Hashbrowns
I recently had a conversation with a friend about how much we love In ‘n’ Out Burgers- the West Coast burger chain that inspires groupie-like devotion. I mentioned to her that- though I love the flavor of their burgers- it is the partnership between the burger and the fries that does it for me. Those fries taste clean and potatoey. Cut onsite from fresh potatoes, they are just amazing.
Homemade hashbrowns have that same quality without the hassle or mess of the deep-fryer. If you’ve never had hashbrowns made with fresh potatoes, you’re in for a treat. And like the burger and the fry, they are soul-mates with rich, golden pasture-raised scrambled eggs. Read more
Do you know the mushroom man?
Posted by Jill | October 15, 2010 | Filed under: Home, Ingredients
The day I spy that first winter squash at my local farmer’s market is always a bit sad for me. Butternuts and acorns are like the opening notes of “Last Dance” at a great wedding reception. There’s something about that moment, however, that portends one more great thing before the end of the market: the reappearance of the mushroom man. Read more
The Foodlife Journey: The Friendly Lunchbox
When it comes to the contents of your kid’s lunchbox you can break (almost) all the rules. Don’t try so hard. Stop wringing your hands about your lack of creativity. If your kid eats a PBJ every day for the next five years, it’s okay. Lunch is the meal at which you can apply your impulses to short-order cook. Can you believe it? Has the moving stress gotten to me and I’ve finally gone mad?! Read more
Sweat the Small Stuff
Over the past few months, I’ve written a few recipes that call for the cook to “sweat” the aromatics. I don’t mean perspiring over a hot pan into your food.
“Sweating” is a technique for cooking aromatics. Aromatics are ingredients whose purpose it is to create flavor upon which a dish can be built. With French cooking, those aromatics are often some form of mirepoix. For Italian, it’s a soffrito. Read more
Culinary Xanax
I now have one more important criterion for a new house: ambient light quality. We're just off a four-day whirlwind house hunting trip in Westchester County, NY. I shot this to test the quality of light on the range top. This little cup with cotton-tipped swabs was just sitting on the counter. Pretty, eh? It's a promising backdrop for the Ready Prep Go! kitchen of the future.
I am in the middle of another relocation- the fourth in 10 years. We’re headed back to New York- whenever we get there. The emotional and practical chaos has been crushing. House-hunting trips, home showings and endless to-do lists have squeezed home cooking out of my life. Exercise time has become unpredictable. I’ve imbibed too many of my daily allotment of calories from stemware. Read more
The Foodlife Journey
Happy New Year!
This time last year, I received an email from my friend, Shannon, wishing me and all of her friends a Happy New Year. No, she wasn’t absurdly late with her to-do list. She was making the point that- as a mother of school-aged kids- the time of the year when really senses newness is the beginning of the school year. She’s right, isn’t she? Read more
Curried Lentils with Summer Squash
Getting home from the pool or- soon enough- soccer practice a little later than you thought you would? This is the perfect, simple, nourishing dish to throw together in 30 minutes. Read more
Brothless Soup: The Soup for Summer
Question: When you’re feeling the need to eat something cleansing, healthy and nourishing, what food comes to mind first? I betcha most of you think of soup.
I spent last week on a canoeing and rock climbing trip with 55 nine- and ten- year olds. It was a great time in a crazy way. Nevertheless, four days of white bread, limited veggies and too much sugar had me yearning for food that is pure and nourishing. More practically, I needed to get my guts moving again.
But it’s 91 freakin’ degrees and 100% humidity here in Chicago! As wonderful as Minestrone sounds- with zucchini, carrots, tomatoes and basil so fresh this time of year- it’s just too darned hot for soup. No problem. I worked this out last spring: it’s called the brothless soup. Read more
Tex-Mex Succotash
Corn and beans are the classic Mexican subsistence food. For thousands of years the Mayan civilization depended upon these staples for their existence. They had no idea how important to their survival this combination actually was. You see, the combination of the amino acids in beans and corn makes a protein that is perfectly complete for the human body to use. Arguably, succotash in its varying forms- just about any kind of bean combined with corn will do the trick- might be the most important food for vegetarians to make a regular part of their diet. Read more
Blueberry Lemon Zucchini Muffins
Don’t think I’m going all Jessica Seinfeld on ya, but you’ve gotta love this opportunity to sneak a little extra veggies into your family’s diet at breakfast. The sweet, warm, oozing blueberries burst with flavor in your mouth. The texture is heavenly- like a gauzy white shirt-dress on a breezy summer day. This is a healthy muffin that is light as air and yet is as filling as one of those leaden hockey-puck bran muffins.
Blueberries and zucchini are beautiful and bountiful right now. Take advantage. Read more
