Kitchen Note: Holiday Shopping. Flourless Chocolate Cake.
December 1 and the madness has begun. Well, we knew that, didn’t we? That the madness was well underway? (Technically, December 2 now.) The questions is this: what with Brexit and the looming inauguration of persons no better equipped to be president than the IK is to perform neurosurgery (there’s a…
Kitchen Note: Pickled Lemons. Picked Garlic. Migraines.
So, if you’re American, on American soil, chances are good you’ve come through Thanksgiving. Congratulations. So, this migraine. There are migraines, and migraines. If you are a migraineur, you’re like, if she’s typing, it cannot be that bad. And you’re right: some migraines, it’s puke your way to the ER,…
Salsa Meatloaf with Tequila Canned Beans
“There is nothing like a visitor from another continent to confuse you about your own homeland…One night an Indian friend came to dinner…He asked me to help him figure out American cooking, at which point I drew a blank. He said: “I would like to cook some American dishes, but…
Kitchen note: sort-of selfies. recipe testing. Radish sprouts.
The IK is a many-imperfectioned blog. We will never offer fancy desserts, elegant photos of the artfully-arranged dishtowel variety, or get our act together in time to offer holiday-themed recipes. We’re just not that kind of site. Nor are we mad keen on posting photographs of ourselves. We realize how…
Hazelnut Cakes
I write the day after the first 2016 Presidential Debate. And I am at a loss. Once upon a time, in the dark mists of the 1970’s, the Republican Party was sane. You could hold friendly discussions with its members. These discussions could even cover politics. Ideological disagreements did not…
The NorCal Half Chicken
Sorry to vanish this week. The IK, or more accurately, the IK’s inhabitant, spent some unexpected time at her doctor’s office, where she learned postural orthostatic tachychardia syndrome is about far more than heat intolerance. It is suspected the IK’s inhabitant will live. She is grateful to her physician, and for…
Dim Sum. Hazelnuts. Cooking ahead.
You’re wondering about the featured image, right? Last Sunday, some friends invited us out for dim sum in San Francisco. We took Bay Area Rapid Transit to the Montgomery Station, then hopped the 38 Geary MUNI, riding all the way across town to Ton Kiang Dim Sum, which is on…
Corn Cakes
So much of life is ridiculous, right? You’re driving while wolfing lunch. Suddenly the idiot in front of you, who you just know is texting, lurches to a stop. Your carefully arranged lunch, which you so artfully wedged into the cupholder, goes flying, landing upside down on the shirt you…
Artichokes, Fava Bean and Pea Salad
This morning found me with my head wedged in the oven. Despite my comparatively petite size, I was unable to squeeze in far enough. In an attempt to gain better purchase, I pulled the lower oven rack out. There. Perfect. Tweezers in hand, I wormed myself back in and got…
Tomato Conserve
Why tomato conserve and not paste? Excellent question. This comes fromThe Art Of Simple Food II, where Alice Waters explains it is conserve because the result is more jammy than paste-like–at least, I think that’s what she means by “The tomatoes are concentrated into a paste that is more like…