jessg23

May 24, 2010

The Dehydrator

A few weeks ago, when I was having a minor operation, Boy was thoughtful enough to buy me a little get well gift. It was a totally unnecessary, completely adorable gesture that warmed my heart and really did make me feel better. And I bet you’re thinking, he probably got her some flowers, a good book, or maybe a DVD set of the past 800 billion seasons of Lost (which I am so behind on that I think, like the Harry Potter craze, I will have to completely ignore instead of trying to catch up and admit to my complete, pop […]

May 21, 2010

Friday Food Porn

Lock up your daughters. Shield your eyes. Pull out your one dollar bills. It’s time for Friday Food Porn. Why a post of pictures, you may ask? Well, I’ve been traveling a lot lately, so my time in the kitchen has been few and far between (except when I took over my brother’s stove on Monday). So while I do not have a sodium free recipe or time saving tip to share with you today, I do have a library of gorgeous sodium free food pictures for your scanning pleasure. And you know you’re excited. Today’s installment is from my […]

May 19, 2010

Eating in the Emerald City

On Sunday, I followed the yellow brick road (a flight on Virgin Airlines), from Kansas (San Francisco) to the Emerald City (Seattle), to see the Wizard (my brother) receive his PhD in Astrobiology (well…that one is actually real). It was only my second time in this waterfront town and, while I don’t know much about its history, I do know it is home to some wonderful food. As a side note, it is also home to some wonderful music and people as well – just in case you are in the area. I was staying down the street from Pike […]

May 17, 2010

Risotto, the San Francisco Treat

Creamy, warm, melt-in-your mouth delicious. I’m not talking about a chocolate fountain (although that sounds pretty good, even at 9am). I’m talking risotto, a traditional Italian rice dish that requires patience and love as you gradually coax the little rices to release their magical starch and create the illustrious, infamous texture that is good enough for the cooking gods. Now if you are anything like me, you probably think/thought/still think that risotto should be left to the professionals. And I’ll agree that yes, indeed, the professionals can make a mean bowl of delicately textured risotto while yours/mine/everyone else’s ends up […]

May 14, 2010

An Altered State of Mind

For some reason, we have no problem buying a pair of pants (that are obviously too long in the leg and trail dangerously past your shoes) and taking them to the local tailor to be shortened, cuffed, and fitted. But when it comes to following a recipe, we seem reticent (if not frightened) to change any detail to fit our needs, as if altering instructions from Julia Child’s cookbook is akin to telling Coco Chanel she got her pantsuit all wrong. But we have to get over that fear for two reasons: (1) adaptation is essential to low sodium cooking and […]

May 12, 2010

LA Eats

Yesterday, my plane safely landed back at SFO after a whirlwind trip to the City of Angels. I had just enjoyed five days of endless giggles, girl time, and plenty of champagne toasts – we were celebrating the upcoming marriage of one of our own angels- and usually after a run like this, my body is not only tired, but craving some low sodium, home-cooked meals. Travel anywhere can mean a lot of low sodium scrounging. Without access to your own pantry, it is hard to know where you will find your next filling meal. And since I tend to […]

May 10, 2010

Braise the Lord

Flavor. Most of us assume it comes from a jar or from a small container on a crowded spice rack. But if low sodium cooking has taught us anything, it is that flavors can be created in many unexpected ways. Luckily, as cooks, we aren’t beholden to any one spice – whether it is salt or pepper or something more exotic – to flavor our meals. We have a range of options at our fingertips. But sometimes we can get a bit heavy handed with our pinching and shaking and it is important to remember that, to create taste, you don’t […]

May 7, 2010

Black or White

In 1991, Michael Jackson (RIP, King of Pop) preached to us all that “it don’t matter if you’re black or white.” Amen to that. But what if we apply this statement to the kitchen. Does it hold true when it comes to pepper? And more importantly, what is the difference between black and white varieties? Let’s explore. Pepper comes from ground peppercorns, which are the dried berry of the viney, pepper plant. Much like bell peppers, the color of the berry depends on its maturity. Black peppercorns are picked when the berry is still unripe (and green) and then dried […]

May 5, 2010

Spring Fling

Monday night, SF Tao of Pao, the ladies from Farm & a Frying Pan, and I gathered together for our third installment of our blogger dinner. The theme this evening was “Spring” and the F & FP gals imagined a beautiful menu, consisting of pea risotto, oven baked asparagus, and some iteration of berry cobbler. As the email exchanges flew and logistics were made, I found myself to be the last to respond and suddenly (cue dissonant chord) I was the one in charge of the desert. Dessert means baking. Baking means exact measurements and exact ingredients. And that means […]

May 3, 2010

Sushi Me

Go ahead. Dig right in and take your pick of the sodium-free sushi you see before you. Handmade by yours truly. I know what you’re thinking. Sushi? But that’s super high in sodium? And you’re right to wonder what I’m doing with a fistful of rice-y rounds as most sushi, that you will find at your favorite neighborhood haunt, does contain an enormous amount of sodium. This is because most nori (or seaweed) is high in sodium and traditional sushi rice is made with water, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Then add in soy sauce for dipping and you’ve got […]

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