1"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}http://www.incidentalcooking.com/Tumblr (3.0; @incidentalcooking)http://www.incidentalcooking.com/Better than Velveeta: Simple Cheddar Cheese Sauce<a href="http://www.foodista.com/blog/2011/01/26/better-than-velveeta-simple-cheddar-cheese-sauce/">Better than Velveeta: Simple Cheddar Cheese Sauce</a>http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2947028079http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2947028079Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:45:09 -0500Baked Pasta Casserole The original recipe calls this Macaroni and Cheese, I call it casserole. I think macaroni and cheese...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2945318721http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2945318721Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:58:00 -0500casserolemac &amp; cheesevegetariandinnermain coursecheesepastaAnytime Oatmeal CookiesOn Saturday, our friends Josh and Emily came over for an impromptu dinner. When our friends come...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2828262645http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2828262645Wed, 19 Jan 2011 12:30:00 -0500Pork Chops, Butternut Squash, & Kale (by V+I+K+A) This,...<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lembv4skBn1qawkido1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotoqueen/5331242742/">Pork Chops, Butternut Squash, & Kale</a> (by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/fotoqueen">V+I+K+A</a>)</p> <p>This, here, was the first real meal I made after our “little bit” was born. I bought pork chops (without the bone), roasted butternut squash (cubed, olive oil, salt and pepper), and sauteed kale. I’ve never had kale before and I can tell you, right here, right now, I’ll definitely have it again.</p>http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2626475288http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2626475288Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:35:27 -0500Hamburger StroganoffEver since our “little bit” was born, as you can imagine, we haven’t had much time...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2624055859http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2624055859Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:12:00 -0500So I haven’t posted in much in 2 months, I was a little...<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_le7my4SofC1qawkido1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>So I haven’t posted in much in 2 months, I was a little busy birthing and rearing this little monkey. </p>http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2517407324http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/2517407324Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:10:52 -0500Chicken with Roasted Cauliflower & Tahini SauceEasy. Healthy. So incredibly delicious. Need I say more? Did I mention that this cooks in less than...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1416607458http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1416607458Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:45:00 -0400Pumpkin BreadSeriously, October seems to be a month of firsts. This was the first time I made pumpkin anything....http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1407618231http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1407618231Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:45:00 -0400Easy & Quick Mac and CheeseThis was so incredibly easy to make. The only unfortunate thing is the amount of butter that goes in...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1406818023http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1406818023Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:20:59 -0400Butternut Squash with Walnuts and VanillaI made this as a side dish to the beef stew. Since I’ve never made (or eaten) butternut...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1352103197http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1352103197Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:58:53 -0400Old-Time Beef StewThis whole (pregnancy) nesting thing must be really in full force because all I’ve been doing...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1344158077http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1344158077Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:57:28 -0400I randomly got an idea in my head to make short ribs on Saturday. Does anyone have a favorite recipe...I randomly got an idea in my head to make short ribs on Saturday. Does anyone have a favorite recipe...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1306232778http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1306232778Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:06:42 -0400Apple PancakesI had apples + I had some extra whole milk + I wanted pancakes = apple pancakes. These were a...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1306206238http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1306206238Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:00:17 -0400MoussakaEverytime husband and I go out to a Greek restaurant, I always order the same thing - Moussaka. If...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1300269615http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1300269615Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:31:21 -0400I have whole milk at home and want to use it up before it goes bad. I think I might have about 2...I have whole milk at home and want to use it up before it goes bad. I think I might have about 2...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1291569524http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1291569524Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:18:11 -0400tomorrow’s cooking includes a double dose of moussaka, which I’ve never made before, and...tomorrow’s cooking includes a double dose of moussaka, which I’ve never made before, and...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1270490582http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1270490582Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:57:09 -0400We have a ton of mint, flat leaf parsley, cilantro, and dill at home. I’m thinking we should...We have a ton of mint, flat leaf parsley, cilantro, and dill at home. I’m thinking we should...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1256368491http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1256368491Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:33:07 -0400Albondigas (Meatball) SoupWe had a chilly weekend and I wanted to make something warm. I also wanted soup. I also wanted...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1242843033http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1242843033Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:29:44 -0400Pineapple Blueberry Crunch CakeMy really really really good friend Penny brought a dessert to our baby shower on Sunday. Can I just...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1211135299http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1211135299Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:24:18 -0400Broccoli and Ramen Noodle SaladMy mom has been making a version of this salad for years and my husband just couldn’t get...http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1211081021http://www.incidentalcooking.com/post/1211081021Wed, 29 Sep 2010 13:09:00 -0400