I’m still working on writing blog posts, but my work time has recently been absorbed by another project. As a result I haven’t posted in way too long. I’m currently in the process of developing an application to assist the family and caretakers of a young girl with an Inborn Error of Metabolism (IEM) in…
Measuring in Recipes
When your first learning to cook by following recipes. it’s important to measure. It takes a lot of practice to get familiar with the ratios of ingredients that make up a good recipe. Later on you get to be more lax. You make mistakes and learn by experimentation. In the end though, it may be…
Facts of Flavor: A Series
I’m starting an ongoing series of posts I’m going to call “Facts of Flavor”. I want to dig a little deeper into good culinary techniques and talk about how good technique creates great tasting food, with an emphasis on how we can use good technique to create healthy food, as well as the occasional treat….
Vermouth Steamed Green Beans
In my last post I talked about the ways that dry vermouth can be used in cooking, and said I’d follow up with an example. This is a fairly simple recipe, which uses the sweetness of the vermouth and shallots to compliment the flavor of the green beans. Cooking Time: 20 minutes Yield: 4, 1 cup…
Need Just a Little White Wine to Cook With?
I’ve been wanting to write a post about dry vermouth for a while. It’s a regular part of my cooking, and a great tool for adding flavor to foods without adding a lot of calories or salt. Every time I try to write this post I get sidetracked, wanting to talk about the physiology of…
Personal Note: Food Allergies and Restaurants
When it comes to food, I have a laundry list of issues: Allergies? Yes! Intolerance? You bet! Oral Allergy Syndrome? Of course, why not?! Other strange stuff that I don’t know if it’s real or not? Uh-huh! My strategy for coping with these issues throughout my life has been a deep interest in food. I…
Fresh Chickpeas
I was at the Asian Grocery Center in Bellevue, hunting down some Dragon Well tea when I spotted these in the produce section. I’m familiar with chickpeas, but I’d never seen fresh ones before. I knew my wife would be tickled by them, so I grabbed a pound. They come in fuzzy little pods (pericarps,…
Still Have Some Turkey and Candied Yams in the Fridge?
My wife and I were looking at the various “Thanksgiving Recipes from the 50 States” articles that were everywhere just before Thanksgiving. Turkey enchiladas was one recipe that came up for more than a few times, but I wasn’t thrilled by any of the recipes. One in particular just wasn’t very saucy looking. Since “covered…
All Canned Beans are Not the Same
I realized after completing my post for the hummus recipe that I had not provided one important piece of information. I preferentially use organic brands of canned beans. I use them not because I think organic foods are better (I think that they are not as much better for you as they are touted to…
Hummus
Hummus is a tangy spread made from garbanzo beans. It is a staple of middle eastern cuisine but it is also extremely versatile, and can be used as a sandwich spread, a dip, or as an accompaniment for a salad. I’m pretty sure I didn’t have hummus for the first time until I was in…