FOOD is a monthly segment exploring cooking, eating, and how food shapes our identity and culture here in the Northwest.... more
July 28, 2021FOOD: J. Kenji López-Alt on Seattle, cooking and representationI don’t know about you, but one of the pandemic rabbit holes I fell down was finding — and watching — cooking videos on YouTube....more10minPlay
December 02, 2020Food for Thought: Salisbury Steak goes here. We make our own TV dinnersThis story originally aired Jan. 30, 2019. I recently made Daniel Gritzer's Swanson's Hungry Man style Salisbury steak recipe from his Serious Eats blog for the second time, and it came out every bit as satisfyingly savory as the first. When I told Nancy Leson, she told husband Mac, who exclaimed "My all-time favorite TV dinner!" So, Goodwife Leson made it, too, and we compared notes....more5minPlay
November 25, 2020Siblings' food memories don't always matchThis story originally aired June 27, 2018. Food memories are no more reliable than any others. I learned that this week after an email exchange with my sister, Debbie. Deb's been binge listening to Food for Thought and wrote to chat about a recent one in which I mentioned my childhood experience shopping for live chickens with my mother. She thinks I'm imagining it....more4minPlay
November 18, 2020Food for Thought: Baking the 'impossible' pieThis story originally aired Dec. 11, 2019. When someone asks me "Do you like a challenge, Dick?" I start looking around for the exits. So what was I thinking when I tried to make Stella Parks' "Impossible" pecan pie pie – a baking project even its creator warns against attempting. The recipe was originally in the draft for her BraveTart pastry cookbook, but the editors thought it too difficult for inclusion. Parks famously refuses to publish the recipe. She doesn't want to deal with the...more5minPlay
November 11, 2020Chicken Deboning for BeginnersThis story originally aired Oct 24, 2018. Even if I'm going to cook boneless chicken thighs, I always buy the bone-ins and bone 'em out myself. They're less expensive that way, and I get to save the bones in the freezer until I have enough to cook up some chicken stock. But up until, now I've never attempted to debone an entire bird. Surprise: It was way easier to do than I expected and a lot of fun, too....more5minPlay
November 04, 2020Food for thought: This post contains cookiesThe New York Times claimed it was the “Perfect” chocolate chip cookie. “We'll just see about that," I thought. So Nancy Leson and I deployed our sheet pans to compare results. I got a XXL cowpie. Nance did better....more4minPlay
October 28, 2020Enjoy Lentils From Soup to ShanksThis story originally aired Nov. 29, 2017. I like lentils and I love the spicy red lentil soup recipe Nancy Leson recently sent me. Adapted from Lynne Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table's How to Eat Weekends , this recipe is fast and easy to make, and perfect for rainy weeknight dinners, too. For a more time-consuming, weekend lentil dish, do try the lamb shanks and lentils recipe from another Kaspar – Kaspar Donier. You'll find both recipes below. As of publication we still have not received...more4minPlay
October 21, 2020Food for Thought: Northwest Bread Bakers rise to help local food banksSeattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur recently published a story about a growing number of bread bakers contributing homemade loaves to area food banks. It was news to me, but Nancy Leson was already a participant....more4minPlay
October 14, 2020Food for Thought: The long wait for new appliancesAfter 18 years in Nancy's basement, her backup fridge, a move-in gift from a neighbor, finally found its final defrost. That left Leson with only ( gasp ) one fridge. I enjoyed twitting her about her two-fridge household, but she really does need them both....more5minPlay
October 07, 2020Food for Thought: The case for toaster ovens“Stein,” Nancy Leson said. “You need a toaster oven.” I continue to maintain that I don't need no stinkin' toaster oven, but I must admit she makes a pretty good case....more4minPlay