Jan was given a large bag of very ripe Mission figs two days ago. It was far too many to eat before they went bad. I had to think of a way to preserve them.
Karl’s Mission Fig Jam
Karl’s Cream Crackers
Yesterday I made fig jam. Jan decided that we should make tonight’s dinner a cheese and fig jam tasting. I could run out and just buy some crusty bread, but fresh crackers see the better choice.
Karl’s Cream Crackers
Filed under bread, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Karl’s Greek Dolmas
Eilene trimmed our grape plant—it was starting to overrun the fig tree. I looked at all of these fresh grape leaves and thought dolmas! I have made them with bottled preserved leaves, but I am sure they are even better with fresh leaves. When you say “dolma” you have only said “stuffed thing.” What is stuffed and what you stuff it with can cover a world of possibilities.
Karl’s Greek Dolmas
Filed under California Fusion, Lamb, Main Dishes, Rice, Steaming, Vegan, Vegetarian
Karl’s Creole Gumbo
The kids are not coming over this Sunday and Jan wants to go to a movie. Instead of my usual feast I will be making a late Sunday lunch. I finally settled on gumbo, a Louisiana signature dish.
Karl’s Creole Gumbo
Filed under Fish, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices, Seafood, Shrimp
Karl’s Creole vs. Cajun Spice Blends
An oft asked question on the internet is: What is the difference between Creole Spice vs. Cajun Spice blends? There is a lot of confusion surrounding these two mixes of spice. Frequently, they are treated as being identical, but they are not. Continue reading
Filed under California Fusion, Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetarian
Karl’s Saffron Chicken and Leek Corn(ish) Pasties
Adapted from Frugal Feeding
My girl’s are all over the place today. Mom is going over to Miriam’s after work, to swim and de-stress. Eilene is up in San Francisco with a friend. They will be hungry when they finally get home, but there is no telling when that might be.
Karl’s Saffron Chicken and Leek
Corn(ish) Pasties
Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Main Dishes, Poultry, Vegetables
Karl’s Chili California con Carne
Jan has a hankering for chili. She pointed out that I have not made it in a long time—looking at my posts, not since February of last year. For Jan, chili means “chili with beans.”
Karl’s Chili California con Carne
Filed under Beef, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Vegetables
Claudia’s Chili
Before I left home for the first time, I sat down with my mother’s recipe box and wrote down my favorite dishes. As I was making my chili California I had thought about using my mother’s recipe. I took it out and looked it over. I was surprised to find that it did not actually include any “chile.” I remember loving my mother’s “chili” as a child, but I am not sure I can call it “chili” any more—it was more of a German beef and beans. Continue reading
Filed under Beans, Beef, California Fusion, Main Dishes
Karl’s Chili California Powder
The term chile (chili) is a complex. It can refer to: 1) a large number of fresh capsicum pods of varying heat levels; 2) the dried and/or smoked pods; 3) the same pods in powdered form (with or without the seeds); and 4) varied spices blends that include one or more of the powdered chilies as a main ingredient.
Karl’s Chili California Powder
Filed under Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetarian
Karl’s Cola de Buey en Chile Rojo (Oxtails in Red Chile Sauce)
I am making chili beans for Jan, but son-in-law Chris, is on a super low starch diet. I decided that I would make a beef chile for him (OK, it is for me too, I admit it). Normally I would use beef chuck for making carne con chili rojo. However, Chris really likes oxtail and I think this would go really well. For some reason, my recipe for Moroccan Oxtail is one of the most popular pages on my blog, so I do not think he is alone in this preference.
Karl’s Cola de Buey en Chile Rojo
(Oxtails in Red Chile Sauce)
Filed under Beef, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices
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Miriam
Jabberwocky Stew 