Last Spring, a quest for fresh eggs brought my husband and me to a box of chirping chicks.  By late Spring, the chicks had taken up residence in a bright blue chicken coop in our yard in a North Seattle neighborhood.  They grew rapidly, and I dreamed of fresh eggs, shirred, scrambled and coddled. But there was a little problem. One of the hens turned out not to be a hen at all, but a loud, boisterous rooster.  My husband, a mild-mannered software engineer, first considered putting the rooster up for adoption.  But we soon realized that no one wants to keep a loud, menacing rooster around. As he crowed through our neighbor’s fourth of July BBQ party, we deliberated and came to the conclusion that the it would be best to kill and eat the rooster. Here is how we did it. (warning, graphic content below)

Jonathan the butcher, the Rhode Island “Not-a-Hen” Chicken, and our homemade kill station comprised of a ladder with an inverted traffic cone and a bucket.

Putting the bird in the cone, head first. The cone calms the bird and prevents it from bruising itself while struggling.

Guiding the head through the cone to expose the neck. Jonathan makes a swift slice at the jugular with a small paring knife and steadies the bird during its death spasms.

Done with the hardest part, Jonathan and his first kill.

Here, Jonathan scalds the bird in hot water and quickly plunges it into ice water to loosen the feathers. The feathers come out easily afterward. The bird should more or less resemble what you buy from the supermarkets at this point (plus a few parts).

For more information on how to butcher a chicken, click here.

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Categories:	Meat & Poultry • Technique • Uncategorized	2 Comments
Tags:	chicken butchering • sustainability

If you want to keep someone busy for a half an hour, ask them to crack open a pomegranate and pick out seeds. You will be lucky if they even get out half of the seeds without feeling frustrated or manage to keep their shirt clean in the process. If you are not picky about saving the precious pomegranate juice,  here’s a quick tip to getting all the seeds out of a pomegranate without the struggle or the juicy mess.

1.Fill a deep bowl with at least four cups of water.

2. Slice open a pomegranate into quarters.

3. Immerse each quarter of the pomegranate in the water and break open the spongy honeycomb membrane of the pomegranate, allowing the seeds to fall to the bottom of the bowl and the spongy pith to rise to the surface. Continue with each quarter until all the seeds are resting at the bottom of the bowl of water.

4. Toss out the spongy pith. The little bits of pith with continue to float to the top. Skim the little bits and discard. Drain the water. Voila! Clean pomegranate seeds.

This is a great tip when you want to sprinkle pomegranate seeds on a salad or as a garnish. Also a great technique when you want to add a couple pomegranate seeds to a glass of sparkling wine.

Pomegranate Recipe Inspiration

YumSugar’s Sparkling Pomegranate Drinks with St. Germain

Tartelette” Pomegranate and Caramelized Pear Panna Cottas

Coconut & Lime’s Pomegranate Pulled Pork

Above photo by Massdistraction

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Categories:	Fruit • Technique	3 Comments
Tags:	getting the seeds out a pomegranate • pomegranate seeds • quick technique

Christopher Kimball threw down the proverbial glove and issued a “Wiki vs. Test Kitchen Challenge” on October 15th. I publicly accepted within hours, but after 3 weeks, we still haven’t heard back. I left blog comments, @tweets, and submitted a private message via Cook’s Illustrated. I’ve seen no additional announcements, and though others accepted publicly, none came from a Wiki. Further, it’s clear that his post was in response to The New York Times and TIME Magazine articles about recipe Wikis that featured Foodista and quote both of us.

Dueling Pistols image courtesy of Nfutvol

Though the idea of this challenge seems to have fallen by the wayside, the resulting discussion has been fascinating. I’ve observed a lot of confusion about how the Web works and what a Wiki is vs. a blog, a search engine, or other types of web technologies. This is the first in a series of posts where I will share some of what I’ve learned from 13 years of building large scale websites and a prior career in cooking.

So what exactly is a Wiki? Well, the whole concept is less than 10 years old and there are a number of definitions, but they all share these elements:

• Is accessed via a Web browser
• Facilitates easy creation and publishing of web pages
• Enables large numbers of people to edit the SAME page
• Links between pages
• Reports on who edited what pages and when

Print has been a medium used to convey knowledge for thousands of years, including recipes. Indeed, some of the earliest surviving cookbooks date back to the Romans, including De re coquinaria, from circa the 4th century. Gutenberg later used technology to create a new medium: mechanical printing. Replacing legions of scribe monks, his press had a major impact on the business of the printed word when it massively reduced the cost of each additional copy produced. Cookbooks quickly grew to be a significant part of the overall printing industry. Over time, more mechanization continued to lower costs to the point where hundreds of pages can be had for pennies.

Still, printing has a number of limitations relative to a Wiki. Here are a few points of comparison:

Print

• Cannot be changed once produced
• Expensive:
  • Additional cost to every copy
  • Cost increasing, especially when considering the environmental impact
• Slow to produce and distribute
• Invisible editorial process
• Disconnected, getting more information/context is difficult

Wikis

• Pages are continuously improved
• Inexpensive and getting cheaper, cost of each copy is close to zero
• Fast to produce, publishing is instant
• Open and transparent editorial process
• Connected, more detail is just a click away

This is not meant to be an attack on print, in fact I have a large and treasured cookbook collection. However, I feel it is also important to point out some of cost/benefit issues missing from the debate.

Upcoming Post: Quality and Accuracy in Wikis

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Categories:	Author • Cookbooks • Cooking tips • Events • Technique • books	2 Comments
Tags:

Let’s talk about pie crust. I realize it’s still a couple weeks before Thanksgiving- the day I most associate with eating pies- but it’s never too early to talk about the importance of pie crust. This is one largely contested debate. Do you swear by butter, lard or olive oil? My husband swears that shortening is the key to flaky crusts. If you want to see me get into a hot debate, please don’t tell me to use shortening or chemical margarine in my pie crust! I’m a butter girl.

What’s your secret to a great tasting flaky pie crust?

Other Types of Pie Crusts

Above photo by [177}

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Holiday • Technique • desserts	7 Comments
Tags:	baking pies • pie crust • Thanksgiving

I just learned how to make scrambled eggs after 15 years of cooking. I love eggs, an over easy/soft-boiled egg may be my most favorite food over anything else.Want to know the trick? It’s all about the double-boiler. Back in May, at the International Food Bloggers’ Conference, Chef Keith Luce of the Herbfarm made the most incredible scrambled eggs as part of his elaborate lunch offering. They were from free-range, organically fed hens but there was nothing more added to the beaten eggs, except maybe a touch of butter; it was all technique.

At the  IFBC, Chef Luce slowly stirred the beaten eggs with a whisk in a medium-sized mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, otherwise known as a double boiler. I don’t remember how quickly the eggs were stirred or what angle Chef Luce was tilting the pan, all I know is those eggs convinced me that I hadn’t had really good scrambled eggs before that.

Sheri came into the office recently raving about scrambled eggs, her and Barnaby had made over the weekend using farmer market eggs and the double boiler trick. “I didn’t even use butter, and they were amazing!” she said. My mom had given me a dozen eggs from her chickens and so I decided to give it a go. So simple. I used a teaspoon of butter and let it melt in the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water. I poured in the beaten eggs and stirred slowly.

To learn how to scramble eggs after cooking scrambled eggs one way for 15 years seems somewhat unreal, like reinventing the wheel. I focused on the beaten eggs as if I had never cooked them before in my life. After a couple minutes they were done. Not fluffy or airy, like a French style omelette, nor wet or dense, these scrambled eggs were a combination of fluffy and creamy. Fluffy isn’t even the right word- custard-like? I gave some to my husband and said, I scrambled these a bit different, what do you think?

He said, “what kind of cheese did you put in this?” I said none. Then he asked, “Okay then, how much butter is in this?”  Not much! Isn’t it cool! I squealed, there is about a teaspoon of butter and just really fresh eggs- that’s it.

Looking for more scrambled egg techniques? Here are a couple more to try:

Above photo by NickWheeleron holiday

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Categories:	Chefs • Cooking tips • Technique • Uncategorized • breakfast • eggs • kitchen equipment • quick and easy	6 Comments
Tags:	Chef Keith Luce • double boiler scrambled eggs

When it comes to seasonal fall and winter squash, there is always one that seems to take center stage on restaurant menus, glossy food magazines and in premade food products. That would be the ever-popular butternut squash. Yes, as much as I love this creamy, sweet and mild squash, I feel that it has been over used in ravioli and in pureed soups. I think it’s time to stir things up!  By no means am I suggesting you set aside your beloved butternut, in fact, I think you should fall in love with it all over again and try it in something new. Think of it as butternut therapy for your butternut addiction. To get you started, here are a couple recipes that might make you look differently at your favorite gourd. Before I forget, you can substitute kabocha squash, acorn squash or sugar pumpkin and really try something different.

This recipe for marinated butternut squash is a tangy twist on sauteed butternut squash that is usually tossed with olive oil and fresh herbs.

Butternut and parsnip quesadillas!  And, for the salsa lover who wants to eat seasonally, you can get inspired with this beet salsa that not only tastes sweet, fresh and tangy- it looks like a bowl of ruby jewels just waiting to be sprinkled on a salad or scooped up with chips.

Another dynamic duo- risotto and butternut together! This creamy risotto with sweet butternut squash could be eaten as a side dish or eaten as a main course. This dish is like putting a warm sweater around your stomach.

Don’t forget dessert! Here is a twist on the old  apple crisp classic: Butternut Apple Crisp!

Need more delicious inspiration? Here are three more delicious ideas:

Kalyn’s Kitchen

101 Cookbooks

Relish

Pink Stripes

Above photo by lumierefl

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Categories:	Baked Goods • Cooking tips • Technique • Uncategorized • desserts • quick and easy	4 Comments
Tags:	autumn • butternut squash • fall • winter squash

Lets face it, we all get stuck in food ruts. Seared salmon on top of mixed greens has been my fast and healthy go-to dinner for far too long. Time to shake things up! Of course like anyone, saying one thing and doing another can be challenging when you work full time, have a family or planning within a budget.

1. Make it Easy on Yourself
You don’t have to get all Martha on everyone and make every single meal from scratch, complete with hand-sewn napkins. Obviously, that would be pretty cool, but maybe you should work up to that. You can still buy a pre-made roasted chicken at the store on the way home, but instead of serving rotisserie chicken as is, cut off the meat and put it in a panini or toss it with a vegetable-packed salad.

2. But I Love Spaghetti Every Night…
Really? Okay, no one is going to blame you, but you might want to mix it up a little bit- what about adding some sauteed peppers or throw in some olive and capers for a little puttanesca inspiration? Try a different sauce or put that irresistable tomato sauce on a grilled chicken breast or roasted eggplant.

3. Plan Ahead
Doesn’t someone telling you to plan ahead sound super bossy and for some of us, unrealistic? I get that. Honestly though, doing one thing like throwing flank steak into a quick marinade the night before or prepping one thing for tomorrow’s dinner while you are throwing tonight’s dinner together doesn’t add up the hours, 15 minutes maybe. Have an office refrigerator? Cooler in your car? If you get a long lunch break, you can save a trip to the grocery store after work, by going on your lunch break.

4. Buy a New Kitchen Tool to Experiment and Force Yourself to Try Something New
Nothing makes you think outside the box more than purchasing a fun new kitchen tool. You don’t even need to splurge on a Vitamix to stir things up. Even buying something as cheap as a potato peeler that has fun ridges on the sides or even purchasing a panini press from the Goodwill will help inspire you to write up a different shopping list.

5.  Use Resources Right Around You
If you are grabbing lunch at a restaurant, don’t just read the menu for what you are eating now, see what else looks appetizing and try and replicate it yourself for dinner later on in the week. Ask all your friends, your mom and your co-workers what they are making for dinner, sometimes the simplest ideas are buried underneath all your creative brainstorming. And lastly, nothing is more inspiring for getting you out of your food rut by reading food blogs. They are overflowing with ideas and they are all cooked by real people who are not trying to sell you something!

Here are a just a couple of food blogs to check out:

Steamy Kitchen
Roots and Grubs
Cooking with Amy

Above Photo by: Gudlyf

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Salads • Technique • Uncategorized • kitchen equipment • quick and easy • tools	6 Comments
Tags:	cooking inspiration • food blog • food rut • quick and easy

We are counting down the days to FoodSnap! an all-day food photography and food styling event happening this Friday, September 18th at George Town Studios in Seattle, Washington. The event has sold out, but you can follow along with us on Twitter the day of the event and stay tuned for a FoodSnap! round up blog post with highlighted tips and secrets we will have learned from the pros that you can implement at home with a simple point and shoot camera.

Here’s the list of food photographers and food stylists who will be sharing with us their magic bag of tricks!

Lou Manna
Lara Ferroni
Rina Jordan
Barry Wong
Charity Burggraaf
Kevin Fry
Tyler Rebman
Danielle Leavell
Jonathan Shmidt
Kathryn Barnard

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Categories:	American • Author • Events • Photography • Technique	4 Comments
Tags:	food photography • food styling • foodsnap • loou Manna

Sometimes you don’t want to wait six weeks for the sweet tangy brine of your  homemade pickles. That’s when you make a quick pickle. My personal favorite are pickled shallots. In less than two hours, you have yourself a sweet and crunchy condiment for your next burger or sandwich or a marriage made in heaven tossed with a fresh cucumber salad.

Other quick pickle recipes to check out:

Quickly Pickled Green Beans By Pickle This.com

Quick Pickled Asparagus By Group Recipes

Quick Pickled Red Onions by Molly Wizenberg

Above Photo by feministjulie

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Categories:	Salads • Technique • Uncategorized • Vegetarian • Veggies • condiments • quick and easy	1 Comment
Tags:	condimnet • pickled • pickled shallots • preserves • relish

Just this last weekend, I catered a party with one of my close chef friends, Kristen Schumacher.  For me, there is nothing more fun than geeking out over cook books while planning a dinner party menu, especially when your co-chef is also a fan of local and seasonal cooking and  not afraid of experimentation. In the summer months, ingredient options seem endless and with a little bit of inspiration, ordinary ingredients can be transformed into delicious dishes.  Given the small size of the group, (nine) and a good budget, we were able to focus on ingredients and take extra care for plating. For the salad course we tossed arugula and finely chiffonade sorrel with a honey citrus vinaigrette and topped each salad with shaved pecorino, chive blossoms and a soft-boiled duck egg sprinkled with black Hawaiian sea salt. Since a soft-boiled duck egg is one of my favorite foods, I couldn’t wait to share this dish with you all.

Here was the rest of the menu:

Appetizers
Dragon Roll  (sushi of unagi, cucumber, seaweed, avocado and toasted sesame seeds)
Herbed Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppadew Peppers
Amuse Bouche
Balsamic Pork Belly Skewers with Caramelized Figs
Salad
Arugula  and Sorrel Salad with Soft Boiled Duck Egg Sprinkled with Black Hawaiian Sea Salt
Shaved Pecorino Cheese,  Chive Blossoms, Honey Citrus Vinaigrette
Intermezzo
Mango sorbet with Kaffir Lime and Mint Simple Syrup topped with Borage Flowers
Main
Marinated Grilled Flank Steak with Basil Chimchurri
Heirloom Tomatoes, herb mash
Dessert
Grilled Pound Cake with Mike and Gene’s Berry Farm Sauce
Grilled stone fruit, local cream freshly whipped

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Categories:	American • Cooking tips • Entertaining • Salads • Sauces • Technique • Uncategorized • desserts • eggs	1 Comment
Tags:	Dinner party • duck eggs • summer menu