Thai Sausage Banh Mi

Posted on September 15, 2011 by admin

A couple months ago I made a big vat of thai sausage, and just pulled out the last batch from the freezer. As we had carrots, cilantro, cucumber and jalapenos I instantly thought of Banh Mi and decided to get a baguette and some daikon. The first time we served the sausage we had cold, sweet corn soup on the side and the flavors went so well together that I started thinking I might have to serve little corn soup shooters with the sandwich. That didn’t seem quite right, but I was pretty sure I needed sweet corn in some … Continue reading →

No Summer is Complete Without Ribs

Posted on August 23, 2011 by admin

We used to eat a lot more ribs than we do now, possibly because we used to camp a lot more than we do now. This has also been a super hot and buggy summer so any sort of al fresco cooking and dining has been limited (in our yard anyway). It’s depressing, but so is the giant pit that used to be a swimming pool and has still not been converted to a fabulous vegetable garden. And so, it was time for ribs. My typical method involves rubbing the ribs with a mixture of brown sugar, salt, pepper and … Continue reading →

Another of My Favorite Things Wrapped in Things

Posted on August 14, 2011 by admin

I feel pretty sure that I had an extraordinary amount of ground pork in various forms over the last month. As I catch up on old posts, I feel surprised by it, though it’s not that crazy around here. I had made a big vat of homemade thai sausage and had not only the raw sausage left over which I froze, but also some extra ground pork shoulder. On this particular night I made a pretty simple meal seasoning the pork with a bit of sugar, fish sauce, lime, soy, jalapeno and shallot. I wrapped it up in lettuce leaves … Continue reading →

Broccoli ‘Steaks’ with Zucchini Pasta

Posted on July 21, 2011 by admin

This photo has got to be one of the worst in the bunch and I hesitated to show it, but I remember enjoying eating this dinner and we do often eat vegetarian (or at least meat minimal) meals so I decided to include it. When we had first moved back to Denver and were living with, and caring for, my dad, I cooked dinner for all of us most nights. Other than broccoli slathered in hollandaise or endive baked in a cream sauce, my dad was not a big fan of vegetables. So I was always trying to find ways … Continue reading →

Pork and Collard-Stuffed Kabocha

Posted on July 10, 2011 by admin

I love kabocha squash. Love love love love love. It has a fabulously sweet and rich flavor and makes the creamiest soup possible. Usually I will slice it into moons, brown it in oil, then simmer briefly in a smokey, dashi broth. But this go around I decided to stuff it with the ground pork I had. And, not knowing what to do with the collard greens that had arrived in our weekly veggie basket, I threw them in too. I briefly marinated the ground pork with a touch of soy, some sherry, garlic and chili flakes. I then browned … Continue reading →

Carniiiiiiiiiiiitas!

Posted on May 21, 2011 by admin

Now that the weather is getting nicer…. Wait, let me start again. Now that we had a brief, sweet taste of early summer warmth, promises of al fresco dining, bare feet getting rough and toughened for hot pavement and many shoeless months, our minds are stuck on the long tomato wait, bountiful herbs and the return of lunch or brunch at Pinche Tacos. I say brief because these last couple weeks have been nothing but one Noah-sized storm after another, drenching us, freezing us and making any sort of out door fun impossible. I did, however, manage to slurp down … Continue reading →

A Pleasant Walk, a Pleasant Talk Along the Briny Beach

Posted on April 17, 2011 by admin

I think the new name for this blog should be just “Do What I Want,” as that seems to have been my method these last several days. I want sweetbreads? I go git ‘em. Yesterday I needed a tin of sardines. No problem! Today it was mussels or moules frites to be exact. And I believe the journey to the moules started innocently enough. Maybe it was, hmmm, I should make something simple in as few pots as possible with small effort, but big results. Then I probably thought, we should definitely do something with the big pot of oil … Continue reading →

An SF Tribute, a Denver Tribute and a Pile o’ Belly

Posted on April 14, 2011 by admin

On Monday night we ate a six course meal with seemingly bottomless glasses of wine in a dank and crowded basement of a Victorian mansion. It was our first dinner with Noble Swine, one of the underground supper clubs here in Denver. Ryan had first heard of them when he went to meet his new neighbors, the Black Shirt Brewery which was hosting one of their dinners. The standard protocol is that you sign up for an email notification, you reply that you are interested and then they tell you the day before where the dinner is. It seems we … Continue reading →

Comfort, Decadence and All Things Balanced on a Plate

Posted on April 7, 2011 by admin

Early in the day I thought of lentils for no real reason. I might have been thinking, what do we have that is cheap and easy and can be made in one pot? (which you will soon see is laughable considering the outcome). I may have felt the morning chill and wanted something warm and comforting. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been working on a website for our friends’ new restaurant Petite Jacqueline (A Bistro) in Portland Maine and just about everything on the menu makes me drool. All I know is I thought of lentils, a poached egg and … Continue reading →