Here’s the thing about Valentines Day. I think it’s strange. It is impossible to get into a restaurant. Flowers double in price. Bad quality chocolate makes the rounds. Lots of pink lacy undergarments abound in various store windows. Saint Valentine, was a Christian martyr. I don’t think he thought very often about Victoria’s Secret’s latest line. I do think there is something nice about setting a day aside to tell […]
I did it. I made homemade English Muffins. I can stop cooking now, my life’s task is complete. The best part? The recipe uses a skillet… my best friend, my savior, my no-wash skillet. God’s antidote to dirty dishes I say. They are full of nooks and crannies that would make Thomas proud. You can check out the full step-by-step recipe here at a fun place that I’m writing for, […]
I spent Labor Day weekend cruising the cotton fields of the Arkansas Delta. By the end of it, there were more doves than any one person could consume. This lead me to invent all kinds of recipes to keep it interesting, as well as churn out some classic recipes from the Italians in the region – 14 Dove Putach, for example. As you know by now, I’m a purist and […]
In some parts of the country, the summer albacore run is in its prime. But even where tuna isn’t plentiful, this preserving technique is a must have. It falls somewhere between fresh and canned tuna, the Italians called it “conservata,” the old tradition of preserving protein in olive oil. It is usually imported from Spain or Italy and sells for as much as $50 a pound, which is especially unnecessary […]
If I was sent to that proverbial island and there was one food I could take, it would be liver mousse. I can hear your collective gasp. Most people are reviled by the stuff, but I call it God’s pudding. It’s slightly sweet and very rich and I could eat it endlessly. It serves as the basis for all kinds of internationally popular and unpopular foods – depending on who […]
When I was a child growing up in the Hudson Valley, I used to sit on a rock by the side of our creek, push a fat worm onto a hook, and catch my trout. Then I would fry it in a skillet and eat it for breakfast. It was a normal pattern in my eight year life that seemed as natural as breathing, or throwing skipping rocks. Then, as […]
I like all things pickled. Pickled peppers, pickled ramps, pickled… things. Sorry. I’m not feeling very eloquent today. I just read a lot of legal jargon and it fried my brain and my eyes are blurry. I can barely see this screen. I’m waiting for things to return to normal… which isn’t necessarily eloquent either, but at least there’s a sliver of a chance. I had fried pickles the other […]
I’m 34,000 feet in the sky again. I seem to be up here a lot. I’m hoping to have a lull again this summer before I embark on a whole new book that I’m about to write, which will require travel which means many more posts from up here. Did I tell you about the new book yet? I will, I have to push the first one out of the […]
I have a custard addiction. And I recently discovered that custard is socially acceptable to eat at breakfast. I don’t know why it took so long to find this out. I haven’t had enough exposure to doughnuts I think. So I immediately made lemon curd. And after I spooned it into the jar, I licked every last vistage from the bowl. Because I really, really don’t like to be wasteful. […]
As you can tell, I’m on a bit of curing kick these days. I’m conjuring my Italian roots. It’s just that I had these duck breasts that were just begging to be turned into prosciutto. And I couldn’t help myself. Duck prosciutto is simple to make at home, and is a perfect way to store the meat when you don’t have time to cook it, and you just can’t fit […]