Quoting... DeSylva & Brown

"You’re the cream in my coffee, 
You’re the salt in my stew; 

You will always be my necessity— 

I’d be lost without you. 

You give life savor, 
Bring out its flavor; 

So this is clear, dear, 

You’re my Worcestershire, dear."

—From the show "Hold Everything" (1929) 
Lyrics: B.G. DeSylva & Lew Brown / Music: Ray Henderson

(Click here for the song!) 

PS...Happy Birthday Honey! 

Salty Like The Sea

Sea salt is, at its most basic, just evaporated seawater. What makes the different types of sea salt stand out from each other are factors such as where it's harvested, how it's harvested, and what kinds of trace minerals and other elements it contains. All these things will influence it's color, moisture content and flavor (oh yeah, and price).

The one thing that all sea salts will do is make your food taste better. The larger crunchier crystals tend to dissolve slower than table salt and provide little bursts of flavor that make food really sparkle. If you've never done a side-by-side taste test of salts, now is the time. Start with the sea salt, putting a few grains of it on your tongue. Let it dissolve some, then start noticing the taste of it. Have a sip or two of water and then do the same thing with a bit of table salt. The difference should be pretty obvious.

Money Doesn't Grow On Trees (But Limes Do)

Impulse purchases are almost always a bad idea.* You spend money on something that sparkles and winks at you when your defenses are down and before long you find yourself wondering "What, in Heaven's name, was I thinking" (and by the way, where did all my money go)?

Now, antiques are a whole different story. I've learned the hard way (on a handful of occasions) that when it comes to antiques (or any other vintage or one-of-a-kind cool thing), the rule is: "Buy it now—it sure won't be there later" (and by the way, where did all my money go?)

Being broke really cures you of impulse shopping (or antique shopping, or frankly most other kinds of shopping as well). The value of a dollar becomes so crystal clear, it pings. While this kind of clarity is a good thing, I do tend to get kind of obsessive over using up every last scrap of food we buy. To throw food away is like tossing cash straight into the garbage can. Oh sure, it can be put into the compost bin so it's not totally wasted... but that's some mighty pricey compost. You might even call it rich.

So here it is... my confession... I made an impulse purchase. I couldn't help myself. It was such a good deal, and it sparkled and it winked at me. So without thinking it through, I bought it. I bought a 5-pound bag of limes. My justification was that as a seasonal produce item, it fell under the Antique Rule: it may not be around next time (if it is, the price will certainly be a lot higher). Besides, think of the wonderful things I could make with them!

Fennel-Dusted Chicken

This chicken dish was so fast, easy and elegant (not to mention quite tasty too)—it's definitely going to become a regular player around here. Complex flavors from very few ingredients... and did I mention that I didn't have to run to the store for any of it? That always makes me happy.

It's pretty darned impressive for a "pantry dinner". Quick weeknight dinner for two? Check. Fancy weekend dinner party for 8? Check. Unexpected dinner guests at anytime? Check. This recipe has got it covered.

Fennel-Dusted Chicken with Browned Butter and Capers over at Serious Eats 

My Notes: We used boneless/skinless chicken breasts we had in the freezer and they worked just fine. Around 6 minutes per side. Pound the meat to an even thickness and it will cook even faster. We don't have a spice grinder, but we did our best... can't really call what we ended up with "dust" though. Doubled the orange juice in the pan sauce. 

The chicken ended up a bit too salty for me, but not overwhelmingly so. Next time, will rinse the capers and use less salt. Also add some fresh ground black pepper to the rub. Maybe even add a bit of orange zest to the sauce? I think substituting lemon juice and lemon zest might taste good too.

Might have to try the same recipe using this DIY blend... DIY Fennel Spice Rub from NapaStyle.com

Butter Makes Everything Better

A friend of mine once gave me some basil-butter she made at home after tasting it a restaurant. It was amazing! Another friend used to make a compound butter with tarragon to use in her wonderful savory tea-sandwiches. Both of these altered-butters turned something simple into something memorable.

This article from: NYT Food News via seriouseats.com reminded me to try making some compound butters of my own.

The basil-lemon-garlic butter would be wonderful melted on a nice steak or some simple pasta, while the sweet honey-orange-vanilla butter sounds ideal for breakfast breads like scones, cinnamon rolls, muffins, etc...

They don't give a recipe but you'd hardly need one: Soften the butter, chop up the add-ins, put it all in the food processor, wrap it up and freeze it until needed.

Herb-Infused Sea Salt

Two ways to use two of my favorite garden herbs: rosemary and lavender. Combine them with sea salt to make Rosemary Sea Salt or Lavender Sea Salt. Or even, Rosemary-Lavender Sea Salt. Pulverize it all together in a food processor and use as a finishing sprinkle of salty goodness on meat or veggies... or even on popcorn. Should be easy to make and would be nice for gifts too.