Crab legs are the fanciest, most low-effort food to prepare at home.
They’re so easy to prepare, it’s almost stupid.
Before the pandemic, I remember paying $30+ at a restaurant for a steam pot meal that included a cluster of snow crab legs and lots of other things that weren’t snow crab legs.
Just the other week, I was craving a big all-you-can-eat crab leg meal. All I wanted was for someone to watch my kids so we could go pig-out on crab. Continue reading
AYO Frozen Meals caught my eye at Target. I have never seen West African food in the frozen food section of the grocery store before and was excited to try them.
I recognized Top Chef finalist’s Eric Adjepong’s face on one of the boxes.
Fred and Perteet Spencer started the AYO Foods brand in Chicago. Naomi Waxman’s Eater profile from June 2022 shares their story. You can find them at the following stores listed on this page (Whole Foods and Target in the Twin Cities). In this article, Pertit Spencer mentions that her father’s stews could take six hours to cook. Part of their goal was to make their favorite meals more readily available in minutes.
At our local Target, they cost around $5.60 each. Today, I found them on sale at Target for 2/$9.
We tried the four meals available at our Target: Jollof Rice with Chicken, Groundnut Stew with Chicken, Waakye Beans and Rice, and Chicken Yassa.
You know how sometimes someone you know will claim something is the *best* restaurant or food and you know it’s probably not?
At my previous job, I worked with two women who would bicker all of the time. They would turn staff meetings into Dwight Schrute vs. Dwight Schrute pissing contests.
Even though I’ve attended culinary school, worked in restaurants, and dedicated most of my life to trying and writing about food, they acted completed disinterested and dismissive about anything I said about cooking or dining.
One in particular would lecture me on how I could prepare very simple dishes.
I started to play it off and pretend I was actually really bad at cooking.
I actually wrote this post many many moons ago when I was an herbalist’s apprentice! Didn’t mean to republish it with today’s date, but I was looking for the recipe and noticed it was in draft-status.
A tiny, Asian female walks into a liquor store at 9:30 a.m. and buys two large bottles of vodka, one of which is 100 proof, in addition to a large bottle of brandy.
When purchasing copious amounts of hard alcohol for my herbalism endeavors, I often elicit strange reactions. Being in a hurry probably doesn’t help.
Last Saturday morning, I purchased alcohol to make my spring dandelion cordial, tinctures and flower essences.
The cashier avoided all eye contact with me during our transaction and hesitantly muttered “I hope you have a good weekend” from the corner of her mouth while stealing a concerned peripheral glance.
Two years ago, on the way to my first herbalism class, I rushed into a Minneapolis liquor store and madly scoured the shelves for 100 proof vodka. I located a staff member and urgently asked for the location of his highest proof vodka. After receiving a concerned look from the supervisor, a male customer shuffled over to me and purred, “Yeaaaa, you gonna hit it” multiple times, while shrugging his shoulders and flashing his best, predatory smile.
This is not a weed
Dandelion flowers can be made into an olive oil salve that can help relax muscles. The leaves are a delicious bitter green, and the roots can be made into a medicinal tonic in the fall. The flowers can also be made into a beautifully yellow cordial. It is hard to explain the flavor of this cordial other than to say it is unusual, refreshing, and universally enjoyed by all who have tried my version.
My summer adult beverage of choice is made from tonic water, a splash of dandelion cordial, and a slice of lemon. The recipe I use comes from A City Herbal by Maida Silverman.
The recipe
I feel it might be proper to add an “enjoy responsibly” disclaimer.
I know we’re 2000 and late to Malcom Yards Food Hall.
Back in November 2021 I visited here for a quick meal at Bagu.
We tried to go back soon after, but there was such a long line to get into the parking lot that we left.
It’s permanently busy, even on a weekday.
Jake really wanted to try Wrecktangle pizza which recently won Good Morning America’s Best Pizza in America contest. Detroit-style pizza is having a moment here.
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