So a few weeks ago, I came back from TipTop Meats in Carlsbad with a nearly five-pound pork belly. Only I had no pink salt (that’s salt with nitrites, for you folks playing along at home). When it finally arrived, I had to defrost the pork belly. Then it had to cure in the bacon-curing […]
Basics: Hazelnut-Roasted Fruit
I wanted something easy and delicious to go with the catfish Mark smoked tonight, something that would offer a sweet and light, yet hearty contrast. After discussion on the order of “well, we haven’t had fruit today” (Sundays are hockey days — we have a tiny breakfast and then go out for lunch), I poked […]
Improv: Harvest Breakfast
Out of a desire for breakfast that didn’t involve low-carb bread (Mark has trouble with his blood sugar in the mornings), and also out of a desire to try to work more veggies into my day, I concocted this dish last night, and made it this morning. This is a total winner — sweet from […]
Garden: Looking forward to 2011
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about my garden. Part of that is that by mid-autumn, a summer garden is not much to look at — leggy and straggly and browning. We got a couple of the veggie boxes set up before the massive amounts of rain hit, but we didn’t schedule everything quite […]
Picspam and Recipe: Christmas Eve and Cu...
I could go on and on and on about how fabulous my Christmas was this year. I really could. I think, instead, I’ll let the photos speak for me. Sadly, I have no pictures of the wonderful cannoli that my Grandma made. They were fabulous. They were so good they were gone before pictures could […]
Christmas Traditions 2: Cuduridi and Ali...
Like a lot of other Italian-Americans, and like a lot of Italians, it’s traditional in our family to serve a special fish dinner on Christmas Eve. My family has never used the term “Feast of the Seven Fishes” for the Christmas Eve dinner, but that seems to be the common phrase for it. I actually […]
Christmas Traditions 1: Potiça for the
Several years ago, when my mother-in-law told me that she rarely got potiça for the holidays, and no one made it any more, I vowed to find out what this mysterious substance was and make some for her as a surprise. Only I didn’t know how to spell it. It took a while for me […]
French Vanilla Pickles
I found this recipe on the ‘net a while back while I was looking for pickle recipes. During the summer, I had lemon cucumbers coming out my ears. And Uncle Pasto’s ears. And anyone who stepped in the house’s ears. For future reference: you only need one lemon cucumber plant for a family of two. […]
Infinite Fudge Variations
Well, maybe not infinite … I haven’t figured out how to make pumpkin fudge with this recipe yet. And Alton Brown will tell you that technically, this is not a fudge, but a different kind of candy. He’s right. But it’s got the same consistency and creaminess with a lot less work and fuss, so that’s good enough for me. Especially because it is delicious. I make batches and batches and give it as gifts for the holidays.
December Nights
Every year, Balboa Park hosts a terrific holiday event. December Nights is the first Friday and Saturday of December, from 5-9pm. All of the Balboa Park museums are open and free. There’s music at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion and elsewhere throughout the park. There are vendors of all types. The Spanish Village has all kinds of art for sale. It’s really cool.
My favorite part has always been the International Houses, though.