Quinoa, in case you’re unfamiliar, is that trendy new grain that South Americans have been eating for thousands of years. I had it for the first time a few months ago. It’s is a little bitter on its own so I like it with lots of other flavors. For whatever…

So I found out my professor for Intro to Food Science and Nutrition now posts our lectures to iTunes U.  There goes all my incentive to go class. I could  sit at home with a sandwich, or I could sit next to 400 smelly freshman. OK they don’t all smell,…

Call this my California comeback meal. I cooked very differently in Argentina. I used almost exclusively Argentine products, except some spices I brought with me. I was cooking meals for me and only me, so I was less adventurous, plus my kitchen was less stocked. (Ask Marissa, who said she’d…

This is why my friends and I don’t go out to eat often. It’s because we make dinners like this. And we can make four of them for the price a restaurant might charge for one. Of course, if my kitchen were a restaurant, last night’s special might have read…

Just give me a beet And I’ll bring the heat After an hour, it gets real sweet Fennel’s a treat And blue cheese I’ll eat Sure, call me elite But this dish is replete It’s one I’ll repeat Next time with penne, I’ll call it complete Maybe it’s because they’re…

“Sweetness. Saltiness. Sourness. Bitterness. Every delicious bite you’ve ever tasted has been a result of these four tastes coming together on your taste buds. We taste them as individual notes, and in concert.” The Flavor Bible This particular meal is a symphony. Not only in flavors, but in textures and…

With so many competitive food shows and critical chefs like Gordon Ramsay on TV, you might start to think that professional kitchens are never pleasant places to be. Well, chef Mike Odette runs a cool kitchen. The executive chef and co-owner of Columbia restaurant Sycamore is a semifinalist for a James…

You might know this already, but many of your favorite pizza places will sell you just the dough for cheaper than a slice. A large pizza dough from Shakespeare’s is a dollar. A small can of plain tomato sauce is 45 cents or less from the grocery store (and you can…

This dish started because I wanted to do something with polenta. I turned to , which has recipes from many well-known chefs and restaurants. I saw a recipe for  and another for soft . I had goat cheese in the fridge, and I don’t care for bleu cheese unless it…

People laughed when they found out I  for my stay in Buenos Aires. Well, I’m happy to report that it has been getting plenty of use. Pureeing butternut squash and whipping cardamom cream, but most often to make banana milkshakes. Now, I wouldn’t normally consider a banana and half a…