Food Adventures of a Comfort Cook

The BER months are to rememBER

I have been seeing many references to the “BER months are here!” That of course means the last four months of the year: September, October, November and December. Why do these months have the same ending? Well, in ancient Rome, the calendar had only ten months, all named after various gods or...

Go ahead – wok up those leftovers

When I wrote about Hoisin sauce, I promised to share a recipe for making fried rice. Fried rice is exactly as named. The rice, whether cooked or raw, is “toasted” or fried in oil before mixing in additional ingredients. The rich brown color comes from the addition of soy sauce which flavors as...

Crack that coconut and roast it up

Several weeks ago, I received a tropical fruit gift basket, and one item included was a coconut. My first reaction upon seeing it was, “What the heck am I supposed to do with that!?!” I had never worked with a real coconut before, just the bagged shredded coconut you get in the supermarket. On...

Monkey brains . . . Yes, very good!

It is 1935. Indiana Jones, his orphaned sidekick Short Round, and nightclub singer, Willie Scott, have just escaped Shanghai via cargo plane. Being forced to “jump ship” over northern India, the trio make their way to a palace. They are treated most respectfully and asked to dine with the young...

Barbeque – Asian style

The first time I experienced Hoisin sauce, or should I say knowingly had it, was at a Chinese restaurant in New York City’s Chinatown. Ever seen a photo of a huge round table, with an almost-as-huge turntable in the center? Many platters and bowls of food sit upon it, and, as it is turned, diners...

Sweet and savory Mexican treats

“Here I sit, broken hearted. Wanted dip, but out of salsa. It’s on sale, at the store. Add beans and cheese, now what more? Oh, wait... Bakery has ginger pigs. Well now, don’t they hit the spot?” There are times I am a very sincere and deep meaning poet, and then the comedian just can’t keep...

Bread, chocolate, and a mystery

Anyone who has ever made a bread from scratch knows the process doesn’t go hand-in-hand with spontaneity. Whether using yeast or a sourdough starter, a living organism must be given moisture and nourishment to flourish. Fermentation begins, and this is the creation of natural gases which will...

Chinese-Russian fusion – why not?

So, here I am sitting at my desk and typing merrily away on my computer’s keyboard. It’s just going on 6:30 a.m., and I’ve already experienced many joys of nature. First and foremost is the backyard neighbor’s “elephant rooster” waking up the household at 5 a.m. I call it an “elephant rooster”...

Morning Glory Muffins pack it in

Good morning. How about a warm, freshly baked muffin – one with multiple personalities? That is exactly what the Morning Glory Muffin is all about, an “everything, but the kitchen sink” recipe. The long list of ingredients starts out as carrot cake with raisins, then becomes Hawaiian with...

Doing Indian in our Native American lands

Before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, let me ease your minds by stating that the headline and subject matter of this column are not even close to being politically incorrect. Though we live in Utah, which is most definitely Native American lands (primarily Ute and Navajo), doesn’t mean...