I make Jacques Pepin’s galette recipe about every week, and often double it to keep one extra wheel of dough ‘at the ready.’ INGREDIENTS: Pate Brisee 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup ice water Filling 1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar […]
We like our Ribeye and NY Strip Steaks medium-rare or medium. If you like your steak done well, stop reading this. Here are The Curmudgeon’s and his daughter Maddie’s tips: You only flip that steak once So, stop flipping the meat back and forth Look at the center of your steak and wait for juices to […]
Julia Child was known to say the only real reason for Roasted Turkey at Thanksgiving was to make Turkey Soup. While I don’t totally agree with the legendary cookbook author and American food muse, I, too, love using up all those bones and vegetable scraps from a day or two of cooking for the big […]
Riffing a holiday favorite, Pecan Pie, this tart is pretty much a pecan pie recipe with the nut choice swapped out. Why? We’re always thinking of what feels more like Colorado and the regional Southwest in our cooking and baking. Pine nuts are really the only tree nut of our Southwestern region. It is nearly […]
Lyle and I hold close to our chests a highly prized top-secret family recipe, and it lives on the back of almost any bag of fresh cranberries. Follow that simple recipe for boiling cranberries in water with the addition of sugar and add these two things: several tablespoons of fresh orange zest and at least […]
Don’t mess with mashed potatoes too much. Like a good pie dough, the less interaction the best. INGREDIENTS: Potatoes of your choice Butter Salt + pepper DIRECTIONS: To cut down on time, don’t bother with peeling, or just peel half the potatoes. We get kids to do this and then leave cut potatoes floating in […]
INGREDIENTS: Turkey neck, heart and gizzards Celery Onion Carrots Water Melted butter Flour Turkey drippings Salt + pepper DIRECTIONS: While you’re prepping your turkey for roasting, set the neck, heart and gizzards in a stock pot Add celery, onion and carrot and cover well with water and cook at a simmer the night before or […]
Lyle’s mom gets the credit for this recipe which has become a yearly tradition in our family. It’s so easy and there are no measurements because each bird is different and everyone likes flavors a little differently. Go with your gut and enjoy! INGREDIENTS: Thawed turkey (size up to you) Sea salt Olive oil Butter […]
While multitasking is supposed to be bad for one’s brain and overall psyche, I still am a big-time believer in its virtues for the tummy. Take Roast Chicken. In a matter of just one or two extra minutes, you can triple your meal opportunities. Here’s how my poultry multitasking mind and math work: roast two […]
INGREDIENTS: 8 oz. Mixed Salad Greens (about two cups per person) 2 ea Grapefruits, peel removed and cut into sections; reserve grapefruit juice 1 bunch Baby Fennel, fronds cut off but reserved, bulb core removed, cut into thin julienne slices 1 cup Black olives, Cherignola or Kalamata varieties ½-cup Red onion, thinly sliced 2/3-cup Extra-virgin […]
