VIVRE POUR MANGER

Last April, we took our clients to Spaghetti Western. One of my colleagues ordered the special — a pasta with liver and red wine tomato sauce. I was intrigued. He asked if I wanted to taste it. I did want to, and so I did taste it.
Wow.
I go to Spaghetti Western often, but I’ve never seen [...]

My friend Mike from London / university / St. Thomas sent me a link from Saturday’s New York Times to a gallery of military meals. It’s fascinating. I had several reactions:

I get nostalgic seeing that generic Canadian moist towelette
PAPER matches? (hangs head in shame)
I’m sure those all those soups and stews look less like vomit when they [...]

Adventures in Lancashire Hotpot
I like cooking for others even more than I like cooking itself, which is why I asked my friend if he had a request when I invited him for Sunday dinner. I prompted him with suggestions of potatoes and stew and soup. (The weather in spite of Summer has been cold and [...]

If this doesn’t get you in the mood for blender drinks, nothing will.

All week, I kept an eye on the beef as it sat in brine. Rather, I kept my nose on it. I would open the fridge and sniff deeply. Other than the faintest hint of salt and pickling spice, I smelled nothing. Very good sign, I thought.

Or maybe it’s the pickle lover’s meat?
I’m currently brining a corned beef. It’s very hard work; I dick around on the computer and play a bit of guitar, and meanwhile the hunk of meat sits in the fridge for a few days. Very arduous. What makes it hard work is the waiting. Waiting, and hoping [...]

Last evening we talked about ice cream flavours. Kevin, Kristin’s brother, told of a place in Vancouver with over 200 options, including curry (what kind he didn’t say though I guess yellow) and pear with blue cheese.
This morning, in that foggy place between sleeping and waking, I imagined that I was given an ice cream [...]

A desire to eat well — well here meaning both healthfully and elevated — inspires me to buy certain ingredients to keep in my pantry. However, when I moved to Berlin I did not know how long I would stay, and so I was reluctant to buy pantry items that I might never use up. Plus [...]

Dispatch #1
BBQ acquired. Cookbook scanned. Plans brewing.

Road trip! On the Autobahn! To Amsterdam! Where is was actually sunny and warm, unlike Berlin!
In brief: if the Germans know pork, then the Dutch know dairy.
The grocery store even had a walk-in milk cooler. All the milk I’ve had in Europe (even the discount milk in tetra paks) has been better than the tasteless slime you get in [...]