Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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After a whirlwind week of menu planning, shopping, and cooking, all for one holiday feast, the next day can leave one with little energy to make another meal. Thankfully, leftover turkey is a versatile ingredient for quick post-holiday meals. Over the years I have tried everything from simple turkey sandwiches to more ambitious mole enchiladas, though on these cold late autumn nights, my favorite option is always a comforting pot of soup. This warming white bean and kale soup, which comes...
Recipes for holiday side dishes can vary greatly across the country, and opinions on proper preparations can be a source of debate, even within families. My Aunt Gail learned this the hard way while helping prepare a feast at a family reunion. She hoped to impress her Texas relatives with an alternative to classic sweet potato casserole, the kind made extra sweet with the addition of a molten marshmallow topping. She lovingly prepared sweet potatoes roasted with apples, spiced with cinnamon,...
When it comes to feeding a crowd, few things can satisfy like a bubbling creamy casserole. Green Bean Casserole is a retro dish from an era when canned and frozen foods were elevated to symbols of prosperity. The original recipe was developed in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly, who was the Test Kitchen Manager at the Campbell's Soup company, as a way to sell more cans of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup. Hugely popular, it has since risen to the ranks of an American classic. For many, the Thanksgiving...
The beauty of autumn is in full colorful display, and the countdown to one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving, has officially begun. A celebration of the season in the form of a lovingly prepared feast, shared with friends and family, is a tradition dear to my heart. The menu served over the years has slowly morphed, the result of trying new recipes and perfecting those passed through the generations. Whether you are hosting the big meal, or you are a guest tasked with bringing a side, having...
Biscuits and Gravy is a dish that can swing wildly from utterly delicious to painfully disappointing. Seemingly on every breakfast and brunch menu across the country, this comforting classic often feels like an afterthought. Lifeless, dry biscuits covered in sad runny gravy can often taste bland and pasty. Run away! Once mastered, this recipe will make you never want to order this southern breakfast staple in a restaurant again. Beautiful flakey biscuits, scrumptious with or without the gravy,...
To say that Texans love their food is an understatement. As a kid, most of my summers were spent visiting my beloved grandparents and extended family in the great Lone Star State. Born and raised on the west coast, these trips never lacked in uniquely Texan culinary discoveries. Whether at a favorite restaurant, a smokey barbeque joint, or sitting around the table at a cousin's house, every family gathering was centered around sharing good food, and lots of it. It was at such an event that I...
Autumn, with its crisp sunny days and frosty nights, such as we have had this past week, is my favorite time of year. Watching the leaves change color, donning cozy sweaters, and tending bubbling pots of soup, are how I celebrate this season. Of all the ingredients used in the fall kitchen, winter squash is probably the most versatile. Sweet or savory, there are countless ways to enjoy the many shapes and colors of the squash family. Here the squash is roasted before being pureed into a silky...
This past summer, with its long dry heatwave, was difficult on several plants in our kitchen garden. I had lost all hope for our row of basil plants in August, as they looked quite sad and limp. Now, after a month of less severe temperatures, the garden has rebounded and we have a giant crop of perfectly fragrant basil, just in time to coincide with the abundance of late season ripe tomatoes that have piled up. Though summer is technically over, the season has been extended in our house with all...
Summer is over and after what felt like forever, our tomatoes have finally ripened. To celebrate, this week ripe tomatoes have made an appearance at every meal, in salads, on sandwiches, tossed in pastas, or simply sprinkled with salt as an afternoon snack. We have bowls of tomatoes set aside to be turned into sauce, jars of which will add some sunshine in the kitchen through winter. When tomatoes are fresh, ripe and in-season, I find it best to pair them with just a few choice ingredients, to...
At the age of twelve, I attempted my first risotto. I stirred and stirred, carefully following the instructions in a copy of Bon Appétit magazine. Slightly panicked that it wasn't looking right, I darted back and forth between staring at the stove and rereading the recipe, until magically I had a sumptuous pot of creamy, savory rice. That stressful half-hour taught me a little bit about culinary science, and a lot about perseverance in the kitchen. Ingredients: 2 pounds acorn or butternut...
When I lived in Seattle, one of my favorite spots for relaxed dining was Le Pichet on First Avenue, just up the hill from Pike Place Market. Watching traffic pass by, while enjoying refined bistro fare, I felt transported to a Parisian sidewalk café. This time of year, as late summer moves into fall, I would anticipate the return of a favorite menu item, their French Onion Soup. With sweet, caramelized onions melded into a rich stock topped with country bread and melted cheese, this comforting...
Last week, we were gifted a bountiful bowl of fresh local peaches. Few summer treats are as special as the first juicy bite of a perfectly ripe peach at peak season. With a family birthday coming up, I wanted to create a special dessert to highlight the beautiful plump stone fruit. This tart combines French sugar crust (pâte sablée) and a pastry cream (crème pâtissière) with a hint of cardamom to create a delicate backdrop for the vibrant fresh fruit. Ingredients: For the crust: 1 ⅓ cups all-pur...
Kohlrabi, with its funny name and alien appearance, is the type of overlooked vegetable that can seem intimidating to most home cooks. Originating from northern Europe, kohlrabi is in the brassica family, related to kale, broccoli, and cabbage. Both the bulbous stem and the sprouting leaves are edible, with a sweet crisp flavor that can be enjoyed raw or cooked. This past week, the first kohlrabi of the season was ready to pick in our garden, a welcomed change from the recent endless bounty of z...
Often, my kitchen inspiration is based on what is ripe and ready for picking in the garden. Our backyard has provided an abundance of tomatillos and chili peppers this week, which instantly had me thinking about Salsa Verde. A versatile sauce that blends the piquant brightness of the tomatillos with cilantro and fresh green chilis, Salsa Verde is wonderful served cold or hot. Here, I have used it as a braising liquid for chicken, which is then finished in the oven with cheese. A satisfying dish...
America has a love affair with cheeseburgers. From fast-food to fine dining, there are different versions of this national favorite in every region. Inspired by the bounty of green chilis ready for picking in my back yard, I found myself craving a burger with flavors of the desert Southwest. Opting for flavorful ground bison spiced with garlic and coriander, I created a green chili "special sauce" to compliment with just the right amount of heat. Creamy pepper jack cheese and smokey bacon were...
Every summer, without fail, I am surprised by how productive the zucchini plants are in our garden. With new zucchini sprouting up every night, there is always an abundance of the striped, green summer bounty in our kitchen. This leads to my annual exploration of creative ways to use this prolific garden ingredient. With options ranging from bread, fritters, pasta, and casseroles, the recipes, thankfully, seem endless. Last week, I looked for zucchini inspiration and found it in southern...
Living in wheat country, I feel a deep connection to the fields of grain that surround me, even though I'm not a farmer myself. The rolling hills give us a colorful reminder of the changing seasons: from vibrant spring green to the golden hues of summer. Watching the combines and grain trucks during the busy harvest season, I am always reminded that our farmers, with the help of modern machinery, are continuing an agricultural tradition started many millennia ago. According to the...
My two favorite things about summer are enjoying home-grown produce and that time of day when the sun sets, and the temperatures finally start to cool down. The back porch is my favorite setting for dining al fresco, where I can watch swallows zip across the yard as the sky erupts into electric golds and pinks. This pasta, full of my favorite summer vegetables, is creamy without being heavy, and perfect for elegant backyard entertaining. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more 1 small...
As a child in Los Angeles, I often spent weekends with my father who lived a block from Echo Park Lake, many years before it became the gentrified hipster neighborhood of today. We would walk around the park people watching, feeding the ducks, while searching for the perfect bench to sit and draw. As a future foodie, these visits to the park were full of gastronomic discoveries. On top of the omnipresent taco trucks parked around the perimeter, there was always an array of food carts to choose f...
Sometimes, after a long night serving $200 dinners (see my article about tasting menus on page 12) I would stop at the Aladdin Gyro-cery, in Seattle's University District, for a cheap late-night meal. Inside, the aroma of heavily spiced chicken shawarma or beef gyros, are instantly enticing, however, the menu item I've ordered the most is the falafel. Crispy on the outside, fragrant and soft inside, stuffed in fluffy pita bread with a zingy tahini sauce, these vegetarian delights always...
Sometimes, on a rare day off, I am known to binge episodes of the Food Network classic, Chopped. As contestant chefs brainstorm dishes on the fly, using the surprise "basket ingredients," I play along imagining what I would create. I am often moved to shout at the screen when chefs make a doomed decision. NO, there is never enough time for risotto! This past weekend, I had my own Chopped experience when my aunt called to invite me to a family dinner. She offered wild caught Alaskan sockeye...
As we move into the summer months, my culinary inspirations become increasingly influenced by what is ready to be picked in the garden. Compared to years past, the strawberry plant that runs along the east side of our house has been extra bountiful lately. With a big bowl of perfectly ripe strawberries on hand, I set out to make a special dessert this week, researching recipes for cakes, soufflés, trifles, and crisps. Then, inspiration hit me when I remembered the robust rhubarb we have...
It's the season of backyard barbeques and neighborhood potlucks, a time when small gatherings can quickly turn into large parties. Amongst the various salads and grilled meats of your summer spreads, there is always room for a crowd pleaser casserole. And perhaps none pleases a crowd quite like the American classic, macaroni and cheese. As with any national favorite, there are countless variations and regionally specific recipes for this cheesy comfort, all of which are a million times better th...
Julia Child is famous for noting that the quality of a cook can always be judged by how well they roast a chicken. In my quest for poultry perfection, I have tried countless variations and recipes over the years. I've stuffed herbs under the skin, dry rubbed with elaborate spice blends, or simply stuck with salt and pepper. I've brined, yogurt-marinated, and wrapped in pancetta. I've meticulously followed the advice of Alice Waters, Jacques Pépin, Ina Garten, and of course Julia. With each...
In our garden, the nightshades have gone into the ground, and the countdown to tomato season has officially begun. There are few things about summer that I look forward to more than the first backyard tomato harvest. In the meantime, I will continue to make great use out of a much-loved pantry staple, canned tomatoes. From slow cooked Bolognese to zesty puttanesca, there are countless sauces that start by opening a can of perfectly ripe tomatoes. One such recipe that has garnered a cult...
