Our version of a heat wave is around 75 degrees. Still, who wants to cook when there are lawn chairs to be filled and bocce balls to be rolled? If incoming waves of zucchini and tomatoes (it’s good to have friends in Willow Creek) are keeping you in the kitchen, here are a couple of […]
On the Table
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Summer Stock
I want to talk about soup. Some say soup is a cold weather dish, but I think it’s just seasonal. In winter, I make stews; in summer, I make soups. It’s just another way to eat the delightful treats we get at the market around this time. The thing about soup is you can […]
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New on the Menu in Eureka
There’s a recession on, but apparently we still need to eat. When this year’s Menu of Menus hit stands (and the Journal‘s app), a couple of places hadn’t officially opened yet. Three of them are in downtown Eureka. Who doesn’t love a stadium dog? And yet, even as you unwrap the foil, isn’t something telling […]
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A Real Slice of Humboldt
It takes a very specific kind of curiosity to be out on Humboldt Bay at 8 in the morning just to see oyster beds, and on June 11 that curiosity was on full display when nearly 40 people boarded the Madaket for the first of a series of tours being put on by the University […]
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The Joy of Handmade Pasta
In the beginning there is flour and water. Make the flour be semolina flour (ground durum wheat) and make the water warm. The pale yellow semolina flour may look as if it just stepped out of an impressionist painting, bathed in early morning sunlight. In the first act of the performance, you make the dough. […]
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Which Came First?
I once owned a T-shirt that read, “Stock up on eggs for Passover and Easter.” I bought it overseas, along with some other bits of shirt-bound poetry like “On the Road With Feeling” and “Head For These Seafood Values.” But “Stock up on eggs for Passover and Easter” was always different. It seemed both completely […]
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The Suchness of Brussels Sprouts
When people see me eating, they often think I am on a diet. And maybe I am, depending on the meaning one ascribes to the word. I am in a permanent state of alertness, of mindfulness when it comes to elemental flavors, an attitude that is reflected in my minimalist style of cooking. I don’t […]
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The Joy of Handmade Pasta
When I watch Patricia Cambianica’s hands kneading, shaping and cutting pasta dough, I feel her hands are my hands too. And when I work at those tasks, I feel that my hands are also the hands of generations of women who have been bringing their personal touch to this timeless craft. There is joy every […]
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DIY Delicioso Enchiladas
I’m so white. I feel nervous about even suggesting recipes for enchilada sauce. What chutzpah! Honestly, I am not any kind of Mexican master chef; I’ve used the same enchilada recipe from The Vegetarian Epicure my whole life. Besides, we live in California — trying to make my own Mexican food at home seems like […]
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Going Mongolian
The first Friday in January marked the grand opening of Masaki’s Mongolian Grill and Sake Bar in Arcata, a Pan-Asian spin-off from Masaki’s Kyoto Japanese Restaurant in Eureka. Even though I’d been hearing about the place for months, all I really knew was the name, which seemed exotic and intriguing — I had no […]
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Brown Sugar
I super heart brown sugar, especially in fall, when rich stews, pumpkin pie and dark, caramelly flavors seem cozy and appealing (ditto thick sweaters and Maine accents). I adore sweet things in all forms, but particularly anything dark and caramelized. Why does white sugar even exist? What isn’t improved by the rich, butterscotch hug of […]
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May I See What You Have in Your Lunchbox?
Why cook? Cooking is a satisfying experience. Planning your meals and budgeting your time makes it even more so… Using whole, nutritious foods and cooking from scratch will cost less and be healthier for you and your family. — from LunchBox Envy I did not learn to cook until I was an adult. My mother […]