New site, new tutorials, and a snazzy new look

So, I’ve been thinking…

It’s been almost 3 months since this whole adventure began, and it’s been a good run so far.  Vacation gave me a chance to concentrate on the site, and consider improvements that would make your experience better.  WordPress.com was a fantastic starter for a newbie blogger like me, but it’s cousin wordpress.org is now calling.  Plug-ins, page customization; I want you.

For this to happen, I need to take a small hiatus.  In that time, I’ll be working to create a database of references and tutorials for you new cooks out there.  I’ll cover everything from how to how scramble an egg to how to bake the perfect pie crust.    In the future, more involved recipes will be concise, with links to techniques a beginner might need to know.  Never sliced an onion before?  There’s a link for that.  Wondering how to go about roasting a squash?  There’s a link for that, too.  Information will be at your fingertips, but not in your face (for you more experienced cooks.)  Oh, and there will be pictures.  Lots and lots of pictures.  Provident Potato 2.0 is coming.

Oh yes, and the emphasis will still very much be focused on using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.  Expect more scholarly articles on food policy as well–because the more you know, the easier it is to do what you know is right.

Stay tuned.  Good things are coming….

Gah! A week without a post!

Faithful and devoted readers; what can I say?  I’ve neglected you.  It’s been over a week and you keep checking in, looking for me to have posted something, anything, and I don’t deliver.

Forgive me.

I’ve spent most of my free time this week pouring over CSS tutorials, trying to learn everything I can about designing a sleek, clean, and original page layout.  In case you don’t know me personally, this has involved a lot of confused staring at the computer, and questions that begin with “hey Jeremy…?” Oh, and I’ve also been stalking the crap out of some digital SLRs…with a generous birthday contribution from one Jeremy Clauson (Provident Potato food tester/dish washer/photoshopper extraordinaire), as well as Mom and Dad (who probably sent the money hoping I’d give it to Sallie Mae or Citi bank for student loan payments so they’d stop calling…sorry.)  Oh you heard right.  I’m getting a digital SLR.  A sexy, sexy digital SLR.

So to top this all off  I’m leaving for vacation on Thursday evening.  I know, right?  How much closer can I get to the brink of total insanity before I just attach a snowplow to my civic and go postal up the 405?  But I was guilted into it by my little brother who I don’t see nearly enough of, and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t totally amped.  Of course preparing for a vacation is an epic journey itself, so I might not be able to get a post out before we leave.  I’m going to try.  The peach cobbler I have baking in the oven as we speak might force me to do it, because to be honest, I feel kind of bad holding out on you.  I tried to not document it, in a subconscious attempt to duck out of having to write a post before we leave, but half way through I caved.  It’s just too good.  The last thing I want to do is deprive you, and for as much as I would love to pack my ramekins into my carry-on luggage and re-attempt the recipe with cherries, I don’t think it’s going to happen…I mean about the ramekins.  Cherry cobbler is totally going to happen.

Speaking of promising too much, I’m seriously going to try to get some posts up while I’m in Michigan.  There’s a lot of laying around in the sun and attending to nothing to be done, and that might get in the way of my ambitious goal to keep working, but I swear I’m going to cook…so if nothing else, there will be posts with oh-so-much better photos for your reading/viewing pleasure upon my return.  You can count on that.

Westsiders

Mint and watermelon.  Could there be a more heavenly hot-weather combination?  I’ve been complaining for weeks about the unseasonably cold weather (65 degree-days through the 4^th of July?  Give me a break!) But last week the westside finally got a taste of summer, and it was glorious.  The door was wide open all day and it officially felt like California again.  To celebrate, I decided to try my hand at an aptly named drink created by the folks down at Waterloo and City called the Westsider.  It’s light, refreshing, and alcoholic—everything I expect a summer drink to be.  Plus it calls for the use of Gin, and is named for my side of town—I was in love with it before I even tried it

Summer squash 1 (easy) way for 3 (delicious) dishes!

Summer squash, garlic, onion, rosemary, and oregano

July is awash with summer squash, pretty much no matter where you live. Growing up in Vermont, I remember seeing baskets of green and yellow long necks lining country roads towards the end of summer with desperately scrawled “free” signs above them.  Neighbors would reel you in with offers of dinner, then insist that you take some squash with you when you left. By August, everyone is sick of this delicious, abundant, and multi-faceted vegetable.

I religiously wait for them to come into season, and when they do I just can’t get enough—summer squash is light, remarkably versatile, cheap, and easy to work with. If you think you don’t like it but have never tried it fresh (i.e. straight from the farm, not from Peru via your local grocer) you have to give it another try. It grows as fast as weeds, and lends itself really well to almost any flavor you’d like to throw at it. You can think of it as the tofu of vegetables, except less bland and overrated. Summer squash is high in just about every nutrient you’ve ever heard of—including vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, K, Omega 3 fatty acids, folate, manganese…the list goes on—it’s so good for you that you that it makes the cut for the World’s Healthiest foods list.

If this is your first foray into summer squash, I applaud your willingness to give it a try!  This week, we’re doing squash 1 easy way for 3+ dishes. Perfect for new cooks and busy people everywhere! “But wait”, you say “won’t I get sick of all this squash?” Oh my god will you ever!  And that’s good, because once it’s gone, you can’t have it again until next summer—at least not the good stuff. You can find foreign-grown squash in every store across the country all year round, but it only resembles its locally grown cousin in looks—certainly not in nutrients or in taste. I find out of season summer squash to be mealy, bitter, and dry. A good summer squash is fragile, bruises easily, and holds the perfect amount of moisture and elasticity in its flesh for cooking quickly on high heat—the same traits make them perfect for the grill as well!

Summer squash pasta Parmesan

Of the 3 simple dishes I’m posting today, Jeremy’s pick for dinner was summer squash pasta Parmesan.  This week I’ll also serve squash fajitas with garlic mayo and cotija cheese, and polenta with sauteed squash (and any other veggies I have lying around, no doubt.)   Though I’m not profiling them tonight, this same preparation of squash is perfect for a tamale filling, and is an excellent in savory puff pastries.

Carolina Cole Slaw

Carolina Coleslaw on a Bison Fajita

I’ve spent some time in the south, and you can’t live there for more than a month without falling head over heals for the local food.  My residency in Asheville, NC was what sealed the deal for me.  Carolina BBQ is tangy and succulent, and is enough to make even the most stalwart Mid-West BBQ fan sit up and take note.  For me, Carolina coleslaw was a culinary revelation.  There’s nothing like it, and there’s really nothing better.  Light, fresh, and perfectly piquant, it just screams summer.

Shoulder Cuts, and the Art of Tenderizing with Marinades

Red wine marinade with a Lindner Farms Bison Chuck steak

I woke up late last Sunday, and didn’t make it up to the Hollywood farmer’s market until about an hour before it closed.  It’s usually pretty slim pickings for red meat when you don’t get there early, so I figured I’d let whatever they had dictate what I made for dinner.  All that remained for many vendors were the tough braising meats. Stews are great, but not when it’s 80-90 degrees during the day.  Lucky for me, I was able to nab a beautiful grass-fed

Pancakes

It totally tastes as good as it looks...possibly better.

There’s nothing better than breakfast on the weekend.  Something about waking up late and having a leisurely cup of morning joe always puts me in the mood for a good meal.  I’m a big fan of looking at finished food, and there are few things more satisfying than the visage of pancakes, bacon, and eggs

Green Bean Casserole with Caramelized Onions

Green Bean Casserole is the kind of dish you see most often around the holidays.  Sadly, a lot of people associate the name with pitiful, mushy green beans in a gravy of canned mushroom soup with some sort of chemically-founded fried onion thing on top.  Sound like something you’ve seen before?  Well that’s not what we’re making here today

Conventional vs. Organic and another argument for buying local

I came across the above cartoon this morning, and I have to admit that it kind of pissed me off.  I can’t argue with the value that makes this cartoon funny; eating organic is an activity that some people can’t afford.  There are people out there trying to feed their entire family with $100 a week, and if you’re one of those people, organic might be out of reach.  But is that really you?  Most people who say they can’t afford organic actually can, but choose not to prioritize it. While it’s true that some people simply don’t know the risks involved with buying conventional, I think plenty more do know, but choose to turn a blind eye anyway

Vegetable gyoza, and thoughts on learning to cook

Green onions, cilantro, garlic, ginger, carrots, and baby bok choy

When I originally set out to create the Provident Potato, it was my intention to help inquiring minds learn to cook.  I know a lot of people who would like to learn, but can’t figure out where to start.  Cooking regularly is an art, and it’s different from simply following a recipe.  You waste a lot of food if you don’t know how to put one ingredient into multiple uses.  Cooking seasonally asks one to make many different dishes from similar ingredients, and if you’re just learning to cook, this blog is a great place for you to start.  With this in mind, I’ve written detailed instructions for those of you out there who might not yet be old hands in the kitchen.  If you know what you’re doing, feel free to skip the details and head straight to the parts that are most useful to you.

You can make gyoza with a variety of fillings, but it is best served in its vegetarian incarnation in the spring when green leafy veggies are abundant.