How do you know which fat is best for sautéeing, and which is best for frying? Today I'm working on the cooking fats and oils chapter of 'The Feast of the Dove.' Knowing which cooking fats to use is both a skill and an art. Olive oil is one of the essential cooking fats. In…
How to choose good tools
... and a giveaway! No matter what your cooking style is, high-quality tools are essential. That doesn't have to mean spending lots of money, though. Here's your chance to get a really useful tool for free! I will spend hard-earned dollars on good knives, and on the equipment to keep them sharp. I don't have…
What makes a meal?
The way we eat is changing. Understanding the reasons behind the change may help shift your own thinking about how you feed yourself and others. In that fictional, half-century-old image of familial normalcy sitting down to dinner, we see mom in her apron, perhaps holding a laden platter; a smiling dad, his knife and fork…
Choosing a cover
One of the first tasks on Amazon's self-publishing platforms -- which must be done before you can go further -- is to create a cover for your book. I spent some time noodling around and like this format. Obviously, it's not final. The quote at the top will be replaced. I hope that one of…
How to build a better biscuit
Today, I'm working on the biscuit chapter of 'The Feast of the Dove.' It's the first of the recipe chapters in the manuscript. A section on pantry management, with information on how to choose and store pantry staples, including flours, sweeteners, and herbs and spices, preceeds the recipe chapters. Photo by Jodie Morgan (@twoluckyspoons) via…
What is ‘The Feast of the Dove’?
Some 10 miles southwest of Tucson, Arizona, where I now live, there’s a 200-year-old Franciscan mission called San Xavier del Bac. It rises like a shining moon above the surrounding land of the Tohono O'odam San Xavier Reservation, near the community of Wa:k. The mission's nickname is ‘the White Dove of the Desert.’ Its lime-stuccoed…