Im a snob. My honey, I want it fresh from the hive- hell, just hand me a honeycomb and Ill extract it myself. Dont mess with it. No processing or filtering or whatever it is folks do to make honey more palatable to the masses- I dont care if there are little bee legs or pieces of debris suspended in it…really, Id prefer it.

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Crab doesn’t fuck around. Those feisty bastards by no means make it easy to get at their meat. It truly is a wrestling match- one which involves sharp shells and cutting claws, guts and gore…but the reward? Well worth every cut, every bruise. Hunched over the sink pulling out each tiny scrap of soft sweet meat- my hands ache, Im covered in bits and body parts but I cant help but love every minute of it. Its glorious, it really is. My neighbor went fishing out in Westport and being the generous gentleman he is, he has shared with me his bounty of Coho Salmon & Crab. What to do with it all? What to make? My head swims (pardon the tasteless pun) with ideas.

Well, not a mystery “bag” exactly, more accurately it was a bain marie. We were to reach our hands in and draw a slip of paper…and on that lil’ slip of paper? An ingredient with which to compose a main dish (this was our midterm practical exam mind you, big points at stake here folks- BIG). I drew “barley”…barley? Hmmmm. I scoured the refrigerator and gathered my ingredients- bacon, mushrooms, stock, thyme, rosemary, onions, garlic, blue cheese, parmesan, white wine, green beans. Based on the goodies collected, I decided to cook up a rich creamy bacon mushroom risotto using barley instead of Arborio rice. It turned out lovely.

I associate lavender with soap. I do. It seems fitting that its flowery aroma flavor bath salts, shampoos, lotion…but food? Hmmm, I couldn’t be less interested. It certainly had its day in the sun with chefs adding it to everything from meats to ice cream, this herb was (and maybe continues to be?) one of many hip go-to ingredients. Needless to say regardless of its growing popularity, I avoided it at all costs.

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Had a hankering yesterday for something tangy and cool, tasty, refreshing and well, interesting. Also wanted something that would compliment the chicken I had planned to marinate & throw on the grill later in the evening. What came to mind was slightly less ordinary than the usual grilled chicken & coleslaw. Nothing too crazy now, in fact I stayed within those same parameters but instead of simple chicken & mayo based coleslaw I went with Asian flavors for something a bit more unique & light.

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Gluttonous doesnt even begin to describe my relationship with Tahini dressing. I eat it, no joke, every day of the week. I never tire of it, I dont even come close and to be frank, the opposite actually occurs- I grow more and more fond of it. Sick eh? See, most days I get home from school and Im ravenous. Yeah yeah, Im surrounded by food in the classroom but the bites I take of what we have prepared hardly constitue a meal.

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Mexico is, and always will be, my second home. I lived down there for quite some time and to this day own a small farm on the outskirts of a tiny (yet increasingly popular) surf town. The place is magic. The food, the folks, the land, the culture in general…its all lovely and lively and simply put, its paradise. Todays lesson brought me back- just the smells circulating about the kitchen had me dizzy with memory.

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My favorite lunch in the summer- hands down no contest: Fresh Spring Rolls. When its hot out they truly are the perfect food…all fresh and crunchy and light and whatnot. I love the soft rice paper wrappers and their tasty colorful fillings: sweet basil, bright mint, fragrant cilantro, crunchy carrot, tender rice noodles, savory tofu, refreshing lettuce.

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Beginning in the Southern US of A- Hush Puppies, Cornbread, Funeral Grits.

Dipping further down- Mexican Corn, Salsa, Guacamole, Corn & Flour Tortillas.

And a little deeper even- Arepas with Carnitas.

Gotta love Southern food, whether it be native to Louisiana or Venezuela…it dont matter- its all just fucking delicious.

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We’ve been hittin’ grains something fierce this week. Yesterday it was a hop through Europe as we cooked up polenta, barley and farro (oh and lasagna as well…not so much a whole grain but nonetheless). Today, we skipped into the Fertile Crescent and made bulgur (in the form of Tabbouleh), quinoa (in the form of a salad), rice (in Indian Coconut rice, Rice Pudding, Gosht Pulao/spicy lamb stew) and semolina (in Harsha/flatbread).

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