In My Kitchen + Life Update
Life is hard; food doesn't have to be #132 [vol6, 4.4]
I made this biryani again last night. If you’re an adventurous eater at all, please try this dish (my stovetop or oven instructions here). Simple and fast to put together, easy to eat on a ball field, or in the car. Packed with incredible flavor — and maybe you already have rice, broth, ground beef and spices in your pantry. Top with dried fruit and nuts for extra wow.
If you’re rich in eggs, try this protein pancake.
Hasselback for Easy Side Dish
Have you made Hasselback potatoes? Super simple for impressive presentation. Slice a potato with a wooden spoon next to it so your knife doesn’t slice completely through the potato. Drizzle potato with oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Put in 350-400* oven. Once the potatoes open up, remove from oven and put a couple pats of butter on top then back into oven until potato is fork tender. Allow at least an hour oven time, depends on size of potato + thickness of slices. This is a crowd-pleasing side dish, easy to make in advance with almost zero hands-on effort.
Sourdough
I wish I had more margin to teach classes! I love teaching so much. After listening to Sue Becker talk about the nutrition of freshly milled wheat with Alex Clark: What if Gluten Isn’t the Enemy?, Amanda asked me the right questions. I made her come over to learn sourdough!
I’ve been playing around with all things sourdough. Learning through experimentation. Before Amanda came over, I watched a bunch of YouTube and one creator exhorted to feed the starter twice a day. My immediate response was, “I don’t wanna deal with all the discard.” He immediately showed how he uses the peaked discard to make savory pancakes. I’ve used (flat) discard to make (flat) pancakes but wow. This is a whole new addictive beast. Especially if fried in generous amounts of fat - I’ve been using lard. They’re like fresh doughnuts.
Not sure I will keep discard on the counter. I like the simplicity of the fridge. But also I go back and forth. The starter is certainly more active/healthy when consecutively at room temp and fed.
That Sourdough Gal is a fav follow on Instagram. I learn so much through her stories. She recently perfected a jalapeno cheddar loaf that is praiseworthy.
Before making copious amounts of sourdough, I’d never really made breadcrumbs. After watching Farmhouse on Boone YouTube, I saw how she makes it a regular rhythm. If you’re in the kitchen anyway, it’s easy to do. I used the above trays of extra crumbs for meatloaf at church. I make meatballs occasionally and until now used oatmeal as a binder. I like the breadcrumbs so much better (zero waste + taste). Once they’re toasted, they store well in glass jars. Sometimes to save space I blitz the cubes.
Turning 49
Since we now live close to my in-laws, we celebrate family birthdays by the month. April is a popular birthday month in our family. We had 3 cakes and two types of ice cream (she also makes pistachio ice cream!!) The cake I requested was with raspberries. Grater’s black raspberry chip is the GOAT.
Trip to PHX / He Graduated
I love that my son chose Grand Canyon University. It has been a great choice for him (highly recommended for public Christian university). I don’t love that it’s a 3 day drive or expensive plane ticket to visit. We decided to spend our spring break with him, to meet his friends and girlfriend before graduation. (We really like Clara!) While there we hosted a dinner for his closest friends and it was a special time - sadly not a single picture of that night.
Last night felt all kinds of wrong to watch him across the stage on YouTube but at the same time very thankful and oh-so-proud he finished in 3 years. One of his friends sent me a 10-second video of him across the stage. I love that his friends celebrated him! He has a good tribe.
He has 3 classes to finish this summer while working in western Colorado as a whitewater guide. His employer is well connected in the outdoor space so John Isaac is hopeful to find something long term through this experience. I’m not concerned about him; he’s a hard worker with incredible character. He has zero debt and worked through college (photography biz, RA, and a couple engineering jobs). Have I said how proud I am?!!
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
More easy real food meal ideas: 26 meal ideas for my college son
Seriously cannot believe John Isaac is a college grad!!! Amazing, especially to do it debt-free 🙌🏼