mourningdove

Gravensteins and Honeycrisps

Left and right. It’s so nice to have apples this year after they got frozen off last year! These are headed for an apple crisp tonight–and the peels for my upcoming batch of apple makgeolli!

Ceramics Saturdays: Makgeolli Cups from Jeewon Jeong

I’m so excited, you guys. I’m in the process of getting 8 of these little bowls from my friend Jeewon Jeong. I’m going to use them for makgeolli, but Jeewon says they’re a good size for rice, ice cream, etc. as well. Can’t wait! I’m planning on brewing a special batch of fall makgeolli toContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Makgeolli Cups from Jeewon Jeong”

Unauthorized Uses: Secret Ingredient Edition

I have a few go-to ingredients when I need to punch up the flavor of a dish, and unusually for my cooking style—where I like to stick pretty close to whatever tradition I’m working from and not get too fusion-y—I use these ingredients completely indiscriminately. They’re flavor powerhouses, basically: Pomegranate molasses: This has a lip-smackingContinue reading “Unauthorized Uses: Secret Ingredient Edition”

Lost & Found

I was pretty sure this ring was lost until it turned up yesterday morning in the pocket of a pair of work pants I hadn’t worn since last fall, I think–(but who knows at this point in the pandemic?). I was ridiculously happy–not because I love the ring so much (I do love the ring;Continue reading “Lost & Found”

The Acadian Sazerac

My go-to cocktail is a Sazerac, which is kinda a problem because a lot of bartenders don’t know how to make one at all, much less properly. I once got a Sazerac that was literally pink from how much Peychaud’s Bitters was in it; yep, undrinkable. Fortunately, it’s easy to make at home if you’veContinue reading “The Acadian Sazerac”

Fall in a Jar: Wine-Poached Pears

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time canning fruit with my mom and sister. A mainstay was canned pears in sugar syrup: we had an absolutely freakishly giant Bartlett Pear tree, and I don’t know how many jars of pears it yielded, but it was a LOT. Enough to get usContinue reading “Fall in a Jar: Wine-Poached Pears”

Living in…a Taos Hacienda

It is a relatively serious plan of mine to retire back home to New Mexico, preferably Taos. I’ve joked with my friend David about us sitting on our porches in our rocking chairs in our houses next to each other in Ranchos de Taos and yelling at kids to get off our…well, nobody out thereContinue reading “Living in…a Taos Hacienda”

Friday Favorites: Anime Series

I was getting ready to re-watch Soul Eater because it’s coming up on Halloween, and I have COVID again (BOO! as Malena said). And then it occurred to me I haven’t done any lists of favorite anime. I’ll do another one on movies, but here are my top 10 favorite series of all time (inContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Anime Series”

Letter of Recommendation: Defiance

I like defiance because it’s positive instead of negative. It’s creative rather than destructive. It’s a “yes” in answer to somebody’s “no.” It’s a step into the world you’d rather be living in. And it’s time-honored across cultures: from the ancient Christians who continued meeting when the Roman emperor banned it; to Gandhi making saltContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Defiance”

The Wisdom of Youth

I’ve been watching a lot of vlogs lately with 20-somethings dispensing sage life advice. It reminded me that when I was that age, I thought I knew everything, and at the same time, I was totally insecure about myself and my knowledge about the world. As I’ve gotten older, I’m more sure of what IContinue reading “The Wisdom of Youth”