Today I am scheduled to film my first video tutorial. I’m not prepared, and the Duran Duran song “Girls on Film” keeps playing in my head. I will be making the red sauce, the weekly hen, and I think a […]
My basement flooded. Living in downtown Jersey City, you realize that you are at sea-level, and you understand that the city for some reason hasn’t updated most of its sewer system since Franklin Pierce was president, but for some reason, […]
There are two reasons I love making pizza at home: 1. I am not limited to the “traditional” toppings provided by local shops, and 2. I don’t have to pay the exorbitant prices at the “artisanal” pizza bistros. I also like that I get to use up leftover ingredients (I have a thing about not throwing away good food, but I hate eating the same thing night after night). Pizza makes every ingredient new and exciting.
Years ago, when I was an undergrad at Columbia, three of my friends staged an intervention. They pulled me aside and casually explained that my “use of coffee as a stimulant” was directly effecting their lives in a negative way. […]
This past weekend I went to see Sean. For those who don’t know me well, and therefore don’t know exactly who Sean is, Sean is my boyfriend. (It’s the first time I’ve written or even thought the word boyfriend out […]
I find that most bacon packages are prejudice against the single person. Bacon doesn’t last very long (well-stored bacon only lasts about a week), and the packaging is clearly family-sized. And so, whenever I get a craving for bacon, I have to figure out ways to use up the bacon within a week. One day, when I was reviewing recipes for chowder, I noticed that the corn chowder called for salted pork (which I didn’t have). But I did have bacon. The result? A creamy, rich, decadent chowder that used up all the extra ingredients in my house.
Christmas Eve, 2007. My brother and I decided to spend the holiday together since my Mom made plans to travel. This was quite a bit different from the way we normally spend Christmas (in DC surrounded by relatives.) And so, since we were alone, and because he is a wonderful eater, I planned a menu designed to wow him. We ate poussin stuffed with prunes and thyme, garlic pork, salt fish with bakes, and his favorite, Red Snapper Livornese. We were quite pressed for time (since we’d been shopping all day and had to go out for a party), and I had mere minutes to cook. And cook I did. Within minutes I had prepared a fresh and delicate dish.
While walking in Jersey City, I came across a strange and disturbing act of violence. Behold, zucchini tossed on a dirty snow bank. The zucchini had been stomped, and I wondered, who would commit such a heinous act? I imagined […]
The fire department came to my home today because I burned a grilled cheese sandwich. I walked away from the stove for a minute, missed a call from my home security company, and within 5 minutes Jersey City’s finest had […]
My good friend Erich has inquired if single chefs could make the oatmeal recipe with this brand of oatmeal. Why, yes. Yes, Erich. I strongly encourage using an oatmeal brand that, as you said, gives a single chef “a little […]