morsels & sauces

Happy New Year! So if you're in Ohio, West Virginia, or Pennsylvania, and you're from German stock, you just might be eating what we are slurping down today--Brats and Sauerkraut. Like many good luck foods that usher in a new year, the German tradition of eating pork and sauerkraut come  from a long and   superstitious line . From hoppin' john to New Year's doughnuts (I love the Dutch!), feasts of good luck are served all over the world.  But let's face it: the main reason we're eating this dish is because the sauerkraut is darned good. Especially if you make it yourself. Okay, let me take a long divergence into the world of fermentation--a world where sauerkraut is a resident. I am learning how to make small batch kombucha, something I have been wanting to do for a while . I am on my third batch. The first was a massive success in terms of taste, but my scoby didn't grow. So I did a little reading, and it...

Here we are, about to hurl ourselves into fall tomorrow, and I am giving you a recipe for a spring dish. What?! Can I tell you a secret?  I made this recipe about two months ago, and I am just getting around to posting it. This is what happens when you spend August traveling and getting ready for the start of school. And then you spend the opening of September launching that school year. No matter how prepared you think you are, you're not prepared.  September. Post Labor Day. Full on ready for pumpkin lattes and wool sweaters and tart apples. And it appears I was cooking with rhubarb. I was not. (But I was. Back in July (which for many places might feel a bit late, but in California, rhubarb does seem to have a long season)). I liked these little meat balls. There's not an ounce of bread in them, so if you're all up in the Paleo diet, these will do you just fine. If you're like me, however, and all up into the feeling...

This little recipe is perfect for lunch. It's simple, it's very light, it's as healthy as can be, and it's satisfying. Let's break that down, shall we? Simple:  Mix batter. Make crepe. Fill. Roll up. Eat.  Perhaps the hardest part about this recipe is making the crepe. I don't know about you, but the first crepe, much like the first pancake , is always a little wonky. But once you get the pan to just the right temperature, all of your crepes will turn out beautifully with that satisfying little crinkle at the edges. But I get ahead of myself. Very light: Yes, buckwheat can be a bit assertive, but thinly spread out into a crepe and topped with smoked fish, well any buckwheat crepe is going to back down a little and let the innards shine. And while there is an abundance of fat in this crepe, said fat leads both to the healthy and the satisfying. Again, I am getting ahead of myself. Heal...

We spent the weekend away up the California coast, where the days (and nights) are cool and foggy, if you're lucky. (Sunny and bright, if you're not.)  As you know, I love the cold density of the fog and the way it nudges you towards sitting next to a fire and reading that book you've been avoiding for no other reason than sheer laziness. I will admit it: I read three books this weekend. Three. On Monday morning, I woke up late and I made this beautiful bowl of oatmeal. However, this was no oatmeal. It was fancy oatmeal, from  Tess Ward's  The Naked Cookbook . First you soak the raisins in Earl Grey tea, not only infusing them with flavor but also ensuring a caffeine pick-me-up for the morning (I guess you could go with decaf if that's your fancy). Then you toast the oatmeal with a little orange zest. Let's admit it here and now: the toasting is what makes this oatmeal nutty and sweet perfection. While it all may seem a li...