Protein 
Brine It: Homemade Corned Beef
I’m not Irish but St. Patrick’s Day gives me an unnecessary excuse to wear green and to eat corned beef. I decided to try “corning” my own beef this year and in the process learned that I have more of a connection to this dish than I realized. As it turns out, corned beef didn’t [...]
The Darker Side of Chocolate
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we’re all thinking about the sweetness of relationships but it takes a little more effort to delve into the deeper, more complex aspects of love. Similarly, chocolate’s savory side isn’t usually sought after or easily understood. Just try adding a little unsweetened cocoa powder to a dish for [...]
Duck Confit for a Party
Having a few friends over for a cozy dinner is a welcome break from the seriously isolating behavior I tend to adopt over the winter. Maybe I don’t speak for you, but it takes some prodding to get me out the door on a winter night even in the warmest January we’ve had in 60 [...]
Perfect Protein Quinoa
Growing up on a ranch in eastern Washington, quinoa never entered the culinary picture, nor couscous, rarely rice, not much pasta either. But potatoes aplenty. My father and grandfather grew them which I guess explains it. Food cultures vary from family to family, regionally, and internationally, and time makes a difference too, food fads come [...]
Regional Character in a Dungeness Crabcake
If there was a throwdown for a dish that best characterizes our state, culinarily speaking, crabcakes, along with salmon and something-apple, would be primary contenders. What other dishes would be nominated?
People would gather around, supporting their favorite and Tom Douglas would be there for sure, rooting for the crabcakes. Or maybe not. He of [...]
With Pumpkin & Eggnog, Still French
Pumpkin Eggnog French Toast has the seasonal twist worthy of breakfast on Christmas or any winter morning. The pumpkin, the eggs, a few spices and a splash of eggnog. Oh yes, eggnog. Grill it in more butter than usual, buy a special loaf of bread and celebrate something.
The French toast of my childhood was [...]
Do the Jerky
If your grandma looked at the list of ingredients in most jerky today, she surely wouldn’t recognize it as edible. It’s a shame that one of the first human-made food products has become so highly processed it wouldn’t pass Michael Pollan’s test for real food. I know my solution for everything now seems to be [...]
What the Deviled Egg?
Deviled eggs, deviled ham, deviled crab — what the heck does “deviled” mean? I did a little research and found that it refers to foods cooked with spices or spicy condiments like mustard. I don’t normally think of mustard as spicy enough to be considered as synonymous with the devil but back in 18th century [...]
Tabbouleh & Salmon, Summertime on a Plate
Tabbouleh from the middle east meets salmon from the PNW and summer romance begins, together they make sweet and local dinner music. Good beat, you can dance to it and it tastes delicious. Cook on.
This is the moment for herbs. In warm, dry conditions, they flourish. Actually, it’s false to characterize herbs as having a [...]
Eat Fish, Drink Rum
Thankfully the weather here in the Northwest was beautiful while I was on vacation in Florida so I don’t have to feel too guilty for spending last week lounging on beaches like this one. I won’t go on and on about how much I love swimming and snorkeling in the crystal clear water but what [...]
