When I was a kid, I was not exactly enamored with lamb. It wasn't common fare around my place and, when it was served, it was one of the few meats that got the utterly unimaginative preparation of salt/pepper/garlic, grilled and with mint jelly on the side. It wasn't bad, but it certainly was not the usual, creative dinner I was spoiled enough to expect.
Fast forward a few years, errr, decades and lamb is rapidly becoming one of my favorite meat choices.
I am lucky enough to have friends, like Farmgirl, who have sheep and they have introduced me to many ways to prepare lamb - with nary a hint of mint jelly in sight. The only downside to this is that Susan lives halfway across the country and, try as we may, we have not yet figured out how to shove a rack of lamb through the tubes of the internets. Must be coming in the next version of Windows...
Continue reading "Lamb Burgers with Feta Cheese Recipe" »
...in which the Hallmark Meat 'recall' gets watered down. Even more.
I am really trying to wrap my brain around something and not having much luck. Read this and tell me what I am missing.
"If a processor or grinder has records demonstrating that products were
produced using less than 100% of recalled Westland meat for the meat
component, then there is no need...to retrieve that 'commingled'
product," Beef Industry Presses For Reduced Recall - WSJ.com
Continue reading "Hallmark Meat: Not so total recall" »
A
new cook has so many things to remember. All those terms (in French, no
less); which tool to use for which task; how to take a whole, raw
ingredient like a pineapple and turn it into pineapple slices; the difference between coarsely diced, finely diced and minced.
Lately, I have been recognizing how lucky I was to learn my way around
a kitchen surrounded by a largish family of people offering tips along
the way. I always had someone to ask leading questions ("The rice will
be ready in half an hour, do you think the chicken should go in the
oven?"), whisper reminders and correct bad technique. I have been saved
from a large number of disasters, and the related discouragement, over
the years by a well-placed bit of advice.
Continue reading "Quick tips to make you a better cook" »
Many questions have plagued humankind for eons:
- Are we alone in the universe?
- Does god exist?
- What is the meaning of life?
- What is the difference between English muffins and crumpets?
Well folks, after a day of research and experimentation, I have the answer to one of those. No, not the first three - I took the tough one: English muffins v. crumpets.
One might wonder how dull my day was to spend it hunting down the answer to such a question, and one might be right. In my defense, however, that's not what I started out to do...
Continue reading "English muffins and crumpets: an (almost) shared recipe" »