The Bitten Word

Grilled Broccoli and The Peace of Wild Things

Cook's Country (June/July 2016)

Clay went for a run this morning in Rock Creek Park, a large national park here in Our Nation's Capital. It's a truly beautiful place to be in the mornings, a quiet swath of green in the heart of the city. 

There's a point on the trail where a bridge crosses a bubbling creek. It's always a lovely spot. But this morning, there was a large, beautiful bird standing in the water. (Sorry, we're not up on our ornithology: Let's call it a heron.) While the water swirled and tumbled around it, the heron stood perfectly still, untroubled by the brook.

It reminded us of a comment left by one of our readers, Julie, last week, after we'd written about Orlando. Julie suggested a poem, by the great Kentuckian Wendell Berry, that she turns to when she needs support and inspiration. Julie must be a mind-reader, because it happens to be our favorite poem.

Our sadness (and this morning, despair) about Orlando remains. But we don't plan to wallow in despair. To paraphrase Mr. Berry, we choose not to "tax our lives with forethought of grief." 

We'll leave you with Mr. Berry's poem, along with an excellent recipe for Grilled Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan. (We still know you're here for the food.)

Spread the words and the message of "The Peace of Wild Things." It has brought us comfort in difficult times. We hope it does the same for you, whenever your difficult time may be. 

 

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS 
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

 

Flank Steak in Adobo

Cook's Country (February/March 2016)

Bittens, we have eaten so. much. chicken. this winter.

Chicken breasts. Chicken thighs. Whole roasted chicken. Grilled chicken. Chicken stir-fry. Chicken paillard. Chicken chili. It's a wonder we're not clucking by now. 

Spring is starting in full force here in D.C., and with it, we're craving something -- well, anything -- other than chicken.

It had been some time since we've made some beef. So we decided to branch out and try something new, setting our sights on this Flank Steak in Adobo.

Better Peas and Carrots

Cook's Country (February/March 2016)  

Bittens, we are overwhelmed.

Since we wrote about feeling a little stuck last week, you've sent some truly amazing emails and comments. You've told us what you like about this blog, and (aw, shucks) what you like about us. We got choked up reading through all your notes and kind words. It was humbling.

You reminded us that we really have created a great community of people who like to cook, who like to eat and -- most importantly -- who just like each other. It's like we just go together, Bittens.

We go together like peanut butter and jelly. 

We go together like peanut butter and chocolate. (Okay, yeah, maybe we just love peanut butter.)

We go together like rama-lama-lama, ka-dinga-da ding di dong. (Something that's been incessantly stuck in our brains since we watched Grease: Live two and a half weeks ago.)

We go together like peas and carrots.

Now how's that for a segue?

The 11 Best Food Magazine Recipes We Ate in 2015

   

   

   

 

 

Hello, Bittens! Happy new year!

We are so excited to start cooking for 2016. But before we do, we want to take a look back at last year, and the best food magazine dishes we ate all year. Here are 11 of our favorites in chronological order. (We couldn't settle on 10, so 11 it is!)

Did you have a favorite dish of the past year? Share it in the comments!

 

1. Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts
Bon Appétit

"Even the most ardent Brussels sprouts hater will find it hard not to like this dish. [...] The Brussels sprouts are crisp and plump, with a nice crunch from the peanuts. The sweet-spicy sauce is actually borderline too sweet for us (next time we'll use less sugar), but the heat of the chili paste keeps it in balance." 

 

Broccoli with Lemon-Oregano Dressing

Cook's Country (December 2015/January 2016)

Sometimes we wonder why we even have a microwave. 

Sure, we use it on occasion to heat up leftovers or, say, steam a sweet potato. But we're fortunate to have a great gas oven and range, and we can literally boil water faster on the stovetop than we can in the microwave. So even for simple tasks like steaming fresh vegetables, we tend to use a saucepan and steamer basket on the stove.

We'll sometimes go for weeks without nuking anything.

So we were interested in this microwave broccoli recipe from Cook's Country. Broccoli can be super easy to steam in the microwave, but we often end up with watery florets and rubbery stalks. Could Cook's steer us in a better direction?

Thanksgiving 2015: Two-Hour Turkey and Gravy

Cook's Country (October/November 2015) 

A two-hour turkey.

YOU GUYS.

A two-hour turkey.

A two-hour turkey.

What is this, magic? Could it possibly be true?

We had to find out.

The 2015 Thanksgiving Index: All This Year's Food Magazine Recipes in One Handy Place

220 Thanksgiving Recipes from 10 Leading Food Magazines

Yesterday, we were all about the trends, sharing what's in and what's out for this year's Thanksgiving feast.

Today, it's all about the recipes. Below, we've categorized all 220 recipes from the 10 magazines we're tracking this year.

Of course, the November issues of these magazines feature many more recipes than this -- in order to make this list, the recipe had to be part of an explicit feature about Thanksgiving. (If a recipe doesn't have a hyperlink, it means it isn't yet available online.) 

Explore the list and share your thoughts: What sounds amazing? What sounds too wacky for your table? What might you try for this year's feast? Let us know in the comments -- and happy cooking! 

 

TURKEYS

Porchetta-Style Roast Turkey Breast (Bon Appétit)
Barbecue Spice–Brined Grilled Turkey (Bon Appétit)
Glazed and Lacquered Roast Turkey (Bon Appétit)
Two-Hour Turkey with Gravy (Cook's Country)
Applewood-Smoked Turkey  (Cooking Light)
Brown Sugar–Cured Turkey with Apple-Bourbon Gravy  (Cooking Light)
Rosemary-Orange Roast Turkey  (Cooking Light)
Citrus-Herb Roast Turkey & Gravy (Fine Cooking)
Chipotle-Butter Turkey (Food & Wine)
Citrus-and-Butter Turkey (Food & Wine)
Porchetta-Spiced Turkey with Pan Gravy (Food & Wine)
Roast Turkey with Polenta Stuffing (Food & Wine)
Soy-and-Sesame Turkey (Food & Wine)
Maple-Whiskey Turkey (Food Network)
Classic Roast Turkey (Food Network)
Lemon-Pepper Turkey with Bacon Gravy (Food Network)
Southwestern Turkey with Chipotle Gravy (Food Network) 
Herbed Turkey (Martha Stewart Living)
Molasses-and-Cider-Glazed Turkey (Martha Stewart Living)
Tamarind-Glazed Roast Turkey (Saveur)
Slow Smoked and Spice-Brined Turkey (Saveur)
Dry-Brined-and-Marinated Smoked Turkey (Southern Living) 

 

GRAVY

Gravy-Braised Turkey Legs with Cipolline Onions (Bon Appétit)
Classic Turkey Gravy with Thyme (Bon Appétit)
Maple-Whiskey Gravy (Food Network)
Classic Gravy (Food Network) 
Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy  (Cooking Light)
Make-Ahead Gravy (Southern Living) 

 

 

Switchel

Cook's Country (August/September 2015)

We're not sure if #TBT (Throw Back Thursday) is still a thing, but it's Thursday, and we're here to continue our old-timey drink kick.

It started with the Concord Grape Shrub we tried from Bon Appétit, a sharp but sweet concoction that we turned into a cocktail. 

Then we were leafing through Cook's Country, and way in the back of the magazine, where readers share Heirloom Recipes (share yours!), we saw Harriet's submission for a Switchel, a recipe she got from her grandfather. 

They're both equally fun to say, but what's the difference between a shrub and a switchel? Based on what we've read, it seems that both drinks have similar ingredients -- including vinegar -- shrubs incorporate fruit for flavor. Switchels, on the other hand, use a sweetener -- in this case, maple syrup -- in place of fruit to balance out their flavors. 

But there was one more ingredient in this switchel that made us do a double-take: oats. 

Tennessee Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Hoecakes

Cook's Country (June/July 2015)

There we were, standing over an electric mixer filled with slabs of steaming-hot oven-roasted pork. 

"There's no way this is going to work," said Zach.

"I'm dubious," said Clay.

The plan -- to use the stand mixer's paddle attachment to take cooked pork shoulder and pull it for barbecue -- seemed like a recipe for disaster.

We winced. We shut our eyes.

We threw the switch.

Skillet Turkey Meatballs with Lemony Rice

Cook's Country (April/May 2015)

When you hear "meatballs," what's the dish that comes to mind?  We bet it's a pasta dish with meatballs swimming in a red tomato sauce. 

That's precisely why we earmarked this recipe: The idea of a lemony meatball dish -- one without really any sauce at all -- piqued our interest.

And this dish from Cook's Country didn't disappoint.