Dinner with Kirsten

I love hamburgers, but, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve been trying to eat healthy. So, I’ve been making turkey burgers about once a week for months. Faced with yet another package of ground turkey meat in the fridge, expiration date ticking down, I turned to epicurious.com for inspiration.
I’ve become a Sriracha addict, so I […]

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When my parents first bought the land that is now Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival, a pick-your-own pumpkin farm, they planned to sell strawberries. They planted acres and acres of the finicky sweet berries, placed ads in the local newspaper and sold them to whoever showed up. As an extra revenue booster, Grandpa Ernie […]

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My idea of a “diet” is eating more apples than donuts on any given day. But it’s swimming suit season once again, that time of year when winter’s excesses are destined to be displayed for fellow beach-goers, making me wonder if I had to eat quite so many cookies and burgers this year. So anyway, […]

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My favorite restaurant in Spain was a little Indian food place down the street from the restaurant where I worked. After a few weeks of eating exclusively Spanish food, I was ready for an injection of Indian spice. After I discovered it, my fellow American friend Jillian and I became obsessed and addicted. We were […]

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Trifle is a traditional English dessert first created in the 18th century to use up leftover cake and cream—the word “trifle” means whimsical or of little importance. The traditional English version involves sherry- or fruit juice-soaked sponge cake, spread with jam, covered in custard and topped with whipped cream. American trifles commonly add fruit to […]

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Ole! My infatuation with Mexican food and Spanish culture has led me down a rocky culinary path. The disastrous mini flans I made for my 8th grade Spanish class come to mind, as well as the oily churros I fed to my Mom’s Bunco group. That being said, I make great sopapillas (a hollow […]

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Feta Cheese
Origin: Greece
Type: Fresh—Young, tart, tangy, lemony, smooth, moist, creamy, with no rind. (from the Murray’s Cheese Handbook)
Description: An aged brined curd cheese traditionally made with at least 70% sheep’s milk, along with either goat or cow’s milk. The Murray’s Cheese Handbook says, “The sheep’s milk delivers a round fattiness in the mouth […]

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Whenever I make Asian food I end up thinking, “Why didn’t I get take-out?” I used to satisfy my Chinese food cravings with a Styrofoam box of Almond Chicken and an egg roll. (Hello, I’m from Nebraska!) Then I started dating Geoff, a Hong Kong native who lived in Japan and grew up in […]

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I’m a bit of a risotto snob. Reality television cooking shows have fostered this arrogant “I know what risotto should be like” attitude, but I can’t seem to help it. When a congealed scoop of risotto was served to me at the Pearl Room last weekend, I could imagine a red-faced Chef Ramsey (from FOX’s […]

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I didn’t even know what a Meyer Lemon was until I noticed them popping up on New York restaurant menus a few years ago. I guess they’re stylish. I try not to be seduced by trendy ingredients, but in this case I was curious. I like lemons. What was so special about these so-called “Meyer […]

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