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So I was thumbing through my issue of Bon Appetit and came across a recipe for Thai Shrimp Halibut Curry. It looked fantastic and the reviews were all positive. I bought all of the ingredients (good stuff too and it was not cheap). It smelled divine. It looked divine. It tasted…meh. Still trying to figure out if it was me or the recipe.
Posted in recipes, Uncategorized
My Uncle Ray passed away last week. It was not unexpected, but that does’n't change anything really. He’s gonna be missed. More than anything (ok, really good food ran a close second), Uncle Ray loved movies. And I think it’s from him partly that I learned to love them too.
He loved anecdotes about classic movie actors. He loved really well done movies, but he liked the corny and the campy stuff too. He’d retell the scenes and his enthusiasm and passion always showed. One of his favorites comes from Tales of Terror. He really loved Peter Lorre. So Uncle Ray, this one’s for you:
Posted in classic movies, personal
It was my mother’s birthday yesterday. My present to her was her favorite meal: homemade pasta and sauce.
So we have a green salad (courtesy of my mom), rosemary olive bread (more on that below), meatballs, pasta, tomato sauce and my go-t0 green beans with lemon zest and pine nuts.
Making pasta is one of those things looks harder than it is. Really when you come down to it, it’s more tedious to make than it is difficult. It’s worth the effort though. There is nothing quite like it. The meal came out well, I think.
I really wish I did not have to use canned tomatoes for the sauce. They’re ok, but not the same as sauce from fresh.
So this summer I am determined to get a bushel of tomatoes from a farmer’s market and make and freeze sauce from scratch.
Anyhow, I am really really proud of the bread. 
I have made the Mark Bittman no-knead bread before, but I’ve always done the shortened version (the one that takes about 12 hours). This time, I went for the 24 hour version. Half whole wheat flour, half white. flour. I added in chopped, pitted oil cured olives and fresh rosemary. Coated the dough in olive oil and let rise for 18 -20 hours. This is the result (well there’s another rising in there, but you get the idea).
It was great to celebrate with friends and enjoy this meal.
And now, I think I am going to go enjoy some salad and a slice of this bread for my supper.
Not too long ago, I was pondering gift ideas. I make a very nice little recipe of Ina Garten’s, but it calls for cashews, which aren’t exactly cheap.
Then I found Alton Brown’s recipe for Spiced Pecans. You basically take a pound of pecan halves and toast them in a cast iron skillet for a few minutes. You then add butter, then a spice mixture, then brown sugar and some water. Presto, you have made crack. Okay, not crack, but really really really yummy nuts.
After the first batch, I went a lot easier on the cayenne and cumin. Then I put the cooled pecans into 4oz Ball canning jars. So far they’ve been a hit.
Posted in cooking shows, recipes
Once upon a time when I was small, I was an avid viewer of Emergency! Every week paramedics Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto (Locke’s dad on Lost and quite a looker back in the day) answered emergency calls all over Los Angeles County. With the help of Drs. Kelly Brackett, Joe Early, and Nurse Dixie McCall at Rampart Hospital, they were able to provide urgent medical treatment to a variety of patients.
The first thing I ever remember wanting to be was a paramedic. We lived next door to a retired fire chief and several of the neighbors were volunteer firemen. My brother and friends would race up and down on our big wheels pretending to be transporting patients (Barbie was quite accident prone as I recall) back and forth.
Imagine my joy to discover the whole season available on Instant Netflix (there until Dec 12th at which point I’ll add anything I’ve miissed to my physical queue).
As with many childhood pleasures, it’s a bit strange to watch this as an adult. For instance, I now know that Jack Webb’s (my name is Friday. I carry a badge) production company produced Emergency! His ex-wife Julie Lord played Nurse Dixie McCall, who happened to be married to Bobby Troup (Dr. Joe Early).
It holds up surprisingly well as a television show. Although the makeup is bad. Robert Fuller wears more eye shadow than Julie Lord, but it’s a pretty tight show. I no longer want to be a paramedic, but I am glad I found this again.
It was a three dishwasher load Thanksgiving. Totally worth it though. Some highlights:
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups hot water
1 1/2 cups coarse or Kosher salt
1-2 gallons cold water
2 teaspoons peppercorns
4 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup chablis or chardonnay (dry white wine)
Recipe taken from this site.
Posted in Uncategorized
Whilst looking for an easy appetizer recipe, I stumbled across a page I’d ripped from my Gourmet magazine a couple of years ago. What you see below are 2 of the recipes for tartines (open faced sandwiches).
On the bottom is the Ham, Manchego, and Fig Tartine, which was utterly delightful. Savory, sweet, and salty all at once. Above it is the Ricotta Tartine with Spiced Marmalade. Both of them were incredibly easy to make and really perfect on a night when cooking is the last thing on my mind. I had these with a green salad and a glass of wine.
I’m sure these would make great appetizers as well (in fact, I think that’s what they’re meant to be).
Posted in recipes
