All posts tagged: Comfort Food

Bangladeshi Chicken Curry

Many years ago, in a time that seems more like a dream than reality, I lived in London for a spell.  It was a fantastic time of my life.  I had attended a summer session at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, home to such great actors as Sir Anthony Hopkins, Alan Rickman, and Sir Richard Attenborough. That summer fueled a desire in me to really hit the pavements as an actor.  Having lived in Los Angeles my whole life, London called to me for a change of venue.  I was young.  I was eager.  I was a starving actor – literally. Luckily, I became familiar with an area called Portobello Road, in Notting Hill.  Yes, the same Notting Hill as the movie, which showed the street on the weekends, when it became a bustling outdoor flea/antique market. The Portobello Road I knew, was the place to get good quality kosher meats and fresh-from-the-farm vegetables for cheap. I discovered this area when a Bangladeshi actor friend helped me rent a small room at Bangladesh …

Taco Cravings – Al Pastor

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo last week.  Normally that’s a day I will wait among the crowds to have a delicious Mexican meal and maybe a margarita or two.  Unfortunately, that tradition is a bit of a challenge here in the Midwest. While I have always lived a stone’s throw from any crazy good taco joint in Los Angeles, that’s not the case here.  The one Mexican chain in town is not so fresh, and the one place with “taco” in its name has chicken fingers at the top of its menu.  Toto, we’re not in California anymore. What’s an LA Girl to do?  Make my own, of course! I love just about any kind of taco I can get, but my favorite is al pastor.  That sweet and savory pork combination makes my tongue happy.  There are a variety of ways to make al pastor.  However, there are three elements that are all the same:  1. A combination of medium and mild chiles, 2. Pineapple, and 3. Thinly sliced pork. Since some ingredients are …

When In the Midwest…

I’m going to say something I know is shocking.  I am not a pizza person.  Sure, I like it.  Who doesn’t?  However, given the choice between pizza and something else, I am more likely to select the second option, whatever that happens to be. My husband, on the other hand, can eat pizza every day of the week. So, imagine his surprise and joy when we moved to the Midwest and I discovered Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.  I’ve had deep dish before, but not like this.  Suddenly and without warning, I became a pizza person…or at least, more likely to order pizza than I had been before. Then it happened…one morning a video for making pizza showed up in my Facebook feed.  I watched the dough get rolled out and toppings heaped onto it.  I craved pizza for the rest of the day. I subscribe to the “if you crave it, you should have it” camp.  I ran to the store and picked a few items so I could make my very first deep dish …

Winter Carbs – Part II

As I mentioned in my last post, there is something about winter that makes me crave carbs.  I tried my hand at bread, why not try pretzels? I can’t tell you how many times I’ll be walking through an airport or a mall and I will smell Auntie M’s Pretzels.  The scent is intoxicating.  It’s that beautiful combination of honeyed dough with butter and garlic.  It instantly makes my tummy rumble, and I need to have it. There is also something about a pretzel that’s special.  I’m not sure if it’s that hard layer on the outside, followed by tender chewiness on the inside or if it’s the slightly sweet, but savory flavor, or a combination of all of these things that make pretzels so yummy, but they just are. So, I browsed through a few recipes, and it didn’t seem so hard.  Like bread, the yeast gets prepped, then flour and the good stuff is added.  It takes some time to rise and then it gets shaped.  Unlike bread, pretzels get boiled before they …

Winter Carbs

This LA Girl just experienced her first Midwest winter.  I’ve been told it was a “mild winter,” but it was cold and snowy enough for me and for my little, Southern California Mini Cooper. While my car craved a new battery, tires, brakes and fluids, I craved carbs! What is it about carbs that is so comforting?  Is it the warmth?  The feeling of fullness after eating them?  The satisfaction of eating something just so yummy?  I’m not sure, but I do love them! When it comes to carbs, I love nothing more than a warm, fresh from the oven, loaf of bread. As I mentioned, it was cold and snowy.  I had zero desire to go outside.  Thank goodness I was working from home!  However, there are certain disadvantages in that.  If I was confining myself to the house, I had to find a way to get a hot loaf of bread. That’s when the idea came:  I had to make my own. I never made bread before.  I don’t own a bread machine.  Regardless, …