tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65107952009-07-08T14:23:32.956-05:00Musings on food and life, with my original recipes, and a cynical wit as sharp as my ten-inch French knife.Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.comBlogger523125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-42341213867666249602009-06-15T09:56:00.003-05:002009-06-17T16:49:06.398-05:00

There's a lot of reasons, really. The whole eat local thing, of course. Giving the farmers all of my food dollar instead of processors and retailers, better food ...But also, food I have never seen before. New things. Every week. Like these, garlic scapes, at left. Softer, greener, garlicky flavor. Nice.And the greens. I got these from the Thai family that sells at the market. I have no idea what

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-43045022059692818892009-06-15T09:24:00.003-05:002009-06-15T09:31:13.710-05:00

Our first CSA box this year held a nice surprise, oyster mushrooms. I decided to take a very light hand with the recipe for these.1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms1 medium shallot, diced1/2 cup fresh shelled peas (or frozen)1/4 cup tarragon leaves2 tbs. butter1 oz. cognac1 oz. Parmesan (enough to grate over the top of the dish)salt and pepper to taste1/2 cooked linguineMelt the butter in a skillet. Add the

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-26214535485293887632009-05-25T11:25:00.003-05:002009-05-25T11:51:59.654-05:00

Just got back from my favorite race, an 8K that runs through the most beautiful neighborhood in my fair city. More than that, the race benefits brain injury association, and my father was head injured. There's a moment at the start of the race where they introduce the year's honoree and that hard road of recovery. Always get a lump in the throat.It's also on Memorial Day, and this is a

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-34800360565743797052009-05-18T14:29:00.002-05:002009-05-18T14:32:47.560-05:00

I'm a little behind on my reading list. But here's a sneak peek at the books I am reviewing for my other site work.Just not enough hours in the day.

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-58594156491468514602009-05-16T20:42:00.003-05:002009-05-16T20:47:07.380-05:00

I have to say, I have never loved radishes. I can eat one, bit of salt, but it's not a taste I love. It is an interesting flavor, though. A kind of sharp, spicy that could go well with other tastes. But what?Always, always, turn to what else is in season. What's growing alongside the radish? Spring. Herbs. Mint. Cilantro.The idea reminded me of a sauce I had on meat at an Argentinian restaurant —

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-47819095654720240062009-05-10T09:00:00.003-05:002009-05-10T09:15:34.883-05:00

Hope you are having an easy Sunday.I'm the last person to give advice on gardening or parenting. But, hey, it's the day, so here goes. I've been out weeding under the watchful gaze of the Buddha rock. He sits in the garden and reminds me about patience. The weeds will always come back and the work I put in only lasts so long. Over time, planting perennials, though, the ugly corner under the trees

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-46320388032795500052009-04-30T09:30:00.005-05:002009-04-30T10:31:29.750-05:00

I am tired of the headlines. So, I let my mind wander this morning. It wandered back to past jobs since work is crazy busy. Let's go with it. Not food, but let's have a laugh here.I never stress over having a "bad" job. And I figure by the time I got here, I've seen enough that not a whole lot is going to surprise me at a desk job anyway. Because my work has been plenty weird over the years, and

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-52582098118226235262009-04-29T16:54:00.007-05:002009-04-29T21:54:56.637-05:00

It's gray and raining. The radio is raining bad news and bad things are happening to good people around me. I hate these weeks. It's hard to post about this or that great ingredient. So, I am going to watch it rain.While the headlines are pouring in, the main one filling my news lists and RSS feeds would be the possible link between a Smithfield Farms CAFO and the swine flu. It's not a huge

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-67655317490842175592009-04-22T23:13:00.002-05:002009-04-22T23:14:05.828-05:00

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-31638337085512375612009-04-19T21:37:00.001-05:002009-04-19T21:39:24.341-05:00

This little plant is claytonia, or miner's lettuce. I'd never had it before. Which is kind of amazing to be this old and still trying new vegetables. It's a tender little green that likes cold weather, the brief span of weeks between winter and full on spring. It tastes light and fresh, and I can only get it maybe once or twice a year with our seasons. I've never seen it in the store, and if I

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-6862187609008714242009-04-15T15:32:00.002-05:002009-04-15T15:38:46.212-05:00

After watching my retirement plan tank recently, I am guessing I will have to revise my lofty goals of only having to work part time so I can eat still with some travel to ... well, could be full time sacking groceries til I'm 95.Thankfully, I stumbled onto a cool program called WWOOF, or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Now, I know I can stay and eat free in lots of countries in

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-38003153737617236482009-04-12T10:47:00.006-05:002009-04-15T15:32:03.360-05:00

Sometimes what I like best about holidays is that everything is closed. This forces me to take it easy, which I don't do often. So, instead of staying in the Sunday best and having the formal gathering around the old honey-glazed ham, how about a mellower meal off the grill?Not a bad idea since I already have to handle the kiddo cranked up on Easter chocolate.Lamburgers in Pita1 lb. ground lamb2

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-28850882967660299362009-04-09T23:27:00.005-05:002009-04-11T22:33:30.232-05:00

Last weekend, I was rolling in the dough —150 pounds of it.Thanks to a Buddhist friend at work, we found ourselves at a local soup kitchen, preparing Thenthuk noodle soup with visiting Tibetan monks from the Drepung Gomang monastery. The monastery was first established in Tibet in 1416. When China took over Tibet almost exactly 50 years ago, the Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India. The

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-36050712181030654012009-04-04T07:42:00.007-05:002009-04-04T23:31:51.970-05:00

Last weekend we went to the farmers expo, an annual event where community residents can find local farms and food, CSA memberships, local meat sources, grain, honey, soap, plants ... and a first taste of spring with fresh greens and kale, and a new ingredient I had not tried yet — pea shoots.These are the first growth of pea plants, the leaves and vines. I never thought to eat them before, but

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-10777570267530190442009-04-02T23:42:00.003-05:002009-04-03T00:21:22.266-05:00

Man, how many of these have you pulled, and you could have sold them to Whole Foods for almost $3.00 a bunch?I am thinking we should give it up on the lawn mower and start blowing those fuzzy seed ball tops like crazy. Bumper crop, baby.Well, if you haven't sprayed your lawn, that is. Which in this case, herbicide would really cut down the yield.We quit spraying anything except compost tea a

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-87909439222410344562009-03-30T12:55:00.002-05:002009-03-30T13:13:07.114-05:00

Big Ag leans on the first lady for making her very public garden organic. I got this letter, as well, in an email group. That's the power of one garden. But the real power is the many gardens we all start in response.

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-41550348405592985292009-03-26T23:23:00.001-05:002009-03-26T23:25:08.965-05:00

Ever wish for local food for your kid's school lunch? How about just real food for your kid's school lunch? You have a chance to make that happen. The current stimulus plan allows funding for reform of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization act. Congress is currently setting the funding for this. The funding can help get better foods for school lunch programs, perhaps even local food from area farms

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-61422804098358445162009-03-23T11:57:00.009-05:002009-03-23T13:22:30.955-05:00

I love my city. It happens, though, to be perched half in one state and half in another. It's just the right size of place to allow for some culture and diversity, with really laid back people, and, for me, a fantastic local food scene (read more about all the awards and accolades).In 20 minutes or less, I can get to an open field. Which is nice for a former farm girl because all the cement

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-89733961537472566702009-03-20T13:23:00.004-05:002009-03-21T08:33:41.926-05:00

I will confess I am a bit of a science geek. Not totally as I tend to skim all the statistical analysis parts where the nitty gritty details of the methodology are transcribed in excruciating detail (yawn). But I read enough of it to see if the b.s. detector goes off. I have a finely tuned b.s. detector.So, when I tell you the broccoli you are eating is not what it used to be, well, it’s true. In

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-60850768328245453522009-03-17T22:56:00.002-05:002009-03-17T23:09:14.221-05:00

I am currently figuring out how to write a grant for a community project. I have these grand ideas on how big it could be and all these potential ways for it to grow. I forget sometimes that I need to crawl a bit first. Still, it's a great learning experience.At the same time I am helping with an Urban Farm Tour event for this summer. Thus, I spend a lot more time hanging out in soup kitchens and

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-49385629500704318722009-03-17T09:09:00.004-05:002009-03-17T22:56:47.266-05:00

No, not looking for the Keymaster. Just some good vegetables and spices, apparently. Today's NYT has a good review of the trend of getting back to the kitchen and just how much influence (up to 70% of all food choices, even while eating out) that this gatekeeper holds.Plus, a quick quiz to find out just what kind of cook you are.

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-72514567759358579722009-03-15T21:47:00.003-05:002009-03-15T21:56:08.052-05:00

There it is. Our whole garden. Right now, you can't tell the heirloom Romanesco broccoli from the Wild Rocket (arugula), the Siberian Red Kale from the Mesclun lettuces. It all looks pretty much like long-stem clover with only two leaves.Honestly, I thought I'd killed the lot of it. All 250 would-be vegetables on our table. If they live. But the tiny seedlings proved more resilient than they look

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-10890478262407333032009-03-11T22:41:00.002-05:002009-03-15T22:01:36.286-05:00

In the wake of the peanut butter recalls, and well, years of food safety issues, the Senate and House are reviewing bills that will strengthen our food safety laws. Opinions on the bills vary from the positive to fears of what the bills mean for small farmers. While I plan on reading the actual legislation proposed, and more articles, I also decided to ask a real expert on the subject. Dr. Marion

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-30671757400948832282009-03-10T12:50:00.001-05:002009-03-10T12:53:45.284-05:00

Michelle Obama, read the full post at Eating Liberally (good read):I want to urge people who are listening that if you have an opportunity, to come by -- not just this soup kitchen but any soup kitchen in your community. And helping is an easy thing to do. Collect some fruits and vegetables. Bring by some good healthy food. You know, we want to make sure that our guests here and across this

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6510795.post-27420037325065201212009-03-08T22:17:00.002-05:002009-03-08T22:21:42.379-05:00

I am waiting to get sick. Every time the kiddo gets a bug from school, I can count on it, too. Because, you see, I don't just get coughed on. No. I get the rollover in the night, power blast of germs not on my nose, but up my nose. All night long. It's one of those mom fringe benefits along with being up every two hours and getting very far behind at work.Still, the little ones are so sad, so

Expatriate Chefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925824005829442967noreply@blogger.com3