December 2007
Best of 2007 →
As 2007 gets ready to tiptoe out the back door, let me catch it by the sleeve and sit it down for a cup of tea and a chat, in remembrance of what the year has brought. It can then go back to packing its bags, and I to my New Year’s Eve preparations. (I have fifteen people coming to dinner and no menu planned. Wish me luck.) 2007 has left me no time to idle: my cookbook came out in the...
Raspberry Mega Scones →
We’re going to wrap up 2007 with a buttery-sweet bang. The theme: scones. I’m sure many of you will agree, a good scone recipe is an incredibly useful thing to have - crumbly sweet scones in the morning, savory scones dunked in soup later in the day. They’re hard to beat. And while I’m sure plenty of you have baked scones, I’m betting very few of you have delved in...
Dave Barry's year in review →
It was a year that strode boldly into the stall of human events and took a wide stance astride the porcelain bowl of history. It was year in which roughly 17,000 leading presidential contenders, plus of course Dennis Kucinich, held roughly 63,000 debates, during which they spewed out roughly 153 trillion words; and yet the only truly memorable phrase emitted in any political context was...
Rochers à la Noix de Coco →
[Coconut Macaroons] Today’s recipe, which conveniently doubles up as a holiday greeting card, is a beloved classic I wrote about eons ago on this here blog. I am normally reluctant to feature the same recipe twice, if only because it wreaks havoc in my recipe index, but in this instance, more than four years separate the two posts, and I do have something to add to the recipe as previously...
A Tasty Frittata →
I make a lot of fritattas. They fill your belly, allow you to put neglected ingredients in your refrigerator to good use, and when done the right way they’re nutritious and good for you. Breakfast, lunch, dinner - if you’ve got a six-pack of eggs on hand, a simple, satisfying meal is never more than a few minutes away. This particular frittata recipe was inspired by a few things - a...
Here's a holiday proposal: Stop with the gifts →
This is the time of year when a lot of women (by which I mean my wife) complain that women do WAY more holiday stuff than men do. Which is true. On any given day during the holidays, my wife wraps more presents than I have wrapped in my entire life. In terms of cubic footage of stuff wrapped (CFSW), she has basically wrapped the planet Saturn. So she is definitely carrying more than her share of...
Oatmeal Cookies Two Ways: MEDJOOL DATE & WALNUT... →
Regular readers might notice that there isn’t a whole lot of baking on this site. The reason for this is pretty simple. I don’t think I’m very good at baking. Especially cake baking. It seems like any and every time…
A gross national columnist →
<i>(This classic Dave Barry column was originally published October 3, 1999)</i><br />As a professional newspaper columnist with both medical AND dental benefits, I receive many letters from people who’d like to get into my line of work.<br /><p/>”Dear Dave,” they write. ”I’m sick of my boring, dead-end job as a (lawyer, teacher, office...
Figue + Chocolat →
[Fig + Chocolate] Perhaps you remember the fig ice cream I wrote about earlier in the fall. Wanting to bolster the spirit of my fresh figs — the last of the season — I set out to buy dried figs, only to be told that my organic shop was all out, and still waiting for the new crop to be delivered. Aha! This made complete sense — fresh figs need a little time to dry, yes? —...
Pine Nut Rosemary Shortbread →
As promised, here is the pine nut & rosemary shortbread recipe I used for my latest batch of holiday cookies. Shortbread dough - a simple blend of butter, sugar, flour and salt is a wonderful canvas on which to explore different flavor combinations. I included a chunky, ginger version in Super Natural Cooking. This version is a bit different, it incorporates perfectly golden, slightly chopped...
Holiday Favorites List 2007 →
No recipe today, just a quick list of some of things I’m excited about (or inspired by) this holiday season. A list of favorites ranging from cashmere, coffee makers and cookie cutters, to socks, sea turtles and scents - with lots of tasty bits and eye candy in between. - O Ruby Grapefruit Olive Oil: It started with a drizzle on this White Bean Salad - I’ve been hooked on this tangy,...
Mr. Language Person: Weird word problems →
<i>(This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Dec. 21, 1997.) </i><br />Once again, our glands are swollen with pride as we present ”Ask Mister Language Person,” the column that answers your common questions about grammar, punctuation and sheep diseases. Mister Language Person is the only authority who has been formally recognized by the American...
Skull Helmet →
Minty Chocolate Christmas Cookies →
I suspect many of you are on the prowl for Christmas cookie recipes. I have to admit, I’ve been quite excited about attempting to put my own personal twist on a few cookie classics this year. After quite a bit of tinkering in my kitchen, I have a few different cookie recipes to share with you over the next two weeks - you’ll have to let me know what you think. This first cookie...
PORK & TOMATILLO POSOLE →
A couple weeks ago, my friends Jeffrey, Oz and I went to a cooking demonstration at one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Monica, the Border Grill. Presiding over the demonstration were the two chefs/owners of the restaurant, Mary Sue…
PAPPARDELLE WITH SHORT RIB & PORCINI RAGU →
A couple years ago I was obsessed with developing a cooking show that was all about creatively repurposing leftovers. As a kid I hated leftovers and with this show, I wanted to demonstrate how leftovers could be utilized in new…
The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: Opt out? Hell yes... →
The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: Faceberg: We're... →
Muhammara →
[Bell Pepper Caviar with Walnuts and Cashews]
Sometimes, when I have a minute, I sit back and think about the world of food, how vast it is, and how many rivers, hills, and valleys remain uncharted to me: I know so little, and have so much yet to learn. I don’t find the prospect overwhelming, far from it. I find it encouraging, I find it promising, I find it comforting: as long as I can...
Bulgur, Celery and Pomegranate Salad →
This lovely pomegranate-studded salad recipe is from Samuel and Samantha Clark’s recent cookbook release - Moro East. The opening passage of the book starts off as follows:
We needed courage to find our allotment for the first time. The vast area east of Victoria Park has a dust bleakness, unusual for London. If bicycling there we have to keep away from the kerb to avoid broken glass and...
CABERNET-BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH GORGONZOLA... →
Just so you know, this past Sunday, Well Fed turned two years old. I meant to do a special birthday post featuring a new version of a recipe I did on my previous blog that was sort of the inspiration…
