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 [...]
Sometimes hard boiled eggs are surprisingly tricky to get right. This is my fail safe recipe for a perfect hard cooked egg, every time. The only trick is to watch the water carefully-the second it comes to a boil, turn it off and cover the pan. After that, just wait for 9 minutes and you [...]
I may have mentioned that I plant too many things in the garden. I have a truckload of swiss chard over here it is going in everything. Here is a very tasty recipe. This would be good as a side dish with chicken or pork, or on its own with some steamed rice. I adapted [...]
In this Washington Post article, “Why Being A Foodie Isn’t Elitist”, Eric Schlosser argues that “foodie” is not an elitist term. Schlosser believes that thinking and talking about food actually challenges the corporate elite who own the nation’s food systems, and is therefore not elitist. His article is terrific and I couldn’t agree more, [...]
I am a chronic over-planter. Meaning, left to my own devices I will plant six tomatoes in a space where there should be three. Every single year. By mid summer, it is impossible to bushwhack through the tomato jungle to harvest a single fruit. Well, impossible for us to reach the fruits of our labors–the [...]
It is hard to improve on a plain brownie, but this recipe might fit the bill. Brown sugar and cinnamon perfume the dark and milk chocolate, making them reminiscent of Mexican chocolate. A crunchy brown sugar-almond topping adds a perfect crunch. These brownies are moist and cakey–perfect with a scoop of ice cream or a [...]
Proper seasoning is fundamental to success in the kitchen, but it is also the most overlooked and misunderstood step. Here are some simple steps to season like a professional: 1. Buy a box of kosher salt. Kosher salt is cheap and it is the salt of choice for most chefs for everyday use. The large [...]
I had a surprise in the kitchen recently that involved pork, profanity and deep breaths. It started because I wanted to try a new carnitas recipe. I’ve been making the same one for years. I only really make carnitas once a year, at most–we don’t really eat like that much any more. I thought [...]
There are as many variations of mole as there are regions of Mexico. This one from David Leibovitz is one of my favorites. It most closely resembles Oaxacan Black Mole, except that the chilies used are ones that are easily found in California. Also, I use a blender instead of grinding the mole by hand [...]
One of the easiest ways to start making delicious, old fashioned food at home is to make real chicken stock on a regular basis. It is easy, economical and it gives food a flavor that cannot be matched by any store bought product. There are two ways to make chicken stock–the whole chicken way and [...]
This recipe had to be tested extensively. Over and over. I’m just telling you this so you understand how hard we are working here to make sure we deliver tasty recipes. A lot of strawberries and tequila were sacrificed to make this recipe perfect. I love margaritas, but I’m not a big fan of blended [...]
A lot of people are becoming more aware about the toxic pesticides that are used on our foods here in the U.S. Depending on where you live, it might be difficult to get organic food for your family, either because it is in short supply or really expensive. Some foods are worse than others in [...]
I am reading Encarnacion’s Kitchen, Mexican Recipes from Nineteenth-Century California. It is a treasure. It was written by Encarnacion Pinedo and published in 1898. She was the first Hispanic person to publish a cookbook in the United States and it contains a beautiful, simple record of the food of Mexico that was brought to California [...]
