Home Economics | Organics

I think the most asked question, when people find out what we do, is “Are organics worth it?” I always answer that if you think they’re worth then they’re worth it. (Full disclosure: The majority of our income is (directly and indirectly) from organic agriculture.) I never take much time to go into detail to avoid boring people to death, and I never want to start an argument with someone who is passionate one way or another. However, I have some time here to get a few of my ideas and opinions out in the open.

Must Have | Black Truffle Salt

A nice little indulgent savory salt to have! I tasted it for the first time at the farmer's market and was so amazed by the earthy flavor and aroma. It's considered a "finishing salt" rather than a "cooking salt". Add a sprinkle onto eggs, top off some pasta or a baked potato.

I plan on adding this to steamed veggies for lunches and snacks during the work week in hopes to get me to eat more!

I purchased a 3oz jar for $10 (shelf life 5-6 months), but another brand can also be purchased from Williams-Sonoma.

Recipe | Chicken Croquettes

I would like to have some recipes in my repertoire that can be made on a Sunday, and keep for the rest of the week as leftovers, but aren't beans or pasta. So, I thought I'd give croquettes a try. (I became a believer in Guatemala that anything fried can keep unrefrigerated almost indefinitely.) These are basically fried chicken meatballs, or non-vegetarian falafel. Yum.

Home Economics | Cookbooks

I love cookbooks! I used to spend hours at Border's flipping through cookbooks. (In hindsight, I should have probably bought more of them. Poor Borders.) I am a big proponent of meal planning to save money and waste less food, and I feel good cookbooks help in the process. On occasion, you get tired of eating the same ol' thing. On occasion, you have lots of random ingredients and no idea what to do with them. For me, that's where a good cookbook comes in. (I do, of course, use food blogs and online recipe sites as well.) Nothing beats a good cookbook when you need to know something more substantial than how to just microwave bacon. 

The Silver Spoon is an Italian classic full of old Nonna recipes, that is my go-to for Italian cooking. I also love the Picayune's Creole Cook Book, when I'm too embarrassed to call my mother and ask. I do very much enjoy old American cookbooks, but it's difficult to find some of the old-timey ingredients, like forcemeats and mushroom liquor.

Booze | Fox Barrel Double Fermented

I usually love any pear cider, but not this Fox Barrel double fermented! I thought I'd take a break of dissertating and enjoy a big bottle of cider. Nope. I had to pour it down the kitchen sink. I should have read the label before I bought it, but it's super yeasty. It gave me what Joan Rivers would call a 'yif' (yeast infection face). I momentarily stole Kristen Dunst's signature look. No good.

Test Kitchen | Noé José Cupcakes

 

I eat a lot of sweet corn muffins. It's my lazy-broad dessert because I usually have eggs, milk, a can of corn, and Jiffy mix. Lately, I've been thinking they'd be great with a little bit a Mexican chocolate frosting. (I also drink a lot of Abuelita hot chocolate - the source of my inspiration.) I bought some boxed whipping cream from Trader Joe's I wanted to test out and thought it was the perfect time to try to make these cupcakes. I googled 'holy molé cupcakes' just to prove to myself how creative I am, but some guys in Chicago already beat me to the Mexican cupcake punch. I'll call my version Noé José cupcakes for copyright infringement purposes, although I did independently develop the same tasty idea.

Trippin | Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia might be the mutton capital of the world. I ate a ton of mutton while I was there. A ton! Mongolian cooking in a lot different from Chinese cooking and I'm glad I got to try it all. I love Chinese food in the States. It was going to be my first time in China and I didn't want to burst my food bubble, so I was a little reluctant to go. (Thank G-d, I didn't read this article by David Sedaris before I went.) 

Booze | Bushmills Single Malt Whiskey (10 Years)

We are whiskey drinkers. We drink cheap whiskey because I like whiskey cocktails and the Old Man has two taste buds, so there's no point of wasting money on the good stuff. We got this bottle of Bushmills as a gift and the Old Man loved it. He doesn't have much of a discerning palate, so I don't know how much faith I put in his review. However, the gift giver is a whiskey connoisseur and highly recommended it. It was too potent for me, so I only had one glass out of the entire bottle. And I think even that put a strand of hair on my chest.

Recipe | Pozole Blanco

I love soups and I especially love broth-based soups. Pozole blanco is high on my list. The Old Man calls it soup salad because it's a refreshing soup depending on the quantity of veggies you add. I love pork, but I don't really do pata, cabeza, lengua, or ojo from any animal, so this recipe is just with pork shoulder. However, I've heard that 'head' is the secret to the taste of pozole blanco, so feel free to add traditional pork products as desired.

Must Have | Matouk's Hot Sauces

The one thing Trinidad got right - hot sauce! We are devotees of Matouk's. We pour it on everything. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's better than even Marie Sharp's. (Sorry Belize.) The Hot Pepper sauce is simple - scotch bonnet peppers. The Calypso Sauce is mustard based and goes great with cheesy scrambled eggs. There are a variety of other flavors, but these two are on heavy rotation here. If you like hot and spicy, give Matouk's a try. You won't be disappointed.