06 Jan 2012
by scolgin
in American Series, Good Gadget, Bad Gadget, Observations
Tags: Buffalo wings, corn, garlic, Guatemala, Kikkoman, kitchen gadgets, Korean fried chicken, Norwegian Seafood Council
Welcome to the third season of Skinny Girls & Mayonnaise!
(I like to think of my blog like a TV show, in the event that some enterprising producer out there decides to offer me a cooking show.)
“Brought to you by the good people at Kikkoman Soy Sauce. And by the Norwegian Seafood Council.” (I’m a PBS guy.)
We’ve got a great year ahead, folks, with all sorts of interesting things planned…
Corn butterer
Actually, I’ve got nothing in particular planned. I typically jot down ideas as they occur to me (much like this one, and I currently have no idea where this is going). More
04 Jul 2011
by scolgin
in American Series, Pork, Recipes, Video
Tags: 4th of July, barbecue, grill, grilling, Kansas City, Pork, ribs
50 million grills will be fired across America on the 4th of July. On many of them, the breasts of chickens who gave their lives for the event will be cooked long periods at a high heat into chalky oblivion. Burgers that held such promise will be transforming into rocky discs while their cooks chat with party guests over a beer. But on the best barbecues, magic will be happening. And I want that to be yours.
When I contemplate what to grill for Independence Day, my imagination travels the great barbecues of our country. More
24 Jun 2011
by scolgin
in American Series, Recipes, Video
Tags: Anchor Steam, butter, crab, crab feed, Dungeness, Old Bay, recipe, salmon, salt and pepper crab, Sierra Nevada, video, zinfandel
On the east coast, you have clam bakes. I’m jealous of you. In Alaska, you have salmon bakes. And I’m jealous of you, too. But on the West Coast, we have crab feeds. And you are jealous of us.
Sure, our friends around Baltimore will point out that they, too, have a crab tradition — spending frustrating hours picking and sucking miniscule bits of meat out of piles of Old Bay-seasoned blue crabs. But to those of us in the West, used to big mountains and wide open spaces, that’s the equivalent of eating a meatball when you could have a rib-eye. I’m talking about beautiful, abundant Dungeness crab, pulled from the Pacific bursting with snow white meat. Up where my mom lives in Sonoma County — where some of the best crabbing waters are — you’ll see signs during crab season inviting you to local crab feed fundraisers. $15 for all you can eat. That’s my kind of community event.
More
13 May 2011
by scolgin
in American Series, Recipes, Video
Tags: borlotti beans, chili, chili cook off, chipotle, chuck steak, con carne, garlic, Malibu, Texas
Many a cook has been judged on the quality of his or her chili. Whole lives on the cook-off circuit have been made or ruined based on their deftness of hand with garlic and chili powder.
Last year, I almost entered the local Malibu Labor Day chili cook off. I may do so this year. There’s something decidedly appealing and American about these events. Every municipality, from the upscale resort to the redneck town, has one. More
22 Apr 2011
by scolgin
in American Series, Recipes, Sensational Salads, Video
Tags: buttermilk, fried chicken, Joy of Cooking, KFC, leftovers, potluck, the South, Thomas Keller
To kick off my new series of posts on classic American dishes, I chose the most iconic dish of them all — fried chicken. While I’m not convinced anyone will ever do a better fried chicken than the Colonel, I thought I’d give it my best.
If you begin to research the origins of fried chicken, you quickly find yourself wading in some murky waters — with references to everything from Vietnam and West Africa to medieval Europe, the existing literature flavored with converging allusions to homesteading, the Deep South, the Civil War, slavery, industrialization… which makes sense. Throw some flour on chicken and put it in some oil. What could be more elemental? More
Next Newer Entries
skinny girls & mayonnaise 