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…
Kitchen Note: Upheaval
John and I live in a 1000 square foot house. It’s fine for two people, only one of those people has four wheelchairs (two regular powerchairs, one soccer chair, one manual chair). These take up much space, as does his standing frame. Still, we manage well enough, most of…
Steak Fajitas
Home Cooking includes an essay entitled “Flank Steak: The Neglected Cut.” In it, Laurie Colwin extols the virtues of a cut that, since the essay was written, is no longer neglected. Indeed, like lamb shank and short rib, flank steak has become popular and therefore expensive. Much of said popularity…
Kitchen Note: 7/13. Cortisone Shot
“Your x-rays look fine,” the physician assistant said. “No arthritis.” Saying an x-ray of my knee looks good is akin to saying the surface of the ocean appears calm. Then National G or some other science show, narrated by a fellow with a plummy Oxford accent, sends a pile of…
Okra Pilau
Thursday evening the doorbell rang. Our visitors were two boys who live in the apartment building next door. Their basketball had sailed over the fence dividing our properties, landing in our yard. This is not an infrequent occurrence. These are nice kids–well-behaved and remarkably polite. I retrieved the ball, then led the…
Potato Parsley Cakes
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…
Potato Gratin with Summer Squash
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…
Grilled Peppers
Lulu scorns the barbaric habit of turning peppers over a gas flame to blister the skins and holding them beneath running water to rub the skins off. Richard Olney, Lulu’s Provençal Table Since discovering roasted peppers–and realizing how easy it is to prepare them–I’ve gotten addicted. Sometimes I just roast…