CAN A GREAT VINAIGRETTE SAVE A MARRIAGE?

CAN A GREAT VINAIGRETTE SAVE A MARRIAGE? (CarbWarsCookbooks.com)

Some food writers achieve success beyond recipes and cookbooks. MFK Fisher. (1908-1992) for example, earned a place among the great American authors (How To Cook a Wolf, The Art of Eating, Consider The Oyster…). Nora Ephron (1941-2012), is another (Silkwood, I Feel Bad About My Neck, When Sally Met Harry, Sleepless in Seattle, Julie and Julia…). Her semi-autobiographical novel, Heartburn (1986), is the painful-to-read, but hilarious account of the end of her second marriage; the story revolves around a stolen wedding ring and a recipe…

Continue reading

A FAMILY TRADITION ENDURES AND HEALTHFUL EGGNOG

My husband, Dean, has made gingerbread houses for the grandkids to decorate since they were very small (the oldest just turned 20). They were pleased that he was able to continue the tradition this year despite his recent hospital stay. I made hot chocolate for the kids but Dean doesn’t like hot drinks, so I made eggnog for him. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner!  I haven’t been able to persuade him to join me in my morning regimen of Butter…

Continue reading

LETTER FROM PARADISE, PART 2, and Hawaiian Coconut Dessert

coconut tapioca pudding - hawaii Allerton Gardens

We got a sample of the kind of Eden that once existed on Kauai when we visited the Allerton Gardens, a breathtaking tropical jungle created by Robert Allerton, a wanna-be artist from Chicago and heir to a family fortune, who purchased the land in 1938.

Continue reading

ETON MESS (STRAWBERRY MERINGUE DESSERT)

“Eton Mess” is one of those silly names the English have for homey dishes, like Toad in a Hole (sausages cooked in popover batter), Bubble and Squeak (fried mashed potatoes with cabbage), Spotted Dick (boiled pudding with raisins), and Wet Nelly (bread pudding). One story says the name originated at Eton college when a dog sat on a picnic basket that contained a strawberry meringue cake. The resulting mess was so delicious, they’ve been squashing them ever since. ETON MESS Try this with cooked rhubarb or a mixture of rhubarb and strawberries…

Continue reading

CHEESECAKE

This is a very simple cheesecake with options for making it without regular cream cheese or chicken eggs. I’ve discovered that even though I react badly to everything from a chicken (meat, feathers, and eggs), and to dairy products from A1-type cows, I can eat other kinds of eggs and the cheese, butter, and yogurt from goats and water buffalo. Remaking this recipe took some trail and error, but it was so worth it be able to eat cheesecake again! CHEESECAKE Ingredients 1 recipe of Almond…

Continue reading

SEARCHING FOR A GOOD EGG AND QUAIL EGGS IN A NEST

You don’t know how much you love something until you lose it! Those of you who follow my blog, probably know that I’ve been dealing with a lot of sudden-onset allergies. You can read about it here. I continue to make progress in reversing the allergies, but I have also found some work-around solutions that let me enjoy many things that I initially had to eliminate from my diet. By trial and error, I’ve discovered that I can eat Parmesan cheese, clarified butter, and butter and cheese…

Continue reading

BACON AND LEEK SOUFFLE

    It is very rare to find a recipe in a major magazine that is almost perfect as it is. I made only a few small changes in the gorgeous soufflé pictured in the June/July issue of Fine Cooking. The recipe says it makes 6 servings, but the two of us ate half of it for supper with just a green salad and finished off the rest for breakfast the next morning. Although the recipe warns that it will deflate if not served at once, mine was still…

Continue reading

CORNED BEEF HASH WITH POACHED EGGS

One corned beef brisket can provide enough for several delicious meals. Make Corned Beef and Cabbage for dinner, use some  to make this tasty hash for breakfast, then polish off the rest in Reuben Sandwiches for lunch. If you prefer, you can buy corned beef from the deli or even (gasp!) in a can to make your hash. Ingredients: Rutabaga Faux Potatoes made with about 1 pound of rutabaga (or left over from Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe) 1 pound corned beef, cooked and cut into…

Continue reading

EPITAPH FOR AN EGG

How do you like your eggs? The best way to prepare eggs, except for raw, which brings a different set of issues to the table, is poached. Lightly cooked whites and lovely, liquid yolks retain all their nutrients, including their precious, undamaged cholesterol. British chef, Heston Blumenthal, demonstrates his method for Perfect Poached Eggs in the YouTube video below. His secret is to use very fresh eggs. My daughter’s family has backyard chickens and they write the date on each egg to show when it was collected, so I decided to see for myself if the chef’s passion…

Continue reading