“Miss Blue! What are we going to do in the garden this afternoon?” asks a student at Escuela Manzo, an elementary school in Tucson’s largest school district. “I don’t know. What should we do?” replies Blue Baldwin, the school’s Ecology Coordinator – the sole position of its … [Read more...] about An Award-Winning Program Brings Urban Gardening, Ecology Education and Food Sovereignty to Escuela Manzo in Tucson, Arizona
Dutch Oven Versus Slow-cooker Braised Chicken, White Wine and Fennel (Le Creuset Recipe)
This is the same recipe I made in a slow-cooker for a "Healthy New Year's Eating" segment on Breakfast Television this January. When I splurged on a second-hand Le Creuset Dutch oven, though, I had to remake the recipe for the comparison. I figured the Le Creuset baked version … [Read more...] about Dutch Oven Versus Slow-cooker Braised Chicken, White Wine and Fennel (Le Creuset Recipe)
Homemade Soba Noodles: 100% Buckwheat Gluten Free Pasta with Dashi Soba Broth
I am not a soba making noodle master. This is a soba making master: Unfortunately, I watched this after making my own noodles. Fortunately, I had a pasta maker. What that meant was that the noodles looked awesome but were horribly over-mixed and dense. The process was … [Read more...] about Homemade Soba Noodles: 100% Buckwheat Gluten Free Pasta with Dashi Soba Broth
Hunting Kumquats (And More Tucson Food Stories to Come)
I'm here in Tucson, Arizona for the first time to hunt kumquats. Well, no. I'm also here to visit family, rock climb and explore the restaurant, farmer's market, wine and cocktail scenes. And perhaps most importantly to become the temporary grapefruit picker for the apartment … [Read more...] about Hunting Kumquats (And More Tucson Food Stories to Come)
The Banana Miso Cocktail by Tao Zrafi at Nhâu Bar in Montreal
There's a surfeit of new speakeasy cocktail bars in Montreal of late, and the first one I checked out was Nhâu Bar, which is the subterranean lair of Hà, the Vietnamese place on McGill St. in the Old Port. There, bartender Tao Zrafi has created an Asian-inspired drinks menu … [Read more...] about The Banana Miso Cocktail by Tao Zrafi at Nhâu Bar in Montreal
Toasted Cinnamon Sticks from Flavor Flours by Alice Medrich (and the interview transcription)
One of the highlights of my food journalism career thus far is my 2015 interview with Alice Medrich, the Queen of Chocolate and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and baking instructor. What's stuck with my from that interview the most – more than the idea of hydrating … [Read more...] about Toasted Cinnamon Sticks from Flavor Flours by Alice Medrich (and the interview transcription)
Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Risotto
"Rice, say the Italians, is born in water and dies in wine," writes author Margaret Visser in her book Much Depends on Dinner. Would that we could all be so lucky? Hmm...that makes me sound a bit like an alcoholic, when I really just meant that I like swimming... Point … [Read more...] about Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Risotto
Shrimp and Cod Chowder (Dairy-Free)
Facts: My dad loves seafood chowder and I wanted to make it for him. Problem: It contains gluten and dairy. Goal: Create a gluten free, dairy free seafood chowder recipe that's as good as the original. Challenge: I didn't want to use coconut milk because it makes … [Read more...] about Shrimp and Cod Chowder (Dairy-Free)
Côte-Nord at Montreal en Lumières: Scallops, Deer and Boreal Flavours at Ikanos
I attended the Montreal en Lumières dinner at Ikanos last night, which featured Chef Glenn Forbes from Tadoussac and Ikanos' chef Constant Mentzas preparing a five-course dinner of seafood, game meats, wild mushrooms and berries. They're repeating the dinner tonight … [Read more...] about Côte-Nord at Montreal en Lumières: Scallops, Deer and Boreal Flavours at Ikanos
Tender Pressure Cooker Calamari with Red Wine-Tomato Sauce (aka a Messy Sunset and How to Clean Squid)
I'm standing at my kitchen counter. Late afternoon light is streaming in through the windows as I take my uncleaned squid tubes and tentacles from the fridge. It was $1 less a pound to buy them uncleaned, with the inky skin, entrails and plastic-like clean quills (it's actually … [Read more...] about Tender Pressure Cooker Calamari with Red Wine-Tomato Sauce (aka a Messy Sunset and How to Clean Squid)