Last Saturday night, we had dinner with some friends at their house. He’s English, she’s Italian. When the food was put on the table, it looked like a rustic, country meal – comfortable, casual, and delicious. I liked the presentation almost as much as I liked the food – a whole chicken, cut up and browned with onions and mushrooms, roasted potatoes, a garden salad, and crusty bread. It was like we were living in a village near Milan (where she’s from) and were just walking by. “Come in and … [Read more...]
A giant hot dog on the moon
"I am sick of being told we have to be timid and I'm sick of being told we have to be limited to technologies that are 50 years old," Gingrich said. What’s Newt talking about, you ask? He’s talking about the moon. I’m wondering, who’s telling Newt he has to be timid? Regarding technology: “You can only use those old rockets over there, buddy. It’s all we got.” Who’s saying that? Sarah Palin was funny, and I was deeply concerned when Herman Cain and Michelle Bachmann pulled out of the … [Read more...]
A Friday recipe: cheese dip(s) for the game
I didn’t learn the correct pronunciation of the word ‘façade’ until I was twenty-two. Don’t know why. Cold water to get blood stains out? That was about eight years ago. I suppose if no one comes right out and teaches you certain, useful things like how to cook a baked potato or the myriad uses of baby powder, you just might go through your whole life not knowing unless you remember to Google your query. A lot of people say ‘vicious cycle’ instead of ‘vicious circle’ because no one has been … [Read more...]
Thursdays in the kitchen with Jo: Italian sausage and kale gratin
Though it’s one of the seven deadly sins, I must admit to feelings of pride every now and then. I worked with a woman years ago who called her husband every evening before she left the office to make sure there was enough cereal and milk for dinner. She confessed to having never turned on her oven, and the stovetop only to boil water for tea. It seemed unfathomable. Even in my single days, I’d whip up orzo with broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes as my default. I like to eat good food. My … [Read more...]
Recipe alert: the persimmon cookie
In the backyard of our house, among the orange trees that graced our property in the San Fernando Valley, was a lone persimmon tree. It shaded an old chicken coop that we’d turned into a guest house and before it could drop its mushy, messy crop, neighbors from down the road would come and collect bags of the sweet, orange-red fruit to use in recipes we knew nothing about. My mother (love ya, Mom) wasn’t much for baking and it wasn’t until I was around thirty or so that I ate my first … [Read more...]
A recipe for the weekend: tortilla soup
It’s another autumnal day here in Los Angeles – cloudy, chilly, leaves are falling - and if I wasn’t out and about I’d sit by the fire and eat soup. I’d make it tortilla soup, a little spicy, and smile as it warmed the cockles of my heart. Years ago, I got this recipe from my sister (thanks, sis). I’ve tweaked it, because I’m a recipe tweaker, adding chicken for more protein, reducing the fat content, and crunching tortilla chips over the top rather than mixing them in. It’s my husband’s … [Read more...]