From when I first started eating Chinese food, I really liked Sweet and Sour Pork. Unfortunately Laura does not share my feelings about this dish. She does not like the sweetness, nor the vinegary tang. But I had not had it in a long time and we had some leftover pork from some pork chops … Continue reading Sweet and Sour Pork
We made these the other night along with some roasted butternut squash and braised Brussels sprouts. They turned out great. First we brined the chops using Alton Brown's brinning recipe cut in half. 1/2 cup kosher salt (do not use iodized salt) 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 Tablespoon black peppercorns 1/2 Tablespoon mustard powder 1 … Continue reading Bacon-wrapped Pork Chops
You may have noticed throughout a lot of my cooking photos that I vastly prefer cast iron cookware to most other materials. This is, mostly, true. I really like the flavor and character cast iron adds to a lot of dishes, especially one pot meals, which I tend to make often. But there are a … Continue reading Cooking with Cast Iron
Occasionally, I'll get it in my head that I HAVE to try to make something. It won't leave until I accomplish what I'm trying to do. Lately, with all of this talk of getting shelf stable food, I wondered what it would take to make homemade bread. I always love nice, fresh, crispy bread straight … Continue reading Homemade Bread
Purriosa is doing very well. But she's turning out to have a lot more personality than the shelter originally indicated. She's trying to take over the house but since Scrabbles (my mature cat, about 11 years old) still out-weighs her by about double her body weight it's not working too well for her. We'll see … Continue reading Kitten Update
Many mornings I'll just have a piece of toast and some yogurt. But every once in a while I want something more filling since dinner most likely won't be happening for a while, or maybe I just feel like making something fancy. On those days I take a lot of the stuff I usually make, … Continue reading Breakfast Sandwich
If you do any cooking at home at all, you're going to have to learn a little bit about using a knife to prepare various things, mostly meat and vegetables. So it pays to know a few tricks for using knives. While it's a little more complex than it looks, it's also quite easy once … Continue reading Knife Tips
I have tried for years to make one particular dish. A bowl of read beans and rice as good as the one available at Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen. I know that sounds like it should be easy. But for those of you who aren't blessed with proximity to a Popeye's you may not know how good … Continue reading Red Beans and Rice
Portland is known for it's luxurious brunch scene. One of the staples of Portland brunch restaurants is the Croque Madame. A delicious and luxurious French take on a cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top. Instead of cheese you make a rich Mornay sauce and toast the whole thing. With most of the restaurants … Continue reading Croque Madame
When I was much younger I got to visit Germany and Austria with a family friend who was the wife of the German ambassador to Turkey. She knew a lot about Turkish culture and especially their coffee. Turkish coffee is it's own special beast. You get a small portion of it, it's rich, syrupy, and … Continue reading Turkish Coffee
