mourningdove

Japanese Whole Wheat Milk Bread: Attempt #3

This one’s the ticket: it didn’t make the most beautiful loaf ever, but that’s on me. And despite the operator error, the texture and flavor were spot on. I reduced the wheat flour in this recipe to 50% (because honestly, if you’re going to add barley malt and wheat gluten to your whole wheat toContinue reading “Japanese Whole Wheat Milk Bread: Attempt #3”

ESC #9: Burns Night

So in case you don’t happen to be Scottish (or partly so), I’ll bring you up to speed: the poet Robert Burns’s birthday is January 25th and is usually celebrated among Scots with the eating of haggis (if you don’t know what all that ent[r]ails, it’s probably best not to Google it) and the drinkingContinue reading “ESC #9: Burns Night”

Slow Motion Baby Goats!

youtube.com/watch

I Have Notes….for “Welcome to Samdal-ri” (plus bonus ending for Wuthering Heights)

I’m starting a new series on the blog today. I realized the other day that I have had a nearly lifelong habit of rewriting stories that drive me crazy—usually because I love them but they just took a wrong turn at Albuquerque, but sometimes because a particular character didn’t get what was coming to them,Continue reading “I Have Notes….for “Welcome to Samdal-ri” (plus bonus ending for Wuthering Heights)”

Letter of Recommendation: Lard

Look, I’m not even going to try to argue that lard has been misunderstood and is somehow good for you…. This is quite obviously not true. But! I do think that, in the first place, it’s no worse for you than any other fat that’s solid at room temperature (provided you eat meat in theContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Lard”

Sourdough Waffles

I know: with this post I have officially destroyed any lingering sympathy you might have had for my third bout with COVID. And your suspicions are well-founded. As I’m one of the very fortunate folks for whom the virus is no worse than a middling cold, my COVID infections have all essentially been a staycation,Continue reading “Sourdough Waffles”

Living in…a Skye Croft House

I’ve wanted to live on the Isle of Skye since the first time I set foot on it back in 1993. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. I’ve revisited the island twice in the intervening years, and each time the pull of the place only intensified, like a kind of tide in myContinue reading “Living in…a Skye Croft House”

Experimental Supper Club #8

The clam fritters were a disappointment, but the lamb ragu was good and everyone loved the cocktail, the carrot salad, and the rice pudding, which is a family recipe from Rene Redzepi’s partner….

One-Minute Reviews

So, the bad news is I have COVID again (Hat Trick). The good news is (a) COVID has never been too mean to me and (b) I’ll be posting to the blog a lot more this week! Starting with super-fast reviews of a bunch of books and audiobooks I cleared over the holidays: Americanah, ChimamandaContinue reading “One-Minute Reviews”

Letter of Recommendation: Songs of Joy & Peace

I’m a little late with this one, but hey! There are still technically 2 days left to Christmas…. Yo-Yo Ma’s Songs of Joy & Peace is perfect for the season–festive and restful and not too Christmasy, for folks who are perhaps not as pro-Christmas as I am. The pieces are almost all collaborations and areContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Songs of Joy & Peace”