Killing time before tae kwon do class, Kristin and I wandered into a cute new Asian store in Moabit. It had a lot of great stuff, including a small collection of nice looking fresh produce. In the spirit of supporting this new venture, and because I can’t stop myself when I see them, I bought a couple jars of Patak’s: Hot Mixed Pickle and Tandoori Paste.
A few of us got together just before Lunar New Year to make some dumplings. Caroline and I both have subscriptions to Fine Cooking magazine. We were inspired by the recipes in the Jan/Feb issue and then spread the inspiration around a little.
When most people think of Austin food, they think of barbecue and Tex-Mex, but Austin is also becoming known for its food trailers. Several new ones have opened up in the past year, offering everything from upscale fare using local ingredients, sushi and Cuban sandwiches to Asian fusion, Indian and even disgusting sounding full-meal donuts that are supposedly delicious. And of course there are taco and barbecue trailers too.
Today my mom, sister Jo, brother-in-law Gabe and I sampled La Boîte. Not technically a trailer but a shipping container, this café offers pastries, coffee and sandwiches, using local ingredients when possible. I had been reluctant to try it since a place that bills itself as “true euro” is bound to turn me off. Continue reading “Austin Trailer Report: La Boîte”
Deciding what to make for dinner can often be an indecisive circling that ends with frustration and spaghetti with pesto. Some people plan their meals a week ahead. Once in a blue moon I get myself together enough to do that. My pantry however is fairly well stocked and once I do decide on something I usually only need to pick up an extra thing or two, usually fresh vegetables or meat. Continue reading “Inspired by Sweet Potatoes”
I make a pledge earlier this week to Leah to attempt to bake a tiny cake. Knowing what I have available in my pantry, I pledged to scale my fruitcake recipe, even though I still have over a kilo of 5-month-old booze-soaked cake in my cupboard. However, I also really like fresh fruitcake, so it was not pure madness. Continue reading “Tiny Fruitcake”
I had been hearing about my friend Rick’s grandma’s chicken and dumplings for over a year, hoping that I would get a chance to taste this classic southern dish at some point. When Rick’s husband brings up the idea of giving up meat, Rick replies, “But how could you live without chicken and dumplings?” and that shuts him up.
Excited to re-find sour oranges at the store on Saturday after they appeared for about a week a month ago, I was looking forward to making chicken with mojo (the Cuban kind) last night. Sadly it was not to be. When I opened up the chicken I had bought from the meat counter, it smelled like ammonia. I figured the chicken at upscale grocery store chains is the same as the chicken at regular grocery store chains, but I guess this was my proof. But really, chicken shouldn’t be bad regardless of where you buy it! Poop on Central Market/HEB. Or more accurately, poop on Central Market’s chicken thighs.
I travelled to Zürich for the weekend. A friend moved there from Canada for an internship, and I met her at the airport to help her as she settled in. The idea was that my crappy German would serve better than her total lack of German. Plus, having been a brand new immigrant myself only two years ago, I’d relate to some of the challenges faced in those first few days.
A friendly volunteer from the internship program named Eivind met us at the airport and led us to Sara’s new place. I offered dinner on me, so we dropped off her bags and headed out for — what else — beer and fondue. Continue reading “Zürich”
VIVRE POUR MANGER 