A couple of Sundays ago, a friend of mine came over to my new place and we decided to explore my new neighborhood (downtown in the best little city on the planet). We stopped in at a …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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2/2/22
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Years ago, I was in Costco, and met the then chief of police in my town. We started talking and I learned that both he and his wife are Puerto Rican.
I may have mentioned one or twelve hundred …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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1/26/22
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Last week, I had an awful day. Cruelty is the worst, but when it comes from someone you didn’t think was capable of it, it breaks you a bit and shakes the earth upon which you stand.
By the time …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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1/19/22
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In the last year, I’ve made a wonderful discovery.
I have many more friends than I thought, and they’re the kind of friends I call the “2 a.m. friends.” They are the people who you can …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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1/12/22
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I’d had a couple glasses of wine.
The Kid had a beer and two cans of hard cider.
I’m a laughably cheap drunk, so I was tipsy. The drinking had been over a few hours, so I assumed The Kid …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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1/5/22
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In days of yore, Gentle Reader, I would literally spend two or even three days on an elaborate, labor-intensive dinner.
Then I got a job selling cars.
So, these days elaborate and …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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12/8/21
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This is the only recipe that I offer every year, because these cookies are spectacularly, astonishingly delicious.
But their very humble looks are infinitely deceiving. Finished, they look less …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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12/1/21
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I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love brownie mix. I also generally fear and loath most other types of pre-fab, chemically enhanced food from a box.
But I must confess to you a dirty …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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11/23/21
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I have been visiting my new favorite grocery store every Wednesday and aside from always ordering some pizza we’ll have for dinner later, I have two “TO DO” lists.
One: I have a grocery list …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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11/17/21
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In classic French cuisine, there’s a concept called the Five Mother Sauces.
They are the five sauces from which all other sauces come.
They are (From Food52): Velouté: Roux + White Stock …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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11/3/21
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This week I’m mixing things up a bit, Gentle Reader.
Instead of talking about dish, giving you a pic and recipe, I’m going sideways.
I’d like to share with you some edible discoveries and …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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10/20/21
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“It’s really, really good. And, I’m not even kidding, Debbie.”
Damien, one of the sales managers at the dealership will probably end up a millionaire, if I don’t kill him …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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9/23/21
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I think some of the funniest people on the planet are the Brits.
The Kid would start and finish any list of hilarious U.K. people with Monty Python.
But I find just about every aspect of Brits …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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9/1/21
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“Now we season it. Where’s the salt and pepper?”
A blank look and a couple of very slow blinks. “I don’t have any.”
If the child had come to the door dressed in an Easter Bunny …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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8/25/21
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Eating out can be tons of fun. But there are also a bunch of drawbacks, as well.
Waiting. Not only do you have to wait for a table, you have to wait for a server to take your order. Then the …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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8/18/21
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“It tastes like mofongo.” — TV chef Guy Fieri on tasting mofongo for the first time.
The line was funny, but also true. Nothing really tastes like that Caribbean dish made of fried …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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8/11/21
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You’d think that as much as I love all things spud, I would be a regular gnocchi eater.
And if you did, you’d be wrong, Gentle Reader. Until last week, I’ve never in my life had …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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8/4/21
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“Yeah, but I didn’t know the cookies would be so good!” — my boss, when I offered him his seventh cookie.
He said, “Keep them away from me!”
“But when I said I was thinking of …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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7/28/21
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You know those tall, blinding, hats that chefs wear? Not the mushroom-shaped ones, but the tall straight ones with pleats?
They have stories about that hat (called a “toque blanche”) in the …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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7/21/21
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When I took the job at the car dealership, there was one thing I didn’t think of, and one thing I didn’t know.
In February, when I accepted this new position, I was thinking about dressing in …
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BY DEBBIE MATTHEWS, The Curious Cook
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7/7/21
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