Dino-chow | theclothesmakethegirl

May 10, 2012 Posted by Mel

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

One of my favorite word nerd activities is making up new words. Where would we all be without frexcitement, fouscous, opkeptical, and now: jicamadas. What the devil is an jicamada? A tostada made of jicama, of course. However… my pal Tim Huntley at My Athletic Life gave me an SEO 101 class today, and if I want new readers to find my recipes, I need to give the recipes titles that regular people can... read more

May 3, 2012 Posted by Mel

Cinco de Mayo Paleo Recipe Roundup

Before paleo, Cinco de Mayo was a damn fine excuse to knock back a bunch of margaritas and eat my way through baskets of tortilla chips like a locust with something to prove. Sigh. There’s no more of that. But that doesn’t mean we can’t commemorate the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France during the Franco-Mexican War (YAY, history!) with crazy-good food. It just means we have... read more

Apr 27, 2012 Posted by Mel

Super Simple Spring Salad

As much as I enjoy playing in the kitchen, I like to balance “project recipes” (I’m looking at you, Paleo Chicken Bastila.) and dead-simple dishes that require almost no work with a big flavor payoff. This is my first in a series of Super Simple recipes that are made with minimal fuss, just a few ingredients, and produce leftovers that can be used in other dishes. I know I have a justly... read more

Apr 25, 2012 Posted by Mel

Firecracker Tuna Salad

There’s something very lunch-y and comforting about tuna salad — which explains why I’ve been experimenting with it so much lately. It just feels so easy to grab a can from the pantry, then dig through the fridge for ideas. (Plus I’ll take any excuse to eat homemade mayo.) My husband Dave usually requests pickled jalapenos in his tuna, but today I was inspired by the glossy fresh... read more

Apr 20, 2012 Posted by Mel

Costa Rican Ceviche

One of the weird-wonderful things about our rental house here in Playa Grande, Costa Rica, is that there are caretakers who will, if we ask them, cook food for us. We’ve mostly been preparing our own breakfast (eggs + plaintains) and lunch (grilled chicken marinated in Salsa Lizano; grilled fish with lime juice, oil, garlic, and cilantro; guacamole and raw veggies), then hitting neighborhood... read more

Apr 18, 2012 Posted by Mel

Casa Muy Grande Plantains

As much as I enjoy playing in the kitchen, I like to balance “project recipes” (I’m looking at you, Paleo Chicken Bastila.) and dead-simple dishes that require almost no work with a big flavor payoff. This Tropical Chopped Salad is part of my series of Super Simple recipes that are made with minimal fuss and just a few ingredients. When we arrived in Costa Rica a few days ago, our first... read more

Apr 17, 2012 Posted by Mel

Beef Liver With Parsley-Onions & Lemon

I’m currently kickin’ it in Costa Rica, so most of my meals over the past few days have included fresh fish, avocado, lime juice, and mango. Look for a post later this week with some appropriately tropical meal ideas and maybe a new recipe or two. For now, here’s the result of my beef liver experiment from last week. Be open minded, and you’ll be rewarded. There was a lot of talk... read more

Apr 11, 2012 Posted by Mel

Fiesta Tuna Salad

Yesterday, I really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY wanted Mexican food. Naughty Mexican food, like a frosty margarita and an endless basket of tortilla chips, and yeah, maybe some f*cking queso. Not just queso, f*cking queso. I did not succumb to these desires. Instead, I stuck my head in the fridge and grabbed Mexican-ish ingredients: red bell peppers, scallions, pickled jalapenos, fresh... read more

Mar 29, 2012 Posted by Mel

Paleo Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas)

I’ve probably eaten hundreds (if not thousands) of stuffed grape leaves in my life. And about 99% of them were made by my dad. We always called them “stuffed grape leaves,” never dolmas, and they were pretty straight forward: white rice, lamb, minimal seasonings, and a light coating of lemon-egg sauce. We’d soak the leaves in the sink (never in a bowl), then my dad and I would... read more

Mar 29, 2012 Posted by Mel

Merguez Meatballs

Merguez is a fresh sausage popular in North African cuisine. Usually made with lamb — or a mixture of lamb and beef — it’s spicy but not too hot, heady with earthy seasonings like cumin, garlic, fennel, paprika, and just a hint of cinnamon. Although it contains many of the same spices as Ras el Hanout, the flavor is completely different flavor because of the proportions of the spices. Spice... read more

Mar 14, 2012 Posted by Mel

Coconut-Almond Green Beans

Tomorrow, I’m doing a cooking demo at PaleoFX along with from Michelle and Kim from Caveman Cuisine. I chose Coconut-Almond Green Beans to share because this side dish is not only luscious and velvety, it’s ready in under half an hour, so it works equally well on weeknights and weekends — and if you add cooked chicken, pork, or shrimp to it when the beans are tender, it becomes a one-skillet... read more

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reading is sexy

Reading right now...

Bought, Borrowed, Stolen

I asked for and received this book for Christmas and just started reading it now. It's one of those cookbooks that you read from cover to cover before cooking from it. The writing is killing me inside a little bit, it's so good. Just enough description to create vivid mental pictures and a snarky, delightful sense of humor. It's a world tour with personal accounts and recipes to recreate the travel experience in your own kitchen. You know that's one of my favorite things!.

Still thinking about...
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The Night Circus

Mysterious, thrilling, engaging, romantic — it's a first-class ticket to another place and time.