Being food-obsessed usually means you may have strong, somewhat obnoxious opinions about any and all food-related topics that you staunchly present as facts. (Which they very well may be.) A well-done steak is a waste of good meat. Don't refrigerate your tomatoes. There is no point to pre-ground pepper whatsoever. (Stick to your guns people.) One such argument that I shan't ever back down on is that pre-cooked frozen shrimp are The Worst. They are bland, they are mushy, they are evil. ... continue reading...
Dirty Shrimp & Mezcal Cocktail Sauce
Grapefruit Aperol Punch
Let's keep this short and sweet. I hate mixing individual drinks. When I'm doing a dinner party I try to have most things done ahead of time. Does that happen? Not always :) Mostly because I changed my mind halfway through and decided we don't want salad today we want roasted sprouts instead. I haven't yet washed the food processor or put on makeup and I'm trying to remember exactly how many gluten-free friends are coming. My go-to cooking outfit is an XL men's black tank top that acts as a ... continue reading...
Rhubarb-Glazed Pork Belly
If I had to choose one meat to cook with for the rest of my life it would be an easy decision: PORK. Duh. That animal is chock-full of delicious bits. Ribs, chops, cheeks. It's a true nose-to-tail animal that welcomes us to fully take advantage. It has my vote on pork belly alone. Pork belly is everything. It has a texture like no other cut: half meaty morsel half melty fatty heaven. It's the mother of all bacon. Rhubarb and pork together is a lovely combination. The puckery tartness ... continue reading...
Sweet & Sour Juniper Berry Pickles
These juniper pickles are mad delicious, and we will get to them I promise. But more importantly.. Last night we saw Lorde in Boston. Safe to say neither myself nor my voicebox will ever be the same again. To be in an arena where upwards of 20,000 humans are all belting the same song, fixated on the same magnificent young woman giving a show of a lifetime. When the music is so loud you feel it echoing in your bones, and you jump up and down so much that you maybe peed a little. Being able ... continue reading...
Kiwi Mezcal Smash
Kiwi is the super cool, totally unique, ready to party girl from New Zealand. She's bubbly, fresh, vibrant. Gets along just swimmingly with earthy Mezcal and Parisian flower-child St. Germain. They're pretty much besties -- and you should invite them all to your next party. The 'Smash' is a type of cocktail that requires ice, fruit, and alcohol. It doesn't need to be shaken. Everything is poured right into the glass, which is exciting when you just want to enjoy Friday night and not dirty ... continue reading...
Mexican Street Corn Deviled Eggs
The amount of people disgusted by deviled eggs upsets me. Close friends -- people I love deeply, that I would take a bullet for -- are so intensely offended when I offer or even speak of deviled eggs it makes me question everything I know...And that maybe it's time to replace friends and/or family entirely. Just to be safe. Because what's not to love??? Fact: Eggs are delicious every which way. Fact: Deviled eggies are TINY, ADORABLE AND CUSTOMIZABLE (three favorite things!!). Besides being ... continue reading...
Tilapia & Bean Coconut Chowder
Winters up here in New England are mischievous beasties. They like to catch us unawares and tackle us when we least expect it. The sun starts to flirt and stay up just a little bit later. The biting wind calms down and stops spazzing out for five minutes. Patches of snow begin to melt into puddles of hope. Just when you're thinking about maybe peeling a layer of Sherpa clothing off -- a blizzard pounces like Hobbes pounces Calvin. Sometimes the only cure for chilly bones is a good hearty ... continue reading...
Roasted Bone Marrow with Preserved Lemon Herb Salad
If creamy salty butter and a beautiful steak made a baby -- that baby would be bone marrow. Something that maybe you've only seen at a snazzy gastropup is impossibly easy to make at home. The hardest part is finding good quality bones (vital!) --which a quick heads-up to your local butcher should solve. This appetizer is a stunner: it's beautiful, surprising, delicious. Bone marrow has a velvety butter texture just begging to be put on all the toast, tasting like condensed beef ... continue reading...
Yogurt Cookies with Strawberry & Thyme from Molly Yeh’s New Book!
To say I hyperventilated when I got a surprise copy of Molly Yeh's newest cookbook Yogurt in the mail would be a gross understatement. Getting regular things in the mail is already exciting (that is when it's not bills or another flyer from that gross pizza place that you will never ever visit.) So to get a brand-spankin'-new, not yet on the shelves, beautiful little Short Stack cookbook from one of your all-time favorite food-blogging friends brings on a whole next level of high-pitched ... continue reading...
Quick & Easy Scallion Pancake
I've been making this scallion pancake for over five years. (True in the grand scheme of things it's nothing.) I've been married for almost seven, so that adds some perspective..It's one of Husband's favorite and most frequent requests. When we lived on the Ecuadorian coast cooking in an outdoor kitchen -- battling ants and a sputtering campfire stove that refused to light on command. When we lived in the mountains of Guatemala in a shared house -- where ducks waddled by and Abuelitas ... continue reading...