The Crabby Cook - by Jessica Harper

I am assuming that Italian Wedding Soup was so named due to its popularity at Italian weddings. I’d like to posit that, because of its ease of preparation, the soup is especially suitable for a shotgun wedding, when celebratory food is needed in a big fat hurry. Read More

There’s lots of good news about these spicy nuts: 1. You can bring them to a party as a hostess gift and they will love them and not really compute how little effort went into making them. 2. You can make them way in advance, as much as two weeks. Just don’t do what I have been known to do and forget that you made them two weeks ago and go tearing around on the day of the party making them all over again. Read More

It’s time to celebrate the football season!

Well, actually, if you are like me, you pretend to celebrate the football season, when what really drives your excitement is the excuse to eat the food associated with the sport. (Think bean dip.) Read More

Revisited this recipe in The Crabby Cook Cookbook and like it even better now. For my non-dairy daughter I omitted the cheese. She loved ’em.

It’s football season. You’re gonna be glad you have this recipe, trust me.

With a little guacamole on the side, even better.

Trust me. (Did I say that already?) Read More

When people drop by unexpectedly, it’s nice to be able to offer them a refreshment of some kind, like, say, tea and biscuits. When I say “people,” I mean, of course people you know. Do not let just anybody in.

Red flags would be: 1) The have mistaken your house for the one where they are shooting a porn movie, 2) they are wearing a Nixon mask or 3) they are selling (ill-gotten) steaks  door-to-door. I have had all three of these types knock on my door at various times and did not offer tea to any of them, although I did buy steaks from #3. (More on that story here.)

Anyway, if you think someone might show up who you actually want to sip tea (or drink sherry) with, keep this biscuit dough on hand. You can whip up delicious savory cookies in 20 minutes.

Cheese and Pecan Biscuits

Yield: about 18-20 biscuits

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

6 ounces grated, sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup finely chopped pecans

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, cheese and pecans. Add the flour mixture and mix until ingredients are well combined, forming large crumbs. (I do this with my hands.)

2. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in two parts, and shape each part into a log about 8 inches long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for a couple of days. (Or freeze the dough for up to six months.)

3. When you’re ready to bake the biscuits, preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut the log into slices about  ¼ to ½ inch thick. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for about 10-12 minutes, until they just start to turn golden.

Cool and serve warm or room temperature.

Although I spend almost no time watching sports on television, I’m always gung ho for the Super Bowl.

I’m probably the most irritating person at a Super Bowl gathering; I merrily show up and ask,”Okay, so who’s playing?” I am completely clueless. As I’m writing this, I, a Chicago native, can’t even remember the name of my birth city’s football team. (Are they the Chargers? The Jazz? The Zebras? It’ll come to me…) I know they used to have a player whose nickname was The Refrigerator, which caught my attention.

But if I’m short on info, I’m long on enthusiasm. I’m even willing to cook for  the Super Bowl, especially if we go to my brother’s house and all I have to make is an appetizer. It gives me an excuse to revisit my recipe for Bean Dip.

Bean Dip is the perfect choice for the occasion. Chips are involved, which are a mainstay of the S.B. cuisine, and the dip is served warm, which works well on a cold February day (which in L.A. means it’s below 70º).

I have sometimes served this on other random occasions, like when I was too lazy to make a real dinner for the kids. I’d give them Bean Dip with a bowl of soup and they were perfectly happy.

Click here for the recipe.

Last weekend, a rare thing happened. I was grateful it was football season. This is because my daughter, who usually reserves most of her weekend time for her boyfriend, Lee, got ditched by the guy in favor of the Ravens or the Packers or whoever it was roughhousing on TV that afternoon. Lee announced his intention to occupy the couch for at least seven hours, which meant that Elizabeth (who tolerates football but only for about fifteen minutes at a time) was free to go shoe shopping with me. Read More

I’m preparing for Carmageddon in the best possible way:  I’m buying vodka.

In case you live under a rock and have therefore not heard about it, the world as we in L.A. know it is ending on Friday, at least for the weekend, when the 405 will be closed for construction between the 10 and the 101. (If you don’t know what those numbers signify, go back under the rock.) Read More

For my Thanksgiving video, I was hoping to upgrade it a little, make it more like a Food Network thing, add a little polish…
Read More

My book group is coming over, so I’ve gotta cook. Or…do I?