I had bought some buttermilk to make cornbread—which takes only one cup of milk—but all the store had for sale was quarts. What could I do with all of the extra buttermilk? Obviously, biscuits for breakfast.

Karl’s Buttermilk Biscuits
I had bought some buttermilk to make cornbread—which takes only one cup of milk—but all the store had for sale was quarts. What could I do with all of the extra buttermilk? Obviously, biscuits for breakfast.

Karl’s Buttermilk Biscuits
Filed under bread, Breakfast, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Miriam has been moving this week and her mother and sister have been helping her. In this situation it is polite to feed your workers, but with the kitchen half packed up it can be a challenge. Takeout pizza is the usual solution, but my daughter is capable of being creative. A little chicken, vegetables, fruit, a bit of mayonnaise and viola you have a salad.

Miriam’s Chicken Salad
Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Poultry, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetables
Jan had a Stitching Guild luncheon on Saturday and most of the other people signed up to bring meat dishes. Jan sees her role as to provide a vegetarian option. Normally, I would add toasted pine nuts to my carrot salad, but one of her friends is deathly allergic to nuts.

Karl’s Heirloom Carrot Salad
with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Filed under California Fusion, Root Vegetables, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
As some of my readers may have guessed, I really like pickles. Most of my pickles are quick recipes, ready in a day or two—I am an impatient and hungry kind of guy. For this batch, I waited all of four weeks, but they were worth the wait.

Karl’s Bread and Butter Pickles
Filed under California Fusion, Pickles, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
My son-in-law, Chris, is making the main dish this Christmas—his Grandmother’s Boston clam chowder. I provided a spinach salad and fresh oyster crackers to go with it. Miriam made rum balls for dessert.

Karl’s Spinach, Orange, and Fennel Salad
Filed under Green Vegetables, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Jan invited her new half-brother to dinner so I was planning a nice meal. In the end he came down sick and didn’t come. I’m afraid he missed a really nice meal.

Karl’s Lemon Marmalade Roast Chicken
Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Main Dishes, Poultry, Sauces and Spices
Having just made my Christmas jams—orange and lemon—I decided to use them in making dinner. I used the lemon marmalade for the chicken. For the broccolini, I chose the orange marmalade. This is really a quick and easy side dish.

Karl’s Broccolini with Orange Sauce
Filed under Green Vegetables, Sauces and Spices, Side Dishes, Steaming, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Several days ago, a friend of Jan’s (Jennifer Anderson) gave her three yuzu to pass on to me. Yuzu’s flavor is describes as a cross between a grapefruit and a mandarin orange. It is the key ingredient in authentic Japanese ponzu sauce. Having turned this bounty into ponzu sauce it seemed clear to me that salmon teriyaki would be a good use for it. Steamed rice and pickled vegetables are the obvious go-together for a weekend Japanese meal.

Karl’s Ponzu Salmon Teriyaki
Filed under Broiling, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices, Seafood
I am making a salmon teriyaki with ponzu sauce and I like to have a variety of pickled side dishes with any Japanese style meal. One of the dishes I made used the ponzu sauce and another I made with just the yuzu skin (the citrus part of the ponzu sauce). I wanted some contrast between my side dishes, so I decided to make a quick spicy kimchi. Real kimchi should be fermented for days or even weeks, but I wanted some of the flavor with none of the waiting.

Karl’s Quick Spicy Cabbage (Kimchi)
Filed under Pickles, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
You can buy ponzu sauce in many Asian stores and even some of the larger supermarkets (at least in California). I had made some fresh ponzu sauce and I was experimenting with what I could do with it. I had bought some frozen edamame pods, which are immature soybeans, picked before they’ve had a chance to turn into the harden beans. Tossing these delicate morsels with the sauce seemed like such a good idea—one more small plate for my Japanese dinner.

Karl’s Ponzu Edamame
Filed under Sauces and Spices, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian