TheCulinaryCalendar

Seasonal - Organic - Local

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Sunday Spicelight Recipe: Garam Masala

This Sunday, the Culinary Calendar is #coronavirusquarantining and today we’re highlighting the Indian spice mix, Garam Masala. I adore Indian food and wanted to make Chana Masalathis week as we self-isolate #alonetogether. This spice mix is not spicy at all, although “garam” in Hindi means “hot,” it does so in the Ayurvedic sense of the word “heating to the body.” You may reconize “masala” from…

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Summer 2019: What We're Doing/Listening to/Reading/Eating/Stoked On

#newblog: What We're Doing/Listening to/Reading/Eating/Stoked On in June #localfood #handmadepottery #wildrhubarb

What We’re Doing:

Hi friends! Here’s what’s new at the Culinary Calendar. July is already here and June was a blast. A busy summer is already underway here for us at the Culinary Calendar! First, we had entirely too much fun on a whirlwind 2-week food tour of the East Coast from Boston, Massachusetts up to Portland, Maine. Then we went to Carter Country ranch in Wyoming for the annual cattle…

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Recipe: Perfect Banana Bread

Recipe: Perfect Banana Bread

There is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked banana bread….except for the taste and texture. Our recipe for the homey favorite is exactly what you want banana bread to be — comforting, familiar, not-to-sweet, thick, soft and moist, best eaten right out of the oven with butter melting on top until it disappears into and becomes one with that golden loaf of homemade happiness. This is…

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Exciting News! Check Out TheCulinaryCalendar’s New Website!

Hi friends and thanks for following TheCulinaryCalendar on Tumblr! I have enjoyed being part of the Tumblr community and I appreciate your support over the last four years! I am excited to announce my shiny new website, the official theculinarycalendar.com! I will be keeping theculinarycalendar.tumblr.com as an archive of the last four years but will now be posting pictures, quotes, articles and lists on the new site. I am thrilled about the evolution of the Calendar, excited for the challenge of maintaining my own site, and hope to see you at theculinarycalendar.com! 

Thanks again Tumblr community! 

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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spinach & steak

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Fat gives things flavor.

Julia Child

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venison flatiron w/ fermented cricket mustard, red lentils, wild rice, red onion, pickled fresnos & charcoal spice

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red lentils w/ wild rice, onion, cilantro, pickled fresnos

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lamb merguez w/ bacon jam, pickled beet purée & micro mustard greens on baguette

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With enough butter, anything is good.

Julia Child

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Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.

Voltaire

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One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.

Luciano Pavarotti

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13 Lessons from a Chef

 After a couple decades of microwaving myself processed frozen meals, I met the love of my life, the talented chef and butcher, Nate (@boulderbutcher on Twitter). Here's some lessons I learned about professional cooking from the best chef in the world, who is now Boulder’s first and only whole-animal butcher also certified in charcuterie.

1. Mise en place

French for "things in place," this means "get your shit together so you don't run around like a chicken with its head cut off." It's like on cooking shows when all the ingredients are pre-measured in nice little glass bowls, ready to rock. Get everything ready and together, slice your veggies, etc, make it easy on yourself to get it done!

2. Work clean

Clean as you go, keep a sanitary solution/cleaner in spray bottle handy, keep rags handy, it looks nicer and is easier to clean up later.

3. Ask "Where does it come from?"

"Where did these strawberries come from? They're not in season here now." PASS. "Where did this lettuce come from? A local farm?" YES

4. Get to know your local farmers

Go to the farms, go to the farmer's markets, ask them questions, shake their hand, learn about seasonality and support local food!

5. Garden

Chefs want the freshest ingredients possible. Plus, "weeding is good for the soul." -Nate

6. Be efficient

"It takes seven steps to get from the sink to the oven, I have to be more efficient with my movements." 

Every step, every second counts.

7. Research

Go to your farmer’s market, meet the farms, shake their hand, ask questions about how they grow their food, what they’re growing and why. Read cookbooks, keep up with your favorite chefs via Twitter, culinary magazines and events. Research local food happenings in your area. Go to restaurants, go to other restaurants, go to new restaurants, go to restaurants! 

8. Get experience

If you want to be a chef, start as a dishwasher. 

9. Learn Spanish

And French!

10. Make things you've never cooked before.

Make things you've never seen before. Make things you've never heard of. 

11. Be nice

"Being nice is fun." -Nate

12. Be tough

Kitchens are rough. Get thick skin. Learn to laugh at yourself. 

13. Work harder than anyone else.

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Rules? There are no rules. Do whatever you want.

Grant Achatz

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What to Buy (and Not Buy) at Thrift Stores

I love thrift stores. It’s such a fun treasure-hunt to find great deals! Also, donating to and buying from local thrift stores supports your local economy, and specifically benefits great causes such as your local hospice, humane society, and Habitat for Humanity.

What to Buy Thrift:

1) Shirts -- check for defects, but often people give shirts to thrift stores that are in good condition but simply aren’t their style or fit.

2) Pants -- see above. 

3) Housewares like bowls, plates, utensils -- often in decent condition, you can get great deals on everyday household goods that people give away when they move.

4) Cast Iron Pots & Pants— my favorite thrift store find!! They get their own section because you can usually find seasoned cast irons for a great price at thrift stores.

5) Purses, backpacks, bags, wallets -- some people, like me, give perfectly good bags to thrift stores because they just have so darn many!

6 ) Vinyl records — a lot of times, they still work perfectly but have simply fallen out of disuse. If you listen to records, it’s worth the treasure-hunt to dig through thrift store stacks to find a sweet deal.

7) Curtains  

What Not to Buy Thrift:

1. Sheets and blankets -- gross.

2. Shoes -- even if they’re new and cute, it’s very likely they were donated because they are too uncomfortable to wear.

3. Socks & underwear -- not even an option. 

4. Jewelry — thrift stores typically aren’t a great place to find even semi-decent jewelry. Life’s too short for crappy jewelry.

5. Art (see above)

Thrift Stores in Boulder, Colorado

1) Plato’s Closet -- Plato’s Closet is a small shop catering to younger people, especially girls. They don’t accept drop-offs, they will pay you (a little bit) for your gently used brand-name clothes, shoes, and bags. I find amazing deals here on names like Abercrombie, Gap, 7 for All Mankind, Articles of Society, Vera Bradley, etc. I get almost all my jeans, shirts and purses here.

2) Goodwill -- Goodwill is great for household items and vinyl records.

3) Hospice -- Hospice has the best selection of good-quality furniture as well as housewares

4) Habitat for Humanity -- Not a traditional thrift store, rather a resource for the DIY homeowner, with great deals on appliances like dishwashers, refrigerators,  flooring, lighting, etc.

5) Humane Society Thrift & Gift -- great for furniture, clothes, housewares, and also has a great selection of quality books.

6) Ares -- good for miscellaneous housewares & clothes.

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dry-aged New York w/ asparagus & sweet potatoes