Tag Archives: weeknight

just keep swimming…

Growing up in Savannah, I spent my summers combing the beach at Tybee, crabbing off my grandparents’ dock, and sailing the Wilmington River. It was idyllic and sun-kissed, but most importantly, it was largely unsupervised…With all that time on the water you’d think today I’d be an accomplished poissonnier. I am not.

the older I get…

This month a pair of viral foodie trends nearly got the best of me, so I had to reinforce my inner dialogue with a hearty dose of Mother’s “I’m so sorry, I can’t.” Of course, this was only after I fell for the Thai curry frozen pot sticker casserole.

creatures of habit …

Call me a traditionalist, but my relationship with the Buffalo wing is moored to a specific time and place. As a closeted creature of habit, I downright refuse to dissociate this food from those memories. From a culinary standpoint, I think the most critical benchmark is texture, regardless of size, presentation, or flavor – I shouldn’t have to specify my wing order as “extra, extra crispy.” Nobody wants a soft, gummy wing casing when a stubborn, sauce-embossed crunch is the whole damn point.

I’ll have what she’s having…

…COVID and the curse of frisky taste buds. For a couple of years I’ve been experimenting in my little kitchen with what home-cooked food could be, even with unforeseen restrictions and limited resources. But really all meals should be heavenly, nutritious, and fresh – I mean everything from elemental servings and small snacks to ceremoniousContinue reading “I’ll have what she’s having…”

the little things…

…what I found & kept during the pandemic. Did everyone simply forget that the world nearly shut down in 2020? Well I didn’t. We don’t seem to talk about it anymore, which is perhaps a self-preservation response to a really awful couple of years. Global health crisis and political upheaval notwithstanding, the ability to “moveContinue reading “the little things…”

Wait, what IS on my Diwali menu…

…my unexpected tie to Indian cuisine. A few weeks ago I wrote about some unexpectedly social cooking and eating escapades, specifically a three-week October frenzy of excessive commensality. It was a welcome, but exhausting departure from my oh-so-comfy empty nest routine. By the end of the month I really needed some quiet time and foundContinue reading “Wait, what IS on my Diwali menu…”

cry me a river…

…a first-world sob story resolved in 3 dinners. Buckle in, we are going for a ride. I got a new camera last week. To be fair, I had to get a new camera last week because in late October I dropped my faithful long lens, Big Betty. We were together for 8 years which madeContinue reading “cry me a river…”

a leg of lamb, a pound of shrimp & a bunch of kale…

…not in that order and definitely not together. Over the last couple of weeks I made three meals that really stood out, each one for particular but elusive reasons. That disconnect has kept me from synthesizing a coherent, clever theme for this post, which has been sitting in drafts since last Friday. All three wereContinue reading “a leg of lamb, a pound of shrimp & a bunch of kale…”

highs & lows…

…savor the wins and take the hits. The last few weeks need to be presented as a giant hamburger. There’s a popular management exercise where you intentionally position negative feedback between two positives – the sandwich approach or the hamburger method. This is supposed to cushion the blow so constructive criticism can be better received.Continue reading “highs & lows…”