• Grace Young’s Vinegar-Glazed Chicken

    Grace Young’s Vinegar-Glazed Chicken

    It’s been tricky to keep the contents of my cookbook a secret. For example, certain chefs have led me to purchase certain cooking equipment and/or ingredients that have transformed the way I cook at home. Do I share those revelations here or do I wait for you to experience them in Spring 2012, when the…

  • Steve’s Legendary Prime Rib

    Steve’s Legendary Prime Rib

    Christmas Dinner isn’t something I ever ate growing up, being a Jew and all. For the past few years, though, I’ve been visiting Craig’s family in Bellingham, Washington and Craig’s dad, Steve–a really excellent cook (see his apple pie)–has made some kind of roast to serve on the big night. And this year the prime…

  • Archie McPhee

    Archie McPhee

    Growing up, Craig was a big collector. He collected matchbox cars, stamps, shells, stickers, Star Wars action figures. “You name it, I collected it,” he tells me now. By the time he entered fifth grade, he started collecting what he and his friend Joe referred to as “Creepers.” He recalls: “These were basically rubber skeletons…

  • What We Ate in Portland, Oregon

    What We Ate in Portland, Oregon

    I am doing something now called convalescing which, in dictionary terms, means I’m recovering from an illness: specifically, the flu, which hit me like a ton of bricks Monday morning and kept me in bed, motionless, for 48 some-odd hours. Now I’m starting to get the twinkle back in my eye and I’m glad that’s…

  • Weary Traveler’s Spaghetti

    Weary Traveler’s Spaghetti

    Last night, before I fell asleep, I tried to remember all the phases of my 21 hours of travel from the previous day. I took a bus from the Bellingham airport to the Seattle airport where I rode a mini-train to my gate, waited three hours (during which I bought a Snickers bar which I…

  • The Best of 2010 (My Favorite Recipes, Restaurant Dishes & Food Books of The Year + Other Cool Things That Happened)

    The Best of 2010 (My Favorite Recipes, Restaurant Dishes & Food Books of The Year + Other Cool Things That Happened)

    My flight home from Seattle was cancelled this morning and because I booked my tickets on Orbitz, and the flight was a Continental flight, I’ve been zooming back and forth from the Orbitz website to the Continental website trying to figure out my next steps. Turns out, there’s not much I can do: apparently, Continental…

  • Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

    Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

    It’s pretty comical to come to Bellingham, Washington for Christmas. Comical because, for this Boca Ratonian Jew, it’s like stepping out of a noisy deli into a Christmas card. I’m writing this right now in a coffee shop with a Yule log burning on the fire and several people sitting around me who look like…

  • Leftover Brisket Ragu

    Leftover Brisket Ragu

    Last we spoke, we made an eight-pound brisket. Here’s the thing about making an eight-pound brisket. If you make it? You’re going to have leftovers. And then you have to ask yourself: “What should I do with those leftovers?” That’s why I’m offering you this follow-up post, a quick recipe for leftover brisket ragu.

  • Don’t Risk It, Make a Brisket (A Recipe)

    Don’t Risk It, Make a Brisket (A Recipe)

    No matter what holiday you celebrate this holiday season, there’s going to be a dinner and since you’re reading a food blog right now, there’s a good chance people are going to expect YOU to make it. Your options will be fairly limited–people have certain expectations when it comes to holiday dinners–and in the canon…

  • The Ratatouille Sandwich at Prune

    The Ratatouille Sandwich at Prune

    In September, I shared with you a picture of the Avocado Sandwich I ate at Prune for lunch (link here.) The response was enthusiastic: “Ohmgosh that looks so beautiful,” wrote Shannon. “Oh, PRETTY!” wrote Hannah. “That sandwich is a work of art!” wrote Kathryn. Again, it was a very enthusiastic response. Last week I took…