My weekdays are sometimes like a culinary wasteland. It’s easy to cook nice things on the weekend when you can take a leisurely trip to the grocery store, stop by Starbucks, take your time in the kitchen… But on a lot of weeknights, that just doesn’t work for me. Too busy, too tired—and I think a lot of people are in the same place. I don’t have a family to take care of (yet), but the thought of feeding kids dinner on a consistent basis is really an amazing feat.
I don’t want to be a cook just on the weekends, because how much of our lives are spent then? I’ll tell you. It’s 2/7ths. So I’m making an attempt to cook simple, healthy meals more often. Otherwise, my someday-future kids are going to have to be convinced that Cheerios are a main course.
I just bought this cookbook to help in my quest: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. (Initially because of the name, duh!) What I love most about it now is that it is sectioned by seasons, which is really nice. No more flipping through heavy pot roast recipes in June. Also there’s nutritional information for all the recipes in the back. Very helpful. I made my first recipe out of it this week & it was awesome. Recipe will follow soon! (This week’s Biggest Loser was a To Be Continued… so I’m pulling the same stunt too.)
(Left to Right)
Himalayan Salt Plate
For the foodie who’s seen (& eaten) it all: a hand-cut block of pink salt that adds a hint of flavor to foods. Use it right on the grill, in the oven, or chill it to use as a beautiful way to serve sushi.
Sur la Table: $40
Selvedge Denim Apron
For the man of the kitchen, a vintage denim cira 1940 is just the right mix of style & utilitarianism. No lacy frills in this kitchen.
Hickorees: $155
Central Market Gift Card
So you can never go wrong with a gift card, but here’s what makes a gift card from Central Market special: they can be redeemed on cooking classes there. I’ve both given & received cooking classes from CM with great success. You can pick up a calendar of classes at the store to include with the gift card so they can pick the one they’ll like best.
Central Market: Any $$$. Classes are in the $50 – $60 range.
BeeHouse Iced Tea Pitcher
Their signature tea pots are round & cute, which makes this structured iced tea version even more unique. Brew it right in the pot using the included diffuser & put it right into the fridge.
Rare Device: $50
Brooklyn Brew Shop Kits
Kits that include everything you need to brew at home! Originally included on a matthew jacob’s annual gift guide. (He’s a good friend of the little dish & beer connoisseur.) While he’s inclined to choose the IPA, I think the Gingerbread Ale is where it’s at.
Brooklyn Brew Shop: $40
Renzo Oven Mitt
Cheery & useful. It’s a perfect complement to a baking book & they’ll use it all the time.
Built: $15
Animal Lunch Bags
Boo the pink panda(?) is on my personal wish list. Fill it with yummy snacks for double elf status.
Target: $10
Komforte Chockolates
Forgive them the quirky spelling; one look at their line of candy-bars & you’ll see they can’t help being different. The Seattle-based company currently has 3 flavors ranging from the insanely delicious-sounding French Toast flavor to the plainly insane Ramen Noodle. Availability is limited; it looks like your best online bet is here.
Seattle Chocolates: $3
Skillet Street Food Bacon Jam
This popular Austin trailer ships only one item: bacon jam. It’s rendered bacon that’s been simmered for 6 hours with onions & other spices. Delicious. Just the kind of thing our favorite pork devotee would love.
Skillet Street Food: $12
In the November issue of Esquire, writer Ryan D’Agostino talks about what it’s like to cook recipes from Thomas Keller’s new cookbook, ad hoc at home, FOR Thomas Keller. It’s about as nerve wracking as you’d think, but Keller makes it down-to-earth offering ways to improvise with over-salted corn, advice for aspiring chefs & some strong words for those of use who like to cook with tongs.
Read the full article online.
Meet Thomas Keller: chef & owner of The French Laundry, reoccurring guest on TV shows like Top Chef, and one of the most famous American chefs. I’m sure you know of him, but now you have the chance to actually meet him. Tomorrow at the NorthPark Williams-Sonoma, Chef Keller will be signing copies of his new book, ad hoc at home. Unlike the legendarily complicated French Laundry Cookbook, Keller’s new book focuses on casual, family-style food with heart. Check it out here on Amazon, but don’t buy it because he’ll only be signing copies purchased at Willams-Sonoma.
Need 2 Know:
Who: Thomas Keller
What: ad hoc at home cookbook signing
When: Tomorrow, Friday December 11 at 2:00 PM
Where: 327 Northpark Center, Dallas, TX 75225 214.378.6216
Why: Because Keller is pretty awesome & the cookbook looks delicious! (It would also make a cool Christmas gift for foodies on your list. I’m not sure how many copies they will let you have signed, so that might be something to call about ahead of time if you’re planning on more than one!)
The little dish is now on Twitter! Come follow us to keep up with all our antics & be alerted when new posts get posted. If you don’t know what Twitter is, then it’s time you find out & sign up.
Of all my virtues, discipline isn’t really one of them. Often I find myself in situations where my follow-through hardly matches my intentions. It’s something I’ve been trying to work on. When we started the little dish over a year ago, I really wanted to make sure that we updated often and kept it fresh. Some weeks have been better than others, but now we’re busier than ever and it seems we’re at a crossroads. It’s been almost a month since we’ve updated and I think it’s time to take inventory: Are we really too busy? Have we run out of time in our schedules?
When I think about it, this month away from the little dish has made me realize how much I miss it. This site doesn’t need me; I need it. I like keeping an eye out for new places, picking out recipes to cook, looking for new products. They’re good rituals to keep and ones I need, even if things are hectic.
So I’m here. the little dish is back and it’s going to stay. Thanks for sticking with us and sorry for all the times you checked back and saw an old post. Stay tuned for updates; tomorrow Brian is going to write about our recent visit to a delicious taco joint. (No spoiling.)
Ever get bogged down trying to remember how much of ingredient ‘A’ should be mixed with ingredient ‘B’? Well here’s a handy little chart that writer Michael Ruhlman has assembled and presented. It’s not cheap ($20), but if you are looking for a quick gift for someone who likes to bake, this is the ticket. Maybe it will also inspire you to bake more. Everyone loves homemade dough!
via Michael Ruhlman
The Japanese are in love with presentation. Everything is precise there; dishes are beautiful and meticulously plated. During a cooking class at a culinary school in Tokyo, we got a first-hand lesson on how highly they pride accuracy. When making sushi, each individual piece should be very close to the same weight. The sushi rice for each piece is traditionally weighed to 20 grams, but good sushi chefs don’t have to measure that because they can do it by feel. The fish is then sliced a particular way to be laid out over the rice, and each piece of sushi is formed by hand following a step-by-step formula. They make it seem effortless. Of course, doing it yourself is a lot more complicated. One of the chefs did say that my sushi was “very cute,” so I basically felt awesome about it.
Most helpful tip: Keeping your hands moist with a mixture of vinegar and water while rolling sushi helps keep the rice from sticking to your fingers!
During the cooking lesson, we also made some tempura. Not nearly as precise a dish as sushi and something that we, as Americans, can really get behind. (It’s deep fried, ya’ll!) Surprisingly, the authentic thing really doesn’t differ from what we enjoy here. Even the variety of vegetables they recommended were the same (eggplant, zucchini, etc.) However there was one exception: shiso. This Asian herb is like a fennel-y basil and almost completely dissolves on the tongue after it’s been tempura fried. They dipped the batter on one side and let it stay in the hot oil until it turned a golden brown. Best. Snack. Food. Ever. I’ve been told that you can find it in the States at asian markets, so I’m going to keep by eyes open. (Although, I think the deep frying part should be kept at a minimum. Maybe I’ll find another way to cook with it?)
So, we’re safely home and finally feeling caught up on sleep; the fourteen-hour time difference made for a rough day of jet lag! As I mentioned last post, we had the amazing opportunity to go on a culinary tour of Japan, primarily in the Tokyo and Kyoto areas. The trip was unbelievable. If you haven’t been to Japan, you must put it on your vacation wish list; the closer it is to the top, the better. (Deacon, congrats on your engagement. You are going to LOVE Japan!)
I’m part Japanese, so going into this trip I thought I had a pretty good handle on Japanese food. My grandmother (in Japanese, obachan) would cook us all kinds of dishes like okonomiyaki, sushi, soba, sukiyaki, and curry. I grew up with those foods and felt comfortable with the things other kids looked upon as “strange” like wet, black seaweed on sticky rice or red bean paste for dessert. Eating in Japan, I wasn’t expecting too many surprises. After all, this is part of my heritage…right?
After my first real dinner in Japan, I realized how wrong I was. In the world of Japanese fine dining, there is so much that is unknown. Almost every night (and even for some lunches) we were served the most elaborate multiple-course meals. Each tray would arrive with little dishes, usually holding just one or two bites of food (Japanese amuse-bouche, if you will). And then one after the other, the procession would continue: little soup pots, little trays, slices of sashimi, and squares of marinated tofu. Some dishes were definitely more identifiable than others; I ate the freshest sushi, steamed lobster, rice speckled with whole sardines, wheat-gluten balls(?), and whole baby squids. Plus some of them I’m still not even sure of. We’re talking not even remotely identifiable. Some of it was really delicious. Some of it was more about a “cultural experience” than an enjoyable taste. Either way, it was amazing.
The meal above features different variations of yuba, the skin that is skimmed from boiling soy milk. It’s commonly referred to as tofu skin and it tastes kinda like tofu, but rubberier. To be sincere, I didn’t really love it. The taste was ok, but the presentation was much better. Accompanying dishes included pickled veggies, sashimi, freshly cooked tofu, and thinly sliced raw beef.
There’s so much more to say about Japan and the food we had, so consider this part one with more to come 
Thanks for your patience so far and the kind comments while we were gone! It’s good to be home.
Everyone in the world has been asking a very important question lately: What on earth has happened to the little dish??? Well, from the lack of updates you could conclude that…
a). we died
b.) we stopped eating food as part of a hunger strike
c.) we were invited on a culinary tour of Japan
If you guessed c, you’re right! (The picture above probably gave it away, but you still win.) Some friends of ours invited us on a cooking tour through Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hakone, Japan. The trip has been an unbelievable experience. We’ve been meaning to update throughout the trip about the meals that we’ve been having, but it’s been such a whirlwind that each night we’ve come back to the hotel exhausted and ready for bed
We’ll be back in the States shortly and promise to update with lots of pics and info about the culinary adventures we’ve been on. It’s the little dish abroad!
Until then, sayonara!
