Cooking
Surprising Fare
Dinner at my house is much more likely to consist of tom kha or vegetarian tamales or even paneer tikka masala than fried chicken or barbecue. Finding ingredients for ethnic cuisine here in Montgomery can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. Every couple of months we make a pilgrimage to Dekalb Farmer’s Market and […]
Canning is Awesome. That’s All There Is To It.
Last summer, I tried my hand at canning for the first time and I was really quite pleased with the results. I had 6 jars of homemade watermelon rind pickle, which I gave to my dad for Father’s Day. So with a successful canning attempt under my belt, I thought I would expand my repertoire […]
Bagels: What’s the Deal?
Globalization has many pros and cons. On the one hand, we are enriched by exposure to other cultures and ideas. On the other, there is always the risk that indigenous practices will be wiped out as technologies and economies spread around the world, erasing customs and languages in favor of a flavorless monoculture. The South […]
Korean Food: The Basics
It comes as a tremendous surprise to many people to learn that Montgomery is home to several excellent Korean restaurants. In fact, most people raised in the average small town, especially in Alabama, have an extremely limited vision of Asian cuisine. When I was growing up, there was one Chinese restaurant and that was it. […]
Buttermilk and Chess Pies: Delicious Tradition
Let them eat pie! Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the last of the turkey and sweet potatoes have probably found their way out of the fridge. But if you are a true Southerner, then you probably still have half a quart of buttermilk leftover from the cornbread dressing. Instead of letting it sit in […]
Ah Shiitake!
Winter is coming quickly, and the remnants of summer gardens are fading into memory. Most people are spending their weekends raking leaves, trimming trees and preparing their yards for winter. Instead of throwing those branches and clippings into the trash or the compost pile, why not use them to grow your own mushrooms? Mushrooms are […]
Too Hot to Cook?
I don’t have to tell you this, it’s quite obvious. It is hot in Alabama. It is (in my Pacific Northwest-born opinion) too damn hot to cook! According to the 10 day forecast, it’s not about to cool down anytime soon and the humidity is here to stay. It’s almost too hot to eat, but […]
Mixed Berry Shortcakes
Fresh berries definitely signal a change in season. As the weather warms up, arms are exposed and toes start peeking through sandals. Dessert has a tendency to become a little less structured as well. I am not a huge fan of chocolate-based sweets, but have been known to lose my mind over a perfectly executed […]
Time to unwind: Steak Salad
The past couple of weeks I have been insanely busy, which has left me with little time to cook for myself since I have been cooking (very happily) for others. Few things though, give me as much joy as making a meal and taking the time to enjoy it. I loathe having to eat on […]
Porch Sittin
This week’s unseasonably warm weather has prompted quite a bit of chillaxin’ on my front porch. (For those of you confused, it’s the hybrid of chillin’ and relaxin’.) I have coerced “the husband” into waking early to join me on the porch as we brave the pollen-dusted swing, listen to the news and gulp down […]
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