Author: Ben Starr
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Guest Post: Ecuador!
One of my delightful fans, Alyssa, leads a very interesting life. She left the comfort and familiarity of her home and country, and moved to a far-flung coastal village in Ecuador to help people less fortunate than herself…and she’s had many adventures along the way. I originally began interacting with Alyssa when she commented on…
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11 Years Today
11 years ago today, I met Christian. I’ll spare you the details. No one would have imagined that two people meeting under the circumstances we met under would still know each other 11 years later, much less be a couple. But life is funny that way, and fairy tales are just fairy tales. I would…
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MasterChef 4 recap: Eggs and Salmon (S4E18)
(PLEASE NOTE: This blog contains the maniacal ravings of a Season 2 survivor with [practically] no inside knowledge of how this season was produced. It should be treated as opinion only, and isn’t fit to be read by anyone.) We’re down to 6…but are we? Apparently, the producers are pulling another surprise comeback, but this…
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MasterChef 4 recap: Family Food and Sushi (S4E17)
(PLEASE NOTE: The content that follows is entirely from the depraved mind of a MasterChef season 2 survivor. It should be treated, not as fact, but as opinion, only…and probably not a very sound opinion, at that!) We’re down to 7 for MasterChef season 4. At this point in my season, Christine Corley and Derrick…
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MasterChef 4 recap: (S4E16)
(WARNING: This blog contains the crazed ravings of a MasterChef season 2 survivor who has no inside knowledge of how this season was produced. Everything in this blog should be considered opinion and nothing else.) Before I begin, I need to address a MasterChef issue that’s been flying around the TV gossip websites today. These…
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Cabernet Jelly
Have you ever had wine jelly? It’s divine. And couldn’t be easier to make. In fact, the hardest part of this recipe is sterilizing the jars and lids, which is easy. You should do that first, because the jelly comes together VERY quickly once you start. This recipe makes about 4 pints of jelly, or…
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Beurre Blanc (white wine butter sauce)
Beurre blanc is a classic French sauce made with butter, white wine, and shallots. I recently made this sauce at a cooking demonstration to prove how important it is to cook with quality wine, and I promised I’d post the recipe. It’s a very simple sauce to make, and it goes fabulously with fish and…
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Coq au Vin
This is one of my favorite dishes on earth. “Cock in Wine” is the translation…a mean, tough, stringy old rooster slowly braised in red wine. It has become a French classic, but it arose from humble farmhouses, rather than sophisticated bistros. I grew up eating dry, tough old roosters. And any time a rooster attacked…
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Bourbon Fig Jam
You fall into one of two categories of humans. The first: someone who has to pay an outrageous amount of money to purchase figs at the grocery store when they’re in season…sometimes up to a dollar a fig. If you’re not that person, you fall into the other category. Either you or a neighbor has…
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MasterChef 4 recap: Sausage and Mushrooms (S4E15)
(PLEASE NOTE: This blog contains the drunken ravings of a MasterChef season 2 survivor. It should be considered solely opinion, and nothing more.) We’re down to 9 contestants, and Luca rubs a bit of sand in the face of Giuseppe Morisco from Season 2 by stating that he is the only Italian to have ever…