So I've had the new kitten for about a month now. What I was most worried about was how well she would get a long with my older kitty, Scrabbles. While they haven't been total cuddle bugs like I hoped, they are getting along well enough and seem to be warming up to each other … Continue reading More of Purriosa
Lately I've been watching a lot of the excellent YouTube channel, Bingeing with Babish. He's a chef located out of New York who is untrained, meaning in this case that he hasn't officially gone to culinary school although he's an excellent chef. He meticulously recreates recipes from pop culture moments. In this case he is … Continue reading Chicken Paprikash
For Thanksgiving we made a big chicken this year instead of a turkey. It is just the two of us so we don't need all those leftovers, plus we just like chicken more than turkey. We rub the bird all over with sage, rosemary and thyme then smear it with butter and pepper (no salt … Continue reading Giblet Gravy
Perusing an older issue of Cooks Illustrated we encountered this recipe, which brought back familiar memories of days in Santa Barbara, where I and my colleges would go out to lunch at some great taquerias. Often, I would get a "Coctel" which would always come in a large goblet. I loved to get ones with … Continue reading Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (Coctel de Camaron)
This recipe comes from Alton Brown. Essentially it is the classic one everyone knows made with Cream of Mushroom Soup and French's Crispy Fried Onions, but amped up in every way. We made it yesterday for Thanksgiving and it was the star of the show. You even make your own crispy onions! I know it … Continue reading Green Bean Casserole
Getting ready for Thanksgiving so yesterday we decided to make some chocolate chip cookies. There was a little bakery in Cayukos California that specialized in brown butter cookies. So Laura did some research on Google and found a Reddit post about making brown butter chocolate chip cookies. We took a recipe from Serious Eats and … Continue reading Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Laura's German cousin and her husband visited us years ago and made this for us. We really liked it and continue to make it from time to time. It seemed an appropriately hearty meal to serve as the wind was blowing hard and snow was falling outside. If you can, use breadcrumbs made from day-old … Continue reading German Meatballs (Konigsberger Klopse)
So, to me at least, anyone who cooks often enough picks up a few signature dishes. Dishes that they've made dozens of times and barely even need a recipe to make anymore. I have a few like my chicken pot pie, gumbo, and panang curry. For my mom, one of my favorites is her Pasta … Continue reading Pasta Rustica
With the season turning, it's time to make sure to go on a lot of hikes that take you through the more heavily forested areas so you you can see the leaves change color. I made sure to get in another run of Ten Falls since it is one of the most scenic hikes in Oregon, … Continue reading Getting Healthy the Oregon Way: Lake Gillette
If it can be said that I have a signature dish that all my friends ask me to make, it is this one. I've made this so many times, I could probably do it in my sleep at this point. It's one of my favorite recipes and if you get the hang of it, it's … Continue reading Chicken Pot Pie
