Good, Simple Advice from the Pros

This is a quick read with some easy-to-remember tips.

4 Things Restaurant Chefs Wish They Could Tell You

CanCan's Asian Wings

The Recipe You NEED to Try on Your Grill this Summer! 

So, it's been a while...

Last weekend, I watched one of those Food Network shows where chefs talk about the best food they ever ate, cooked, fried, etc. This one was dedicated to the grill since it's almost peak grilling time.

While I never take notes watching these shows, or look the recipes up after, I do draw inspiration. I combine that with the kitchen know-how and trusty palette I have developed over the years to create my own recipes. I give them the CanCan treatment, if you will.

With that in mind, this is a rough look at what I threw in a 2-day marinade for some chicken wings based on a recipe I saw on Food Network. Just mix well and add to gallon-size plastic bag with a dozen whole wings. Lie flat in the fridge, turning the bag over twice a day to equally distribute marinade.


1/4 Cup Dried Seaweed Flakes, Rehydrated in a little warm water
Zest and Juice of One Lime
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Low-Sodium Soy
1 Tablespoon Vietnamese Chili Paste
1 Tablespoon Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 Tablespoon of Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon of Fish Sauce
1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon of Powdered Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon of Ground White Pepper


After a good 2-day marinade, grill them on indirect heat for a slow-cook of about 45 mins. (It's very important that there be no flame directly below them or they will scorch before achieving that fall-off-the-bone effect.) They will gradually brown a little during this time, but not much. At the end, move them to the hot side of the grill for 1-3 minutes, turning often, to caramelize the skin and finish the wings.

Make sure to let them rest for a good 5-10 minutes. Then, pile them up with scissored green onion and a sprinkle of crushed peanuts as garnish. Enjoy!   -CanCan

Vegans and Coconut Milk

 A very random thought, food-related of course...

I'm not a vegan--or a vegetarian for that matter. I like meat a couple times a week, and I also eat a lot of seafood for protein. However, the concept of being vegan intrigues me, so I read a lot about it, particularly recipes and how to swap traditional ingredients for vegan alternatives. Coconut milk comes up time and time again as a swap for sweetened dairy in dessert recipes. I mean, it seems like it's in every single vegan dessert recipe that's not essentially just fruit. If you ever want a creamy texture in a vegan dessert (ice 'cream', pie, pudding, you name it), you reach for the coconut milk.

So, I'm curious...can you be a vegan and not like coconut? With my incredible sweet tooth, I doubt I could survive on plain fruit alone. Thankfully, I love the flavor of coconut, but I'd be curious to know of vegans that don't and if they feel a little left out come dessert time.

This ends the randomness...go on with your day.

3rd Summer CSA Pick-Up!

This week's share was much like last week's, but with the added pleasure of freshly unearthed new potatoes! Extra sugar snap peas are always welcome at our house too, so we were pleased to get a full pound this week! Here's the list:

1 bag of Yukina Savoy cabbage
1 head of Red Leaf Lettuce
1 pound of Sugar Snap Peas (Yay!)
2 Onions
1 bunch of small Beets with Greens
2 Tomatoes (big and beautiful)
1 Quart of (gorgeous) Strawberries!

2nd CSA Pick-Up!

Again, I forgot to take a picture of everything. Sorry. I've already prepped stuff for dinner, so it's not all in one piece any more. This week from Heron Pond Farm as part of our full farm share we got:

1 bag of Yukina Savoy cabbage
1 head of Red Leaf Lettuce
1 bunch of Swiss Chard
1 pint of Sugar Snap Peas (Yay!)
3 Onions
1 bunch of small Beets with Greens
1 Tomato (big and beautiful)
1 Quart of (gorgeous) Strawberries!

Tonight, we're having the yukina savoy and some onions, as part of Pad Thai (along with some carrot, bean sprouts, egg and chicken). That tomato seems a little under-ripe, so I might bake it--stuffed with seafood stuffing. The sugar snap peas and chard/beet greens will be sides with dinner another night soon. The strawberries will be eaten over the next day or two, as breakfast over cottage cheese or as dessert with sugar and whipped cream. I'll probably use all the lettuce in a big salad tomorrow for lunch, possibly with roasted beets and crumbled blue cheese (hmmmm).

The value of this share is unbelievable--and it's only June.

I'm on Pinterest!

Where has this site been all my life? I can look at endless pictures of food--and edit the "menu" to my precise liking. I follow a limited number of boards, mostly food related of course. Daily visits to my page not only inspire me, but also give me the munchies. Check out the boards I follow: http://pinterest.com/shannonmperry/following/ and the two boards I just started for myself: http://pinterest.com/mcdougallduval/shannon-hungry-wordsmith/ and http://pinterest.com/shannonmperry/it-s-all-about-the-ingredients/

It's Summer CSA Season!

I cannot tell you how excited I was to pick up our first CSA share of the summer today from Heron Pond Farm (www.heronpondfarm.com)! Just the idea of the summer produce season keeps me going through March and April. I'm a seasonal food fanatic, and as a New Englander, that means I eat best from June to November, starting today.

My super CSA share today included:

A generous bag of Swiss Chard
Another generous bag of Baby Kale
3 onions
2 lbs of potatoes
1 head of beautiful Red Leaf Lettuce
1 quart of ripely red STRAWBERRIES!

I didn't think the farm's strawberry crop was ready yet, so that was a terrific surprise! These babies are small and sweet, bursting with juice. I can only imagine the berries that are yet to come after this soaking of a rain and a week or so of sunshine!

I'll try to photograph the CSA shares more in the future. Tonight, we're digging right into the Swiss Chard (sauteed with olive oil, garlic and crumbled Ritz crackers, finished with freshly grated parmesan cheese).