Category Archives: Eating

Here we celebrate the best kind of food enjoyment: eating somebody else’s cooking, whether it be in a fine dining establishment or a hole in the wall.

Recipe: Southern-Style Collard Greens

If you ordered collard greens (or mustard greens or turnip greens) at the now-defunct Highland Park Cafeteria in Dallas, the server would ladle them into a little bowl and add several spoonfuls of the pan liquid. This is the beloved … Continue reading

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Making ham juice with Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Ham

A gift of collards from a friend’s garden made me realize I was out of the odds and ends of a smoked ham needed to make rich, flavorful southern-style greens. Time for an order of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Ham. I … Continue reading

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Recipe: Smoked Salmon Roll-Ups

Thanks to longtime reader and frequent commenter llcwine for sharing this recipe for Smoked Salmon Roll-Ups. It’s refreshing and summer-y and just right for a socially distanced porch party where everyone is served their own plate. Each roll-up feeds 1 … Continue reading

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Trader Joe’s Salsa Autentica is the real deal

One of the lost pleasures in the pandemic is the communal bowl of salsa at our favorite Mexican restaurant and the experience of filling up on dipped tortilla chips before our entree arrives. Trader Joe’s Salsa Autentica to the rescue! … Continue reading

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Recipe: Utica-Style Tomato Pie

Utica-Style Tomato Pie is a gooey, unctuous treat made with lots of tomatoes and very little cheese; it is traditionally served at room temperature. We started with the Sal Detraglia recipe but did a lot of tinkering to get the … Continue reading

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You’re invited: Niman Ranch Hog Farmer Appreciation Celebration

In the mid-aughts we did some work on the Niman Ranch website. We were guests of famed pig farmer and natural husbandry advocate Paul Willis in Thorton, IA. We toured his grounds, ate at his favorite coffee shop, even got … Continue reading

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Taste test: Hot Crispy Oil

Hot Crispy Oil is having a moment. A local version is taking the upstate NY culinary scene by storm, the original “grumpy housewife” is back at the helm of her factory in China, and food god Kenji Lopez-Alt somehow came … Continue reading

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Recipe: DIY Lox and Bagel

Lox and bagels are a favorite deli treat but it’s very easy to make your own DIY version which is better and also cheaper. The ingredients are mostly familiar but there are a few secrets along the way. Makes one … Continue reading

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Recipe: Thai Noodles in Sweet Soy Sauce

Thai Noodles in Sweet Soy Sauce is somewhere between Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Maw) and Pad Ee Sew, a simpler street-food dish. What they have in common is an addictive sweet and sour sauce intensified through wok char. Makes 6 … Continue reading

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Recipe: Cantonese Restaurant Salt and Pepper Squid

Salt and pepper squid is best eaten fresh and piping hot. If your favorite Chinese restaurant is only doing takeout because of the pandemic, here’s how to make it at home. Serves 4 as an appetizer with other foods. Ingredients: … Continue reading

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