A series of photos

Yeah, sometimes it's just hard to get the camera upstairs to download the images. I haven't been cooking a lot recently, but they do add up when you only post pictures like once every few months.

Gumbo is really not very photo-friendly which is probably why this is the first picture I've taken of it. (At least, that's what my blog folder said based on file name.) This was my first attempt to make a small batch of gumbo and it worked! We actually finished it all. I used a duck and shrimp base. It's about time I got those duck bones out of the freezer. In halving my recipe, I decided to stick with three links of andouille and it was far too much. Next time, I think I will go with just one link even. Okra is awesome.

Now, it's not Shake Shack burger, but it is pretty damn good. Despite the recommendations of food experts everywhere, I like to make our burgers out of ground sirloin. I don't have a problem keeping them juicy. I take just the sirloin, finely chopped onions, and pepper form my burgers out of that. We choose to cook these inside since the grill is a pain to heat and I'm lazy. Here's what we call our "classic American" burger. Julia child makes one in her Julia and Jacques Cooking At Home show and it looked awesome. It has melted sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, mayo, and mustard. And a toasted bun, of course. Mmmmmmm...

I actually have a craving for ribs right now. These are Chinese-style ribs and the recipe is my mother's. I've been making the sauce for them for what feels like all my life. The char is just part of the charm but too much, and you get a lecture on carcinogens. It's hard to tell from this picture, but this is the tray from my toaster oven. (I love my 6-slice Krups.) My mother always did the charring part of this in the broiler but I have a crappy oven so not only can the broiler only cover half of a half sheet hotel pan, but it's under the oven, about an inch from the ground. My toaster oven is far more powerful and consistent, so I did the ribs in batches to fit in there. They came out beautifully and no crawling around on the ground. That little niblet in the back gets chopped up and put into fried rice. That makes J happy.

Well, this is just the ribs all cut up, but they make my mouth water. I really love my ribs. When I was little, I used to eat these cold, straight out of the freezer. My mother never thought that was a good idea. Maybe it isn't. But, like char siu that you buy at the store, it's just not the same when you have to reheat it.



Star Provisions lamb is just more lamb on a chop than you get anywhere else. I feel comfortable making that broad of a statement about that. I find it impossible to buy lamb anywhere else. I look at the pitiful smidgen of meat you get on the bone and want to cry.

Here we have two tasty lamb chops (yum), some roasted organic carrots, a small pile of mashed potatoes, and some garlic bread. I like to put fleur de sel on it. It makes everything better.

I've begun a new obsession with caesar salad. Well, true: I've always loved caesar salad, but I love James Peterson's caesar salad. It has whole anchovies and a two-minute egg. I made this the other day (though the salad pictured was from a couple months ago). The anchovies need soaking for five minutes and I like the romaine cut in half, but it's very yum.

Also, I went out and bought an Oxo salad spinner. $30, holy crap. It's good, but my sister's is better. Guess she gets the last laugh after all. Still, I didn't get myself covered in water, so I guess that's the trade off.

Salmon en papiotte always makes the salmon melt in your mouth. This sockeye salmon looked so good in the display that I couldn't resist it. It was in there with a little oil, a little cream, parsley, and some scallions. Add some roasted butternut squash, roasted asparagus, and rice, and you've got a pretty easy meal!