We have harvested what could be best described as a metric f***load of swiss chard from the community garden. I've spent countless hours processing it - stripping the leaves from the main stalk, cutting out the ribs (to be used separately), washing and re-washing the useful bits, drying the leaves on dishtowels, then rolling the leaves with paper ( Read more... )

When Brandon and I were in Vegas this March, we had the seriously good fortune to be treated to dinner at Mesa Grill, which is celebrity chef Bobby Flay's Southwestern cuisine restaurant. It was in the top five best meals of my life. Everything from the margaritas to the goat cheese appetizer to the impeccable service delighted me ( Read more... )

It's hot here in the Valley of the Sun. Really hot. Like "107 degrees and getting hotter later in the week" hot. Consequently, my desire to cook has flagged from "sometimes, when I have time" to "not really at all." I eat mostly things that can be translated from fridge or freezer with no mucking about with the application of fire. Most often, ( Read more... )

I just made the most kick-ass salad!

This one is inspired by something that whispernox made me once when we lived together. I decided to add tofu to give it some protein. However, tofu is bland as hell out of the package, so I needed to cook it in something. The reduction (and I think I'm using the right term) was pure luck in that I threw it all together ( Read more... )

On Monday, I made my own sour cream for the first time (using fresh cream and a bit of lemon juice, in case you're interested). The first batch was perfect, but I got lazy on the second batch and used waaaay too much lemon juice. It's not bad, but it doesn't taste so much like sour cream as it does like thick, super-lemony cream ( Read more... )