tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23861420595477849002012-02-23T09:33:39.152-08:00Sunday Dinner is a great American tradition that has all but disappeared. I want to bring it back. Join me in an exploration of roots food, culinary history, and kitchen folklore. Let’s remake Sunday Dinner from scratch.Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.comBlogger2221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-664020145410642542012-02-22T21:04:00.000-08:002012-02-23T09:33:39.187-08:00

Regular readers of this blog know that my blog writing has been sidetracked by a new venture-- writing for Zester Daily, a great online food magazine.  As a result, I've fallen behind on many things, including trying new recipes to publish here on ESD.  But I couldn't resist sharing Mary Ann Taylor's recipe for Hush Puppies in honor of the Rocket City Rednecks' appearance on The Jay Leno Show

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-83824010097884800332012-02-14T10:16:00.000-08:002012-02-14T10:16:54.590-08:00

Giant marmalade jar at E. Waldo Ward Ranch, 2012. Regular readers of this blog may have wondered about my lack of recent posts.  I am pleased to announce that there's a good reason for this. I've embarked on an exciting new project writing for Zester Daily, and online food magazine dedicated to writing and reporting about food in a smart and engaging way.  I'm honored to have my writing seen

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-88305977143337318642012-01-26T14:30:00.000-08:002012-01-26T18:16:41.054-08:00

A few days before Christmas I received the most remarkable Christmas card I've ever been sent.  The front of the card had a very pretty B&W fiber-based print of a front porch covered with Christmas decorations.  I'm always a sucker for a nice photo, and this was an especially nice one, but I've received a similar Christmas card my friend Daniel almost every year for the past twenty years.  It was

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-91539587885398198182012-01-24T17:12:00.000-08:002012-01-25T14:54:55.434-08:00

Panini press waiting for business, Jan. 2012. Over the weekend I attended a party where the entertainment was... a sandwich maker, otherwise known as a "panini press".  It had a place of prominence next to the drinks and when I commented on it, my friend Wendy did her best Vanna White impression and said, "it's the entertainment!" Of course, we all knew that my friend Wendy herself was the

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-27273652049134249592012-01-06T17:06:00.000-08:002012-01-06T15:19:29.636-08:00

Mushrooms growing in the cracks in our concrete pathway, late November 2011. I was just about to write a post showcasing the beauty of our inedible mushroom crop when the winds hit Los Angeles in late November.  Amazingly, the winds didn't finish off the mushrooms, but the following heat wave did.  I knew I should simply file away these photos and move on to other topics, but after a month of

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-17934121471112348672011-12-21T17:22:00.000-08:002011-12-21T17:22:50.913-08:00

Mole hole in my driveway, December 2011. I'd never thought much about the difference between moles and gophers until a barely subterranean trail appeared in our driveway and I started to wonder what kind of varmint had made the mysterious dirt trail.  I've heard my father complain about gophers getting at his garden from time to time.  I know they're herbivores and that they'll eat anything in

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-73024189572801312402011-12-08T21:10:00.001-08:002011-12-08T21:42:39.606-08:00

Jared's delicious pecan pie with ghee crust, 2011. With the holidays quickly approaching, my friend Jared has been experimenting with pie crust recipes.  He's got a secret ingredient that I've never heard of being used in a pie crust-- ghee, which is the traditional Indian version of clarified butter.  I was surprised by this idea, but it made sense.  I've eaten pies made with butter and

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-20017732056294544342011-12-05T21:10:00.001-08:002011-12-05T21:31:57.537-08:00

My 2 year old who just can't seem to let go of her "hammer", December 2011. The easiest (and most beloved) Christmas candy we've made this year has been the by-product of the much more rigorous undertaking of making chocolate-covered candied orange peel.  Regular readers of this blog know that I've tried to make chocolate-covered candied orange peel several times this year already.  I'll write

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-38237729159279490652011-11-26T12:53:00.000-08:002011-11-27T13:56:06.391-08:00

Daniel's stuffing on my plate on the day after Thanksgiving, 2011. Yes, I ate leftover Thanksgiving stuffing for breakfast this morning.  I suspect this is somewhat like eating pizza for breakfast.  There are two schools of thought on the subject and each camp is deeply committed to their own way of thinking. If you're in the "stuffing for breakfast" camp, you either ate some yourself this

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-27345307077370428842011-11-21T11:50:00.001-08:002011-11-21T12:30:48.774-08:00

Today's blog post is brought to you by my husband Tim, the composting genius of our family.  I'm suppling the photos and a thought that in spite of my family's enthusiasm for collecting our kitchen scraps in a clear plastic container, I myself might have made a less transparent choice. The Master Composter by Tim Evans Kitchen scraps festering on our kitchen windowsill, 2011. Susan has

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-36588727708601425362011-11-18T07:40:00.000-08:002011-11-18T07:40:00.944-08:00

Concord grape vines in Virginia, Fall 2011.  All photos courtesy Linda Lutz. Concord grapes on the stem, 2011. Each Fall my mother makes amazing homemade grape jelly from grapes she picks from her friend Wendy's grape vines.  This year I convinced my mom to send me her recipe and photographs of the entire process.  She made jelly about a month ago, but I haven't posted her recipe

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-46849151657792971292011-11-14T05:30:00.000-08:002011-11-14T05:30:04.799-08:00

Cat-heads Biscuits straight out of the oven, 2011. The Rocket City Rednecks are going to be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno this evening and in their honor I'm publishing a biscuit recipe from the matriarch of the "Redneck" family-- Mary Ann Taylor. I met Mary Ann when she came to LA to do press for the show and we had a great conversation about Southern food.  Turns out, Mary Ann cooks

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-84014660356026832042011-11-10T15:32:00.001-08:002011-11-10T16:08:50.522-08:00

A few weeks ago I was confronted by a large container of blueberries in my refrigerator that seemed to say to me, "Hey- I know you're sick of eating me, but you CAN'T let me go to waste!"  My youngest daughter and I are the only real blueberry fans in the house and that 2 lb container of deliciously sweet blueberries was just more than we could handle.  I needed an idea to use up a lot of

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-71907109313862814702011-11-08T10:26:00.000-08:002011-11-08T10:27:43.334-08:00

Pear jam awaiting packaging, Nov. 2011. I would like to say that I spent my Saturday at the Institute for Domestic Technology crafting food-related presents for the holiday gift-giving season.  The truth is that I spent my Saturday learning to make candied orange peel, pear preserves, limoncella, and host of other treats that I have every intention of keeping for myself.  I may end up using

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-70827711596905912212011-11-03T20:39:00.000-07:002011-11-03T20:39:37.011-07:00

Two different sizes of Roman beans in my colander, November 3, 2011. My friends Lisa and Louis turned me on to Roman beans accidentally.  I say accidentally because what they really did was serve me homegrown Calabrian beans, which have been grown by Louis' family for generations.  Louis and his family grow these beans each year and save the seeds at the end of the season, but Louis never

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-28042798208532424812011-10-25T10:08:00.000-07:002011-10-25T10:10:23.646-07:00

Daniel's Mystery Fruit Tree in Full Bloom, March 2011. Mystery fruit from my backyard, June 2011. Regular readers of this blog know that we've been engaged in a botanical mystery for the past year.  My friend Daniel has a tree with a fruit of unknown origin-- a fruit we've been calling The Mystery Fruit.  Several months after discussing Daniel's Mystery Fruit Tree, we discovered that I

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-44929256067680455582011-10-18T10:37:00.000-07:002011-10-30T19:24:37.144-07:00

I almost hate to admit this, but I'm not a big fan of chocolate desserts.  This may be considered a character flaw by some, but I was grateful when my family's brownie phase was over.  When interest in chocolate desserts seemed to be waning, I used the opportunity to reintroduce my family to the oatmeal cookie.  My girls have always liked oatmeal cookies, but I didn't make them that often.  

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-50561205235745757042011-10-13T15:43:00.000-07:002011-10-13T15:48:28.531-07:00

When the temperature in Southern California reaches 100 degrees in October, it's time to think about fleeing to New York.  At least temporarily.  Right now, New York has everything I love most about Fall... the changing leaves, people wearing cozy sweaters... and this weekend it also has the EAT ART event at the Brooklyn Museum. I heard about the event from Tracy Candido, one of the

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-69023901372543160342011-10-11T07:00:00.000-07:002011-10-18T09:46:50.847-07:00

I rarely post links to other people's food writing, but this essay by Carol Penn-Romine really got to me.  Carol is a long-time friend to this blog (check out her ESD questionnaire) and a wonderful food writer who has raised an issue that has been on my mind for some time now.  How can parents convince their kids to eat food they think they hate?  Carol's essay is a good reminder that there are

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-13131342212038675262011-10-08T13:58:00.000-07:002011-11-30T07:46:29.819-08:00

My second attempt at homemade corn pudding, 2011. It's been a while since I've posted a recipe from the series:  My Year of Brethren Food.  And there's a very good, and very humbling reason for it.  I've discovered that I'm not a good enough cook to make food from my grandmother's Brethren cookbook without a lot of experimentation.  And by experimentation, I mean making mistakes. Like many

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-35551019565458299692011-09-27T08:42:00.000-07:002011-09-27T21:23:40.849-07:00

My version of Mary Ann's Bitterballen, Sept. 26, 2011. Travis Taylor - star of Nat Geo's Rocket City Rednecks - saw my post about his mom's banana bread and immediately emailed to say "Ask her about my favorite recipe: 'Bitter Balling!'  Mary Ann politely gave me the correct term for the recipe: "Bitterballen"  and told me that it IS a favorite of the Taylor family. You don't often run

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-64035678595614936222011-09-08T14:02:00.000-07:002011-09-08T14:11:25.416-07:00

Doughnuts on our kitchen table, surrounded by beauty supplies, Sept. 2011. With the first day of school approaching, I decided it was time to dig out the doughnut pan I'd stashed away a month ago and try to do something new and exciting in the kitchen with my girls.  I had originally anticipated that making doughnuts would be a fun bonding experience with my two daughters, but that was not to

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-50755774700650234122011-09-02T07:54:00.000-07:002011-09-02T07:54:00.501-07:00

 Little fingers reach for my version of Margaret's Chicken, 2011. After making my father-in-law's special sauce I gained a new enthusiasm for my family recipe project, so I decided to tackle another family favorite-- Margaret's Chicken.  My mother-in-law Jane made this chicken from her daughter Margaret's recipe on the day we brought our oldest daughter home from the hospital.  I remember

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-71864769762770353192011-09-01T11:13:00.000-07:002011-09-01T11:19:07.266-07:00

Wagon Wheel Pasta with Fallon's Special Sauce, August 2011. I've been trying to create written versions of my family's recipes for a while now, but I just started tapping into the recipes files from my husband's side of the family.  My goal is to create a family history for my children through recipes and stories about food so it only makes sense to get both sides of the story-- especially

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-42967673241187782392011-08-26T13:37:00.000-07:002011-08-26T19:56:53.720-07:00

Picking hops by lamplight, August 2011. One day last week I got a message from my friend Jared inviting us to the "Hops Harvest" that evening.  Jared's message said that there was home-brewed beer on tap, fresh zucchini bread, and live entertainment in the form of mandolin music played by his wife Amy.  My husband was already on his way home from the office, so there was no time to ask his

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-57001611120143954282011-08-23T10:13:00.000-07:002011-08-23T17:06:33.896-07:00

My first attempt at making Mary Ann's Banana Bread, August 2011. I thought I'd follow up Friday's Sunday Dinner Questionnaire with Mary Ann Taylor with another post about her amazing cooking.  I still haven't gotten around to making her Granny Rosie's Lemon Poundcake, but I did make Mary Ann's banana bread and it was delicious. I make a lot of banana bread around my house and I have a pretty

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-69593487719265853612011-08-19T13:21:00.000-07:002011-08-23T17:06:54.088-07:00

I've been hearing about Mary Ann Taylor for some time now.  My husband has been working with her on a television show called Rocket City Rednecks, which will start airing on National Geographic in mid-September.  Listening to my husband's stories about Mary Ann's incredible Southern cooking with great interest and more than a little jealousy.  After all, I'm the one from the South and although my

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-43338087805768663662011-08-18T12:48:00.000-07:002011-08-18T12:48:52.329-07:00

Farm fresh eggs on our kitchen table, Aug. 2011. My husband recently came home with a dozen farm fresh eggs-- eggs so beautiful that I took a photo of them in their carton.  I felt I needed to do something special with such delicious raw material so I scoured the stack of cookbooks cluttering my desk for egg-worthy recipes. In the end, I decided to make Luxury Scrambled Eggs from The Splendid

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-42832169284732026532011-08-16T15:19:00.000-07:002011-08-16T15:22:50.730-07:00

My mom's canned tomaotes and sweet pickles, 2011. I thought I was having a pretty productive day until I got a photo from my mother showing me her freshly canned tomatoes and sweet pickles.  I comfort myself by remembering that the pickles took longer than a day to make and canning them is really the easy part. (Of course, she's been working hard for the past two weeks to make them, but that's

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-44678282601886927962011-08-12T16:27:00.000-07:002011-08-12T16:46:08.947-07:00

Corn crop at a stand-still in our garden, August 2011. Summer has not been kind to our garden this year.  We've had weird weather this season-- first very overcast, then blisteringly hot for a brief period of time, now overcast again.  The fact that I neglected to water it during the crucial beginning stages certainly didn't help matters either.  As a result, the corn crop is still only a foot

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-51861604195922456192011-08-05T12:45:00.000-07:002011-08-05T12:45:57.281-07:00

Jared's tomatoes in our yard, Aug. 2011. My oldest daughter always enjoys a visit to see our neighbors Amy and Jared, so when she found out that I was taking a quick trip to their house to pick up some tomatoes, she begged me to let her come with me. I knew that Jared had things to do that evening, but he'd called the previous day to say he was overrun with tomatoes and "couldn't take it

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-69400542796893710522011-08-04T12:52:00.000-07:002011-08-04T12:55:03.670-07:00

Sunday dinner at Daniel's house in Mt. Washington, late July 2011. If you've already read the original post about my Sunday Dinner in Mt. Washington, then you already know that my friend Daniel served up a whopping good meal this past Sunday.  When he first gave me recipes from that meal he only sent the recipe for the main course-- Albacore in Pappiette with Caprese Salsa.  But to my delight,

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-8092874106151914582011-08-02T17:18:00.000-07:002011-08-02T17:18:22.530-07:00

I had a great Sunday dinner experience at the home of my friend Daniel this past week.  Not only was the food delicious, but I had the chance to meet someone new-- Daniel's friend Elizabeth Preger.  Elizabeth was not only a very charming dinner companion, she was also a stunning model.  Here she is collecting watercress for our salad... or at least posing with Daniel's scarecrow after collecting

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-30918044307924642842011-07-29T10:46:00.000-07:002011-07-29T10:46:49.557-07:00

Blobs of chocolate-covered orange peel (without the rack)-- big mistake, July 2011. Perhaps it's unreasonable to expect my first attempt at making chocolate-covered candied orange peel to come out like the unbelievably delicious version I ate at Fouchon Paris during my honeymoon, but I always think it's good to high standards.  Sadly, it didn't work out all that well this time. I love candied

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-52531920550569721412011-07-28T16:45:00.000-07:002011-07-28T16:47:32.830-07:00

My empty first glass at Jared and Amy's house, July 2011. It's been a while since I last reported on my friend Jared's beer-making enterprise, but when my parents were visiting, we embarked on a "beer for ham" exchange with Jared and his wife Amy. My dad had never tried Jared's beer and home-brewed beer made by a man who grows his own hops is just the sort of thing that entertains my father-

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-66122290154918513402011-07-22T15:42:00.000-07:002011-07-22T15:45:04.250-07:00

Procrastination Sauce served with spaghetti, July 2011. Well, I am a true procrastinator so it's taken me a full 24 hours to download the photos of Procrastination Sauce and upload them to this blog.  Because these photos were made to accompany the recipe, I've decided to reprint the final, updated version of the recipe for Procrastination Sauce here. I will definitely be making this sauce

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-27824122555174549692011-07-21T10:02:00.000-07:002011-07-21T12:00:01.802-07:00

I've been trying to use the summer to buckle down and write more about Sunday dinner and writing about food has a way of making me want to cook.  Some people (including my husband) would say that this is just resistance to the writing process, but nobody who smelled the tomato sauce simmering in my kitchen could possibly agree. As I've been working on the Sunday dinner book, I've realized that

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-18459292455195761542011-07-14T11:09:00.000-07:002011-07-14T11:09:04.579-07:00

Bacon and waffles warming in the oven, July 2011. After my first attempt at keeping bacon and waffles warm in the oven, I promised I would report back on future experiments.  This time instead of putting a pile of bacon and waffles on a cookie sheet, I put everything on a cooling rack sitting on top of a pizza stone.  As you can see in the photo, I put the entire pile of bacon on a single

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-63550558215939941042011-07-12T09:29:00.000-07:002011-07-12T20:33:45.773-07:00

I suspect that in most families, ham is not the main course at a Fourth of July celebration.  In my family, ham reigns supreme whenever it is served, especially when it's a ham cured by my father using his Uncle Elwood's secret recipe.  Ham is so important to my family that less than a week later, I could no longer remember if we ate ham on Sunday, July 3rd before going to see the fireworks or if

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-80529645070968103582011-07-11T07:58:00.000-07:002011-07-11T13:13:08.586-07:00

I usually save my rantings about photography for my advanced photo students, but this link to a 1965 documentary about Dorothea Lange is too good to keep to myself.  (It is summer break, after all.)  It's an old-school doc told mostly in Lange's own words as she helped to prepare for a show at MOMA that, sadly, would open to the public after her death from esophageal cancer. "Dorothea Lange

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-51540935339811267622011-07-08T09:00:00.000-07:002011-07-08T09:01:59.736-07:00

It's only 8:30 in the morning and it's already been a good news/bad news kind of day.  I awoke very early (4:45 am), got the kids off to school and checked my e-mail.  The Good News:  I discovered a recipe  from Daniel Marlos waiting for me in my inbox.  The Bad News:  As I sat down to post the recipe I discovered that blogger has a radically new format.  I'm old enough to be grumpy about change,

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-92034643301879312892011-07-04T14:38:00.000-07:002011-07-04T14:43:30.200-07:00

Every year my parents plant 9 rows of peas in their garden.  They grow three varieties-- Frosties, Laxton Progress, and Wandos-- mostly because you never know what the weather will be like each growing season and peas are picky about the weather.  Peas require rich well-draining soil, plenty of water, and cool temperatures.  Peas are one of the earliest crops, both to plant and to pick.  If it

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-64433203450401250252011-07-01T12:07:00.000-07:002011-07-01T12:07:25.783-07:00

ESD's Hong Kong Correspondent at Versailles, 2011. Before I blew out my shoulder last month, I had the good fortune to attend a dinner in honor of ESD's Hong Kong Correspondent Christine Jagolino.  CJ, as she is frequently known in the documentary television circles, was back in LA to attend a wedding and took a side trip to Versailles to visit with her old work colleagues, myself included.  

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-86552934483717596392011-06-28T06:49:00.000-07:002011-06-28T06:49:00.182-07:00

Waffles and bacon in a warm oven, Father's Day 2011. In my last post about eating breakfast foods for dinner I complained that my only problem with making pancakes or waffles for dinner is that I always end up cooking while everyone else eats.  I'm usually a little bitter about this state of affairs, so this past Father's Day I finally tried keeping the food warm in the oven until I'd make

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-21449068065277518542011-06-27T20:48:00.000-07:002011-06-27T20:56:47.780-07:00

Ingredients for Guacamole Fresca by Daniel Marlos, June 2011. A few hours ago I posted this photograph from Daniel Marlos hoping to coax the recipe out of him as soon as possible... and here it is.  Daniel mentions that he makes it with stale chips, but  I suspect that is simply a mention of the actual ingredients he had on hand, not a recommendation. Guacamole Fresca by Daniel Marlos This

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-30933138194299639692011-06-27T17:31:00.000-07:002011-06-27T17:48:57.807-07:00

Daniel Marlos sent me this tantalizing photo of Guacamole Fresca, but with only a promise of a recipe.  I'm hoping that if I post his very pretty photograph, it will encourage him to send in the recipe.  I'm feeling hungry already... Still Life of ingredients for Guacamole Fresca, June 2011.  Photograph courtesy Daniel Marlos, copyright 2011.

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-77719342089175049632011-06-27T06:58:00.000-07:002011-06-27T06:58:00.473-07:00

When I created the Eat Sunday Dinner Questionnaire, I created a list of ten questions that I thought would allow participants to talk about their relationship to food in a personal and revealing way.  The first question in the ESD Questionnaire is "What is your favorite food?" and it's amazing how many times responders will discuss comfort food in their answers.  ESD's Hong Kong correspondent 

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-12627722543307505142011-06-24T11:12:00.000-07:002011-06-27T17:47:46.874-07:00

I just received the following letter from Daniel Marlos, who came up with an ingenious plan for dealing with bolted lettuce.  My lettuce crop bit the dust a few weeks ago when I made the mistake of trying to separate some of the clumps of plants.  I knew it was risky when I did it, but the girls had such a fun time replanting the lettuce that it was worth it.  My only regret is that I don't have

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-24859881828253619702011-06-21T15:05:00.000-07:002011-06-21T17:01:12.449-07:00

The remains of my grandmother's Guardian Ware lid, Spring 2011. This post has been a long time coming--- mostly because I've been so heartbroken that I haven't wanted to think about the "unfortunate incident", much less write about it.   But here goes... About a month ago I broke the lid to my grandmother's favorite Guardian Ware pot with tempered glass lid.  She used it to cook every meal I

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-35500624070843335502011-06-17T11:25:00.000-07:002011-06-17T13:19:25.590-07:00

The Second-- or is it the Third?-- Grapefruit Harvest of the Season, June 2011. With only a few days left in Spring, I thought I should file what I believe will be the final citrus report for the season.  Although I've lived in Southern California for almost twenty years, I haven't still figured out the citrus season so who knows... there may be another Citrus Report yet to come.  Our citrus

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-735084149686961952011-06-16T16:50:00.000-07:002011-06-16T16:50:38.940-07:00

"A" is for Annabel, June 2011. This past weekend I brought back a Sunday dinner tradition from my own childhood-- "Alphabet Pancakes".  We never had a name for them when I was a kid, but sometimes my mom would let us make pancakes in the shapes our our initials and my sister and I loved it. On Sunday morning my husband took the kids out of the house so I could sleep in.   While they were gone

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-90309324700767773632011-06-14T13:50:00.000-07:002011-06-14T16:01:45.004-07:00

When I headed out the door on Saturday night to go to my friend Amy Oliver's photography exhibition, I knew I would get to see great photographs and to drink great beer brewed by Amy's husband Jared.  What I didn't know is that I'd also have the opportunity to eat Jared's homemade bread, still warm from the oven, and topped with a giant blob of Icelandic butter. Fridgeir's mobile photo of

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-56523039994964785062011-06-10T12:47:00.000-07:002011-06-10T12:47:06.680-07:00

A lingering shoulder injury has left me feeling less than creative in the kitchen and I've relied on my old standards for feeding my family in the past month.  We've eaten lots of spinach lasagna, broccoli pasta, "grandma potatoes" and homemade fish sticks.  I've also emptied the freezer of all the tupperware-encased meals I stashed away "in case of emergency".  Now that the "emergency" and the

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-80830276881219463902011-06-09T13:47:00.000-07:002011-06-10T09:41:38.776-07:00

The first tomatoes of the season in front of the Mortgage Lifter plant, June 2011. On Monday I harvested the first of our tomato crop.  We had just four small cherry tomatoes fully ripened on the vine, but they were so beautiful and fragrant that I took a photo of them and decided to make a salad in their honor. This salad not only showcased our first home-grown tomatoes of the season, it also

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-41367313626766193502011-06-07T17:32:00.000-07:002011-06-08T08:04:45.599-07:00

Those of you who have been following the Mystery Fruit Tree saga and the recent Don't Eat These Mushrooms! thread know that I'm excited by culinary mysteries-- especially when they take place in my own backyard. Mystery fruit as it fell in my tomato patch, late May 2011. Looking up into the mystery tree, late Spring 2011. Today, I'm hoping to enlist readers' help to get to the bottom of my

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-47013891810060635482011-06-03T07:26:00.000-07:002011-06-03T07:26:00.156-07:00

Vegetables hot off the grill in our backyard, Memorial Day weekend, 2011. This past weekend we had the most amazing barbecue we've ever hosted at our house.   My husband and I couldn't stop telling each other how fantastic is was.  Then we discussed how lame we were for being so pleased with ourselves. Magical unicorn in our backyard, Memorial Day weekend, 2011. We didn't have a giant party

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-62346548296318021182011-06-02T16:12:00.000-07:002011-06-02T21:03:33.340-07:00

My Plate (Image: USDA) Just when I finally came to terms with the fact that I should probably start paying more attention to the food pyramid, the USDA dumped it in favor of a plate (with a semi-detached dairy circle/glass).  They've also launched a new website choosemyplate.com with a very long list of guidelines to accompany "the plate".  I must admit that I haven't made it through all the

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-85758989966075015772011-05-31T10:14:00.000-07:002011-05-31T10:15:02.510-07:00

Strange mushroom growing in my backyard, May 2011. Thanks to several knowledgeable readers I have now learned that the mushrooms growing in my backyard are definitely NOT for human consumption.  I mistakenly thought the weird, drippy brown substance on the mushroom I tentatively (and incorrectly) identified as a morel was just mud from my tomato patch.  It turned out to be something far more

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-14136641493636238762011-05-30T09:40:00.000-07:002011-05-30T09:40:42.710-07:00

I am thrilled to report that the recent hostage situation regarding Daniel's Turkey Thighs and Roasted Vegetables has been safely resolved.  And I can now offer up Daniel's recipe, but please note that since we at ESD received his ransom note, Daniel has changed the title of the dish.  I am reprinting the photo of the dish below for those of you who missed the original post. Daniel's Dinner in

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-4672787851012286182011-05-29T19:45:00.000-07:002011-05-29T19:45:43.332-07:00

Daniel's photo of his roasted turkey thighs, recipe NOT included, 2011. I don't normally support the idea of paying off blackmailers or negotiating with kidnappers, but my friend Daniel sent me this photo with the following message:I know Eat Sunday Dinner is dying for this recipe.  Once the photo is posted, I will supply the recipe.D.I didn't read the message immediately and therefore didn't

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-74049219797170504762011-05-27T07:49:00.000-07:002011-05-27T07:49:00.865-07:00

There are many skills in life I wish I possessed-- the ability to sing, a better understanding of the stock market, and the capacity to identify wild mushrooms.  Sadly, I suspect I won't develop any of these talents in my lifetime. I remember my grandfather roaming the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains behind his house to forage for wild mushrooms.  He'd leave the house with a golf club, a

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-16150586790838360252011-05-26T15:26:00.000-07:002011-05-26T15:38:20.746-07:00

Regular readers of this blog know that I've been offline for a while and only yesterday sat down at my computer to write my first brief blog report in over a month.  The easiest and most dignified way to explain my absence is to say that I injured my rotator cuff.  (No need to mention double strollers, babies who are no longer babies, and a giant hill with a 45 degree angle slope.)  My shoulder

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-6957114782577687632011-05-25T13:31:00.000-07:002011-05-26T12:35:49.059-07:00

The expertly measured espresso shelf in Lisa's downtown loft kitchen, 2011. Not too long ago my friend Lisa sent me these photos of two new additions to her downtown loft kitchen-- a shelf for espresso-making supplies and large wall unit of shelves for ripening fruit.  I'm not sure which I like better, but I'm pretty jealous of them both. The shelves and cabinets in my tiny 1920's kitchen are

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-8673184577382624072011-04-28T16:39:00.000-07:002011-04-28T16:45:23.487-07:00

I'd like to say that guilt has no place in the kitchen, but my kitchen is full of it today. I was sick with a nasty cold last week and I didn't feel much like cooking the labor-intensive meals I'd envisioned when I bought a cart-full of supplies at the grocery store.  As a result, much of the food I bought last week was sent to the frosty netherworld of my freezer or sat festering in my

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-62532236183998735622011-04-25T07:52:00.000-07:002011-04-25T07:52:00.835-07:00

Grapefruit tree tucked into corner of our yard, 2011. Our small garden is backed with fruit-bearing trees.  We have an orange tree, a lemon tree, two loquat trees, an unknown (and seemingly inedible) green plum of some sort, and a grapefruit tree tucked into a small corner up by the house. I find it hard to believe that the grapefruit tree grows at all, as shaded as it is by the large loquat

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-78879493608412622002011-04-22T11:48:00.000-07:002011-04-22T11:48:27.403-07:00

Italian mixed green seedlings sprout in our garden, April 2011. It's only been about a week since we planted our garden and everything is doing surprisingly well.  The lettuce has sprouted and the bare-root strawberry plants are twice as big as they were when we planted them.  Even the basil and parsley are coming along, despite the fact that the squirrels keep digging holes in the dirt

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-2120288048187915182011-04-19T10:24:00.000-07:002011-04-20T18:13:10.757-07:00

I've been looking forward to Spring Break for some time now, but unlike most people-- especially college students-- I've been looking forward to this week as a time to catch up on work.  (I know.  I'm old and boring.  And I'm going with it.)  Looking at the calendar last week, I realized that I had three days for "work" during my Spring Break.  Being a type-A list maker, I made a list of

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-89998591709800679592011-04-18T07:37:00.000-07:002011-04-18T07:37:00.403-07:00

A clump of loquats ripen on one of our two loquat trees, April 2011. It's hard to believe that it was only a year ago I tasted loquats for the first time.  Looking back at last year's blog report, I've realized that the loquat crop is coming later this year.  We had a tree full of ripe loquats by the end of March last year.  And on April 18, 2010, we were gathering loquats by the wagon-full and

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-51939027688674503092011-04-15T06:25:00.000-07:002011-04-15T06:25:00.226-07:00

My garden's new plantings, April 2011. I live in Southern California, so I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I didn't plant my garden until this past week.  It's even more embarrassing to admit that I didn't even do it myself.  It's not that I can't plant a garden by myself, I just haven't found the time this year.  Or to be more precise-- I haven't MADE the time to plant a garden this year.

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-14932012419068465722011-04-14T09:49:00.000-07:002011-04-14T09:50:07.511-07:00

When I fist visited the home of my soon-to-be college roommate she introduced me to her friends Pirohi and Halupki.  They were rabbits.  She kept them in a metal cage tucked into a corner of her white-carpeted condo.  (That's another story.)  Although my roommate liked these traditional Eastern European comfort foods enough to name her rabbits after them, she wasn't much of a cook and I didn't

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-16485750319913249762011-03-31T16:22:00.000-07:002011-03-31T16:22:22.672-07:00

Regular readers of this blog know that I've been following my friend Daniel's highly successful attempts to pickle his own cabbage.  I've tried it straight out of the crock and fried in a kielbasa sandwich.  But my favorite use of sauerkraut is when it's stuffed in homemade pirohi. I love pirohi-- especially Daniel's pirohi, which I consider to be the best in the world.  When I was pregnant and

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-65750624889598442892011-03-29T10:18:00.000-07:002011-03-29T10:18:22.076-07:00

Photograph of Luca Loffredo courtesy Claudia V. Rosas. Luca Loffredo is one of those rare people who has managed to achieve success in more than one creative field.  He's both an accomplished chef and a great photographer.  (He shot the photo of yours-truly for this blog and I can assure you that I am not an easy person to photograph.) Luca is also one of the nicest and most generous people I

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-15099038422036811432011-03-23T21:20:00.000-07:002011-03-23T21:20:26.758-07:00

The Mysterious Fruit Tree in Daniel's side yard, November 2010. In spite of the fact that my friend Daniel runs the wildly successful website What's That Bug?, he seems to be having a bit of trouble posting comments to this blog.  Because I'm so determined to get to solve The Mystery of the Unknown Fruit Tree, I've taken it upon myself to post Daniel's latest response to keep the investigation

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-60574652751966595082011-03-22T10:04:00.000-07:002011-03-22T10:04:23.540-07:00

I've had some questions from readers about the origins of my friend Daniel's mystery fruit tree and after further research, the questions have multiplied and there are few answers in sight.   My friend Bharati asked if the tree has two fruiting seasons.  Daniel says no.  The tree has one fruiting per year.  It blooms in March and the fruit is ready in November.  I think Daniel was careful not to

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-49260530649278724702011-03-18T07:59:00.000-07:002011-03-18T07:59:00.342-07:00

Mystery Fruit Tree Blossoms in Daniel's Yard, March 2011. This past November I reported that my friend Daniel had a mystery fruit tree that he eventually determined to be a Sliva or Bulgarian plum tree.   At the time, it was heavy with fruit and I ungraciously called it "a funny little tree". Daniel's Sliva Tree Last November 2010. Don't get me wrong.  Daniel's sliva tree is STILL a funny

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-23839120986091879102011-03-17T12:59:00.000-07:002011-03-18T20:37:23.049-07:00

Dean Norma's Ring Bauerware collection.  Photo courtesy Carla Richmond. This Sunday Dinner Questionnaire is a little unusual because it comes from someone I've never met-- or even seen in a photograph.  I have, however, heard Dean Norman's voice in my new favorite podcast Homely Living 101.  Dean Norman is the founder of the Institute for Homely Living, which bills itself as "the only school

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-64145853245124677302011-03-10T10:53:00.000-08:002011-03-10T13:26:16.355-08:00

In the first installment of this series I made a list of my favorite Sunday dinner foods and a second list of the foods I actually prepare for my family's Sunday dinner.  It was an interesting exercise because I discovered something I'd never thought about before-- I never make any of MY favorite foods for Sunday dinner.  Why not?  Because I have several young children in my family and I've been

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-59265366816355514912011-03-08T10:44:00.000-08:002011-03-08T10:44:31.063-08:00

I love lists and whenever I find myself overwhelmed, I react by making a list.  Or filing something. Making lists and creating a beautiful filing system gives me the illusion that life is under control.  And even when it isn't, the process of writing a list of my problems or filing away papers that upset me is an incredibly comforting act.  Once the offending papers are filed away and the to-do

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-89145528025516148222011-03-04T08:16:00.000-08:002011-03-04T08:16:00.163-08:00

If I were a different sort of person, I'd try to fool readers into believing that this year I had a romantic Valentine's Day dinner with my husband-- complete with escargot-- to remind ourselves of our honeymoon in Paris. Escargot To-Go, Feb. 14, 2011. The truth is that my husband and I decided that it wasn't worth the effort to try to find a babysitter on Valentine's Day.  But we're always up

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-60772830909011342332011-03-03T17:02:00.000-08:002011-03-03T17:04:31.682-08:00

Jared's homemade crossiants and a beer named Stephen, Feb. 2011. Hanging out with our neighbors Amy and Jared is always fun, but our visit with them last week was especially exciting because it included homemade croissants and a home-brewed beer that Jared calls "Stephen" after Amy's brother.  Our visit was also a good reminder of how important it is to cultivate friendships with good neighbors

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-71103720426290293282011-02-27T20:37:00.000-08:002011-02-27T21:13:15.644-08:00

Photo courtesy Daniel Marlos, Feb. 27, 2011. This afternoon I received a somewhat cryptic e-mail from my friend Daniel with the header:  "Sunday Dinner to Go:  Academy Awards Pot Luck Lasagna Sin Carne".  I can only assume this means that Daniel was invited to a potluck Academy Awards party and that he took homemade vegetarian lasagna. Knowing Daniel, he made a delicious lasagna for the party

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-50916700421325706562011-02-25T08:52:00.000-08:002012-01-26T07:02:21.102-08:00

My first attempt at making marmalade, Feb. 2011. It's been several weeks since I attempted making orange marmalade and I'm still so exhausted from the experience that I haven't had the energy to sit down and write about it until now. My first attempt was not a great success, but I did eventually end up with something edible.  Runny, but edible.  My friend Daniel is already in the middle of

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-82511848427525766182011-02-24T11:53:00.000-08:002011-02-24T12:12:23.754-08:00

Daniel's first sauerkraut, Feb. 2011. We at the ESD offices have been enjoying watching Daniel Marlos make sauerkraut almost as much as we've enjoyed eating it. In this second installment of Daniel's kraut-making process, I've decided to post a few photos and a brief video to show you how the sauerkraut is coming along.  In a few days, I'll be posting the full recipe.  (I must admit I'm

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-24207965426462410002011-02-17T17:24:00.000-08:002011-02-18T10:55:21.323-08:00

Christine Jagolino on a culinary adventure in Indonesia. Hong Kong correspondent Christine Jagolino has just filed this fascinating report on her visit to a private kitchen in the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong. Before talking to Christine, I'd read about private kitchens-- unlicensed restaurants with homestyle cooking-- but I didn't realize they were such a phenomenon.   In a place like Hong

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-20773656073254427532011-02-15T10:08:00.000-08:002011-02-15T10:08:43.708-08:00

When I started making meatloaf based on recipes from my great-grandmother's Brethren cookbook, I was already thinking about writing a blog post about how delicious my meatloaf was and how much  my family raved about it.  Instead, I am choosing to suppress the recipe (heaven forbid someone actually tried to make it!) and I'm sitting down to write about The Great Meatloaf Disaster. My first

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-85523997848451633282011-02-11T11:31:00.000-08:002011-02-11T11:31:00.217-08:00

Sandwich of Daniel's homemade sauerkraut and kielbasa (not homemade) with mustard on rye, February 2011. My friend Daniel is known for his great cooking and baking, but he's outdone himself with his latest pickling project-- homemade sauerkraut.  My grandmother used to make sauerkraut, but when I was a kid I never liked it.  Luckily, my love of pickled foods has grown over the years, and when I

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-54708837273117123402011-02-10T14:53:00.000-08:002011-02-11T14:26:42.596-08:00

Today I made my first batch of homemade baked beans and they were pretty delicious if I do say so myself.  (It's early here, and nobody else in my family has tried them yet, but I couldn't resist writing this post before dinnertime.) Baked beans in my grandmother's Guardian Ware pot, Feb. 10, 2011. Frequent readers of this blog know that I'm in the middle of a year long project to cook from my

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-43425478597811727672011-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:002011-02-07T08:36:00.275-08:00

Firemen eat salad. Fireman fantasies usually involve hunky men without shirts... rippling muscles under yellow coats... and massive meals of chili and near-raw steaks. I don't know what firemen usually eat, but on the day my daughter's class visited Station #31, the firefighters were having salad for lunch. Our trip to the fire station was fascinating... though it ruined some myths for me.  

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-70906604927055320732011-02-04T08:17:00.000-08:002011-02-04T12:12:20.144-08:00

I find myself spending too much time on a newly discovered website-- a guilty pleasure when I'm supposed to be working.  It's called  Feasting on Art-- a blog devoted to art about food and making food inspired by art (and then photographing it).  The woman behind this blog is Megan Fizell-- art historian, photographer, writer, and cook.   Photo courtesy Megan Fizell. In each blog post, Megan

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-60674224784890411862011-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:002011-02-03T09:00:22.365-08:00

In the early days of my television career, I was a producer who traveled all over the world to interview on-camera experts for various documentaries.  One day I'd interview a Voodoo Priestess.  The next day I'd drink margaritas with Shirley Corriher, world-renowned food scientist and author of the James Beard award-winning cookbook BakeWise.  I loved my job because it was a great way to meet

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-80075635705570267472011-01-28T09:03:00.000-08:002011-01-28T09:22:16.513-08:00

Newly invented orange-cream cheese frosting for Brethren-inspired Jam Cake, January 2011. I recently discovered a recipe for Blackberry Jam Cake in my great-grandmother's copy of the Inglenook Cookbook and I just had to try it.  The recipe was three sentences long, so I really only had the general IDEA for Blackberry Jam Cake.  There were no oven temperature, no baking time, and only the single

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-1715660922748822312011-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:002011-01-27T06:00:16.265-08:00

Vi picks red ursa kale in her garden, 2011. I'm excited to follow up my post on The Vegetable/Ceramics Exchange with an ESD Questionnaire from Vi Thuc Ha, one of the main participants.  It's been a pleasure to get to know Vi and to see her perennial garden in the backyard of her home in Chavez Ravine.  She sent me her questionnaire response just before Thanksgiving, but I held onto it until we

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-72232772159577685432011-01-24T16:16:00.000-08:002011-01-24T16:16:57.932-08:00

Bari's ceramic piece traded for veggies. I met artist Bari Ziperstein when I participated in her "plate project" at LACMA.  I loved the project and stayed in touch with Bari, who recently revealed an interesting bit of personal trivia-- she trades ceramics for vegetables with her friend Vi Thuc Ha.  I was intrigued by this idea, but became even more interested when her friend turned out to be

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-4403601892137387752011-01-21T14:21:00.000-08:002011-01-21T15:14:43.220-08:00

My great-grandmother's cookbook on my desk, January 2011. I just started cooking from my great-grandmother's cookbook, but until recently I didn't know much about it-- not even the title.  The book has no cover and a number of pages are missing.  Luckily, it turned out to be quite simple to identify.  I knew my grandmother's cookbook was problaby Brethren, not because it said so, but because

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-57494323973985529902011-01-18T15:38:00.000-08:002011-01-28T09:06:12.455-08:00

My fist attempt at adapting a recipe from my great-grandmother's Brethren cookbook, Jan. 17, 2011. Regular readers of this blog know that I committed to using my great-grandmother's Brethren cookbook as a resource for new recipes this year.  A few days ago I realized that I needed to make a cake and since the cake was for MY birthday, I figured I could choose anything I wanted.  If I'd given

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-38657257194703020992011-01-14T10:00:00.000-08:002011-01-18T15:41:53.084-08:00

The discovery of my great-grandmother's cookbook has started me on my Year of Brethren Food, but I think I should make some clarifications regarding my previous post. I don't intend to cook EVERY recipe in the book... I will use my great-grandmother's cookbook to prepare foods I have to make anyway.  We have food allergies in my family, so I can't buy store-bought products the way I used to.  

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-74888497609976954212011-01-13T13:17:00.000-08:002011-01-13T13:17:45.944-08:00

In the midst of a hard and demoralizing day, I found myself sprinting down the isles of Whole Foods, trying to pick up a few things before launching back into an afternoon of work.  I was a woman on a mission with no time for dawdling.  But before I knew what was happening, I was captivated by a powerfully delicious aroma.  A smell that could only come from one source-- MEAT. I never stop at

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-23540577508278336852011-01-07T05:13:00.000-08:002011-01-18T15:43:01.166-08:00

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I've been sucked into the over-saturated market of the "Year-Long Food Project".  I don't know how long it will last and I'm not trying to figure out who will play me in the movie.  I'm just trying to find some new recipes that bring me a little closer to my culinary roots.  I'm not even sure if these roots are worth getting closer to or that I'll even

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-90576047466132840492011-01-05T17:04:00.000-08:002011-01-06T16:36:49.405-08:00

Shirley Doogue: snake wrangler/cake baker. I met Shirley Doogue at my family's dinner table fifteen years ago.  She and her husband Jim had come to Virginia for their son's wedding to my sister and we all had dinner together the first night they arrived.  After dinner, Shirley and Jim presented me with a cigar box and said, "We found this at a garage sale and we thought you might like it."  

Susan Lutzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117003032073779830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2386142059547784900.post-19204131404645425772011-01-04T13:59:00.000-08:002011-01-05T08:36:35.631-08:00

Bari Ziperstein (center) arranges a mandala of plates at LACMA, November 2010. I first heard about Bari Ziperstein when she circulated a "Call for Plates" through the newsletter of a local arts organization.  Bari was in the process of collecting 1, 095 plates-- the number of plates that one person would use in a year if they ate three meals a day-- each off a different plate.  On a

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