Charlotte here

Topic of the day: White flour

I love starch. An ode to starch. Pasta. Bread. Cake.

But really I found a wheat pasta I super like, and it is better than white, I think.
Brand: Gia Russa.

Tip of the day: Cast Iron

I help along the seasoning of my cast iron pan by keeping some olive oil in it, and placing it on top of the toaster oven. Every time we toast something (which is multiple times per day) the pan heats and the oil helps it season. I'm friggin brilliant.

Recipe of the day: Veggie Fajitas

Onion and peppers (yellow or red are sweetest): Saute some with some fajita spices (make your own or use "Simply Organic: Fajita Seasoning" and add some extra cumin.) After 5 mins add some: chicken, or fake meat. I used "Quorn" Strips (which is a yummy meat alternative that has no yucky aftertaste or texture). Add more seasoning and a bit of water to help steam everything and bind the spices to the veggie and meat product. Also you can add some zucchini or squash.

Heat some tortillas** (amateurs only do 1-2 at a time), flip a lot with tongs over your (please tell me you don't have an electric stove) gas burner. Put some random stuff from your pantry and fridge (beans, chili, grated cheese, cilantro, chopped onion, strawberries (yum!), shredded lettuce, lime juice, whatever) on the tortilla with the fajita fixins.

But really you must make some excellent guacamole:

Ripe Avocado (2?)
Onion, finely chopped 2 TBSP or more to taste
Cilantro, finely chopped 1 TBSP or more to taste
Ripe tomato, (2?) chopped
Lime juice NOT lemon, fresh - USE A LOT like 2 limes at least
Salt - salt the avo and tomato while you are prepping the other ingredients
Pepper - freshly ground, or course

Mash it, but not to an entirely smooth consistency. I dig it chunky. Leave out anything you don't like (cilantro, tomato). The proportions of ingredients are really up to each person's taste, but this should be tangy. If you are not sure what to do add more lime.

**Oh, I love the habanero/sundried tortillas from Trader Joes, they are not spicy, but have great flavor and get all nice and charcoaly over the gas burner.

Tuesday's Cookie

Every Tuesday I treat myself by baking. Sometimes it's gingerbread, or zuchinni bread, or cake. Usually it's cookies. Then I take them to work on Wednesday so my coworkers can curse my name and not my wife.

I've discovered there are only so many chip cookies a person can make. So I've been trying to branch out and try new things. Last week I made a spectacular dried apricot, cranberry and cherry oatmeal cookie with coconut. It was well received.

I'm also working my way through Baking By Flavor. Some of the recipes are above my skill level, but I like a challenge.

This week's cookie? The chip cookie rears its ugly head in the form of chocolate chip with coconut. This was mainly because I still have coconut left over from last week. What's different about this recipe? Well, it called for half of the butter MELTED and 1/3 cup of oats cut down in the food processor. My first batch is in the oven, so we'll see.

To make this post useful, here are a few of my baking essentials:

• Parchment Paper. I don't have silpats so parchment paper is an essential. I spent too many years chipping cookies off my cookie sheets before I discovered how fabulous this stuff is.
• A cookie scoop. My friend Bob (the baker) is as crazy about baking as I am and he swears by the cookie scoop. Me too! It makes getting the dough from bowl to sheet SO much easier.
  
• Leveling spatula. I spent years looking for one that would work. It's basically a metal icing spatula but I use it to level off my measured dry goods.
  

The Dearth of Winter

We're in the inbetween stages, the hinterland of seasons. Even my staple, greens, is not in season at the moment.

Imagine a time when we didn't have international travel and access to anything we want. You live on what's available and right now, nothing is available except salted meat and potatoes. Imagine that moment when the first vegetables of spring became harvestable, you bite into a tender leaf of spinach or a spicy radish and you know that the bounty is coming. It's only weeks away but still too far.

My mind is moving from the comfort of stews and casseroles and lingering on the crisp fresh lettuce and juicy tomato, salads made with summer corn and beans, tossed in a snappy viniagrette. Grilled vegetables. Not much longer and summer eating will be upon us.

In the meantime, greens are back in May, and spinach, and radishes and maybe even the errant artichoke. My favorite, simple, way to eat greens:

• Prepare one or two bunches of greens by washing and cutting leafs off stems. My favorite is kale but chard works well too, or even collards.
• Steam until tender.
  
• Saute greens in a pan with a little olive oil and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
• Toss with a good balsamic vinegar

Suggestion? Make a batch of cornbread, cook a pot of black eyed peas with spices (onion, bay leaf, parsley, some red pepper flakes) and serve over rice. Put the greens on the side. You have a healthy, southern style meal.

Charlotte Here

I love to cook. My grandmother taught me to cook. When I was twelve I asked for a mixer for my birthday. I was a baker. Today I use my Grandmother's Avocado Green KitchenAid. It is 30 years old.

In my adult life when I experienced the cooking skills (I use that term loosely) of my wife, S, I realized what a gift it was to learn to cook whilst young.

I have an intuition about doneness, where to spend my time, how important a clean bowl is when beating eggwhites. S, on the other hand, spends 10 minutes chopping a carrot, and wants to dip everything in catsup. She doesn't understand how I unconsciously note all the food likes and dislikes of my friends. I know exactly how S likes her toast, exactly how melty she likes her cheese, I sprinkle cilantro on the edge of her plate, next to her catsup.

I am thoughtful about food.

Ok, so here comes the chink in the previous sentiments. I am also now a mom. I have become impatient. I have lost my culinary way. I am lazy and irritable in the kitchen now. I want the food to make itself. I do not relish in the smell of my organic produce anymore. I have forgotten recipes I knew by heart.

I hope this blog helps me find my way. I baked some cakes for my son's 1st birthday 6 months ago (I will post about this later) and remembered how sensual food is. Dusting a pan with cocoa powder, the smell of butter and sugar being whipping, sauces, bleu cheese bubbling on my homemade pizza. YUM!

But folks, I am a busy mom and in search of cooking simple. I am not adverse to using some easy frozen (but still lovely and organic) ingredients, or finding the occasional mac and cheese recipe. And I love mexican food. Real Mexcian food.

My motto is :Simple every day and complicated and fabulous once in a while. And the complicated recipes better be friggin worth it...

(I'm stealing these questions from Sacha)

What are my values as a cook? Simple. Organic. Colorful.
What is my secret passion? Super fancy cakes. Authentic Mexican/Precolumbian food.
Inspirations? This blog. My Grandmother.
What do I bring to Culinarian? Honesty. Toddler recipes.

Intro: Sacha

I've braised, deglazed, roasted, sauteed, steamed, poached and broiled my way through life. I've cooked huge hunks of meat, carefully placed goat cheese on figs and frantically put the finishing touches on that final Thanksgiving dinner dish. I've poured through worn and stained cookbooks, coveted cast iron pots, spent years searching for that perfect icing spatula.

Today I can say that a core part of my being is my ability to feed people, and feed them well.

What are my values as a cook? Seasonal. Fresh. Local. Organic.

There's not a happier place for me than the produce section at our local natural foods market or an afternoon spent walking through one of our neighborhood farmers' markets. I am grateful every day that I live in an area that allows me access to fresh, local foods grown without pesticides.

What is my secret passion? I long to bake, to be the alchemist who mixes egg and flour and watches her creation rise to new heights. I love the smell of yeast, the tiny bubbles in cake batter, the whip of the meringue and the way it holds a peak. I glory in having a pound of butter in my 'fridge and a day off to play with it.

Inspirations? My mother. She's a fabulous cook. Mark Bittman, who taught me about fresh and simple. Deborah Madison, who inspired me to start cooking vegetarian and decreased my fear of recipes that require a lot of chopping.

What do I bring to Culinarian? The politics of food. Love shown in a delicious dinner, a tasty muffin. A respect for all things whole grain.

The Rebirth of Culinarian

Welcome to the rebirth of Culinarian.

We have a team now, a group dedicated to all things culinary. Watch for intros soon.

What can you expect at Culinarian? All things gustatory. Thoughts on food. Recipes. Reviews of restaurants we like. Musings on a trip to the farmer's markets. Regional foods. And more....

Stay tuned.