Box Pasta

I talk big talk about making your own pasta, but there is a time and a place for everything. For example, corkscrew pasta (Fusilli). First, there is no way in hell I am trying to make this by hand. Second, someone else has already made some, boxed it up and it’s for sale at the grocery store. Just don’t be tempted by the jars of red stuff a few feet away masquerading as pasta sauce.

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Vanilla Extract

My wife likes orchids. A lot. So, as you can guess, I have been to a few orchid nurseries. On one trip, I learned that vanilla is a seed pod that grows on an orchid. Who knew? The picture above is of my wife’s homemade vanilla extract.

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Boiled vs. Roasted

Take your average Butternut squash. Try cooking it two different ways: roasted and boiled. The difference is amazing. When roasted, the sweetness is overwhelming. It tastes like you added sugar to it. The other half (cubed, boiled and mashed), is light and nutty. Same vegetable, two techniques, dramatically different results.

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Works As Advertised

These are wonderful bowls, with a good pitch and heavy gauge aluminum. The main selling point, though, is the rubber coated bottoms. The bowls grab onto your counter as you whisk, stir and mix, never giving up an inch. Here’s the rub, when you put them away in your cabinet, that rubber doesn’t stop working. And, you thought they did a good job holding onto your counter? They glue themselves to the painted shelf in your storage area, lending themselves to a very dramatic next appearance.

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Pecan, Pear, Goat

Toasted Pecan, Pear, Goat Cheese Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. This was a big hit with a dinner party we had after Thanksgiving. I think the guests liked it because it was lighter than the food they had been having around the holiday. I liked it because it only took 15 minutes to make and it scales up or down in a flash.

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