Spilled Milk

Gather round, friends. We have a special treat for you: plain yogurt. Yeah, we said it. This week we climb into a metaphorical vat of probiotic goodness and discuss texture, mix-ins, and made-up yogurt science. Includes a rare Molly-Matthew disagreement on the subject of Greek yogurt. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

We’ve got mail, and it’s a box full of tiny brains, mini mushrooms, little fish, and Pocky. Tune in, Tokyo: it’s Japanese snack time. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Roasted chestnuts Mountain Mushroom cookies Green tea mochi balls Salty chocolate Pocky Slivered almonds and fishies Yakiimo (roasted sweet potatoes)

This week, we're lacing up our boots, buying a truffle pig, and going foraging in the Safeway produce section. From criminis to shiitakes, Matthew and Molly discuss the finer points of our most common fungi and, once and probably not for all, answer the age-old question: what's the best way to clean a dirty mushroom? www.spilledmilkpodcast.com SLICED MUSHROOMS WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA AND THYME Adapted from Jamie's Italy, by Jamie Oliver This dish is extremely adaptable, so what follows is more of a method than a true recipe.  To give you an idea of proportions: for two people, you might want two small handfuls of crimini mushrooms, ¾ to 1 standard-size ball of fresh mozzarella, and the leaves from one sprig of thyme.  That, plus some bread and a salad, is a nice, light lunch.  Ingredients: Fresh mushrooms, such as crimini, porcini, shiitake, or portobello Fresh mozzarella Olive oil Fresh thyme, leaves removed and stem discarded Sea salt Preheat the broiler. Clean the mushrooms, and then slice them thinly, no th

If you could have one day of unlimited travel, cash, and stomach capacity, plus the power to raise dead breakfast cooks, what would you eat? (Hmm, that makes it sound like we advocate eating zombies.) Molly and Matthew select their ultimate breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, and dessert, and it quickly turns spooky. (Plus, you'll never guess who goes to France! Okay, you will.) www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Links! "Nigella's rhubarb crumble":http://www.rootsandgrubs.com/2006/04/23/be-a-rube/ "Nigella's statuesque figure":http://greenobles.com/data_images/nigella-lawson/nigella-lawson-10.jpg "Molly's Rhubarb sherbet":http://www.spilledmilkpodcast.com/2010/06/03/rhubarb-sherbet-recipe-from-episode-13/ "Delancey":http://delanceyseattle.com/ "France.fr":http://france.fr/ "Little Uncle":http://littleuncleseattle.com/ "French toast recipes":http://www.spilledmilkpodcast.com/2012/02/16/episode-58-french-toast/ "Taylor Kitsch":http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Tim-Riggins-friday-night-lights-561367_1124_1500

When we were in grade school, bringing a granola bar in your lunch box was a key factor in the daily struggle to avoid ostracism. But you had to pledge to one of the rival gangs: the Crunchies, the Chewies, or the Kudos. Learn about our secret gang tattoos and...actually, we just eat a bunch of granola bars. Recipe: Chewy Granola Bars with Pecans, Chocolate, and Cherries. http://www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Chewy Granola Bars with Pecans, Chocolate, and Cherries: http://orangette.blogspot.com/2012/05/you-know-me-well.html

Greetings from Spilled Milk University. First, the zoology department weighs in on how bees make honey (we have no idea). Next, to the law school, where the judge weighs in on whether honey is theft. Finally, the school of culinary arts, where fingers get sticky. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

What makes a meatball tender and juicy? The Filler Man knows. We discuss how to make them, how to cook them, and then things get a little bulgur. Recipes: Chicken and Spinach Meatballs; Cafe Lago Meatballs. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Recipes: Chicken and Spinach meatballs SPAGHETTI WITH CAFE LAGO MEATBALLS For sauce:2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, with their juices10 Tbsp. unsalted butter2 medium yellow onions, halved and peeled½ tsp. table salt For meatballs:1 cup fresh bread crumbs1/3 cup whole milk, or more if needed½ lb. ground pork½ lb. ground beef1 cup finely ground (not grated) Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley1 tsp. table salt5 grinds black pepper2 large eggs2 large cloves garlic, pressed To serve:1 lb. dried spaghetti To make the sauce, combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter, onion halves, and salt in a large, wide pan, such as 5-quart Dutch oven. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, at a slow bu

Molly and Matthew get wings, fly high like a starfruit, unleash the beast, and get in touch with our inner rockstars. We're here to answer one question: do energy drinks have any culinary merit? The answer may surprise you. (But probably not.) EXPLICIT. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

Hoo boy, we've cranked the juvenile up to 11 (years old). We're talking about American-style hard tacos, and if the phrase "American-style hard tacos" is already making you snicker, you're our kind of people. EXPLICIT. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

It’s green. It’s leafy. It makes your teeth feel like you’ve been slimed, Ghostbusters-style. Join us as we savor an all-spinach lunch, straight from President Taft’s bathtub. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Recipes: Fergus Henderson’s Spinach GungeOhitashi from Just One CookbookSpinach with Sesame Sauce from Just One Cookbook

This episode is dedicated to those among you who, like us, spent your youth sucking on Sour Patch Kids until your tongue was raw and bleeding.  We'll see you in the drugstore parking lot, and don't forget the sour watermelon slices. EXPLICIT. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

Everyone knows that size doesn't matter, except when it comes to asparagus. This week on Spilled Milk, we're discussing the finer points of our favorite spring vegetable: to snap or to cut, to peel or not to peel, to roast or to butter-poach, and why does my urine smell so weird? Recipes: Salt and Sugar [...]

The world's best cookie would consist of a layer of marshmallow sandwiched between two Oreos, in the shape of a peanut, with fudge stripes painted on it, plus crunchy fig seeds. That's a scientific determination, gleaned by snorkeling our way through five packages of cookies, which, oddly enough, did not include any Oreos. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

BONUS EPISODE! We just couldn't leave it alone. We're back with a few words on can openers, oven mitts, side towels, and...a dream sequence? www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

Forget the sexy, expensive stuff like knives and skillets. We're debating the best spatulas, peelers, and spoons. With one saucepan thrown in just because we like to break the rules. For links to our recommended utensils, see www.spilledmilkpodcast.com. Matthew likes: Calphalon spatula Exoglass spoon Green colander Molly likes: Kyocera ceramic Y-peeler Kuhn Rikon cheap-o peeler [...]

Do you fantasize about flanks and skirts and pan sauces mounted with butter? That makes three of us. This week on Spilled Milk, we're making our dreams come true in broad daylight, at lunchtime, as we cook and share tips for two of our favorite steaks: the skirt and the ribeye (sorry, flank lovers; we [...]

Molly and Matthew are trapped in the kitchen cooking pancakes while you've already started eating breakfast. Join us for another syrup-drenched episode; just don't call us Short Stack. Recipes: Buttermilk pancakes; cornmeal pancakes. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Cook's Illustrated Buttermilk pancakes For Matthew's cornmeal pancakes, follow the recipe for buttermilk pancakes but replace about half the flour with [...]

Stale bread + nostalgia = French toast. Molly and Matthew dredge up hazy, eggy memories; then it's a present-day smackdown between Molly's artisan approach and Matthew's diner-style delights. Recipe: French toast x2. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Recipes: Matthew's version of Cook's Illustrated's French Toast BURG'S FRENCH TOAST From A Homemade Life Look for bread with a soft, light [...]

This week, thanks to the miracle of the winter citrus harvest, we're tackling questions that have plagued mankind for centuries: why old people get wrinkles, how to operate a kitchen torch, and why, WHY, does grapefruit always squirt in your eye? Also included: the most ridiculous way to eat a grapefruit, a.k.a. The Mamster Method. [...]

If it comes in a wrapper and destroys fillings with extreme prejudice, we're putting it in our mouths this week. We've raided the supermarket bulk candy section for butterscotch disks, Milk Maid caramels, and other childhood favorites. Have they aged any better than we have? And if we love Werther's Originals, how old does that [...]