Yosenabe

It hits me a few times a year. It’s one of those “I GOT TO HAVE ME SOME” thangs.

Get yer mind out of the gutter, I’m not talking nookie…it’s Food Sunday for dawg’s sakes!

There’s just a feeling that comes over me. Like Bill Engor’s breads, Alana’s lost recipe files from France, Awnt Toby’s home cooked all home growed things, Ruth’s Ramblings.

Ok, I guess they all get this feeling a lot more often than I do (weekly it seems and thank all of you!) . . . but you know what I’m tawkin about, right?

Go to a ball game, GOTTA have a hot dog or sausage in a bun with onions, mustard n sourkraut.

Go campin’ in the woods or at the beach? Gotta have hard wood fire cooked vittles, like our own beloved Dear Demi, who grills and cooks and lingers lovingly over shrimp, lobster, fish, clams, mussels and more . . . dang I love her beach campout food posts!

So, sometimes it just HITS me . . . I GOTTA have it! The ‘IT’ is in that pic up above.

Yosenabe!

The Japanese equivalent to Chicken Noodle Soup w/ matso balls.  . . . Read the rest of this entry →

Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons

My title today is the title of one of the elements made famous by legendary San Francisco columnist Herb Caen.

A HUGE West Coast Phenom in his time, I don’t know if East Coasters or Heartlanders or many NOT on the Left Coast knew of him or knew his work. But for us out here, we started our day with Herb, every day, for decades.

Herb Caen.

Caen was noted for his style of writing he and others called Three Dot Journalism which featured short items of interest separated by those three dots (ellipses).

He spent his days and nights prowling Baghdad By The Bay as he lovingly called The City, searching hi and low brows for an item, any item, with which to muse upon. Hence, when things dried up a bit, a few more martini’s found Caen muttering and penning Item, Item . . . Hoosegotta Item.

And so I found my own self muttering, in search of (sans martini’s, perhaps my problem to begin with) of an item, any item . . . and I remembered Dear Herb . . . hence my title.

But the food, Larue (no, martinis are NOT food, not even with the olives or onions, this I know), What About The Food?

Well, I got to thinking a bit and my Saturday Morning TV Chef’s Shows on PBS were fresh in my mind . . . and I thought why not share TV Chef Linky Love? And ask Pups to share THEIR fav TV Chef’s Linkies, too? Yeah, interactive, participatory! Perfect! Now EVERYone will have an item!

And who knows, maybe this thread becomes a bookmark for all things Foodie . . . chef’s, shows, fav foodie websites . . . a one stop linky of links to save googlin time . . .

So let’s get TO it! Read the rest of this entry →

Garden In November!

Simply Unbelievable . . .  three tomato plants, basil, rosemary, and more in November!

Two in the ground left side against the fence, two others in pots on either side of the door.

One Sun Gold Cherry type, three others are Yellow Pear Mini’s . . . . all flowering like crazy and with green and ripening fruit daily, still.

Temps ranging from 60′s to 70′s daytimes, a few cooler nights in high 30′s, but mostly high 40′s and low to mid 50′s at night.

Sun Golds

Sun Gold's On The Vine

We’ve been using the Sun Gold’s and Yellow Pears for salads all summer long.

We’ve also been using them to make a salsa for dipping or into the saute pan with garlic, red onion, EVOO, fresh basil and rosemary, splash of chicken stock . . . using cilantro is kewl, great pasta sauce! Read the rest of this entry →

Ahhhh, what a day tody! 57F, wet, drizzling and pouring rain all night and gusty winds and harder rains all day so far! It’s Winter in The Valley!

And that means we’re just about ready to roll into the Holiday Season that kicks off next Sunday with Halloween. N Holiday Season means FOOD! Glorious food! LOTS of glorious food shared with family and friends . . .

Photo: Mashed celery root by mingerspice via Flickr

But before I get into all that Holiday Hoopla, with big birds, lamb legs and more, it’s time to do a little warm up exercise and consider a little something that goes on the side, and for THIS post a lil something you might not immediately think about.

Nothing too fancy, just a couple of things I have made up over the years that I like

I won’t bother with the green beans and slivered almonds, yams or sweet potatoes with marshmellows, the lime green jello with suspended fruit bits or anything else from the 1960’s.

And no fruit cake, either. You KNOW yer neighbors or them pesky relatives you only see once a year are gonna unload a few on you anyways.

Nope, it’s just a nice Roasted Garlic Rosemary Mashed Celery Root, a Sausage/Apple/Cranberry Stuffing and a Cranberry Sauce With Orange.

So let’s get to it! . . . Read the rest of this entry →

Hi Ya Pups!

It’s been lightly raining, it’s been grey and overcast and wet and the temps have fallen finally here in LarueLand!

SO, it’s a PERFECT time to get all Italian and garlicy and clammy!

Today its all about a simple, rich, filling and easy dish to make that will leave your family and guests drooling, happy, and ready to practice that Holiday Nap!

We’re Going Italian WIth Larue’s Linguini And White Clam Sauce and Larue’s Cheesy Garlic Bread!

Now I MAY have mentioned both items in the past but I don’t I posted the recipes.

But if they were, NOW is the time to bring them back BEFORE the Holidaze Hit Again because today’s items are fairly easy and fairly fast to put together to feed one, two, or 10!

So let’s get to the kitchen! . . . Read the rest of this entry →

(Heh, as I get going on this one, it appears it’s gonna wander a bit. So you Pups just scroll to the good stuff if ya need to. Recipes below somewhere and I’m musing a bit about my self)

It’s fall. Winter is coming on, here already for an early appearance in some places.

Heck. Edward Teller is digging up ‘taters in AK.

If that’s not winter . . . ;-)  (bless that man for his work up there)

So this post will be about two cookbooks, winter, and one soup.

But first I’m gonna dance about the kitchen a bit . . .

Read the rest of this entry →

Lord A Dawgy we’re headed for the tales of Gilgamesh, Homer’s Iliad, and a bizzlian other long tales to come!

*G*

I know it’s been a while (a week), but remember Larue’s Southwest Buttermilk Corn Bread?

Good Cornbread!

Well, that corn bread is fine, fine stuff, but it’s WAY better with some of Larue’s Hard To Make Chili Verde!

Why hard to make? Cuz that’s what I do!

It’s from scratch, it takes time, and it’s a labor of love. I know many folks can’t love the labor of cooking in the timely and intense way I sometimes do. But for those of you who WOULD take some time to jump thru the kitchen crazed routines, and linger lovingly over this labor, I offer it for your consideration.

The rest of you folks can cheat, use shortcuts, and in general be happy any way you want! Heck, make the cornbread, open a can of chili with beans if you must, and slop some bottled or canned chili verde sauce on it to slop on the cornbread! It’s all good, sure, but MINE’S BETTER!

Ok, let’s get started! . . . Read the rest of this entry →

Next Food Sunday I share my 4 Day Chili Verde recipe with all y’all, so named because it takes 4 Days to make it!

But today we start out with one of my favorite foods for festivating and camping. It is BEST made in a black pan over an open hardwood fire or over your BBQ with hardwood coals or mesquite.

This cornbread is of course by itself good to be buttered, grilled and eaten like a bread. But, with the magic of the next week’s Chili Verde, the Southwest Buttermilk Corn Bread comes alive and dances on yer palate like a fanciful vision of Twyla Tharp’s finest choreography.

So, let’s cut to the kitchen and get to cooking!!  . . . Read the rest of this entry →

Hiya Pups! Foodie Sunday, and it’s time to get soaked!

I LOVE marinades, I use them a lot, for bbq/grilling and for pan saute, oven bake, etc. So, let’s get to work and talk about what to soak, when, and how!

Why Marinade?

Glad you asked!

Marinades impart flavor.

Most people know this, it’s a basic. But they also serve to soften up/tenderize foods.

They do this by breaking down the ‘tough’ things in foods like the proteins in connective tissues. Marinades, for the most part, have acids in them. Be it from citrus like lemons or limes or grapefruits, etc., or from vinegars.

Acid based fruits and vinegars have enzymes in them that help break down and dissolve those proteins in them connective tissues, be it meats, fowls or fishes.

Did you know that the marinade process is thousands of years old or more?

According to THESE GUYS:

“As far back as pre-Columbian Mexico, cooks found that wrapping meats in papaya leaves before cooking made for more tender results. The active enzyme in the papaya leaves is papain, now refined from papayas and commercially available. Connective tissue that comes in direct contact with the protein-digesting enzymes gets broken down.”

AMAZING!!

‘K, enough of the science, Larue. Where’s the food!!!!

I’m GETTING there, honest!  . . . Read the rest of this entry →

I don’t know what it is, but I’ve gotten the SouthWest Flavor Bug!

Actually, I’ve had it for decades, love the combination of fire roasted flavors, spicy spices and herbs, meats, beans and such.

So, here’s a recipe for something a bit NON traditional as far as an Enchilada goes, as it’s not rolled up, but layered! All the flavors are there, and it looks FABULOUS when dished up and plated to serve!

Let’s get to it! Read the rest of this entry →