Good Things by David

Have you ever tried fresh red spinach from the farmers market?  I hadn't until a few days ago when I spotted it while shopping at one of my favorite markets. At first glance I thought it was a mesclun of salad greens, but the sign said it was 'red spinach' so I took a closer look.  Never having laid eyes on red spinach, I bought a bunch intending to try it that very night.   After looking up information on red spinach, I came to realize that this variety is from the genus Amaranthus , and its species is A. dubius .  What we know of as flat leaf or curly green spinach is from the genus Spinacea and its species S. oleracea .  Both, however, come from the same family, Amaranthaceae .  Red spinach is also known as Chinese spinach (yin choy). Either way, it's worth bringing home a bunch from the market if you ever spot some in the produce aisle. The first order of business is to rinse it very well in cold water. After picking through it for bl...

The idea of mixing pumpkin and corn is nothing new.  At my house, cornbread is the bread of choice for the stuffing on Thanksgiving, and true to my predilections, it has to be homemade.  As I was thinking of the stuffing for our turkey this year, I decided to change it up a bit from previous years by adding delicious pumpkin puree to the cornbread.  Not only does pumpkin add flavor to anything it touches, but it makes baked goods uncommonly tasty.  I'm pleased with the results. After conversing with a good friend of mine from the south, we both agreed that one ought to add sugar to any type of cornbread.  I don't mean that it has to be sweet bordering on cake, but there should be just enough to give it another dimension.  Again, it's the combination of sweet and salty.   What emerges from the oven is a thick cornbread that you'll be proud of bringing over to the holiday table for your guests.  The bread can be cut into squares of equa...

When you come across an heirloom recipe for buttermilk biscuits, stop what you're doing, don an apron, roll up your sleeves and promptly gather your ingredients.  I recently had the pleasure of getting such a recipe from my friend, Kenn, whose late grandmother (lovingly known to all as Granny Vaughn)  made these biscuits year after year for all to enjoy.  I'm a big fan of tender, fluffy homemade biscuits made from a good recipe because they are far better than anything bought from the store.  For those of us who love the steps of making the dough, patting & cutting the biscuits, this particular recipe from Granny Vaughn is going to garner lots of praise from everyone. The basic ingredients of butter, flour and buttermilk in the right proportions make such heavenly biscuits, but having a quick and light hand when preparing this recipe is also a must.  I was told by Kenn that the dough could be finicky at times, so I paid attention.  Granny Vaughn ...

Food trends and diets come and go from year to year, but as soon as November arrives and the thought of Thanksgiving looms on the horizon for all of us, we seem to want those time-honored and much beloved recipes we grew up eating.  I'm no different in taking comfort in the flavors and aromas of fall.  Did you all have a nice Thanksgiving?  I certainly hope so.  Ours was pretty much stress-free because I did not roast an entire turkey as in previous years.  My turkey was a stuffed and rolled version that went very well with the usual side dishes we crave.  Everything was tasty and nothing was leftover past the next day.  Admittedly, I kind of regret not having had leftovers for a few turkey sandwiches, but with Christmas right around the corner I won't have to wait very long for these savories. This past month on the blog I explored a few recipes which have quickly become favorites of mine, because they call to mind all of the flavors I loved as a...

I have seen some chefs and certain cookbooks state that the measure of a good cook is whether one can roast a perfectly juicy chicken, while others will say that it is an omelette or even soup which makes or breaks a cook.  It is my firm belief that the measure of a formidable home cook is whether he or she can make good rice in every way, shape or form.  Not only have I been the recipient of crunchy rice or rice that was so wet I thought I was having risotto when I shouldn't have been, I have also been the cause of it, much to my chagrin.  In my early days of cooking right out of college I certainly had my share of mistakes where rice was concerned, but I learned quickly and corrected what I was doing wrong.  Rice pilafs are made quite often at home because they seem to go with so many dishes.  As tempting and convenient as they may be, one shouldn't have to settle for those premixed & preseasoned rice boxes found at the su...