It’s Too Hot to Eat Warm Food

I don’t recall ever liking picnics, but I do like the idea of picnics. Saying that, ants, itchy grass, those gross sweat bees (I have no idea what their real name is), mosquitoes, ticks, the hard ground, and forgetting important stuff at home, I’d really rather sit in a screened-in porch. Northern Thailand is hot

Cabbage

In my early 20s, I had a peptic ulcer whilst living in a Central European country. It was painful in a general way, with flashes of stabby-ness. The treatment for this illness at this time in this country consisted of drinking milk and limiting the acids in your diet. I also had loads of cabbage

Chile

New Mexico hatch chiles are superb. My grandmother grew up in that state and I, for one, am much more partial to New Mexican flavors than Tex-Mex ones. Here’s her recipe for chile (it’s shockingly simple). Green Chile 7 to 10 roasted green chiles, peeled and seeded Garlic to suit taste 1 lb. of ground turkey

Meat-ish Balls I

The thing about meatballs is that it isn’t just a wad of rolled-up meat, even though it may taste that way. You need to have a filler of some kind, one that complements the main ingredient or is invisible next to it. I imagine you’re thinking that I’m making stuff up, but I’m not. Just

Filled Thingies III

Carbs and meat. I suppose some of these could be turned vegetarian, but it won’t happen at my hand. Super easy sausage rolls Easily available in a 7-Eleven-type place called Spar (if you want something exceptionally cheap and greasy that your stomach will remember – and rue you for – the rest of the day)

Breakfasts

Westerners can be a bit funny about breakfast. To be fair, breakfast tastes are very hard to change, and Westerners have certain items that they consider to be appropriate for the mornings, and pretty much everything else is not. If an American were sitting at a breakfast table and were served, say, fried noodle, he

Cream of Something Soup

Sometimes it’s soup weather; sometimes it’s not. If it is even the slightest bit chilly out, I would argue that it’s cream-of-something-or-other-soup-served-with-crusty-bread weather. I’m sometimes reminded of a friend of mine who asked for advice on how to start cooking. (This was a 30-year-old man.) I asked what he was able to cook already. He

Canned Beans

Cans of beans are essential for your pantry. Whilst I have the time to soak and drain beans, I can’t say I enjoy it. The New York Times had a recipe a few years ago (maybe; or maybe it was last month) wherein the author argued that you don’t actually have to soak the beans

Handwritten Recipe Archives

I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about favorite recipes and recipes with good memories attached. I was lucky enough to have met almost all of my great-grandparents. One great-grandmother lived with us for a year when I was in 6th grade. When I got home, she tried to have things ready for me to

Mrs. Beckwith’s Caramel Squares

In need of a treat? A dear friend of my late grandmother used to make these. They are incredibly rich and just what you need sometimes (with a cup of coffee, I think!)… I would describe them as a sweet white brownie topped with meringue. Base Brownie  1/2 cup butter 2 egg yolks 1 tsp.