Strange Brew: Beyond the bottle
**Note: Before I even begin, I’m going to preface by owning up to how strongly I fought the urge to make a “malt-ernative” pun as a post title. It was hard. Really, really hard. But thankfully, nothing gelled and alas, I was able to resist.** I’m no Homer Simpson, by any stretch of the imagination, … Read more
Gone South for the winter
It’s true that I’m a born and bred salty New Englander of hearty Polish and pilgrim stock. I am generally unphased by extreme weather conditions, from snowbanks to scorchers, I can take it, bring it on! And so here we are, one long month into the three (plus…) month stretch of the winter doldrums, accumulating … Read more
Holidays: The Magnum Opus
Menu planning for the last of this years’ holiday revels, finally celebrating with my parents and sis on Saturday…snowstorm notwithstanding. They’re arriving in the early afternoon and leaving in the early evening, so a full-on dinner menu would’ve been too much, a bunch of snacks and hors d’oeuvres too little. Here’s what I think will … Read more
Weekend BBQ, Pok-Pok style
My latest culinary obsession has been Southeast Asian tastes: the freshness of mint, cilantro, basil and cucumbers meshed with puckery lime and pungent fish sauce. I never get tired of these flavors, from fresh summer rolls with crisp shrimp in delicate rice paper rolls to a cool and slurpy bowl of noodles with some Sriracha and crunchy peanuts. Yum.
The Clean Plate Club, and other valuable lessons of a kid in the kitchen
When was it decided that children will only voluntarily consume “meat” cut into dinosaur shapes or neon-pink yogurt in a tube? I’m concerned that focusing on so-called “kid-friendliness” enables future refusals to eat non-dinosaur-shaped foods and ultimately kicks off a lifetime of pickyness, or worse, a lack of an adventurous palate.
I Like it Like That
Admittedly, ever since I halted my Winter CSA pick-up, my cooking habits have waned to an all-time low. But I just bought a shiny new Weber grill, and green things are poking out of the ground again, so hope springs eternal. Hope you’re hungry, friends.
Enough with the proselytizing, how about some actual cooking?
You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the complexity of flavors that develop. There’s a subtle heat, but it’s very well-balanced with the bright sweet and sour notes of plumped up apricots and tangy vinegar. I ate some right away with a couple of nibbles of a fantastic cloth-bound cheddar leftover from Thanksgiving. I’m psyched to plop this on a ham-filled biscuit, and excited to create some gift baskets with a jar of chutney, a nice piece of cheese and some homemade crackers.
