Miscellaneous Items

As the world grows increasingly disorderly, I find myself seeking refuge in the past. By “the past,” I mean cookbooks. I don’t have a time machine. Let us turn to Britain between the wars. Built during World War II, but not in Britain. Shot several years ago. — It is…

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So, yeah, it’s been entirely too long. I have committed the blogger’s cardinal sin of not posting. I could give all the reasons, but you read the news, don’t you? And the news, it’s very bad. Read it enough, and you will become depressed. Seriously depressed. And if you are…

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Mexicanish Chicken

August 22, 2020

  The New York Times is covering California’s fires, heat wave, and pandemic under the headline “California’s ‘Horrible’ Month.” That sounds about right. Friends are under threat of evacuation. The air is filled with smoke and ash. We were warned our power would be shut off in rolling blackouts between…

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Hummus

June 14, 2020

A  month of silence, and your hostess returns with a recipe that’s simultaneously controversial and lacking in originality. Like you’ve never made hummus before. Seriously, recent events have left me speechless. What was I going to do? Hop online, write a few trite sentences about Black Lives Matter, and start…

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Let me tell you about blogging during a pandemic. It’s very challenging. There’s the question of tone. When people are dying left and right, one doesn’t want to appear flip. Then again, gloom isn’t good, either. People visiting your site want to be entertained. Then there’s the food question. Thank…

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On Risotto

May 1, 2020

Certain foods carry a mystique around their preparation. Whipped cream, souffles, mayonnaise, pie crusts: all are imbued with advice, caveats, admonishments. Your batterie de cuisine must be immaculate, your hands chilly, your heart resolute. Or you must stir until your arm falls off–this exact wording frequently used. Stir until your arm…

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Pistachio Garlic Sauce

April 13, 2020

I’ve been racking my brains to for a recipe that isn’t pasta. That this took the better part of two weeks bespeaks a profound lack of creativity on my part. A pandemic will do that to a person. The news changes hourly; now we’re told we should wear masks. My…

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Potato Knishes

March 25, 2020

So, hi. Here we are on day whatever, depending on where you live. I haven’t kept count, myself. I’ve been out exactly once in the past ten days. I tried shopping at the local market–a corner shop that stocks vegetables, wine, and some dry goods. The shelves were literally bare….

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Social media is awash in titles like the above. They’re decidedly grim, but no sense messing around, is there? Unrelated pretty picture. I’m sorry if you’re sick of these kinds of posts. Who could blame you? By now you’re probably sick of just about everything. You long to go outside….

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As I write, coronavirus is making its way across the world. People are frightened, and nobody knows what to do. Living in earthquake country means we always keep nonperishables on hand, along with plenty of water. This, coupled with my fondness for cooking, means our cupboards are always full, even…

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