I don’t like Valentines Day. I don’t really like holidays for that matter. I like regular days. Sure, I manage to enjoy myself at a 4th of July picnic, and I like cooking Thanksgiving dinner and I even enjoy the time leading up to Christmas and New Years. But I would generally prefer it were just a Saturday. Any Saturday. Holidays can sometimes put too much pressure on us to “have fun” or to evaluate our lives. Do we have enough friends? Do we get along with our families? Do we have a valentine? Blah. read more+++

In June I received a kitchen torch as a graduation present from Bryan. Up until then I felt like every recipe I found required that I use a kitchen torch and I often complained that I was unable to cook anything without one. It may seem shocking then that I used the torch for the first time this weekend. I don’t know what happened, but boy am I sorry I waited! I mean, torching the top of these crème brûlées was seriously the most fun I have had in a while. The torch throws some serious heat and it is fascinating to watch the sugar melt and then burn on top of the custard. I felt like a kitchen welder, it was very Flashdance. read more+++

I was inspired by a post over at Supper in Stereo to try these Apples Jellies, a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks The Art of Simple Food. Like all of Alice Water’s recipes this one is simple, allows you to utilize local, seasonal ingredients and is delicious. It is a real treat to watch a few pounds of apples slowly turn into squares of candy. read more+++