Category Archives: Other

Another rules question

Well, it was bound to happen that we’d have another question to throw out to our readers. (We’ve discussed amongst ourselves, but wanted to throw it out to any readers we have as well.)

We have both “_How to Cook Everything_”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764578650?ie=UTF8&tag=metaco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764578650 and “_How to Cook Everything Vegetarian_”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764524836?ie=UTF8&tag=metaco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764524836, and it’s beginning to look like there’s a not insignificant amount of overlap in the two books. I suspect more recipes are not overlapping than are, but there’s definite overlap.

So, is it cheating to use the same recipe twice, if it’s out of two different books? What if we take anything we learned from the last time around/last book and apply it to the new time around?

Basically, I want pancakes, and to eventually buy another cookbook. What if I make Bittman’s “Everyday Pancakes” again out of “_How to Cook Everything Vegetarian_”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764524836?ie=UTF8&tag=metaco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764524836?… Continue reading →

Impromptu “things” lunch

This is Angelique & Marty’s term, and usually it involves more items to be “things”. However, Bill worked from home this morning, and I found myself throwing together a different lunch than the planned salad. Salad was going to take more time than we had for Bill to leave on time for afternoon at work.

Amazingly, it feels very fancy. Thin wheat crackers, semi-soft cheese (just those Laughing Cow “Babel” rounds), prosciutto, and an orzo, spinach, feta & olive salad. Plus, I had picked up a bottle of sparkling white jasmine tea.

So lovely, and nice for the two of us to share!… Continue reading →

Bummer

Yesterday I thawed about a pound of “tri-tip steak”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-tip that Bill had purchased at the farmers’ market a couple months ago or so. It was big and beautiful and nicely lean. NONE of our cookbooks had a recipe for making it delicious. I forgive the vast majority of them (especially the vegetarian ones), but I was surprised that “_How to Cook Everything_”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764578650?ie=UTF8&tag=metaco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0764578650 and “_Joy of Cooking_”:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0026045702?ie=UTF8&tag=metaco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0026045702 didn’t have anything. And, if you look at the Wikipedia link above, you’ll note that there’s a few names for tri-tip. None in either book.

Maybe there are yet more names. I don’t know them. I do know, however, that Bill threw that steak on our new friend, Rob’s loaner grill, and made something delicious. While keeping our five-year-old guest entertained and unburned.… Continue reading →

Still moving, but a little look into our non-food lives

I just want to say that for a couple who doesn’t own a car, we have a ridiculous number of tie-downs.

I haven’t owned a car since early roughly April of 2007. Bill has owned a car much more recently, having just sold his to our friend Steve last month. That said, he hasn’t really had _access_ to his car since he moved to Chicago in late 2009. The car decided to stay in New Mexico until it could find a new owner that didn’t live in the frozen north.

You are probably thinking, then, that the tie-downs are just a remnant of Bill’s car-owning life. After all, it has been less than a year since he was a regular driver (and of a station wagon with a luggage rack, at that).… Continue reading →

Quick! Should we enter to win? (Rules Question.)

Cover of Fiesta at Rick's by Rick Bayless

So, our beloved Angelique has been singing the praises of Rick Bayless and his cookbooks for about a month now. Oddly coincident with our adventures in cookbooks, I have to say…

Anyway, everything she’s made from his books has sounded wonderful, and I am vaguely sad that I did not discover his books until after this challenge began. Especially because I’d had one delicious soup (caldo) from his restaurant, “Xoco”:http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/xoco.html (the pork belly caldo) prior to this challenge beginning. And then on the 3rd of July I had an amazing goat sandwich (torta). (Also, he happened to be in the restaurant kitchen, briefly. He looks very attractive with his greying goatee. Bill is for candid shots only. With his cell phone. They were only so good.… Continue reading →