Reality

Potato Parsley Cakes

July 1, 2016

  Before getting to the recipe, this: On June 24th, Popmatters.com published my review of Kim Addonizio’s Bukowski In A Sundress.  She read it, was really pleased, and said so on Twitter, which thrilled me.  It’s a fantastic book, and I suggest you run to your nearest Indie bookstore and buy…

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Friday Food Quote

June 24, 2016

Self-explanantory and, we hope, a weekly event. Today, thinking of our friends across the pond, we bring you the very English Elizabeth David. From Summer Cooking: A chicken slow-roasted in the morning, left to cool, and eaten cold at lunch time can be a true treat. Kept until the next day…

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When people think of assistive animals, dogs invariably come to mind. And while it’s true that service felines are few, we who are owned by cats know better. Lucy, for instance, helps John dress every morning. Those of you not cohabitating with wheelchair users likely have devoted little thought to…

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Mussels in Vermouth

June 13, 2016

Many food blogs avoid discussing news. It’s easier to avoid politically fraught issues (oh, I can see the Facebook posts now….) and just leap to the recipe. Leaping was never my forte. Over at the Huffington Post, there’s a partial list of the dead. The single most shocking thing about these people–apart…

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Cherry Bounce

May 27, 2016

As Memorial Day draws nigh, I may be the only American blogger who isn’t discussing grilling, dining al fresco, or nattering on about the joys of summertime eating. Not that there’s anything wrong with grilling or the foods of summer. But if you’re hankering for yet another rib recipe, or…

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Wait a minute…didn’t we already discuss wonton ravioli? Well, yes, we did, back in February. But that was a different ravioli. And midway through Sunday’s filling and folding marathon, I happened on a new and, to my thinking, improved fill n’ fold method that saves time, energy, and wontonnage. Doubling…

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On Canning

May 15, 2016

A few words on safe canning practices might be useful as we move into spring. Today’s post is an overview, as a comprehensive lesson would be overwhelmingly long. As it is, this post is already too long. Sorry for that. But I had a post on cherry jam all ready to go,…

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Tea-Smoked Salmon

May 5, 2016

Cookbooks are full of suggestions for the smokerless (nonsmokers?). These range from relatively low-tech tinfoil and rice setups to some outright alarming suggestions. I have a book whose directions for a home-built smoker include words like “hinges,” “flexible aluminium tubing,” and “battens.”  When you’re to a word like “battens,” I…

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He took one of the Excedrins from the counter, regarded it for a moment, then put it into his mouth and began to chew it, slowly and with relish. The taste flooded back like memory, making his saliva squirt in mingled pleasure and unhappiness. A dry, bitter taste, but a…

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This post began innocently enough: what could be bad about potato pancakes with ham and cheese, via Southwest France? Then, being me, I began poking around in my cookbooks for a little historical background, only to have the entire enormous subject known as “Southwest France And The Potato” nearly engulf me….

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