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Showing posts from September, 2005

The HobNob

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The HobNob achieved one of those rare feats for new products by being simultaneously new and yet familiar, as if we were merely being reintroduced after an unexplained absence... The cheerful orange pack, the strap line 'One nibble and you're nobbled' and, of course, the name all helped to place the biscuit comfortably on the stage of UK biscuits. The name begged not to be taken seriously, and told us that this was a biscuit for the honest masses, at the time of the rise of the yuppie in Britain under Margaret Thatcher. Nicey And Wifey's Nice Cup Of Tea And A Sit Down Not glamorous but with or without chocolate, these are one of the classic cookies around.

Picnics ... French Style

I have been on some nightmarish picnics in my time. I do not like going to the beach and sitting hunched over on a blanket in the hot sand, struggling to deal with an unappetizing lunch of sun-warmed bologna sandwich. Although this kind of memory is always good for a laugh afterward,it is not my idea of a nice time and I would never expect my guests to go through such an ordeal. The children end up cranky and crying and often the adults do too. This is not my idea of a picnic at all. This being said, I do love a picnic in the French style, which of course, means comfort, comfort, and more comfort. First of all, a French person is simply not going to eat on the ground. Although we might lounge around on a blanket later, it is much better to eat sitting up. When you see a French family having their picnic lunch, they will be at a table -- either a permanent one or a folding model that they have brought with them -- or they will be sitting together on a bench. The food will be appealing b

Mrs. Darwin's Sausage Jambalaya

Yes, I know this actually came from a cookbook but somehow it will always be Mrs. Darwin's to me. I am reproducing part of her post here so I have it for posterity (and those times I need to make it again!). One thing the Cajuns should be praised for is the way they have developed the art of sausage making. Once you have tasted andouille, chaurice, boudin rouge, boudin blanc, or saucisse boucaner, you've got to go back for more, and I've named but a few. Both the Creoles and the Cajuns used these delicious sausages in soups, vegetable dishes, in gumbos, and of course served by themselves. One of the favorite uses is in a jambalaya. Here is an easy, quick way to whip up a tasty Sausage Jambalaya. You will need about a pound or a pound and a quarter of chaurice, smoked sausage, or andouille. Slice the sausage into small pieces, then brown in a deep frying pan or Dutch oven. Take the meat out and put into the same fat, 2 large onions, chopped, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery, a

What Is It With Butter Carving?

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I thought it was just something kooky that was a U.S. tradition as some state fairs ... this sculpture is being done for the 2005 Texas State Fair. But evidently not ... this was done for an event in New Zealand (via Slashfood ).

Classic Lasagna

This recipe is from the magazine Fine Cooking. The best thing about it is that it makes A LOT under the theory that if you are making one lasagne it is very little trouble to go ahead and make three in just about the same amount of time. Then you can freeze two lasagnas for later. And they are right. Best of all the sauce recipe is killer. If you want to make it for separate use, such as for spaghetti, just simmer it for an hour, stirring frequently, instead of the shorter time called for below. It's designed to leave it watery so the instant noodles have enough moisture when cooking the lasagna. Step 1: 2 pounds sweet Italian sausage Brown meat, breaking into small pieces. Remove, chop small and reserve. Step 2: 2 tablespoons olive oil 8 cloves, peeled, crushed garlic 2 large onions, finely chopped Add oil and garlic and heat over medium-high heat until garlic just begins to turn light brown, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard, leaving oil in pot. Add onio

Cook's Alphabet: F is for Funistrada

A rare example of a 'ghost food', recorded by Bryson (1991). 'The U.S. Army in 1974 devised a food called funistrada as a test word during a survey of soldiers' dietary preferences. Although no such food existed,funistrada ranked higher in the survey than lima beans and eggplant.' The Penguin Companion to Food Which just goes to show how much people hate lima beans and eggplant. What do you suppose they thought it was? Funistrada sounds Italian somehow. Perhaps something like lasagna?

A Little Useless Information

THE GREAT MOLASSES FLOOD OF 1919 I went to original newspaper articles to find out what it was like. Envision a disaster scene with smashed buildings, overturned vehicles, drowned and crushed victims, and terrified survivors running away covered in molasses. Like the modern-day disasters with which we are unfortunately familiar, there was chaos, terror, buildings in ruins, victims to be dug out, trapped survivors to be rescued, rescue workers among the victims, and anguished families rushing to relief centers to find their relatives. It was like any horrible disaster scene, with the addition that everything was covered in smelly sticky brown molasses. My smart aleck brother brought this to my attention when I was comparing Hurricane Katrina to past disasters. It is fascinating to read through the articles found at the site.

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INTERNATIONAL FOOD BLOGGING World on a Plate makes good on her name by presenting us with a list of food bloggers around the world. This may take some time to get through but what fun it'll be! BETTER THAN THE AVERAGE MARSHMALLOW Oswego Tea finds marshmallows in Paris. Great post and the photos of these hand made marshmallows are worth the click through.

Thai-Style Chicken Curry

This is from Ken Hom's Quick Wok: The Fastest Food in the East. It is unbelievably easy although the technique of letting the chicken steep left me with half raw chicken and lukewarm sauce. That was easily enough solved by simply turning on the stove and simmering for a few minutes. Beware of the curry paste which scores high on the "heat meter" and start with 1 tablespoon (or less) if you don't like food really spicy. I have never heard Tom answer as loudly or assertively about a recipe as he did when my question of if I should make this again got a resounding "YES!" from him. 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts 14 ounce can of coconut milk 1-2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste, to taste 3 tablespoons finely shredded spring onions (green onions) 1-1/2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh ginger 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce 1 teaspoon lime juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 teaspoons sugar Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. In

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FOOD AND THE LAW The fact is, working these hours restricts access to the sensual pleasures - shut up in an office building for 14 hours a day, we don't feel sun on our faces, hear poignant music (blasting your Ipod on the morning subway ride to momentarily forget your extreme exhaustion doesn't count), see the beauty of Manhattan in early fall, and most of us don't have the time or energy (or available partner) to fit sex in on a regular basis. So what's left to feed the hollow cavern expanding inside our collective consciousness? Buttery, oil-soaked, lard-ridden food. The richer, creamier, saltier and more saturated the better. You can see why opinionistas attempts a healthy lifestyle after that description. Too bad she inadvertently winds up in a vegan restaurant. ME OH, MY OH Mrs. Darwin isn't on the bayou but her recipe for Sausage Jambalaya looks mighty tasty all the same.

So Close But Yet So Far

I probably haven't picked up a copy of Gourmet for at least a couple of years but I couldn't resist the other day when I saw their theme was music and food. There was some truly fabulous food writing by John T. Edge, Anthony Bourdain, Jane and Michael Stern, and the late Michael Roberts. Too bad the recipes weren't as stellar as the writing. For example, a description of a local Southern legendary pie maker mentioned her rolling out pie crust that had lard in it. The "adapted" recipe featured 2 tablespoons of shortening instead, "preferably nonhydrogenated." Give me a break. Either give me the real unadulterated recipe or just give up. If Gourmet is afraid of a little lard they aren't a food magazine worth the name (and I think we all know that isn't really off the mark) .

La Cremerie for Kids

... since most French children drink very little milk, we have other ways to make sure they get the calcium they need. In place of the plastic gallon jugs of milk that you would find in an American supermarket, la cremerie has other calcium-rich treats for kids. Yogurt comes in all flavors and is made from all types of milk. They also sell chocolate, caramel, and vanilla custard and delicious mousse, all made from fresh dairy products. The lady behind the counter remembers our family's fondness for her special strawberry-flavored yogurt drink and points this out to us as a reminder. Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living I have to admit that does sound a lot better than a glass of milk.

Dark Chocolate Digestive

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Something that has always impressed me is the fierce loyalty shown by those who prefer the dark chocolate variant of the Chocolate Digestive. Despite being in the minority, they behave in a somewhat superior way, believing that only they, the elite, can appreciate the true chocolate biscuit, a dark chocolate biscuit. The usual implication is that dark chocolate is for grown-ups... If that were as far as it went that would be fine. However, all too often the dark chocolate faction can't help but pass of their opinions as facts. Where a harmless 'I prefer the dark chocolate ones' would suffice, they have to push it with provocative statements such as 'The dark chocolate ones are best'. This is tantamount to spoiling for a fight. However, most people will let it go, as the votes have been counted and the dark chocolate guys lost so it's not worth coming to blows. Nicey and Wifey's Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down For those who have never had the pleasure of try

How France Gave Chicory to America

Chicory is a blue-flowered European herb related to endive. The long white root is roasted, ground, and can be brewed by itself to make a drink that resembles coffee. The French started using chicory widely around 1806 when Napoleon was trying to make France self-sufficient. Unfortunately, coffee could not be grown in France, but chicory was everywhere. The Creole French of New Orleans had used chicory as far back as 1688 as a sort of pioneering coffee substitute, but after the Napoleonic declarations, chicory use became a sentimental part of their cuisine as well. Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living I thought that New Orleans really was the only place that anyone used chicory. I had no clue it came from France in the first place.

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FOOD BLOGGER MAKES GOOD For those unfamiliar with the story, in 2003, Powell was a secretary living in Queens. Nearing 30 and hating her job, with little (she thought) to show for her life, she embarked on her epic cooking project in order to, as she wrote, “save myself from giving up entirely to dreariness and mediocrity.” With her profanity-laced blog detailing the daily struggles of cooking like Julia, Powell soon won the hearts of thousands of readers, and, by the end of the project, was fielding interview requests from NPR, CNN, the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune . With that kind of built-in media attention, a book deal was inevitable. Read the whole story here . I guess other sorts of bloggers have book deals come up but I really am fascinated at the way food bloggers always have that in the back of their minds (not that Powell did but you see it mentioned an awful lot on various foodie sites). Via Saute Wednesday .

Katrina Relief

I am participating in the TTLB Blogburst to help with Katrina Relief though my main blog, Happy Catholic . If you don't have a favorite charity and want to contribute, please consider joining in. (Follow the link.) If you have a blog, please consider joining in. I'll be leaving this post at the top of the blog for the duration of the weekend.

Skillet Chicken and Rice with Mushrooms and Green Beans

This recipe from Cover and Bake was a big hit with everyone and, though it is supposed to make enough for 4 to 6, makes enough rice for eight. I think it would work well using eight chicken thighs (my favorite for any chicken dishes that have to cook for a little while). I mistakenly got skin-on, boneless chicken breasts for this recipe but just took the chicken out a few minutes earlier than the recipe calls for so they wouldn't be totally overcooked. Also, I forgot to buy green beans so used frozen haricots verts (ah, Central Market, where would I be without you?). 3 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts (10 to 12 ounces each), cut in half crosswise Salt and ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 medium onion, chopped 10 ounces white button mushrooms, brushed clean and quartered 4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press 1-1/2 cups long-grain white rice 1/2 cup white wine 3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed an