Cooking in the Fishbowl

We swung by Fat Turnip Farms to fetch some veggies today. The season is winding down, but they still have some great corn & peppers, potatoes, onions, and, of course, pumpkins. Saw someone comment on their page this week that they made corn and poblano fritters & thought that sounded like a capital idea. I've never made fritters of any sort before. After a bit of research, I realized that it's far from an exact science. But I did glean that you want a pretty thick batter, and if the corn's too wet, they're likely to fall apart. The amount of flour varied greatly, but most recipes were about a cup of flour, two eggs, and a teaspoon of baking soda as the base. Probably the most helpful recipe was one that showed what the batter should look like before you add the corn--pretty tight, but smooth. While my inclination was to try to modify for less-doughy, thinner fritters, I opted for a middle of the road approach as a baseline. They held together and cooked up well-...

This weekend is going to feature a couple firsts. I’m entering a Chili cook off on Friday, and have two pieces of art that are going to be in an art show on Saturday. The art is ready and I’m proud to show it. I don’t expect it to be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s fun and original. While I would love for someone to bid and take home both pieces, I wouldn’t be sad about bringing them home and adding them to the grotto. It’s just cool to have the opportunity to show them off. I’ve done a fair bit of design-on-demand, but this is the first time I’ve ever created artwork that I hoped someone might want to buy. The chili? Oh, I am so less prepared. The one thing I can guarantee is that it’s not going to be like the others. I rummaged through the freezer and pantry to see what might go in the pot. A pork tenderloin? Some bacon? A half pound of ground pork. Anasazi beans? Dried chiles? No, I’m not doing a straight-up pork chili. Nor am I sacrificing the prime NY steaks I found. Tri tip? Bott...

When I was much younger, I settled on cheesecake as my favorite birthday cake. We’re talking the Jello-brand sort with canned cherries and a graham cracker crust.  Though I have fond memories, I’m certain I would find that rendition a sickly-sweet disappointment if I had it now. But the memory motivated me to learn how to make a proper cheesecake. I’m not much of a baker, but if you want a cheesecake or a banana cream pie, I can probably deliver. Still need to work out those Draeger’s chocolate gateaus, though. If you know me, you might be wondering why I’m talking birthday cake in March. No, I’m not still celebrating *my* birthday, it turns out Mark shares my fondness for cheesecake. Of course he does. Turns out I was wrong, mom—we have rather a lot in common. It just took some time for that to become apparent. This has nothing to do with baking, but that really struck me as we were hanging out with my friend John today. The discussion turned to dating, particularly app-based dati...

Someone asked us the other day what we're doing for our first Valentine's Day. We hadn't really discussed, but I immediately blurted out, "I'm cooking." I am happy to go out to eat literally any other day than Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, and Mark just cooked for my birthday so...my turn. I know, I really do, that I didn't need to make a big production of it. But...that's not my nature. So I've been prepping tomorrow's dinner for the last three hours. Not bad, actually--the protein has been through the sous vide, an ice bath, and is resting in the fridge. The sauce for the main course is strained and put away. The palate cleanser granita is prepped & chilling.  And I'm in the throes of trying to land a tortilla. The Spanish sort. I'm sure a therapist would have a heyday with that. "Why do you feel compelled to serve your new beau (as people keep calling him) a dish so tied to your ex?" Hell if I know. I love to...

Bought some white shrimp yesterday intending to make Gambas al Ajillo. We ended up snacking on carbs & cheese instead of cooking, so the shrimp became the plan for lunch. By the time lunch rolled around, I was cooking for myself and wanted something different. There was this dish at Amber India in San Jose that I loved: Karavelli Prawns. Tomato-based sauce with almond slivers & gently-cooked prawns. Simple and complex at the same time, but really tasty! A recent purge of the pantry meant I had no almonds to use. There also was no store-bought stock in the cupboard. But, I had carrots, celery, garlic, onion, frozen venison stock, a can of diced tomatoes, and plenty of interesting spices at hand. Game on!  This was very much a "what do I have" dish. And, I am fortunate to have some pretty cool things to work with. Don't know what y'all bring home as travel souvenirs, but mine are usually food-oriented. This dish featured: Vanilla Garam Masala from the Big Island...

Yep, it's November in the Northwest. I made "Tired Vegetable & Chicken Soup" yesterday. Actually managed to keep it simple. Was a great excuse to use up some things that were past their best-by date, but still perfectly edible. I really need to do that more often. I woke up today thinking about Beef Stroganoff. Recently, I've been thinking of other comfort foods--Shepherd's Pie, Coq au Vin, Beef Bourguignon. And, dammit, I'm going to figure out how to make something like the tuna & broccoli dish I remember from eons ago. But, back to the stroganoff. Because it turned out how I wanted it. And, if I do say so myself, way better than the Alehouse's rendition a couple weeks ago.  This was also an exercise in using up things that were languishing. A frozen steak, a decidedly not-fresh bottle of beer, some wilting green onions, the last few cloves of garlic, sour cream approaching it's use-by date. Had to buy some mushrooms and a package of egg noodl...