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The recipes and images on this site belong to Vanessa Barrington. Feel free to link here and if you’d like to use a recipe or image, please ask permission first. Thank you.Twitter Updates
- RT @NaomiStarkman: Via @nprnews: Photos: rural In CA More of Lisa Hamilton's wonderful work! realrural.org http://t.co/KjERbviT 2012/02/13
- RT @amytropolis: Foodie Underground: 50 Pick Up Lines for Scoring a Foodie: http://t.co/rJMedIkL Ha! Good one! 2012/02/13
- 7 things to cook when you're busy, tired, cold, and hungry http://t.co/PO97iyRT 2012/02/09
- Wrong Link Folks. The real Father's Nuts here: http://t.co/y06l7QHF 2011/12/23
Category Archives: DIY
Baba Ghanoush with Homemade Harissa
I promised to post this recipe after I posted the harissa recipe a few weeks ago. Apologies for my slowness. In the event you still have some eggplant hanging around in the garden or fridge at this late date, here’s a great way to use it. If you don’t have harissa, this is still fantastic [...]
Also posted in entertaining, from the market, healthy Tagged dips, dips and spreads, DIY Baba Ghanoush, DIY Delicious, DIY Harissa, entertaining, harvest, healthy, summer, vegetarian Leave a comment
Homemade harissa d’espelette—a many splendored condiment
Lately I’ve been into making harissas and sambals and other fiery chile-based condiments. I think the attraction is that they provide a quick and easy way for a busy cook to make rather ordinary soups, seasonal salads, and baked chicken or fish a lot more interesting. Less than an hour in the kitchen on a [...]
Jammin’ Summer: Wild Blackberries and Feral Plums
There are two summer themes this year—gathering free fruit to make jam, and seeing how little sugar we can get away with using and still call it jam. Ok, sometimes its sauce. But I’m ok with that. I’ve been obsessed with making low sugar jam ever since I served as a judge in the Good [...]
Also posted in Food and Drink, Travel, foraging, fruit, pantry staples, preserving Tagged foraged fruit, foraging, low sugar jam, plum jam, processing jam, wild blackberry jam Leave a comment
Easy, Sustainable Seafood Stew (with variations)
Here’s a method for making a quick seafood stew that’s both sustainable and perfect for casual summer dining. No need to turn the oven on or fuss for hours in the kitchen. Sustainable seafood is a complex topic. Even if you conscientiously refer to the guidelines of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, you’ll [...]
Also posted in food sustainability, from the market, healthy, seafood Tagged clams, Monterey Bay squid, Mussels, Seafood Stew, sustainable seafood Leave a comment
Kitchen Hacker: Cowboy Stovetop Buttermilk Biscuits & Sorghum Syrup
I enjoy a kitchen challenge. My favorite variety of challenge is when I don’t have the necessary equipment for what I want to accomplish and I have to make do with what’s on hand. I think problem solving in the kitchen makes us smarter cooks. Recently a special someone and I had a hankering for [...]
Also posted in Food and Drink, breads and pizzas, breakfast Tagged cast iron pan biscuits, Cultured Butter, DIY Delicious, homemade biscuits, sorghum syrup Leave a comment
Hands-On DIY Delicious Cooking Class in Healdsburg
If you’re looking for something fun to do in a beautiful setting on Memorial Day weekend, you should consider joining me for a hands-on DIY cooking class at River Myst Haven. It’s a gorgeous place that’s nestled among the hills west of Healdsburg on Westside Road. From scratch, we’ll create building blocks of the DIY [...]
DIY All-Purpose Red Chili Sauce, Posole, and a Little Appreciation
A couple of months ago I was gifted a lovely chile ristra by Annabelle Lenderink of La Tercera Farm. That same day, my friend Ellen came by and I shared some chiles with her. The next thing you know we’re scheming up dishes to make with dried chiles. It’s funny how one really special ingredient [...]
Also posted in Food and Drink, Latin American, from the market, hearty Tagged dried chiles, homemade red chile sauce, hominy, posole, red posole Leave a comment
Crazy for Curtido
My life and my kitchen have both been overtaken by fermenting cabbage lately. (Is there a support group for that?) Partially, it’s the season. I always want to make hearty, fattier foods when the weather turns cold and sauerkraut and curtido are the perfect accompaniments. Plus cabbage turns sweeter as the weather gets chillier, making [...]
Also posted in Books, Latin American, book events, classes, from the market, healthy, hearty, pantry staples Tagged cabbage salad, curtido, DIY Delicious, fermenting, Heirloom Beans, sauerkraut, vegetables, wild fermentation 4 Comments
A Christmas Food Story: Father’s Nuts