Author Archive
Homemade Enchilada Sauce
No More Canned Enchilada Sauce I love enchilada sauce. When we go out to our favorite Mexican restaurant, I always order something slathered in it: a burrito, enchiladas or arroz con pollo. But any attempts to recreate these meals at home always fall flat. It’s because of the sauce. I did my usual online research […] Read More
The Carless Week
In Which This Bike Riding Thing Becomes Significant Last Monday, I took the car to the dealership for a routine oil change. I’m out of warranty now, so I wouldn’t normally still go to the dealership, but it’s had this pesky recurring habit of running very loudly, like is that my car or a delivery […] Read More
Four Cheese Mac and Cheese
The Best Mac and Cheese Ever I was having the kind of week where Murphy’s Law was in full effect. Comfort foods were sorely needed, and nothing says “comfort” like mac and cheese. But I needed something more than the usual mac. My go-to recipes are usually Alton Brown’s stovetop version, and his baked version. […] Read More
Anasazi Beans
The Prettiest Beans in the World A few weeks ago, I went to the store to replenish my stock of small red beans for red beans and rice. They were out of the red beans in the bulk aisle, so I tried the packaged, dried beans. That’s when I stumbled across a bag from Bob’s […] Read More
That Thing Where Your Whole Website Vanishes
Always Back Up Yesterday, I forked over my long-overdue (oops) subscription fee for my blog theme, installed it and… nothing. Betty vanished. After a barrage of foul language and much adrenaline-fueled panic, I managed to restore to a previous version and get the blog back up and running. I have never been so happy to […] Read More
Forget the Bacon: Go Pancetta
Pancetta is Better Than Bacon What’s better than bacon? Ok, admittedly very little. But in recipes, it turns out that pancetta > bacon. I’ve been using bacon in plenty of bean and slow cooker recipes, and it works fine for flavor. But uncooked bacon leaves behind a stringy mess that needs to be fished out […] Read More
Birthday Season: Berry Bundt
Fresh Berry Bundt Cake Years ago, when we lived in the Old Neighborhood, we had certain traditions. On the weekends, The Husbands would grill elaborate meats while we would make bundt cakes. (I’m pretty sure that this started with an NPR Weekend Edition story about the inventor of the bundt pan; if that wasn’t the […] Read More
Betty Says: That’s a Hand Signal
Learn Your Hand Signals Since I started riding my bike, I’ve learned that there are three responses to my hand signals, as witnessed in oncoming cars: She’s waving to me. Why is she waving to me? Where do I know her from? *slows car, gives cautious wave back* She’s signaling a turn, which must mean […] Read More
Training (of sorts): Defeating Insomnia
You guys, I have no idea what’s been going on with me this past week, but I can’t sleep to save myself. I’m tired — exhausted, in fact — and struggle to stay up past 10:00. I go to bed and I’m deeply asleep before my head hits the pillow… and then I’m wide awake […] Read More
Birthday Season: Angel Food Cake
Angel Food: A Betty Tradition This is a repeat from 2011, but it’s the recipe that I used to make the Tiny Kitchen Assistant’s birthday cake this week. It comes from Alton Brown and it’s always a winner. Use whatever flavor of extract floats your boat. The original recipe calls for orange, and I usually […] Read More
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