Hiatus...but not from cooking!

Sorry I havent been posting, kiddies. Life, you know. But Im checking in to wish everyone a happy spring and to pass along a tasty chicken braise for a busy work-week dinner.I adapted this from a...

Kitchen Day

Some days I just love to futz around the kitchen; getting stuff in order, planning my meal for the night, sizing up how long the leftovers have been sitting in the fridge, figuring out what to do...

Well, hello there!!!

This picture of me (on the left), my mother, and my sisters; I think rather correctly displays our dismay at my having fallen off the blogging wagon. My apologies my friends, I just fell out of the...

In Honor of My East Coast Brethren, I make a nice warm Chile Verde

I had a 3.75 pork loin roast staring at me from the fridge, seriously, just looming on the second shelf giving me the old hairy eyeball. Via the Facebook page for my catering and personal chef...

Shortcrust to perfection

Martha Stewart has this fantastic little publication called Everyday Food that is one of my absolute favorite cooking sources. Its a cooking magazine, not a food one. That sounds strange but let me...

Green Screen

My favorite cookbook author Nigella Lawson has instilled in me a new obsession with peas. She likes them frozen, fresh, or canned and has lots of nifty options for them all. This recipe came from...

P to the Umpkin, Chiffon to the Izzay.

This is a straight bite from Penzeys website. A few years ago I grew tired of making the same rich pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving. As nice as it is, cheesecake is too damn heavy after youve...

Thats IT!

My breakfast companion and I got a "make it yourself" batch of mimosas this morning and he poured. But since I have this nasty "foodie" lable that hangs over my head he was nervous about meteing...

Its that time of year!!!

Hursts beans has a soup mix that will make you HAPPY! I have found this at every last supermarket I have ever been in and have never seen it for more that $4.00. There are a few means of making...

How to put a hangover in its place

*I dont have any pictures so I will pull stock photos to illustrate my point. What? I was hungover and ate the entire thing in 2 minutes.I will admit this is a rift on my Favorite cookbook author...

Pulau? More like PuWOW!

I grew up in a rice/potato household, meaning those were our go-to choices for starch. My mother being from the Midwest, thinks potatoes are it, and always has a 10lb bag in her larder. because of...

Savory Scones

Zach and I are, palate-wise, completely polar opposites. Breakfast can be a big challenge since most breakfast options are either savory or sweet and I have hit my scrambled egg wall, I needed a...

Garlic Lovers, Take Notice!

Garlic lovers, Im putting you on alert for one of the tastiest and simplest dishes Ive ever made. Its another Bayless variation, but it is so worth it.Mojo de ajo can be found in most...

Time to Feed the Kids! It

Time to Feed the Kids! It

Right before my eyes

You ever notice how once you "discover" something, it seems to be there all the time? Take Eritrea, for example, I am ashamed to admit I had never head of the country until about ten years ago. Im...

Cheese Fail

Ok, the Great Cheese List Challenge of 2010 has finally led to a fail.I knew it was inevitable. Trying all these cheeses has been great, but I knew sooner or later that thered be one that I just...

Lemons and Lemonade

Sometimes the best part about working with food is the leftovers, and the creativity with which they are both used and in some cases, disguised. In my case I had a full fridge and a finicky husband...

Edam? Shazzam!

I consider myself pretty well educated when it comes to food. Lets see my qualifications: 1. human being 2. who eats a lot 3. and who could stand to lose 10 or so pounds 4. who will also...

Mazto Mania!

Ah yes...Passover is here again! And the yearly struggle of trying to matzofy everything begins anew. Matzo brie. Matzo pancakes. Matzo stuffed in your favorite meats. Matzo pudding. Matzo chop...

Secret Menus revealed

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Going Bananas

Picture it: Sicily, 1932. A girl leaves her farm with a dog, three chickens, 2,000 lira, and a dream.Wait. No. That's not my life. Picture it: New York City. Greenwich Village. 2008. A beautiful...

Monday Off ~a photo Essay

His and Hers!!

Twinsies!!

Your Stinky Herbal Friend

No, today's not Hempfest here on Help and Helpings. The herb pictured above is epazote, one of the most useful edible weeds in the world. I grow epazote in my garden during the summer months (and...

Fried Jalapenos

These are good! Like really good, but more than two handfuls and the start to taste greasy. I hear they are also good on sandwiches but I like them as a snack with a beer. Actually I mean I cram a...

Man-crush, Marinades, and Machaca, Part II

Ok, so now you've got a big pretty pile of shredded Mexican style beef jerky. You could eat it, but, honestly, it doesn't taste great as is.Now take two big ole fresh poblano chile peppers. Roast...

Cheeeeeeeese

I'm still in process on part two of the machaca post, but I wanted to quickly pimp a book that I'm currently reading by Gordon Edgar called Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge. I have followed Gordon...

Beet Me!

Come colder weather, I start jonesing for anything that is sweet and savory together. If that something happens to be primarily carbs and goat cheese, I start shoving it in my mouth. Since the...

Man-crush, Marinades, and Machaca, Part I

My obsessive man-crush on Rick Bayless is well known by all who have stepped into my kitchen or listened to me pontificate about food. Forgive the twangy Mid Western accent for a minute; the dude...

Genius post from Eater.com