Pleasant House

I hope everybody had a pleasant and delicious Thanksgiving holiday. If your house is like ours, you’ve probably had your fill of turkey dinner leftovers and tried to get a little creative with them. Turkey and stuffing sandwiches, anyone? How about a Salvadoran Pane Con Pavos? Crispy stuffing with poached eggs for breakfast? Turkey tetrazzini? I [...]

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My spatchcocked Amish turkey was baptized by fire on Thanksgiving Day, and the result was glorious. I seasoned the bird one more time with sea salt and black pepper and let it come close to room temperature before roasting it in a 350 degree F. oven. I thought I would cover the breast with buttered [...]

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Spatchcocked Turkey Originally uploaded by art and chel I really had a hankering for a different kind of turkey this year. Something boldly seasoned, piquant, tangy, or Mexican-inspired. Alas, Chelsea would have to make her traditional stuffing that she’s been making since she was a little girl, and we weren’t sure if our guests would [...]

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One of Mom’s spreads circa 1980s Originally uploaded by art and chel This is a typical holiday spread that my mom would engineer for family get togethers. I would help my mom prep for these meals and really got excited about cooking during this time. It was also a dinner like this, maybe even this [...]

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During our trip to Sheffield, England, a couple weeks ago, Chelsea and I had the good fortune of having my cousin Baz and my family show us the town. Since Baz is familiar with our obsessively compulsive attraction to all things food, he organized a few field trips that involved food but also be entwined [...]

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Chelsea and I had the honor of staying with our friend Rob at his new house in Islington, London. Rob’s house has a fabulous kitchen that overlooks a quaint little garden, a nice respite to have in such a busy city. Two things that were flourishing in the garden were rosemary and mint. (The three [...]

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My brothers and I had a little bonfire and meat fest out in the country to kick off the fall season. There was fire: How to light a bonfire And there was smoke: There was meat: But only the right combination of fire and smoke will provide you with what expert barbecuers have aptly named [...]

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okra in the SIP Originally uploaded by art and chel I direct-seeded some okra, greens, and lettuces into the SIPs for the fall season, and re-seeded the Earthbox with mesclun salad greens.

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I felt as giddy as I used to after scoring tickets at the last second for a sold-out concert. Our friends Nicolas and Kelly had reserved a spot, a year ago, to tour chef Rick Bayless’s garden but realized they had other events scheduled that would prevent them from making it. They wanted to bestow [...]

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lawn and garden Originally uploaded by art and chel If it grows together, it goes together. Even the weeds in your lawn go with the vegetables in your garden. Here, a variety of tomatoes and tomatillos, herbs, chilies, and your backyard chicken simmer away. When everything has sufficiently married, and the tomatoes have begun to [...]

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