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Just for Fun Not About Food Recipes

Urban Craft Uprising: Pretty Kitchen Stuff

In the way back times of the Internet, circa 2000, people were predicting you'd be able to watch TV shows online and be able to immediately click and buy the clothes Rachel or Monica were wearing. And though product placements have gotten waaaaaay more overt on TV and elsewhere, I'm still not seeing them convert that directly to purchases. What's interesting is ID'ing items, whether paid placement or not, has made its way into the food world to some extent.  Have you noticed that Food and Wine has been adding prop captions to their photos? For those of us who have too many dishes and utensils, but always seem to find room for more, I love not having to see if they've included sources at the back of the magazine.  I can't say I've bought anything as a direct result, but clearly there are a lot of us coveting pretty dishes and linens and utensils. This weekend, I went to Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle and picked up some tea towels and other kitchen accoutrement that I'm sure you'll soon be seeing here.  So today's post isn't really about the raspberry mint sorbet, it's more of an excuse to show off some cute kitchen stuff I've picked up along the way. I will say, by Seattle standards, it was hotter than Hades this weekend, and when it's that warm, even ice cream seems a little too mookie to really provide the refreshment you need. Hence, the sorbet.
July 15, 20140Comments

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Cooking Recipes

Make Strawberry Jam Before It’s Too Late!

Strawberries have a lot in common with regret. And with the old adage, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” If ever there was such a thing as a fleeting moment, strawberry season in the Northwest truly is it.  The first local strawberries seem to appear in early June and by the end of the month, they’re nearly gone.  If you want to get technical about it yes, there are ever-bearing varieties here, but the June bearers – the Puget Crimson, the Puget Reliance, the Rainiers – seem to make the most flavorful jam. For a kid who grew up in California, strawberry season stretches from as early as late January nearly all the way to the fall, before starting again. It’s a luxury that we just don’t have this far north.   You’ve got to pay attention to the calendar and the moment the strawberries come in, start tasting and making jam.  Unlike last year, when I first started dabbling with jam, I only made strawberry once, and as a refrigerator jam to boot, not realizing what I’d be missing come January and February.  This year, I was ready. Sort of.
June 27, 20140Comments

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Recipes Travel

How to Stock a Vacation Rental Kitchen

kauai montageResort vacations hold a certain allure with quick access to restaurants and poolside drinks and two towel refreshes a day, but if you’re traveling with more than two people or for an extended period of time, a vacation rental just might be the way to go. In major cities, a well situated apartment can give you a good home base for seeing the sites; at the beach, it can you give the peace and quiet, and privacy you just won’t get at a hotel. And, you can cook for yourself. On the one hand, some would say, “It’s vacation – why would you want to cook?” Well, if say, you’re entertaining the idea of a trip to the north shore of Kauai, a vacation rental with a kitchen gives you the flexibility to really enjoy farmers markets and eat local on your own. Depending on your budget, it can help save a few bucks as well.
May 21, 20140Comments

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Recipes

Hatch Chile Season 2013

roasted hatch chiles |dailywaffle The back to school stuff is going in Target, heralding the end of the summer.  Soon enough it'll be time for backpacks and lunchboxes and binders, but before we give ourselves over to  F-A-L-L, it's time to worship at the altar of the Hatch chile. Last summer I froze 25 pounds worth and it looks like I was pretty stingy in doling out the chiles over the year since  I still have several bags in the freezer. But there's nothing like fresh roasted, and stores across the country are already breaking out their roasters with events starting this weekend.
August 3, 20136Comments

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Book Reviews Recipes Side Dishes

Tasting Jerusalem: With Naama’s Fattoush, It’s All About the Details

naama's fattoush jerusalem| dailywaffle A couple of weeks ago on the Splendid Table, LA Times Food Editor Russ Parsons wrote, “The thing that's really great about this book is that he takes what might seem familiar and just throws a twist on it. When you cook it, it's an act of exploration because you're doing things that you know, the ingredients are fairly familiar, the techniques are fairly familiar, and then boom, there's this very new and exciting result that really makes you want to cook more into it.” He was talking about < Ottolenghi's Plenty, but he hit it on the head for Jerusalem,too.  It’s the twists that set these recipes apart.  And it's never more true than with Naama’s Fattoush, the marquee recipe for this month's salad theme for Tasting Jerusalem.
July 22, 20132Comments

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Recipes Side Dishes

In Season: Hapa Kid Quick Pickles

How many times have you moved as an adult? Me, 11 times. It’s never fun, and it gets worse, the older you get. Once, early on when I moved from LA to the Bay Area, I shipped a bunch of stuff by mail. Moving by mail is not a great idea. Unless you want to buy all new stuff. Then finally there comes a time when there’s no more rounding up friends with promises of beer and pizza. You just bite the bullet and hire movers. After 11 moves, I can’t believe some of the things that have made the trek. I’ve been looking for a peach pit ring that my grandpa carved, at least that’s how I remember it. I'm convinced I have it somewhere. And I can’t find it.
July 7, 20132Comments

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Main Course Recipes Side Dishes

Cool Off a Hot Summer Night: Edamame Hummus

We’re in the dog days of summer, finally. Days so hot all you want to do is sit in front of an oscillating fan and sip a cool glass of iced tea. Days so hot nothing is getting cooked, except you in your car on the commute home. I’ve got something for you. It’s cool, crisp and refreshing. It’s….a sandwich. Well, a dip and a sandwich. Break out the food processor, we’re making edamame hummus, which you can do as dip for dinner with veg and pita chips, or as a great spread on sandwiches for the “Damn, could it get any hotter?” nights ahead.
August 15, 20122Comments

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