One loaf of bread One big bunch of Swiss chard One bag of arugula (more than I can eat in salads, so some of it will go into pasta) Five strange little cucumbers with yellowish-green skin, each the size of a lemon Four tomatoes of various colors One bunch of purple basil Three donut peaches […]
On Sunday I went to the new Headhouse Farmers’ Market, where I ended up going a bit produce-crazy: the morning’s haul included peaches, heirloom tomatoes, a cucumber, half a dozen eggs, some really decadent fudge, a bag of Asian salad greens, and — hard-to-find item of the week — a bag of garlic scapes.* They’re […]
Note to self: You’ve previously had occasion to discover that a carton of Trader Joe’s chicken broth and a carton of Trader Joe’s soy milk are exactly the same size and shape and, while not the same color, can still cause confusion if you store them side by side in the refrigerator. The ruined cup […]
Friday night: Gratin de Chou-fleur (cauliflower gratin) a la Chocolate and Zucchini. It turned out beautifully (though, note to self: try and find a bigger cauliflower next time, and use more salt). It was also my first time making a roux, which led to my first ever béchamel sauce. I’m now eating the last of […]
And while I’m on the subject of food: a friend pointed out Historic Food, a fascinating site about British cooking from the late Middle Ages to the Victorian era. The author gives courses on historically accurate cookery; the site has pictures of forgotten, astonishing culinary tools (my current favorite is the confectioner’s mould to make […]
Pan-Mediterranean Chickpea Stew, or, Why Improvisational Cooking Is the Best Drain: one 19-oz. can of chickpeas. Open: one carton Pomì chopped tomatoes. Chop finely: a couple of cloves of garlic (to taste). On one burner, start some rice cooking. On another burner, heat a splosh of olive oil in a pot. Add chopped garlic and […]
Virginia is the furthest south I’ve ever lived — except for Santa Monica, which I don’t count because I think of California as west more than anything else. So far it hasn’t been that much of a culture shock, but every so often I think "Hey, I really am living in the south." What prompts […]
I was having a wretched Sunday, full of ungraded papers and free-floating anxiety. (Have you ever really, really wanted something — say, a fellowship — and been consumed with terror that you won’t get it, and also with terror that if you think about it too much you’ll jinx it? And have you ever been […]
Found via the main Typepad page: i was just really very hungry., a food blog I think I’ll be reading regularly. Handrolled sushi! Ochazuke (which I’ve never tasted but now feel compelled to try making)! Things to do with oranges in winter! Capsule reviews of food books! And gorgeous design, to boot. Now I’m hungry. […]