Even though we are suffering through way-below-average temps here in SoCal (sorry, rest of country), I started grilling in May and don’t plan to let up anytime soon! My first foray of the season involved grilled lamb shoulder chops, which are larger and tougher but about half the price and way more flavorful than dainty lamb rib chops. I marinated those in some chopped thyme, olive oil, and my new favorite spice, Penzeys Aleppo chili flakes, and served them with minty tzatziki and grilled potatoes. This time around, to celebrate “summer,” I grilled up these excellent curried fish kebabs, recipe courtesy of my friend Elizabeth (who in turn got it from her friend Gia. Thanks Elizabeth/Gia!). I served the kebabs with a rice pilaf made with pistachios and currants and dressed with lemon, olive oil and, again, those Aleppo chili flakes. (I am seriously dousing everything with them!) Elizabeth uses salmon for the kebabs, but we used a Hawaiian fish called opah because it was on sale. It is a substantial (and sustainable) white fish, so it worked beautifully on the grill and with this marinade. Chicken would also be delicious, but, as Elizabeth pointed out, it takes much longer to cook, so separate the meat from the veggies or you will end up with an overcooked/undercooked situation. Read on… »

Bear in the pantry last night.

Chocolate’s all gone,

brown sugar box spilled into giant pool of Dawn,

blueberry jam laced with broken glass,

can of condensed milk dragged out the door.

Outside, a picnic patch of flattened

grass with discarded Italian cookie wrappers

and emptied bottle of mangosteen juice.

A chocolate cake mix box.

Must barricade against

my sweet tooth and his.

Yesterday, the USDA released their revised food “pyramid” which is now, logically, shaped like a plate. The big news has been the demolition of the iconic food pyramid introduced in 1992; it had replaced the “Basic Four,” introduced in 1956, which in turn had replaced the “Basic Seven” (pictured at left). The pyramid had been excoriated by most nutritionists, mostly because it wasn’t clear which foods were actually and specifically good for you–based on the pyramid, it looks like I can have 2 to 3 burgers per day and be OK!–but also because of its overemphasis on the “bread, cereal, rice and pasta group.” As Marion Nestle points out, it demonstrates the USDA’s time-honored promotion of “American agricultural products,” meaning corn, wheat and soy, whether or not they’re best for our health. (They’re not, by the way.) I clearly remember starting high school at about the same time as the introduction of the pyramid, and getting carbs constantly shoved down my throat in nutrition and “life skills” classes (not literally; I did that for myself). It was all pasta, pasta, pasta back in those days! Read on… »

This mysterious funnel cake seahorse is courtesy of the magical mystery tour of conjoined fruits, bizarre cereal formations, and many, many happy faces, that is the Museum of Food Anomalies (MoFA). Described as “an online exhibition of the Art of Regular Food Gone Horribly Wrong,” the site at once challenges you to see the koala bears in your pancake, and occasionally ponder the wisdom of eating mass-produced foodstuffs. Anyway, MoFA is a nice food-related break from Cute Overload. (Thanks to Pee-Wee Herman for this one, whose Facebook page is a constant source of delightful weirdness.)