I frequently wonder about my ancestors, the native Americans, and other “first peoples” and picture them deciding to try eating certain things. Artichokes are high on that list. They just don’t cry out “EAT ME” and even if you’re a culinary extrovert and willing to give anything a go, they have pretty vicious thorns on…
One thing about a long-running food blog … there are only so many quintessentially Irish dishes you can make for St. Patrick’s Day year after year, particularly when you aren’t all that Irish. I’m also waging a protracted campaign to use up my winter greens before the beds need to be turned for tomatoes and…
This is my first shot at trying to reproduce my absolute favorite sandwich from famous New Orleans eatery Cochon Butcher. Their Buckboard Bacon Melt is unbelievable; I’m not quite there, but even part-way there is pretty damned good, especially on a brisk day early in the sailing season. Early season also means the collards–one thing…
You’ve heard me say it — Satsumas are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. Ripening on southern trees between Thanksgiving and Christmas, they are thoroughly seasonal, but refreshingly light and fruity in between gravy-covered meals. Tonight, alongside a nice Satsuma mulled cider, we had lovely thick pork chops with a spicy Satsuma…
On the hook in Pelican Bay — a remarkably beautiful 85% protected anchorage on the southeast corner of Dauphin Island at the mouth of Mobile Bay — this was supposed to be dessert at dinner our first night. But the incredibly long and harrowing passage (getting INTO a narrow-inlet barrier island anchorage in a boat…
Not going to lie, these would be THE BOMB as far as night watch food goes, and so I had intended them. Then night watch started early and never ended. We were planning to make a leisurely passage from Lake Pontchartrain to Dauphin Island off Mobile Bay, anchoring briefly before sundown at an interim barrier…
This is one of my best original concoctions to date, full stop. Truly delicious. We are in a strange and somewhat insulting weather pattern down here on the Gulf, with lows in the 40’s at night, but also hurricanes … kinda like having wrinkles and acne at the same time in life … just totally…
When I saw this recipe on Serious Eats I immediately thought … “somebody visited the South.” It’s such a quintessential southern dish, and yet … I had to correct a few regional inconsistencies: grits don’t call for hifalutin’ cheese like Parmesan, kale is not a thing in the land of collards, and I’ve never heard…
If you are the type of pirate who gets a periodic craving for a good piece of beef but a warm steak loses its appeal in the summer heat, this recipe might be just your thing. “Black and blue” is the designation for a steak charred black on the outside but still raw on the…
In March, just before we all went into lockdown, this pirate spent two weeks in northern Thailand eating her fill of delicious khao soi, som tam and khao niao mamuang every day. Grateful to make it home before borders were closed, she nonetheless went into Thai food withdrawal, and the first dish she was compelled…