Hi. I’m Isabel, I cook and scribble. I make a lot of food and do a lot of writing, and Bread & Courage is what I have to show for it. It started as a simple food blog called TASTE but evolved into something more—a place where I express my love of food, community and the environment. Thanks for spending some time here—and be in touch!
All of my original TASTE blog entries with the new look.
Houston, you are truly a hot, wet babe. Not exactly gorgeous, but certainly widespread and lusty, full of sprawling roads leading to spicy foods of all kids. You' ve got about as much culture as any of the other more glamorous cities out there. Pfff. You are, by far, the most cosmopolitan and egalitarian place […]
Because food is so enmeshed in our bodies, our communities and our environment, it can also be a source of tremendous cultural complication. Robert Kenner’s new documentary Food Inc. explores some of America’s seemingly unrelated ills and ties them together within the subversive–and shrinking–network of American factory farms.
The soup began with a handful of browning pancetta, popping and browning dutifully at the bottom of a pot. When it was crisp and golden, I added a series of spring vegetables, each one stirring the smell anew. Sweet fennel and onions; bright squash and carrots; the aromatics of a bay leaf. Somehow, the pancetta wrapped its arms around each one, enhancing them as one and as many…oh, sweet miracle food. After all the flavors had mellowed together, it was truly a perfect spring meal–the ideal resting place for an abundance of seasonal produce.
Yesterday evening saw me over a pot of vegetable soup. It was a great event from start to finish, punctuated by the pop of pancetta, the slow caramelizing of onions and fennel and the smell of herbs drifting into the deepest corners of the house, infused by the bubbling broth. Served with a hunk of […]
Today I ate zucchini bread. And fell asleep on the couch. It’s a wonderful life; have a slice.
Yesterday, when nostalgia and appetite hit hardest, (they generally come as a pair) I used my bounty for a flatbread medley. It wasn' t half bad.
A few recipes later, I came upon the definitive, knock-your-socks-off, bang-your-head-on-the-table-good scone.
Things are transforming a bit for me and my food. Aside from a minor makeover, my kitchen looks the same, but something strange and exciting has been born in there—my appetite to write. I started this blog over a year ago, with the hope of learning to cook. What I’ve learned more than anything is […]
A few of my favorite things, in order: milk, sugar, coffee. I’ve discovered a harmonious mixture of the three at what may be the most pleasant spot on earth–a sunlit, whitewashed cafe with nothing but a wood burning stove and an espresso machine to sustain its simple menu. As teaching winds down for the season, […]
Once in a while you get a new bibelot that inspires a wave of creativity. I remember the feeling most vividly as a student–a spiffy new pencil or pen could give rise to beautifully maintained notebooks and florid doodles. The thrill might last a day or so, but I’ll always remember the excitement and energy […]
