Bread And Butter: A Culinary Chronicle

My mother-in-law and I had a long-running … erm … “discussion” about whether or not it’s appropriate to wash raw meat before cooking it. She thought yes … you should wash it for the same reason that you wash apples and cereal bowls. To get the crud off.

Though known as the Beehive State, Utah produces less honey than its neighbors with North and South Dakotas pouring it on. What Utah does have is honey especially suited for storage, explains Maleesa Jacobsen of Cox Honey, a producer and distributor of honey in Utah for more than a century.

In northern Utah, we’re accustomed to a shorter growing season than warmer climates to the south. According to the National Gardening Association, Utah averages 170 days between the last frost and the first frost each year. Saint George is estimated at 207 days, while Logan clocks in at 164.

I can’t make chocolate chip cookies. Well, I can make them. People just don’t want to eat them afterward. No matter the method, ingredients or elevation, my cookies always seem to turn out too … something.

There have been a few big moments in the history of cooking – in 1961 when Julia Child published  “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”; in 1718 when Mary Eales recorded a recipe for ice cream; around 800 BC when the Greeks introduced olive oil to the Mediterranean. But nothing can beat that moment 1.8 million years ago when a Homo habilis creature … we’ll call him “Greg” … let the starchy root he was gnawing on slip into the fire, rescued it, took a bite, and evolved into a human.

You’ve heard about studies showing the impact of consistent family meals on teen behavior: the more often they eat dinner with their families, the less likely teens are to use drugs, alcohol or engage in other risky behavior. Family dinners at least five times per week are also tied to higher grades, self-esteem and resilience in youth. Why? Is it the homemade pasta? The garden fresh tomatoes? Nope. It’s YOU.

One of my kids just finished reading Farmer Boy, the second book in the charming “Little House” series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The main character, a boy named Almanzo, spends his days doing an absurd amount of wood chopping, ice cutting, and dirt-plowing, all without a word of complaint. … I’ve never known a nine-year-old who hadn’t perfected the art of the whine. My kids won’t even flush the toilet without a 50-decibel gripe.

The other day I plugged in my cell phone to recharge and felt a surprising rush of gratitude. What if this was how we gained energy, too?  Sitting for hours, tethered to an outlet? We’d probably twiddle our thumbs and hum 80’s billboard hits just to keep boredom at bay.

My favorite El Salvadoran food is the pupusa. To be honest it’s the only El Salvadoran food that I actually know. But since it’s the national dish it’s certainly worth noting. A delicious warming comfort food the pupusa is a soft corn dough filled with a savory filling flattened and cooked like a stuffed tortilla.  

When have you been thirsty? Really thirsty? We’re talking cotton-dry mouth, weak in the knees, with visions of bubbling streams and fountains dancing in your head?

While waiting in line at the grocery store the other day, I overheard a young woman debating with her friend whether or not it would be worth her time to learn to cook. “Sometimes it seems like kind of a waste,” she said. I wanted, at that point, to drop my sweet cream butter and celery stalk dramatically back into my cart and grasp this woman by the shoulders “Why,” I’d ask her with an intense and penetrating gaze, “would you ever consider NOT learning to cook?”

This deceptively simple breakfast food has the potential to be truly special - if you know what you're doing.

From sweet to savory, simple to supreme, pie has been a staple in American homes for generations.

Ketchup comes in more varieties than most people know, and is likely the most American dish there is.

Homegrown mushrooms can be an excellent addition to many meals, and tend to be an under-appreciated food.

Lael Gilbert talks about how food and fun can help people across all cultures meet in the middle - and it all started with a birthday invitation addressed to her 3rd grader with the added words "y familia."