Red Lentil Dal with Mustard Seeds as Pseudo Soup

Onion cutting had always been a painful, eyeball drenching task for me, until I discovered this failsafe method: ski goggles. A matchstick in the teeth worked partially, but the issue is the chemical irritant onions release when their cell wall is breached. Basically onions are the vegetable equivalent of a skunk. But don a pair […]

Project Repat Quilts and Shrimp Cakes, both Cozy

I wouldn’t say we are hoarders, but everyone has several dozen T-shirts from significant life events and places that they cannot part with, right? Discovering Project Repat was an affirmation; if an entire company exists to repurpose old T-shirts into quilts, we must not be the only hoarders in the world. I am grateful to […]

Candy Factory Halloween with a Loaded Sweet Potato with Pomegranate and Chorizo to Fill a Sumo Suit

Still enjoying the memories from this year’s Halloween—themed in honor of the late Gene Wilder, it was a Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory party! KP was Willy Wonka himself, and I chose to costume as Violet, better known as The Blueberry. We turned each of our rooms into a scene from the original movie, the Invention […]

Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet for Augustus Gloop

Anticipating this year’s Halloween Party theme—Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory—in memorium of the irreplaceable Gene Wilder, Izzy has generously volunteered to be Augustus Gloop, the German character who falls into the chocolate river about ten minutes into the factory tour. She is more than thrilled about these new lederhosen we bought just in time […]

Buttery Butternut Squash Rolls and Wisconsin Chili

A thirty-something went dancing, and now she cannot bend either leg. I won’t say who. But I’m sure butter will help.   Buttery Butternut Squash Rolls and Wisconsin Chili Adapted from Food and Wine 1 1/4 cups whole milk 1/2 cup butternut squash puree 2 tablespoons sugar One cup of sourdough starter 1 large egg, […]

Acorn Squash Burrata and Combat Paper

Combat paper is a project wherein military uniforms are repurposed into paper, travelling the country. KP and I were lucky to enjoy a workshop here in New Orleans  at Treo this evening. I cut into the shirt from a man who died in Vietnam in the 1960s. There was still dirt on the stiff collar, […]

Casarecce for Fortitude and Fortune

Fortitude is the guard and support of the other virtues, read the fortune cookie I opened in December of last year, right after finishing a grueling ICU rotation. And something like a stuck prayer, what do I find in the bottom of my call-night chucks after nine months, just before I lace them up to […]

Chicken Parmigiana with Sneakers

Now that day has exhausted me I give myself over, a tired child to the night, and to my old friends the stars —  my watchful guardians, quiet and mild. -Hermann Hesse I read this verse last night while enjoying several idle hours on night float call. Usually I have the happy curse of running […]

Spiral-cut Brats with Fancy Relish

Spiral-cut Brats with Fancy Relish Genius, I should have been doing this for years. Take your hot dog or brat, stick a long skewer through, cut around in a spiral with a knife, then grill (or broil in the oven if it is raining like it was for me today), and voila, your hot dog […]