Down to hEarth

Alternative Title: How to shop when we shelter in place to avoid a pandemic JP asked over a video call - how to eat and cook ' from the pantry.'  I'll point her back to the first post I did on pantry basics a few years ago but her question yesterday had a different need behind it as we all try to figure out how to not go to the market every day and how to deal with the shortages that are beginning to show up in those markets. How can she eat well if she literally can't go to the market for a couple of weeks? In light of what is happening in the world, the pantry starts taking on a different - or really, its more original purpose: a place to store food items that will last for longer periods of time. Our refrigerators and freezers are part of this storage system and need to be maximized. Finally found that chicken you were looking for - buy two and divide them up for the freezer. Which fruit can go in the fridge and store for a long time? Apples and oranges are goo...

Biscotti comes to us from Italy - old Rome, as a matter of fact - and the word originally derives from "Twice Baked" - because that's what you do with biscotti in order to get that dry, hard consistency - you bake it twice. The wonders of biscotti are not only the different types you can make - but also the fact that they tend to last longer.  Here's my all time favorite recipe -  White Chocolate with Dried Cranberries Biscotti ½ cup butter (room temperature) 1 ½ cup sugar 2 eggs 3 ouncess white chocolate – melted and cooled 2 ¾ cups flour 2 ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt ¼ orange juice 1 tsp almond extract 3 ouncess white chocolate chopped – or ½ cup of white chocolate chips ¾ cup coarsely chopped toasted almond slivers ¾ cup dried cranberries (apricots or cherries) Heat oven to 350.  Grease and flour  (or use parchment paper) 2 cookie sheets. When oven has heated - toast the almond slivers (spread on baking sheet, put in ...

Basic Pie Crust recipe: Makes One 9 Inch Crust 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour 1/2 Tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces 3 Tbsp (or more) ice water. Preheat oven to 400 degrees I like a butter crust. I know some people swear by shortening - or add shortening with the butter... but why? A proper butter infused pie crust flakes and melts in your mouth, the perfect accompaniment to whatever filling you've chosen to use. Note: I double this recipe when I am making a two crust pie. Yes, there is some left over but how else are you going to make cinnamon shortbread pinwheel cookies? Blend flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter slowly while pulsing the processor on and off. The flour/butter mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Now add the three tablespoons of ice water and blend using the pulse on/off until moist clumps form. It might look too dry but check it first. Open the processor and pinch a goo...

Due to demand - and also a personal need to keep track of successful recipes - here's an easy to make bento main dish that could probably double as an appetizer too. 😊 Recipe Ham slices, sandwich thin  ~1.5" section of carrot, julienned   ~1.5" long pieces of raw green beans, ends trimmed Shredded cheese of choice 1 Tbsp light  soy sauce * 1 Tbsp mirin * 1 Tbsp cooking sake  Lay out a slice of ham (or overlap two small slices) and place 2-3 green beans near one end of the slice.  Add an equal amount of carrots and cheese, then starting from the closest end to the mixings, carefully roll contents up. In a frying pan, heat up a little bit of cooking oil spread across the bottom. Once hot, place roll-ups carefully in the pan and add soy sauce, mirin, and sake (it's a 1:1:1 ratio, so feel free if you need to increase the amount here - there should be just enough liquids to fully coat the bottom). Cover and let simmer for 4-8 minutes. Once most ...

This is for you, Nicki - So... you are taking home some nicely fermented yeasty bread starter and you want to know how to care for it in order to make bread... There are all sorts of details, facts, and interesting tidbits about fermentation and making bread out there online and in books so I'm not going to go into all of the scientific names and notes. I think Michael Pollen does a nice job of explaining this process in Cooked. What you will find here is just the basic instructions on how to keep your starter going with a few resources for what then happens next. Let's see... 1. Container : Find a nice jar or container that won't explode if the yeast goes a little crazy. I like my 1 liter Weck jar that I got over at World Imports. It has clips on top that will pop off before the glass jar breaks. Your starter is making gas - so this is a valid concern. Any 1 qt. mason jar will do, really. 2. Equipment : With bread making you need an instant read thermometer for...

Chicken Chowder Recipe 3 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken meat 8 cups homemade chicken stock 4 slices bacon, chopped 1 onion, chopped fine 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried 1/3 cup flour 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1 carrot, washed, peeled if you choose, and sliced or diced. 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1/2 heavy cream + 1/4 cup milk Salt and pepper 2 Tb minced fresh parsley (optional - add when serving) *This soup freezes really well. **Additions: you can add fresh or frozen yellow corn to this soup or even hominy. Also try a poblano chili with cilantro as a garnish. Basic recipe gets full credit from Cooks Illustrated  All Time Best Soups First step: Gather ingredients and prep them for the pot. Speaking of pots, this soup is worth the time to pull out that dutch oven you might keep on the back shelf. Getting ever...

Eating together is one of the most foundational human acts of community. Gathering together around food never seems to grow old. JP and I have been chatting about how one goes about feeling confident about hosting other people at the proverbial dinner table. She's realized that there is a hell of a lot that goes on before hand to make that meal with friends savory and special. I can only chuckle because I remember when I had that realization too. For each generation that takes on the hosting of gatherings, we look to the past generation and wonder how it seemed so easy for them. I'm here to say that it isn't easy. However, what I saw in the kitchens of my mother, my aunts, uncles, and grandmother was a labor of love. Sure, it can be exhausting, but the act of giving was and continues to be worth it. So here's my take on the act of sharing food: What kind of evening do you want to have? A cozy dinner with candles? A patio BBQ with football? Do you want lingerin...