No matter how old we are, it’s good to be kids again. This weekend I’m happy as a clam because my Dad (aka Big Tim) is visiting from New England. In a family as big (and admittedly self-congratulatory) as The Malarkeys someone is always having a birthday, graduation, bon voyage party, welcome home party. You name it…we’ve celebrated it. Tomorrow we’ll be raising our glasses to toast Topher’s Birthday at Dinette. Before we do though, there have of course been multiple family dinners and meals to be had. Continue reading

Sunday: Barbecued Salmon With Fresh Corn Grits & Chipotle Nectarines

Monday: Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Curried Quinoa

Tuesday: Arugula Salad with Grilled Shrimp, Pomegranate, and Goat Cheese

Wednesday: Grilled Vegetable Paninis with Broccoli, White Bean, and Cheddar Soup

Thursday: Panko Crusted Pollock

Friday: Creamy Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

Saturday Brunch: Rainbow Chard Egg Scramble in a Garlic Scape Nest Continue reading

Sunday Dinner: Beecher’s Macaroni and Cheese! and Arugula and Pear Salad with White Truffle Vinaigrette

Monday: Cheddar Bacon Burgers topped with Truffle Mushrooms

Wednesday: Kale, Sausage, and Gruyere Frittata

Thursday: Scallop Fettuccine Tossed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Fried Capers

Friday: Artisan Pizza Topped with Figs, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Truffle Honey

Saturday: Fish Taco Bonanza Continue reading

Friday Dinner: Grilled Shrimp Packets with Rosemary and Garlic, served with Grilled Baguettes and Rhubarb Cocktails.

Saturday Morning: Bagels with Lox, Cream Cheese, Heirloom Tomatoes, Red Onions, Capers, and Lemon Wedges

Saturday Lunch: Mozzarella, Basil, Tomato Paninis

Saturday Dinner: Chicken Fajitas with Pinto Beans, Fresh Sliced Avocado, Pico de Gallo, and Peach Gin Fizz Cocktails.

Sunday Morning; Breakfast sausage, bacon, fireside biscuits, and hard-boiled eggs. Continue reading

First of all…wow! Thank you all for the support, encouragement, comments, and words of wisdom. “I’m not writing in a vacuum! There are people out there! Hooray!” Thanks to you all, Old Spice Man generated more hits in one day than any other post, save for when Food & Wine re-tweeted my Short Ribs (which I was embarrassingly excited about.)

But enough whining and philosophizing about The Writer’s Process…let’s get back to the food. And damn good food at that.  This year we had the pleasure of participating in Hand-Farmed Organic‘s first community supported agriculture (CSA) project. Continue reading

Tonight I attended a dinner where the lead speaker was Jason Bagley (Creative Director at Wieden & Kennedy), the mastermind behind the hunk-a-hunk-a burning love Old Spice Man.  Also in attendance was David Marriott, the man currently being heralded with having a critical role in shifting Amanda Knox’s  public persona from “she-devil” to “all American girl” being penalized for anti-American sentiment by a corrupt Italian legal system.

Jason’s talk was on: “HOW TO ABSOLUTELY 100% GUARANTEE SOMETHING GOES VIRAL (MAYBE).”

I almost never make the same thing twice. Perhaps it is because the ever-growing pile of cookbooks and magazines in my kitchen creates a minor level of anxiety that “I don’t have time to make that again!!! Do you have any idea how many recipes there are in the world??”

And yet, as I look at the search terms that consistently drive people to Shut Up & Cook, it’s the same few items over and over again.

• “white sauce for fish tacos” or “fish taco white sauce”
• “quinoa with feta“
• “duck choo chee“

There are also the slightly ridiculous search terms. Continue reading

It is admittedly cliché to write about the season’s changing. But since Fall is officially here, and I am officially procrastinating writing the copy for my company’s new corporate brochure, I thought I’d give in to the temptation and embrace it.

After a Summer in Seattle that was slow to start and ended beautifully but fleetingly, it seems that Fall has arrived. The mornings are cool and crisp, back to school aspirations abound anew, and I find myself doing something I haven’t done in months. Continue reading