i hope you eat good food, grow beautiful things, and have more love than you know what to do with.
As my garden wakes up this spring, I thought about how it will be the last season I’ll be able to enjoy it (hello ramps, good morning asparagus!) Having fed my family for years from painstakingly building it from a sandy, sterile lawn using purely …
I LOVE tabbouleh (and so does my husband) which is one of the few dishes that truly showcases the flavor profile of parsley, but when the craving hits, I often don’t have cracked bulgar wheat on hand. I originally intended to make this dish the …
Warning: This post contains information on raising quail for meat. If that bothers you, please skip it.
First, if you’re interested in raising easy to keep Japanese Coturnix quail for meat or eggs, please check out my guide.
The quail that did not go into my Hainanese Quail and Rice recipe was used for yakitori, which is Japanese grilled meat and vegetable skewers. My wood burning stove is about to retire for the season as the weather warms up, so I wanted to do one last recipe that would showcase the smoky flavor it imparts on whatever I throw into it. I have a lot of oak wood so that’s what’s used, but you can do this in your oven, air fryer, outdoor grill, or at home tabletop grill. I do recommend using charcoal if you can, since part of its deliciousness is that smoky flavor.
As someone who tries not to waste any of the meat that is provided by the animal, the heart and liver will always find its way into my meals somehow. Freshly laid quail eggs grilled yakitori style is also a treat, and the bonus is the kids have a lot of fun “egg hunting.”
Warning: This post talks about using poultry I have raised as food. If that makes you uncomfortable, please skip this post. First, if you’re interested in raising quail for yourself or your family, whether for eggs or for meat, check out my quail raising guide! …
I have been getting cabbages in my produce box lately, and while I do like cabbage in other applications (like crispy tasty fried kaki-age), here is a really simply way to use up cabbage. The winter cabbage is naturally sweet and crispy, perfect for breakfast …
If you find yourself with an abundance of leftover, semi-stale shokupan and wondering what to do with it, I highly recommend an Italian bread salad. This east meets west fusion recipe is a perfect breakfast if you crack an egg over it, or for a bright and tasty lunch. Of course, if your bread is unable to be cut into cubes and has fully dried out, it would serve you better to turn it into panko breading for tasty tempura (you can break it into pieces and throw it into the food processor.)
I usually don’t have leftovers, but the last week has been hectic and the Hokkaido milk bread that I make almost weekly for sandwiches ended up going past its usable life as sandwich bread (store bought bread has stabilizers and preservatives to keep their bread soft, which I don’t add to mine) and had to think of things to use it for.
In the summer, when I have an abundance of tomatoes, basil, and other herbs from the garden, every rendition is slightly different since I often go by feel. If you grow arugula, this is a great way to spice it up. Maybe I should call it a reverse salad, with the croutons being the main bulk?
After a harrowing incubation and hatching period, eleven cute, fluffy little celadon quail are now growing happily in a brooder in my mud room. My hognose snake, the dashing Mrs. Pigworm who was the original inhabitant of the makeshift brooder, is now relegated to a …
You got chicks coming in, either by mail or eggs in the incubator, and you want to know which heating option is the best for your fluffy and adorable new arrivals. You know there are a few types out there, but what are the actual …
I love scrapple, which is made from the leftover “scraps” of pork which often means the headmeat and organs. I first had it a few years ago, during a trip to Atlantic City, where it caught my eye on an unassuming diner breakfast menu. I had never heard of it before, which is a shame because I imagine my breakfasts would have looked very different had I knew about this scrumptious breakfast meat. I dislike waste, which means I prefer to eat all the parts of an animal, usually down to the marrow, so this particular recipe is best for people who want to minimize how much of an animal is thrown out.
If you don’t like liver, it might not be for you since it is made with it. I hesitate to call this a scrapple recipe, since I’m not using additional meats and organs—instead, this would be closer to its cousin: Livermush or liver pudding.
I know that doesn’t sound appetizing but if you love pate, it would be right up your alley. Originally I had planned to make use of the lamb liver I received with my lamb order from R&K Homestead, but I made a mistake and defrosted the pork liver I got from them instead. I used the chicken and pork gelatin broth I have frozen for other applications (such as my soup dumplings and ramen) for the liquid which would usually be made from the head of a pig (along with the meat picked clean) but you can use pork trotters instead. It will be the liquid the other part of this recipe, cornmeal, absorbs. Of course, I’m lazy so I used instant grits, which makes this particular recipe take about 20 minutes rather than hours.
I like frying the slices in the air fryer, and serving it with grits and eggs, or toast (in the image, I actually used my homemade hokkaido milk bread—shokupan), grilled tomatoes, and eggs. Evidently it is sometimes served with grape jelly or mustard on biscuits, which I will endeavor to try one day.
DO be aware that too much liver is a bad thing—as you can get vitamin A poisoning (ask me how I know) so eat responsibly! The upper limit is about 3oz a day.
I’m going to preface this by saying that unless you have a lot of time and nothing else to do, don’t do this. You can easily make a deconstructed one where you just pile the tebasaki (Japanese style fried chicken wings) high with melted cheese, …