I never would have thought of using tunafish in tacos. But when Rick Bayless made some on his show, I knew I had to try it. I had some Sweet & Spicy tuna packets (Aldi’s generic competitor to the StarKist brand) that, to be honest, I was kind of terrified of, and they’d been living [...]

CONFESSION: So often lately I come home from a particularly rough day at work with absolutely no desire to cook. It’s one of the reasons I keep a pantry stocked with convenience foods.
Aldi’s made great strides in the quality of their convenience side dishes, and I was astounded at the amazing flavor and texture of [...]

There’s something kind of great about bringing a lunch in to work and having people ask where you ordered it from. It happens a lot when I make stir fry, probably because the sauces I get are so aromatic. My trusted brand of sauces is Lee Kum Kee, available in Asian markets and some [...]

Chicken Saagwala is one of my favorite quick and easy meals. I pulled it from the archives to post here when I opened the blog and today, after spending 2 hours on a drive that usually takes 40 minutes (thanks, flooding!) quick was necessary.
Kitchens of India’s Palak Paneer makes it super simple to have something [...]

Artichokes are a giant pain in the ass. This did not come as a surprise. I mean, look at them. Even from the outside they look intimidating, and once you find out about their fluffy “choke”, it’s even scarier. But darn if they’re not pretty and delicious. So when they were 40¢ apiece at the [...]

Tonight’s weekly Farscape night went the direction of many Farscape nights lately, filled mostly with eating and visiting until it was too late to get a proper episode in. But at least dinner was good! I love hosting dinner for friends, so when it’s our turn to host for Farscape it’s always a treat figuring [...]

CONFESSION: I know nothing about wine. Not even a little. I just know that red wine is good for cooking with red meat, while white wine is better for cooking with lighter meats and seafood. The good thing about this is, I’m totally not a snob. This allows me to try all sorts of new [...]

Heavens it’s good to be home! Extensive work and traveling have put the blog on hold, but I’m finally back home with time and resources to cook! Shopping for fresh ingredients isn’t the best idea when nobody’s going to be home to cook them, so I’m thrilled to finally be able to shop for the [...]

When I discovered Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread and Wine, a wonderful cheese shop / sandwich shop near where I was working recently in Chicago’s Loop, I was ecstatic! I’d been searching for a great source for my favorite serrano ham and manchego cheese for awhile to make a really special treat. We enjoyed it today [...]

Fajitas are tricky to photograph, especially when toothpicks are hard to find. Luckily we still had these bizarre jungle friend martini markers (they dangle on the martini glass like wine charms), so with a little stab at least these stayed put.
I prepared these fajitas using Lawry’s Tequila Lime Marinade that I included with some [...]

CONFESSION: I can’t make an omelet to save my life. Oh, I try. Today I even tried to do the cool flip thing with the pan like all the chefs on TV do, but I learned that’s one move that you have to totally commit to. I’m working my way up to it, though.
So [...]

Usually I don’t make something as rich as Shepherd’s Pie or Scottish Meat Pies so close to each other, but since my friend Allen the Scot wasn’t able to make it for the Meat Pies I thought another tradition from the British Isles was in order.
I’ve been making this recipe for years and it’s certainly [...]