In October, Scott and I had the good fortune of seeing Anna Deveare Smith’s Notes from the Field. It was stunning. If you have a chance, you should go. It is a powerful portrayal of the stories of people who have been impacted by the school to prison pipeline and policing that targets minorities. Afterwards, we went…
Spiced Brown Butter Cookies
Brown butter may be my new favorite ingredient. I love butter cookies. I love cardamom. This recipe may have been designed for me. It is from Bon Appetit in December 2015. This year, I decided to forego the linzer cookie aspect. We had blood orange sorbet and a chocolate tasting for Christmas Eve dessert. I was…
Irish Apple Crumble
A trip to Ireland recently surprised me with the quality of the food. We ate delicious brown bread every day, listened to fantastic Irish music at Gus O’Connors in Doolin, and had tasty apple crumble for dessert. When I came home, in the midst of New York State apple season, I started to make apple…
Field Peas
It started at Cochon in New Orleans. We had a to-die-for golden rice and field beans for lunch. When I got home, I looked for “golden rice” on the internet. I wasn’t really sure what it was. I also am not sure I ended up with the same “golden rice” as they use at Cochon. What I…
Oma’s Ginger Carrot Soup
During the Occupy movement, my mom lived in Chicago. She wasn’t quite up to camping out downtown, but felt it was important to contribute in some way. She created a soup brigade, cooking large pots of soup with neighbors, and then shuttling them downtown to feed the protestors. Her efforts got her in the paper!…
Vegetable Soup Stock
This is a great base for lots of different things. Make a pot of stock and then freeze it in deli containers so you can use a bit at a time. In a large pot, put a splash of good olive oil at the bottom. Fat molecules carry flavor throughout the dish and slightly sauteed…
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
omg! My favorite cookie recipe seemed to be gone from the web. I had to really search to find this recipe. Truth be told, cookies are my favorite dessert. And homemade cookies intensify the pleasure. Yes, I will enjoy Girl Scout thin mints. And I will definitely partake in Walkers pure butter Scotch shortbread with…
Cheese grits: Food of the gods
So I ate dinner a couple months ago at Community, a local restaurant. I vacillated on the menu but ended up ordering a nice scotch on the rocks and a plate of grits with shrimp. The grits they served in the school cafeteria in North Carolina when i was in fifth grade are not at…
Fig and Hazelnut Crackers
I once bought some amazing crackers at Murray’s Cheese Shop. Then they stopped carrying them. I had to search online for a suitable replacement recipe. I found this at A Communal Table. I substitute hazelnuts for pistachios. Ingredients 2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 2 cups buttermilk ¼ cup dark brown…
Principal of Cooking 