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!
Peaches remind me of a fancy cocktail made with whipped egg whites and served in a paper-thin antique glass with a long, skinny stem and flecks of fast melting ice. The kind of drink I suck back in seconds, afraid it will change irreversibly in my grip. For me, peaches are just as fleeting, perhaps [...]
I recently saw a mendicant at the corner of US 59 and Chimney Rock Road, beneath the highly trafficked underpass where the homeless often rest and beg. He was begging. Fortunately, I was prepared, half a bag of unwanted tortilla chips waiting in my passenger’s seat, crisp yellow and ready for the jowls of the [...]
Christopher and I like to cook on Fridays: cozy up to the stove, cool ourselves down with a few glasses of wine, and then dance in the middle of the living room when all’s said and done. It’s a pretty great way to date—and it shaves a lot of time off primping, waiting for tables, [...]
Someone once asked if I’d seen Goop, that insidious ‘newsletter’ put out by Gwyneth Paltrow. I had not. Now, I get a little note in my inbox every Thursday telling me about all sorts of crazy things I can either: MAKE GO GET DO BE or SEE. All of which regularly return to the theme [...]
There are few things that make me full after a few tastes, but hummus is one of them. It’s so filling, I can only eat it at lunch, with most of a day’s digestion ahead. I’m no good at a bite or two, you should know: when I say “tastes,” I mean generous spoonfuls. Mystery [...]
It’s not tomato season yet, although they’re coming up soon… here in Houston at least. I eyeball my little, green fruits every time I come home, weighing them in my mind’s eye, wondering when I’ll have to put up chicken wire to keep the eager squirrels from running off with my loot, as they always [...]
One of my favorite things about visiting home is my mother’s zest for cocktail hour. When she’s not working, she’s waiting for five o’clock. Until recently, my father, sister and I joined her, dutiful but sometimes disinterested, sipping wine and waiting for the sun to set over the water. Don’t get me wrong…I love to [...]
I realize that many people will not give this post much attention and that makes me sad. I feel that cauliflower is much maligned—or at least wildly underappreciated. How is it that such a beautiful thing can be considered so unglamorous? Is it because they look a little bit wan? I’ve thought that myself, I [...]
Our parsley has become a rather intimidating shrub. I go out to the garden every day and trim it back, but its leaves only seem to multiply, bushier by the day. Before this year, I had only ever seen parsley in little diminutive stems, often contained by tiny terra cotta pots. I felt bad plucking [...]
Cake is a favorite food, though sadly it can come with some baggage. Having cake for breakfast, day after day, is a loaded decision, for example…unless you’re someone who really has no qualms about those kinds of social conventions. I’ll have some cake or pastry from time to time, but reaching for it for a [...]
