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”
Category Archives: blackbird
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”
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”
Letter of Recommendation: Fruit Salad
Fruit salad? I know. But once I realized I’d been doing it wrong and started doing it right, I can’t get enough of it–especially this weekend since it’s MUCH hotter than it should be out, and my friend Cassandra brought over the most beautiful assortment of candy-stripe figs, berries, and yellow-doll watermelon…. Here’s the thingContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Fruit Salad”
You Can Take the Girl Out of New Mexico….
Spent the day seeding/peeling and freezing quart bags of green chiles from Snake Ranch in San Antonio, NM (Big Jims and Sandias, saved 2 dozen whole for rellenos!), while listening to metal and feeling blessed to have grown up where I did. Speaking of rellenos, I can’t find a recipe online that’s like the oneContinue reading “You Can Take the Girl Out of New Mexico….”
Letter of Recommendation: Package Recipes
I suppose I went through a short phase, while I was learning to cook, of pooh-poohing any recipe that didn’t come from a glossy food magazine or a chef-y cookbook. But it was a pretty short phase…because I come from a place where Junior League and utility company cookbooks are the bibles of cooking. MaybeContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Package Recipes”
Frankenbreakfast Sandwich
Basically this happened because I was craving 3 different things for brunch and decided to see if I could smoosh them all together. Turns out, yep. The first thing I was craving was gyeran-jjim. Specifically, Maangchi’s amazing, amazing spicy version with gochugaru and ground sesame seeds. The second thing was a BLAT, or actually BAT—I’veContinue reading “Frankenbreakfast Sandwich”
Letter of Recommendation: Snack-Dinner
A snack-dinner is something you shouldn’t be eating for dinner but is nonetheless exactly what you need for dinner. Snack-dinners I have loved include Cheez-its and wine, popcorn, chips and salsa, any form of breakfast-for-dinner, and anything in the Korean yasik category (translates roughly “midnight snack”). Buldak (“fire chicken”) is my favorite yasik: it’s riceContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Snack-Dinner”
Wright’s Beach 2022
I’ve given up taking pictures at the coast: a two-dimensional image captures so little of the depth and sparkle and whoosh and roar and glow that it feels almost insulting. I like doing watercolors because it’s agreed from the get-go that you’re cropping out most of the experience and presenting an approximation of it–or, you’reContinue reading “Wright’s Beach 2022”
The Kimchi Index
So I just put up a new batch of kimchi, and I felt so ridiculously happy I figured I’d best ponder that for a minute. Here’s the answer: Making kimchi requires enough time and specific resources—ingredients, containers, etc.—that if I can pull it off, it’s a good indicator that I feel settled. That’s why myContinue reading “The Kimchi Index”
The Rookery 