eat make read

Last year I totally flaked on Thanksgiving recipes for eatmakeread, so this year I thought I’d get a major head start and begin the sharing in October. After all, sharing with your favorite people is what Thanksgiving is all about, right?

I’m starting the whole shebang out with homemade butter and buttermilk, a tradition that my cousin Katie always made sure we had at Grandma CB’s table. Katie went the old-fashioned route and shook the butter by hand in a jar, but I’m going to cheat a bit by using the food processor. The food processor makes the whole process ridiculously easy and with only one ingredient to make two Thanksgiving essentials, you’re going to wonder why you haven’t tried this sooner.

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I just got back from teaching my first class ever and I’m such a happy lady. I had a blast teaching people how to infuse booze, make ginger ale (kind of) and make some fun party snacks. You all were great students! Here’s a pdf of the handout I had at class… sorry I was totally unprepared for the awesome turnout. I can’t wait to see what you all infuse!

Cheers!

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The New York Times has a great article and slide show in the Dining Section today about canning. There are lots of sources listed and even a Do’s and Don’ts of canning, which put some of my fears to rest.

Preserving Time in a Bottle (or a Jar)

Photos by Evan Sung for the New York Times

I have to admit something. My knife skills are bad news. I desperately need to take a class because there’s no telling when a finger is going to go missing. Things get especially bad when I try to cut an onion, which is rather often. You’d think practice would make perfect, but instead I usually end up cutting it a different way each time and am left with a crazy assortment of onion chunks and tears streaked down my cheeks.

Well, the other day I saw chef Jacques Pepin cut an onion on his tv show and everything just clicked. He made it look so simple, I just had to try his technique out. Let me tell you, it is life changing. It’s so simple, and once you get the steps down, it’s a breeze. And the quicker you can cut an onion, the less likely you’ll cry. Ok, do it with me, you’ll be happy you did. Read more