Reality

Hot weather foods

June 25, 2024

As I write, much of the Eastern United States is smothering beneath what climate experts call a “heat dome.” Rather than go into technicalities, know that heat dome basically means it’s extremely hot, with little relief in sight. Atop this, wildfires are burning in New Mexico and parts of California….

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I am still here. My internet connection is another story. Some of you may recall my complaining loudly about our crummy internet setup. I’ll spare you the details; suffice to say, we finally got fiber and thought our troubles were over. How very silly of us. While it’s true we…

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Pasta with chicken, greens, and chickpeas is a mouthful, literally and figuratively. It’s also lacking in originality. But pasta with chicken, greens, and chickpeas compensates for its unwieldy name and creative lack with flavor and lots of fiber, our new best friend chez IK. The ingredients for pasta with chicken…

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Checking in

February 10, 2024

Hello all- I am dealing with a tendinitis flare in my left hand. This makes posting–among many other life activities- challenging. My apologies. I have excellent medical care and reasonable hope this will soon be resolved, allowing me to post. Thank you for being here- D.

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Photo post

July 11, 2023

Hello all, It’s July 10th (now it’s the 11th) and I haven’t posted. This weighs on me. You, on the other hand, have better things to worry about. When not worrying, I visited the Berkeley Public Library. The blueberries, pictured above, were purchased for a recipe. Which did not work….

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Repairing a Ruined Recipe

March 20, 2023

Today’s post is less about “recipes” than it is about thinking creatively. More succinctly, it is how I turned one awful dish into two good ones, and saved the world. Well, maybe not that last bit. I am not the type who recycles leftovers into new dishes. As far as…

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A Picture Post

February 18, 2023

At times like this I remember David Lebovitz saying he had 40 blog posts stored away like virtual acorns, ready to post when a recipe failed or simply wasn’t good enough. After nine years of blogging you’d think I’d have tidy little store of posts tucked away myself, but no…

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Boxing Day Photo Dump

December 26, 2022

So where have I been during this foodiest of food months? Cooking like a madwoman, actually, in expectation of a Christmas guest. Days of shopping, cleaning, and cooking finally culminated in my going to Oakland Airport on Friday, December 23rd, to pick up our guest, who was expected to arrive…

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Long-Cooked Broccoli

October 25, 2022

Long-cooked broccoli comes to us from Paul Bertolli’s Chez Panisse Cooking. I cooked it for years, forgot about it, then recalled it when I began making Paula Wolfert’s green beans with tomato, another recipe calling for long cooking. “Long-cooked” isn’t a euphemism for pap. Prepared with attention and care, long-cooked…

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Soaring fuel prices are forcing many people, myself included, to reconsider everything we were taught about “good cooking.” Especially now, when we would normally be starting to prepare stews, bone-in roasts, and soups, dishes demanding hours of slow cooking. Gourds. Official harbinger of Fall. Well, these and pumpkin-spiced coffee drinks,…

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