Almost exactly 20 years ago, a boss gave me a copy of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I am very proud of that book because it has never been opened. Not even a page. For all I know, it has an inscription that reads “For the young man who exemplifies each of these […]
It makes me cringe to see the prices they charge for a container of hummus at the grocery store. It’s much less expensive to make it yourself, it only takes 10 minutes and it tastes so fresh you won’t want store-bought hummus again. This will keep in the fridge for days but drizzle a little […]
There were only three plants that thrived in the tiny backyard behind the tiny house I grew up in. One was a vicious climbing rose that strangled the fence and lived to lacerate any children stupid enough to venture near (mostly me). The second was a pussy willow that had grown from a single stem […]
“This is the dawning of the Age of Asparagus Age of Asparagus Asparagus! Asparagus!” I’m not sure what it is about this annual refrain that gets L so annoyed. I think it’s very clever and it makes for a delightful little ear worm that stays with you all day (you’ll see). No apologies to […]
No buttermilk? No problem. Here’s a quick substitute that works like a charm (and you don’t have leftover buttermilk going to waste in the fridge). Simply add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice (I use white wine vinegar, but plain old white vinegar will do) to one cup of milk. Let it stand five […]
I have to take off my shoes to count the number of years I have been making these crab cakes. They are near the top of the list of comfort food requests in our house, mostly when we’re nostalgic for warmer weather and Southern charm. Adapted almost two decades ago from a recipe for ones […]
[tweetmeme] This is Part Seven of my week-long celebration of eggs. I think I can squeeze in one more egg recipe before my kids call the child welfare agency and L follows through with her threat to become a vegan for Lent. As the French say, un oeuf is enough. So, let me push my […]
Sometimes lucky little things happen that change everything for the better. Things like meeting a life partner at a party that you weren’t planning to go to but got dragged to anyway; or having an errant bullet stopped by the bible you always carry in your breast pocket; or, better yet, discovering a spectacular new […]
Dried chipotles – smoked jalapeno peppers – are the ugly ducklings of the pantry. Of all the other ingredients I have on hand, only sundried tomatoes come close to looking this inedible. But just open the jar and you know immediately that these are swans. Just the smell of this exotic, smoky, slightly fruity pepper […]
I am not sure why we don’t eat more duck; it’s juicy, it’s lean (once most of the fat layer is rendered in the cooking process) and it’s easy to make, especially the breast. Except for the time the whole bird I was roasting on the barbecue rotisserie caught fire (there is so much fat […]
Meats, Roots and Leaves 