Uncategorized

Leftovers, Pork, Uncategorized

Cheap Dinner Date

Chef Husband, “Any ideas for dinner?” Me: “Nope.” Chef Husband: (half) jokingly, “Hey, I think there’s a can of SPAM in the cabinet.” Guess what I went looking for…  With a challenge before me, to overcome and elevate a less than desirable product, my first […]

Potatoes, Uncategorized, Vegetables

Bye Bye Spatula

Long, long ago, in a kitchen not far away… I would automatically reach for the spatula.  But my Jedi Master (Chef Husband) would teach me to not solely rely upon my customary utensil of choice, but to instead trust in my skills for moving the […]

Martinis, Uncategorized

Meyer Lemon Drop

Chef Husband brought home a beautiful pile of Meyer lemons from a friends tree. Meyers are very distinct with their sweeter flavor and softer flesh, a bit more like an orange, unlike the firm bright yellow standards found in the produce section. We try to […]

Appetizers, Eggs, Pork, Uncategorized

Out of the Frying Pan

We’re moving on from empanadas to egg rolls. Both take a “dough” wrapper of sorts, are filled with a mixture, and then sealed with egg wash, before cooking. Though we used biscuit dough and baked the empanadas, today would be a lesson in frying. I have […]

Appetizers, Chicken, Uncategorized

Pulled Chicken Empanadas

Part 2 of our empanada story (remember I perceived empanadas to be difficult to make) proves to show how quickly they can actually be made. Chef Husband simply took a roasted chicken and hand pulled the breast, mixed in diced green onion tops and flavored to taste […]

Techniques, Uncategorized

What’s Up Dock

At first glance, empanadas look a bit intimidating to make. Nevertheless, Chef Husband set me up with my mis en place, gave me a quick walkthrough, from start to finish, and I was off to the races (actually I took my time, as it’s something […]

Knife Skills, Uncategorized

Knuckle Up

An important guideline, when using a knife, is to keep your fingertips out of the way. For some reason, our natural instinct is to hold our food stationary for cutting, with our fingertips exposed and in harm’s way of a knife. When you “knuckle up” […]

Sautée, Uncategorized

Getting the Hang of It

Today was the day. In my progression of sautée practice, I moved on from a slice of bread to a generous handful of navy beans. The trick seems to be, not to feel it in the wrist but to work those biceps, keeping the pan pretty much […]