I’ve done it now. Gotten myself in too deep and forgotten a step- now it’s too late! Will my guests realize the cream cheese is store-bought? Should I feign illness and beg-off when it’s really that I’m ashamed of serving something that is not homemade, even if it’s only a condiment?

A few days ago I read this article and it made me think long and hard about my approach to holiday cooking.

In life I’m spontaneous and a little loco.

In the kitchen, I’m type AAAAAA.

Sure, I can cook off the cuff, often tossing three random ingredients together to make an accidental masterpiece (or failure), but for the most part I plan. I am a firm believer in mise en place. I study. I approach food anthropologically and draft heat maps based on predilections for certain spices. I generally don’t cook from recipes, so planning and research are essential in order to understand the fundamentals and science behind what makes things work.

I realize this makes me part of the 1% (please don’t occupy my kitchen though- I’ll serve you excellent wine if you just stay the eff in the living room), but you know what? I’m ok with that when it comes to cooking. It’s my craft. Everyone should be allowed to be a geek about something, and food is my chosen medium. You know what you can call me without me going all Pulp Fiction on your ass like many of my peers? A Foodie. Read more

*contest winner is Krista Phipps, comment #20

Fresh off the heels of the most brilliant food and adventure weekend in Portland, Oregon, I’m back in the saddle. And by saddle I mean bed, because Oregon chewed me up and spat me out like a piece of too-tough tentacle. And I liked it. I can’t wait to share the highlights with you once I shake this eensy cold, but in the meantime, I have a peace offering, since you deserve a bit of food fun too. At least if you’re going to be in Seattle in early October.

With the launch of Gilt City Seattle, along came curated partnerships with some of our area’s top chefs. Thierry Rautureau is top of the tops, and he even has the ever-present fedora hat and James Beard Award to prove it. His restaurant, Rovers, has consistently made “best-of” lists since way back in 1987 when Thierry took the reins. Read more

Summer is coming and with it, a full dance card. The weekends are filling up fast and the lingering question in our minds burning hotter than VD in a jacuzzi is “what on earth should I wear to all these parties?” Well, my pretties, you can stop fretting in your fiddleheads because I’ve got you covered for at least one salty soiree.

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