{Although I’d be embarrassed to mention this product in conversation since I can’t actually pronounce its name, I love it all the same. Gochujang, a spicy, Korean-made paste, is like Sriracha’s wise older brother who only drinks scotch and wears smoking jackets. Sauce’s art director, Meera Nagarajan, recently put me on to it, and ever since, I’ve been using it excessively and indiscriminately. As I find more and more ways to use it in my cooking, my love continues to grow.}
{With the big 3-0 just around the corner, I’ve decided the symbol for my thirties will be Pastaria’s gelato sandwich. No more 2 a.m. Chipwiches grabbed out of the Shell station’s freezer for this girl. Nope. Only house-made salted caramel gelato embraced by two house-made chocolate chip cookies will be good enough for the new, sophisticated me. Don’t believe me? I just bought four to jump-start my stockpile.} Â
{I know a book is good when I follow my husband around the house, reading him excerpts aloud whether he’s listening or not. Having been a graduate writing student and a caterer and waitress in NYC, I can relate to various parts of Gabrielle Hamilton’s memoir, but what I love most about Blood, Bones & Butter is that it’s legitimately well-written. Hamilton is, refreshingly, a writer who also happens to be a chef, rather than a chef trying to write.
This article appears in March 2013.