i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
This “dish” is usually what’s considered ”accidental” as in it’s a byproduct of cooking or braising fish, rendering a gelatinous broth that is cooled and solidified (although now there are places that make it specifically)—often done with eel but it can actually be made with …
My sister bought 12lbs of A5 Wagyu for a pretty and decadent penny and then gave me a hunk of it after we had a barbecue. This level of marbling in the wagyu makes it a slightly difficult ingredient to work with–heat it for too …
My mom gave me a package of octopus before she left for Costa Rica–I’ve been meaning to make something with it but never got around to the doing part, mostly because octopus has a long prep time and I wanted to make sure I gave whatever dish I made with it the attention it deserves. I love octopus (and as a matter of fact, all manner of seafood) so this was a treat for myself.
My garden has exploded as we’re sailing straight into the summer, and that means herbs are in abundance. I’ve been compounding so much herb butter and eating it with everything—and so this octopus was done confit style, where it’s slowly braised in oil.
A white bean puree with lemon (from my salt cured lemon puree), and a newcomer to my garden: salad burnet tossed, with a mignonette (shallot, pepper, red wine vinegar). Made a quick loaf of crusty bread to dip in everything, and we had a brunch to die for.
My sister came over today much to everyone’s (especially the kids’ who are obsessed with her) delight and of course, being two foodies who love to cook (and one an actual chef), we got to working on shucking a baker’s dozen (plus an extra one) …
Sometimes I get venison from friends who are hunters which is always a treat. I find raw venison to be less gamey than cooked, so it’s one of my favorite ways to eat it. Obligatory warning that consuming raw meat can lead to food-borne illnesses. …
The whole house came down with some vengeful stomach virus for almost two weeks (it went around TWICE) and that meant that we had an overflow of eggs from the chickens that hadn’t been used (try keeping down eggs—it’s not fun.) What was I going to do with two dozen eggs sitting on my counter?
In the end, I decided that it was time for crepes. We also haven’t been to the supermarket in a while (for the exact same reason as to why we have so many eggs) but I always keep buttermilk, whole, and skim milk powder handy in my freezer. It’s one of those things I tend to keep for situations just like this. You can use regular milk and butter—but if you’re a bit of a prepper like me (or are otherwise unable to go to the market), this will be a nice recipe for using the dairy stores.
These crepes are sweet and custardy, with chocolate, strawberries, bananas, a sprinkling of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup, and my oldest polished off two by herself for dessert.
You can omit the sugar and vanilla, and double the salt if you want to make it savory–and fill it with cheese and ham, or mushrooms and spinach smothered in hollandaise, or other delicious goodies.
I dried a bunch of lavender last year and between syrups, jams, and baked goods, I always enjoy adding a bit of this floral treasure to give a subtle hint of irresistible deliciousness that makes me think of spring. These tasty bars with a crumbly …
It’s spring and one of the first things to pop up in my garden is garlic chives—different than onion chives, the leaves are flat and the flavor similar to ramps but less intense. It’s a popular Asian vegetable and dead easy to grow. With my …
It’s no secret my kids are fiends for sushi so I often make handrolls at home for them—usually avocado and smoked salmon or some California since they keep well. They also love steak tartare so I always have some nice sirloin or skirt in the freezer for when I’m too lazy to make anything else. This recipe is the result of not having smoked salmon, being too lazy to go to the store, not wanting to spend money eating out, and the children being pests about wanting to eat sushi. Standard disclaimer that consuming raw or undercooked meat or seafood can lead to food-borne illnesses, so make sure you trust your butcher and let them know you’ll be consuming it raw.
The kids (and Adam) were lukewarm about lunch options so I dug out the frozen steak, warmed up some leftover rice, and pulled out the seaweed that’s always handy in the pantry, my spicy mayo recipe, and voila—they each ate a handroll without much ado. Adam had his sans the rice on a salad with some leftover croquettes and the kids devoured the handrolls which were almost the size of their faces.
If you’re making this from fresh steak, throwing it in the freezer for 20 minutes helps firm it up so it’s easier to mince. This recipe can also be placed on top of crispy crackers, or a bowl of rice with shredded nori and will be super delicious.
Mugwort—just the name drives gardeners into a fearful frenzy because of how insanely invasive it is. From just a small root grows a dense, waist high perennial that covers the ground in a span of a season. It’s difficult to get rid of once established, …