Turning out a crunchy and delicious fried chicken tender is easier than popular mythology would have you believe. The chicken tender is a small, oblong piece of white meat connected to each breast, which is usually separated during the butchering process– almost like a breast in miniature. These 4-6 inch long, thin, boneless pieces [...]
The next time you bite into some quintessentially American food– peach pie, mac ‘n cheese, a fried artichoke heart– you probably have Thomas Jefferson to thank. I’d had an inkling that he was responsible for bringing a lot of culinary concepts back over from France, (and thanks to a visit to Monticello, I’d known he [...]
The Mexican dish “Fideo” first came to my attention several years ago, when my grandmother spoke of it while reminiscing about the dishes her mother used to make for her as a child. I’d never had it, but recently my grandma reported that she’d tried making it for herself and her youngest grandchild, and that [...]
Maple Jalapeno-Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts: this spicy, New World flavor-filled Thanksgiving offering can be Vegan. Or– it can have bacon! Adjust accordingly. I came up with this recipe years ago when I was asked to bring a vegetable side to my uncle and aunt’s Thanksgiving dinner. My uncle grills his turkey over charcoal and [...]
Salsa is my go-to project whenever tomatoes are so abundant I’m not sure what to do with them all. (Which isn’t to say you must be navigating an overabundance of tomatoes in order to make it– it’s delicious even when not strictly necessary.) I’ve made Roasted Heirloom Tomato Salsa twice recently, due to a [...]
Quick breads are a category of baked goods which walk a line between bread and cake; they’re called “quick” because the use of chemical leaveners (baking powder, baking soda) negates any need to add yeast, or undergo the kneading, rising, and waiting that go along with it. Holiday favorites such as pumpkin bread and zucchini bread [...]
Fresh late-winter/early-spring vegetables at the Farmer’s Market combined with lingering cold temperatures make me think of soups featuring baby, hearty greens. I developed this particular soup last spring; its lingering memory made me eager to recreate it this year, with a few small variations. (Let’s just say I added too much beer last [...]
This post is a little out-of-season, but file it away for next autumn and make it then. Why am I writing about garden pumpkins and red peppers at this time of year, you ask? Well, I received a fun email from an old work friend whom I haven’t seen in many years; she’s part [...]
Last week I attended the National Heirloom Exposition, held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, CA. The expo is a celebration of all things traditional, heirloom, and heritage in the realm of fruits and vegetables. I was there on Wednesday the 14th, when Alice Waters was the keynote speaker. She was delightful– her [...]
There are many types of salmon commercially available and the types available to you may differ by season, geography, and whether you’re seeking fresh or frozen fish. If you don’t live where you can get fresh fish that was caught that morning, it’s usually best to go with frozen. It will have been flash-frozen [...]