"The only real stumbling block is the fear of failure. In cooking, you have got to have a what-the-hell attitude." ~ Julia Child

All I wanted was one of those little tortilla presses. Lettie told me they cost $5 at any number of Mexican supermarkets.  So I went to Superior Market here in town and asked.

Sorry, said the lady. We normally carry them but we’re out of stock. Feh. Guess I’d just have to “make due” with the $2 pack of 100 freshly made tortillas, still warm enough to steam up the bag.

But then, on the other side of the store, I noticed the salt cod. And I knew just what I’d be eating for dinner that night.

bacalao salad in tortilla

bacalao salad in a tortilla

It’s worth the wait…

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I’m sure Gwyneth is a nice gal. But I’ve always had a big problem with famous celebrities touting the good life from on top of their fortress of privilege.  Of course “It’s All Good,” when you’re a tall, blonde movie star in the One Percent.

So it wasn’t like I was ever going to buy her new cookbook. I need that $18 more than she does, thanks.

But then I run into my friend Liz at Trader Joe’s. And she looks good. And so I ask. And she tells me she’s on a gluten-free, sugar-free, yadda-yadda-yadda free diet and she’s feeling great and losing weight and her cholesterol levels have all normalized…all due to diet.

Well so what exactly do you eat, I ask.  Newspaper? Leaves?  She gives me an example; a roasted cauliflower and chickpea salad with creamy dijon dressing that sounds incredible.  But “…and I REALLY hate to admit this,” she says, “it’s from Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cookbook.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

But she’s insufferable, I yell. She’s like Marie Antoinette! I don’t want to patronize her!

“I know! I know!” Liz says. “But just try it. It’s amazing.”

So I go home and I Google the recipe. The internets want information to run free!

[click to continue…]

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Immersion Learning: Chestnut and Chickpea Soup

February 17, 2014

Behold! My new immersion blender! Years ago I got one from my mother in law. I didn’t know what to do with it, since I didn’t cook that much at the time. When we moved, I gifted it to a gal who did. And I regretted it for years afterward. So I asked for one […]

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Old-School Steel-Cut Oats

January 27, 2014

More than 20 years ago, late in the 20th century, my friend Stacy and I would meet on Sundays at a little diner just off Grammercy Park in NYC. Oftentimes there’d be a wait. Sometimes a really long wait. But that was expected. They served a porridge that was entirely worth it. More than just […]

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