It seems to me that there are two kinds of rice pudding in the world–the creamy, stovetop kind and the more dense, baked-in-the-oven kind. Both are delicious, old-fashioned foods. If you prefer the creamy, stovetop kind, this recipe is excellent and has never failed me (although I cut the sugar in half). This creamy, stovetop [...]
From now until March 3rd, you can watch this entire movie for free using this link. I highly recommend you take an hour of your time to watch this movie, starring some of my favorite people on the planet, Joel Salatin and Michael Pollen. It will inspire you to find and get to know your [...]
Virtually every culture on earth incorporates some kind of delicious fermented food into their cuisine–sauerkraut, kimchee, lacto-fermented pickles, cheese, beer, yogurt, sourdough, to name a few. Fermentation is magical and awesome. Fermenting food is of course a natural way to preserve food, but I’d also argue that humans possess an innate instinct to practice traditional [...]
“Nutcakes” sound like something a hobbit would pack for a journey, or Jemima Puddle Duck would serve with hot tea. Really what they are are pancakes, but made with rich, finely ground almond flour instead of flour. We have been making these for breakfast and find them to be much more filling, satisfying and less [...]
It is wild salmon season and the fish is looking beautiful. At the fish market, the wild salmon sits beside the farmed salmon, and the visual difference is striking. The wild salmon is a psychedelic orange color that glows with an opaque, shiny luster. The farmed salmon is much lighter, much fattier and much less [...]
You can’t get much more simple, basic and old-fashioned than a pan of roasted vegetables. There is nothing new or particularly inventive about roasted vegetables, but I still think this is a superior method of preparing carrots. The carrots are tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar and ground coriander seed. They [...]
My friend John has been kind enough to share this old family recipe. John is a very good friend of ours, a totally solid, nice, funny guy. He is also usually the smartest guy in the room, but he is too well-mannered to let anyone know. He is quietly smart. He is one of the [...]
I have been a very grumpy mummy this week. I got a cold over the long weekend, because apparently having children means having a cold once every other month for eight years. Then I had lots of work, and the usual kid things, and no running because of the cold, and all that culminated [...]
Vanilla beans are the rich, resinous fruit of an orchid plant grown in warm climates. They are a luxury, because they are expensive, but the internet has made them very affordable and available. Just a quick search found these and these, both of which will get you beans for less than $1.00 each. Good [...]
My friend Stephanie came over the other day to see the overgrown jungle that is my garden. Stephanie used to be in the military, but now she “just” raises four kids under the age of seven. She still laughs all the time, looks gorgeous and has a sense of humor. I think she may be [...]
Here is a little something different to throw on the grill–inspired by a recipe from Paula Wolfert’s Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco. To make these really special, acquire some ras el hanout. If you can’t find it, use a small pinch each of clove, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, nutmeg and turmeric. You can [...]
I’ve been a little clueless about the gluten free world up until this last year. I never really paid much attention to gluten free, until I started noticing that I had an awful lot of friends and neighbors that were going on gluten free diets for many different health reasons. I had always thought of [...]
Don’t let the simplicity of this dish fool you. Despite the fact that there are only three ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time, this compote is like nectar of the gods. Compote means fruit cooked in syrup (think canned peach halves, only about a thousand times better). In this case, the fruit is tossed [...]
I’m back from Atlanta safe and sound, after having a great trip overall. I was a bit nervous as I flew there Thursday, going alone to a strange city without the benefit of knowing a single soul. Atlanta is huge and vibrant and ALIVE. It struck me as a city bursting with energy from the [...]
One of my most important cooking tips is actually a gardening tip: plant an herb garden. Having fresh herbs on hand is fundamental to fresh, healthy, tasty cooking. Not only will planting an herb garden save you tons of money in the long run, it will give you instant access to the best way to [...]
Name almost any fruit, followed by the words “upside down cake”, and my ears perk up. Imagine my thrill when I saw a recipe in a 1962 edition Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for rhubarb upside down cake. It is a spectacular idea. Rhubarb is a personal favorite–I love its tangy bite when raw [...]
