“Ahhh, couscous — the food so nice, they named it twice.” –Dale Denton (played by Seth Rogan), Pineapple Express After spending a blissful afternoon in the garden and a lingering lunch on the patio at my favorite local grill, I swept into the house only to remember that, in an hour or so, I needed a dish…
Category: Playing with Food
Playing with Food: Sardine and Swiss Chard Gratin (or Why My Cat Licked My Shoe)
It all started with an abundance of organic Swiss chard in my community garden. When I spotted aphids on one plant, I knew that it would be a fight to save the crop if they took hold. Instead of whipping out my bottle of insecticidal soap, which would have been fruitless with the rain that…
Playing With Food: Bunless Oyster Po Boys with Homemade Slaw and Remoulade
“Any good kitchen should be stocked up in oysters, shouldn’t they?” — Michael Fassbender (actor, producer, bivalve eater) On the drive south from a weekend in Sonoma, my love and I decided to make a quick stop for Pacific oysters at a seafood wholesaler. A short time later, we were back home with an abundance…
I Blame GBBO: Chicken Pie
“This is Desperate Dan territory. Making massive pies out of hot water crust pastry is always a good thing to do on a cold day. They’re warming and hearty and they set you up.” –Richard Burr, finalist in series 5 of The Great British Bake Off I blame The Great British Bake Off. I am…
January, 23: National Pie Day Steak Pie
As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no ‘I’ in team, but there is an ‘I’ in pie. And there’s an ‘I’ in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team … I don’t know what he’s talking about. -Simon Pegg as Shaun of Shaun of the Dead Last Sunday, I decided to serve up a steak pie…
My first Salsa Verde
“..no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.” ― Julia Child (culinary icon, OSS agent) My tomatillos finally ripened. The bright yellow star flowers that delighted all manner of bee and butterfly bent their heads into little purses to hold tangy yet oddly sweet purple and green fruit. Unknowingly, I had planted a variety that…
September Mystery Basket
“When the idea of ‘Chopped’ surfaced, it was originally meant to be taped at some guy’s mansion with him and his crazy Chihuahua. A stuffy fellow in a tuxedo was to host, and the losing chef’s dish was then fed to the dog! I am not kidding, I saw it! I think it is genius!…
My Beloved’s Birthday
One of my first harvest Marketmore cukes joined the antipasto for the my beloved’s birthday dinner (plus Tony Packo’s sweet hot Brittany tomatoes). I brought in a bit more Toledo with Sofo’s Marinara over Mark’s MeatBalls alongside my first attempt at grilled romaine for the Caeser. This paired well with a bottle of Lone Wolf…
Throw another shrimp (and squid) on the barbie.
Throw another shrimp (and squid) on the barbie. Oh yeah. #theundefinedcooks
Living Life Forte 