illdothedisheslater

“Virtue is choked with foul ambition.” ~ William Shakespeare. ***** “Cleaning out the fridge, Cleaning out the fridge, Where’d this jar of capers come from? Cleaning out the fridge.” ~ The Beatles I know, I know.  I’m supposed to be doing ambitious, ridiculous things here like braiding homegrown garlic, spit-roasting whole hogs on a spit… Continue reading Color Me Beautiful: Fresh Pasta Part Deux

Or the story of a sublimely happy dog. I haven’t attempted anything truly ambitious lately.  Work has been so crazy-making and stressful that all I want to do when I get home is sit on the couch and eat cheese.  So today is a compromise – this is an impressive and ambitious project, but one… Continue reading Fresh Egg Fettuccini:

I’d like to invent a cocktail called the Shirley Hemphill.  

Last year for our big family meal on Christmas eve, we (approximately 25 of us) had a giant pot of Sugo, our family red sauce, with pasta, cheeseballs, meatballs, and the various cuts of meat that go into the Sugo.  The year before there were three monstrous lasagnas and a baked ziti.  Amo la mia… Continue reading Sugo: Red Heaven

Roasted Chicken: Fall is upon us; it is November.  There’s a great movement on Facebook to say one thing you’re grateful for every day in November.  Here is mine:  Pumpkin season is over.  No more Pumpkin Spice lattes, beer, muffins, scrambled eggs, croissants, pasta, or Drunken Punkin Chardonnay (if you know how to trademark that… Continue reading Roasted Chicken Can Be Gross:

Guys, I would be the world’s worst vegetarian.  As much as I try, I just plain don’t like most vegetables.  I wish I could be one of those people who are satisfied with salad, or can’t wait for Brussels sprouts to come into season.  I’d love to be able to fill up on broccoli or… Continue reading Roasted Vegetables for the World’s Worst Vegetarian:

(Cue Homer Simpson drooling noise.) At long last a Costco has come to my city.  Last week I shuffled through the lines with everyone else to see what all the fuss was about, and now I get it:  Short Ribs.  There glistening in the butcher case were the most beautiful boneless beef short ribs I… Continue reading Braised Short Ribs in Red Wine:

Is there a word in the English language less appetizing than “casserole”?  It brings to mind funeral food, pot-lucks, and choking down a mish-mash of pantry rejects that have been drowned in cream-of-something soup and baked in Pyrex with a completely inappropriate topping (Fritos, cornflakes, Velveeta etc.)  Imagine a jolly, roly-poly woman (think the delightful Edie McClurg… Continue reading Baked Ziti a.k.a. The Dreaded Casserole

You may have noticed that my photography and presentation are severely lacking when compared to other food blogs.  I don’t have sunlight professionally dappling my grosgrain ribbon-tied creations.  My photos are not food-porntastic.  I spill things.  I have pets that get in the way.  I believe in the five-second rule.  Sometimes I drink beer during… Continue reading Potato Soup or The Opposite of Pornography: