morsels & sauces

So, I was sitting at Kirala , one of my favorite sushi places, eating lunch, which happens to be across the street from the Berkeley Bowl , and I thought, "Hmm, I should make dinner tonight."* Such is my life. While eating one meal, I am often contemplating the next one. This was the result.  *Full disclaimer, that day was not today, as I am laid up in bed because I broke my tailbone (I fell). But I was recently  sitting in my favorite sushi place having these thoughts. Because I am in an admitting mood, I am going to reveal a few things here: 1.) This is a lazy, lazy dinner. The amount of work here is almost miniscule, and it makes me wonder why I have evenings where I cannot bring myself to cook (enter popcorn and pickles. Again, don't judge. I like salt.) 2.) What sets this apart from other lazy dinners I normally make is the the chile and pumpkin seed combo tossed in with the sweet potatoes. Yep. This launches this little puff pastry concoction i...

It's no secret that I love Christmas (warning, if you go to that link you will receive a shocking display of how my photography has improved in four years).  I love the music, the tree, the candles, the cards. I even love the hustle and bustle.  While I do miss my family during the holidays, I don't miss the snow or the cramped flight or the hours in the car (often with snow) as we drive from Chicago or St. Louis to my small hometown in central Illinois. I admit, I have forgotten how to drive in snow. But I really do miss Christmas morning at my mom's. My mom would often make cinnamon rolls while we lounged in the living room among wrapping paper detritus and too many presents. It was a matter of time before I would be curled beneath the Christmas tree, usually with my cat (who was the most glorious cat that every existed ®  --Juj ube ), looking up at the lights and then falling asleep. Her cinnamon rolls were classic--Pillsbury, of course. From time t...

Risotto is such a delightful dish. Comforting, creamy, simple, stable.   And I am a huge fan . As in, I will make me a risotto any chance I get, with any sort of ingredient you can imagine. It doesn't matter--any season.  Spring--lemon and peas;  Summer--tomato and parmesan;  Fall--mushroom;  Winter--butternut squash and pancetta.  If it's in your fridge, you can put it in this Northern Italian rice dish. However, you will want a very specific kind of rice--a high starch, medium- or short-grain rice--in order separate this delicacy from any other rice dish. The high starch means that as you cook it, it releases its starch, making that requisite creamy smoothness to risotto. The most popular risotto rice in the United States is, hands down, Arborio rice. This short-grained rice isn't as starchy as some of its popular Italian counterparts, but it is the most easily procured. However, a...