Category Archives: Kitchen essentials

A Sweet Rhubarb Treat: Pickled – No Strawberries Required

On Sunday we went to our local farmers market and Cheryl, who hadn’t been to it with me in about a month, was kind of amazed at the sight and state of things. We keep reminding ourselves the spring growing season comes earlier here in the DMV and with it more options. I mean myContinue reading “A Sweet Rhubarb Treat: Pickled – No Strawberries Required”

Chive Blossom Butter – Take Advantage of Seasonal Herbs

One of the simplest things you can do to preserve seasonal seasonal flavors is make compound butter and freeze it. Chive blossoms have been abundant the past few weeks so you know what I’ve been up to.

Pepper Paste – An Alternate Paste

So you’ve reached that point in your home cooking where the tricks and flavors you’ve been using are now like that lonely end of the loaf of bread you baked 5 days ago…a little stale. Guajillo pepper paste (and its broth) is another of my go-to’s which can be added to almost anything year round.

Salt & How to Cook A Pretty Near Perfect Steak

This is going to seem like a very simple post on cooking a steak but I think it’s one which needs to be written based on A LOT of pandemic cooking photos I see on social media channels. Also, because my mom asked.

Fermented Mushrooms – Triple Threat of Flavor Enhancing

Ok so I don’t necessarily want this to become all fermenting all the time but but it’s what I’ve been playing with and believe me now that we’re all moved and settling back into life I have a lot of goofy things I want to try. Like last week’s post I tried the lacto-fermentation techniqueContinue reading “Fermented Mushrooms – Triple Threat of Flavor Enhancing”

Shio Koji

Over the past few years I found the more I prepared food and cooked for people the more I wanted to bring new experiences and flavors to them. My first dive into the fermentation world was this: Shio Koji. It’s become a staple in the kitchen and one I reach for to add another layerContinue reading “Shio Koji”

New Kitchen Book – Charcuteria: The Soul of Spain

It’s not often you see me write about stuff other than food I’ve been cooking or sausages I’ve been making. That should tell you something about this particular acquisition. If you are into making sausages and curing meat you need to get yourself a copy of Charcuteria: The Soul of Spain, by Jeffrey Weiss.

Homemade Mustard – Condiment Making 101

Mustard. Chicago’s favored hot dog condiment and one which comes in many forms. There’s spicy, sweet, honey, stone ground, Dijon, country-style, Chinese, German, sharp and tangy…I could go on and on. If you take a look at the ingredients you’ll find, no matter which is your favorite, mustards are pretty much all made with theContinue reading “Homemade Mustard – Condiment Making 101”

Pollo alla Milanese Vestito (Breaded Chicken Cutlets)

Sorry for more Italian but I’ve been on a roll lately and couldn’t resist making Pollo alla Milanese this week.  Cheryl’s been swamped at work and this is one of her favorites.  It’s also her birthday week so I thought this would be a nice weeknight dinner to prepare for her.  That and pollo allaContinue reading “Pollo alla Milanese Vestito (Breaded Chicken Cutlets)”