Cream of Caroline is a casserole lifestyle podcast that brings people together over hot, bubbly casserole. It's gonna be creamy.
Episodes
Monday Dec 09, 2019
Monday Dec 09, 2019
This summer, I read Sarah Porwoll’s poem, “All I Want,” in The New York Times. It’s about the perspective she gained after surviving breast cancer, a diagnosis she received at age 32. Sarah and I first met in college in 2002 and reunited on the Cream for her to tell her story and share some of the surprises that treatment and her body had in store for her. We talk about love, casserole, self-checks, and guilt. She tells a great waxing joke and reads a poem that's part mantra, part prayer for appreciating all the boring, seemingly insignificant things that happen in life.
Monday Dec 02, 2019
Monday Dec 02, 2019
Ted Lee, one half of The Lees Bros., grew up as an expat New Yorker in Charleston, South Carolina. He and his brother Matt documented Southern food stories and sold boiled peanuts for the past 25 years. On episode 18 of the Cream, we discuss Ted’s food upbringing, his favorites casseroles and cookbooks, and the future and history of the South’s diverse and expanding cuisine.
Monday Nov 25, 2019
Monday Nov 25, 2019
Daniel Geneen is co-host of Eater’s Digest podcast. He’s also Canadian, which is why I invited him to the Cream to talk about America’s best eating holiday. We discuss green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, industrial meat production, dating apps, the NYC stand-up comedy scene, and more. We also play a round of Thanksgiving trivia and sit down to eat three casseroles and a turkey party ball.
Monday Nov 18, 2019
Monday Nov 18, 2019
Lezli Levene Harvell’s work in food has made her into an unexpected activist. She joins the Cream to talk about her life as a mom, pediatric dentist, entrepreneur, and founder of the Iconoclast Dinner Experience, a culinary event series that celebrates chefs of color. Luckily, Lezli is also on the keto diet and avoided a microwave cheesy chicken tetrazzini disaster.
Monday Nov 04, 2019
Monday Nov 04, 2019
Let’s talk rum, on the menu and as a job. Bridget Firtle, owner and distiller at Owney’s Rum, and I talk about what it takes to make premium booze and grow a small business in New York City. You’ll also learn about Prohibition-era rum running and get specs for the perfect daiquiri, rum-soaked baked beans, and rum-laced tomatoes.
Monday Oct 28, 2019
Monday Oct 28, 2019
We’re getting weird for the Cream’s inaugural Halloween episode. Five friends brought over one mystery ingredient each to make a Frankencasserole. There was drama, a near poisoning, and back-stabbing in the confessional booth. Body parts were offered up. And we all learned one very important lesson.
Monday Oct 21, 2019
Monday Oct 21, 2019
Meet Alan Gilmer, AIDS activist, cyclist, Weight Watchers celeb, #1 Oprah fanboy, carpet salesman, and so much more. Over mac and cheese and stuffed acorn squash, Alan and I talk about how he met O, why he rides, and how many bagels he can eat while training. He also shares his alter ego Banessa’s political ambitions: win the presidency and end AIDS.
Sunday Oct 13, 2019
Sunday Oct 13, 2019
Cocktail and spirits writer Kara Newman joins me to talk about her latest books, Nightcap and Cocktails with a Twist. We also discuss what’s on her home bar and the worse drink she’s ever tasted. I also head to the State Fair of Texas, where I try a not-your-average funnel cake bacon queso burger. And I make a quiche and broccoli salad—with a few twists, of course.
Monday Oct 07, 2019
Monday Oct 07, 2019
It's autumn, and casserole season officially is upon us. Chef JJ Johnson joins me to talk about his newest restaurant, Field Trip, where rice and culture are at the center of the plate. I'll bake a sausage-wild rice casserole from the 1983 Southern Living Annual Recipes cookbook, and when things don't go quite as planned, the Casserole Doctor steps in to diagnose the problem.
Tuesday Oct 01, 2019
Tuesday Oct 01, 2019
Casserole culture didn’t die in the 60s. Join me for season 2 of Cream of Caroline as we fast-forward to the 80s and the Southern Living 1983 Annual Recipes cookbook. The book is chock-full of microwave friendly meals, aspics, pork chop dinners, pea casseroles, holiday casseroles, oyster casseroles, casseroles for busy nights. Casseroles for DAYS. To kick off the season, I make salmon Florentine to confront my fear of canned salmon and dig deep into the Google-sphere to find the recipe’s author, Janet M. Filer of Arlington, Virginia.