Mussels are the hidden gem of the seafood world. They’re insanely inexpensive ($4 a pound at the local farmer’s market), extremely healthy despite their high-cholesterol-stigma (they’re high in protein, very low in fat) and cook up in a flash (think 15 minutes for a meal, start to finish). Plus, they are labeled a “Best Choice” [...]
{ 0 comments }
Portobello mushrooms are the kings of the fungi world. Their meatiness and size make them a great substitute for meat, not to mention a wallet-friendly alternative. When I stumbled upon the mushroom lady at the farmer’s market last weekend, a few portobellos jumped out at me and I couldn’t resist taking them home. I’ve been [...]
{ 0 comments }
I love the New York Times’ food journalist, Mark Bittman, for many reasons: his inspiring recipe ideas, quirky how-to videos, but mostly because he made me feel like a bona fide Julia-freaking-Childs today. I followed his famous No Knead Bread recipe (with a few additions here and there, of course) and created what I believe [...]
{ 5 comments }
A few years ago, the New York Times’ Mark Bittman introduced the world to “No Knead Bread“, creating a little culinary phenomenon across the country. People became tickled pink by the idea that you could create beautiful, golden-crusted bread without having to knead dough for an agonizing 10 to 20 minutes beforehand. (To date, Bittman’s article [...]
{ 0 comments }
I’m obsessed with Sunset magazine. I turn to them for their fantastic day-trip ideas (including oyster eating in Tomalas Bay and off-the-beaten-path hikes in Big Sur), design inspiration for my ongoing home DIY projects, and quick n’ easy recipe ideas that often highlight in-season ingredients. What I usually avoid is the gardening sections. I don’t [...]
{ 0 comments }
A recent trip to Paris left me inspired by some seriously fancy French knife work. Practically all of my meals came with chiffonade salad something or julienned vegetables whatever. All of this crazy cutting, slicing and dicing made every plate look like a work of art. It also made every meal fun to eat. There’s [...]
{ 0 comments }
On Tuesday night, Jillian and I headed down to the Ferry Building for a panel discussion on local food distribution, put on by Kitchen Table Talks and (CUESA) aka the Center for Urban Education About Sustainable Agriculture. There is no question that the current food distribution model is broken, as there are food surpluses throughout [...]
{ 0 comments }
Celery root, I deem you ugliest vegetable in the plant kingdom (with rutabaga coming in close second). With it’s gnarled, lumpy brown skin and tangled root ends, it’s easy to pass by a celery root at the farmer’s market or grocery store and not think twice. But, as they say, never judge a book by [...]
{ 1 comment }
Come this time each year, I’m pretty green’ed out. Week after week, chard, kale, and collard greens appear in my box and dominate the market’s offerings. And while I’m a big fan of hearty greens, there is only so much one person can take. But friends, there is hope…at the Marin Farmer’s Market this weekend, [...]
{ 0 comments }
Sometimes I play this game called “I’m too lazy to go to the supermarket, so what in my fridge can I coax into dinner??” Many times, this game ends very badly. But this time around it was a success! Using kitchen staples (eggs, olive oil, sea salt) and questionable scraps (potatoes developing roots, limp spinach, [...]
{ 1 comment }