This is Jan’s birthday week and around this house birthday celebrations tend to get stretched out for a week. Her birthday is in the middle of a busy week, Wednesday, so her main feast will be this Sunday. I was planning on making her favorite, corn chowder with crayfish.
Monthly Archives: October 2015
Karl’s Marsala Steamed Mussels
Jan has requested corn chowder with crayfish for her birthday, but crayfish were out of season. I made the soup with langoustine. She also really likes mussels, so I decided to steam some as a side dish.
Filed under Main Dishes, Seafood, Steaming
Karl’s Sichuan Pepper Oyster Crackers
I am making corn chowder for Jan’s birthday dinner. Chowder calls for oyster crackers. I adapted some techniques from Serious Eats.
Filed under bread, California Fusion, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Karl’s Chicken Madeira with Dried Apples
Jan’s friends are descending upon us this weekend for the annual quilt festival. They are always a challenge to cook for because Barbara does not eat raw tomatoes and Pat does not eat “any animal with a face.” This means the “cute animals,” cows, pigs and sheep—chicken and fish apparently do not count as having faces.
Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Main Dishes, Poultry, Stews
Karl’s Harcourt Vert with Red Bell Pepper
I needed a vegetable to go with the chicken Madeira that I was serving for Jan’s visiting friends. I decided on French green beans, Harcourt vert, that are thinner and more tender than regular American green beans. Plain green beans are a bit boring, so I decided to add more interest with herbs and red bell pepper.
Filed under California Fusion, Green Vegetables, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Karl’s Potato Thyme
I am making chicken Madeira for Jan’s visiting friends. Sauce and meat needs starch. I decided that what was called for was a variation on my mother’s parsley potatoes.
Filed under California Fusion, Potatoes, Side Dishes, Starches, Vegan, Vegetarian
Karl’s Savory Monkey Bread II
Before I left home for the first time, I sat down with my mother’s recipe box and wrote down my favorite dishes. Her monkey bread is one of those recipes. While it was good and has a fond place in my memory, I still had to change it.
Filed under bread, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Karl’s BLTs Two Ways
Jan likes the idea of BLTs—bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches—but she has an aversion to bacon. Yesterday, she asked me to make her one using turkey bacon. Eilene and I do not dislike bacon, so I made her a more standard version. For myself, I just had to add a twist with some pickled artichoke hearts. Continue reading
Filed under California Fusion, Main Dishes, Pork, Turkey
Karl’s Chicken Curry Hand Pies
A few day ago I posted a berry hand pie recipe. One of my followers asked if I had done a savory pie with this dough. While I sent her links to my pocket breads with a raised doughs—bierock, taco, and baozi—I thought, “Why not?” I decided to do a California Fusion chicken curry in a biscuit dough hand pie.
Filed under bread, California Fusion, Chicken, Main Dishes, Poultry
Karl’s Blackberry Biscuit Hand Pies
I had some blackberries on the counter that were getting a bit worse for time. I thought I would turn them into a quick jam. Then I decided to put the jam into biscuit dough to make hand pies.
Filed under bread, Breakfast, Desserts & Treats, Pies & Tarts, Vegetarian








