I recently made chili for the first time, but instead of giving you the recipe, I’d like to discuss the components of chili to get a better understanding of what it is and how it’s made.
The recipe I followed was fairly simple (All-American Beef Chili from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook).  I’ve also looked [...]

Posted in Recipes, Techniques 4 Comments »

This first time I tried to cook cauliflower (see my puréed Indian cauliflower soup) I butchered the cutting of the cauliflower.  I was cutting straight into the florets (the bumpy outside), creating a huge mess of broken pieces and crumbs.  Now this didn’t end up mattering, since the soup was puréed, but still, I looked [...]

Posted in Kitchen Tips, Techniques 1 Comment »

Just a heads up that I’m leaving tomorrow for a vacation to Italy and England for a couple weeks.  It should be amazing.
My goal is to have a few posts scheduled each week while I’m gone, but I’ll likely be unable to respond to comments or approve ones that get stuck in the filter.
I’ll be [...]

Posted in Other 1 Comment »

(Note: Images are being difficult.  They show up sometimes but not others – very frustrating.  Click through to see – they are pretty! -andy)
One of my favorite books to cook from is Pam Andersen’s How to Cook Without a Book (oh the irony!).  Her formulas and recipes are simplified as much as possible but are [...]

Posted in Recipes 5 Comments »

I love cooking.  When I’m cooking I can really focus; I stop thinking about anything else going on.  I like creating something new and tangible.  And of course eating the food is fun.
But I have a confession – I frequently get into cooking “ruts,” where I either won’t cook anything (just eating mac & cheese, [...]

Posted in Other 2 Comments »