“The same town that gave the world the golden arches also gave it a biker gang that stood for a totally antithetical set of values.” - Eric Schlosser on Anaheim, California, Fast Food Nation

This year’s Christmas dinner was homey and low-key. Everyone came together and cooked, and everyone felt a sigh of relief that we were making a no-fuss but excellent meal. This dish was surprisingly outstanding. By that I mean the recipe was of Indian roots, was repurposed and gussied up by a Californian and presented as a “holiday” dish, and turned out a flavorful and prosperous union of two different cultures. Not an uncommon find in this household, but still happily surprising.

Cashew burfi (बर्फ़ी) is a sweet Indian dessert made with cashews, ghee, and sugar. They are traditionally eaten during holiday, especially Divali, the Hindi festival of lights (actually meaning “row of lights”). Divali is celebrated the world over Amaavasya, the 15th night of the fortnight of the month of Kaartik in October/November.

Part of the reason must be due to the fact that you need a lot of people around to stir. We made these yesterday in celebration of another holiday. Everyone pitched in with the stirring (and eating). In stores, burfi’s commonly come with a piece of silver foil at the top. Ours our naked and better for it. They have a wonderfully rich and nutty flavor, and are incredibly smooth like fudge.

Homemade stained glass gingerbread in action.

“Is Ham Tasty? HELLZ YEAH!” - “Is Ham Tasty?“, science fair project, The Elementary School Kidz

If honey’s what you covet
You’ll find that they love it
Because they’ll guzzle up the thing you prize!

Beware, Beware, Beware, Beware, Beware!

- “Heffalumps and Woozles,” The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

On Saturday evening we witnessed our first Unsilent Night in New York (check out the photo set). Listening to the sounds of the city mesh and mingle with the sounds of the Phil Kline’s soundtrack while walking from park to park with New Yorkers clutching boomboxes, some dressed as santa, was definitely a unique urban experience. On Sunday I woke up wanting pizza.

Pizza is one of those things you cook that is all about fun and flavor. There’s nothing practical about it. There’s nothing thrifty about it (especially not with the NY options). There’s nothing quick about it (between the rising of the dough, etc, you’re looking at leave 4 hours). Oh boy is it tasty, perfect for groups, satisfying hand work, and customizable to anyone’s taste (except gluten-free diets, so sorries!) with mix and match ingredients.

I recently accepted a free shipment of herbs from Daregal Gourmet. During the holidays, every marketer is reaching out to try and touch you and I: the consumer. Most cooks are personally familiar with fresh and dried herbs. Fresh, frozen herbs, however, are a curious proposition. For one, herbs are highly perishable. If greens aren’t frozen properly (usually blanched first), enzymatic and chemical activity can damage pigment, cell walls, and also essential vitamins (specifically vitamin C). This means they turn limp and colorless when you take them out, and may lose some of their nutritional value. Many times this information is unavailable on a company site, and it takes weeks to wrangle it out of those who respond to customer email.

“Good food, good eating, is all about blood and organs, cruelty and decay. It’s about sodium-loaded pork fat, stinky triple-cream cheeses, the tender thymus glands and distended livers of the young animals. It’s about danger - risking the dark, bacterial forces of beef, chicken, cheese, and shellfish. Your first 207 Wellfleet oysters may transport you to a state of rapture, but your 208th may send you to bed with sweats, chills, and vomits.” - Anthony Bourdain, “Don’t Eat Before Reading This,” The New Yorker, 1999

It’s frequently said that making good food is predicated on feeling good. If you’re having a bad day, don’t attempt cooking, because your food will taste like yesterday’s garbage. That was oddly how I approached smoking. I would only smoke when I felt excellent, because it boosted the feeling with a lovely little nicotine rush. When I felt awful, smoking only made me feel worse. Granted, when I was a smoker I wasn’t much into food because I couldn’t taste a thing. But that’s another story.