So, we had/have this favorite dressing from a popular brand and we were ordering cases of it and they were very expensive and we got to thinking…what’s in this incredibly delicious dressing that we love so much and can’t live without, anyway?

Turns out, not too much. Apple Cider Vinegar, Tamari, Sesame Oil, Sesame Seeds, and Olive Oil to be exact. Ok, that and shiitake mushroom bits but honestly they don’t really do much for the flavor as far as we can tell. And they used Canola Oil, which has no flavor whatsoever so why bother? Read more »

We had our friend Cassie from Eugene and our friends Lyndie, John, and Sophia (happy 1st birthday, Sophia!) from Portland over for dinner a couple of weeks ago and tasked Lyndie with a very general ‘bring something green’ request, which we can do with Lyndie because she’s a fabulous cook and has superior taste.

Not one to dissapoint, she arrived with about 3 pounds of fresh Green Beans. We brainstormed some ideas on how to prepare them and zeroed in on a quick sauté with some crispy little bits of pancetta. After a quick trip to the Roth’s by our house we were all set with about 4 ounces of lovely, round Pancetta slices.

We had some leftover Roasted Hazlenuts from a meal a week or so earlier which we kind of threw in as an afterthought, but which added a nice, warm, earthy flavor that was great with the Beans. And they added a little extra crunch. You could omit them if you wanted to and it wouldn’t be too detrimental to the dish. Read more »

As a rule, we don’t eat a lot of bread. We like sammiches an such well enough but we’ve sort of mostly just fallen out of the habit. The most glaringly obvious exception to this are these dangerously delicious little Garlic Crostini.

These are crunchy, mildly salty and garlicky perfection. They rock as an appetizer with Aioli, Hummus, or whatever and we love them in pretty much every soup we make. They also make a fun twist on croutons and go great with Caesar Salad. And, to top it all off, they’re the perfect base for Bruschetta. Read more »

To be honest, we’ve been pretty disappointed with Bon Appetit magazine since the whole format ‘update’ a while back (thought the website still rocks heartily). It seemed a little too focused on the look of the magazine (not to mention the incessant shameless promotion of Bon Appetit-sponsored events) and not enough attention was being paid to the actual content.

Then, all of a sudden the April issue arrived and it’s beautiful. It’s a little more like the magazine that we used to love: recipes that normal folks can make and lots of pretty photographs of uneaten food. And that lovely cover shot of the salad with the Grilled Chicken and the Tarragon? Hmmm, where have we seen something like that before?

Anyhoo, the R.S.V.P. section has the most wonderful sounding recipe for Pozolé (posole, posolli, ala Wikipedia). Pozolé. is a kind of Mexican stew that’s not unlike the sauce and filling of a Verde Burrito: a lusciously rich amalgamation of succulent bite-sized pieces of Pork, Hominy, Onions, Garlic, Chiles, Tomatillos, and spices.
Pozolé has long been on our recipes-to-make list. It has a wonderful depth of flavor and it couldn’t be easier to prepare. Read more »

We can’t really remember exactly where this recipe came from (which means we can’t remember who we stole it from) but it’s our default non-salad vegetable for the most part. We love Rosemary anyway (which is good, because if you plant one you’ll have Rosemary for the rest of your life) and Asparagus is such a great vehicle for it that we tend to eat it all the time. It’s a great side for our fancy Beef Tenderloin, it’s super with brunch, and it also makes a fun finger food. Roasting Asparagus beats the pants off of steaming it any day. It intensifies the flavors and prevents sliminess. Read more »