Tag: cooking

Cooking as Comfort

In these times, having something under your control is essential to one’s sanity. Even better if it doesn’t require potential pathogen exposure. Julian and I have been cooking and baking up a storm with ingredients we have on hand. Last week I got some burger out of the freezer. I didn’t have any buns in …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/04/08/cooking-as-comfort/

First Name Basis

When one has nearly 600 cookbooks, you can go for a while without cracking the spine of a few. Others are used regularly. Then there are the ones that I refer to by the author’s first name. Some of them depend on the context. Here are a few cookbooks to which I refer that way: …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/03/07/first-name-basis/

A Lighter Kugel

Most kugels will stick to your ribs and thighs in perpetuity. The noodles or potatoes are bound together with mass quantities of cheese and eggs, then baked. There may be some raisins or other fruit in the recipe, but the net effect is high fat with a little starch thrown in. When faced with what …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/01/16/a-lighter-kugel/

New Year, New Gemisches

For a change, we hosted the New Year’s Eve celebration. It was low-key and broke up well before midnight. (Blame my farm girl genes and my 5:30 am swim for that.) The menu was paella with chicken and Spanish chorizo, sous vide parsnips, salad, crusty bread, and chocolate cake. As an appetizer, I made bacon …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/01/04/new-year-new-gemisches/

Sous Vide on the Sammamish

Julian got me a sous vide stick and cookbook for Christmas. This particular device is made by Chef Steps, a Seattle-based company that was recently acquired by Breville. The principle of sous vide is to cook food at a lower temperature for a longer period of time in a water bath. The temperature is high …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2020/01/02/sous-vide-on-the-sammamish/

Clam-o-Rama

One of the perks of living in the Pacific Northwest is the plethora of fresh fish and seafood that’s available. Our regular grocery stores have tanks and iced displays of locally-grown clams, oysters, mussels, and Dungeness crabs. Mussels and manila clams are reasonably priced and make quick and tasty meals. We have two go-to recipes …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/04/15/clam-o-rama/

The Cinderella Vegetable

Cauliflower is this year’s kale. It’s undergone a Cinderella-like transformation from the stinky vegetable your mother forced on you to the one everyone’s eating. It’s low carb! You can buy it chopped up so you can pretend it’s rice! (Save your money, use your food processor to chop the flowerets.) It’s even incorporated into frozen …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/03/09/the-cinderella-vegetable/

Cuisine Hopping

Over the years I’ve gone on jags of cooking in particular cuisines, usually accompanied by cookbook purchases. Many of these jags have related to access to ingredients and restaurants in the area. Others have been fostered by acquaintances or travels. Three examples: Asian. Chinese was the first foreign cuisine I wanted to explore. One of …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2019/02/24/cuisine-hopping/

Power Tools!

Now we get to the Tim Allen/Home Improvement part of arming your kitchen. Some people love kitchen electrical gadgets. Others eschew them. We are in the middle camp. Our main consideration: Will we use this appliance  enough to grant it precious space on our counter or in our cabinet? Here are a few other factors …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/02/power-tools/

Arming Your Kitchen

Over the years we’ve accumulated a large batterie de cuisine, armaments to wage battle against ingredients to make meals. I’ve come a long way from the time a former roommate and I beat egg whites for a soufflé – with a fork. It worked, but our arms were mighty sore afterward. Since we all have …

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Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2018/09/02/arming-your-kitchen/

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