tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59324752009-11-21T10:10:46.718-05:00<strong>Do not be afraid of cooking, as your ingredients will know and misbehave.</strong><br /> Fergus Henderson, <em>The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating</em>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.comBlogger800125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-18864470555771378602009-11-20T03:00:00.001-05:002009-11-20T03:00:06.020-05:00

Veal with ArtichokesIt was about 8:00 pm, 10:00 pm my time, on a Tuesday night and I was in Scottsdale, Arizona. I'd only been to Scottsdale once before, when I interviewed for the job that brought me here on this October evening. I'd been driving around for about an hour getting a feel for the area and looking for a place to eat.Sadly, nothing caught my eye. There were the usual collection of

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-41961414406451953972009-11-19T03:00:00.003-05:002009-11-19T13:18:21.615-05:00

Blasphemy or Saving GraceTwo years ago the damned local fire marshal decreed that not only was it now against fire regulations to use an open flame grill (gas or charcoal) within 20 feet of a multi-family dwelling (read "my condo") but that you can't even store a grill (gas or charcoal) within 20 feet of the dwelling. It's a completely reasonable rule. Most people are idiots and I don’t want an

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-83611236785132437872009-11-18T03:00:00.001-05:002009-11-18T03:00:01.653-05:00

Recipe here...Technorati: Food | photo | kevin d weeks | seriously good | wordless wednesday

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-56148877551852977212009-11-17T03:00:00.000-05:002009-11-17T03:00:04.393-05:00

According to the CustomOne of my earliest memories is of standing beside my father in the kitchen on the day after Thanksgiving as he made eggnog. I must have been 6 or 7 at the time, because I remember the silvery bowl was almost as big as I was. The bowl shrank over the years, but in the beginning it was huge.I recall standing on a stool beside him as he added whiskey to the bowl in a slow

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-73806011339770755662009-11-16T03:00:00.003-05:002009-11-16T03:00:03.320-05:00

The GirlIt was December of 2001 and, despite having protested for years that I'd never live in California, I'd moved to Sacramento three months before. On this particular day, the Thursday evening after Christmas, I was driving around the town of Sonoma in a steady, chilly, drizzling rain looking for my B&B.One of the nice things about the publishing business (I was a magazine editor at the time)

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-13843110698260551992009-11-13T03:00:00.001-05:002009-11-13T03:00:03.378-05:00

Greek Meze ExtraordinaireA few years back I catered a tapas/meze party for my parents. As someone who is inordinately fond of tapas (Spain), meze (Greece), apertivos/antipasti (Italy), and hors d'Oeuvres (France) I had a ball coming up with a menu. I have. I didn't stick to a particular cuisine but instead came up with a smorgasbord of bite-sized munchies.I served Mushrooms Stuffed with Pancetta

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-84751305253045785392009-11-12T03:00:00.001-05:002009-11-12T03:00:07.581-05:00

A Thanksgiving FavoriteThis recipe for stuffing (or dressing as we say in the South) features Italian sausage, apples, and raisins and is specifically intended to complement my recipe for Apple-brined Turkey for Two. You can prep the bread, sausage, and vegetables a day in advance and then store in separate sealed containers (don't refrigerate the bread cubes) until ready to combine and bake.

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-85608132079748944122009-11-11T03:00:00.000-05:002009-11-11T03:00:01.192-05:00

Recipe here...Technorati: Food | photo | kevin d weeks | seriously good | wordless wednesday

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-68856978192653201702009-11-10T03:00:00.000-05:002009-11-10T03:00:01.935-05:00

Rounding out the MealThanksgiving is still a couple of weeks off as I write this, but it's not too soon to begin planning. I still haven't settled on a main dish but I'm thinking maybe pheasant. I've never had pheasant and Fresh Market (an equivalent of Whole Foods) had pheasant last year so it might be a good bet. But whatever I decide on for the main course, I'll need side dishes and these are

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-12228462614990471872009-11-09T03:00:00.003-05:002009-11-09T03:00:04.042-05:00

Christmas TKIn the copy-editing business there are lots of funky spellings and abbreviations. These are all intended to set off the editors' internal alarms so they won't be mistaken for anything except attention grabbers to other editors. For instance "header" is spelled "HEDR," "side bar" SIDBAR," and "to come" "TK." I've even seen "title" labeled as "TIT." The use of all-caps helps when

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-70383643586841320782009-11-06T03:00:00.000-05:002009-11-06T03:00:01.145-05:00

Little CabbagesThe first time I served these at a party the hostess hesitated a moment at my suggestion. A lot of people don't like sprouts and in this particular case her husband "hated" them. But she, like me, loved them and I persuaded her, commenting that my mother didn't like sprouts but liked these. When I served the party I made a point of gently shaming her husband into trying them - he

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-24228591202894226352009-11-05T03:09:00.000-05:002009-11-05T03:09:00.187-05:00

Pancakes in the French ModePancakes are among the simplest of breads — and crepes are just pancakes. At their most basic crepes/pancakes consist of flour and water. They are also found around the world made of corn flour by native Americans, buckwheat flour in Normandy, and rice flour in China. They can be used in savory dishes such as Scallop Crepes or sweet like the classical French Crepes

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-80428497653986887182009-11-04T03:00:00.000-05:002009-11-04T03:00:02.694-05:00

Recipe here...Technorati: Food | recipe | kevin d weeks | seriously good | TAGNAME

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-976814060258969382009-11-03T03:00:00.002-05:002009-11-03T03:00:03.875-05:00

This is the birthday of the reputed namesake of this marvelous hand-held meal, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Technorati: Food | photo | kevin d weeks | seriously good | sandwiches

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-62073696788884620462009-11-02T03:00:00.002-05:002009-11-02T10:06:00.640-05:00

Bile That Cabbage Down, BoysSteamed cabbage was, if not frequent, at least common in the house where I grew up — particularly in the winter. And I'm inclined to say that's why I like cooked cabbage. Except that cole slaw was frequent in the house where I grew up — particularly in the summer. And I don't care for cole slaw. On the other hand, I do like raw cabbage sprinkled with a bit of salt. So

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-10658405962011455072009-10-30T03:00:00.002-04:002009-10-30T03:00:03.291-04:00

FallingThe day-time temperature has been in the 70's this fall — right up until a few days ago when it plunged 30 degrees over-night. Colors haven't really started changing yet — because of the warmth, I suppose. But perhaps now we'll see fall. Although New England is certainly the most beautiful place in the country for leaf peeping, East Tennessee does pretty well — and for that matter when the

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-6926182086476534192009-10-29T03:00:00.000-04:002009-10-29T03:00:06.996-04:00

Leftovers go LightlyChicken Stir Fry is one of my favorite recipes for leftovers. For instance, a few days ago I roasted a chicken and that night had it with steamed broccoli and Cauliflower Puree. A delicious meal, but with lot's of leftover chicken. However, I planned for those leftovers. So a couple of days later I made some rice turned the leftovers into a stirfry. My original Mediterranean

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-38905394723117729542009-10-28T03:03:00.000-04:002009-10-28T03:03:03.144-04:00

Technorati: Food | photo | kevin d weeks | seriously good | wordless wednesday

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-64492402810635028452009-10-27T03:00:00.001-04:002009-10-27T03:00:06.487-04:00

Low & Slow in a PotPerhaps it seems odd to have a favorite cooking method. I know it seems odd to me. But I love braising. There's something irresistible about taking a tough, cheap cut of meat and turning it into a tender cut of meat. And then there's the sauce.For instance, a couple of weeks ago I featured canard au vin. This dish is a variation on Boeuf Daube and Coq au Vin. Popular throughout

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-38462304865205323242009-10-26T03:16:00.003-04:002009-10-26T03:16:03.901-04:00

FrothI've loved soufflés for as long as I can remember, my mother made them fairly often when I was a child and I recall a feeling of wonder at the way they puffed and browned magically becoming a toasted yellow mushroom. I also recall wonder at their ethereal texture and rich goodness of egg and cheese — flavors somehow transformed to something better than eggs and cheese ordinarily are, a

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-51811180621464521152009-10-23T03:00:00.001-04:002009-10-23T03:00:03.321-04:00

Heaven ScentI read recently that the most popular sandwich in the US (discounting hamburgers, I assume) is ham. Although I presume most people eat of some sort of processed ham on some sort of commercial bread in their sandwiches, even some of those products aren't bad. And when you branch out into less common hams and handcrafted breads you can create some really spectacular sandwiches.Such

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-3865001604648355822009-10-22T03:00:00.000-04:002009-10-22T03:00:04.312-04:00

CalabacitasThis traditional Mexican Corn Saute (calabacitas) is a favorite with my clients — especially in the summer when all the ingredients are fresh. But I also make it using frozen corn and canned tomatoes. Think of it as form of succotash but with chiles and without lima beans (although there's nothing to keep you from adding limas is you wish) One reason I like it is because it freezes

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-40459985216076897662009-10-21T03:00:00.000-04:002009-10-21T03:00:02.832-04:00

Recipe here...Technorati: Food | photo | kevin d weeks | seriously good | wordless wednesday

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-91084391744831534862009-10-20T03:00:00.002-04:002009-10-20T14:10:30.636-04:00

IdeologyI just filled out a survey directed to professional cooks/chefs. For the most part it was fine, although there were some stupid questions such as:"What's your favorite spice?" — Depends on what I'm cooking. And do herbs count as a 'spice,' and what about flavorings such as lemon or capers?"What's your signature dish?" — Everything I associate my name with. What? You want me to pick a

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-82928118108241490832009-10-19T03:00:00.000-04:002009-10-19T03:00:03.837-04:00

Keep it SimpleSo far we’ve had an unseasonably warm and dry fall and I'm getting fed up with it. There are soups and stews and casseroles and roasts to make that can't really be enjoyed properly when it's a bright, clear sunny 78F outside. I find myself envying the flooding in New Hampshire and the snow storms in Colorado. The weather may be bad but the food makes up for it.Nevertheless, when I

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com1