Home Cooking

I have a very difficult time cooking with my mother. We cook together from time to time, but this usually consists of someone cooking and the other person watching and talking (usually about something other than food.) I tend to believe in cooking and trying new things all the time and experimenting with different recipes and methods, while she usually cooks something good in a way that is tried and tested. Both approaches have their pluses and minuses but they definitely do not mesh well.

I walked in on my mother making short ribs tonight and here is the exchange we had:

Me: Mmmm…Short Ribs
Mom(trying to assert authority): You’ve never made short ribs on your own have you?
Me (chest out, air of confidence): No. But I know that I definitely could if I wanted to.

Mom looks at me and picks up an uncooked short rib with a pair of tongs. She then places it into a steel pot on top of the burner.

I look in the pot.

Me: No, no, don’t do that. There’s no space. You’re going to steam it instead of browning it.

Mom looks mad.

Mom: Can I just cook things the way I want to?
Me (snobby-sarcastic): Sorry, I was just trying to help you make that individual short rib taste better.
Mom (taking out said short rib and giving me a look of accepting disgust): please go away.


That is why one of us usually hangs out while the other person does all the cooking.

I love you mom.


Some nice links from the current week:

A nice article from the Dining Section today about cooking with cheap wine. Of course, I don’t actually read cookbooks and have never had the money to cook with expensive wine. This article refutes old prevailing logic of “don’t cook with wines you wouldn’t drink.” Of course what good are “wines you wouldn’t drink” if not for cooking?

This one is from NY Magazine about the currently in season purple majesty potatoes. Their recipe seems a lot better than what I did with my purple potatoes several days ago.

My friend sent me this one. You never know who or what you might come across at the union square greenmarket.

Brooklyn Restaurant Week is here! Here’s a list for everyone who lives in Brooklyn and wants to eat.

This girl had the handlebars put in the wrong place. These would only be more strange if she happened to have a job at Hooters.

I really like beer and I really like food; why shouldn’t the go together?

List 1 and list 2 of nominations for the Beard Awards.

Chambers Street Wines is having another large tasting this Saturday. If you like wine, and have some time between 1pm and 7pm on Saturday I suggest you stop by.