Lisa on November 23rd, 2011

I don’t have many fancy gadgets in the kitchen — sous-vide cooking and flavored foams just seem like too much work to me — but I consider my ice cream maker to be an indispensable culinary aid. Ditto for my blender. If you have those two kitchen helpers, making ice cream becomes ridiculously easy. Not [...]

Continue reading about Cranberries, Both Sweet & Savory

Lisa on January 24th, 2011

Great side dishes don’t just taste good, they have the potential to push past their sideline spots to become the main dish.  In fact, side dishes are a great way to make use of leftovers, because it’s easy to combine already-cooked vegetables, grains, or  meat with freshly cooked ones to create an entirely new meal. [...]

Continue reading about Sprouts, Nuts…Action!

Lisa on August 13th, 2010

Some side dishes are place holders — they just occupy a parcel of real estate on the side of the plate without actually contributing anything to the property.  (White buns, anemic iceberg lettuce, bland mashed potatoes…)  But then some side dishes are so dang good you wish they were the main dish.  This is one [...]

Continue reading about The Ultimate Savory Side

Lisa on January 6th, 2010

I got the “rice browns” idea when I was flipping through a Spanish cookbook and reminiscing about the glorious tortilla españolas I’d had at the tapas bars in Spain.  Unlike the Mexican corn-based flat tortillas, the Spanish version is a thick omelette consisting of eggs and fried potatoes.  It’s deceptively and simply glorious.  (And it’s [...]

Continue reading about Swapping Starches