Wednesday afternoon. Last to-do: pick up some Chardonnay to serve with chicken cutlets, steamed rice, and broccoli. Kai the husky was riding shotgun, his preference any time a car door is open. Sometimes he even settles behind the steering wheel, and I have to flat out tell him he can’t drive. We had just left the…
Category: Food Philosophy
Snapshot(s): Halloween 2015
Last night’s Halloween was one for the record books. Five hundred ninety-six trick-or-treaters came calling, descending upon our neighborhood in hordes of super heroes, princesses, and pirates. We had just enough candy to go around. After days of endless rain, the weather turned autumnally perfect — crisp and cool, stars speckling the damp night sky…
Skillet Burgers
You do know how much better homemade burgers taste if you wrap them in squares of waxed paper and let them sit for a few minutes before serving, right? Cook the seasoned beef (I like ground bison) patties in a skillet filmed with vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Turn to brown both sides. Cover with…
Avocado Toast
Humble avocado toast can be transcendent. Any food can, made with care, from ingredients of good quality. Avocado Toast Cut a just-ripe avocado in half, take out the pit, and scoop the contents into a bowl. Mash with a fork into chunks, adding kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and a squirt of fresh lemon juice…
Cooking with Red and Green
I like to cook with color any time of year, but especially during Christmas holidays. Red and green food is festive and delicious. Have a Christmas cookie! Christmas Shortbread To the shortbread and linzer cookie dough I write about elsewhere in this book, add 3/4 cup (3.5 ounces) finely chopped pistachios and 3/4 cup (4.25…
After the Feast
Thanksgiving is over, and it was good. We started the morning with Pumpkin Scones, served with a little cinnamon butter on the side. These were tender and delicious, and I’ll make them again. (Note for next time: try freezing the unbaked wedges overnight, and adjust the baking time accordingly. Might hold their shape a little…
Mea Culpa Cookies
I got a haircut a few weeks ago. Sitting in a pneumatic chair, draped in a cape, I had a good view of the salon’s centerpiece, a circular settee crowned with a large, elaborate flower arrangement. I asked my hair stylist, a stylish and pretty young mother, how often her salon’s fancy flower arrangement was…
One-Footed, Not Cooking
I have one working foot at the moment, which means I’m not cooking much. Because of surgery a couple of weeks ago, I’m sporting a bulky cast, and my mobility depends on a knee scooter, crutches, and a patient husband who doesn’t mind hauling all of the above here and there — on the rare…
Raves and Faves 20
Fresh herbs growing right outside my back door. ‘Tis the season! Photo on the left was taken immediately after planting three weeks ago. Photo on the right was taken yesterday. Pot of mint added last week. ♦ ♦ ♦ Having an electrician friend willing to come to my house and correct that one, tiny electrical wiring mistake…
Pizza Sauce
Writing a Cookbook Wall post begins with either a random thought or a delicious flavor. Usually, the process is driven by a recipe which I decide is too good to keep to myself and must be recorded. It’s blog-worthy, and my daughters might want to make it someday. Sometimes I have a thought that isn’t…
Cookbook Wall 