Featured Recipe Blogs

Open to It

Happy New Year to you! Whew, 2014. How amazing. Did you have the New Year’s you wanted? Was it full of flitter and glam, or cozy and quiet with loved ones? Maybe you opted out, took a hot bath and went to bed early with a journal and a cup of ... more

The Crafty Season

When I was growing up, my favorite part of the holidays wasn’t the presents. At least it wasn’t the presents I received. It wasn’t cookies or decorations, either. My favorite part of the holidays was the presents we made. Our crafts were not inspired. They were lumpy, lopsided things. I remember one ... more

The Good Parts

I’m out of town this week—holed up on the coast, working, working, working on the last chapters of my book. My book! My book! I will tell you about it all soon. But in the house where I have been staying, hidden behind a picture frame, I found this poem I ... more

My Secret Weapon

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving around these parts, with all the feasting and family that goes along with it. There were four pies at our dinner, and small children and a dog underfoot. Everyone went home full and sleepy. And now, the holiday season is upon us. There will be cookies and ... more

Bacon Blueberry Waffles

So, people, we need to talk about waffles. Yes, I know. AGAIN. Waffles are the gift that just keeps giving. My obsession is well documented. There were the gingerbread waffles, the ham and cheese cornmeal waffles (!), then things got crazy with the brownie waffles (!!), and ... more

Pounds and Pounds of Pears

Say a person tripped and fell under something heavy. Like a pear harvest. Or a book deadline. Or a magazine. All of these are possible, simultaneous even. Let’s start with the pears. That’s where this crazy season began. There are two old pear trees in the garden—and a third we planted a few ... more

Bountiful

I can’t remember the first time I found myself on Diane Cu and Todd Porter’s beautiful website, White on Rice Couple, but I remember what I found there: gorgeous photography, beautiful food, and a warmth and generosity that can be felt through the screen. Todd and Diane are best ... more

Happy for Fall

I took this picture a few years ago, one of the first autumns I spent in Seattle. I loved that someone was putting a happy face on the season. As much as I love fall—and I do—it can be bittersweet here in the north. Summer is over, and with it our long ... more

Food Memory

Twenty years ago I moved into a small, sparsely furnished apartment in the fourth district of Vienna, a nervous art history student far from home. My roommate was a music student from the East Coast. Colleen spoke more German than I did. I spoke none. That fall we set up our lives ... more

A lazy post

Here's the thing. I have a million things to do, and it's cold and grey and gloomy and it's January and that mostly sucks. And soup makes it better. And I admire all those bloggers who write three new recipes a week, but the thing is, I make the same soups all time. More ... more

Holidays

Despensa, originally uploaded by Lobstersquad.Enjoying our time with friends and family, of course. But the food...oh, the food. The constant parade of fantastic things I would never in a million years cook myself, the occasional walk in the olive groves to work up an appetite, lounging in ... more

Merry Christmas, everyone

I love Christmas Eve. It's the one day of the year when I can embrace my kitchen geekiness. Food crazies are in the mainstream for a day, so, rejoice!There is a lot going on today. We stuffed our bird yesterday. It had apparently been deboned with a sledgehammer and had to ... more

Chicken skin

Some months ago I wrote about the contents of my freezer, listing among them chicken skins. Someone asked me in the comments if they were for my cats. I felt too sheepish to answer. The truth is, I don't have any cats, and if I did, I would certainly not share the chicken skin ... more

A review of Puro Fairtrade Coffee

Disclaimer: I have never in my life written a review, and it's been keeping me awake and away from the blog. But I said I would so now I have to write a coffee review.Well. Not "have to" so much as "have to". I mean, I want to do it, but it's ... more

October holidays

Brits are different from every else. They love to make a point of this in every possible way and so here we are, with a two week school holiday in October. It is mysterious and not all that convenient, but on the other hand, it's a holiday, so let's not complain.I'll ... more

Ginger scallion sauce, again.

I wrote this post back in the summer of 2010. I basically hated that whole summer but this ginger scallion sauce is one of the few good things I remember from back then.I still think it's pretty great, and make it often. A bit after reading Francis Lam's ... more

Back to school

Late summer has hit me hard this year. Three books to finish on the same deadline, and my daughter starting school. With a method they use here in the UK whereby the parent spends almost as much time at the school as the child, carefully letting them go in such easy stages that ... more

Spiced peanuts

I am well aware that this post will sound barking mad to many people. The idea of tinkering with a bag of peanuts, when it's so delicious on its own, and when there are so many flavoured versions out there, is plain loony. I know. I see people who wear makeup to the ... more

Dolce far niente cooking

This post can be considered to close a trilogy dedicated to summer cooking.There is non-cooking, almost non-cooking, and then there is get-out-of-jail-free-card cooking. By which I mean, tin opener cooking, or twist of the wrist cooking, which is, in fact, not doing anything cooking. Dolce far niente.The stuff in your ... more

Fabulous Holiday Treats - 3 November 2013

I'll be teaching a new holiday demo class at Shermay's Cooking School on 3 November 2013 (Sunday). For all inquiries, please call the school at +65 6479 8442 or 6479 8414, or email info@shermay.com To date, I understand that class is full. To everyone attending - especially ... more