Ultimately, food experiences in 2020 were more about taking joy where I found it, rather than seeking the newest, hottest, or best-of. Following are my top-five eats of this year.
My Five Favorite Eats in 2020
Category: Cooking
Recipe: Fresh Ricotta and Preserved Lemon Spread
Are you a kitchen experimenter or adventurous eater? I don't mean in the Andrew Zimmern "Bizarre Foods" kind of way (although if stinky tofu or rat hearts are your thing, rock on; I'll hold off, thanks). No, I'm talking about a willingness to try food combinations or flavors that are just a touch out of … Continue reading Recipe: Fresh Ricotta and Preserved Lemon Spread
Cook Local: DIY Crunchy Peanut Butter
If you were following along with last week's user test of Alice Medrich's Peanut Crunch Brownies, then you might recall that I found myself sans a key ingredient when it came time to make said brownies. Yup, not a spoonful of crunchy, salted natural peanut butter in the house. Crap. While I will happily make … Continue reading Cook Local: DIY Crunchy Peanut Butter
User Testing Gluten-Free Peanut Crunch Brownies
I love cookbooks. Some people collect animal figures, vinyl records, or jewelry. Not me. Nope, I collect cookbooks. Not intentionally. I mean, it didn't start out that way, but after 30 years of acquiring cookbooks, I think it's fair to say that I have a collection. Ever since I was a kid, I've loved the … Continue reading User Testing Gluten-Free Peanut Crunch Brownies
Waste-Less Wednesday: Preserved Lemons
Last December, during one of my it's-the-holidays-so-I'm-indulging excursions to Whole Foods, I spied containers of preserved lemons. Nothin' fancy, just small, whole Eureka lemons, juice, salt, and citric acid in plastic deli containers. I'll admit it was a total impulse buy. Preserved lemons weren't even on my radar, but eh, it was the holidays, after … Continue reading Waste-Less Wednesday: Preserved Lemons
Waste-Less Wednesday: Carrot Top Pesto
Do you have a "Leftovers Night" at your house? Or a day when you clean out the bits and bobs that have been lingering in your refrigerator? You know what I mean: those three limpy, sad carrots that are too soft for salad, or one lonely baby bok choy whose only hope of being saved … Continue reading Waste-Less Wednesday: Carrot Top Pesto
Eat Local: Comfort Me
FINALLY we've been getting some much-needed rain here in the 650. (Damn, wish I'd remembered to cover the patio furniture before that started!) Unfortunately, for those of us prone to sinus-related misery -- colds, infections, allergies, and the like -- the season's first round of feeling-under-the-weather ick has blown in with the rain. Ugh. Yes, … Continue reading Eat Local: Comfort Me
Out of the Box: What I’ve Learned
When I started getting CSA deliveries of fresh, organic produce last year, I was like a kid on Christmas morning (the kind of kid who didn't sneak into mom's closet to see what Santa was bringing). Every delivery was a surprise -- with the added bonus that having fresh fruits and vegetables delivered to my … Continue reading Out of the Box: What I’ve Learned
Bristol Bay Salmon: One Thing Leads to Another
Salmon. It's what's for dinner. And lunch. And well, even breakfast. From Safeway to Whole Foods to the local farmer's market, you can find beautiful, fresh fillets or thick steaks of this healthful, tasty fish in hues ranging from bright orange to almost-red. While salmon is versatile -- it holds up well to most cooking methods … Continue reading Bristol Bay Salmon: One Thing Leads to Another
Look Ma, No Hands: Cooking Without a Recipe
Sometimes the universe sends just what you need before you realize you need it. Earlier this week, as my friend Amy was getting ready to head to the East Coast to visit her daughter, she offered me... groceries. Groceries. I wanted to say yes, but um, have you seen my fridge? It's still packed full … Continue reading Look Ma, No Hands: Cooking Without a Recipe