How To Cook Like Your Grandmother
A Guide to Cooking with Real Food the Way Your Grandma Used to
Latkes are usually made with potatoes. But I didn't have a monster potato that I had to use before it went bad, I had a zucchini. If this sounds familiar, it's the same way I started the blueberry peach crisp recipe. There's a lesson there: You don't always have to pick a recipe then go buy the ingredients. When you've got a garden -- or access to a good farmers market -- you get the ingredients when they're ready, then find a recipe to use them in. … [Read more...]
I've got a little confession to make. Until last week I'd never had brussels sprouts. No, this wasn't a case of childhood resistance hanging on way too long. I'd just never had them put in front of me. I didn't know, until my wife said we should get some, that they were miniature cabbages. And since I recently discovered I like boiled cabbage -- thanks again to the wife -- that means I've got an easy new side dish. Wait, did I say easy? I meant drop dead simple. … [Read more...]
As promised, here's the sausage that I made for the pizza. If you like your sausage really mild, go with this recipe. I left out the fennel seeds that are characteristic of most sausage, because my wife hates them. I'm not such a huge fan either, so that's fine with me. But even had I included them this would have been exceedingly mild. I resisted my normal inclination to up the spices and cut down on the second try if it's too much. This time I'm going to work my way up to the level of … [Read more...]
If I'm going to fall for some great marketing -- and know that I'm falling for it the whole time -- I sure better make something that's worth losing my self-respect. So this time I didn't take a shortcut and put the slow cooker on "Hi" for three hours. This one gets the full 7-plus hours it needs to be fork tender. And oh my goodness ... this is what pot roast is supposed to taste like. … [Read more...]
Sure, you can do classic cranberry sauce, with the whole berries still in it. It's just so very grown up. But if you're like me, when someone says "cranberry sauce" the picture in your head has rings around it, left by the can you just opened. And you can almost hear that slurpy sound as it comes out. I can't promise the rings or the slurpy sound, but if your wife won't let you serve the canned to guests, this will absolutely nail the taste you remember from your childhood. … [Read more...]
