The Crabby Cook - by Jessica Harper

Wolverine Salad

If your Salad Hands are making you feel like Wolverine (to read the back story on that peculiar thought, click here) I suggest you stoke that fantasy and make a salad in his honor. And if you really believe, who knows, maybe Hugh Jackman will show up for dinner. (Sigh.)

¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 chicken breast, skinless and boneless, halved Read More

Okay, so I made Bubbie’s Brisket this weekend and it was insane: EVERYBODY loved it.

A pollster’s analysis of the Brisket-Lovers revealed that some, but not all, were Jewish, some had bubbies and some not, all were pro-OBAMA Californians, fifty-percent were hybrid-drivers, and all were, obviously, carnivorous. Read More

So, after I wrote the post about the Pigs Legs In Coca-Cola, I got some comments and emails from friends with more fancy-pants ideas about cooking with Coke.

You may have seen Arlene’s comment with a recipe that suggests you stick a can of Coke up the chicken’s butt and balance it upright on a grill. I will def try this. My cousin Wendy wrote about a southern recipe for ham glazed with it, and Suzanne says she is famous for her ribs cooked in Coke, although when I asked her for the recipe, she said she’d tell me but then she’d have to kill me. I opted to live and backed off.

Then I heard from Jeffy Lee. Jeffy Lee is a lovely mensch I know who cooks for his family (I know, dreamy, right?). He  emailed me his bubbie’s recipe for brisket baked in Coke. Read More

In a follow-up story to my recent Prime Time post, Thailand’s parliament elected a new P.M. to replace our man Samak. Somchai Wongsawat, unlike his predecessor, is no Rachael Ray. He’s the brother-in-law (and alleged puppet) of Thaksin Shinawatra, one of Thailand’s many deposed leaders, so his selection has pissed some people off.

(Is this too confusing? Imagine how the Thais feel; this is their fourth P.M. in two years. And I can’t help noticing that if you take the “h”, and the “aw” out of Shinawatra, you get Sinatra. Draw your own conclusions.) Read More

Okay in my last post I promised you Samak’s recipe for pig legs in Coca-cola and I never break my word, at least not in matters regarding pig legs. His recipe is a little vague, and a little short on precise measurements, but it could not be more intriguing.

So, you find five pig legs. (Ask your butcher. Be prepared for derisive laughter in response.) You put them in a large (ya think?) pot and add 4 bottles of Coca-Cola. (My guess is you don’t want to go with the Diet Coke.) Bring this to a boil. Read More

Talk about your crabby cooks. This week, the world’s crabbiest may be Samak Sundaravej, Thailand’s freshly ousted prime minister.

The reason he got booted is not what you’d expect. The usual suspects in a political upheaval (protestors) have indeed been very active of late; thousands occupied Samak’s compound, demanding his resignation. But that’s not why he got thrown out. Read More