Hi there. Hey, know what I like? Lists. Do you like lists, too?
Guess what, I'm giving you a list this week. Why? Because I don't have time to sit down and write a proper post. It's not that I don't care--I do--but work is piling up, and I am starting to do that thing where stress makes me become increasingly silent and MIA until I become an inert pile of useless human dough. Oh, October.
So here it is: Things I'm reading, recipes I'm trying, food I'm craving, places I'm going, and blogs I'm adding to my reading list. I'll eventually share photos of the recipes and will add more blogs to the blogroll.
Until then, enjoy these half-baked thoughts!
At Home, About Town:
The balcony tomato experiment wasn't a total failure, but I did learn that (1) the balcony is not the best place for tomatoes and (2) I'm not the most attentive gardener.
Weck jars make great portable containers for Greek yogurt and honey.
Mar Vista Farmers Market
Simpang Asia
(more on this soon)
Cravings:
- Anything Asian. Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Indonesian, you name it. For some reason, I've tired of stock, lemons, and herbs and now crave ginger, garlic, and scallions. Reverting back to a childlike state? Maybe. See below for some recipes I've been trying. Next, I am thinking pork katsu (via New York Times).
- Also salad and vegetables, especially after discovering that a good vinaigrette can turn anyone into a salad lover. Why pretend you like the same old dijon vinaigrette when what you really want is fish sauce? Hey, if other people don't like it, then you win: more for you.
Recipes:
- Flourless peanut butter cookies, courtesy of Saveur. @#$! these are good.
- Thai vinaigrette (Joy of Cooking) - fish sauce, lime juice, a squirt of hot sauce. Yum.
- Soy miso ginger vinaigrette (Adapted from Joy of Cooking) - delicous. Why pay $$ for a bottled version when you can make your own?
- Walnut pesto (my own recipe) - a no-brainer recipe that turns humdrum pasta into a special homemade meal.
- Hainanese Chicken with Rice (Mark Bittman) - No ruling on authenticity, but this totally satisfied my craving for something involving garlic and ginger.
- Next up: Simple Tomato Sauce (Splendid Table)
Radio, Print, and Internet:
- Listened to Night+Market's Kris Yenbamroong talk about Thai street food on KCRW's Good Food. Mike and I met Kris through a college friend. His food is delicious. He also introduced us to the late night taco truck on Venice.
- Also caught up with Splendid Table with Lynn Rosetto Kasper. I love Lynn. Something about her voice is so soothing and delightful.
- New York Times Magazine Food and Drink Issue: Nice layout, interesting questions.
- Perusing readers' comments debating the expansion of food stamps to include fast food, via New York Times Room for Debate. Really interesting. Difficult challenge.
- Mark Bittman: Is Junk Food Really Cheaper? and Shared Meals, Shared Knowledge. I appreciate his recent path away from recipes, but often I find his articles only hit one part of the bigger picture. Is he being fair and critical or playing back familiar refrains to the choir?
- U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance: Newly formed, out to change the way you think about U.S. beef! The Alliance has also been busy making this emotional documentary. Here's Grist's take on the Alliance.
- How to start making my way down Jonathan Gold's food map?
- How to Peel Garlic in Less than 10 Seconds? No way. Thanks, Saveur.
WCP in the News:
- WCP received a mention on the Macheesmo food blog! I'm flattered to have this little ol' blog as an example of website making. On that note, I am planning to do a redesign of this site, maybe even get a proper logo.
- In case you missed it last week, WCP is also featured in the latest Lifeyo promo video.
Blogroll:
Last, but not least, check out the blogroll this week for a steady stream of food blogs. Some I've been reading for a while, some I've only just discovered (like most of the ones on Saveur's 55 Great Global Food Blogs). I'm sure these only scratch the surface!
