We're lucky around here… quite a few VPR staffers are terrific cooks. Fabulous smells often emanate from our kitchenette, and we do a lot of recipe swapping and taste testing! We love to cook for one another, and we'll use this page to showcase some of our favorite recipes, as well as the stories and traditions behind them.
"This recipe was found in a neglected trunk of sheet music in the basement of Louis Armstrong's Corona, Queens home. Legend has it this was first eaten by Louis Armstrong when, after moving to Chicago, a local doctor insisted he try it instead of his usual Swiss Kris. Windy rumors have it that he lasted but a week before a visiting Fats Waller, noticing the color of his breakfast remarked, "What did you do to be so Black and Blue, Lou?"
"Actually, the recipe comes from my wife, Sweet Sue, except I've modified it slightly."
1/2 cup oatmeal (not instant)
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 tsp grated ginger - Watch your fingers grating in the early morning! Being a jazz DJ, I eat this mid-day...
Orange juice or water
5-7 toasted pecans, broken
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta