From Scratch

Walter Cronkite 1916 – 2009

ellaella — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:35:06 +0000

Walter Cronkite died tonight in New York. He was 92. He was often called the most trusted man in America and through much of the turmoil of the mid-Twentieth century, he was America’s first choice for television news. He evolved with the medium, which was still young in 1963 when he announced the death of [...]

Iowans vote no to Michael Jackson made of butter

ellaella — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:55:06 +0000

The things I learn as a blogger. Until recently I had no idea Iowa’s state fair features sculptures made of butter; a life-size cow of butter is always included. After Michael Jackson died, the idea of sculpting him from butter came up — at one point truth sounded like satire — and after some objections, [...]

Jalapeno hummus

ellaella — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:09:41 +0000

Hummus has become so popular in the US that most stores carry an array of varieties. I spotted jalapeno hummus the other day and as I decided against spending $5 for a small tub of it, I remembered a recipe for jalapeno hummus has been in my “to try” file for at least a decade. [...]

How much produce do I need for recipes?

ellaella — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:34:19 +0000

How many tomatoes are in a cup? How many tablespoons of juice are in a lemon? It can be frustrating when recipes specify a diced, chopped or other final form of an ingredient without even a hint of how much whole fruits and vegetables we need to begin with. For those who don’t have American [...]

Fresh corn salsa

ellaella — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:04:20 +0000

My first summer here I wanted to grow some corn, if only to find out what it tastes like when it’s not picked until the water’s on. Enough people told me bears love corn to put me off the idea; when you’ve seen a bear just a few inches from your deck, you’re easily dissuaded. [...]