Every cook has horror stories; I have my own fair share and two of them are related to Thanksgiving. Some years ago, I was attending a Thanksgiving dinner with some friends and their extended family, including their elderly grandmother. I decided to contribute a pumpkin pie. Image by Element5 Digital from Pixabay The pie baked …
The season of sharing
Many years ago, I decided to throw a little dinner party for some friends on the weekend before Thanksgiving. I went out to get the groceries and returned home to be greeted by my son, then 7 years old. As with most growing boys, he had a keen interest in food. He eagerly assisted me …
A taste of summer in autumn
The days are shorter and colder; winter is upon us, but we wanted one last summer-time meal before we officially kick off the holiday season. Also, I had this brand new, pre-seasoned Lodge grill just waiting for a workout. I had visions of homemade salmon burgers on homemade sesame buns, dripping with tartar sauce. So, …
The low-down on ketchup
IT IS QUITE LIKELY the most ubiquitous condiment in American households. Whether you call it "ketchup," "catsup" or "catchup," you likely have a bottle or two adorning a refrigerator shelf at this very moment. Americans love the stuff and that's putting it mildly. Somehow, per capita consumption is 71 pounds a year. I know I …
The Battle of the Breads: Wands vs. Slippers
Having successfully produced a few batches of baguettes, the quintessential French bread, I decided it was time to take on its Italian counterpart: ciabatta. The history of these two loaves is fascinating and underscores the friendly culinary competitiveness between the two nations. The baguette has been around since the French revolution. Bread was a mainstay …
Continue reading "The Battle of the Breads: Wands vs. Slippers"
The move
IT HAS BEEN QUITE SOME TIME since we have posted here and we have a good excuse. Amid the pandemic, raging wildfires, heat waves, economic mayhem and political strife, we left (escaped?) the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Angeles for a sleepy suburb in Ventura County. It seems like only yesterday that we were …
Foolproof crackers
ABOUT A YEAR ago, Sherry and I were in a small town in Minnesota staying at a Residence Inn. It was your typical chain hotel with nondescript rooms. But this place had quite the happy hour. It wasn't the friendly service or copious amounts of alcohol that impressed us the most, though. It was the …
Confessions regarding a gingerly topic
WE use ginger. Lots of it. We make ginger ale, and ginger tea. We cook a multitude of Indian, Mauritian, Chinese and Thai dishes. Ginger is a necessity for these cuisines. But let's face it: peeling this root is tedious. The etymology of the word "ginger" (or should I say the root word of the …
The perfect pizza crust
As a kid, pizza was a treat for dinner. Mom made them completely by hand, starting with the dough from scratch. She got pretty good at it. So good, in fact, that she could not only churn out enough to feed a family of 10, but would sell them to neighbors for the princely sum …
Sherry & George 