Miela Tahril

I had a lovely apple-braised pork shoulder recipe all set to post today, but was unable to finish it off because PG&E turned off the gas line to do repairs on our street. So, stay tuned for that tomorrow, but in the meantime, here’s a great butternut squash soup video from Trevor and Sally Oliver, parents of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Jamie’s one of my favorites, and not only are his parents adorable, but you can see where he gets some of his skills from. Enjoy!This video was originally posted...

Michele and I were invited to tour the California Olive Ranch this week, where we got a firsthand look into how olive oil is produced. The ranch is the largest producer in California, and uses state-of-the-art equipment and technology to produce extra virgin olive oil that’s cold pressed within a few hours of picking.I was shocked to learn that only two percent of the olive oil purchased in the United States is made domestically, but thanks to producers like California Olive Ranch that number is...

This title is dedicated to all those who chimed in on our root vegetable gratin video to let me know that a potato is a tuber, and not a root, even though I mentioned that fact in the video and the post! Bless your hearts. ;-)I know we did a black bean soup not too long ago, but I had a piece of leftover ham that needed to be used up, and this time of year you just can’t have too many soup recipes. In addition to being a proven antidote for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the recipe is definitely...

I’m not sure when or where I started reheating leftover pizza using this stovetop method, but it’s one of my favorite kitchen shortcuts of all time. By the way, since I don’t remember learning this from anyone, I’ll assume I invented it. So, if you’ve been actually been doing this for years, and know many others who do the same, please keep it to yourself, and just let me have my moment.There are so many advantages to using this method. There’s no insufferable wait for an oven to preheat (10...

They say smell is the sense most closely linked to memory recall, and that was certainly the case while making these garlicky, buttery bay scallops on toast. As waves of the wonderful aromas wafted up from the pan, they brought back a flood of vivid memories of my first real kitchen job. Barely a teenager, I was hired as a dishwasher at an Italian steakhouse, called The Depot (pictured below is the train station that predated the restaurant). While it was fun being inside a bustling kitchen, washing...

This black bean soup saved me during a recent attack of, “Oh my God, there is nothing in kitchen to cook with!” Even though it sometimes seems that way, there's rarely, literally nothing to cook with. I quickly found a few slices of bacon, a couple cans of beans, and an onion, and with the help of a spicy lime and green onion relish, turned it into a very decent bowl of soup. It got me thinking about all those long shelf life, must-have pantry and fridge staples you can count on to produce a meal...

These bacon ranch chicken skewers were intended to star at your next football tailgate cookout, but since these are made with sharp, wooden sticks, they could be used to inflict the true death to smaller, slow-moving vampires at your Halloween party as well.Regardless of your party’s theme, these tasty chicken skewers are easy, interesting, and incredibly adaptable. As I sometimes do when showing a new technique, I’ve kept this recipe ultra-simple, and only used ranch dressing and hot pepper as...

If you're looking for a mildly disgusting, yet fun and creative Halloween appetizer for an upcoming party, consider these severed fingers made from string cheese. I ran this video a couple years ago, but wanted to repost in case you hadn't seen it before, or just needed a reminder. Don't be scared...click on the link below the photo and check it out! Enjoy!Click here to watch the video and read the post....

As promised, here is the cream cheese frosting recipe that co-starred in our red velvet cupcakes video last week. If you’re a regular cake baker, you may be wondering why a video is even necessary for such a simple frosting? I used to think like that.When I posted the red velvet recipe on YouTube, and teased the fact that I’d show the frosting in a future video, I was instantly met with a huge wave of panicked comments, all having a similar message; something to the effect of, “When the hell is...

“The Awakening” by J. Seward JohnsonJust a quick note to let you know that Michele and I are in Washington D.C. this weekend for my niece Brittany’s wedding. Her and her fiancé, Casey, are getting married at the gorgeous National Harbor in Maryland. We’ll be back in San Francisco on Monday. Hope you all have a great weekend, and we’ll see you soon!...

I don’t make a lot of cupcakes, but since I’ve always been fascinated by the red velvet cake, I decided to try a version based on this venerable American classic. I’ve gotten so many requests for cupcakes and red velvet cakes that I figured I’d kill two food wishes with one video. They came out really well, and as I tasted, I actually caught myself daydreaming about being on Top Chef Just Desserts.I imagined I’d furiously finished frosting these red velvet cupcakes just as time expired (I think...

This sausage country gravy recipe comes from a time before cooks tried to think of ways to trim a few calories, but rather, thought of ways to sneak more calories into a dish. This was a meal that was meant to fill you up and keep you satisfied for a long time.In addition to the astronomically high calorie count, another advantage of a milk gravy that’s been thickened with a roux made from the rendered fat of meat scraps, is it’s very cheap. So, when you combine “cheap,” with “filling,” and “delicious,”...

I'm very excited to announce that Food Wishes is getting a new logo! This is something I've wanted to do for years, and I'd love to get your opinion on which of these two designs you like better (btw, this is for the basic design only - colors will be explored after the final logo is chosen). So, take a look, then simply click your choice and vote in the poll below the images. Thank you for your help!LOGO 1 - SWIRL DESIGNLOGO 2 - STAR DESIGNWhich logo design do you prefer? Logo 1: Swirl Design Logo...

While Canadian Japanese fusion cuisine may not actually be the most popular dining trend right now, this tasty combination of cultures suggests maybe we should explore this further. The salty and very savory miso paste is a perfect match for the sweet Canadian sap. The rice vinegar marries the two, and a few drops of hot sauce are all you need to complete this incredibly easy, yet sophisticated preparation. Cooking fish this way is virtually foolproof, and will take less than 15 minutes start to...

A friend sent me a nice note recently that his wife had made these pumpkin pancakes for dinner, and that they were thoroughly enjoyed by all. I always appreciate those kinds of messages, especially since they often serve as a reminder for doing seasonally appropriate recipe re-posts.This was the week pumpkin made its yearly appearance into my life. On restaurant menus, on television, in store windows, on neighbors’ steps, and all over our living room…and dining room…and kitchen…and, well, you get...

[I hope you enjoyed our first and last Dostoevsky reference] Whenever I see those big piles of rutabagas at the market, I always think to myself, “who the heck is eating all these root vegetables?” I understand that there’ve been times when we literally had no choice – it was either gnaw on a parsnip or perish, but nowadays with so many other delicious choices, why would anyone eat root vegetables on purpose? Has anyone ever stumbled out of a smoky dorm room late at night, in search of a big...

One reason I don’t interview celebrity chefs is because I feel so sorry for them. I can’t imagine having to answer those same inane questions, over and over. And that’s from the real food journalists; imagine how brutal us bloggers’ questions are.However, there is one interviewer that does things a little differently; my buddy, Average Betty. Here she is at the Los Angeles Times and Food & Wine “The Taste,” breaking the modern record for most chefs stumped in 5 minutes or less. You can see...

I’m not sure why I’ve always had such a bad attitude towards slow cookers. It does a great job turning out delicious braised dishes like this “7-bone” beef pot roast, it’s efficient, and could not be easier to use. So, then why have I used my crock pot fewer times over the last decade than ice skates? By the way, I don’t ice skate.It probably has something to do with going to culinary school, and judging everything from the point of view of the professional kitchen. They’re certainly not something...

I'm going to be posting a recipe for slow cooker beef pot roast tomorrow, and in anticipation I was checking out a few related videos on YouTube. I've always assumed the people who write those "For Dummies" books must be really smart, but based on this, I may have to reconsider.It's been a long while since I posted a video just to poke fun at it, but I couldn't resist. Just for fun, see how many strange, disturbing, wrong, and/or crazy things you see and hear in this offering from Dummies.com (btw,...

When I told Michele I was making a grilled chicken recipe using a jar of chilies from Calabria, she said, “Well, you’ll have to call it stubborn chicken then!” We both laughed. You see, when Michele first met my father, John, he asked her what part of Italy her family was from. When she answered, “Calabria,” he said, “Oh, so you’re really stubborn.”Michele laughed, and agreed that she was, but asked what that had to do with being Calabrian. My father explained that where he was from, “Calabrese”...