Well, look at this. I’m writing a blog post.
I’m probably the most surprised of anyone. My commitment to keeping posts going during the testing portion of my next book turned out to be an unachievable dream. It was impossible.
I still have a lot more writing to do so I’m not sure how much you will hear from me over the coming weeks, but I am here now. And I have a recipe.
These pickled shrimp are flavored with sundried tomatoes, black peppercorn, and dill. Prepared with crunchy vegetables and a tangy brine, they can be eaten with crackers or used to top tacos!
Good shrimp are hard to find. At least they are when you define good as them arriving to you in sustainable ways from areas that fish them responsibly.
Knowing that these type of shrimp cost more, I invested in some for a recipe that I had to develop…and they were awful. I expect because the turnover here for that type of thing is low, but either way, I won’t do that again.
So my only solution has been 1) saving shrimp eating for when we travel and 2) buying these small bay, or salad shrimp as they are often called, that I can find at the market that do have some traceability for sourcing.
It turns out that I’m kind of liking them more than larger shrimp. I’m also finding them a lot more fun to work with.
Some might call it cauliflower fried rice, but since there is no rice in it (and I hate putting words in quotes) I prefer fried riced cauliflower. It’s not the prettiest dish you will ever eat, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious. Not to mention super simple to throw together.
I was just reading an article last week about ugly food.
It was about all those delicious dishes out there that will never win a photo award no matter how talented the stylist.
It got me thinking about how this little tidbit influences what I put on the blog.
I tend to throw together some really tasty and really ugly meals every week. Before I finish cooking, I think, hey, I need to put this on the blog. It’s so good.
Then I stand there staring at it in my bowl.
I had my very first Hatch chile last week.
Every year I see the social posts, watch all the roastings that take place around the Southwest, and keep my eye out for them with no luck in getting my hands on any.
But this year, a box arrived at my door and I opened it to find a big beautiful bag of these peppers. If you are unfamiliar, the peppers are grown in the valley around Hatch, New Mexico. Only peppers grown there are true Hatch chiles, and as was reported to me, they have an earthy, fresh flavor that sets them apart from other varieties. And they are in season as we speak, just a few weeks every year.
We are not hurting for good tacos here in the Central Valley. There are plenty to choose from. But when it comes to fish tacos, we have to find our way to a coast like everyone else.
The most recent coast was, of course, Kauai last month. Speaking of which, you can expect some round-up posts about that wonderful island to show up here next week.
I remain inspired, and hungry for fish tacos.
I haven’t said much about it yet, but we are embarking on a huge kitchen remodel. Demo starts next week. That means I am in use-up mode in the kitchen. This includes reaching to the far depths of the freezer to find the things I’ve long forgotten about.
I’m happy to say that Fake Food Free has transitioned to the Substack Newsletter called Every Corner of the World.
I hope to see you there.
This ceviche recipe is made with cod, colorful bell peppers, cucumber and two kinds of citrus! Serve it in avocado halves as a salad or with tortilla chips.
I’ve been trying to remember the first time I learned about ceviche. I think it was when we were living in Brazil and my husband traveled to Peru for work. He returned from that trip and told me all about it. I’m not certain, but given my food experience at that point, I’m pretty sure I turned my nose up at it.
I’ll admit it. I’m easily bored by fish. I really like fish, but I can only have so much baked white fish and pecan crusted salmon before I long for something more creative.
The solution this time? Grind it up and make burgers.
This smoked salmon sandwich is a re-creation of one of the many great meals we had in Copenhagen. It’s super simple, but so delicious!
We had a mission to try all the Danish specialties we could get our hands on during our recent trip to Copenhagen. That meant a lot fish — pickled herring, curried herring, gravlax and a delicious smoked salmon sandwich.
I’ve had that sandwich on my mind since we returned. The flavors here aren’t unfamiliar, but the idea of smoked salmon on a sandwich was new to me. It’s not something I would think to make at home, but that has all changed now.
We’ve lived in California less than two years and I’ve already started to lose track of the seasons. I grew up around all sorts of berries in Indiana and I visited the orchards in Kentucky so I could tell you exactly when strawberry, blueberry, peach, plum and apple season where in full swing at different points throughout the summer.
But here? Here, most of those fruits last all summer long.
It’s quite the experience for the fruit and vegetable lover. I aim to cherish every moment of it, while still grounding myself with thoughts of those produce-lacking winter seasons spent in Kentucky.
Protein for breakfast.
Of all the improvements we’ve made to our eating habits over the past year or so, this has been the best one by far.
I wasn’t a complete stranger to a high protein morning meal. I’d have eggs on occasion, or a shake with nut meal, but it wasn’t until we started focusing on eating a lot of protein first thing that I realized how much I relied on carbohydrates for breakfast.
Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I still work in yogurt with fruit and oatmeal, especially when we are training for a race, but these carb focused breakfasts seemed to be making me crave something sweet every morning.
Once we made the switch, things changed pretty drastically.
