Food Adventures of a Comfort Cook

Mochi is an Asian specialty and a great way to enjoy some sweet rice. You can eat it as is or form it around a sweet or savory filling as you experiment. Mary Cokenour

Sweet rice is not all about pudding

Let’s play one of those “name this” games. Name a dessert made with rice... Bet your answer would immediately be rice pudding. Most folks would also consider this dessert’s origin to be either the United Kingdom or America itself. That would make you lose points in my game, as we will be going...

Mini pigs in a blanket have been summertime favorite for moms and kids alike since they were introduced by Betty Crocker in 1957. Mary Cokenour photo

This little piggy

This Little Piggy By Mother Goose “This little piggy went to market, This little piggy stayed home, This little piggy had roast beef, This little piggy had none. This little piggy went ...Wee, wee, wee, all the way home!” However, my little piggies ended up inside bacon, crescent roll dough and...

Oatmeal Any Time

Oatmeal has been, well as far as my life time is concerned, been advertised as one of the best foods to have for breakfast. On its own, oats are low in fat, high in protein and fiber; contain antioxidants that reduce inflammation, and relax arteries which means “heart healthy”. Oats are naturally...

The Mushroom Bacon Swiss and fries at the Homestead Steak House in Blanding. Mary Cokenour photo.

A return to the Homestead Steak House

The usual date night for the Cokenours is Saturday; watching anime, scarfing down pizza, and making fun of the commercials. However, we happened to go down to Blanding on a Friday night, around dinner time, and decided to visit Homestead Steak House. We had not been there since before the “Covid...

Epic katsu breaded with panko bread crumbs. Mary Cokenour photo

Deep Fried Japanese – Part Two

Laying the deep-fried meat onto a cutting board, the knife is positioned to cut one-inch pieces. With a deft hand, the blade is pushed downward and a soft “thwack” sound upon the board. A rocking motion, once forward, once backward, and the one-inch sections comes off cleanly. The exterior of the...

Multiple ingredients, including a wide variety of vegetables and meats, can be placed into a carefully-crafted tempura batter to create a delicious, crispy Japanese delicacy. If you have the patience and are willing to try, you can enjoy the flavors Japanese locals experience in their own homes. Mary Cokenour photo

Deep-fried Japanese – a culinary ecstasy – part one

When it comes to Asian cuisine, most Americans only know about what is listed on a restaurant menu. However, if you’re brave enough and willing to be adventurous ask for what a typical Asian would eat at home. When we lived in Pennsylvania we would travel to Philadelphia monthly to visit Chinatown...

2X Copycat of French Bread Pizza

Way back, in 2019, I was writing up my trilogy on pizza, and the October 9 issue of the San Juan Record, concerned, not just Sicilian, but French bread style. Even then, the bread labeled, in the local markets, as French bread, was, in fact, just plain, soft, wide loaves of white bread. But hey,...

Deep fried Corn Nuggets. Mary Cokenour photo

Word to the Lima Bean

According to the Urban Dictionary, “Originally “word to the mother.” is used by African- Americans as a salutation. It means “Give due respect to the motherland from which we came.” Can be used in the same context as “Keep it real.” or, also, can be used to literally express respect to the...

Animal crackers are everyone’s favorite snack. Mary Cokenour photo

Circus parade to snack on

Often times I have asked, “What kinds of foods/recipes/cooking tools/techniques would you like for me to write about?” The response is usually silence, even the crickets do not make a sound. So, I have found enjoyment in looking up “food holidays”, basically made-up occasions in which a particular...

The cheesy, mushroomy goodness of a London Broil Melt. Mary Cokenour photo

Rock crawling over a sandwich

Moab’s annual Jeep Safari will be April 1 – April 9, and this year two more trails have been added. This time the safari will be traveling deeper into San Juan County as Hole in the Rock and Hotel Rock will be explored. Usually, the guided trails do not go further than the Cameo Cliffs, but that...