Kate in the Kitchen

Time to move on......

2006-08-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

I applaud those who make blogger.com work for them, but I have found WordPress to be more user friendly. Please visit my site there, for all the stuff you see here, and more!!! Still the same kitchen talk, foodie revelations and recipes to make you go "Mmmmmm"

www.cooknkate.wordpress.com

Night time food fastasies

2006-08-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

Now, now…..before you get all jazzed up over that word ‘fantasies’, I’m talkin’ about dreams! Dreams! The kind you have at night, all jacked out on Percocet and lying in one position for a long period of time.

Recovery is going as good as expected. I am sore over the entire area between my hip bones and unable to roll over or sleep on my side. So when I lay down at night, I am basically in that postion until morning, with some turning a little from one cheek to the other; turning my leg out instead of straight and trying to shift my shoulders. It’s not bad, but I can’t wait until I can curl up on my side, draped over my body pillow, snoring like a hog in the pen. (ok, well I don’t snore that loud!) The Percocet is reserved for night time use, as it makes me quite dizzy, loopy and takes control over my tongue so I say stupid and often maudlin things. It’s best to be under it’s influence while I am dead with sleep.

The last two nights I have had vivid and strong dreams about food. I am not much of a dreamer. I find I dream more when I am troubled, stressed, anxious or worried, and when I am fine with the world, my night times are more peaceful. So now, with my body on the mend and my activities severely limited for now, I am dreaming like mad. About food. Food I can’t eat, for the most part, because I simply can’t summon up the energy to make it. One night I dreamt about Quesadillas. I make fabulous quesadillas, made even more delicious by cooking them on the grill. They are truly a taste treat to devour, and a bit time consuming to make so they are out of the question right now. I am dreaming about pizza. I am craving pizza too, might have to make a request of the hubby to toss a few Boboli crusts together to get me over this urge. The dream about pizza was a pie-eater’s delight. A long table full of every kind of imagineable pizza, from pizzeria style stand-by’s to a gourmet feasters all-out extravaganza of any ingredient ever put on a crust. And wine to boot, bottle after bottle of oakey reds, spicy shiraz and pinot noirs. I was in dream heaven, eating slice after slice and sipping down more wine than I have had in ages. Then I awoke. I wanted to cry. More because I can hardly move without pretty deep pain right away in the morning, and also because the pizza and wine was a dream; a cruel, twisted dream. I also have dreamt of banquets of food, table upon table laden with all types of foods; appetizers galore, hot foods of every kind and ethnicity, breads to drive you mad, side dishes that made you swoon, desserts for rendering one comatose. It was wonderful, overwhelming and delicious looking. It was a dream. Another cruel, twisted dream where I could smell everything as if I was hovering over it all absolutely mad with hunger. I could see the textures, the meats and vegetables, the grains in the bread and the swirls on the desserts. I could smell spice, herb and nuttiness. Maybe I am nutty.

It is said that our dreams speak of the true desires of our hearts, or our deepest fears. I am thinkin’ that these are about the former, not the latter. *deep sigh* Someday soon enough I will be able to indulge again. And I can tell you something…..it’s gonna be GOOD!

Home again, home again

2006-08-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

(((FYI.....I underwent major surgery on August 3rd....this is my first post surgical post)))

Ouch.

One word sums up the last 4 days. It really wasn’t as bad as I expected, but there were some moments it was all I had been terrified it would be. Getting outta bed, sitting down, getting up, trying to clear my throat, coughing…..(THE WORST!) and of course the host of bodily functions that you need to do in order to be sent home. I never figured I would meet so many grownups with advanced medical degrees who were so absorbed in how much you pee….go figure! I have so many vague memories, I wonder what I actually experienced and what I truly hallucinated. But everyone was wonderful, a great staff. Not that I want to ever go back, but if I do I hope I have the option of going there.

No good food experiences at all, of course, when I wanted to eat there was nothing note-worthy. When I was still doped up on the IV of Dilaudid I found oatmeal to be absolutely fascinating, incredible! The texture, the scent, the co-mingling of butter and brown sugar and the smooth and chewy kernels of oat! Wonderful!!! Hey, that’s the drugs talking!! But then, the next day when it was just me and the monster gas pains with the IV taken out, oatmeal once again became something pretty benign, especially since they forgot the brown sugar! As was toast, fruit, and anything else they tried to pass off as food. For their credit, they tried. It was probably better than most, but frankly, after the surgeon sliced a 6 inch gash through my belly, I would have turned up my nose at Prime Rib. Not really thinkin’ food here! My friends plied me with popcorn, licorice and chocolate, bless their hearts. Still, nothing. Not interested. There is a lot of food in my fridge from helpful family members, and when I eat it, no matter what it is, I taste love. The love of someone who took the time to make something just for us in our time of need. I don’t care what it is, it tastes like love and I eat it because I know I need it to get strong. Once I get around to feeling like my insides won’t fall out every time I stand up I think that food will hold it’s appeal to me again. Until then, I will wax on philosophic about life in recovery and what it’s like to be taken care of…..who knows, it could be the only time it happens! I need to enjoy it and take it for everything it’s worth.

Now that's a road trip meal!

2006-07-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

This is the fifth year we have made a pilgrimage to Pine River, MN to drop Griffin at Trout Lake Camp on the Lower Whitefish chain. Idyllic, rustic, active, well fed and free from parental rule for a week, he hangs out with other boys his age, plans his days how he wants and brings enough money to keep himself in ice cream and pop for the whole week. Our only rule on these car trips is to stop at Blackbeard’s Mini Golf in Brainerd to play a round, although today, with temps hovering around 97 degrees, I dropped the two of them off and went to Kohls to look for……anything. I didn’t care what, but I wasn’t interested in mini golf.

We spent about a half an hour at Trout Lake Camp with Griffin before succumbing to the oppresive heat and heading back to the A/C in the car. I pray for them all that the weather breaks by Tuesday as predicted. Their cabin is nice, big windows for cross breezes, but it’s still really darn hot.

I think that no trip should be done through Brainerd without stopping at Moreys Fish Market and Grille. It’s a tiny little store absolutely crammed full of gourmet foods, sauces, crackers, artisan breads, cheeses, seafood and tons of other goodies. There is an extensive counter of smoked fish, an olive bar, a herring bar, (this is Northern MN, ya know!!) a deli, a coffee counter with espresso, all the happenin’ food magazines and plenty of napkins to catch the drool. Plus tables all around for folks to enjoy any number of fish goodies. I wanted some food for the road, I was hungry and unwilling to think about eating in some roadside dive whose menu looks no different than the outfit down the street. I walked the aisles at least three times before finally making my selections; A chunk of dill Havarti cheese, a half pound smoked salmon nuggets, a chunk of smoked trout, a half pound green cerignoli olives, a fourth pound of smoked salmon spread, a bag of three grain chips from Plockys and a bag of cheese/oregano cracker strips. I grabbed two napkin with utensils rolled in them and we ran through the broiler to the car. I couldn’t even wait to get on the road and went diving into the smoked salmon nuggets while Mike filled the gas tank; their sharp, smoky bite spread out over my whole mouth, curling it’s woodsy scent into my nose; my head filling with massive and happy sighs. I spread everything out on my lap as best I could, fished Griffin’s Boy Scout knife from the back seat and we dug in. The salmon spread was out of this world, wood smoked fish just bursting with flavor, chasing a slightly sweet and tangy after taste. It was perfect with the Plockys chips and the cracker strips, which were just loaded with chunks of baked cheese and splotches of oven dried herb. The salmon, oh my…..it was divine, gloriously flavorful and perfectly cooked, leaving barely a hint of oil on my fingers and taking my senses by storm. The trout was meticulously cooked as well, it’s texture was more oily and it’s mild taste was offset by just a hint of it’s smoky exterior. I piled the trout on a cracker with a slice of cheese and handed them to Mike where they promptly disappeared. We scooped into the salmon spread and gnawed through the rich, winey and buttery flesh of the olives, scraping the pits with our teeth to get the last sensational bites. Meanwhile, the parched and desolately dry North country flew by our windows, and good music poured from the speakers. Our immediate hunger was satiated in time, and the remains of our repast were wrapped well and tucked behind the shadiest seat. The temp never fell below 95 degrees outside, and inside, the A/C hummed heartily while we sat in that glorious stupefecation that follows an amazing meal; tummies content, and our favorite person by our side. Road trip food should always be this good, shared with someone you love while God’s country, still beautiful despite all it’s burnt glory, slips by your window and the music fills your soul.

Of Terrines and picking beans

2006-07-29T18:43:00.001-07:00

So Friday was day three in my friend Tim’s kitchen at the Yacht Club. When I came in he gave me a project that took most of the day. He wanted a terrine made, a classic Cold Food preparation of layered ingredients inside a mold that is then either poached, pressed and chilled or just pressed and chilled. I was making a cold vegetable one to be used as an appetizer, so Tim said “It needs to be about an inch, to an inch and a half, just big enough for a crostini.” There is no terrine mold made that is that small, so I had to fashion one out of a cardboard box, and duct tape. Whoever said cooking is all about the food?? Sometimes innovation matters more than cooking skills.

The box came out nicely and Tim proclaimed it fitting. Then I gathered my ingredients and had to turn the cooler upside down looking for leeks. Even Tim came in to look and found none, so out I went into the 98-degree day in my full chef whites (long black pants, socks and shoes!!) to the store for leeks. It took me well over an hour after my return to stop sweating profusely, and the kitchen was actually cooler that day than earlier in the week. The green leek leaves are blanched, then used to line the terrine mold inside plastic wrap, where the ingredients are then added in layers. This terrine had a cheese mix of goat and cream cheese with sauteed leeks, asparagus spears and roasted whole shiitake mushroom caps placed in alternate layers in the mold. After filling, the leek leaves are folded upon itself, the plastic covers it and another piece of cardboard was laid across the top and then pound blocks of butter were placed on top of that to weigh and compress it down. It then sits and chills until it’s use. It is cut thin, placed on crostini and served as an appetizer. I won’t get to see how it looks unless Tim brings a camera, then actually remembers to take a picture and send it to me. We’ll see if that happens.

The rest of the day I spent immersed in a 25# box of fresh green beans, snapping off the stem ends again and again and again……..until I could have screamed. It takes all sorts of tasks to make a professional kitchen work and someone’s gotta do it. But for ten bucks an hour and helping a friend, I would have polished floors. I would love to be able to spend a summer working for Tim, it was really fun and I think I would really love it more if I was comfortable, knew where everything was and how it all worked instead of being just a fill-in who had to ask a dozen questions to get anything done. We’ll see where I am at next spring when he opens up again.

The glory of a simple change

2006-07-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

My husband Mike is a pretty simple man, never prone to anything that could be considered over the top. His personality won’t allow it; and he cares more about what he can do for others than what he can do for himself. He is also the most accepting and easy going guy I know. I am always asking him for meal requests, special items he would like to try, something new to eat etc. etc. and he will just smile at me and say “Everything you make is wonderful!” Ahhhhh…..be still my fluttering heart! My biggest fan in the kitchen.

His milieu in our culinary repertoire has always been the homemade tortillas we have on Burrito night. We splurged several years ago on a really nice tortilla grill, and quite often feast on fist sized fare, chock full of delicious stuff. We have experimented on the recipe of the tortillas; subbing milk for the liquid (didn’t work) and using shortening instead of oil (too heavy). Just this past week, when faced with a lack of his favorite flour, I made the suggestion that he sub in whole wheat for the regular unbleached. Ladies and gentleman, we have a WINNER! Fresh, soft, HUGE (for whatever reason, these tortillas spread out like wildfire, fulling stretching to the 10″ rim of our tortilla grill) and oh so delicious! After a lustrous meal of oooohing, ahhhing and sighing through our stuffed tummies, Mike turned to me with a twinkle in his eye and said “Do you think this is worth blogging???”

Tortillas

1 c. unbleached flour, 1 c. whole wheat flour, 2/3 c. water and 1/3 c. oil.

Mix flours in bowl, add oil and work into flour with hands. Pour in water, mix well to incorporate. Tear off dough and form balls with hands; cover with plastic and a wet paper towel and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes. Proceed with tortilla grill, or in saute pan. Stuff with any desired filling. We use: soy crumbles with seasoning, rice, cheese, refried beans, homemade guacamole (recipe is on this blog), chopped chipotles, salsa etc. etc. Wrap your fists around it and dig in. Delectably delightful.

Talkin' Snacks

2006-07-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

I’m trying to remember when the last time was that we didn’t have on the A/C. We’re heading towards another weekend with temps near 100, and I know we aren’t the hotspot in the US. I am attending a pool party Saturday and needed to bring something snack-worthy. Everyone knows that I can cook, and there are expectations when I bring something anywhere that it is going to be good, so I can’t show up at a family gathering with a bunch of sacks of salty processed chips. I made Chex Mix, one of my favs, and easy, easy, easy, but I embellish the ingredients. I don’t add just pretzels, I add honey-mustard; it’s not just peanuts, it’s gourmet deluxe mixed nuts. I love rye crisps in it, and garlic bagel bites too. I toss some of this in the seasoning and some of that, but always use as the base- butter, worchestershire sauce and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. I also add garlic and onion powder, dry mustard, some cayenne if I feel feisty or maybe some of my caramel crystals that I use for making caramel corn if I feel like making it a little sweet. I bake it until it’s aromatic, crunchy and lightly browned and then I watch as the men in my life make for it with hands bared and mouths wide open. It’s like popcorn; you can’t just eat a little at a time, no way…it tastes best when you grab a handful and shove it in your mouth where all the multiple flavors can collide on your tongue in a crunching, crashing mass. While it’s wonderful right out of the oven, it’s pretty good sitting in a container on the counter for as long as it lasts. Now if I can only hold on to it until Saturday.

Chex Mix Kate’s Way

3 c. each Chex- Rice, Corn and Multi Grain (don’t use the Wheat), 1 c. mixed nuts (or your choice) 1 c. broken pieces of pretzel, 1 c. garlic bagel bites or rye crisps, break ‘em up if you want. Place all ingredients in large roasting pan and mix to combine. Use your hands, it’s fun!
Melt together 1/2 stick butter (NO margarine!) 2 T. Worch. sauce, 2 t. Lawrys Seas. Salt, 1/2 t. each garlic and onion powder, 1/4 t. dry mustard. If you combine the dry stuff in a little bowl and add to the butter slowly while stirring, it will mix better. Stir it up until the seasonings have dissolved for the most part, then drizzle it in portions over the pan, stirring to mix and pouring and stirring until it’s all over the place and your counter is covered with errant pieces of cereal and other goodies. Scoop them all back in the pan and place in a 250 degree oven, stir every 20 minutes or so, and bake for an hour or so until the house smells so good you can’t stand it. Cool it down a little and dig in.

Cheese, pates and chicken, oh my!!!

2006-07-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

I spent my second day working at the yacht club by arranging gourmet cheese and pate trays, and then making Poulet a la Provencale for their Tour de France dinner. The cheese trays were fun, as I got to sample some pretty amazing cheeses- Saint Andre, Morbier, Agour, Bleu Arvinge (sp??) and Port Salut. I adored the Saint Andre, it was much like a Brie with a sharper and more tangy taste. The Morbier was a stinky cheese, not my fav, as was the Bleu……a VERY pungent bleu. The Port Salut was pretty good, a soft texture with a slight bite. Agour was similar to a very firm Swiss style, very crumbly and sharp with little aftertaste. My chef friend gladly gave me more information than I needed to know about those cheeses; he amazes me with his brainiac food knowledge. All day long I was enjoying listening to him talk about the foods being prepared for the French dinner, and was continually amazed and awed by what came out of his mouth. That’s why he’s paid the big bucks, but you could also tell that he just LOVES the subject of food. My kinda guy. Then I made up some Pate trays, and felt like I was playing with gourmet dog food. I have tried Pate, and had some decent ones, but it’s not at the top of my list for gloriously fanatical consumption. I got through that task quickly. Then Tim gave me a recipe for a chicken dish, a huge tub of cut up chicken and said “Can you handle this?” It was actually a pretty simple production, browning off the chicken, then browning onions and garlic, adding tomato product and a multitude of fresh herbs, and a long braise in the oven. Gathering the ingredients was the most challenging since I am not very familiar with where everything is in his kitchen. I am sure by the time I am done on Friday that I will be completely knowledgeable on the layout, just in time to never be in there again. I stood over the stove browning off the equivalent of 8 cut up chickens, in the hottest part of the kitchen on a searing hot day. Man, I love the feel of sweat running down my cleavage! The dish wasn’t too hard to get together and into the oven, I just kept my fingers crossed that it turned out OK. I may never know.

It’s been fun to be in a big commercial kitchen, utilizing the skills I spent 18 months honing in school. I had it good there, I get in and get out without any of the insane and crazy stuff going on. It gave me a good dose of the reality of it, and I find myself quite torn with wanting to continue on, work and learn more, and yet also to never be a part of the chaos, stifling heat and frantic, scurrying pace. Maybe it’s good for me to get a taste of it; to be able to know that I could do it, that I can get by if I really wanted to work in a kitchen. Tim’s kitchen is amazingly organized and runs like a well honed machine. Everything is in it’s place, labeled, marked, organized, clean. I loved how it was set up, and I loved seeing him in such a different light. I would work for him in a heartbeat, and I don’t say that lightly. I guess I will see where the wind blows me in my career path.

Something more appropriate for summer

2006-07-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

I used this delicious, smoky relish-style salad recipe in one of my culinary school final buffet platters. I served it with fresh baked white corn tortilla chips, but it would be great with any favorite tortilla chip

Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad

16 fl oz. olive oil
12 fl oz. white wine
½ oz. roasted garlic paste
½ oz. salt
1 t. coarse ground black pepper
3# 12 oz. roasted corn kernels
15 Roma tomato, concasse
2 oz. sliced green onions
3 T. chopped cilantro
3 T. chopped parsley

Blend oil, vinegar and garlic paste, season with salt and pepper. Add corn, tomato, green onions, and herbs. Toss to coat and chill. Adjust seasoning if needed before serving

Good soup for the summertime

2006-07-25T05:11:00.001-07:00

Beats me why I am sitting at this computer with a brand new Saveur magazine beckoning me to open it’s glossy and drool inspiring pages. If I could be dumped on a desert island with one thing to read it would be that magazine. I have been transformed into a nutcase over articles I have read, features I have paged through and recipes perused. It takes me to places I would never go and teaches me about food in a way I would never imagine.

But here I am and I am feeling the need to blog.

Most people would not associate soup with summertime, unless we are talking about classic cold soups like Gazpacho, Vichyssoise and the like, but once in a while, soup is OK for warm weather consumption. It’s easy, doesn’t take a lot of time and with a salad and some good bread it makes a simple meal that is quick and easy. Call me crazy, but soup has been on my mind, and with Minnesota corn season underway, this one is a great option.

Rosemary Corn Soup

2 c. chopped onion
½ c. diced carrot
½ c. diced celery
3 T. butter
8 c. fresh corn
6 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 T. fresh rosemary, minced
2 cloves garlic. Minced
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1 red pepper, seeded cored and diced
1 c. half and half
Salt and pepper to taste

In dutch oven, sauté onion, celery and carrot in butter until tender. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 5 cups of the corn, broth, rosemary, and cayenne and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. With immersion blender, process until smooth. In a small skillet, sauté red pepper in butter until tender, add to pureed mix with remaining corn and heat through. Stir in half and half, and season with salt and pepper.

It's hot and I want soup

2006-07-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

How weird is that? But I keep thinking about soup, and not exactly summertime fare either, but the satisfying, tummy warming and tongue happy flavors of a good hearty soup. This one is a fav; cook the pasta separate and stir into the hot soup before eating, and top with a good spray of fresh grated parm and asiago. It’s great for all that fragrant basil in my garden

Pasta Fagioli

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 small zucchini or yellow squash, peeled and diced
1 c. fresh spinach, chopped
1 red pepper, seeded cored and diced
2 cup water
1 (16 oz) can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 pound ditalini macaroni (or other small pasta)
grated parmesan and asiago cheese
fresh basil

Saute the onion, pepper and garlic gently in dutch oven in the olive oil for 5 minutes, and then add the tomatoes and water. Let simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Add squash and drained beans, simmer for 5 minutes, add spinach, and simmer until wilted, just about 2 minutes. While simmering, in a separate pot cook the ditalini macaroni until al dente, drain and rinse quickly under cold water, set aside. Ladle soup into bowls, add 1/3 c. pasta, and top with basil and cheese.

Tying up the veggie bundles

2006-07-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

I spent about 4 hours yesterday helping my friend Tim who is the Executive chef at a local yacht club. It wasn’t anything special, I simply sliced carrots, blanched them and a whole pan of fresh green beans, then spent the next 2 1/2 hours tying them into little bundles with blanched green onion strips. And I did it all standing next to two oven banks and a six burner stove going full throttle, with three guys rushing by me back and forth and some indeterminate hard rock blaring from the stereo on the other side of the kitchen. But it was great, good to be doing something worthwhile, good to see my friend and good to lend a hand. I heard the phrase ‘Thank you’ directed at me yesterday more times than I could count. That’s a nice feeling. I will go back on Wednesday and Friday for more. It has been since May that I have had any reason to wear long pants and socks, and it was warm, warm, warm with an air temp outside in the 90’s and humid. But it was good be useful and to feel a little fatigue, but at the same time, that is the most effort I have put out this whole summer that I was paid for, and I am truly recognizing (and in some ways relishing) my lazy days. All too soon they will come to an end.

A day in God's country with the blueberries

2006-07-24T05:02:00.001-07:00

I wrote about my ethereal blueberry picking experiences as one of my first posts. This year marked the third of my annual day trip to Maiden Rock Wisconsin to pick berries. Some people might wonder why I will make a 1 1/2 hour car trip one way to pick fruit. Some people have never been on State Hwy 35 on the Wisconsin side of the St. Croix River and seen what kind of wondrous natural beauty is present there. Maiden Rock lies on Lake Pepin, a natural widening of the St. Croix River that is considered one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the US. (I don’t know if that’s official, but it should be) The road winds, turns, climbs and falls, all the while skirting along the cliffs that are prominent along the river. Tiny little towns lie along it’s edge, almost like an afterthought, with weathered houses perched on rock overlooking a vista of amazing beauty. I have never taken this drive on anything less than a gorgeous summer day, so the sun catches the dancing ripples in the water far below me, while eagles and vultures too numerous to count ride the winds aloft on the cliff edges, suspended like kites, circling and diving. To get to the berry farm, you drive three miles up the side of one of these cliffs, eventually coming to their farm with the breathtaking view of the St. Croix valley. In any direction you look is a panorama of Midwestern life; farm land, silos, crop fields and houses all reduced to the miniature status of their distance, like toys scattered across a verdant and fertile playground. But the berries are the reason you came here, and the bushes await you, hanging their heads in bowed obedience awaiting your hands to relieve them of their delectable blushing beauty. The harvest was at a peak, brought on by the recent hot weather, and it took me about an hour to pick my first 10-pound box. One bush alone yielded enough fruit to fill my colander to the rim before I poured it’s bounty into the box. The place was crowded with people, all bent and intent on reaping the harvest. Little children swung plastic ice cream buckets, proclaiming joyfully at their finds and parents talked amongst themselves of what they would do with their fruit. I picked, picked, and picked some more until two full boxes sat by my side. It took about 2 1/2 hours, but on a picture perfect 78 degree summer day with a stiff breeze to dry the sweat on my face, it was not a chore at all. Had I not been so hungry from my labor I would have kept going. All around me were bushes absolutely toppling over with fruit, begging me to take them. Handful upon handful went into my willing mouth, their flavor bursting from the skins with it’s tantalizing, sweet - sour flesh. I gorged until I could stand it no more, but my body called for something more. I made my purchases and doused myself in the crisp and cold well water from the old fashioned pump, drinking down gulp after gulp to drive the thirst from my skin. Down the cliff I went, along the winding road where the deep canopy of trees reached out to wave me along. I drove down the road to a little diner in Stockholm, mowed through a soul and hunger satisfying burger and then slowly drove back so I could take in the beauty of Lake Pepin where sailboats dotted the waters with their pristine white sails and the sunlight drew diamond sparkles from the sky blue waters. I could have stopped and drank of it’s pure delight, leaving me in such a stupor that I would have been unable or unwilling to return to my concrete world. Now the fruit awaits….for jam, syrup and bag upon bag for the freezer to get me through the fruitless days of winter. And of course, for the multiple handfuls that will simply be stuffed into my mouth as needed to replenish me and conjure up images of pristine waters and warm, breeze filled hours in God’s country.

Palak Paneer (Spinach with Indian Cheese)

2006-07-24T05:02:00.000-07:00

I love spinach, love it a lot. In salads, as my green on a burger, cooked into my Lo Mein etc. etc. I also love this dish in the Indian restaurants I frequent so I wanted to reproduce it at home. The cheese part was easy.(see Paneer- Indian Cheese) This dish came out good, but we thought the seasoning was off. The recipe calls for cooking the spinach to a paste, which I did not do as I love the toothsome and earthy taste of spinach that is still identifiable as such. Overall, outside of the seasoning we liked it a lot. I used sour cream as the base and will try it with real cream next time. I also may resource some different recipe options to see if we can’t perfect the flavor. This recipe calls for 2 pounds of spinach, which is an extraordinary amount. I used two 9 oz. bags and it was fine. Be sure to chop it up a little to make for easier eating. I did not de-stem it.

Palak Paneer

1 lb paneer pieces

2 lb spinach

3 tablespoon onion (chopped)

2 tablespoon tomato (chopped)

2 tablespoon any cream (alternate: sour cream)

2 teaspoon garma masala powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 tablespoon ghee or oil

Heat ghee or butter and saute onion until golden. Add spinach and cook to a paste. Add cream and spices, stir to mix and cook for several minutes. Add paneer, cook for 10 minutes to allow flavor to develop

My favorite of the dishes I made

2006-07-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

This was my favorite of all the dishes I made. I love this combination of cauliflower, potato and spices. The fenugreek is an amazing flavor, the seeds are toasted in oil until they are black and WOW……the taste is…..Mmmmmm. And really different. This had the best spice combo and balance of all the dishes. Just right, nothing too overpowering or heavy. I will make this again and again until I cannot stand the sight of cauliflower anymore.

Gobi Aloo (Cauliflower Curry)

1 head cauliflower, chopped
3 potatoes, cubed
1 chili chopped
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup peas
2 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon ghee or butter
2 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon Fenugreek (Methi)
2 Bay leaf

Mix all the spices except fenugreek and bay leaf together in a bowl and stir well.

Sauté Fenugreek (Methi) in oil till it turns black. Add Bay leaf.

Add potatoes, half of the spices and sauté for few minutes in medium heat.

When potato is half done, add Cauliflower.

Add tomatoes, peas, and chili and sprinkle rest of the spices over it. Cook and stir until cauliflower is tender.

Serve hot with Rice or Roti

Making Paneer (Indian cheese)

2006-07-20T15:54:00.001-07:00

I’ll write about my Indian feast in manageable amounts. If I posted it all at once it would just be too huge to focus on. The Paneer was the first recipe I made yesterday. I followed the instructions in Nancy McDermot’s ‘The Curry Cookbook’. It called for 6 c. whole milk and 1 1/2 c. whole fat plain yogurt. Other recipes have called for mixing lemon juice or vinegar with the milk to acidulate, but I followed Nancy’s because I love her cookbook.

To start, line a colander with four layers of cheesecloth and place in the sink. Heat the milk to boiling (i used a 6-qt dutch oven), stirring constantly to prevent burning. Make sure it is rolling at a boil, then add the yogurt and stir gently. The milk will suddenly break into curds and whey, stir for about three minutes, then take the pan and carefully pour it all into the colander to drain. When it is cool enough, bring the edges of the cheesecloth together and squeeze out any excess whey, twisting the top of the cloth tight and squeezing repeatedly to wring out moisture. Tie to faucet and allow to drain for about 30 minutes. Place on a plate, put another plate on top of it, and weigh down the top plate to press the cheese. I used a lot of weight! Make sure it’s not too tippy. Leave it for 30 minutes. Carefully unwrap the cheesecloth and cut the cheese into 1/2″-1″ inch pieces. Chill in airtight container. It should keep for up to five days according to McDermot. I used it that evening in making Palak Paneer.

I think I killed the ipod

2006-07-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

We have the Shuffle, love it. We both use it and G-man has his own Shuffle. When I take it out for a walk or rollerblading, if I don’t have a pocket I tuck it into the waistband of my shorts with the control button easily accesible. Yesterday I was walking in the 80 degree heat of late morning and the ipod went to the Shuffle mode without me even touching it, and when I tried to pause it, nothing happened. I shut it off, told Mike, my genius-that-can-fix-anything all about it, and despite his best efforts on both the Mac and my PC, we can’t get that little thing working again. I am thinking the salty sweat permeated the case and shorted out the chip. I feel bad. We love our ipod, it makes our walks more entertaining by far. *sigh*

Ramblings on rain, critters in the garden and a bowl of oatmeal

2006-07-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to type and eat oatmeal at the same time. I love oatmeal, but it has to have very definite additions. Milk must be part of the liquid and you must mix the oats and liquids before beginning to cook for a creamier taste; there must be dried fruit in it- raisins are always good, but dried blueberries and cranberries are better, and they also must go in before it cooks so they plump and soften during the process. And lastly, it has to have ground flaxseed in it. It provides a nuttier taste, plus the Omega-3 is a very good thing.

It’s just black and dreary outside, as we are getting a much needed and welcomed rainstorm. Thankfully I didn’t waste time watering our lawn last night, or at least what is left of it after the past month of hot, dry weather. We haven’t had any grass to cut in our front yard, and crossing it to the mailbox sounds like your crushing crackers under your feet. Some of it is still green, under the tree. Most of it is the color of straw, and has that pleasant, dry grassy smell. While coming back from the mailbox yesterday, I yelled at someone passing in a car who threw a cigarette butt out the window. Talk about asking for an inflagration! What a fool! There are parched lawns all up and down the street, and our local highways have numerous spots that are black and charred from one of those fools and their dumb cigs. No offense to smokers, but put your butts in your ashtray.

Creatures vs. Garden, part 2. Yesterdays silly little act was chasing off a rabbit trying to dig under my newly installed fence around my vegetable garden. (see my post about the woodchuck and the green tomatoes). I watched it while it hopped around and around the fence, obviously looking for a way in, and when I noticed it begin to dig at the ground, I ran outside shouting and waving my arms and chased it across the lawns to get it good and scared, yelling and making myself out to be quite comical. I am sure my neighbors think I am certifiable, I chase off the squirrels who hang on my bird feeders too. Maybe they just see me and sigh “There goes Kate again.” Now I realized that I moved into the critters world, but some manner of respect both ways should be in order. They respect my fence and smelly stuff to keep them away, and I will respect them……. a little.

I love the smell of rain!

Sweet Stuff

2006-07-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Just to make sure that y'all are aware of the fact that I love dessert. These cupcakes are SO delicious! Try them with either hot coffee or ice cold milk

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Combine:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt

Stir well, add 1 c. chocolate chips and set aside

Mix together:
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
½ c. cocoa
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt

Add to dry ingredients, beating well:
2 c. water
2/3 c. oil
2 T. vinegar
2 t. vanilla

Pour batter into lined muffin pan. Top each with 1 T. cream cheese mixture. Top with sugar and chopped nuts if desired. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

This cake is amazingly tart and sweet at the same time.

Lemon Lovers Pound Cake
From the 2004 Taste of Home Annual Cookbook

1 c. butter, no subs
3 c. sugar
6 eggs
5 T. lemon juice
1 T. lemon peel, grated
1 t. lemon extract
3 c. AP flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 1/4 c. sour cream.

Icing:
1/4 c. sour cream
2 T. soft butter
2 1/2 c. powd. sugar
3 T. lemon juice
2 t. grated lemon peel

In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes; Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one; Stir in lemon juice, peel and extract; Combine flour, baking soda and salt, add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat until just combined. Pour into greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely. For icing, beat sour cream and butter until blended, gradually add confectioners sugar then beat in lemon juice and peel. Drizzle over cake. Store in refrigerator.

Every year at Christmas my Mom would make these sinfully rich, decadent bars. I make them for our Christmas still, kudos to my Mom's memory

Three Layer Bars

Base:
½ c. (1 stick) butter
¼ c. granulated sugar
5 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. graham cracker crumbs (from 32 square crackers)
1 c. coconut
½ c. chopped almonds

Filling:
¼ c. (½ stick) softened butter
2 tbsp. vanilla instant pudding mix
2 tbsp. milk
2 c. powdered sugar

Glaze:
2/3 c. (4 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp. butter

Prepare the base layer: Melt the ½ cup of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and stir in the granulated sugar and cocoa powder until well blended. Add egg, and cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, crumbs, coconut and almonds. Press into an ungreased 9-by 9-inch pan.

Prepare the filling: In the small bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the ¼ cup of softened butter and the pudding mix. Beat in the milk and then the powdered sugar. Spread over the base layer. Chill at least 15 minutes.

Prepare the glaze: Melt the chocolate in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Remove from heat, add the 2 tablespoons of butter and stir until butter is melted. Allow to cool slightly, then pour and spread over the filling. Refrigerate until set; cut into small bars.

For the love of Risotto

2006-07-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Risotto is a 'love' food. It takes some time and attention (like love), some planning for the right ingredients and uninterrupted time at the stove. But when done right, each bite is sheer bliss; a soft but still somewhat chewy grain in a creamy sauce flavored with the taste of a good wine and asiago cheese. Cooks Illustrated worked out a method for making risotto that is less time consuming allowing you the ability to do other things while it's cooking. Foodie types will tell you that the only legit way to make risotto is to stir, add broth, stir, add broth, stir, add some more broth and stand there glued to the stove for 30-40 minutes. Not true, and I have made it both the tried and true method and that of Cooks. You would never be able to tell the difference. While the base methodology is the same, you just don't need to stir it all the time.

Risotto (my method with a little help from Cooks Illustrated)

2 T. butter plus 2 T. olive oil

1 large shallot, peeled and chopped

2 clove garlic, chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

3 c. water plus 3 c. chicken broth, heated but not boiling

2 c. arborio rice

1/2 c. dry white wine (i mostly use Sauv. Blanc, but have used Pinot Grigio also)

1 c. asiago cheese (or half parmesan too) freshly grated

Heat butter and oil in dutch oven. When butter foam subsides, add shallot and cook for 3-5 minutes or until opaque. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds until very fragrant. Add pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add rice, stir and cook until edges are clear, 4 minutes. Add wine, stir and cook until evaporated. Add 3 c. of the liquid, stir to combine and allow to simmer, stirring only to prevent rice from sticking to the pan bottom, usually once every 3-5 minutes, until liquid is mostly absorbed. Add remaining liquid, about 1/2-1 c. per time, stir to combine and allow to simmer, stirring only to keep rice from sticking. This whole process should take anywhere from 25-35 minutes. The rice, when finished should be tender, but still a bit chewy and there should be a fair amount of creamy sauce surrounding it. Stir in half of the cheese and garnish your bowl with the rest. Add some cracked black pepper to taste. Try not to gobble.

Risotto is one of those dishes that tastes pretty good even if it isn't perfect. The first time I made it, it came out like paste. Although the flavor was OK, the texture was something else! Very gluey and way overcooked. Keep on making it though, no recipe is fool proof the first time, especially this one. Add other veggies when you get better at it and can judge how they would best fit in; mushrooms work really well in risotto, and I have used cauliflower and carrot too. The addition of saffron will make traditional Risotto alla Milanese. I like the red pepper in it because it gives it a really beautiful color. Experiment. Sample. Taste and enjoy

How many green tomatoes could a woodchuck chomp?

2006-07-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

.......if a woodchuck could chomp tomatoes??

I live in a semi-rural area and have been blessed to interact with multitudes of wildlife. I also have a perennial garden and a small vegetable garden and need to protect them from those creatures. It's relatively easy with some small measures; fencing and stinky stuff. Thankfully I found a better anti-deer and rabbit spray this year that smells and tastes strongly of capsaicin and not like someone chucked a dozen eggs under the bushes and left them to rot. Much more pleasant to use. The only casualty so far that I was not prepared for was the large Day Lily bud that some naughty creature ate the day before it opened. Sometimes you just have to scream for one exasperative moment and then just let it go. There are good things about seeing wildlife in your yard
Just the other night a fawn took refuge under the Star Magnolia bushes during a rainstorm. Who knows where Mama was and whether or not they ever got reunited, but it was gone several hours later. Last winter we would regularly see up to a dozen deer in our yard, milling about, cavorting and sometimes sleeping under the trees in the snow. This year, I bit the bullet and kept the bird feeders empty and the deer did not come back. This is good, because then mine and the neighbors Hosta gardens do not end up as their personal salad bars.

But today I spotted a new critter, a cute lil' groundhog. It looked like a mutant squirrel with smaller ears and tail, and it waddled around my garden hiding behind the compost cans while I talked to it, asking it's purpose in my yard. Eventually it became tired of my constant inquiries and took off, running behind the echinacea and hollyhocks and out onto the open grass where it eventually disappeared past the neighbors house. Upon intense investigation, all my green tomatoes on the bottom 8 inches of the plants have disappeared. And I mean DISAPPEARED! Not left with teeth marks from a stupid squirrel, or half gone like what a rabbit will do, but completely and totally GONE. No wonder that cute lil' groundhog was waddling. It has just lunched on a sizable meal of organic green tomatoes. Thankfully it isn't a pepper fiend, as I have 6 nice sized peppers just hanging around enjoying the heat. And it ignored the asparagus stems scattered on the ground (for the beneficial nematodes). So guess what I will be doing tonight??? That's right....a fence!

Tilapia with Olive Tomato Tapenade

2006-07-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

A perfectly cooked piece of fish is a thing of beauty. This is delicious, quick and nutritious.

Olive Tomato Tapenade

6 Roma tomato, cored, seeded and diced (feel free to skin if you wish)
¼ c. kalamata olives, chopped
1 medium shallot, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
1 T. capers, chopped.
1 T. lemon zest
2 T. lemon juice
Dash balsamic vinegar

In sauté pan, cook shallot until clear in a small amount of olive oil. Add garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add tomato and lemon zest, cook until tomato breaks down. Add olive, capers, vinegar and lemon juice, stir to combine and heat through.

For dredging tilapia (tastes good but not required- the fish is just as good seared plain)

1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
1/4 c. flour
1 t. each ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, dill weed, cracked black pepper, and kosher salt

Mix together on plate and dredge one side only of the filets well, then place in HOT saute pan with a little olive oil and allow to cook until well browned on bottom. Flip over and cook until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve topped with tapenade.

By coating only one side of the fish, you get the crisp, crusty flavor of a fried fish without using a lot of oil or coating. Notice you don’t dip the filet in any liquid as is normal with coating fish for saute purposes. If the pan is hot enough, you will get a good sear on the flesh with the liquid it naturally contains. Don’t be too quick to rescue it once it’s in the pan, you should see the fish almost halfway cooked before you flip it over. And you will go “Ooooohhhh” when you see how delicious and browned the bottom will be. One more tip: Coat the flat side of the filet with the cornmeal mix. It sears best that way.

Tilapia is a very forgiving fish. It works well when it is slightly over-cooked even given the fact that most fish over-cooked tastes like eating shoe strings. Tilapia is mild and works well with anything you want to put on the top. It’s great baked with lemon and dill, grilled plain or on a plank, seared in a pan or broiled. This fish turned out perfectly, moist, tender and so flavorful with the tapenade. The olives give it a slight briny taste with little jolts of the crisp caper nuance. There is the bite of the garlic, the sour of the lemon and balsamic, all working in tandem with the pleasant flavor of the Roma. A great multi- layered taste to deeply compliment the firm, meaty flesh of the fish. We ate it with steamed asparagus, which also came out very well cooked.

This was tonights meal. Mike requested it, and that is rare since he hardly ever asks for anything specific. Griffin is away for the week so we are planning all sorts of grown-up meals where we won’t have to hear anything along the lines of “What IS that stuff?? How much do I HAVE to eat??” We love fish, Griffin thinks he hates it but I think it’s only because most 12 yr olds DO hate fish so he thinks he should too. Obviously it’s not as great as a steak to him, but it’s cheaper and better for you so it automatically ranks very low on the scale of acceptable foods. I know I will miss him this week, but I look forward to eating some delicious food without lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth. And of course, I will share it all here!!

How far has your food world turned?

2006-07-16T04:43:00.000-07:00

I am a Pisces, and as anyone with a little knowledge regarding astrological signs and their nature may understand, Pisces are very passionate people. They feel everything deeply, tend towards the mercurial, are very expressive and often dreamy. For me at least, the way I feel about food matches beautifully with my Pisces attributes. I can turn a simple something into an amazing experience just because of the day I was born.

Whether it’s that or the fact that I can look back on my life and see how far my food world has turned I can’t say. It could be both. I can easily recall my childhood meals that focused on what was cheap that could feed 5 hungry kids. My parents were divorced and my mother had us all and times were tough. We ate a lot of cheap stuff- hot dogs and Hormel chili, Jenni-O turkey roast, Mock Chow Mein, Tomato Rice Hotdish, Sloppy Joes, plenty of stuff that contained cream soups, lots of jello and white rice and other things that I think I have blanked on. It was survival food, and thankfully we never really knew any better. But I could cook, my mom made sure of that, and when I got into college I was one of the minority that could make her way through a kitchen without burning anything. My college friends were in awe, and I was disgusted at them. I grew up learning to cook, clean and do all the things required to take care of yourself outside of your parents house, and just figured everyone was learning the same thing. Boy, was I SO wrong! I had a roommate who was helpless doing anything for herself; she couldn’t even make a frozen pizza without a disaster and would have to go home every two weeks so her mother could do her laundry. It was a 4-5 hour trip, one way. I called my mother one night to thank her for teaching me to be independent, and apologized for always getting mad when she insisted I do it myself. I’m pretty sure she cried, but I never knew.

There was a time in my early 30’s that I realized I had to change my food world. I was so fed up with eating the same things, making the same recipes and feeling lethargic and heavy after every meal. And I was starting to see the effects of what my old fashioned diet was doing to me. While my cholesterol tested well, the rest of me felt yucky. I decided it was time for a change. I needed to understand the healthier ways of eating, and I began a long journey towards eating better and being knowledgable about how my body is affected by what I put in it. I read everything I could find on healthy eating and living- Natural Health magazine was my absolute favorite, and I absorbed everything within it’s pages like I was dying of thirst. And I learned an enormous amount. None of the major changes happened overnight, in fact, I still love deep fried food and am particularly drawn to onion rings, but I know everytime I eat them that I am going to feel like I have bricks in my stomach. I know that processed foods like bacon, sausage, pepperoni and bratwurst aren’t the best to eat, but I still love sausage pizza, BLT’s and a good brat slathered with mustard and relish. Not to mention summer sausage on a cracker with sharp cheddar cheese. One thing I have completely gotten away from however, is fast food. I can recall sitting in a fast food place and eating a burger and suddenly it occured to me that I didn’t even like it. I’m not certain that I didn’t blurt it outloud, which might cause a near scandal- I mean, heaven forbid anyone should actually REALIZE that that food is garbage! But it is, I mean, come on….we all know it’s the worst food on the planet for you to eat, or even feed your kids. When I started to talk to my son about how it isn’t very good for him, he actually listened. He now dislikes it too, the only fast food he ever eats anymore is Dairy Queen Grill and Chill. But me, even eating one of their burgers elicits the reaction of “This really isn’t that good” out of me. But their onion rings……..oooohhh. Those are trouble.

My diet is really, really different now than 10 years ago, and even with healthier eating my problem now is simply that I eat too much. I rationalize it often with the fact that the food is better for me, but it’s still too much. Everything in moderation, especially moderation, right?? By no means am I always eating whole grains, no meat, and my 9 servings a day of vegetable and fruit, but I am eating better and doing better for myself than I was 10 years ago. Little slips here and there are OK, provided that they are followed up with a healthy meal. I religiously read nutrition labels and explore new ways of making our meals. There is no looking back for me, and I hope that my son will continue to be adventurous and willing to eat new things, and not fall into unhealthy eating habits. Change happens gradually, and anyone can do it.

Fudgesicle glory and the old time ice cream treats

2006-07-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

Or is it pronounced..’fudge-icle? Maybe it depends on the age of the person you ask. I say ‘Fugde-sicle’ but my 3-yr old nephew Joey calls it a ‘Fudge-icle’ or sometimes ‘the brown popsicle’

I absolutely LOVE a fudgesicle. Almost nothing else can compare except maybe a homemade pudding pop. There is nothing like the chocolate-y good, creamy and delicious taste of one on a HOT day. (and trust me, in MN lately, it’s pretty darn HOT). Heaven on a stick, the blinding, ding-batty, fall down from joy crazy love from one little cold treat on a piece of wood. What is it about this simple thing that makes me SO nuts??

It used to be that you could find a Fudgesicle in any chest freezer in any convenient store on any street corner of any city. Right there next to the Bomb Pops, the Klondike Bar (what would YOU do for a Klondike bar??) the Eskimo Pie, Ice Cream Sandwich, Drumstick and the neon colored popsicles that turned your tongue all sorts of interesting colors. I remember Bomb Pops were impossible to eat before they melted down your arm in streaks of red and blue that never washed away. An Ice Cream Sandwich could be counted on to stick to your fingers like glue; the only way to get off that chocolate-y ’sandwich’ part was to scrape your finger over your bottom teeth to pry it off. Or maybe rub your finger over the roof of your mouth to release it. And the ice cream had all the flavor of air. There really wasn’t much too it. But you were a kid, and those treats were the epitomy of summer. You and your friends and your quarter in your pocket (or 50 cents if it was a Bomb Pop) and you would arrive at the store breathless from your furious bike ride, your face flushed with sweat, your head pounding in the heat. Into the store you would go, toss back the door on the chest freezer and stick your head into the cold and frosty air that poured out. Eyes searching out the prize….what will it be today?

For me, it was always the Fudgesicle. Sometimes it was so cold that my tongue would stick to it, as I simply couldn’t wait for a bit of condensation to form to prevent it. You would need to lick and lick, again and again to permeate the frosty outer layer, and begin to unleash the rich, creamy, dreamy fudgey taste. It was like eating frozen chocolate milk, or your most favorite chocolate ice cream, but it was creamier and richer and more fudgey than that. Chunks would break off in my mouth and I swirled them around with my tongue, pressing them into my cheeks to send the flavor over all corners of my mouth. It never seemed like it was enough, and the closer you got to the stick the more you could taste it’s woody, cardboard flavor mingling with the yummy chocolate tango on your tongue. I often would suck on the stick just to get out the last figments of flavor, the remaining chocolate sensation. My mouth was happy, my tongue, overjoyed. I couldn’t wait for the next one.

Every time I go into a convenience store I open the ice cream freezer and see what is inside. I search in vain for the Fudgesicles, pushing aside the Dove Bars, Snickers Ice Cream bars, Black Cows, Crunch Bars, those HUGE freezies that just make my brain hurt to look at, and all manner of modern ice cream delights. But never, ever a fudgesicle. I can’t believe that little kids aren’t going to experience the joy of eating them, but you can still buy them in a box for your home freezer. They are smaller, and taste a little bit more like the inside of a tin can, but there is still that creamy, dreamy, mind boggling, fall down from joy kinda love that is evoked from a smooth chunk of it being dredged around your tongue. I just had one tonight, with Joey, and Griffin, while the heat danced outside the windows and shimmered through the trees. All we had to do was open Joey’s freezer.

Facing 100 degrees and food dilemmas

2006-07-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

One thing is certain about living in Minnesota, and that is you can expect some hot weather in the summer. Our winters can dip down to -30 below or colder and our summers can soar into the 100 degree range. Winters as of late have not been that cold, but our summer of ‘06 is about to teach us the meaning of ‘HOT’. Weather predictions are running from mid to upper 90’s into the triple digits for Thursday through at least Monday. Thank God for central air, the sister in laws pool and ice cubes. But what do you eat when it’s that hot??

For Mike and I, simplicity is the key. But there is a 12 year old boy in the house as well, one who can mow through the contents of the fridge and pantry with all the fierceness of a bear just out of hibernation. He is going through a phenomenal stage of eating right now, and simple meals will not suit him. Mike and I could be happy with a salad- nice field greens and spinach, a crunchy topping like apple or jicama, some tomato, avocado, sunflower seeds or almonds…..you get the picture. Griffin’s idea of a salad consists of a half cup of salad dressing poured over three lettuce leaves. Mike and I could eat Lo Mein, or a veggie stir fry; Griffin wants a steak, another steak and then maybe a steak for dessert. Oh, and can you make a potato with that? He walked in the door yesterday after spending the day with his cousins, and the first thing out of his mouth was not “Hi Mom!” it was “What’s for dinner???” Less than an hour after two chicken thighs and a large helping of mac-n-cheese went tumbling down his throat, he snacked on a bowl of pretzels and then wanted more. I suggested he wait and allow his stomach to catch up. He never ate the second bowl.

Grilling in that kind of heat can be pretty extreme. Last summer I recall grilling out on a particularly hot afternoon, and my meat thermometer read 118 degrees next to the grill. It’s not too bad turning on the oven when the A/C is on, but it’s not the most fun either. I could cut up a watermelon, lay out a plate of cheeses with crackers or bread and that would suit me. Mike would add his own twist to it, and Griffin would whine for a steak. It’s days like that when I want to wave the white flag of surrender, open the cupboard and get out of the way. Do what you want, eat what you want, I am TOO HOT to care! The heat curbs our after dinner walks too, and limits my garden time. But it particularly wreaks havoc on my creativity and my enjoyment of food. I guess I just need to sigh heavily and hunker down to wait for the end of the hazy heat. Good tomatoes, thick hardwood smoked bacon and thick leaves of romaine lettuce can make a delicious BLT; there’s always burgers, corn on the cob, the ever-changing salad bowl; a cold pasta dish and a plate of fruit. And if need be, we could just graze on leftovers. Hey! I forgot that the G-man leaves Sunday for a missions trip with our church! Oooh….the promise of quiet mealtimes….hmmmm. What should I make?!?!?!

Today's thoughts on food and eating

2006-07-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

I like to think about food, read about food, plan menus, shop for food and make food. Oh yeah, I like to eat it too! I was grocery shopping today, and as always happens when I am at a grocery store, I like to see what is going in other shoppers carts. Sometimes it makes me sad, other times I am happy to spot a cart full of yummy looking food that obviously has a plan in someone’s kitchen. I like to eavesdrop on conversations too. One thing utterly unrelated to food that has become apparent to me from this activity is that the kids in a lot of families seem to be the ones dictating what goes in the cart, sometimes to the point of bullying their parents to get a particular item they want. This is where I get sad. I see carts FULL of junk food and kids whining about getting something they want, and the obvious signs of it’s effect walking alongside. One family had a cart just for pop. There must have been almost two dozen cases of pop in that cart, and one child was crying because he didn’t like any of the varieties. How could that be? When did parents forego their authority and give in to the incessant demands of their kids? Who is in charge here anyway? Oy vey!

The food industry in this country today is full of an amazing number of choices, more so than at any time in our nations history. More and more people are becoming aware of the effect that occurs in their bodies when they eat the right kinds of foods. And sadly, we are seeing in devastating ways what can happen when too much goes in, especially of the wrong types of food. There is a higher demand for gourmet food and these types of stores have popped up in record numbers. Top notch restaurants are everywhere, serving unique and delicious menu items to throngs of people who are learning to understand and appreciate well made, quality foods. Cooking classes abound, teaching people how to create wonderful food items at home, and stores are available where you can go in and put together a month’s worth of meals for your freezer all for one afternoon of time.

I don’t have cable and I don’t watch the Food Network too much. When I have seen it, I have not been too impressed, but what it has done that I can commend is that it has made people much more aware of what they are putting in their mouths. I think it’s wonderful that people are demanding better food to eat, more nutritiously sound meals and more knowledge about making really good food at home. Never has cooking, and cooking well, been so chic, so in demand and so important. There is a whole new era that we are in where food has become more life-affirming than ever before, and the sharing of food and drink, while always an important social ritual, has never been more appreciated. In the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota, we have seen a phenomenal growth in wonderful, chef-driven restaurants; where menus are beautiful handprints of the mind and heart behind the stove. I love how it has raised up a whole class of people who are demanding that their food be different, be something outside the box and maybe even off the radar. Where we once used to think that we knew what a good cut of beef tasted like, now we have restaurants where top-quality meats are cooked to mind numbing perfection while dressed with minimal fuss or extras so the pristine taste of the meat can bedevil your tongue. In a world where a salad used to be iceberg lettuce and thick dressing, now we have tiny little field greens dressed in the most spartan of vinaigrettes, and topped with an army of divine edibles. And grains have come front and center, some from far back in ancestral times and a culture across the world. It’s no longer just rice and potatoes. Vegetables in every color of the rainbow are now common and expected, and unique and exotic fruits line supermarket shelves right next to the basic apples and oranges. As different cultures live in tandem with one another, we take on aspects of one another’s cooking methods, individual ingredients and meal time rituals, turning one dish after another out that simply explode with amazing flavors and textures. It’s a wonderful time to be in food heaven.

Guacamole recipe

2006-07-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

Take two or three big firm but soft avocadoes and slice them around the horizon, then twist the two halves apart. Using the tip of your knife, gently pry the pit out. Take your knife and slice through them from end to end, being careful not to slice through the skin and into your palm. Blood does not make Guacamole taste better. Then turn the avocado and slice across the opposite way and scoop out the chunks with a spoon. Or be caveman-like and just scoop out the flesh and mash it in a bowl. I like the chunks. Try it that way once and see.

Finely dice a clove of garlic and add to the bowl, then a teaspoon of kosher salt. Don’t use iodized salt, it makes the avocado taste tinny. Squeeze the juice of half a lime in, then zest some of the yummy green lime zest over the bowl. Mix it up and leave it sit for a while. Mix again before you eat it. The lime juice will keep it from browning. Use lemon if you want, but lime is better. Sometimes I de-seed and chop half a tomato and add that too, more acidity to prevent browning. I don’t add onion, as raw onion makes my tummy do funny things and you wouldn’t want to kiss me after I eat it. What’s left after our burrito feast gets devoured with chips, or sometimes snuck in the middle of the night from the fridge and eaten from the bowl with a spoon. The only problem with avocados is that the pit is too big. There should be wayyyyyy more to them- what a divine food!

The crabbies took over today, not a good food weekend

2006-07-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

Not a big food weekend, it was really hot! Friday I wanted to make burritos but could not remember the formula for the dough to make the tortillas. Mike usually does it and he was late with a client, so G-man and I made some yummy man-n-cheese (please note: an ORGANIC variety….NOT Kraft! thank you very much!) and I had a soy chik’n patty dipped in a mix of Famous Dave’s georgia mustard and Baby Rays Honey BBQ sauce. It was food, and I wanted to eat with my chowpup so it had to be something he would want to mow through.
I spent Saturday with my family, hanging out with my Dad and seeing the swanky new library in downtown MPLS. It’s like a freaking shopping mall when you walk in the door, the thing is amazing, and they have this monstrous collection of cookbooks. My sister and I were about drooling walking through the aisle, reading title after title after title. I officailly got a major headache from cranking my head sideways to read those! Since I am not a county resident I cannot check anything out, but I took copious notes so that I can draw smoke searching the county library computers in my neck of the woods. We ate at an Irish pub in Mpls, near where my Dad lives. Nothing too exciting except my memories of times I visited there in college and drank WAY too many Black and Tans. I wanted to plow my way through their classic fish and chips but just didn’t want all that greasy food on such a HOT day, so I had a salad with beef tenderloin medallions on it. It was really good, craisins, blue cheese crumbles, toasted almonds….everything I love in a salad, especially good field greens and spinach. But I also had some Potato Leek soup that tasted like it came out of a can. Not good. Where was the leek, I kept thinking?? This tastes like Campbells Chunky…….at least it had real bacon on the top. That helped it be palatable. But yuck….Potato Leek soup can be so simple and divine. Now I feel like I need to make a pot to remind myself of how good it can be. Hmmm…..cold potato leek soup is Vichyssoise…good for hot day. Hmmmm

Anyway….enough of that. Today after church we stopped outside to partake in a fundraiser and ate brats and burgers. Boring, and I was crabbbbbbbbyyyy!!! Blech! It was like I had sprouted horns and claws!! Yuk!! I did not want to get up this morning, much less do anything, but we had the day planned already and my mood just didn’t want to cooperate. Afterwards we went to Mike’s mom’s for a visit with her sister that I have never met. It was fun, but I fought the crabbies on and off, and just wanted to curl up and take a nap. I had a yummy scone though. That helped. Food always helps. Mike said he would make the burritos for dinner as we were driving home, then somehow seemed to think that making the tortilla dough was enough and went to do other things. Once I reminded him of his promise we had dinner on the table within 20 minutes, but it was another notch in the crabbbbbbbbyyyyyy belt I was wearing. Yikes, I hope I can sleep tonight, that is one remedy that allows me to get rid of that nasty Sybil-like part of my personality. The burritos were yummy, we have a tortilla grill that we cook the tortillas on and I make my wonderful guacamole. We cook soy crumbles with taco seasoning, spread the tortilla with shredded cheese, chipotles, rice and the crumbles, dollop the guac all over it and then shred cilantro over that. A meal for the fists. Not authentic by any means, but surely delish for a crabby day. Tomorrow is grocery shopping and food planning. That should help knock the ol’ crabbies outta the park!

Might as well give up the Indian Chicken recipe too

2006-07-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is really good with or without the Fragrant rice pilaf. Try it with fresh shucked Sugar Snap peas for a real taste treat. You can get red curry paste either in a can or jar, and it is potent!! Until you know how much you can handle, use less than what the recipe calls for, then boost it when you make it again. Coconut milk is not the same as Cream of Coconut that is used in overly sweet bar drinks. Do not sub one for the other. Regular milk or bread is a good antidote if you OD on the curry paste.

Indian Chicken with Peas and Fragrant Rice Pilaf

For the Chicken:

1 T. vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 t. minced fresh ginger

2 t. minced fresh garlic

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1 14-oz can low fat unsweetened coconut milk

1-2 t. red curry paste, or to taste

½ t. turmeric

¼ t. salt

1 c. frozen baby peas

To velvet chicken: 2 T. sesame oil, 1 T. flour, 1 T. cornstarch

Heat oil in medium skillet, add onion, stir and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook for one minute. Stir together sesame oil, flour and cornstarch to smooth paste, add to chicken and stir to coat. Immediately add chicken to pan and turn heat up high. Cook chicken, stirring only occasionally until outside is lightly browned. Add coconut milk, curry paste, turmeric and salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce reduces slightly, about 8-10 minutes. Add peas and cook for about 2 minutes more to heat peas through.
Sauce can be thickened slightly with cornstarch slurry if desired. Cook mixture for several minutes to cook off cornstarch taste.

Fragrant Rice Pilaf

1 15-oz can reduced sodium chicken broth

1 c. water

¼ t. ground cloves

1 bay leaf

½ t. ground cardamom

1 stick cinnamon, or ¼ t. ground cinnamon

¼ t. salt

1 1/3 c. basmati rice

Pour liquids into pan, add spices and stir to combine. Bring to boil, then add rice, cover and reduce heat to low, cooking until rice has absorbed liquid and is tender. Remove cinnamon stick, if used.

Here'e the Lo Mein recipe, for contrast

2006-07-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

Vegetable Lo Mein

1# whole wheat spaghetti

4 scallions, thinly sliced

¼ c. oyster sauce

¼ c. rice vinegar

3 T. reduced sodium soy sauce

2 t. sugar

2 t. sesame oil

1/8. t. crushed red pepper

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 t. finely minced fresh ginger root

2 T. canola oil

1 c. shredded carrot

1 red pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced

1 c. snow pea pods, de-stringed and thinly sliced

Peanuts for topping (optional)

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.
Stir together scallions, oyster sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and red pepper until sugar is dissolved.

In a large non stick skillet, heat canola oil over medium high heat. Add peppers and carrots, stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Add pea pods, stir fry about 2 minutes. Add in spaghetti noodles and cook, stirring occasionally until hot, about 5 minutes. Pour in sauce and toss pasta and vegetable to coat. Top with chopped peanuts if desired.

Sesame Noodles for dinner

2006-07-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

The weather has been hot, and will get hotter. I want to eat but nothing heavy, or really spicy like I did last night. I made an Indian Chicken recipe that Griffin loves, and it’s wonderful and was great last night, but it was too spicy and a bit too overloaded for the heat of July. Tonight, knowing that the G-man was going to be out for the evening with Grandma, I had an opportunity to make a meal that just Mike and I would enjoy, so I settled on Sesame Noodles.

I love noodle dishes, simple easy and definitely nutritious. I have perfected Lo Mein from my kitchen that is delicious, and on good days I can get my 12 year old to eat it without too much wailing and gnashing of teeth. The Sesame Noodles are a bit different. The original recipe came from Eating Well magazine, one of those food mags that makes me drool when I read it. I swapped the red pepper and pea pods (ridiculously expensive right now) for some toothsome spinach and matchstick carrots. (these are handy when pre-cut already in a bag!) The recipe calls for either rice vinegar or lime juice and I use the latter since I love it’s tart bite and taste of summer. For an extra twist I decided to try some lime zest in the dish, and used both black and white sesame seeds for an interesting contrast. The good thing about noodle dishes is that you can be sitting down to eat in about 15 minutes, with chopping and all, so it was doubly great to be done quick as Mike was heading out to meet some friends. A sauce comprised of soy sauce, sesame and canola oil, some wasabi paste for heat, the lime juice and chopped scallions pulled it all together with the quick saute of carrot, garlic and spinach. A garnish of cilantro, a pair of chopsticks and we were in business.

The flavor was outstanding. Hints of the lime zest and the slow heat of the wasabi kept my mouth lively with the deep amber of the sesame oil peeking through. With the spinach and carrot adding some contrasting textures, intermingled with the tiny, almost imperceptible crunch of the sesame seeds, each bite in my mouth seemed like it was alive, toying with the whole grain goodness of the slippery wheat pasta. Thankfully the use of chopsticks makes me eat slower so I could savor this delightful dish in front of me. I love it when I can take a recipe and make up some variation on it’s theme that simply blows my mind. Man, do I love it!!

If you want to try it, here it is.

Sesame Noodles*

1 # whole grain spaghetti

½ c. reduced sodium soy sauce

2 T. sesame oil

1 T. canola oil

2 T. lime juice

Zest of half a lime^

1 ½ t. crushed red pepper

4 scallions, finely sliced

8 oz. fresh spinach^

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped^

4 oz. matchstick carrots^

½ c. toasted sesame seeds

¼ c. chopped cilantro

Mix together soy sauce, oils, lime juice, red pepper and ¼ c. scallions. Set aside

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

Meanwhile, roughly chop spinach. Heat a sauté pan with a small amount of oil and add garlic when hot. Sauté for 20-30 seconds, then add carrots. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add spinach and cook until wilted but still firm. When pasta is done, add back to cooking pot and toss in vegetables and sauce mix. Stir to combine. Add zest and half the sesame seeds and mix. Serve with cilantro and remaining sesame seeds as garnish.

*Original recipe from the Summer 2004 issue of Eating Well; changes are noted with ^

When even the simple becomes profound

2006-07-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

I love food, that’s no secret. What I love most about food is it’s ability to create amazing sensations in your body. The first taste of a perfectly grilled steak can cause me to do handsprings in my soul. The flavor of a sensational glass of wine makes me swoon, a perfectly cooked risotto lifts me 10 feet off the ground, and sometimes, a simple glass of milk and a few cookies leaves me feeling like there is nothing better in life at that moment.

It’s true, I am a simple girl. I live a simple life and I like simple but flavorful food. I haved already waxed on about my dislike for ‘gourmet’ types of food and the pretension that often comes with it. Food should make one’s soul feel nurtured and loved, it should bring a sense of calm to an already chaotic life and make one glad to have taken a seat at the table to rub elbows with friends and loved ones and to enjoy a beautiful meal. It doesn’t even have to be anything fancy, as I have already talked about how wonderful it is to share even the simplest of food. It always tastes better when shared. Food+people=community. Pretty simple. And simple things can nurture and soothe as well as those preparations that take time, love and skill.

This past holiday weekend I had the extreme pleasure of spending 4 days at our lake home, and was equally blessed with 4 days of absolutely gorgeous summer weather. Our lake home sits on the Eastern shore of a small lake in West-Central Wisconsin, barely an hours drive from our home in MN. The closeness of it is one of it’s appeals, the second is that it is shared by family, and most weekends see a gathering of many with fun at a maximum. Meals are always highly anticipated, but even a standard lunch of sandwiches, chips and fruit is elevated to a higher status simply because of the numerous faces gathered around the big picnic table, all laughing and at ease with the joy of just being together.

This past weekend was not full of the all out gustatory feasts of past weekends. We had a lot of kids, the hot July weather, the boat and the innertubes. No one wanted to spend any more time than necessary inside trying to make a fabulous meal. The cabin faces west, and on hot summer afternoons, the kitchen can fill with the heat of the sun at it’s peak while it drops to it’s daily demise, making meal time often more effort than is wanted. We knew the kids would just want to fill their tummies, as would we. Grilled hot dogs, beef brats, potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon, grapes and potato chips rounded out our fare. As usual, the meal was punctuated with much laughter, especially after we tried an introduction of coleslaw to our youngest family member at 16 months, who spit it out forcefully and shook her head, making the absolute worst possible face imaginable. My niece Anna nearly shot milk through her nose at the sight. Ahhh…wonderful memories! The play continued, boat rides and swimming and shouting and laughing. As the sun dropped over the horizon and the cool of the summer night began to caress our sun warmed skin, the kids changed into pajamas, pulled out the sofa bed and all piled on for a movie and relaxation. Laughter mingled with snoring before too long, and the grownups gathered in the kitchen for a snack. The wide patio doors were open to the wonderful breeze off the lake and the heat of the day had been dutifully chased from inside. I poured a cup of milk and took a few cookies. I was tired, and needed something to send me over the edge into dreamland, what better than milk and cookies? The cool milk made the crunchy cookie dissolve into a soft mass which I pressed around my mouth, tasting it at the same time as just spreading it out to go down better. No milk softened cookie should need anything more in the mouth. A perfect combination ensued, and a sense of profound peace came over me, or maybe it was just all the activity, sun, water, swimming, hot air and delightful laughter catching up to me. I thought about getting up to replenish my cookies as I stared into the dregs of lost crumbs at the bottom of my milk glass, but realized that I was beyond tired and the only thing I should do is get into bed to allow the Sandman to send me into slumber. How could such a thing as a store-bought sandwich cookie and a glass of 1% milk do such a thing to me, to bring on such a sense of listlessness and serenity? All up and down the shore of the lake twinkled the lights of a dozen campfires, and the air was filled with the smell of woodsmoke and occasional voices caught on the evening air. Even the occasional burst of fireworks did little to change my sleepy mood. The moon winked across the water as the night air rustled the trees and chilled my skin. It was such a nice contrast to the heat of the day and it felt good to pull a sheet over me. Filled with simple pleasures, picnic food and a loving family, I drifted into nothingness, suspended above it all in sleep and dreams with the love of my life by my side. Nothing more would have made me anymore peaceful, and another day was around the corner to do it all again. Ah, the joys of simple life and the profound way it jolts us, ever so gently just for this moment to savor, savor, savor, as a great wine or a wonderful meal, but with a lasting impression that no one can take away.

Eating alone at the lake

2006-07-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

On a post-holiday weekend slide, here I sit back in the reality of my real world, with my warm, fuzzy thoughts about the 4-day escape I had to our lake home. I am blessed beyond compare to have married into a family with a lifelong attachment to a simple cabin on a small lake in WI. It’s the kind of place where you feel the weight of the world leave your shoulders the moment you open your car door in the yard. It’s where more than 30 years of memories and love have happened, where families have bonded, grown, shared and loved, and where a lot of food has been served to a lot of hungry, suntanned and windswept generations.

I was able to spend a good chunk of time there alone this past weekend (well, for me it was a good chunk) and took a meal along to really celebrate that time; me, alone with the wind and the water, the sun, the heat and the memories. I wanted to eat slowly and really taste my food, and mingle the flavor with the watery air, the glint on the lake and sounds of the loons. It was a hot afternoon, made tolerable by the steady westerly winds off the lake. A picture perfect end to June and a sultry introduction to the heat of July. It was a wonderful meal.

I had picked up some tomatoes at the market, although I was skeptical because they felt cold, like they had been chilled, but I tossed aside my doubt as I thought fondly of the fresh mozzarella chunk I had brought and the garden basil awaiting me at the cabin. Caprese salad! With a drizzle of green gold olive oil and a modest sprinkling of sea salt I figured that I could make any tomato edible. Once the hunger started to make me sit up and take notice, I laid out all my goodies nearly giddy with delight and anticipation. I had a chunk of salty salami and a wedge of good brie. There was a disc of Laughing Cow cheese, Cameo apples, dried figs and a bottle of Black Opal Cabernet that almost stubbornly refused to give up its cork. Somewhere I read that pulling a wine cork is somewhat like giving birth- it’s a really tough, tough thing to do but the result is amazing. That is what this bottle was like, and truth won out as I sipped. All the effort was well worth it. I poured out a bowl of sweet Bing cherries and sectioned the apple, spritzing it with a squeeze of lime for extra flavor. I sliced the tomato and saw that my instinct had been correct, and hopefully I would be able to enjoy it with a another splash of fresh lime and the oil so I dressed the fresh mozzarella and tomato slices, thinly sliced the basil over the top of it all and set the plate on the table. The salami was chunked and the cheese disc unwrapped. My feast was set out before me, regal yet simple, giving me a sense of peace and blessed contentment. I sipped the wine and sampled all the small bites; a bit of brie with the apple, then the fig. A smear of cheese on a cracker filled my mouth with it’s salty, briny flavor. The sweet cherries left their purple stain on my fingertips and I briefly thought about moving outside to the deck so I could spit the seeds into the brush with the glee of a child. I sipped the wine and then tried the Caprese. Oh the disappointment! The tomato was mushy and tasteless, and I had so wanted its impeccable summer flavor on my tongue. I tried another bite but then, with a sigh, I scraped the basil off and spread it over the delicious and simple mozzarella. The squirt of lime juice was a welcome addition to the oil and sea salt giving the cheese a light twist of flavor. I liked the apple with the brie, but decided that an apple with a more pronounced tart-ness would offset the mellow cheese texture better, and instead, brought forth my jar of real peanut butter to dip in a few apple chunks. Although I love this pairing, it didn’t quite match with my other meal items, as good as it is! The brie married beautifully with the figs and the figs were quite complementary with the Laughing Cow cheese on a good salty cracker. When my taste buds craved sweet I would pop a cherry in and savor the soft flesh, the tangy juices and the lively dance happening in my mouth. I was in food heaven and loving every minute. The wine captured all the taste of the dinner together nicely despite its heavier feel. And throughout the entire meal I could watch the sunlight over the water and hear the far-off sounds of others. The loons dove and swam; the wrens continued their constant calling, ground squirrels raced around under the deck outside and butterflies danced over the wildflowers down on the slope. The plates were now getting emptied and my tummy was very content, so without allowing for too much of a good thing, I sighed peacefully and got up to clear my dishes. It was really warm now and I was pleasantly full, my face feeling flushed and sweaty. Now comes the night, hopefully with some cooler temps, and maybe dessert. After that meal, I wondered how I can manage to find something with a fitting finish.

You're never too old to know more

2006-06-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

And wow….is there ever a lot to know! The more time I spend groveling around the ‘net looking at food sites, the more I realize what a infant I am in terms of what I know. But hey, we all start somewhere, right? I have no inspirations to become the master of anything, I don’t have a claim to gastronome-status, I won’t ever pretend to be a food snob and I don’t like to think I am an authority on any subject. I can cook, and I can do it well and that’s all that matters to me. I have seen what can be only be described as cyberspace fisticuffs over differing opinions, and I don’t get it. I read with amazement and disbelief a post on chowhound about what constitutes the world’s greatest cuisine. It was like people got MAD because someone else didn’t think the French were worthy of being bestowed with this honor. What does it matter?? Like I said in an earlier post, it’s only food, and 24 hours after you eat it, regardless of what kind of food it was, it all ends up in the same place.

The questions I want people to think about when they eat is this: Does the food touch your soul or just fill your stomach? Do you choose your meals based on what it will taste like? Do you actually TASTE the food as you eat it? How does it affect you, what does it make you feel like and how do you feel after you’re done? Food should stimulate and inspire. Outside of being a means to stop those tummy rumblings, it should nurture you and satisfy more than just your hunger. If you’re just mechanically moving a fork to your mouth without thinking about how the food really makes you feel, then you could be missing out on one of the best experiences in life. While I understand that some people simply don’t care (yikes….get that soapbox away!! Could it be one reason why our country is in a health crisis with overeating!? Eeeek…..get off that thing now!!) but I think that there should be more awareness of what can happen when you begin to really appreciate what goes in your mouth and what can happen to your body when you put good food in it. An amazing transformation can take place. I hope that by writing about it that people will start to see how good food can change your life, and I don’t mean gourmet, fancy or anything like that. I just mean quality ingredients, prepared well and enjoyed deeply. There just doesn’t have to be anything more to it than that.

Girl meets grill - a love affair

2006-06-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

I am in the minority in my neighborhood, as I am one of the few girl grillmasters. All up and down our block it’s the men who rule the outdoor cooking, and whether or not it’s that way inside the kitchen I’ll never know, but when it comes to grill cooking, men seem to rule. Not in my house, however.

I love to grill, and love to get adventurous out there. Recently, I did quesadillas on the grill which turned out beautifully. I marinated the meat in lime juice, jalapeno peppers, canola oil, white vinegar, cumin and salt, then grilled it, shredded it and built the quesadillas with black beans, corn, cheese and chopped jalapenos. Barely 10 minutes on the grill and the shells were crispy with a smoky aftertaste, the filling was hot and the cheese decidedly gooey. We devoured them, and I instantly was dreaming about when I could make them again. Soon after that wonderful gastronomic adventure, we made pizzas on Boboli crusts, and I slipped them onto a piping hot grill to cook. They turned out fabulous, possibly the only shortcoming to them was that they seemed to cool down quicker than when I cook them (and serve them) on a pre-heated stone. I love all kinds of vegetables on the grill- carrots and yams turn out splendid, their sugars carmelizing to a sweetened flavor that simply melts on your tongue. Zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus and peppers turn out delicious as well. Some vegetables take to grilling so well. I have a grill plate to help facilitate cooking of smaller vegetables without the fear of loss through the grate. And talk about simple! A brush of lightly seasoned oil and your veggies are good to go. No need for anything real fancy at all.
Of course, all manner of meats go on the grill. Here is where I like to cook more simply, although you can really go to town too if you so desire. There are millions of marinades available, and a million more you can dream up out of your own pantry. Tough cuts do much better with marinade. The use of an acid, such as citrus juice, a vinegar or wine helps to break down the tough meat fibers and make them more malleable. Some say that the longer you marinate, the better the meat, but there is always a point of no return and meats can get mushy if over-marinated. If you ever are eating a meat that has been marinated and you feel a grainy texture in your mouth, you know what I mean. Too much of a good thing can ruin a cut of meat. And fish should never be marinated for more than 15-20 minutes or it will simply fall apart when you cook it, and for fish, that’s not pretty. Chicken breasts without bone or skin need only a short time also, as they are naturally more tender. I love to smoke meats on the grill too. If your grill does not come with a designated smoker attachment, you can buy small iron boxes that will work too, or simply use a disposable aluminum pan to hold your chips. Remember to soak them well, up to an hour I say, and put them on the hot grill to get them good and smoky first before adding the meat. I have refreshed them with water during the cooking too, although my culinary school buddy Travis, who is a Grillmaster with a capital ‘G’ said that it doesn’t do any good. Besides, it only works with the aluminum pan, as the smoker boxes have holes that won’t hold the water. Enough of this digression!! Let’s talk meat!! Pork loin roasts and tenderloins are some of my favorite cuts to grill and smoke. Soak me a batch of hickory chips, rub up that pork with some dry mustard and chili powder and toss it on the sizzling grate. Wow!! In a short time you can have the most mouth-watering, succulent piece of meat dazzling your tastes buds!! It’s like….well, it’s like……I can’t describe it, it’s like food-induced endorphins gone haywire. You wish you could suppress the ‘full ‘ section of your brain so you could just keep enjoying it. Turkey is another divine meat for the grill. I have done our Thanksgiving turkeys on the grill for the last three years, mostly because it saves room in the oven, but honestly, once you grill a turkey, with maybe some cherry wood chips for flavor, man alive…..you may never eat another oven made bird again. One year it was so cold outside that the grill was cranking out on high with barely any noticeable effect. You had to almost put your hand on the grill itself to feel any heat. The kind of Minnesotan wind in November that freezes your nosehair with one whiff. Ah…another digression!

Ok, so the secret, behind the rubs, marinades, wet wood and anything else in your quest for perfectly grilled meats, is indirect cooking. And yes, I am sure you have heard of it before but humor me a little here. (this is how it is done with a two burner gas grill- you can modify it for a three burner, or Google ‘charcoal grill indirect cooking’ for that answer) You light your grill and heat it up on high with the lid closed to get it good, good, good and hot. You have your meat ready, your chips soaked, everything on your mark. The grill is opened and the chip pan is placed on one side of the grill with both burners lit still. Close the lid and await the smoke. When it is pouring out of the grill, open the lid (stand back so you don’t get a faceful!) turn off the burner on the side of the grill without the chipbox, then place your meat on that side. Sear it on high so it gets that nice crust, then turn the burner under the chips down to low, close the lid and go enjoy yourself for a while. Depending on what you are cooking and what the internal temp has to be in order for you to safely eat it, this could take a while or it could be fairly quick. You can cook indirectly without chips too. Generally, larger cuts of meat work better with indirect heat. You can cook anything indirectly, but a chicken breast will take only about 10 minutes in the regular manner, and maybe 30 or more indirectly. When your hunger is leading you, stick to the tried and true. When you can plan, wait and savor, do it indirectly.

I love summertime when I can stand outside on a gorgeous late afternoon and smell the wonderful scents coming from my grill, enticing the neighborhood and making my cats crazy. We made steaks today, Griffin’s favorite. I marinated them in soy sauce, sesame oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and onion powder and white pepper. They were wonderfully flavorful and tender despite a little too much time in the marinade. And I am still full four hours later. Thankfully tomorrow’s meal is lighter. Now if I could only figure out how to make pasta on the grill!?!?

Why is it that food tastes so much better when it's shared?

2006-06-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

I just ate a fabulous lunch, and it was delicious and very satisfying, but I think it would have tastesd a lot better if I had been sharing it with someone. I had a quesadilla with chunks of turkey sausage and lots of melted cheese, the tortilla was nice and crisp with little bits of crisp cheese stuck to the edges just like I like it. I also ate some figs and brie, and downed a glass of honey ginger peach iced tea. My tummy is really happy, yet I missed not having a bunch of other people there. You see, food is to be shared, and the more to share it with the better. But why is is that food always tastes better when shared, and is just Ok when you eat it alone?

I am part of a large, loving and wonderful family. There were over 1oo people in attendance when Mike and I got married, and only about 10 of them were friends. Our families are really great, and the best thing about them is their shared love of food. Outsiders who happen to attend a family gathering are often aghast at the amount of food involved, or maybe that's just a reaction to what happens when someone says "Time to eat!!" Plates and cups are filled and seats are taken, and the talking and eating commence. No matter what is on the menu from a simple pork roast, or grilled fish, chicken, sausages or even a plain hamburger (well, hamburgers are never plain in our family- too many good cooks!) through any number and variety of side dishes, salads, vegetables, fruits, spreads, dips and all the way into dessert, it all tastes so delicious. It could be the simplest of recipes, a tossed green salad with some extra chopped veggies and a bottled dressing takes on a whole new meaning when you're seated around the table with a dozen people you adore. You may be talking so much you don't always notice what's being served until the first bite hits your tongue. Then the tastes flood your senses, your ears are full of good conversation and laughter, and your eyes are on family. What better combination could there be?

Our family cabin has a simple screened in porch with a huge picnic table in it for meals. During our shared weekends there, it can be really crowded with kids and parents, and meal times are a raucous and noisy affair, everyone jockeying around for plates and moving through the meal set up. The table gets crowded with little voices, big appetites and parental direction. "Make sure you take some veggies" " Watch the cup, you're spilling!" "Can someone bring out some napkins?" "Do I have to eat this??" "What's for dessert??!!" "Mommy!!! Sit by me!!!" And a meal so lovingly prepared and anticipated is dredged down to the bare bones. Where a beautifully roasted turkey breast once sat might now be just a puddle of juice and some scraps. The vegetable dish is bare, maybe a stray carrot or celery stick remains next to a decimated bowl that once held a gorgeous fruit salad. The steaming pans on the stove are scraped clean, the salad bowl has a few lone leaves in the bottom and all eyes are on the desserts sitting regally on the countertop, awaiting their own fate. Or it could be a more simple meal, one designed to empty some leftovers from the fridge before we close the place up for the week ahead. Maybe some grilled cheese, a fresh bag of the reddest cherries imagineable, or maybe a big pot of my famous homemade mac-n-cheese, the dish that makes all my nieces and nephews swoon and tell me how much they love me. It was good because it was shared with the best people in the world, the ones you can always go to when nothing else is right and who will hold out their arms to you and open up their refrigerator. It will be a sympathetic ear and a cold beer with a juicy brat from the grill, or maybe just a peanut butter sandwich and a kiss for a scraped knee, but they are always there and more than willing to fill you up with love and munchies. Our family is blessed with many, many good cooks, and oh.....if I could only make you understand how delicious the parties can be!! Sometimes it's really a chore to decide how best to approach the delightful spread so as not to over do it and end up painfully full. Even after all these years and countless parties, I still sometimes wind up regretting the last plate, with the second helping or the extra dessert. But man, oh man......was it ever worth it!!!

Food is love as love is food and food is love again and it's a big, ever-expanding circle that never ends. From the dawn of time, through the ages and over centuries and generations, family has gathered and shared the wealth at the table. What one family may have in abundance is shared with another family who has a different abundance. It's demonstrated in how people come together to help out with planting or harvest, or a butchering. Food is there when family members get sick, when there is a celebration to enjoy, or even when there is loss, sadness and grief. Whether it's a plate of cookies to welcome a new neighbor, a freezer full of meals for easing the recovery from a complicated surgery or a food blowout extravaganza, (like I had when I graduated from culinary school) nothing says "I love you and want to share this moment of life with you" like passing the plates and jockeying for room at the table. Come in, your always welcome here, and please, you can be first in line.

Rockin' Rib Fest

2006-06-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, there is such a thing, it happens every year in our city and it's grown exponentially since it started some 20+ years ago. Rib aficionados from all over the USA come to hawk their trademark sauces, styles and tastes, and people flock from all over the metro area to gorge on smoky, saucy perfections. It's heaven on a bone. There's lots of sides to go along with the meats, plenty of ice cold beer and usually many bands for entertainment.

My recollections of this extravaganza are not new. I haven't attended in many, many years as the sheer size of the festival makes it daunting to try to get to, park at and traverse. But I want to go back because even the distant memories can't squelch the feeling of being completely surrounded by some of the best barbecue-ers in the country. Making a perfect barbecued meat is an art form, and not every back yard griller is capable of producing a plate of succulent and divinely cooked ribs, where the meat slips off the bone and melts in your mouth, filling your senses with it's sinewy texture, a smoky tang and the spicy, eloquently flavored sauce. My last adventure was with several guy friends from that season of my life, who shall only be known as T. and K. We were pals, party-ers and good buddies, and the RibFest that year was just another adventure. Upon our arrival, we made a game plan: Each of us would purchase from three different vendors, then convene and share the wealth. This would continue until all the stands had been plundered, not to mention the many cups of beer to wash it all down. The first time we stepped up one of the many chest highs tables where you could set down your cardboard container of piping hot ribs, I was nearly crazy with hunger from all the surrounding smells. We dug in, ravenous. Each container held several small pieces of either beef or pork ribs, in any number of special sauces. I would taste and savor the warm, smoky meats, then sip my beer and reach for another. We wiped out the initial offerings and went for more, each one more wonderful than the last. There were giant beef ribs with a tang of mustard, clove, garlic and pepper; smaller pork ribs rich with cumin and chili powder, baby backs, spareribs, riblets, and even chicken drummies in a wide variety of mouth numbing and endorphin inducing hot sauces. Our mouths worked over the bones in an attempt to remove every last shred of tender meat, and we shamelessly licked our fingers nearly dry to get every last drop of sauce. All around the festival were dispensers of wipes for cleaning sticky faces and fingers. We ignored them and didn't care. We were in hog heaven, and cow heaven and even chicken heaven. I have never tasted better meat. We shared observations about flavor, texture, meat tenderness and sauce consistency, we split each offering equally, and if one seemed superior to another, we never hesitated to go back for another round. In between, we feasted on roasted corn, savory hush puppies, tender collard greens redolent with bacon and garlic, coleslaws that barely even resembled the slimy mass found in most restaurants and onion rings that held the perfect marriage of crunchy coatings and meltingly sweet onion flavor. The noise level was near deafening, the heat from the July sun and the many grills breathing constant tongues of flame was oppresive, but we barely noticed. Part way through my second container of a particularly succulent and juicy texas beef rib, I suddenly realized that I was profoundly full. And an accompanying sense of intense disappointment filled me. So much food, and yet, as is true with every thing, there is a point of no return. I simply couldn't eat anymore, nor even take one more sip of the rich, dark beer I so loved. One look around the table at T. and K. made the consensus clear: we were all there. The smell of the cooking meat and the throng of people around us began to take it's toll, and we dumped our garbage and made for the open green grass in front of the stage where a band popular from our high school days was playing saccharin sweet musical memories. I think we found a post, or tree or something to hold us up, our faces flush and sweaty, our bellies round and taut from the onslaught of our food orgy. I recall thinking that this might make me never want to see another piece of barbecued meat again, but thankfully, and blessedly, that didn't come true. In fact, it was a few short hours before I felt the urge to imbibe once again of the grilled and glorious fare. One more container of those fabulous beef ribs, another cup of crisp and hot hush puppies and a big cup of delicious Bass Ale and I was good for the night, driving home with my memories and my full stomach. The next morning I awoke to the stale stench of my smoked out clothes and hair and the type of food hangover that occurs when much too much of a good thing is consumed in far too few hours. Ah.....but the bliss!

Pork and Stir Fried Vegetables

2006-06-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

Pork and Stir Fried Vegetables*

1# pork tenderloin, cut into ½” pieces
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
1 c. snow pea pods, de-strung
2 small zucchini, cut half moon
1 T. fresh chopped ginger
6 green onions, chopped
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1-2 T. sesame seeds
Canola and sesame oil

Sauce:
¼ c. hoisin sauce
¼ c. oyster sauce
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. chili garlic sauce
1 T. soy sauce

Mix sauce ingredients together. In sauté pan, heat canola oil and add pork, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over high heat until pink is just gone, remove and set aside. Heat more canola oil and sauté broccoli, stirring constantly until bright green, 3-4 minutes. Remove. Turn heat down and add sesame oil to pan, swirl to coat and add peppers and zucchini, stir and cook for 4 minutes. Add pea pods and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add in broccoli, pork and sauce and toss to coat. Heat through, sprinkle with sesame seeds and onions. Serve over rice or rice noodles. Stir in more chili garlic sauce to taste, if desired.

*original recipe from Cooking Light Jan ’06 issue. Modified with additions here.

More great stir fries

2006-06-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Curried Vegetables and Pork with Rice Noodles

4 teaspoons roasted peanut oil, divided
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups (2-inch) sliced asparagus
1 cup (1/2-inch) pieces yellow bell pepper
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 1/2 cups hot cooked rice sticks or vermicelli (about 5 ounces uncooked rice-flour noodles)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
4 lime wedges

Heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork, and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Remove pork from pan, and keep warm. Add 2 teaspoons peanut oil, ginger, and garlic, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the onion, asparagus, bell pepper, and peas, and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Remove from pan, and keep warm.

Add curry paste, sugar, and coconut milk to pan, and stir well. Bring the curry paste mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pork, asparagus mixture, and rice noodles to pan, and cook for 1 minute or until mixture is thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with basil; garnish with lime wedges.

A perfect Stir-Fry

2006-06-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

I admit, I am a stir-fry freak. Not as much as I am a Sudoku freakazoid, as I could sit and do 4 of those addicting puzzles at a time and still crave more of the challenge; No, I couldn't crank out 4 stir-fry dishes without totally wrecking my chopping hand, but man alive....I love a good stir-fry!!

I once thought that it wasn't too difficult to make a good stir-fry: chop, saute, season, sauce, mix and eat. How hard is that?? Boy was I naive! Some of them turned out so underdone that I thought I might as well have eaten the veggies raw, and others were so overcooked that I had no ability to distinguish each veggie from the other in the mushy mass on my plate. Your best bet? Don't follow the recipe, follow your instincts. Or better yet, follow these time honored and hard-won instructions for making the best tasting stir fry you can get outside an authentic restaurant.

Make everything uniform in size and it will cook more evenly. Firm veggies will take longer to cook, but if they are all the same size, you can bet you will have a better texture on your plate at the end. Broccoli will take a while to cook in a hot saute pan (or wok, for those who desire more authenticity) and your best bet is to stir fry it to a bright green, add a little water and then cover to steam the florets for a few minutes. Once a fork can penetrate the pieces without too much resistance, remove them to a bowl. Peppers, when cut to thin julienne slices, will cook quickly, fry for a few minutes only. Carrots are good in a stir fry, and the ability to buy them now in pre-shredded bags makes for such an easy addition, just slice the top open and dump in what you want. They only take a couple of minutes as well. If you keep a big bowl by your stove as you cook, just add the veggies in as you fry them. In the end, you can put them all back in the pan with the sauce and heat them through and no one will even know. Your meat choice can also be cooked to about 3/4 doneness, as long as it finishes in the sauce. I discovered a wonderful technique for making stir fry meat nice and tender, it's called velveting, and the wonderful publication Cooks Illustrated is responsible for this technique. Mix until smooth 1 tbsp. flour, 1 tbsp. cornstarch and 2 tbsp. of your stir fry oil (i prefer peanut, as the smoke point is higher and the flavor is unsurpassed) Pour this mixture over your meat and mix well, then dump it into your hot pan and spread out the pieces. Allow to cook without moving for a few minutes, then stir and move the meat as needed to finish. The coating will seal in the juices making your protein addition very moist and tender. It can be used on pork, chicken or beef with equally good results.

Aromatics, like garlic and ginger don't need much cooking at all, maybe 30 seconds. Add them in with one of the veggies for additional flavor, then put them into the bowl and mix that all up to dispense even more of their intoxicating tastes. Pea pods are best when still crisp, give them a minute or two for that pretty green color, but not too much more. Soggy pea pods are like chewing on string. And speaking of that, be sure to de-string them, otherwise you will be chewing string whether or not they are cooked properly. Green onion is mostly for garnish, it shouldn't be cooked too long at all, or best of all, toss finely chopped green onion over the top of the finished dish and simply enjoy it piquant bite as you eat. Skip the white part if onion isn't your thing. Nuts are wonderful in a stir fry, they are best as a garnish as well. Peanuts, cashews. almonds and pistachios all add wonderful flavor, a great offset texture of crunch and some nutritional value as well. A base for all these tantalizing ingredients can be either rice or noodles; there are some wonderful rice noodle varieties available, which are thin and very translucent and can absorb a lot of flavor from whatever sauce you use. I have used multi-grain spaghetti noodles too with excellent results. Ronzoni makes the best kind. Any kind of sauce works well, and there are a lot of bottled varieties that make for an easy application. I am including my very favorite stir fry recipe that uses mostly pre-made bottled sauce varieties. This one is simple, delicious and really, really easy. I hope you like it.

Chicken with Asparagus Stir Fry

1 T. toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 # fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1" pieces
1 # chicken tenders or boneless breasts, cut into 1" pieces
2 scallions, trimmed and cut to 1"
1 shallot, minced
1 red pepper, cored seeded and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 c. snow peas, de-stringed and cut in half
2 T. minced fresh ginger
1/4 c. oyster sauce
2 T. garlic chili sauce
1/2 c. shelled salted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Heat oil in large skillet or wok over high heat. Add asparagus and red pepper, stir fry for about 4 minutes, then add snow peas and stir fry 2 minutes. Remove to bowl and keep warm. Swirl a scant 1/2 t. more of oil in pan and add chicken, allow to cook until browned on one side, then flip over and cook until you can't see any pink. Add sauces, ginger, shallot and scallions, stir to combine. Add vegetables and stir to coat. Cook about 5 -8 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve over rice, if desired.Top with pistachios.

Summer and Food- Part 2

2006-06-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

I have already taken a trip down a short memory lane where summer memories mix with winsome food thoughts to create some 'gotta have it' times for those warm and fleeting months. In MN, summer is short, sweet and full of great foods to dig your way through. It's the time of outdoor picnics, outdoor restaurant dining and outdoor festivals. People want to eat outdoors, and will do so under some pretty strange conditions. Many years ago a report was published in our newspaper about a certain popular area of town and how it's air pollution counts were extraordinarily high. Apparently it didn't create too many problems for a certain hip restaurant on the most polluted corner to frantically attempt to accomodate the horde of diners who vied nightly for one of their coveted outdoor tables. I couldn't figure out how people could eat at a sidewalk table just mere feet from idling cabs, cars jockeying for meter positions, and for that matter, masses of people elbowing their way down a perpetually crowded street. It just seemed wrong. But it's summertime, and this is what was done. Many restaurants in the Twin Cities have outdoor dining, and to me it just isn't very appetizing to sit and eat along a busy roadway under whatever conditions, whether polluted or just congested with traffic. No manner of fancy umbrellas, either over my head or on my cocktail will make any difference.

Outdoor festivals are fun though. The people watching is first rate, and the more food available, the better. Our State Fair every August in legendary in that regard. Everyone goes for the food, the more items on a stick and deep fried, the better. They even have a deep fried Snickers bar. I won't go there, I love my arteries too much. But wave a greasy cardboard container of deep fried cheese curds under my nose and I might follow you around a little. Just one bite won't hurt. Food in the open air just seems to taste different, don't you think? Maybe because the smell entices you in from every angle. You'll be walking innocently through a crowd at one of the many festivals Minnesota is known for in the summer and your senses will be assaulted by any number of amazing and wonderful smells. You just HAVE to know what that is!!!! When I was really young, my sister and I would regularly go with my mother to a local city lake where they held outdoor concerts. Her favorite band to watch was a dixieland jazz band. She would sit and joyfully listen to the music, and my sister and I would run all around the bandshell area, tottering out onto the ancient boat docks to watch the ducks and fish, and around the even more ancient concession stand, thoroughly taken away by the smells coming from within those walls. The best was the popcorn. They would make popcorn by the bushel- and load it with real butter. I have never tasted anything so good. We could watch while they dumped the kernels into the gigantic spinning popper, and soon the mountains of white fluff would be disgorged from inside, filling a large bin beneath. The worker would take a pitcher of melted butter off the back of a stove and pour a generous amount over the soft mound, then scoop and toss and mix it until it was just right. The smell drove me mad, and we always had to wait until the concert was over to get our box. Me being the food lover even then, I would wolf it down, cramming big handfuls into my mouth and loving the sensation of those airy kernels collapsing in a crunchy, buttery mass on my tongue. My sister, ever the restrained one, would eat hers kernel by kernel. I can't understand that mentality, I mean, popcorn tastes best when your mouth is so full you can hardly contain the mass. It deflates to nearly nothing, so what's the big deal?? One piece at a time and you hardly get the flavor, much less the crunch. But, to each their own. I, of course, being the pesky younger sister, would always try to get her to give me some of hers when my own box was gone. But not only was she restrained, she was also more stubborn than me, and I never won. Even now, when I hear that familiar jazz sound of dixieland, I can shut my eyes and see the crumbling old bandshell, the rickety docks and sense the smells in the air. The lake, with it's weedy, watery smell mixed with the gas and oil scent of boats and the dry coarse smell of the dirt worn down by generations of foot traffic. I can see and feel the old benches, how they would scratch my skinny bare legs, and how my sister and I would run back to my mom every once in a while to check in, and find her sitting there, enraptured and smiling, her feet tapping and hands clapping to the sound. The smells from the concession stands: hot dogs, mustard, white buns and ice cream, and the overpowering grainy aroma of hot buttered popcorn, freshly tipped from the huge popper. The bandshell and concession stand were rebuilt many years ago with a brighter and more workable design, and although nothing remains from those childhood summer nights except the memories, it's pleasing to know that you can still hear concerts there, and smell the same old smells. You see, they retained all the food from those days, and added some new items to bring in a more modern fare, but the huge poppers are still there churning out barrel after barrel of white fluffy popcorn. And thankfully, it's still covered in real butter.

Perfection Pizza

2006-06-15T06:30:00.000-07:00

There are times in my food life that I think pizza is the ultimate in perfect food. You can make a whole meal on a pizza crust and eat it with your hands over a napkin, making dish duty irrelevant. I'm not sure about anyone else, but I think eating anything with your hands is quite wonderful, you get a sensory overload like nothing else. And licking your fingers saves paper in the trash, right? We're thinking economically here!

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in America. Recent findings believe that a typical American family consumes pizza at least twice a week. Given the astronomical amount of frozen pizzas available, I would think that the majority of them are coming straight out of the freezer. And takeout tops the list as well, but in my food world, the best pizza is made right in your own kitchen. When I have the time, foresight, and inclination I can make a really delicious pizza crust in the bread machine which yields two wonderfully chewy crusts. But given the fact that those three rarely align in an ideal world, the Boboli pizza crusts and sauce packets are a huge advantage for a time strapped meal. Plus, they are really darn good!! I tend to like a pizza sauce that isn't too sweet or too thick. A lot of pizza places will ladle it on so deep that the toppings get lost in the cloying, sticky mess. A thin veneer of sauce over a crust rubbed with cut garlic cloves makes for a divine flavor, and allows all the taste of the toppings to burst free in your mouth. The more I make pizza, the more I realize that less is best when it comes to toppings. Not only does the pizza get too heavy with a lot of topping, but often you bite into a slice and the toppings come off in a landslide of molten hot flow. Pain is not a good way to start a meal. And to hold on toppings, I have found that sandwiching them between layers of cheese provides a kind of 'pizza glue' mentality to the toppings. They tend to stay put. Place a small amount of cheese on top of the sauce, then your toppings and then more cheese. Oooooohhh.....cheeeeeeeeese!!!! Gotta have lots of cheeeeeeeese!!!! Whats pizza without that loooooooong string of hot mozzarella between the slice and your mouth???? It ain't really pizza!!! Of course you can't tell I like a cheesy pizza, can you?

I tend towards being a pizza purist when it comes to toppings. If I could, I would eat a sausage pizza with green pepper and black olives whenever I could and nothing tastes better than that. However, that tends to run under the 'bad food' category. So I have taken to making pizzas like that for G-man, and creating amazing gourmet pizzas for my sweetheart and I. He always prefers a meat-free pizza, so I oblige with combinations of whatever of the following I have on hand: roasted red peppers, sun dried tomato, pesto, fresh mozzarella, kalamata olives, sauteed zucchini, roma tomatoes, fresh basil leaves and roasted garlic. The more creative, the better. Our favorite pizza is listed earlier in this blog- the amazing, award winning, awe-inspiring Pesto Vegetable Pizza. Heaven on a crust! Food Utopia! The nice thing about the veggie pizzas is that they don't leave you feeling full and bloated.....well....unless you eat the whole thing, which we try really hard not to do. You also feel like you are doing something nice for your body. The first bite into that golden crisp crust unleashes a flood of flavors over your tongue. Crunchy, chewy and tangy, like a over-zealous tango on your tongue. Little hints of garlic explode over the juicy tomato slices and tiny hints of basil dart in and out of each bite. Peppers crunch, olives zing and the cheese forms around it all like a comforting blanket of flavor. Every bite seems different, yet it all melds together into a flavorful rhythm unique to the combinations on the crust. There are a few pizza places in theTwin Cities that I think serve amazing pizza, and I wouldn't hesitate to eat a delectable pie at any of them, but when I really want a pizza to make my mouth happy, I will unload my creative flair in my own kitchen much to the delight of the enamored men in my life. My homemade pizza came off the grill outside the last time I made it, adding yet another flavor component to an almost perfect pie- the smoky outdoor flavor of the grill. I didn't think it could get any better, but obviously I was mistaken. This took the pizza to new heights, and if I get any higher I might have to share some with God. Hmmmmm.....maybe I should make more!

Grocery shopping as an art form

2006-06-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

I know it sounds crazy, but I honestly do think of it as an art form. Of course, it helps that I love to shop for groceries!! All that food just waiting to be turned into something wonderful, it's just more than I can stand sometimes!! Ok, ok.....I know that's weird. I'm ok with being weird about certain aspects of my food life.

There are several methods I employ when shopping for groceries, and mind you, these are what I do and I certainly don't think anyone should be obsessive about shopping for food, but some habits can be modified to be simpler and more productive. I think grocery shopping is one of them. My biggest simplifier is lists. We all need lists to help us remember what our overworked brains tend to leave behind. I put a magnetized pad on the fridge, and when something runs out I quickly jot it down so I don't forget. I encourage the guys to do this too and they are really good at it. For one thing, when I make the master list, if it isn't on the 'quick list' and I don't notice it's out, it won't get purchased. It's a very simple concept. Then there can be no whining about it. I do a major shopping spree about once every three weeks, and do 'fill-in' visits in between. We budget a lot in our lives and make do without certain things to save money, but we never skimp on food. There is no point. When I am about to do a major trip, I will sit down with my recipe book and cooking magazines and make up dinner plans. I list all the items for meals on a list and take note of what ingredients I will need. This allows me to have ideas at the ready for meals, with ingredients on hand to make it work. If I don't do this, our meal times get really boring and repetitive, and then I see a lot of 'sad face' at the dinner table. Not fun. Once the dinner plan list is done, then I scour the pantry, fridge and freezer to see what needs replenishing. One thing I have learned about being able to cook a meal without too much fuss and planning ahead is to always, and I mean ALWAYS have a well stocked pantry. (this will be covered in another post)

So the scouring is done and I have a sheet of paper with lots of writing all over it, totally disorganized and messy because notes have come from everywhere. My last list is the working copy; I take that messy sheet and transfer items one by one onto a new list that is separated into categories and organized as to how the store is laid out. One column for dry goods, one column for produce, one for meats and one for dairy. Many many people enter the grocery store in the produce section and fill their carts there first, then walk the rest of the store to get everything else while their fresh stuff sits and languishes. I do the reverse. I enter the store at the opposite end and work towards the cold stuff so that it's still pretty cold by the time it gets home. It works for me. Each item is checked off my working list as it goes in the cart so I know that I have everything I need. I skip any aisles that have nothing in them I am looking for and a typical major shopping trip is done in about 45 minutes, including checking out. The organizational process may seem time consuming, but the amount of time I spend in making up the working list is well worth it because it makes for a much simpler meal time. I know what I have and know what I can make just by reading the meal list. I always have several quick, no-meat items on the list for those times when I don't think about dinner until late afternoon. And hardly anything I make takes more than an hour from start time to table, and often it takes less. And if there is ever a time when I've depleted the items from the meal list, I can turn to the well stocked pantry or some quick veggie burgers from the freezer and find something to throw together. Life is complicated enough without meal times being a huge headache. Yes, forethought to this process may seem daunting, but once you get the routine down it becomes a habit you won't be willing to compromise on again.

Men, boys, cats and food

2006-06-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

My life is filled with males of two different species. I live with my husband, Mike, my son Griffin who is 12 and two male felines, Bustopher Jones and Harmon El Gato. There is a lot of male-ness in my home what with a budding child in the throes of puberty and my wonderful and handsome husband. I am just the maker of all food, maybe slightly resembling a goddess when everyone is hungry and mewling about, but normally, I am Mom, wife and Cat Mama.

I have already talked at length about how my child eats (see 'Children don't come with feeding instructions') and to talk about the cats eating habits, well that's no big deal; they eat their dry stuff when they want, and after our dinner they start urging me to get out their once-a-night treat of yummy Fancy Feast mixed with their vitamins. Those plates are wolfed down in about a minute flat, I would never call them finicky. I could fill the plates with anything, and as long as it smells good they will eat it. Harmon is overweight and Bustopher is not. Harmon eats like a normal cat, Bustopher rubs his paw over the dry food in the bowl and licks the dust off. It's a wonder he gains any weight at all. Harmon has lived with me all his life and Bustopher was a stray that lived in a shelter for 1 1/2 years before I took him home. He has huge separation issues, is really really needy, must have play time and interaction with you every day and does whatever it takes to get your attention. Harmon knows everything will be fine, that the bowl will always be full and if he falls over on his back in front of you that you will stop whatever you are doing and rub his belly until he is nearly catatonic with bliss. They are night and day and I adore them.

Mike has been in my life 5 years and is the husband that I used to dream about as a little girl. He is kind, considerate, outrageously funny, extraneously helpful and a great dad to Griffin. He is my biggest fan, my most vocal cheerleader and the one I go to when I can't figure anything out. He treats me like a queen and I love him more than I ever thought possible. He is not a meat and potatoes guy, in fact, dislikes beef, will only eat boneless, skinless chicken and thinks vegetables are to be worshipped. I'm all for this except when I want a big juicy porterhouse, which thankfully isn't often anymore. I trust that when I make something new that two things will happen: #1- he will eat it, even if he doesn't like it. And #2- he will honestly tell me what he thinks of it even if he doesn't like it. I can usually tell what he thinks when he is eating something new, and when I am not sure, it becomes clear to me if he never touches the leftovers that he wasn't overly fond of the meal. Not long ago, I came to discover that one dish I make quite often was not something he liked to eat. I wasn't aware of it and was rather cheesed off that I didn't know. His explanation made sense to me, and I have been more relaxed about what I cook ever since. He told me that although food has to be good, sometimes to him it's about sustenance and that there are days when he eats, his main goal is only to fill the hunger. It doesn't have to be wonderful, to die for food on those days. It just has to be edible. The dish in question is edible, but not a favorite, therefore becomes something that is sustenance, not a dish to adore. It was kind of hard to accept that at first, since everything I eat has to be something I adore and want to eat. I don't think you should eat food that you don't like. Mike hates eggs, hates the smell and even the thought of them. I won't ever make them for him due to this fact. There are very few foods he actually hates, and he will eat many, many things that aren't his favorite. It's sustenance, that's all. I can ask him for input when I am trying to decide on a week or two worth of meal plans and he just smiles and tells me whatever I make will be fine with him. It's a different mindset than me, and is fine. It makes for more harmonious meals since I already have one person who tends towards moaning and teeth gnashing when there is something on the stove that he doesn't like. But he's 12, and has to be difficult, it's part of being his age. Mike's role in the kitchen, outside of being my critical palate, is the chief bottle washer. I can make a colossal mess while cooking, and without a word after dinner he will set forth cleaning it up. Most of the time I clean as I go, but some meals sneak up on me like a power boat wide open and you have no time to quickly wash the flotsam left behind. Mike speeds through dish duty as if I cranked up the controls to hyperspeed. He hates a mess more than he hates doing dishes. I love that he works with me that way. When he takes over the kitchen on the rare nights that I am simply not willing or able to be creative, I reciprocate by cleaning up his mess. Food is not an issue in our relationship. I never have to worry about him bringing home Burger King meals, buying too much junk food or snacking on potato chips in bed. (remember the ending in the movie 'Fargo'?) However, if there is ice cream in the house, watch out. Willpower is not his strongest asset. Thankfully, the convenience store close by installed a soft serve machine, and for a couple of bucks we can get a big dish of deliciously flavorful soft ice cream. But Mike likes to say "I don't need anymore belly" and instead urges us all on our bikes for a long evening ride. One more thing to love about him- how he encourages me.

Conversations with the invisible food and wine snob

2006-06-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

*DISCLAIMER* I am not a food or wine snob!

And I dislike food and wine snobs because they act like they are so superior because of the food they eat. Some of the stuff in a gourmands diet makes me want to retch. Foie gras?? Yukkkkk......fatty duck livers, wow, i can't even believe that I don't LIKE that stuff!!! What is WRONG with me?!?!?! Morel mushrooms.....looks like shriveled brains and grows in the rot of the forest floor. I am not a fan of fungus, although cooked properly and mixed in with other things, I can enjoy mushrooms. I just won't pluck one off a plate and pop it in my mouth like a cheese curd. Pate (i guess i can't make the little accent above the 'e') looks like the cat food that makes my two irrepresible felines howl with delight each night. Tastes similar too! Hey!!! How do I know you didn't just open a can of Fancy Feast??!?! And wine.....well, it's fermented grape juice. It's not anything full of mystique and wonder, worthy of furtive glances and knowing nods, musty cellars and deep religious fawning. I love wine and love to try new wines and learn their individual nuances, flavor and taste profiles, but when it comes down to it, I can't tell you why a $50 bottle is any different than a $10 bottle. I'm sure you'll start in on the vintage of the vine, the terrior, the weather that year and whether or not the winemaker used new or old oak for seasoning and at what temperature the juice was fermented, but frankly I don't care. I like my wine red, dry and flavorful, and if I want to serve it with a fish dish and you don't like it, go home. It's called a contrasting wine match and it's perfectly fine.

Enough of that......food is food is food and it's all about your tastes. Wine is wine is wine, and if I want to drink a bottle of inexpensive Yellowtail Reserve Shiraz, I will. If I make you a dinner of my fabulous vegetable filled turkey burgers with blue cheese mashed potatoes and roasted yam sticks, and you make me a tuna steak with wasabi caviar, braised beet greens and carmelized new potatoes, I am sure we will each enjoy them and be satisfied when it's all over. No matter what we make and eat, no matter that you think your food is fit for a demi-god and mine would be fine in the dog dish, besides ALL of that and wherever your tastes may lie, in the end when it's all said and done, 24 hours later all the food we eat ends up the same place. It's just food, it's only fermented grape juice. A pricier label or name doesn't make it any better.

In my food world, the preparation is the key. A steak can be perfect with nothing but a crackling of sea salt on it and seared perfectly over a flame. Sure blue cheese crumbles are nice, and a cabernet compound butter adds a lot of flavor, but you put those on top of a poorly cooked steak, it's still a poorly cooked steak and nothing will make it taste any different. If you take impeccable field greens, the freshest vine ripe tomato and the crispest of red bell peppers to make a salad, you're going to ruin the flavor if you douse it with a cup of thick salad dressing. It's better if you squeeze some lime juice over it, grind some fresh black pepper on it, drizzle it with good quality olive oil and a dash of white wine vinegar and toss it all together. Now thats FLAVOR!!! A perfectly shaped and cooked hamburger outshines it's frozen pre-formed cousin by a million miles. Freshly grilled fish cooked to perfection with a sprinkle of dill and a quick squirt of lemon juice will simply melt in your mouth. There doesn't have to be all these bells and whistles, fancy names, wondrous techniques or beguiling ingredients. If it's prepared well it should speak for itself. There really isn't any more to it than that. I don't begrudge a foodie their inalienable rights to expound on the merits of their gourmet world, but it doesn't make for a better meal. It's just your own personal tastes. So don't let the food snobs and wine bores make you feel any less of a great cook. If you do it right and like it that way, then more power to you, and while you're at it, pick up a good inexpensive wine to go along with it.

Taking the mystery out of food nutrition labels

2006-06-12T06:19:00.000-07:00

I love nutrition labels, I read them all the time and you should too. Better yet, read them and learn to understand how they can work for you and make what you put into your mouth a healthier thing. They are not full of terms that need a Ph.D in science to figure out, in fact they are quite easy. But they won't help if you never look at them.

Each label starts out with serving sizes, calories per serving and servings per container. People can get tripped up if they don't read these carefully. For example, a pint of ice cream says it contains 180 calories and 24 grams of fat, but what you don't read carefully enough is that the pint also has four 1/2 cup servings. So if you eat the whole thing, those 180 calories are quadrupled, as is the fat amount. Suddenly you've downed 720 calories and 96 grams of fat, most of which is saturated fat- the kind that your heart doesn't really need. In that label, each serving has those calorie and fat amounts, it's not the whole container. We're all guilty of this, so let's get over it and move on. Another really important number is the sodium content. Excessive sodium in the diet causes a multitude of health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure and circulation problems. Most, if not all packaged foods have high sodium levels simply because sodium is used as a preservative. That boxed rice mix can sit on your shelf for two years and not lose any flavor quality because it's riddled with sodium to keep it that way. Yikes! Who needs this!?? Pay attention to those sodium numbers, most Americans salt their food a lot, and if you are eating something with an already astronomically high sodium content and then adding salt, well.....it's not rocket science, like I said earlier. Dinner meals in a bag in the freezer sure seem like a nice convenience, but think about your poor heart. Take pity! Pay attention to the sugar number too. Any product carrying a sugar content over beyond 15 grams should be avoided. Most breakfast cereals have super high sugar levels. We give them to our kids and wonder why they can't concentrate. Sugar raises the blood glucose levels, flooding your body with insulin which provides a temporary energy rush. But just as quickly, the insulin amount disappears and you crash from the sugar high and feel like crap. Carbohydrates do the same thing. Sugar is not a bad thing, but most people eat way too much of it, mostly because they don't realize how insidious sugar is in their foods. It takes on many, many different faces: corn syrup, glucose, fructose, lactose and a host of other names that hide it's true identity. Carbs are one culprit of being over-consumed, but our body also needs them for energy. Most people, however, eat way too much of the wrong kind. There are complex carbs and simple carbs. Simple carbs come from things like white bread, bagels, some crackers, biscuits, cakes and candy, but there are also natural sources of these carbs that are good for you- mostly coming from fruits. These break down quickly giving you that sugar/energy rush that doesn't last very long. Complex carbs break down slower over time, giving you a more steady energy feed. More of these and less of the simple are a better way to healthier eating: whole grain breads, oatmeal, bran, brown rice, root veggies and legumes. These are by no means exhaustive lists, there are many more as well. Cholesterol is another item you will see on a food label. Our bodies produce cholesterol naturally in our fat cells and it's used to form cell membranes and some hormones. It is carried through the blood by lipoproteins, most commonly as high-density (HDL) and low-density (LDL). Quick quiz: Which one is the 'good' one??? It's the HDL, which some docs think helps remove cholesterol from the blood before it can build up as plaque in your arteries. Since our bodies are very efficient in making this, it would be safe to assume that we don't need too much added to our diet. The truth is, we don't need to eat it at all. Foods from animal sources contain it, foods from plants don't. Foods high in saturated and trans fats will increase your cholesterol level which, as we all know, can lead to many life threatening health problems. These are what I consider to be the items on a nutrition label that should get the most attention. Fiber is really important too, it's like Drano for your body in it's ability to 'clean you out'. We'll talk about knowing the hidden dangers in the food ingredients too on another post.

Breakfast Talk

2006-06-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Breakfast. Just the name conjures up many images, scents, tastes and items. What does it make YOU think about?? And I don't mean what you normally eat for breakfast, but what does the word actually make you think of as breakfast itself?

Yesterday I had breakfast out with my sister and G-man (the nickname for my son Griffin since he was crawling around on the floor at my feet) When we go out for breakfast, I want to eat BREAKFAST! And to me, that means eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns, toast (either traditional or French) pancakes, hot coffee and cold juice. Although, I have to clarify.....not all that in one sitting! At home when I eat breakfast, it's likely a bowl of cereal with some fruit in it, maybe an over-hard fried egg with toast, peanut butter toast with coffee, maybe some yogurt with fruit, or a smoothie made out of yogurt, fruits and protein powder. And again, I clarify.....not all this in one sitting! Lord knows I love to eat, but there are limits. Breakfast should be a substantial meal, after all you haven't put a thing in your tum-tum since dinner or your bedtime snack the night before. It should be filling and sturdy enough to get you through your morning, with a clear head and lots of energy. I'm all for breakfast reform for everyone, and don't tell me that you don't eat breakfast or you might have to hold my soapbox so I can climb up to tell you how I feel about that. I tell G-man that I am not opposed to him eating whatever strikes his fancy for his morning meal, but he does not have the option of NOT eating. So he will eat soup, leftover mac-n-cheese, a cheese quesadilla, a ham and cheese sandwich (sometimes we refer to him as Griffin McCheese due to his love of the stuff) or whatever might be in the fridge. He will once in a while eat cereal, although his tastes tend more towards the sugar stuff that is outlawed in my house, he will eat oatmeal or Bear Mush (a hot cereal similar to Malt-O-Meal) if it's made for him, and he loves scrambled eggs (with CHEESE!!!) on toast. But what he cannot do is skip the meal. The main reason is that he becomes irritatingly disobedient and defiant without proper nutrition, and the other reason is that it just doesn't make any sense. Eating good food=good productive output= happy parents and teachers. The equation is clear and everyone is happy. Yes, breakfast as a whole can mean certain items, even rituals and rules, but eating well in the morning without a fight is often the goal in our house. And as every parent knows, you need to pick your battles. Happily, he will eat if given the option of making his own choice. That for me, is a handily won battle.

Road food and mile high pie

2006-06-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Road trips have their own unique food experiences. They can be either incredible or profoundly bad but the one thing you can rely on is that they will give you a glimpse of local life no matter where you are.

Recently I have been taking road trips East from MN to WI, to visit a relative hospitalized there. The first trip, on the tail of the frantic phone call that gave me the heads up on the issue, I drove East without looking at much around me, just lost in thought about God's great plan and how we all fit into it and bent and determined to arrive in one piece after sharing the road with multiple 18-wheelers as bent and determined as myself. On that trip home, at dusk, with the intensity of the previous days issues having been toned down, all I wanted to do was get home and despite the beautiful sunset, I noticed little else.

This last time I was in the backseat, the driving being done by my more than capable husband, and the urgency being much less than the previous week. I could focus out the window and watch what went by. Of course, driving in WI means that you are in farmland and cheese country. Signs for cheese are everywhere. And at each little town we passed I wondered about the local food joints and what tasty nuggets of local fare they may be offering. When the afternoons visit came to a close, and an evening meal was necessary, we went to a place called the Norske Nook, in lovely downtown Osseo, WI. A famous place, no doubt, as the signs along the Interstate might testify. Their specialty is sweets, pies of all kinds, sweet rolls big enough to feed a large family and a menu full of comfort foods and lefse wraps. The owners fav was a Cod wrap, which my stepmother ordered and claimed tasted like lutefisk might. None of us accepted the proferred tastings. The food was good, comfort food at it's finest, certainly not bad but definitely not something I would want to eat regularly. Of course, the french fries with my French dip were out of this world as a gastronomical treat, deftly seasoned, crunchy out and mealy in but also straight out of the fat fryer and onto my plate. Even dragging them through a bowl of homemade beef gravy didn't remove the image of them being plastered right into my arteries. But in my mind, eating something like this once in a while is all right, making a habit out of it is not. This is where it's hard to draw the line through what can be thought of as a 'bad food' and what can be called 'bad for you food'. While a roast beef sandwich and fries is not 'bad' it is not healthy to eat all the time. And being in Smalltown America means having to mostly forego finding a good restaurant with healthy offerings. Then it came time for pie, and hoooo boy.....the two pieces brought to the table for sharing couldn't have been more polar opposites. The Cherry Crunch was a sweet/sour delight with a very flavorful crumb topping and a crust that crumbled perfectly in your mouth, a manageable piece for anyone. The French Silk made us all burst out laughing at it's absurdity. This pie slice had to have been at least six inches high, and then came the whipped cream. My son, the Sweet Freak, took one look at it and partially lapsed into a sugar coma just at the sight. The rest of us nearly broke open at the seams from the hearty guffaws. My dear husband, ever the practical type, said "No thanks" to either piece. I had a bite of the mile-high pie and thought I might lose a few molars from the unbelievably sweet taste. The rest of them, bless their hearts, took to the pies like lost sheep at the feed trough. My poor son was not allowed to eat to his hearts content since he has not yet figured out the key to moderation, but even carving off a substantial slice of the chocolate pie did nothing to eliminate it's bulk. I couldn't imagine one person ever being able to consume such a ridiculously gargantuan thing unless it was the only thing eaten at the meal. But I suppose that many do, based on the popularity of the place.

Wow, after all that, today I just feel like eating some grains, lots of veggies and a whole lot of water. Probably that's a really good idea. At least we didn't stop at the Cheese Haus or I may have some lovelies beckoning me from the fridge. *sigh* Oh to be at the age where what you eat matters more than how it tastes!!

some items on my 'bad food' list

2006-06-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

There is a definite line between 'bad food' and food that is 'bad for you'. Mostly I am all about eliminating food that is 'bad for you' as there is no point in eating this garbage. But then again, you could cram yourself with preservatives for your whole life and save embalming costs in the end, yet why would you?? That's dumb! Once in a while, eating 'bad food' isn't such a bad thing, there is a huge amount of comfort to be found in a big juicy burger and greasy french fries dragged through thick beef gravy (ketchup is a non-essential in my food world) but it's not food you eat night and day. And this stuff should be quickly eliminated from your diet as well.

Here is a partial list of what I eschew as 'bad for you' foods. I avoid these at all costs, and you should too. The alternatives are way cheaper, better for you and far more flavorful.

canned cream soups; velveeta; pre-mixed packaged anything- like rice or pasta mixes; canned vegetables; canned pasta meals; frozen pre-cooked anything like chicken, tacos, burritos etc; frozen meatballs or pre-shaped burger patties; jello; box cake mixes; box muffin mixes; pre-mixed cookie dough squares and cookie dough rolls; any fast food anything; frozen pizza; sugar cereals; bottled cheese dips; boxed bread machine mixes; bologna and hot dogs and other preservative laden meats; frozen dinners; ramen noodles; frozen dinner-in-a-bag meals; breakfast sausages; packaged cookies; pre-made muffins; most fruit yogurts (mostly sugar); those boxed lunch things for kids; any item listing 'partially hydrogenated oils of any kind;

The weather and food connection

2006-06-09T05:10:00.000-07:00

Spring came on like a freight train this year. It wasn't a slow gradual increase towards the balmy sun of May, it was a bounding jump into the scorching heat more reminiscent of late July. There was little of the spring rains that dominate an April in Minnesota. Suddenly it was May and it was HOT and being at the lake for Memorial weekend was a weird anomaly- air and sun so hot you barely wanted to move, but water so cold it was shocking. Thankfully, nights cooled to normal for May, the one saving grace.

Summer always means lighter foods, at least in my household. We no longer fire up the dutch oven for stews and soups nor do we stock up on much meat, even if it goes on sale. However, the fish counter gets frequent visits from me and I start to get really creative on the versatility of chicken. We enjoy the soy products too from MorningStar and Boca, they are wonderful for a quick meal and fortunately I have found a source where purchases are el primo cheapo. Let's not forget vegetables and fruits!! Oh my oh my.....I get absolutely bonkers in the head at the produce section sometimes when confronted with the multitude of selections available and the freshness of summertime's bounty. I love corn on the cob, I mean, who doesn't?? Most people boil it, often too long.....really, once the water boils, it needs about 3 minutes submerged and it's fine. Another popular way to cook it is on the grill wrapped in the husks. You need to first peel back the husks and remove the silk, burned silk tastes and smells like burnt hair. Yuk! Not what I want to eat! And this method basically just steams it, and sure it's fine that way. But the best way I have found to make corn is to remove the husks and silk, rub it with oil and grill it right on the grill until the kernels are browned and carmelized. The flavor is amazing, and the kernels fall right off the cob. There is a popular product I have seen in hispanic markets that is like a liquidy cream cheese, and other than calling it 'crema' I have no idea of it's true name, but if you season it with a little chili powder and spread it on a grilled ear of corn, it's one of those taste sensations in your mouth that comes back to you in your dreams. Rich, creamy, smoky and sharp....I could eat corn like that until I burst. I need to find out the name of that stuff! Carrots and Yams are really good on the grill too. You need to slice them thick or they fall through the grate. Brush them with seasoned oil and grill slowly. The natural sugars carmelize and the flavor becomes sweet, mellow and smooth. They need no embellishments. Zucchini strips, eggplant slices, pineapple slices spread with brown sugar or apricot jam, peach halves......the sky is the limit on what can be made more heavenly by a scorching on the grill.

So now.....weather, and the topic of the day. After several weeks of warm, and alternately hot weather in MN, today opens with clouds and the promise of temps in the 60's for a few days. A good thing, our A/C can take a break and we can get reacquainted with sleeves on our shirts, maybe a sweatshirt, and of course, the blankets on the bed. But when I look at the clouds, and feel the cooler breeze, something in me wants to make soup, or beef stew, or even a rich cassoulet or possibly my famous jambalaya. Comfort foods.....and I wouldn't even say it was cold out but it is cooler than it has been of late. It's an instinctual thing, really. A biorhythm change that signals from an ancestral place within our genetic makeup. Survival in cold weather meant heavier foods, more fat to pile on for the harsh winter ahead. But this is only June, and I certainly don't want or need any extra fat. But no matter all that, when the weather chills, my internal clock makes an audible click to a different mindset regardless of what the calendar is really saying. Last nights cedar plank grilled salmon and a vegetable saute are still fresh in my mind, the salmon was so perfectly done that it was melting like butter in my mouth and the crunch of the vegetables mixed with just the right seasoning and a little asiago cheese made for a fine accompaniment all washed down with a smooth merlot. I sat savoring the aftertaste in my mouth and the last sips of my wine while my husband cleaned up the kitchen. (I adore him for many, many things, but his willingness to clean up after my cooking is among the tops on my list!) I could feel in the air last night the imminent change in the weather, and on our post-dinner walk I tossed on a long sleeve shirt to keep the evening breeze off my arms. Today might even mean jeans, I suppose. But I am not going to give in to the urge to make a hearty meal that will sit like a constant reminder in our tummies for the evening. I think I will fire up the brain cells and get the juices flowing for a lively grilled chicken quesadilla, maybe with some poblano peppers and black beans, homemade guacamole and mesclun salad. Then I will pull on my favorite sweatshirt and watch the guys clean up the kitchen. Oooohhh....I can taste the smoky, grilled tortilla, the smooth black bean puree and the crunch of the pepper, all decked out in a dollop of creamy guac peppered with fresh garlic and the tangy bite of lime. I'll dream up the chicken marinade on my way today.

Ah...life is good, isn't it?

Great as an appetizer

2006-06-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

Seared Sesame Salmon

3 oz. fresh salmon, cut into thick chunks
3 T. sesame seeds, white and black mixed
1 T. ea. lemon and lime zest
1 t. Old Bay seasoning
pinch of kosher salt and black pepper
2 T. olive oil

Place sesame seeds, zest and seasonings in shallow bowl and press salmon chunks into seeds. Heat sauté pan, add olive oil and sear salmon for 2 minutes, turn and sear for an additional minute.

More YUM!

2006-06-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

This recipe won a runner up in a Meatless Marvels Contest, and the magazine put as the cover item for that month. Kinda cool!!

Pesto Vegetable Pizza

1 pre-made pizza crust (Boboli)
2 garlic cloves, cut in half
1/2 c. prepared pesto sauce
1 yellow pepper, cored, trimmed and sliced thin
4 roma tomatoes, seeded and sliced
1 8oz pkg sliced potabella mushrooms
3/4 c. fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1 c. lo-fat mozzarella cheese

Rub cut garlic cloves over crust, discard. Spread crust with pesto. Top with peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach. Sprinkle with cheeses, Bake at 400 degrees until hot and bubbly, approx. 14-18 minutes.

This is a stir fry that we LOVE and I make it a lot when asparagus is inexpensive. Sometimes I don't care what the cost.....I must HAVE it!

Yum!!! Recipes!

2006-06-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is a yummy and easy Thai recipe. My fam loves this.

Thai Cashew Chicken

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips
1 cup dry jasmine rice
2 cups water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 small onion, quartered then sliced
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 cup unsalted cashew nuts

In a resealable plastic bag, mix the soy sauce, fish sauce, hot pepper sauce, garlic, and ginger. Place the chicken in the bag, seal, and marinate at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. In a medium saucepan, bring the jasmine rice and 2 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until dissolved. Stir in the onion, and cook about 5 minutes, until tender. Reserving the marinade mixture, place the chicken into the skillet, and cook about 10 minutes, until browned. Stir the reserved marinade and 3/4 cup water into the skillet, and bring to a boil. Continue to cook and stir 10 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Thoroughly blend in the peanut butter. Serve over the jasmine rice with a sprinkling of cashews.

This one is good with steak, or even with MorningStar Steak Strips

Beef Curry with Peanuts and Fresh Basil

3 T. vegetable oil
2 T. red curry paste
1 lb. thinly sliced beef (flank or sirloin works well)
1 14-oz can light coconut milk
2 T. fish sauce
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. salt
14 c. dry roasted peanuts, chopped fine
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
Fresh Basil Sprigs

In a large saute pan over medium heat, combine oil and curry paste, stirring to mix. Cook 3-4 minutes, adjusting heat to keep it sizzling gently without spattering, while mashing and scraping pan to soften and warm. Add beef and cook 2-3 minutes, separating pieces to coat with paste and brown evenly. Stir coconut milk well to mix, and add 1 c. to pan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, adjusting heat to keep it simmering. Add remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, salt and peanuts. Cook gently about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pepper strips and stir into curry. Taste and adjust seasonings. Transfer to small bowl and garnish with basil. Serve over rice if desired.

Children don't come with feeding instructions

2006-06-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

But they should. The tag should read: "For a lifetime of use, fill this body with good, nutritious and varied fare. Avoid high fat, fast food and excessive sweets. Fill regularly with water."

Griffin is 12 and my only child. Apparently, God thought he was challenge enough, and didn't give me the ability to have others so my focus could be on him. This is a tenet I accept, although sometimes unwillingly, but in my life, He is in control. Before Griffin was even eating real food, I read an article talking about how to raise a child to be a good eater with a good taste for food and to avoid being picky about what they eat. I refused to buy baby food in jars, but instead made my own, and for the most part, what I ate, my little baby ate as well, and with much enthusiasm and food joy, even at the tender age of a year old; a trait that he carries to this day. During the summer after he turned 1, I sliced a fresh peach and put some pieces on his tray. He took one, ate it and audibly sighed and say "mmmmm" holding out his chubby baby hand for more. At age 3 during the summer, his favorite treat was a fresh apricot from the co-op behind our apartment. The tiny fruit was perfect for his little hand, and he delighted in the juice running down his forearm as he gnawed the tender flesh away from the pit. When the popcorn popper was sputtering and popping on the stove, he would dance around the kitchen, his eyes shining, saying "Pop! Pop! Pop!" and waving his baby arms in the air. At age 5, when given a delicious homemade chocolate pudding pop, he lay on the kitchen floor after removing his shirt so that any mess would be easy to clean up, and he took slow, long swipes at the pop, his eyes half closed in ecstacy. Today, his enthusiasm shows whether sitting over a glass of cold milk and some yummy cookies, or biting into a slice of his favorite homemade pizza, or when I take a sizzling steak off the grill. He loves food, and more importantly, he loves good food and has the ability to be able to tell the difference; a proud sticking point for me.

One thing that I have insisted on with him from those baby days is that he always try whatever it is I am making. He is required to eat a small portion, he is NOT required to like it, and at most it is about a tablespoon or two of food, certainly nothing he can't handle. I always make it positive. When he was younger, I would offer him the amount and say "Yummmm, this is SO good!" and even before he would put it in his mouth I think he was expecting it would taste good. Equate the food positively at that age and how are they even going to know the difference? They aren't old enough to have developed many likes and dislikes, and the only way they know what the world around them is offering is through their parents reactions. So food was always positive in my house, and with lots of variety. Some items we would try and would both dislike them, as much as I tried to muster a smile, in his little boy voice he would say to me "Mom, it's NOT good!" and we would agree never to have it again. But there were many, many items that he liked, both the standard fare for children and some more unusual things as well. This followed him to the present, and has given him a palate that is remarkable for a boy his age. He will eat most anything, and will always try something new because he knows he doesn't have to like it. Two of his most requested dishes are Curry Chicken and Enchiladas. I made a Citrus Chicken Stir Fry one night that he loved, and other stir fries are eaten with a fair dose of enthusiasm even though he often asks me how many pieces of red pepper and zucchini he has to "choke down" (this line always delivered with the wry grin of a teasing mind) He readily tells me that I make the best hamburgers and pizza he's ever eaten, and that dinner at Chez Kate is always preferred to anywhere else. He is not a fast food eater, in fact, he clearly knows that it is poor quality, poor nutrition and tastes like cardboard, but if he's in a group that goes to a fast food joint, he can at least choose something to eat and put it down. He does tend to covet the foods we don't have at home much: junk food like chips and soda, ice cream, store bought cookies, candy etc. etc. We do eat those for special occasions, and have been known to use ice cream as a bribe for task completion many times. But it isn't about deprivation, it's about healthy eating. Everything in moderation, I say. Even moderation.

Lately he has been trying to put his foot down about foods, insisting that he won't eat them even though I know he likes them. I think the peer influence is working it's way into him, and he is trying to be picky without even thinking. And also, he is getting to that age where he needs to be in control of what is going on around him, as so much is still under parental guidance, while at the same time, changes that are happening to him are making him into an adult. I will give leeway where I can, yet meals in our house remain the same. He still has to try it if it's new, but now he is at the age where he can make something for himself if he truly does not want to eat what I prepared. Meals are not planned around what he will eat, but his tastes are taken into consideration, and there is always plenty in the house for him to resort to at the last minute. He tends to be exceptionally lazy though, and the utter horror of eating a plate of fish and veggies is far less strain than having to make something for himself. This is one thing that is not lost on me, so I know the food has to be way down on the chain for him if he heaves himself sullenly off his chair to make a can of soup.

(ok, I am on my soapbox now, so BEWARE!!)
I am a HUGE advocate for healthy eating and cooking, and would love to somehow parlay my culinary training and skills into a postition of teaching people about better ways to eat and cook for themselves at home. I am saddened that my generation may be the last of a dying breed, a generation raised on scratch, home cooking not something that came from a box, bag or freezer. Cooking from scratch does not cost anymore than buying pre-made food, and in some cases the cost is far less. What is costing more is the consequences of one's health from eating too much processed foods. There is no way of overlooking the fact that the skyrocketing obesity rates are directly associated with the increase of the number of processed and pre-made food on the market. I'm talking about Dinner Bakes, Rice a Roni, meals in a bag from the freezer, boxed dinners where you add your own meat, like Hamburger Helper. This is not scratch cooking, and the health costs of eating these foods are unreal. Sodium is off the charts, cholesterol is too high, fat contents are astronomical. And all around us, people are simply getting fatter and fatter. Portions in restaurants are the worst. There is enough food on one plate to feed two people or more, yet one person eats it all. The result is diabetes in children, high blood pressure in teenagers and fatal heart attacks in your 40's. And the fast food industry rakes in billions upon billions of dollars a year feeding people something no better than garbage- nutritionally void, chemically laden, low quality food. It's insidious, and getting worse. There are predictions now that within the next ten years, everything that you can buy in a grocery store can be prepared within 20 minutes of getting it home. That makes me ill. I don't advocate for long, extended cooking times, and eschew anything that takes more than an hour to make, but this is ridiculous to an extreme. You CAN eat well, cook at home and still make time for your crazy, chaotic lifestyle (which is another soapbox I can get on) but there is just no point in sacrificing your health, and that of your children, by feeding them the garbage that people are calling food these days. Change starts slowly, one person, one idea, one step at a time. It's TIME to get the call out and start the change to a better and healthier way of eating.

Musings on the almighty Blueberry

2006-06-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up, blueberries were something that came frozen in a bag for most of the year. Once in a a while, my mom would get a pint of two from the store in the summertime if the price was good. We would each get a small amount, maybe in our cereal or in a bowl with a splash of cream. But it was over as soon as it appeared, and then we were back to the frozen in the bag, tossed into pancake batter or scooped in a muffin. Fortunately, my experience with them has come to maturity, and what rests in my freezer now are bags of freshly picked berries from my annual berry-pickin' trip.

For anyone reading this who happens to be blessed with living in my fair state, even close to the livable Twin Cities, I sadly pass on that I will not divulge my favorite and most bountiful berry patch, as I know it is already close to fanatical status with many, many berry lovers and I won't allow it to be overrun with just anyone. But come late July, the most anticipated piece of mail for the entire year arrives announcing the THE BERRIES ARE RIPE!!! All else falls away, the cats are ignored and supper goes unmade until I have my day in the sun with my berries. The drive alone is amazingly beautiful, curving through farmland and along the river through breathtaking vistas of high hills, mature trees and soaring eagles. I climb the steep road to the berry farm with it's 7-mile views, grab my basket and head out to the vines. The fruit beckons, glowing an ethereal snowy blue, in clumps of thumbnail sized clusters that weigh the vines to the ground. Two hands are cupped around the berries, and my fingers deftly pull the fruit free. Handfuls are gently laid in the bucket, over and over again I work, seeking the biggest berries and the heaviest vines. The basket fills, the sun beats down and the sweat trickles down my back. I am impervious to anything but filling my basket. Soon enough, I sit back on my heels and take note of what is going on around me. There is a Chipping Sparrow in the vine next to me making quite a ruckus. As I approach, it flies off and I spot the source of it's agitation....a small nest with 5 tiny eggs. She stays near, watching me and squeaking endlessly. She has no idea that I only want the fruit, not her babies. There are voices coming from other pickers, drifting over the gentle breeze that cools us and rustles the trees. My basket is half full, big fruit and small fruit, ripe with the snowy pallor indicative of their maturity. I gather a handful and press them into my mouth, biting down gently. The juice bursts forth, filling me with an alternating sweet, then sour, then sweet again flavor. It's like dam breaking free in my mouth, the soft interior of the berry teasing my tongue with it's pillowy texture. I am borne away, no longer sitting in the berry patch, sweaty and targeted by an agitated mama bird, but to the place where only a mouthful of manna can take me. For the brief moments that I am aware, where I am holding a mouthful of delectable blueberries, nothing else around me exists, my eyes are closed, my senses focused on the waves of pleasure swallowing me, as I swallow the fruit. I could eat the whole basket. But slowly regaining my sense of reality, I stand up and begin again to search out the biggest fruits, the heaviest vines and the bounty available to fill the blueberry desire in me. I must have enough to get me through the year until that coveted postcard arrives next summer. Ignoring Mama sparrow, and the increased intensity of the sun, I forage on. More fruit awaits, more pleasures to know, maybe another basket to fill. This is the one day of each summer where it's all about me, the blueberries and the sunshine.

Food in the summertime

2006-06-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but summer means more wonderful food. I live in the upper midwest, known for long cold winters and short mercilessly hot summers. For the most part, this is accurate, and yes, we survive quite well in this climate with temps that can flucuate from -30 below zero to nearly 100 degrees over the course of the year. But for us, summer means the bounty of the land becomes more readily available. Tiny gardens sprout tomato plants, peppers, basil, onions, cucumbers, zucchini, and if you're lucky and have the space, melons, pumpkins or squash.

In MN, in the summertime, it's about the tomato. I live all year in anticipation of the first crimson globe to be plucked from my tiny garden and taken indoors to it's timely demise. There is nothing in this world like a fresh tomato right off the vine, bursting forth with the taste of the sun, the warmth of an August day and a flavor unlike anything in the world. At certain moments, there is nothing that can compare, and when the short-lived tomato season is over and the last of the lonely reds are consumed, a sort of ennui comes over me, somewhat akin to sorrow that it will be another year before it's joys grace my palate again. I hover over the tomato section in the grocery store, wondering "Do I dare?" and when the desperate urge for a tomato becomes too much, and I give in to the bright red and beckoning store-bought orbs, the first bite often heaves my anticipation right off the edge of Mt. Everest. Yikes.....why do I STILL think it would taste the same!!! Despite year after year of this, I still think, somewhere, somehow, that store-bought tomato will give me the same burst of ecstacy in my mouth as my garden beauts. Wrong! Again.

Summer also means melons, juicy, sweet and deliciously soft and silky. I have never grown melons, but thankfully I worked for a produce company for nearly two years, and I know where the best melons come from and when you should be consuming them until you drop from sheer bliss. The secret?? Westside fruit from CA, it should say so right on the box in the grocers, and if the box isn't available, ask! Westside melons are to die for, everything a melon should be and generally come available around the end of June. The Cantaloupes are a gorgeous hue of orange, the flavors as sweet and as tantalizing as your wildest dreams can conjure. Watermelons are a dark ruby red, loaded with juice, just screaming for you to grab a hunk and go sit outside in what I laughingly call the 'melon stance' . And yes, we all know what that is.....you sit with the chunk of melon in your hands, knees apart and bent over so that all the juice that gets away won't run down your legs. Unless you're six, then you don't care. There's the sluuuuurrrrpppp of your first bite.......the swish of pushing that big hunk back into your mouth, and the attempt to keep the lips closed over the amazing amount of liquid spurting forth from that one bite. Eyes are half closed as if a shot of some natural painkiller has just hit your brain. The swallow, and then the mouth attacks.....over and over until all that remains in your slippery fingers is a much gnawed rind. Juices gather at the corners of your mouth, and your tongue is calling for more.....more.....more. Fruit heroin, nature's dope. One of God's greatest gifts. Never does anything taste more like summer than a big chunk of melon in July. Not even the bees hovering around the sweet, noxious aroma can spoil the mood. Just give 'em their own rind to get drunk on and go for another piece.

There's a first time for everything....

2006-06-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

.....and that includes foods, blogs, rites of passage and the usual oddities of day to day life. It's all about food in my world, and it's a world to share with others, hence this blog which has rotated around in my mind for many days. How to express the utter delight and fanatical bliss that comes when you open your mouth and fill it with an exquisite and delectable goodie? Where can we be transported when an aroma, a flavor or a food memory floods us with nostalgia, bringing us in lightning steps from present day back to a cherished childhood memory? How is it that one recipe prepared by five different cooks can yield five very different, and sometimes amazing (and sometimes NOT) results? Why is it, with multitudes of fabulous food choices, do people still insist on eating bad food? Let's educate! Let's talk food! Let's get off our duffs and go find something amazing to eat, something soothing to savor or tintillating to taste! And then let's talk about it!! I'll start and you can listen, or vocalize or share whatever you like. I have extensive knowledge and training about food, so ask me a question about food that you want to know and I will do my best to answer. I'll learn the answer if I don't know, and will never blow any smoke in your general direction. Along the way I'll share my food thoughts on many, many topics of interest. I'll try to make it funny, I'll do what I can to make you think, and hopefully along the way you'll get hungry and try something new. That's what it's all about.....like the title says

Life is too short to eat bad food......