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Showing posts from 2007

What the World Eats

Dom Bettinelli points out this photo essay, What the World Eats . On some levels it is what we would expect with many packaged foods from the Westernized countries. On the other hand, I was stunned to see that a German family spends $500 per week to feed 4 people. Now what would this have been if a French family had been shown I wonder? I always am told that they spend on food the discretionary income equivalent to what Americans spend on technology. I have to say that I am now feeling better about my weekly grocery store bill as it generally is below the American ones I saw and I always thought it was pretty high.

Joyful Anticipation of the Coming Celebration

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Then up rose Mrs. Cratchit, Cratchit's wife, dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap, and make a goodly show for sixpence; and she laid the cloth, assisted by Belinda Cratchit, second of her daughters, also brave in ribbons; while Master Peter Cratchit plunged a fork into the saucepan of potatoes, and getting the corners of his monstrous shirt collar (Bob's private property, conferred upon his son and heir in honor of the day) into his mouth, rejoiced to find himself so gallantly attired, and yearned to show his linen in the fashionable Parks. And now the two smaller Cratchits, boy and girl, came tearing in, screaming that outside the baker's they had smelled the goose, and known it for their own; and basking in luxurious thoughts of sage in onion, these young Cratchits danced about the table, and exalted Master Peter Cratchit to the skies, while he (not proud, although his collars nearly choked him) blew the fire, until the slow

Omelettes Made in a Ziploc? That Just Ain't Right.

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It's funny ... and weird ... and kind of intriguing. A homemade boil-in-bag breakfast. Men in Aprons have the instructions if you want to give it a try. This really seems perfect for guys. It combines a science experiment with breakfast. My secret informant, Siggy , confides that he has tried it and "it works great!"

Crunch

This is a homemade Toffee-Popcorn-Nut recipe that my parents made without fail for every Christmas. Me? Well ... Dallas is so much more humid and I run out of time and ... ok, look, I'm not going to lie, especially with Santa checking that list. It's just that I will always put the other recipes first and by the time that I am nerved to deal with molten hot sugar, Christmas is upon us and we have more cookies than we can ever eat. "Why make more sweets?" I tell myself. Also, truth be told, the humid weather does have something to do with it as well. I want it crunchy and chewy ... not soft and sticky. That ain't easy to achieve unless the Crunch is made only a day or two before Christmas, just when the time crunch really takes hold on my schedule. Now that I have all that avoidance out of the way, I have to say that this is the popcorn that ruined me for any other toffee popcorn experience. Seriously. Nothing else stands up to that chewy, buttery, crunchy combina

I Don't Know About The Tom-inator, But ...

... I have no doubt that the rest of this is the best barbecue in Atlanta. Our co-worker Chris's brothers run it and he's given us some of their ribs as a Christmas gift before. Mmmm, mmm, good! As this Fox News guy attests to .

Fine Art Friday

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Red Wine by Qiang Huang, the featured artist in today's Fine Art Festival .

How to Peel a Banana

Here's one reason to read David Leibovitz. He's so darned funny ... *To Peel the Banana: Hold the banana in one hand near the base. With your other hand, grab the top stem, and pull it firmly downward. If it gives you trouble, rock it back-and-forth, trying to break the area between the stem and the skin just beneath. If that doesn’t work, take a sharp paring knife, being careful not to cut yourself, hold the blade facing away from you and make a small incision on the side of the skin near the tip. Set the knife aside the tear the skin of the banana using your hands, which should make the skin peel away nicely. Pull each side of skin down from the banana, exposing the fleshy fruit beneath. Once the banana is almost completely visible, firmly yank the skin down as far as possible and extract the banana from the skin. Discard the skin (it can be frozen, well-wrapped, for up to six month and saved for another use, if desired.) The banana should be used immediately. If not, it can

Why Fruitcake for the Holidays?

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Did you know that fruitcake is considered a holiday dessert to this day because of a law that was passed in England in the 18th century? The law restricted fruitcake consumption to the holiday season because it was considered far too rich for regular eating. These days, whether people think of fruitcake kindly or with deep suspicion, it is something to make, consume and share around the holidays. Slashfood has the scoop. I don't make fruitcake but I love it ... and who wouldn't when it is from the Collin Street Bakery ? Mmmmm ...

Thanksgiving ... Already?

Finally, this weekend I could no longer ignore the fact that Thanksgiving is this week. Luckily, our menu, like most, is set except for a few things which are my Thanksgiving "funny bone" and that I get quirky with every year. Variations are allowed by my family in the cranberry relish and sweet potatoes ... and that is only because I am the only one who eats them. Our day-after-Thanksgiving meal also is mandated by tradition. Chef salad featuring turkey (of course), blue cheese dressing and crumbled bacon (the real thing please!) on top. Mmmmmm, crumbled bacon ... Here are a few links to recipes I've posted that we'll have at the feast. Holiday Central Ok, not my recipes but O Chef must answer just about every question you could think of there ... including any that my "short-hand" recipes may leave you with! Herbed Thanksgiving Stuffing This is the best stuffing ever and cooks in a slow cooker. I have made this four times now and never been disappointed. I

Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls

This weekend I made a batch of these to have on hand for Thanksgiving. This recipe is from The Grass Roots Cookbook by Jean Anderson. I don't think it is in print any more so if you see a copy for sale, snap it up. It was the result of a "best cooks" series run by Family Circle, for which Anderson traveled thousands of miles and profiled many home cooks around the country known locally for their excellent cooking. This is one of the best cookbooks I know for representing regional cooking in the last days when such a thing was widespread and cooks vied to be the best. Every recipe I have tried from it has always been wonderful. These rolls are no exception and my family loves them. They are the epitome of those soft, slightly sweet, buttery American rolls that are so difficult to find these days. Bakeries carry ciabiotta, authentic baguettes, fresh flour tortillas ... but a good American roll is hard to find. I make these using leftover mashed potatoes. The fact that they

True Confessions of Two Chefs

David Leibovitz reviews Alice Water's new cookbook, The Art of Simple Food, and begins with a classic reminiscence. During my interview at Chez Panisse, as I sat across the table from Alice Waters in the main dining room at the restaurant, she asked me, "What do you eat at home?" Since I'm not exactly convincing when lying, I told her. "I eat popcorn, mostly." And continued, "I'm a restaurant cook. I don't have time to eat at home." (Although I did conveniently omit the fact that it was microwave popcorn...) In spite of that, or because of my chutzpah, I got hired and worked at Chez Panisse for a long time. What nailed it for me and endeared me to Alice, years later, wasn't her politics or her philosophy on cooking. It was when I told her, "I really like to drink coffee leftover from the morning, with milk in it, that's been sitting on the counter all day." And she said, "Me too." Go read the review a

Fine Art Friday

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The Bucket by Edward B. Gordon Can this guy do a painting I don't like? Nope.

How to Judge a Tex-Mex Restaurant

Here are a few guidelines: 1. It has to be family-owned. 2. A ramshackle space with added-on rooms is a positive. The most successful Tex-Mex restaurants started small and expanded due to popular demand. 3. It’s best if the patrons in the dining room look like the face of democracy. You want a mix of gringos and Hispanic customers; professionals and laborers. Joe Gonzalez who, with his wife, Alma, opened El Jardin in 1975, offers a fourth tip: take careful measure of the chips and salsa. “It’s the first thing that hits the table,” Mr. Gonzalez said. “Are the chips and salsa homemade, or does it taste like they’re from a bag and a jar? Right there you know if you’re in for the real thing, or they’re trying to save money.” Indeed, this is exactly how I begin judging a new Tex-Mex place. Much, much more about Tex-Mex, that "native regional food," from this NY Times article, A Celebration of Tex-Mex, Without Apology . It's got plenty of input from Robb Walsh whose seminal Tex

Deep in the Heart of Texas: Robb Walsh

Whenever I see an unlicensed shade-tree barbecue stand along the side of a Texas farm-to-market road, I think of history's first barbecue salesmen -- those famous outlaws, the buccaneers. In the French West Indies, the word for a barbecue grill is boucan (from Tupi, a Brizilian language). Boucanee means smoked meat. Hence, "buccaneer" is derived from the French word for "barbecuer." The buccaneers were a ragtag crew consisting mainly of French and English outlaws and escaped slaves. They hid from the Spanish on the island of Tortuga off the northern coast of Hispaniola in the mid-1600s. Although they would later be known for their seafaring exploits, their original business was smoke-cured meat. The buccaneers hunted the wild cows and pigs left behind the failed Spanish settlements on the island of Hispaniola. They smoke-cured the meat and sold it to the passing ships. Hunted themselves by the Spanish, the buccaneeers banded together for their own protection.

Now Serving Hot Links

3 Easy Pieces Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs, Quesadillas, and Shrimp. That's what three Dallas chefs cook at home for their families on their day off. Good looking and simple recipes ... I'd forgotten about Quesadillas as a potential meal so this was a nice reminder of a really quick, delicious save for busy days. This is the feature story of the food section at the Dallas Morning News and free registration may be required. The King of Casseroles? We Texans, like most Americans, love our casseroles. Though what usually sets a Texan casserole apart from its neighbors is the spices used. Not shy with the peppers, most Texan casseroles have a bit of a kick. And one of the most popular casseroles we make is King Ranch Chicken Casserole, a soft, slightly spicy, cheesy mixture of tomatoes, corn tortillas, chicken, cream and peppers. It goes down easy and is the ultimate comfort food. Yep. I love a good King Ranch Casserole which I'd never heard of until I moved to Texas. Homesick

A Little Food for Thought ...

... at Forgotten Classics podcast where we celebrate food writing with Eat, Drink and Be Merry.

The Rise of the Food Police

A city councilwoman is proposing a moratorium on fast-food restaurants in south Los Angeles, which has more such eateries than any other part of the county. The ordinance proposed by Councilwoman Jan Perry would stop new fast-food restaurants from opening in the area for up to two years while the city establishes a long-term plan to deal with the restaurants that have been linked to health problems. Story here Big Brother casts his eye on the populace and decides that less freedom is better. So much easier to slap a negative law down (or to propose one) than to look at something positive ... such as reworking the city to create walking friendly neighborhoods, etc. What's next? A stop on the scales before you can buy some Oreos?

National Cream Filled Doughnuts Day

9. In an episode of "The Simpsons," what did Homer trade for a doughnut? a. Bart b. A piece of pie c. His soul This is the only question I knew the answer to in this doughnut quiz (well, ok, I knew the answer to #5 also ...). Celebrate by taking the quiz . Via Serious Eats .

Fine Art Friday

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Krispy Kreme 3 by Duane Keiser. He is today's featured artist in the Fine Art Festival. For more of his featured paintings, go here .

Fine Art Friday

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Die Schwarze Pump (The Black Pump) Check out the Fine Art Festival which will run for at least seven days, which features this artist today.

The Crush is On

First, I must say that de-stemming and crushing a bucket of grapes is an absolutely wonderful experience. I sat outside on a stump, pulling clusters from one bucket and plucking them into a second bucket, one after another, just enjoying the solitude and allowing myself to get lost in thought. As I began crushing handfuls of grapes, making sure none of them eluded my fingers, I imagined these grapes as being my own sacrifice offered to God. All my work, all my difficulties, all my life...broken open and poured out, so the Winemaker could use the juice to make something far greater. So says The Yeoman Farmer who has a number of fascinating reports and ruminations up about grapes, harvesting, and wine. Via Catholicism + Wine .

Cooking for the Beautiful People

Mediterranean Summer: A Season on France's Cote d'Azur and Italy's Costa Bella by David Shalleck Somehow David Shalleck pulled off the feat of making his book suspenseful. The difficulty of achieving that is explained when you realize that the book is about cooking for some supremely privileged people aboard their yacht. Shalleck is trying to find himself as a cook. He has failed what he sees as "tests" from culinary authorities Alice Waters and Nathalie Waag. They understand the essence of cooking and being a chef in a way that he does not even begin to comprehend. In an effort to close the gap, he then embarks on a series of apprenticeships in different Italian kitchens, sponsored by Faith Willinger. Finally, he becomes the personal chef for a couple we know only as La Signora and il Dottore. He has a series of challenges to overcome. First of all, though the yacht, Serenity, has been completely refitted, no one ever had a cook give the specs for the kitchen so

Chocolate Festival Cake

One person took a bite and said, "Peanut butter! I love chocolate and peanut butter!" Another sampled his slice and said, "But it isn't just peanut butter and chocolate. There's some other flavor in there." I told them, "Bananas. It has bananas in it." Yet a third person said, "Is this technically difficult to make? Because I really want the recipe." The first two people chorused, "Us too. We want that recipe." What makes this an unusual conversation is that this was at a birthday party and the speakers were all college sophomores. If you don't have any college aged kids, just think back to your own late teens to realize how unlikely this request for a recipe actually is, to say nothing of the entire conversation. Needless to say, this cake was popular . Hannah's friend, Jenny, picked out this cake from Maida Heatter's Cakes . I had never seen a cake with such a combination of dominant flavors: chocolate, peanut but

Coming Soon ...

The cake that made three college students ask for the recipe. And if you know college students, then you know how rare that is. Now I just have to find the time to type in the recipe, amidst prepping for Hannah's birthday celebration en famille tonight and last minute purchases to prep her for going back to college tomorrow.

The Nut Museum

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"In the outside world, nutcrackers are the nuts' mortal enemy," she explains. "Here, nuts and nutcrackers can be friends." I am so sorry that the Nut Lady died before we got a chance to visit her museum . She really sounds like she had a great sense of humor. Though her museum is closed, the virtual museum lives on on the internet. Check it out.

Fine Art Friday

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Tomato Sill No. 2

A Delightful Sampler of Recipes from Around the World

STREET FOOD by Tom Kime This cookbook is a charming if quick look at the recipes of street vendors all over the world. Laid out with DK Publishing's customary focus on photography and clean style, the recipes and prose are highlighted in a way that literally made my mouth water (and that is not enviable when one is reading at 11:00 at night with no way to get Spiced Grilled Chicken with Coconut Cream!) . Author Tom Kime had the enviable task of traveling the world to choose the best of the best, eating his way through the streets of India, Sri Lanka, the Caribbean and more. The result is a collection of recipes are that are both savory and simple. I especially enjoyed the Indian and Southeastern Asian recipes, but my mouth is wired that way. I have the Potato and Cumin Curry and Crispy Paratha (stuffed with scallions, ginger, cilantro, and jalapeno) marked to try. Even though the Southern Europe recipe selection was not what I usually think of (showing just how varied the recipes

Brunswick Stew

I have meant to share this recipe with y'all so many times. However, the cookbook (my beloved The New Doubleday Cookbook ) is huge and the idea of lugging it to the office (yes, I do too much blogging at work!) stopped me until this time. Today I am at home waiting for the oven repairman to come (scheduled time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ... and you thought that cable companies were bad about making people wait upon their convenience) and so have remembered to type this in. This is a family favorite. My own family made it often in the sumer as I was growing up, although not from this recipe. It always was one of those "no recipe" dishes as I recall. When I came across this recipe it added just enough "umph" to make it even more savory and tooth licking (the addition of tomatoes and a bit of sugar to the broth are the essentials of what is different). I always make a half recipe because that makes plenty for a meal and gives us half left for the freezer. Serve

Fine Art Friday

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Lorenzo Quinn: Beer Pump Sculpture, photo by Barcelona Photoblog

Linguine with Salmon and Tomatoes

This is from The Dallas Morning News food section from long ago. It was absolutely simple, fresh, and delicious. Certainly it made a perfect second-night use for grilled salmon and I can imagine it doing equally well with other grilled fish such as tuna or swordfish. This made more than 4 servings for us and I actually made sure the sauce was ready before the pasta so that the linguine wouldn't all stick together waiting to be tossed with the sauce. 8 ounces linguine 2 teaspoons olive oil (divided use) 3 or 4 cloves thinly sliced garlic 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 cup whole grape tomatoes (I had cherry tomatoes and cut them in half) Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish (I didn't have fresh dill and didn't use any at all) 1 tablespoon butter 2 (4-6 ounce) cooked (leftover) salmon filets, flaked Cook linguine according to directions, reserve 1/4 cup cooking water and drain pasta. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon

Food Talkin'

When hanging around the retreat during the slow times, our talk turned to cooking. Here are some of the recipe links which came up: Quick and Easy Tuna Noodles Used for the Team Potluck Spicy Caesar Dressing Given to Others (Which means that Rita included these in the family cookbook made for her little brother now that he is on his own.) Creamed Jalapeno Spinach Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Just Because It's a Favorite of Mine and So Easy Easy Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

Now Serving Hot Links

Chinese Food Recommendations for Foreigners Ben, who is living in China, is putting together a guide that has thorough information about various dishes, including a photo, the characters for the name, a pronounciation guide, the name we would call it, and a brief description. Is Cooking For Your Family "Retrograde June Cleaver" Nonsense? Barbara responds to a commenter on a NY Times story about personal strategies for putting home cooked meals on the table. Needless to say it was the commenter who made strangely judgmental remarks about cooking dinner. How Do You Carry Your Groceries Home? Slashfood's article looks at various approaches but winds up endorsing reusable bags. This is an approach I also would endorse if I didn't need the plastic bags for what is scooped out of the litter box and the paper bags for putting our newspapers out for recycling. Needless to say, I view those bags as a valuable commodity in our home. What's In Your Food Sur-Thrival Kit? Seri

Breakfast in Hong Kong

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Clearly this is another spot where cultural differences make a big difference ... I see that they do have a nice cuppa java there though ... From Tien Mao's Little Read Book .

A Different Kind of Kitchen Confessions

ALONE IN THE KITCHEN WITH AN EGGPLANT : Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone edited by Jenni Ferrari-Adler "A potato," I told my brother, when he asked what I'd eaten for dinner. "Boiled, cubed, sauteed with olive oil, sea salt, and balsamic vinegar." "That's it?" he asked. He was one to talk. He'd enjoyed what he called "bachelor's taco night" for three dinners and counting. "A red cabbage, steamed with hot sauce and soy sauce," I said the following night. "Do you need some money?" he asked. But it wasn't that, or it wasn't only that. I liked to think of myself not as a student on a budget, but rather as a peasant, a member of a group whose eating habits, across cultures, had long appealed to me. "Are you full?" my brother asked. "Full enough," I said. "What about protein?" Introduction This was the beginning of Jenni Ferrari-Adler's journeys cooking only fo

Hungry to Know About Ratatouille?

My embarrassingly long review (yes, I loved it in so many ways) can be found here .

Fine Art Friday

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A Glass and a Pear by Jeff Hayes

Kao Mok Gai (a.k.a. Thai-Style Chicken Biriyani)

Or as we will be calling this in our household, Thai Chicken and Rice. This came from Saveur, who got it from "Nancie McDermott's seminal cookbook Real Thai." It was simple and delicious. I originally planned to make this over the weekend but when felled by a virus had to adapt plans for after work yesterday. I skipped the marinating time and didn't skin the chicken (no time!) ... it was simply wonderful. Step 1 1-1/2 tablespoon ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper (I used plain old black pepper) 6 shallots, roughly chopped 5 cloves garlic 1 5"-inch piece fresh peeled ginger, roughly chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup water In a blender, combine all, puree to a paste. Step 2 6 skinless chicken thighs, halved crosswise through the bone (I used regular whole thighs) 6 skinless chicken drumsticks Toss chicken and spice paste together in a large bowl to coat. Cover with plastic

Now Serving Hot Links: The Recipes Edition

These recipes just sounded so good, I'm sending you round to see them for yourselves. Panang Curry Meatballs Simple Summer Pastas : this one made me think of a recipe I made just a couple of days ago. My family got it from a James Beard column in the paper I believe so it always was Beard's Tomato Pasta for us: Melt a stick of butter, crush 4 cloves of garlic and saute a bit, cut up 6 tomatoes into chunks and toss in the pan along with a few torn leaves of fresh basil. Heat until tomatoes are warmed through and then toss all with a pound of freshly cooked and drained spaghetti. Heavenly! Sichuan Classic Shredded Chicken with Garlic Sauce : the perfect recipe or so Barbara says and I believe her. Salmon Cakes with Cilantro Lime Mayonnaise

Pace Chicken Vegetable Salad

My mother picked this up either from a Pace Picante label or from their website . Either way, it is absolutely simple and simply delicious. It is especially nice to grill extra chicken on the weekend and then make this salad during the week. Step 1: 1 pound chicken breasts, grilled, diced 2 tomatoes, chopped 1 medium zucchini, quartered, sliced 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted 1 avocado, diced 1/2 cup green onions Combine all ingredients. Step 2: 1/2 cup Pace picante 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced 1/2 teaspoons cumin Make Dressing: Combine all. Add to salad. Let set an hour, chilling. Serves 4. This is infinitely adaptable … try black beans, grilled steak, etc.

Fine Art Friday

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Jadeite & Cherries by James Neil Holligsworth

A True Artist Looks Only to Results, Not to Time Spent

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That explains why this baker is the artist that I never will be ... 4 hours of working with marzipan is something I never will do. Check out the post for upclose photos and a a link to a photo-tutorial. Simply amazing! Via Bill and Slashfood .

Fine Art Friday

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Via The Roving Medievalist

Summertime and the livin' ain't easy in ...

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Somehow I didn't get the premiere taped last week but Fox showed it before this week's episode and we caught up last night. Just a few things stand out so far: We have never seen any kitchen team get their service finished on the second evening of serving, much less finish the service for the other kitchen. We were so happy to see egotistical, backstabbing Tiffany leave. We couldn't believe that Rock didn't nominate Aaron. Was it that he was trying to eliminate possibly better competition? It seems that it would have been a kindness to send Aaron home. He really can't take any pressure at all. Gordon Ramsay showed a newer, softer side when dealing with building up Aaron. There's the hidden "management" side that a good leader must have. Know when to yell and know when to support. So far we are pulling for Rock, Julia, and Melissa. One of the guys said that when Ramsay is yelling he has wrinkles like a shar pei. Nope. We go with the English bulldog ...

Ratatouille ... Something for Foodies

Although the story line has its charms, the precisely rendered detail of a professional kitchen will appeal to the food-obsessed. The Pixar crew took cooking classes, ate at notable restaurants in Paris and worked alongside Mr. Keller at the French Laundry in Yountville, Calif. “As a former actor and dancer, I have spent a lot of time in restaurants, but I had no idea of that vast difference between France and America, and especially the three-star restaurants in Paris,” said Brad Lewis, the producer. ... Throughout the film, the characters work on dishes like steamed pike with butter, braised fennel and heirloom potatoes or grilled petit filet mignon with oxtail and baby onion ragout topped with truffled bordelaise and shaved Perigord truffle. The idea was to create food so authentic that people would leave the theater with an urge to cook and eat. But it turns out that computer-generated food can look much scarier than a computer-generated bug or car. “We didn’t want something to loo

Frito Pie, How Do We Love Thee? Let Us Count the Ways ...

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Photo source: Roadfood Back in 1932, a year generally regarded as the nadir of the Depression, a San Antonian named C.E. "Elmer" Doolin tasted a home-fried corn chip in a Mexican cafe. He was so intrigued by its taste that he paid $100 for the chip's recipe and the right to market it. Not that Mr. Doolin actually had $100 cash. He borrowed the money from his mama, Daisy Dean Doolin. Mrs. Doolin must have had an unshakable faith in her son, because she gave C.E. her diamond wedding ring to pawn for that $100 loan. What's more, she let him set up shop in her kitchen and mix batch after batch of corn dough, which was shaped into strips by extruding the dough through a converted potato ricer. And she fried innumerable strips of ground corn in hot vegetable oil while C.E. and his brother, Earl, experimented with perfecting the chips. One can only imagine how many hours she must have spent scrubbing oil splatters from the walls and floor. ... Dallas Morning News It is Frit

DMN's New Food Blog

Eats is off to a running start with where to pick blueberries near Dallas, restaurant news, and various other interesting posts. If you live in Dallas it definitely is worth checking out.

Fine Art Friday

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Kebap by Edward B. Gordon

Poetry Thursday

Oh, cinnamon toast So fragrant, crisp and golden Such a tasty snack Monkey

Let Me Tell You a Story ...

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A podcast featuring great authors and stories that should be better known. A little about the authors and their stories, with samples. Yep, that's right. It's the special, mystery project. You wanted to know what I sound like? Here's your chance. And that's Tom on the intro so you get a two-for-one deal here. You can download the file from Forgotten Classics or subscribe through iTunes .

Gimme a dip of Strawberry-Celery and ... ummm ... one of Sweet Corn and Italian Thorntree Honey

You may never take the kids to Paciugo for veggies. But, this summer, the Dallas-based gelateria is introducing a dozen new flavors that include stealth carrots and beets as well as creative adult combinations based on vegetables and herbs. For the kids, "sometimes we need to win with appearance first," owner Cristiana Ginatta says. You know: Kids order by color, not flavor. So Banana-Beet entices with its maroon hue, and Banana-Carrot is a cool cantaloupe orange. Like all of Paciugo's gelatos, the colors come from fruits and vegetables, not additives. Banana trumps, straight up and simple, in these kid-friendly flavors, with just a whisper of veggies. Not so the adult hybrids. Ms. Ginatta says she started searching for combinations with the most popular fruit flavors: strawberry, mango and banana. "Then, I looked for a vegetable to pair with these three," she says. Dallas Morning News (free registration required) Okaaaaaaay .... Actually some of the flavors do

Orbiting Gourmet Style

The meal was shared by the six people onboard the station on April 12, the anniversary of the first human trip into orbit--made by Yuri Gagarin in 1961. The crew gathered in the Russian Service module, which is the social center of the complex. And as the diners orbited the Earth at 17,000 miles an hour, they spent a hour or more enjoying the duck pâté and roast quail, as well as rice pudding and apple fondant for dessert. Mr. Simonyi described it as a "festive" occasion. So much for freeze-dried ice cream, which we kids deemed a treat in the 70's when we could lay our hands on it. Here's the whole story .

Every Picture Tells a Story

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Although, in this case, you need to go check out the explanation at Barcelona Photoblog for this Fideua, the pasta version of widely known rice paella.

Mom's New York Cheesecake

I think I remember Mom saying that this recipe is an amalgamation of pieces she put together to recreate her favorite cheesecake. I tend to prefer a graham cracker crust but am leaving her crust here for those who do not as it is quite tasty as well. Step 1: 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg yolk 1 cup sifted flour 1/4 teaspoon lemon rind 1/4 teaspoon vanilla Make the crust: Preheat oven to 400°. Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolk. Then add other ingredients. Pat 1/3 of dough in bottom of a 10-inch springform pan. Cook for 6 minutes, cool completely. Meanwhile, raise oven temperature to 475°. Butter sides of pan and put remaining dough around the sides of the pan. Crust will only come up 1/3 of the sides of the pan. Step 2: 2-1/2 pounds cream cheese 5 eggs 3 tablespoons flour 1-3/4 cups sugar 1 teaspoon lemon rind 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 egg yolks 1/4 cup cream Make th

I Hear Ya, Sistah

Tonight at the dinner table, Gabrielle put down her fork, pushed away her empty plate, and sighed. She closed her eyes briefly before looking at me thoughtfully. "I just weally ... weally like gravy," she said. Danielle Bean I'd say, "Who doesn't?" except that Hannah eschews it. Silly, silly girl!

Mom's Tortellini Salad

Looking through here I seriously cannot believe that I haven't put this recipe out there for everyone to try. It is a consistent favorite with everyone who tries it. My mother came across it long ago in a restaurant magazine. Naturally, it was provided with quantities for buffet brunch servings so she had to tinker with it to get it just right for family portions. Step 1: 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup yogurt 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon oil ½ bunch parsley Process all ingredients in food processor until well mixed. Step 2: 1 pound frozen cheese tortellini Cook tortellini until tender. Cool quickly and toss with dressing. It will seem as if there is too much dressing but don't worry, it thickens up. Cool overnight.

Well Said

From my quote journal. When I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and it is all one. M.F.K. Fisher

"I have been wanting to ask you ..."

My family and I saw the seasons pass in the valley. The children went to the local school, where they learned along with the three R's how to trap and skin rabbits, how to stake pastures to hold the forest's hogs, and how to mend a hand-drawn threshing sled made to a design unchanged since the Iron Age. With Maria's advice and under her tutelage we acquired a donkey, a kitchen garden, and a household pig -- the last, I stipulated, only if Maria helped me at its final hour. The pig thrived mightily on the scraps from my kitchen. Finally, on a late October day deemed suitable, the moon being in the right quarter and the pig having been fattened to the correct weight on acorns from the surrounding cork oaks, Maria's husband and brother-in-law arrived at sunrise to prepare for the dreaded event. Soon afterwards Maria, her cousins, and her mother appeared to help with the kitchen labor. The children were packed off to school early, and all day we worked salting hams, seasoni

Rubik's Cube Cake

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Now that's a fun cake! Via Neatorama .

Fake Flavorings Really Are Hazardous to Your Health

The workers, by and large, have been young and healthy. None were smokers, and none had any history of lung disease. But after working at plants that produce food flavorings, they all had one thing in common: they could not breathe. Over the last several years, California health officials have been tracking a handful of workers in flavoring factories who have been incapacitated with a rare, life-threatening lung condition — bronchiolitis obliterans — for which there is no cure or treatment. Usually found only in people who are poisoned by chemical fires or chemical warfare or in lung transplant patients, bronchiolitis obliterans renders its victims unable to exert even a little energy without becoming winded or faint. “The airways to the lung have been eaten up,” said Barbara Materna, the chief of the occupational health branch in the California Department of Health Services. “They can’t work anymore, and they can’t walk a short distance without severe shortness of breath." ... In