This recipe seems simple enough. It seems like it would be a great recipe for a novice cook who wants to impress a date, though it concedes that the cook will have to take a bit to get it right.

I think it lies. I think it’s tricky and complicated. I think a novice cook would do well to test this one on a friend before pulling it out on a date.

Either that, or I just cannot manage fish and sauces yet. Either one.

It was a fairly tasty meal, but the fish ended up a bit mangled and the sauce was nowhere near what the book said it should be like. I suspect it was close in taste, but not texture. Texture is always what I struggle with in sauces.… Continue reading →

I believe this is the first time I’ve discovered a recipe is in both cookbooks prior to posting. Thus, this entry is labeled as two recipes as discussed “here”:http://www.metacookbook.com/archives/87-Well,-was-it-a-new-recipe-or-not.html and “here.”:http://www.metacookbook.com/archives/90-46-Pasta-Carbonara.html As I type this, I get a vague feeling as if this is NOT the first time this has happened, but a quick scan of my archives via tags doesn’t net me another set of recipes like this. This is also altogether different from “recipes 84 & 85.”:http://www.metacookbook.com/archives/154-84-85-Bacon,-Roasted-and-Microwaved.html

So, now that we’ve cleared that up, on to the write-up.

Another super simple recipe. I picked it because I had a couple of sweet potatoes, and I just wanted to bake them and eat them. I figured Bittman’s book would give me the exact temperature and timing.… Continue reading →

The fact that I have this recipe is all Corrine’s fault.

You see Corrine loves her husband very much. Her husband really loves apple butter. However, once upon a time, Corrine didn’t know how to make apple butter. I guess they don’t have it in the Great Frozen North.

Corrine taught me how to make jam in 2007. That was the same year that Corrine & her family discovered several apple trees on public land, and watching several apples just rot on the ground below the trees. I recall her watching for quite a bit of time, hoping someone would come grab the apples before just going and doing it herself. As I recall, the family ended up with a couple of five gallon buckets full of cute green apples.… Continue reading →

I don’t think it’s possible to relate to you, in writing, how much I love butternut squash. I think you’d understand if you were to eat some with me, or if you’d been here as our CSA shares kept coming in with squash. I was utterly delighted.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a perfect knack for storing these guys. We’ve lost about two from the CSA to mushy areas that I’ve read make them inappropriate to eat. I wonder if my Grandma Ella would have said otherwise; I wish I could ask her.

Even with those losses, though, I have several squashes in my pantry to make into new and delightful food creations. The tricky part is finding ways to use them up without making enough to feed an army.… Continue reading →

Once upon a time, a friend told me that if I ever wanted to hitch a ride with them to Costco, to see if I wanted a membership too, to just let her know. She spoke of the glories of bulk buying, and I was intrigued.

So, one day in late December, I decided to take her up on it. She said she wasn’t available that day, but her boyfriend would be, and I was welcome to ask him. She told me not to get my hopes up, though, as he hates the place with a passion. I figured I might as well try.

There was no rule, however, that I couldn’t stack the deck in my favor. So I sent him a couple of text messages inviting him to Costco:

“Hey, handsome!… Continue reading →