I found my version of gold tucked away in an old drawer. It was a tiny black book. And when I read the cover, I had to know more. So I investigated, and guess what I discovered… this was my great-great grandmother’s recipe book! Her name was Evelyn Day Bruner. She lived in Brooklyn but was born in the mid-west. It’s tattered in a charming kind of way. “Well-used” shall […]
When you have eighteen chickens and thirteen Guinea hens in your life, there are a lot of eggs to contend with. It is definitely a nice problem to have. I went on a quest recently to find eggs in the store with yolks as bright as the ones my chickens produce, and I have yet to find any. I know their diet in the Winter means a paler yolk, but […]
My grandmother and great-aunt had an apartment together on the top floor of 34 Morton Street in New York City in 1941. It was a nice walk-up apartment building, and they paid $80 for it. They were very frugal, and so had various dishes they cooked together that they considered their specialties. One was called “Slum Gulligan,” made from corn, and green pepper, and baked like a custard. Another they […]
It ain’t pretty, but it’s gooood. Just remember as we go on this journey together that we believe in certain principles around here. That animal protein or vegetable protein, if you’re going to eat, something has to die. And if I’m going to kill something in order to eat, then I want to use every part of it. So as you shimmy your way down the page keep reciting the […]
Black-eyed peas are one of those things I only think about on December 31st when I superstitiously rush around looking for them. You see, it was ingrained in me from the time I was a small plump infant, that this is the thing you’re supposed to eat on New Year’s Day for good luck. I’ve never really loved them. But then again, I’ve never really cooked them. So, armed with […]
I like fireworks. My brother really likes fireworks. As a six year old he made us go into dark alleys and backrooms in Chinatown stores to buy fireworks from “toy store owners.” When we first entered, they “didn’t have any” and shrugged us away. But if you lingered in the store a little longer you would suddenly be tapped on the shoulder and ushered into a creaky chamber where a […]
The Native Americans used to eat the warm heart of their prey in order to inherit their spirit. It was also a way to honor the animal, and use every part of it. So on my deer hunt in the Delta a few weeks ago, I decided to “go native.” And I’m glad I did. It was delicious. And it’s good for you. And all of the veteran hunters looked […]
Back to our regularly scheduled programming! Last time on “The Delta Deer Hunt,” we roasted a whole hog on the grill and drank whiskey around the fire. To catch up, here are the first, second, and third installments. This was the musical interlude. Warm on barbecued hog and good whiskey we were lucky to have two guys who really knew how to play the guitar. There were a couple of […]
Tonight I’m going to my favorite dinner of the year. It is at my Godparents’ mother’s house and it is “The Feast of the Seven Fishes.” It is an Italian American tradition and will include baked mussels, steamed mussels, baked clams, minced clams, salt cod, crab and avocado salad, prawns in more forms than you can imagine, maybe some lobster, and some things that I’m forgetting. And there will be […]
But do you really need a holiday as an excuse to make a good punch? My brother has been making this for years. It’s quite good. He makes it strong but you can make a mild version. In addition to white wine and rum (not the expensive kind), you’ll need citrus. Which you let macerate in the rum and wine. Now frozen lemonade. And frozen limeade. A little ginger ale… […]