Wife Jan is going off to Burning Man again. Last year she broke her arm, I hope she comes back in one piece this year. As usual, I am making quick cooking camp meals for her group.

Karl’s Za’atar Orzo with Pine Nuts
for Burning Man
Wife Jan is going off to Burning Man again. Last year she broke her arm, I hope she comes back in one piece this year. As usual, I am making quick cooking camp meals for her group.

Karl’s Za’atar Orzo with Pine Nuts
for Burning Man
Filed under Pasta, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
Wife Jan is headed for Burning Man again. Last year I sent some of my four chile chili powder. This year, I thought to make a unique blend for the event. Over time, I have collected several chile powders from around the world. Balancing the heat and flavors I ended up with a six chile blend.

Karl’s International Six Chile Chili Powder for Burning Man
Filed under California Fusion, Sauces and Spices, Vegan, Vegetarian
Wife Jan is going off to Burning Man again. Last year she broke her arm, I hope she comes back in one piece this year. As usual, I am making quick cooking camp meals for her group. While this is very similar to what I made last year—which got rave reviews—I had to tweak it just a bit.

Karl’s Saag Pilau II
for Burning Man
Filed under Main Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
Wife Jan Is going to Burning Man again this year. Her group of scholars has become an official camp, “Sage Camp.” Jan decided that a camp needs an official cocktail. Inspired by a cocktail recipe she found online and a recipe for sage simple syrup, she assembled a signature cocktail.

Jan’s Sage Camp Cocktail
Filed under Vegetarian, Weeknight
Since I discovered a decent canned version of Hollandaise sauce, I have been making Eggs Benedict at least once a week. While I love the version that is sold in most restaurants, I am constantly tinkering with the recipe. Today, my wife Jan wanted pancakes for breakfast, but I wanted eggs Benedict—and a new variation was born.

Karl’s Country Eggs Benedict
Filed under Breakfast, California Fusion
Broiled salmon has become a go to weekday dish when I need a fast meal for the family. I have discovered that my homemade jams make a good glaze and I have used lemon, orange, and my ginger peach jams to great success. Jan has recently discovered that she loves liliko’i—passion fruit—and when I discovered a jar of Liliko’i jam at the local Hawaiian market—Kumar’s Island Market—I knew I had to buy it.

Karl’s Broiled Salmon with Liliko’i Glaze
Filed under Main Dishes
Adapted from a RasaMalaysia recipe
Wife Jan asked for chicken satay for Sunday’s dinner. If you search for this dish on-line you will find it spelled both “satay” and “sate.” While these are basically the same dish, the difference lies in whether the recipe has more Thai or Indonesian influence in the seasoning. While the recipe I based this one on was more Malaysian, I pushed it toward Thailand in my choices of ingredients.

Karl’s Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Filed under Chicken, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices
Wife Jan asked for chicken satay for dinner. Satay needs a salad. Most recipes on-line suggest a cucumber salad, but one suggested adding apples. The dressing is more Thai inspired, rather than something that would be served in Thailand.

Karl’s Cucumber Apple Salad with Thai Lime Dressing
Filed under California Fusion, Salads
My family has been sick or traveling so we have not had a Dad cooked Sunday dinner in a while. My wife and daughter Miriam are both “off” onions and garlic, so anything I do has to be adapted to their needs. At the moment, my wife does not trust any meat but fish. Taking all of these issues into account I thought a fish stew would fir the bill. A Thai soup—with coconut, lime, and Thai seasonings—was but another small step.

Karl’s Thai Fish Stew
Filed under Main Dishes, Seafood, Stews
Wife Jan has been having digestive difficulties for the last few weeks. She is finally getting better, but she is being really cautious about reintroducing various foods to her diet. At this point, she knows that she can handle seafood, but she is still afraid of chicken.

Papa’s Fine Shrimp Soup
Filed under Main Dishes, Shrimp, Soups