I got my cocktail.  Oh yes.  A jalapeno-infused blackberry puree, shaken with lime juice and vodka.  Green chile salt on the rim. Happy Belated Birthday to me.
My mom and I had a great time in Portland even though she had a horrible cold which she caught from watching my kids last weekend. Sorry Mom.  She’s [...]

Raising a glass of Sangria to leaving town.  With my mom.  To Portland.  Where we can geek out on food, watch TV in bed, fill our hotel room with cooking magazines, and generally be responsibility-free.  This is my belated birthday present. Now that the day is here, I feel really tired.  It occurs to me [...]

We’ve eaten our share of grilled eggplant this summer.  I love to grill a bunch of fat, spongy rounds, then stick them in the fridge to use when the Leftoverist Spirit strikes.  Eggplant is one of those inhospitable foods.  It doesn’t say “Enjoy!” like a crisp apple or ripe tomato.  Aside from its its stunning [...]

I have a disorder.  It’s called “I’ve Been Cooking all Weekend, and I Still Stop at the Farmer’s Market at the End of My Long Drive Home to Buy Corn for the Soup I’ve Been Fantasizing About the Whole Way.  And I Have Two Tired Children in Tow.” Do they have medication for that?  Should [...]

Yesterday, Yancey and I took the ferry to Orcas Island.  We took a cup of Skagit blueberries up to the deck and ate them with our yogurt and coffee.  We read the paper, eavesdropped on other people’s conversations, and moved to the sunny side of the boat.

We got off the ferry, drove along the lush [...]