Navigating the Rut

I know it’s inevitable, we get wrapped up in the day-to-day of our lives and really just stop thinking about certain things. We get up, dress, work, drive… We roam around in a fog doing things automatically… and we make rationalizations for it. That sandwich shop […]

Simple Dinner Sunday – Mushroom & Eggplant Lasagna

I’ll readily admit it – I’m a carnivore. Meat, meat, meat makes my world go round. And, if this were only all about me, I’d probably only write about meaty food. But it’s not. I’ve got friends that are vegetarian, some that are vegan. There […]

Like a Raisin in the Sun

I’m in the mood for some ice cream. I hear you  –  “Toby!, its Freakin’ cold outside! How can you be talking about cold, creamy deliciousness at a time like this?” The fact of the matter is – anytime is a good time for ice […]

Simple Dinner Sunday – Soup Throwback and a **Give-away**

Overheard at a small laboratory in Anaheim…  “Sherman, my boy…”   “Yes, creepy smarty dog with no pants?” “Hmm…” “Kick the Way Back Machine to 1967, I’m jonzin’ for some Cream of Mushroom Soup!”   “But Mr. Peabody… you’re lactose intolerant.”  “Right you are, Boy. We’ll just have to make […]

The Beach Wedding (or the) Party with a Pretty Dress

The days are numbered, the accepts and regrets have all been counted, and the complete packing of my kitchen for the 6 hour drive to the gulf coast has begun…. When I agreed to do the wedding, I knew it was going to be a challenge to […]

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

As you may know, I’m a custard mac and cheese guy. My great grandmother and my mom made it that way – so, that’s the way it is. Problem being, as with so many older family recipes, a key ingredient is fat… KEY ingredient. Clara’s […]

The Intruder in the Sprouts

I’s been inhumanly hot in the garden, the white flies are devastating everything with a leaf, and I scream like a little girl every time a Japanese Colossal Hornet gets within twenty feet of me (believe me, I have every right). So, needless to say, […]

Curb Market Crawl – White Cucumbers

White, Jack Frost or Armenian all refer to the same thing, White Cucumbers. Though not truly white, for a garden vegetable, it’s probably as white as you’ll see. They are a small-ish, fine seeded fruit with a milder, almost lemony flavor and none of the […]

Mr. Mango on my Shoulder

That.. or just a very large fruity monkey on my back. I keep looking at the big bag of mango pulp in the freezer and I’ve decided it’s about damned time I did something with it. So everyone join in on the mango parade. First […]

Test Kitchen 5 . 5 – Buttermilk Brioche Alternatives

Knowing that I would be trying several incarnations of the brioche loaf, I divided the initial dough batch into 3 separate portions and froze them for later experimentation. This will also work well if you want to create several different filled breads. Each 1/3 will […]

Test Kitchen Five – Buttermilk Brioche

Clara, my great grandmother, always had a cow and always made her own butter. It was the duty of any visiting grand child – provided they could reach the handle – to work the butter churn. Clara would sit them down by the churn, drape […]