Get ready to drool at all the made-at-home marvels on Bon Appétit today. They’ve just launched their first-ever Blog Envy feature, a slideshow of holiday recipes from food blogs all around — and my cranberry Thai curry duck breast (a few posts below) made the cut! My envy of the moment among them — and this is due to the fact that I *believe* I tried nuts exactly like these at a crowded holiday party last Saturday (Sarah, were you … Read More
I’m sure I’m not the only one who has this tendency: to fall in love with a certain vegetable for about a week’s worth of nonstop eating at a time, then move onto the next affair. A few weeks ago this happened with beets. Afterward, it was sweet potatoes, roasted simply, with no salt and their skins intact. Now it’s broccoli. Not sure why. We’re old flames, though, a well-established on/off pair throughout the decades. We understand each other much … Read More
What’s more fun than cooking, learning and eating together spectacularly? If you’re someone like me, the answer is nothing. If you’re someone like Michael J. Cirino, founder of the educational workshop and supper club A Razor, A Shiny Knife – no wait, scratch that. There is no one on the planet like Michael J. Cirino. I guarantee you that.
I was reading one of my favorite kill-time-with-funny blogs, Passive Aggressive Notes, today when I came across this post. For those not familiar with the blog, readers from all around can submit notes and other examples of passive aggressive (or just aggressive)-ness in action so that everyone can laugh at someone’s petty tyrancy. After the giggles had faded out, I couldn’t stop thinking about this one’s message: “If you can’t cook, don’t try.” I wonder how many people have thought … Read More
The culinary concept of “Asian fusion” is one that both excites and troubles me. It’s sparsely defined (there is no Wikipedia entry for it), and it sometimes can mean a melding of different Asian cuisines, or a hybrid of East-West tastes. Understood in the latter sense, I find that I really do enjoy so many of these types of dishes. I’m not saying that I have a better perspective of it than anyone else, but since Asian fusion is also … Read More
Cauliflower: it’s great pickled, it makes a delicious cream soup, and a prize-winning casserole. It’s tasty when stir-fried with Indian spices, near-invisible tossed into risottos, and it mixes amicably in salads, raw or lightly steamed. Is there anything you can’t do with this versatile veggie? Okay, so maybe we’re not on board with an ice cream flavor. But it’s no wonder that cauliflower has worn many hats, one notable one resulting in its nickname of “fauxtato.” Hence, I was tempted … Read More