There are only a handful of childhood food memories that have stuck with me. It’s not that we didn’t eat well. Even on a fixed income, Mom always made sure we had some meat, some carbs and something green on our plates every evening at five (and to… Read full post »

Every so often you hear about someone who claims to see a supernatural being in their food. A representation of Jesus burnt into a piece of toast, or an image of the Virgin Mary in a stack of pancakes…I think it’s usually a breakfast food of some sort.… Read full post »

I've never been easily swayed by advertising. I can't think of anything I own that I bought because I saw an ad for it. That's especially true with food ads. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a commercial and then felt compelled to amend the grocery list for that… Read full post »

     Here’s how I know that I’m not a traditional alpha male: the idea of grilling does NOTHING for me. I simply do not have the ‘barbecue gene’ in my DNA. I’m fairly certain I have the ‘show tunes gene,’ but that’s rarely needed at/… Read full post »

Learning to cook requires learning a new language as well. It seems like there are dozens of terms for even the simplest kitchen tasks, and a lot of the words aren’t even in English! As I started to cook more, I gathered more recipes online, and had to… Read full post »

 In my first couple years of cooking, I’ve been willing to experiment with almost any herb or spice on the shelf. Granted, my relationship with coriander isn’t as close as we’d like, and I’ve only flirted with bay leaves, but in general, I’ve always tried to be fair… Read full post »

Music and food have been intertwined for centuries. In fact, one of the gretest operatic composers, Gioachino Rossini, was such a gourmand that not only did he compose some of his most famous arias while dining, but several dishes are named in his honor.

 The term ‘Alla Rossini’ us… Read full post »

When I first heard about the ‘sport’ of competitive eating, I had two reactions:

1. It’s a sport?
2. It’s really a sport?

 What began as a rural novelty at county fairs involving homemade pies has somehow become a sport, with a governing body, sanctioned events, and over hal… Read full post »

As the de facto menu planner for our non-traditional quasi-family unit, I try to make sure The Girlfriend and I eat a healthy, balanced diet. Granted, our definition of 'balanced' might be different than yours.I believe that, if you had a salad for dinner, you can, and… Read full post »

Sometimes I wonder, with the number of people writing about food these days, if anyone just eats food anymore. You might think that trying to appreciate food by reading about it is like trying to appreciate Mozart by looking at a painting of an orchestra.

Of course, at… Read full post »

I recently had a chance to talk to an inventive chef with forty years of kitchen experience--a web-savvy culinary veteran known for an adventurous palate and resourcefulness under pressure. Someone as comfortable preparing crème brûlée as they are wild game. I'm referring, of c… Read full post »

You really don’t want to over-analyze some cliches. For instance, if  ‘a picture is worth a thousand words,’ that just means I’m working WAY harder than I need to on this book–all told, I’m at about thirty thousand words, so you’re telling me I could… Read full post »

If I told you I knew a chef who has created the most decadent and exquisite porridge from locally sourced ingredients, full of sublime flavors and textures, would you think that this chef:

A) Trained for years at Le Cordon Bleu in France, is probably named 'Jean-Michel' and

… Read full post »

I'm not usually tempted by infomercials, other than the Time-Life Ultimate Rock Ballads collection, and you can't blame me there--it had that one Glass Tiger song--how is that NOT worth $118? But give me a half-hour pitch for some new kitchen gadget, and I will stare at the… Read full post »

There's always a little down time when you're cooking, whether you're waiting for your eggs to poach, your onions to caramelize, or your roux to get...roux-ey enough.

I think cooking is like baseball, or jazz, in that, to enjoy them, you have  to get past the fact… Read full post »

I suppose, if I were to make a 'bucket list'' of things I want to do before I check out,  I would have to put 'make bucket list ' near the top. It's not that I don't make lists--mix my OCD with a little weed, and making lists becomes a necessity… Read full post »

For my upcoming book, Meatloaf Muffins: Tales of A Reluctant Foodie, I’m trying to contact celebrity chefs and ask them some questions they don’t typically get. I did a trial run with (a very patient) noted Minneapolis chef Bret Bannon…if any of you know a celebrity chef that would… Read full post »

I suppose I'm a food writer now, since this is for a book about food, but it's not the sort of writing I imagined doing for my first book. I fancied myself being a novelist one day, but I have to admit I'm just not that organized.

I… Read full post »

I did a very bad thing last weekend. It was an impulsive moment, but I’ll be dealing with the consequences for a long time. I’m not even sure why I’m writing about it, because it was so incredibly stupid. I just need to clear my conscience, I guess,… Read full post »

I think one of the few ‘typically male’ pieces of my personality is my unwillingness to read the instructions. To anything. If everything is in the box that should be there, I should be able to assemble it/program it/hook it up without reading a  freaking manual. Hell, I’ve… Read full post »

I’m sure this next statement will cause me to lose any respect I may have gained from actual foodies along the way, but here goes: ‘gourmet comfort food’ is a stupid concept. I was raised on comfort food, and I’ve since learned to appreciate the nuances of fine dining… Read full post »

I’ve been pretty lucky during my ongoing cooking adventure, in that The Girlfriend has been almost entirely supportive. She’s been willing to try every crazy idea I’ve suggested, even the ones that came with disclaimers:

“I think this should taste alright—if not I can… Read full post »

If you’re following along at home, you’ll remember I visited a neurologist recently to find out why my body seems to be breaking down like a car with a just-expired warranty. Like any older car, it’s a little sluggish to respond (especially in winter), and I’ve definitely… Read full post »

In music, ‘fusion’ refers to a blending of genres, like the jazz-rock fusion of Pat Metheny, or the jazz-crap fusion of Kenny G.  ‘Fusion,’ in physics, is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together to form a single heavier nucleus. Or, it’s how you… Read full post »

British author and philosopher G.K. Chesterton once said, “Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.” Coincidentally, an anonymous violinist in London once said, “Screw Chesterton. I wouldn’t invite him over for dinner anyway.” Me--I love music w… Read full post »