BuzzFood

BuzzFood merges

2011-10-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Announcement: It's time for me to take two food blogs and roll them into one. I'll be focusing my efforts on my other food blog, Extra! Extra! Just a matter of housekeeping for me, really. I'll be adding bits and pieces of what I've offered here at BuzzFood to the mix at Extra! Extra!.

About Extra! Extra! This blog offers tips, techniques and recipes for preparing surplus vegetables acquired from CSAs, box store purchases, farmers' markets, gleaning, foraging, backyard gardens and roadside stands. By doing so, you save money, learn how to be a better home cook and live more sustainably.

Related good news: some of my efforts at Extra! Extra! have led me to a cookbook opportunity... stay tuned (for now, it's a Sekrit Projekt).

Thanks for your support for BuzzFood, your reading and responding are what make blogging a worthwhile pursuit. See you over at:

http://extraextrarecipes.blogspot.com

[foodie adventures] Sugarpill on Capitol Hill (Seattle)

2011-10-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around with herb blends for a while, but with all these new flavored salts and sugars hitting the gourmet scene, I was thrilled to discover a little shop in Seattle that offers a wide array of unusual seasonings as well as herbs for culinary and medicinal purposes. Sure, it might be fun to make your own... but this little shop is going to do it better, trust me. And I predict this will be the shop to get stocking stuffers and hostess gifts for your foodie pals this season, as well.

SUGARPILL

900 E. Pine St (Capitol Hill)
Seattle, WA 98122
206.322.7455
Hours: Sun 11a-3p • Mon and Wed 11a-530p • Tuesday closed • Thurs, Fri and Sat 11a-7p

Herbalist and homeopath Karyn Schwartz,
hard at work on the perfect rosemary salt blend.

I met proprietor Karyn Schwartz at this hidden little treasure trove just around the corner from Seattle Central Community College back in July and have been back twice since. I blame her for my recent addiction to the fantastic fennel-infused finishing salt with nigella seed that she conjures over the counter at the store. What a treat! I use it on everything: eggs, fish, chicken, potatoes, whole grains, pasta, you name it.

Sugarpill sugars inspire distinct
ideas for baking you might not
have considered before.

The selection of flavored salts and sugars at Sugarpill, which Schwartz has positioned as a gourmet purveyor of culinary, mercantile and apothecary wares, is really quite broad: salts are infused with lime, alder smoke, celery seed, truffle and other distinct flavors, while the sugars are flavored with real lime, habanero, pomegranate and the like.

You're invited to taste each of them and, trust me, once you start, you won't want to stop. Each open bowl has a tiny spoon that you use to sprinkle a few grains onto the palm of your hand, which you then lick away to taste. Tip: bring a bottle of water if you plan on tasting. You can buy smaller disc-shaped containers of sugars, salts and herbs for around $3 (depending on the product), which I find quite reasonable; then, once you fall in love with a particular product, you can always go back and buy the larger container, which I did with my fab fennel find.

Shelves of seasonings fill the
entire eastern wall at Sugarpill.

The offerings at Sugarpill are meant to meet a variety of interests, as well. If you're looking specifically for hard-to-find herbs, Schwartz's store is a great first place to check; I found dried epazote there only after looking at numerous locations, including Mexican grocers, and coming up empty-handed. If you're looking for garnishes for cocktails, look no further; your margaritas, bloody Marys, daiquiris and mojitos will be all the better for it with a Sugarpill rim. There are also essential oils for use in homeopathic and aromatherapeutic purposes, bath salts and all kinds of yummy local foods including chocolates, jams and teas.

Definitely consider a quick trip to Sugarpill this fall when you're out looking for ingredients for holiday baking. You're sure to enjoy your time there. And should you decide to visit, drop by the Cakespy Shop across the street and say hello to Jessie Oleson for me, would you?

[hat tip to Tiffany Ran for telling me about this wonderful place!]

[tv dinner dish] Great Food Truck Race redux [spoilers]

2011-10-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

I was pretty happy about the outcome of this year's contest.

I'm not a huge fan of the green sweatbands the Lime Truck dudes wore, but their food sounded delicious: fresh, healthy and full of flavor, color and texture. If I saw their truck in my neighborhood, I would drop everything to try it out.

I also became a fan of Hodge Podge when Chef Hodge's noncooking sister and girlfriend not only held down the fort in Atlanta, but captured the win during that segment. Grace under pressure.

Roxy's Grilled Cheese took a lot of heckling from Hodge Podge, which I found rather unfair; the sandwiches Roxy turned out looked insanely good and far more gourmet than the "cheese between two slices of bread" that Hodge reduced them to. I mean, come on, a Mushroom Melt? Confit of wild mushrooms, baby swiss, fresh arugula? I'm down with that!

I was happy to see the Sea Birds go, if only because they whined so much about being a vegan option they kinda forgot that that's why they were special in the first place.

And booooooo! to the Korilla truck for trying to pull a fast one by supplementing their receipts with an illegal cash infusion; they were my favorite team going in until Tyler Florence busted them outright on national TV and sent them home with their tiger tails between their legs. And that's a crying shame; a bulgoki taco is about the tastiest new food to make my home cooking menu... yum-my!

This year, the show made me think about how far mobile eateries have come.

The history for American food trucks can be boiled down to this (informal) timeline:

1. Chuckwagons in the west in the late 1800s

Mobile food was rather a matter of necessity in the beginning. Food wagons were part and parcel of the Westward Movement as well as one key way in which ranchers fed their cowboys on the range. Mobile catering also became a necessary delivery system for food during times of war and natural disaster.

2. Lunch wagons and food cart vendors in the big cities in the early 1900s

It's hard to say what inspired the lunch wagons and street cart vendors in the big cities aside from good ol' American ingenuity, though traveling food purveyors at the Chicago World's Fair might have had a hand in introducing the concept as something that could be fun and upper class as well as utilitarian. (Bread and circuses, anyone?)

3. The Good Humor man heads for the suburbs in the 1930s

Probably he merged smart business strategy during the post-Depression economy (take your product to those masses who still had money to spend on it) with the national desire for something cheap, sweet and comforting during bad times.

4. The quintessential "roach coach" begins to visit blue-collar sites in the 1960s

This movement in the middle to late part of the century probably took off because of the get-back-to-work mentality of American men in manufacturing, industry and union work following World War II.

5. Taco trucks begin to appear in the 1970s

Problem for the same reason as roach coaches, except they aimed to serve the needs of Mexican immigrants.

6. Mobile food vendors elevate the experience, sometimes to a gourmet level, in the early 2000s

Now we have food trucks serving caviar, black truffle, pate and seafood, certainly a reflection of America's obsessive fantasy with high-end food despite the latest economic downturn; maybe it's the notion that a lobster roll plate sold off a truck is somehow more affordable (even though, chances are, it's not)?

I think the presence of today's food trucks are indicative of the times, not at all a fad like some would imagine. Food trucks can circumvent the problem of the bad brick-and-mortar location which is one of the reasons why so many restaurants go out of business. They can also be hired for private events and can serve temporarily oversized groups of consumers (like festival goers) one day, then go back to their normal curbside location the next with little negative impact on the overhead.

All I can say is, Seattle is way behind in the food truck scene than most of the rest of the country (Los Angeles is credited with being the originator of the current movement). I hope that changes soon! Maybe a truck like Where Ya At, Matt? (New Orleans food) or Pai's (Hawaiian food) or Veraci Pizza (towing a handmade woodfire oven) will make it on to the next Great Food Truck Race.

Extra! Extra! for the month of September

2011-10-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Extra! Extra! is my other food blog, where I write about making use of abundant whole foods during the height of the season. In case you haven't visited Extra! Extra!, here are links to posts from the blog during the month of September.

Sept 1: [fresh picked] Panzanella

Sept 2: [extra! extra!] Blackberries

Sept 3: [extra! extra!] Chili Peppers

Sept 4: [fresh picked] Tabouli using Kale for your Labor Day party

Sept 5: [fresh picked] Be Green at the Market with the Envy Cocktail!

Sept 6: [extra! extra!] Basil
Sept 7: [fresh picked] The unsavory story of industrially grown tomatoes
Sept 8: [fresh picked] Onigiri from leftovers
Sept 9: [fresh picked] Hunting for the first chanterelles of the season in Maine
Sept 10: [fresh picked] Tartine with goat cheese and confit tomatoes
Sept 12: [fresh picked] Is US food policy feeding the obesity epidemic?
Sept 14: [extra! extra!] Eggplant
Sept 15: [extra! extra!] Fresh French Tarragon
Sept 19: [fresh picked] Summer Corn Salad Recipe
Sept 20: [extra! extra!] Figs
Sept 21: [fresh picked] Grating tomatoes
Sept 22: [fresh picked] Simple and wonderful green beans
Sept 23: [fresh picked] Apple peels aren't trash
Sept 26: [fresh picked] Don't waste it, freeze it
Sept 30: [fresh picked] How to save leftover canned beans

Happy Birthday BuzzFood!

2011-09-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today, I started posting recipes, food TV commentary, links, pictures, media reviews, articles, lists and a whole lot more!

I hope you'll subscribe to BuzzFood today, if you haven't already, through your favorite blog reader... or sign up to receive alerts in your email inbox.

Thanks so much to all my readers for reading and commenting and sharing!

[adventures in foodieland] Buffet Table for September

2011-09-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these samples of my foodie life!

Here are some products I've recently eaten that I found to be TASTY:

Karam's Garlic Sauce - For that necessary garlic fix; great for adding roasted garlic flavor to cooking or by itself.
Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino - I can't speak for this directly, but my daughter loves these right after 530am morning swim practice, which gives her no time for a proper sit-down breakfast 3 days a week. 32 grams of protein.

The best things I've eaten at home in the last few weeks...

Pork schnitzel with chanterelle gravy
Homemade carnitas

Great restaurants I've eaten at recently:

Paella Bar || Poulsbo, WA
Spice Merchant Indian Cuisine || Bainbridge Island, WA
Pai's Hawaiian style food truck || Seattle, WA
Where Ya At, Matt? New Orleans food truck || Seattle, WA
Pike Place Bar & Grill || Seattle, WA

Food TV shows currently on my DVR:

The Great Food Truck Race
Sandwich King
Top Chef: Just Desserts
Chopped Champions

Foodie joints I've visited in the last couple of weeks:

Sugarpill
ChefShop
Eltana's
Savour
Rainshadow Meats
Calf & Kid
Big John's PFI
Cakespy Shop
Where Ya At Matt! food truck

Things I plan to make soon:

Klondike sourdough bread starter (carried over from last month)
Pumpkin bread (carried over from last month)
Fregola Sarda
Cajun Bloody Marys
Braised pork belly

[tv dinner dish] Hell's Kitchen redux [spoilers]

2011-09-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

So what did you think about the Hell's Kitchen finale?

This was the first season I watched from beginning to end. It was painful all the way to the end; if you've ever worked in a busy restaurant kitchen (4 Michelin stars or not), you know just how stressful that kind of work can be. Gordon Ramsay doesn't make it one iota easier, to be sure. This is why I've resisted watching the show up until now, frankly.

I'm kind of pissed about the whole thing, anyway. I get it that this is a TV show, but come on... how did Elise stay in for so long? And Tommy, for that matter? Neither of them had the kinds of qualities that I think a successful executive chef must have to run a high-profile restaurant.

Frankly, I do not understand women like Elise. I am so tired of the Mean Girl archetype showing up on TV. I don't remember Mean Girls wielding such huge influence on the social landscape until, well, UNTIL REALITY TV STARTED. And that ticks me off; now, young women think it's okay to behave like that. They think that being the Mean Girl is the same as being the Strong Woman. What a huge mistake to think that way, and what a terrible social experiment we've put our girls through this last decade. Strong Women have class, restraint, wisdom, and they aren't afraid to be soft. Mean Girls are just, well, bullies. And that means you, Elise, and I hope it comes to haunt you later.

But enough of that. Paul deserved the win. Or Will; I was pretty okay with either chef. They both seemed to have good ideas, seemed to be good chefs, and knew how to play well with others. But they lost the limelight this season to Elise's bully tactics and that doesn't sit right with me.

Will I watch this show again? I don't know. Probably not. This season was an endlessly bad meal for me. The obvious way that Ramsay used Elise as a means for keeping a viewing audience tuned in is really off-putting, even if it did work on me... I confess, I spent most of the season hoping "this will be the night the witch goes home."

But ultimately I don't like to watch TV that manipulates my loyalty in that way. I really am a fan of competition with integrity and I don't want my focus to be forced on the lowest common denominator elements like Elise. I want to see heroes, not villains.

Since I'm heading in that direction already, let me put it to you in Survivor terms: I will always watch a show with an Ethan Zohn leading the way and not a Russell Hantz. When the bad guys start grabbing more of the screentime, I'm more and more likely to bail.

How do you feel about Hell's Kitchen? Is it worth it to watch next time?

[amuse bouche] Seattleites diss local restaurants in LivingSocial survey | Seattle's Big Blog

2011-09-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a tad bit surprised by this; I think we have some great restaurants and ideas afloat here. Hmmm. Seattleites diss local restaurants in LivingSocial survey

[locavores] Hitchcock Restaurant, Bainbridge Island

2011-09-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

I have been overdue to write this recap of one of the finer culinary evenings in my recent memory and feel terrible that I didn't write it more seasonally. After all, chef Brendan McGill's point of view at Hitchcock Restaurant in Bainbridge Island, WA is all about eating in season and locally, and my fabulous tasting menu experience there with Hitchcock charcuterie expert Tiffany Ran occurred in the very middle of the summer...

[But the first day of fall isn't here until this coming Friday, so there. And what can I say, the seasons in 2011 have been a bit discombobulated anyway...]

Tiffany and I each chose the chef's tasting menu, and I'd like to rave a bit about that.

Tasting menus, while not new to the hospitality arena, are not something that people can regularly access. I'm not talking about the appetizer sampler platter here; I'm talking about a wonderful process in which one goes to a chef offering such a menu at his or her restaurant, then naming one's price (how much you want to pay for dinner that night), then sitting back and relaxing as each course makes its way out to your table in the caring hands of the chef. The chef chooses, you don't, so you really don't know what's coming. But that is part of the fun, isn't it?

This is not a fast-food situation, people. I think Tiffany and I were there for almost 4 hours. And that's really what a sublime dining experience should be: an event spent around a table enjoying brilliant, artistic food. I wouldn't rush it one minute.

***

Before I get into the details of our chef's tasting experience, I have good news to share about Hitchcock: this fall, the restaurant plans to expand into the adjacent storefront to include a small deli featuring charcuterie, local produce, grass-fed beet, wild fish and seafood, locally sourced eggs and European-inspired espresso. The opening for this second storefront is slated for Thanksgiving. Consider it a sign that Hitchcock is fast becoming a permanent fixture in the Bainbridge landscape; few eateries can survive these economic times like McGill's has, and with a new carry-out side business, there's more certainty than ever that this restaurant will thrive even during the off season. Islanders like to keep it local, and they demand quality. Hitchcock has succeeded on both fronts.

***

Back to my dinner with Tiffany... I opted for a wide-ranging $50 meal and, by the end of the night, I had noshed eight separate dishes, shared two desserts and enjoyed a delicious spritzer of pomegranate and lemon juice rimmed in sumac sugar. For me this was easily as great an experience as going out for a less-than-gourmet dinner and catching a movie. Better, actually. McGill's menu is transcendent.

Ours was a July menu and, along the bottom of the fresh sheet there is a little note:

Our food is local, prepared in-house at its foundation, organic, or all of the above. Much of our food is brined, cured or seasoned to order--if sensitive to salt, please make mention.

I'm in. Not only do I really appreciate the locavore perspective, scratch cooking and organic growing for its sustainable practice, but I love flavor, and flavor means salt.

(I make no secret out of the fact that I think the 80s and 90s were a terrible time for cooking because of the health police's devilry made of dietary sodium. I hope people have figured out by now that seasoning fresh whole food with salt is not the culprit here, but the humongous amount of sodium used in pre-packaged, processed and fast foods which is degrading the collective American diet.)

Below, I've detailed the courses from my Hitchcock repast last July. Today, visiting their website, I notice that a version of the Salish Blue clams, which includes manila clams as well, still remains on today's fresh sheet, and the pork belly with cabbage is also still there, though it's currently being adorned by stuffed zucchini blossoms (yummy!).

There are other menu items we didn't try that night that seem to be more or less standard, like the Marcona almonds with pimenton and the Duck liver mousse, but by and large, each day the menu undergoes some reinvention as Chef McGill sorts out the local produce as the season passes through. Today you'll find roasted beets that weren't on the menu last summer; and last July's Asparagus gnocchi with green peas is now seasonally reflected in a switch to summer squash with bleu cheese.

This is the spirit of locally sourced, seasonal cooking: make the best use of what is fresh RIGHT NOW. It's fresher, there's less food waste, and it supports the entire community, from farm to table.

My Hitchcock Chef's Tasting ~ THE MENU

Bites
~ Oysters ~
Hamma Hamma select oysters with a hibiscus flower gelee and bronze fennel frond
Amai oysters, naked, with a slice of lemon

Hamma Hamma, for those who don't know, is an oyster growing area off the Hood Canal. The Amais come from Discovery Bay in the South Sound. Both were delicious. The Hamma Hammas were wonderfully briny and mild like I've come to expect and the gelee was a nice foil. The Amais are "tray-to-beach" shellfish cultivated by merging two growing methods to produce a firmer oyster; I found them to be sweet and unusual, like no other oysters I've eaten.

Cold plates
~ Fish ~
Marbled king salmon tartare, caper, lemon, shallot, dill, horseradish, creme fraiche
~ Charcuterie ~
Hitchcock lonza, grape granita, olive oil

I'm pretty sure I could eat bucketfuls of that marbled king salmon tartare. Not a delicate thing to say about a delicate dish, but this was FANTASTIC.

Lonza, for those who don't know, is a cured pork tenderloin that has a sweet, rich flavor. I was privileged to enjoy my plate with the actual maker of this particular lonza, which was really great. Tiffany had spent the day making charcuterie for the restaurant before I showed up for dinner, though it was lambcetta she was rolling out, and not lonza. Still, it was interesting to learn some basic artisan charcuterie concepts while dipping slices of cured pork into the sweet granita and olive oil garnish... very tasty!

Hot plates
~ Vegetable ~
Wenatchee asparagus, tempura, lemon, aioli
~ Clams ~
Salish Blue clams, Laughing Crow garlic scapes, fregola sarda, parsley
~ Pork ~
Pork Belly, Tani Creek collard greens, Hitchcock bacon, Laughing Crow cabbage
~ Beef ~
Grass-fed hanger steak, roast fingerling potatoes, PX sherry gastrique, cress

I've eaten asparagus in tempura before but this was far superior to any of that, the vegetables crunchy and not stringy or oily at all. Great flavor, and the deep-fried lemon wedge is really something you must eat, even if it doesn't seem it would be proper.

These clams were beautiful, with shells almost as blue as mussel shells can be. This was a dish meant to succeed for my palate... I love garlic scapes (I've bought them from Laughing Crow farm myself!) AND fregola sarda (a kind of pasta similar to Israeli couscous) and the garlicky broth tied this dish together quite nicely.

I was so glad to sample the pork belly. With a chef's tasting, you don't know what you will be getting, and one of my hopes was that I wouldn't miss out on the pork belly. Pork products are huge in my household; we just made roasted carnitas on Saturday and pork schnitzel on Sunday, and we go through plenty of bacon around here as well! I've seen so much pork belly prepared on chef TV and yet not really enjoyed it at home. Chef McGill's didn't disappoint: it was crispy on top, juicy and tender, salty and matched well with the collards and the cabbage. I'm glad to see a version of this dish on the menu this fall; it's perfect autumn fare.

The hanger steak was also quite juicy and cooked just right, and the potatoes and cress inside that gastrique were also very flavorful, perfectly seasoned.

Desserts
Watermelon sorbet with anise hyssop
Coffee profiterole with honey and pistachio

I liked the palate cleansing aspect of the fresh sorbet after eating two plates of rich meat, and now I'm inspired to grow my own anise hyssop. It gave a lovely herbal touch to the fresh sweet melon ice. I'm also a big fan of coffee at the end of every meal and, though we didn't have any this night (it was one of our warmer nights this summer), the profiterole took care of that... The honey had a distinct flavor (not sure what kind it was, but it was definitely an artisan variety) and you can never go wrong with pistachios in desserts, if you ask me. This was a nice end note to the whole dinner.

And did I tell you how much I enjoyed chatting with Tiffany? Hitchcock is the perfect place to enjoy an expertly crafted meal in a relaxing, low-key bistro setting. I definitely recommend you start with the chef's tasting if you are going for the first time; you'll be so glad you did.

***

Hitchcock Restaurant

133 Winslow Way East, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

206.201.3789

Urban Spoon link

Facebook link

Follow @HitchcockRestaurant on Twitter

Bainbridge Island Review article (September 12, 2011)

Seattle Times review (August 22, 2011)

[amuse bouche] Endless Simmer: Top 10 New Foods at the 2011 State Fairs

2011-09-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

Ode to the Improbable: Top 10 New Foods at the 2011 State Fairs ... and readers, if you think any of these foodstuffs sound good, write to me and tell me WHY...

[amuse bouche] Why You Should Be Making Holiday Cookies Right Now, from The Kitchn

2011-09-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

Time flies in the fall... this is your friendly seasonal reminder from The Kitchn to Start Baking your Holiday Cookies Right Now.

Mmmm... coffee shortbread, chocolate chip oatmeal, cinnamon cutouts, Jan Hagel...

[Welcome] From your hostess, Tamara

2011-09-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to BuzzFood! I started this blog back in September of 2008 and it has become a catch-all for my most memorable food-related experiences. I'm getting enough new readers on a regular basis that I am now posting a Welcome post every quarter so that new readers can find their way around my web "kitchen."

Introduction
I worked in cookbook production and editing back in the early 1990s, but that was after a childhood of food foraging, fishing, shellfishing and home gardening. I grew up knowing what a real tomato tastes like, what a fresh-caught fish looks like, what healthy garden soil smells like... sensory privileges that most of my generation cannot claim, unfortunately.

While in college, I paid for a chunk of my tuition with restaurant work as prep cook, salad chef, busperson, dishwasher, bartender, hostess and waitress (what they now call "food server.") I've worked in Mexican joints and downscale family restaurants, Italian cafes, high-end country club restaurants, taverns and casual sandwich shops. By the time I had taken my first job out of college in cookbook editing, I was already an avid "foodie," even before the rise of the now-ubiquitous Food TV.

After that job, I started my own business in the pre-blog world and published a series of food letters (Cachepot, American Harvest, Catch of the Month) under the aegis of Cornucopia Press. I also did some freelance food writing and wrote a recipe column for a local newspaper.

When I had children in the mid 1990s, I put my food passions to rest in favor of a life in creative writing (fewer deadlines), but my adoration for the kitchen and the garden (together) never waned. Eventually, as my kids grew older (they would say "bigger"), I recouped some free time and began to put it into this blog, BuzzFood. It's original subtitle was "Feeding the Obsession," which I later changed to "Recipes That Work," after I cut back on food blogging when my work life began to crowd my brainspace. But now that my work life has changed dramatically (I retired my editing and coaching business last December), I'm back to share my insights, foibles, opinions and experiences about the rich foodie life I enjoy here in the Pacific Northwest. Now I invite you all to "follow my buzz!"

What I write about
Some of my favorite subjects include:

Food TV: especially the competitive variety
Kitchen gardens: to keep the reminder alive that our food comes from the Earth
Farmer's markets: because these are the best little communities around
Food blogging events: Seattle has a great food blogger scene and I'm grateful to be part of it!
Food politics: Sustainability, the politics of hunger, locavorism, slow food, whole foods eating
Pantries: the second-best resource for delicious food after the garden/farm
Twecipes: links to great recipes on the web!
Foodie confessions: guilty and innocent pleasures
My other food blog: Extra!Extra!

Follow BuzzFood

If you would like to follow or subscribe to this blog, there are six easy ways to do so:

Click on the orange RSS symbol in your browser's toolbar (if you have one) and subscribe to BuzzFood through your preferred blog reading software (I recommend Google Reader; it's easy and free)
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Thank you, I very much appreciate you taking time out of your day to visit BuzzFood! And if you are a regular reader, many thanks to you as well! I'm always happy to receive comments, suggestions and questions from readers, so don't hesitate to contact me if you are so inspired!

Yours in food,

--Tamara Kaye Sellman

[sauce me] Granzella's Muffuletta Mix

2011-09-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here's something I want to learn to master for myself. Until then, I highly recommend:

Granzella's Muffuletta Mix

I first learned about muffuletta sandwiches—pressed meat and cheese sandwiches in the New Orleans tradition—while living in Chicago. When we made muffuletta, we would use locally made giardiniera (more commonly used to dress Vienna Beef hotdogs and Italian beef sandwiches) as a substitute for the olive salad more traditionally used on muffuletta.

The giardiniera was a great addition, but now that we live in the Pacific Northwest, we have to mail order it direct from a couple of specialty shops back in the Midwest if we are to keep a good supply of the real stuff (Dell Alpe) on hand.

I've also tried making my own olive salad. The result wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite what was I trying to replicate either.

Then I went to Tacoma Boys this summer to check out their amazing, condiment-laden pantry, and I found Granzella's.

This is the stuff! It's similar to the giardiniera we used to buy, but it doesn't have the same oily base because it's packed in (mostly) water and vinegar instead. Perfect for adding to sandwiches, cheese fillings... heck, I'd even make pizza with this stuff. There are olives, of course, plus mushrooms, peppers, artichokes, carrots, the whole garden, really. Granzella's mix is a tad bit on the salty side, so keep that in mind when you go to use it.

Don't forget, whatever you do, if you're making your own muffuletta sandwich, keep the mayo in the fridge; putting both mayo (or Miracle Whip) and olive salad on a muffuletta is blasphemy!

_____
Ingredients: Sicilian olives, Greek olives, Greek peppers, marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts, carrots, celery, fresh garlic, olive oil, soybean oil, and spices

Country of Origin: USA

*Is this review objective? See product review disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Extra! Extra for the month of August: Don’t miss out!

2011-09-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

Extra! Extra! is my other food blog, where I write about making use of abundant whole foods during the height of the season. In case you haven't visited Extra! Extra!, here are links to posts from the blog during the month of August.

Aug 1: Beets + Tomato and Crab Soup recipe from Epicurious
Aug 2: It's Law: There's no Green Chili Like A New Mexico Green Chili: NPR
Aug 3: Give Your Herbs some TLC in August + Hydroponic Produce Gains Fans and Flavor: NYTimes.com
Aug 5: Blueberries
Aug 8: Zucchini: Celebrate "Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day" with these 10 recipes
Aug 9: Finding the Potential in Vacant Lots - In the Garden - NYTimes.com
Aug 10: Asparagus
Aug 11: from Al Dente: Save The Date: National Can-It-Foward Day This Weekend + Peach and Pistachio Salad
Aug 12: Cucumbers
Aug 15: Plums
Aug 16: Community Gardens Find Theft Is a Fact of Life - NYTimes.com
Aug 17: Talkin' about a Canvolution! Links
Aug 19: Sweet Peppers
Aug 22: Grapes
Aug 23: Lucky Peach Magazine a Comfort to Those Preferring Print - NYTimes.com
Aug 26: Tomato Terrine Recipe
Aug 29: A Pickling Party
Aug 30: Things To Do With Fresh Shiso
Aug 31: My thoughts on "Unsavory Culinary Elitism" by Frank Bruni (New York Times)

[AMUSE BOUCHE] The 25 most expensive restaurants in America : Bundle

2011-09-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, and I thought $250 for dinner for two was steep: The 25 most expensive restaurants in America : Bundle

[Amuse Bouche] How The A&P Changed The Way We Shop : NPR

2011-08-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

How did we go from being an agrarian nation to a country of Mom & Pop corner stores to big box grocers? Check out this fascinating history at NPR: How The A&P Changed The Way We Shop

Adventures in the Foodieverse: Buffet Table

2011-08-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these samples of my foodie life!

Here are some products I've recently eaten that I found to be TASTY:

Trader Joe's Grilled Marinated Artichokes - Great to have on hand to put into salads, on the grill, toss with pasta or add yummy accents to omelets, sandwiches and easy appetizers.
Campfire Giant Roaster Marshmallows - Perfect for S'mores because more warm surface area from the marshmallow means more melt-y chocolate.

Here are some products I've recently eaten that I found to be YUCKY:

About 80% of the food on the Norwegian Cruise Line. Listen, I'm not a food snob. But breakfast on a buffet should include bacon that isn't ultrathin and overcooked, crepe fillings shouldn't taste like they came out of a can from Safeway, artichoke spinach dip should taste like it was freshly made and soft serve ice milk in three flavors does not taste like ice cream. And the chocolate buffet? Dried out, flavorless, waxen. Next time, please use real chocolate or don't bother. I lost weight on this cruise.

The best things I've eaten at home in the last few weeks...

Homemade lettuce wraps with bulgoki and sweet carrot/cabbage slaw
Mike's beef stroganoff
Megan's coffeecake and brownies
Homemade lemon verbena buttermilk ice cream

Food TV shows currently on my DVR:

Chopped Champions
Crave
Eat St.
Food Truck Paradise
From Spain with Love
The Great Food Truck Race
Heat Seekers
Hell's Kitchen
Indian Food Made Easy
Jamie's Food Escapes
Killer Food
MasterChef
Rocco's Dinner Party
Sandwich King
Top Chef: Just Desserts

Quickie food TV show review:

I love this year's Great Food Truck Race and am having a hard time deciding who to root for. Hodge Podge? Korilla? The Lime Truck? The woman with Cafe Con Leche is too up-and-down emotionally, the Seabirds' truck owner whines too much.
Heat Seekers is really funny. Aaron Sanchez and Roger Mooking are hysterical as the duo searching for a city's hottest foods. They go for it, they burn their lips off, they live to laugh about it. Still, I develop a slight case of sympathetic heartburn watching it all go down. These guys must have guts of steel.

Things I hope to experiment with in the next month (all of these are carried over from last month):

sauce reductions and gastriques
no-rise yeast breads
more use of my fresh herb garden, generally

Things I plan to make soon:

Klondike sourdough bread starter (carried over from last month)
Bahn mi
Pumpkin bread
Raspberry rhubarb pie
Tossed salad with homemade Ranch dressing, cornbread and baked beans for 60 for our annual Ribs & Pie Fest next Sunday!!!

[Amuse Bouche] Bending the Rules on Bacteria and Food Safety - NYTimes.com

2011-08-29T06:03:00.000-07:00

It's been hammered into my head since I first started working in cookbook publishing in 1990: keep hot foods hot, cold foods cold, store after 2 hours. I guess not everybody, not even someone like Michael Ruhlman, knows this: Bending the Rules on Bacteria and Food Safety - NYTimes.com

[AMUSE BOUCHE] Cooking Classes, Live on Google+ - NYTimes.com

2011-08-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Live virtual cooking schools are coming to G+? Who knew? Might be worth a shot! Cooking Classes, Live on Google+ - NYTimes.com

[AMUSE BOUCHE] Mid-August at the Farm - The Martha Stewart Blog

2011-08-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Check out what's happening on Martha Stewart's farm: Mid-August at the Farm - The Martha Stewart Blog

[AMUSE BOUCHE] Boat-to-Table

2011-08-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Of course it was inevitable, but still, a concept whose time has more than come: The Food Section - Food News, Recipes, and More

[Amuse Bouche] Hitchcock Restaurant to Expand, add Meat, Charcuterie, Seafood, Deli

2011-08-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here's some great news from Bainbridge Island's Hitchcock restaurant: Hitchcock Restaurant to Expand, add Meat, Charcuterie, Seafood, Deli

Next week: notes from my chef's tasting menu experience there with Tiffany Ran. Stay tuned!!!

[AMUSE BOUCHE] Seeking Sweetness in Everyday Life - CakeSpy - Sweet Times: Snapshots from Pie Stand with Kate Lebo

2011-08-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

Not to be missed: Two of my favorite pastry pals in one palatable post!!! Seeking Sweetness in Everyday Life - CakeSpy - Sweet Times: Snapshots from Pie Stand with Kate Lebo

[Amuse Bouche] Building Respect for Ketchup - NYTimes.com

2011-08-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Love this article testing the identity of that otherwise horrible (IMHO) "American" condiment, ketchup. Building Respect for Ketchup - NYTimes.com

[AMUSE BOUCHE] What Makes A Good Caesar Salad?

2011-08-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

For me, it's all about the lemon. What do you think?

What Makes A Good Caesar Salad? [from The Epi-Log on Epicurious.com]

[Amuse Bouche] Obama Foodorama: White House Debt Deal Chow: Coffee & Apples

2011-08-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Fuel for Fiscal Responsibility? If so, I hope Washington state can crank out a bumper crop of Honeycrisps this fall (and Hawaii, its fabulous Kona); our leaders are gonna need every bite and sip they can get! Obama Foodorama: White House Debt Deal Chow: Coffee & Apples

Sauce me: Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing

2011-08-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

People who know my husband and I know we are big fans of condiments both store-bought and home-made. We are constantly trying new products; then, when we settle on a flavor profile and texture we like, we try to make them at home. Here's something I want to learn to master for myself. Until then, I highly recommend:

Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing

I finally got around to trying this out. It seems like everyone has had this dressing but me, though I must claim ignorance mostly because I make my own salad dressings most times anymore. I was hoping for a Green Goddess-styled dressing (I grew up on that stuff!) and this wasn't it. But it was really tasty over a salad of arugula and steamed haricots verts as well as drizzled over my roasted beet salad or used as a vegie dipping sauce. It's flavors are more Middle Eastern in profile--a marked tahini flavor but without the typically sweet Asian finish you find in more Japanese sesame dressings.

Interestingly, I've learned (as many foodies already know) that many of Trader Joe's products may carry their label but they aren't necessarily made by Trader Joe's. This is one such product, which is probably more well known to consumers as Annie's Naturals Goddess Dressing. (Not sure you believe that? Check out Chow's report here.)

So... which came first, Annie's or Trader Joe's? I'm betting Annie's but, since it's likely they get a cut from every TJ sale of their product, I'm going to buy the TJ version, which is about half the price of the "upscale" Annie's version.

(Meaning no harm to Annie's at all... in fact, we love Annie's products! But a home cook's gotta save a buck or two wherever they can, just sayin'...)

In the meantime, if anyone remembers Seven Seas' original Green Goddess dressing and can offer a home recipe of that wonderful condiment, please forward it on to me, wouldja?

_____
Ingredients: Vegetable oil (Canola and/or sunflower oil), water, tahini (sesame seeds), apple cider vinegar, soy sauce (water, soybeans, wheat, salt), lemon juice concentrate, salt, garlic, sesame seeds, spices, xanthan gum.

Country of Origin: USA

*Is this review objective? See product review disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

[Amuse Bouche] The Chef Seamus Mullen Finds Healing in Food - NYTimes.com

2011-08-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

There are so many ways that chefs can use food to change the world. Here's one of them: LINK: The Chef Seamus Mullen Finds Healing in Food - NYTimes.com

AMUSE BOUCHE: Lucky Peach Magazine a Comfort to Those Preferring Print - NYTimes.com

2011-08-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

What? A new food magazine? Even after so many good ones have folded? The nerve...

This could be sheer coolness or supremely foolhardy... what do you think? Lucky Peach Magazine a Comfort to Those Preferring Print [New York Times]

LINKLOVE: Obama Foodorama: A Spicy Tale About Cooking At The White House

2011-07-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

for all those readers interested in the behind-closed-doors juiciness that is the White House kitchen:

Obama Foodorama: A Spicy Tale About Cooking At The White House

LINK LAGNIAPPE: Video Pick: Rooftop Farming In Brooklyn : NPR

2011-07-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

These kinds of stories about bringing fresh farmed book back into the urban environment really warm my cockles...

Video Pick: Rooftop Farming In Brooklyn : NPR

LINKLOVE: They Came, They Saw, They Cooked: 5 Food Memoirs : NPR

2011-07-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a great lead on some foodie memoirs which make for perfect summer reading: They Came, They Saw, They Cooked: 5 Food Memoirs : NPR

LINKLOVE: Jamie Oliver's grilled halloumi, spinach and toasted seed salad | Jamie Oliver Recipes (UK)

2011-07-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

I love Halloumi! Here's a delish recipe from my boy Jamie Oliver that sounds perfect for summer.

grilled halloumi, spinach and toasted seed salad | Jamie Oliver Recipes (UK)

FOODLINK: Duck Fat for Later, a Salad for Now - A Good Appetite - NYTimes.com

2011-07-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

I've really got to make an effort to find duck where I live... it's articles and recipes like these which motivate me!

Duck Fat for Later, a Salad for Now - A Good Appetite - NYTimes.com

Adventures in the Foodieverse: Buffet Table

2011-07-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these samples of my foodie life!

Here are some products I've recently eaten that I found to be TASTY:

Trader Joe's Chevre Cheese with Piment d'Espelette - Creamy with a pretty pimenton dusting and a nice little kick.

Here are some products I've recently eaten that I found to be YUCKY:

Sweet Leaf Organic Citrus Green Tea - What a horrible chemical underflavor this product had... and there aren't any purported chemicals in this drink. I tossed it after drinking less than a quarter of it. It's products like these that give organic a bad name.
Carl Jr.'s Guacamole Turkey Burger - Why do I always expect fast food guacamole to taste good? It never is. NEVER. The avocado spread on this burger was just as egregious as the frozen packages of guacamole that people set out for parties thinking it tastes anything like real guacamole. Folks, guacamole is just avocado, salt, pepper and lime juice. Period. To add insult to injury, the turkey burger itself was dry and puck-like and the avocado spread did nothing to elevate it. Don't waste your money.

The best thing I've eaten at home in the last few weeks...

Grilled lamb chops
Jen's cherry pie

Food TV shows currently on my DVR:

The Next Food Network Star
Chopped
MasterChef
Eat St.
From Spain with Love
Indian Food Made Easy
Caribbean Food Made Easy
Jamie's Food Escapes
Food Truck Paradise
Hell's Kitchen
Rocco's Dinner Party
Extreme Chef
Heat Seekers
Monster Kitchen

Quickie food TV show review:

Don't watch Ms. Lucy's Cajun Cooking Classroom unless you are completely new to cooking and don't mind the really low-end production values. One could argue for the esoteric pleasure of watching a retro-style cooking show, but this one was a real waste of time. Seriously, I would hold out for Justin Wilson reruns on PBS.

Things I hope to experiment with in the next month (all of these are carried over from last month):

sauce reductions and gastriques
no-rise yeast breads
homemade ice cream using buttermilk

Things I plan to make soon:

Klondike sourdough bread starter (carried over from last month)
oven-fried kale chips (carried over from last month)
coconut cream pie from scratch (carried over from last month)
roasted beet salad
bahn mi
lettuce wraps

Foodies: Take my Poll, please!!!

2011-07-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Foodies...

Are you resourceful in the kitchen? Do you take pride in using up leftovers in crafty ways? Are you a kitchen gardener with a penchant for putting food by? Have you mastered the art of using up your weekly CSA farm box? I'd love to hear from you.

Come take my easy, free, no-spam-guaranteed poll at Extra! Extra!. You'll find it in the left-hand column under the title "How Resourceful Are You In The Kitchen?" I'd love to hear about all the different ways that you make your kitchen work for you. Results will help inform some future content for both BuzzFood and Extra! Extra!.

Thanks so much!
Tamara

Adventures in the Foodieverse: Eating Sea-Tac

2011-07-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few epicurean tidbits I've collected from around the Seattle-Tacoma area recently.

Dave's Diner & Brews near the airport
has great breakfast and a fabulous pie case.

1. I do loves me a good breakfast joint and found one quite by accident while attending a convention at the Doubletree Inn at Sea-Tac Airport. Dave's Diner & Brews has that fun 50s diner look paying throwback attention to Route 66 (which, of course, is no where near the Pacific Northwest), but it's food is respectable and the service was good. The dish I enjoyed was a skillet breakfast that literally arrived in my own personal iron skillet.

My haul from Tacoma Joe's sans the
jerky and sausage sticks.

2. I've been spending a little time in Tacoma near the Narrows Bridge where my daughter attends long-course swimming practice. One day I finally made a trip into Tacoma Boys H&L Produce. I was impressed with the produce market but the fish market and butchery were even more impressive, as were the walls and walls of... you guessed it... condiments. What did I pick up while I was there? Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Juice (not always something I can find), Antonio Amata Rigatoni, two kinds of handmade pressed soft candies (the coconut ones were much better than the little petit fours), Roland Rough Cut Demerara Sugar Cubes, Alessi Pear-Infused Vinegar, Cook's Almond Extract, Inbru Mountain Hazelnut Coffee Flavoring, Bob's Red Mill Flaked Coconut and Granzella's New Orleans-Style Muffaletta Mix.

These little apple hand pies
were a big hit with the girls.

3. Last weekend my family and I spent a lot of time hanging around Seattle (a rare occasion for us!) and ended up at the Bite of Seattle. Most of the things we sampled were pretty good, such as the Alligator on a Stick, the Masala Beef Slider, the $2 Mango Lemonade, Sweet Potato Fries, Pork Bahn Mi, Apple Hand Pies (pictured at left) and Chocolate Dipped Cheesecake with Nuts. Big Fail? Chocolate Dipped Frozen Banana: the chocolate was completely flavorless and thin, to boot. We really tried to avoid the obvious fair food (curly fries, elephant ears, corn on the cob) and, unfortunately, missed out on Tom Douglas's Alley (we arrived after all the chefs had cooked already, so there was no food left).

4. With a growing interest in making my own buttermilk ice cream, I was thrilled to try out Molly Moon Ice Cream's Brown Sugar Buttermilk variety. Yep, it was great. Simple, with a crisp texture, not too sweet but scrumptious all the same. I tried to find the Molly Moon mobile truck recently by using my Eat Street App, but when I got there, the directions pointed to a parking garage (where a lot of other food trucks were also located), so I guess I need to follow their tweets next time, eh?

5. In other cold treat adventures, I enjoyed a fantastic sour plum slushie at Oasis Tea Zone in the International District recently. When I gave them my order, one of the fellows behind the counter asked me if I'd ever had that flavor before. He wanted me to make sure I knew what sour plum meant. I said, "Umeboshi plum, right?" and he looked a bit confused, like he'd never heard that term. All he said was, "It's a distinct flavor." Yep, that would be umeboshi plum! And the slushie was yummy, sweet all the way to the bottom and filled with little chewy chunks of the salty-sour plums. A great treat on a rare warm summer day in Seattle (at least for this year!).

A fantastic ramen noodle salad
at Boom Noodle.

6. I have now been to Boom Noodle on Capitol Hill three times. This latest time around, I went for the sesame noodle salad with a side of fried shallots (pictured) and was blown away by the fresh flavors and textures and the excellent service. We also enjoyed fried green beans with sea salt and little deconstructed pork dumplings.

7. If you haven't had an Eltana bagel yet, you must not be a fan of excellent Montreal-style bagels. These woodfired gems are worth stocking up on. I discovered at home that I can pop a frozen Eltana bagel into the microwave for 30 seconds, then toast it up, and it's just as delicious as when I eat them straight from the shop.

Eltana Bagels are seeded
on both sides, people.
Both sides!

I told you, I'm a condiment freak!

8. Last, but not least, I spent some quality time at Uwajimaya, something I like to do a couple times a year. I go down each aisle and look at all the items that are foreign to me and buy a few things to try at home. I've been paying a lot of attention to Thai, African, Middle Eastern and Indian seasonings and ingredients in the last year, so my goal was to find some new comestibles familiar to these cuisines to experiment with. What did I take away? Sweetened red beans, red bean paste, hibiscus sangria tea bags, umeboshi vinegar, ground pomegranate seed, guava jam, light coconut milk, dumpling flour (aha! the trick to perfect char siu bao dough!), Hawaiian style portuguese sausage seasoning mix, seedless tamarind paste, spicy yuzu paste (not pictured) and berbere spice blend.

[Delicious Distractions] Eat Street App

2011-07-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

A sample of the Eat Street iPhone app as it
trolls LA looking for food trucks.

I love that Cooking Channel show, Eat Street, as I'm a big fan of food trucks and wish ALL THE TIME that there were more near where I live. I saw a taco truck today in between Silverdale and East Bremerton and I was jazzed to know they've made it across the Sound.

Part of the problem with food trucks in the Puget Sound area is that King County has, up until now, had very strict zoning for mobile restos. But this is changing with some new policywork at the county level which is trying to achieve a balance between the interests of citizens, food truck owners and brick-and-mortar restaurants. And they darn well better, as Portland has Seattle beat by a mile when it comes to food truck offerings.

So it's good news to know that they can even serve food in the Puget Sound area... but how to find them? Wait, I have the perfect app for you... yes, Eat Street now has an app for locating nearby food trucks!!

Of course, it requires participation and compliance with mobile restaurants in order for the app to work, but when I powered it on just now, I clicked on FIND CARTS and scrolled my map to downtown Seattle.

(I live on an island... there are no food carts here except for one lonesome coffee truck, not since Pan D'Amore's loaf-hauling breadmobile got called out for selling delicious French baguettes to unsuspecting citizens on Bainbridge Island, and yes, that's sarcasm you hear dripping from my words like honey off of ciabatta.)

I found more than 20 trucks parked in or around downtown Seattle at 9p tonight (a Monday night) that I could patronize, were I to be cruising around the city in search of a cart: three serving barbecue, two offering hot dogs, three selling desserts, two cooking Asian food, three serving Mexican food, one offering ice cream, one selling Creole food, one cooking crepes, one serving Korean-Mexican fusion, and one general "lunch" truck.

Those I've actually heard of through the foodie grapevine include Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream (excellent), Where Ya At Matt and Marination (perhaps the best reputation). If I keep scrolling around, I find even more trucks, including (hooray!) and Indian food truck called Curry Now.

Really, if you love food trucks as much as I do, and can't get enough of them, you really need to download this app. It's totally free through iTunes and available for iPhone, iPad and iTouch.

Adventures in the Foodieverse: Eating Phoenix

2011-07-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here are a few epicurean tidbits from my recent trip to Phoenix. We were there visiting family, so we didn't center our activities around eating, and yet, food still made an interesting impact on our trip. Doesn't it always?

Chicago-style deep dish pizza from
Oregano's in Phoenix.

1. We only went out for dinner once the whole time (we Sellmans and Hagues like to cook!). It was the beginning of the heat wave with high temperatures in the 115 range. We piled into the truck and went to Oregano's, a Chicago-style pizza chain. Having lived in Chicago, my husband and I were, of course, a little leery about the claim. No worries, the deep dish pizza we had was beyond delicious and reminiscent of Windy City fla-vah... nice buttery pie crust, chunky tomato sauce and fresh mozz. The beginner salad course was also tasty; I recommend the Chipotle Ranch or the Gorgonzola dressings.

2. On another crazy-hot day we grabbed frozen yogurt for lunch at Juju Berri. Very tasty yogurt (fat free, low carb) and many many more flavors offered than we can get at our local place here at home. I would recommend any of the berry flavors (I had raspberry, pomegranate and strawberry) as well as the tart plain. Of course, even in the air-conditioned store our cups of fro-yo began to melt on us but it was delicious, nonetheless!

3. We went to Fry's (a local grocery chain) to pick up ingredients for dinner and found an amazing deal on cantaloupe at .88 a piece!

Grilled jerk chicken and
pineapple skewers

4. We grilled out on my brother's outdoor barbecue a couple of nights. On the first night, Mike grilled the jerk chicken (left) I'd marinated all day and we served it with mango salsa (below) and a black bean salad and white rice.

Mango salsa

5. Later in the week, we went for the baby backs and added cilantro-lime slaw and grilled yams in the skins. About those yams: so good! We just wrapped them in foil and put them on the grill. They browned up (the skin even blackened in spots), but we just peeled away the skins and served the yams with butter; the smokiness from the grill have them a complex flavor that even my kids liked.

Clockwise from top:
Babyback pork ribs, smoked
yams, cilantro-lime slaw,
Rhodes dinner rolls

Adventures in the Foodieverse: Buffet Table

2011-06-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these samples of my foodie life!

Here are some products I've recently eaten that I found to be YUCKY:

Libby's peaches sweetened with SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener - The sweetener aftertaste ruined my tastebuds for a couple of days. Really!
Nancy's cultured lowfat cottage cheese - I generally like soured dairy products, but this one was so sour that I couldn't eat it after the first bite. The texture is a bit chalky, too.
Bacardi frozen pina colada mix - When served without the alcohol (virgin style), this blender drink is cloyingly sweet. I'd rather just use coconut cream or milk and make these the old-fashioned way.

The best thing I've eaten at home in the last week...

TABLE sandwich
Tomato, Avocado, Bacon, romaine Lettuce and (fried) Egg on cracked wheat sourdough toast

Food TV shows currently on my DVR:

The Next Food Network Star
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
Chopped
MasterChef
Eat St.
From Spain with Love
Indian Food Made Easy
Ms. Lucy's Cajun Cooking Classroom

Things I hope to experiment with in the next month:

sauce reductions and gastriques
no-rise yeast breads
homemade ice cream

Things I plan to make soon:

cheddar biscuits
Klondike sourdough bread starter
oven-fried kale chips
coconut cream pie from scratch
jerk chicken kabobs

Sauce me: Columbia Empire Farms Chipotle Raspberry Grill Sauce

2011-06-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

I picked this up at a produce stand in eastern Washington last summer. This condiment makes a delicious alternative to barbecue sauce: sweet, smoky, with a pepper kick that accents the food you're using it on. We've glazed chicken and pork with this grill sauce with really great results. I've also made this wonderful dip (hat tip to Kay Johnson for the inspiration!): place a thick schmear of cream cheese on a plate, pour some of this sauce over the top, then garnish with finely shredded cheddar cheese and green onions. Service with whole grain chips or sesame crisps. You won't be sorry!

From their website: "At Columbia Empire Farms... every spring beautiful strawberries, raspberries and marionberries flower across our fields. ... We harvest these rich crops, carefully select the best, and cook our preserves and syrups... Completing the circle, we bring this delicious goodness to you... fresh from our farm since 1976. We work hard nurturing our land and crops, and we care about the people who work for us. Farming is the roots of our business."
_____
Ingredients: Sugar, red raspberries, apple cider vinegar, water, chipotle pepper, modified food starch, jalapeno pepper, natural smoke flavor, salt, garlic powder, citric acid, sodium benzoate (less than 1/10 of 1% as a preservative).

Country of Origin: USA

COLUMBIA EMPIRE FARMS
PO Box 1
Dundee, OR 97115
503.554.9060
http://www.columbiaempirefarms.com

*Is this review objective? See product review disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Recipes That Work: Citrus Vinaigrette

2011-06-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

I've found (and I'm sure most of you will concur) that the best way to know whether a recipe works besides just making it) is to get a first-hand recommendation from someone else.

Enter RECIPES THAT WORK!

I'm here to tell you, the recipes that follow are worth the effort and may even become new family favorites. This is an ongoing series. Bon appetit!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECIPES THAT WORK #33

Citrus Vinaigrette
Source: Original. We made this up one day this week.

½ cup high-quality olive oil

¼ cup freshly squeezed citrus juice (lemon, orange, grapefruit,

lime; a combination works, too)

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

Add all ingredients to a 1-cup jelly, canning jar or salad dressing cruet. Cover tightly with lid and shake well to blend. Refrigerate unused portion; allow it to come to room temperature before serving, if refrigerated, as olive oil may solidify when cold.

Makes 1 (scant) cup

[Welcome] From your hostess, Tamara

2011-06-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Introduction
I worked in cookbook production and editing back in the early 1990s, but that was after a childhood of food foraging, fishing, shellfishing and home gardening. I grew up knowing what a real tomato tastes like, what a fresh-caught fish looks like, what healthy garden soil smells like... sensory privileges that most of my generation cannot claim, unfortunately.

While in college, I paid for a chunk of my tuition with restaurant work as prep cook, salad chef, busperson, dishwasher, bartender, hostess and waitress (what they now call "food server.") I've worked in Mexican joints and downscale family restaurants, Italian cafes, high-end country club restaurants, taverns and casual sandwich shops. By the time I had taken my first job out of college in cookbook editing, I was already an avid "foodie," even before the rise of the now-ubiquitous Food TV.

After that job, I started my own business in the pre-blog world and published a series of food letters (Cachepot, American Harvest, Catch of the Month) under the aegis of Cornucopia Press. I also did some freelance food writing and wrote a recipe column for a local newspaper.

When I had children in the mid 1990s, I put my food passions to rest in favor of a life in creative writing (fewer deadlines), but my adoration for the kitchen and the garden (together) never waned. Eventually, as my kids grew older (they would say "bigger"), I recouped some free time and began to put it into this blog, BuzzFood. It's original subtitle was "Feeding the Obsession," which I later changed to "Recipes That Work," after I cut back on food blogging when my work life began to crowd my brainspace. But now that my work life has changed dramatically (I retired my editing and coaching business last December), I'm back to share my insights, foibles, opinions and experiences about the rich foodie life I enjoy here in the Pacific Northwest. Now I invite you all to "follow my buzz!"

What I write about
Some of my favorite subjects include:

Food TV: especially the competitive variety
Kitchen gardens: to keep the reminder alive that our food comes from the Earth
Farmer's markets: because these are the best little communities around
Food blogging events: Seattle has a great food blogger scene and I'm grateful to be part of it!
Food politics: Sustainability, the politics of hunger, locavorism, slow food, whole foods eating
Pantries: the second-best resource for delicious food after the garden/farm
Twecipes: links to great recipes on the web!
Foodie confessions: guilty and innocent pleasures
My other food blog: Extra!Extra!

Follow BuzzFood
If you would like to follow or subscribe to this blog, there are six easy ways to do so:

Click on the orange RSS symbol in your browser's toolbar (if you have one) and subscribe to BuzzFood through your preferred blog reading software (I recommend Google Reader; it's easy and free)
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Yours in food,

--Tamara Kaye Sellman

TV Dinner Dish: Chopped || uni, Corn Nuts, tamarind pods, dried shrimp

2011-06-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Readers of this blog know how much I like to play along with Chopped. (Of course, I don't actually cook, I simply guess what I would make based on what's inside the basket of ingredients. And that's presuming I could make it and in the lean amount of time they offer...)

Last night, I dove in again and here are my results (sorry: show spoilers as well).
-------

Challenge #1: Appetizers
Ingredients: Corn Nuts, canned fruit cocktail, black garlic, uni
Note: I actually knew what uni was! Have never eaten or cooked with black garlic.

The obvious way to serve uni, at least to me, was raw like they do in sushi bars. I knew its texture would be creamy (it was already shelled! Hats off to the producers at Chopped for sparing that bothersome kitchen detail, anyway!) so I thought of some sort of spread for squeezing into an endive leaf. I'd make the spread out of the uni and the black garlic and would pulverize the Corn Nuts to add as a kind of binder as well as sprinkle over top when the leaves were stuffed. Going for the umami factor, I'd make a reduction of pureed fruit cocktail and tamarind paste (that's assuming they'd have this in the Chopped kitchen, of course!), then drizzle that over the uni-stuffed lettuce leaf. I'd arrange 3 on the plate and call it good. Whaddyathink?

I loved how ballsy Heather was with the uni. Deep fried? Really? She stuck to her Kentucky roots with this one, and her instinct was correct: you can pretty much deep fry anything and make it taste good. Wei, a chef with Chinese ancestry whose father was also a chef, went for the more traditional marinated uni approach which was another nice nod to personal roots. Mark went the risotto route, which is always risky because of the need for proper time to cook rice. In the end, Mark didn't go home: Matthew, who at first blush put together a pretty salad featuring the black garlic as a "schmear," lost marks for not having a very interesting dish overall.

Challenge #2: Main course
Ingredients: Watermelon, dried shrimp, dried porcini, Hawaiian snapper
Note: For me, the watermelon was the biggest mystery. I really don't cook with it, I either eat it straight up or juice it for agua fresca.

I've encountered both Hawaiian snapper and dried shrimp while in Hawaii and so I decided to go with a pan-Asian concept here. Stuff the snapper with a filling of reconstituted mushrooms and minced shrimp with lemon grass and basil. Make an Asian inspired salsa out of the watermelon. Develop a creamy curry sauce to drizzle over the cooked fish and fry up some panko-crusted sweet potato slices for a starchy side. Whaddyathink?

I was very excited to watch Wei put together that Happy Family stir fry, primarily because I've always wanted to know how Chinese chefs pre-prepare fish before stir-frying (otherwise, it all just falls apart in the wok). Heather stuck with a more traditional mushroom-crusted snapper with beurre blanc incorporating the other ingredients. Mark shot for the moon by pickling his rind, but that wasn't enough to save his bland, shrimp-crusted snapper and he was chopped.

Challenge #3: Dessert
Ingredients: Challah, almond butter, tamarind pods, delicata squash
Notes: I've used tamarind but only after it has been extracted from the pods, so I'm not sure I would succeed with this dish for that reason.

For the first time, my mind ran to ice cream. I rarely ever think to make ice cream at home, much less while watching Chopped. But it made sense to me: An ice cream made from the sweet squash and the almond butter sounds like something I actually would eat. For the tamarind, I would try to make a caramel sauce to serve with the ice cream and, for some interesting texture and flavor layering, I'd made cardamom sugared toast and grind that up to sprinkle over the caramel and ice cream (like you would peanuts over a sundae). Whaddyathink?

Wei went the French toast route and Heather went the bread pudding route. Both ideas were obvious and hard to pull off given the amount of time. I liked how Heather tried to make a tamarind caramel and then, when it seized up, she went for brittle. I worried about her bread puddings not going into the oven with a bain marie. But then I saw Wei's dessert: it was really unappealing in presentation and the cuts of challah seemed to be way too thick to have absorbed the egg and milk mixture. Ultimately, Heather outdid Wei in the end zone and took home the big bucks.

[Delicious Distractions] Food Network Humor

2011-06-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

I discovered a hilarious podcast last weekend which entertained me through hours of Memorial Day yardwork. Food Network Humor (not affiliated with the cable network) is outrageously, hysterically funny.

The podcast is 20 episodes long (starting in June 2010) and began as a comedic critique of the show, The Next Food Network Star, in a satirical program that mirrors the format in Whatever, Martha (which satirizes The Martha Stewart Show). I've been listening to the episodes from Food Network Humor in order from day one, so I know to expect the hosts will be covering some familiar territory. No matter. Hindsight is a plus, in this case: for instance, when host Jillian predicts early into the season of The Next Food Network Star (2010) that Aarti Sequeira will win, she's dead on. And though I've seen the entire season of The Next Food Network Star from last summer and know the outcome, the observations this podcast team makes about the contestants are illuminating (if not at all elevating). But that is satire for you. This year, I'll be paying closer attention to the 2011 reality show as a result.

Everybody, I mean everybody, is fair game for judgmental jabs and teasing by the hosts, Jillian and Michelle Madison (yes, they are sisters), who take the podcast commentary beyond The Next Food Network Star to dish about all the programming on Food Network. They do have some (more or less) favorite hosts (Anne Burrell and Alton Brown among them, but that makes sense: I think Anne and Alton can take the heat!). But, by and large, the hallowed territory of Paula Deen, Giada DeLaurentiis, Rachael Ray, even Bobby Flay, is pounced on by this snarky twosome in a way that will make you think twice about the food celebrities we've all come to know and love. These food celebs are, in fact, media creations, and the Madison sisters see to it that listeners get a fair peek behind that curtain. They also make some great observations about the state of food television overall which I think are spot on; I hope Food Network is paying attention.

Sadly, the podcast is no longer being produced (but, still, I urge you to download them for free from iTunes and listen anyway!). The good news is that you can easily subscribe to their blog, which is alive and well and just as funny as ever.

TV Dinner Dish: Chopped || baby eggplant, rack of wild boar, fresh artichokes, prickly pear cactus

2011-06-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Readers of this blog know how much I like to play along with Chopped. (Of course, I don't actually cook, I simply guess what I would make based on what's inside the basket of ingredients. And that's presuming I could make it and in the lean amount of time they offer...)
Last night, I dove in again and here are my results (sorry: show spoilers as well).

-------

This episode's overall challenge: Grilling (no oven)

Challenge #1: Appetizers
Ingredients: Coho salmon, baby eggplant, yellow mustard
Note: This is all you got?
To me, these are all ingredients that can work well together. I don't have the same bias against yellow mustard that other chefs have. Right away I'd get that eggplant oiled and on the grill so that I could make a fruit-and-eggplant chutney using figs, fennel bulb, apples, mango and the mustard as part of the seasoning; I would add some other Indian spices as well to "curry it up." I would grill the salmon in smaller pieces to get some nice browning all around, to ensure it gets cooked through and so that I have an easier time plating appetizer portions. Whaddyathink?

Right away I liked what Alan, "the chef trapped in a food truck," aimed for. He poached his salmon after wrapping it around some fresh herbs, then he made a classic Thai-flavored salsa out of the mustard and eggplant. Phyllis impressed me with her flavor profile--Moroccan--and the fact she knew how to plank her salmon properly on the grill (by using overturned mixing bowls to trap the smoke). Tom had much less luck with this approach, putting the thick, cold planks right on the grill, then the salmon on top of that, with no cooking getting done. But he saved himself by slathering his salmon with mustard and going for the grill instead, turning his side dish of eggplant into a Mediterranean affair. I thought, for sure, he would go home. Vule had constructed a ratatouille as a kind of bed over which to serve his grilled salmon, but in the end, he didn't impress the judges and was chopped.

Challenge #2: Main course
Ingredients: Rack of boar, sauerkraut, fresh artichokes, ketchup
Note: I've never cooked, nor have I ever eaten, boar in any form before.

This challenge was harder for me to consider. I would not be able to prep artichokes in nearly the time and with the same amount of finesse these chefs did. I would have cut the boar into chops for the grill, the start right away on the artichokes, trimming then down to bite size. I would have parboiled them in boiling lemon water, then grilled them, using garlic oil to finish them off. If there was enough time, I'd try to saute some baby potatoes in lemon butter. Then I would have concocted a sweet-and-sour cabbage by combining the ketchup and sauerkraut with red wine, red currant jelly, onions and a pinch of sugar. Not very inventive, I don't think, but that's what I think I could do. Whaddyathink?

Phyllis really impressed me in this round by making an artichoke spaetzle, which is just uber-ambitious! She made a very respectable apple kraut with onions, broiled her chop and reduced the ketchup into a sweet-and-sour styled sauce that made sense. Alan went for the double boar chop (yum!) and a rich mixture of sauteed purple potatoes, kraut and cream, with some simple but elegant artichokes with stems on the side. Far and away, the prettiest plate was Tom's: he frenched his chops and placed them on slices of apple which worked like little sponges to soak up any juices that ran out of his meat when he plated (sheer genius). He also made a barbecue sauce out of the ketchup and did a simple grill of the artichokes; unfortunately, his flavors were not up to snuff, so despite his stellar presentation, he was chopped.

Challenge #3: Dessert
Ingredients: Bananas, mayonnaise, prickly pear cactus, prebaked pizza crust
Note: If I actually competed in this competition and won based on dessert, I'd have to give all the credit to my Dad.
When I was a kid (and when my Dad was a kid), they used to make something called banana salad for dessert--fresh bananas tossed with sugar, mayonnaise and peanut butter. Immediately I thought I would make a banana pudding using the bananas and mayonnaise from the basket. With the prickly pear cactus, my thought was to make a bright coulis for the plate (a nice "jelly" contrast to the peanut butter in the salad). I would cut the pizza crust into thin strips, dip them in melted butter and grilled them until crunchy, then sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar and arrange them over the pool of coulis like a little nest, inside which I'd place the banana salad. Whaddyathink?

Phyllis's competitive drive kicked in this time and she beat Alan to the ice cream machine to make a prickly pear sorbet. That threw Alan for a loop because his plan had been for banana ice cream. He made a chilled banana "soup" instead with sweetened grilled pizza toast wedges, as well as a rice pudding and pieces of caramelized cactus pear. Phyllis completed her dish by also grilling sugary pizza flatbread and building a fruit relish out of the prickly pear. Her dish really looked quite beautiful and throughout the competition, her flavor profiles seemed to please the judges. Ultimately, though, it was Alan who took home the prize, primarily because he used the grill more creatively and there was a kind of exuberance to his food that Phyllis couldn't quite overcome.

[Delicious Distractions] The Splendid Table

2011-06-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

How did I manage to not listen to The Splendid Table all these years? I knew about it, and I'd hear other foodies mention it with fondness, but I only started listening to the podcast in the middle of last month.
Duh! It's a food lover's dream podcast.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper is the show's gracious, good-natured host. Her voice alone is a thing of comfort, so it makes sense that she would host a show about food. And what a show! There are personal essays; interviews with intriguing foodies; a regular segment with my favorite hole-in-the-wall investigators; Jane and Michael Stern; Q&A sessions for listener inquiries; cookbook features; and way way more. Each segment inside each episode is short but packed with information and passion for the subject. And Lynne herself is so sincerely passionate about the subject of food that she can encourage even the most inexperienced cook to try something new.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper,
host, The Splendid Table
[Image courtesy of
United Feature Syndicate]

Here are the deets if you want to check it out for yourself (and if you read this blog, then you qualify as a potential listener!):

THE SPLENDID TABLE
Home page: http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/
Producer: American Public Media
iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/apm-the-splendid-table/id86997870
RSS: http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/rss/

Extra! Extra! for the month of May (don't miss out!)

2011-06-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Creative Commons image: "Crumbs,
saucer and fork," by Lupin (2004).
This file is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-
Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

In case you missed it... I write a separate blog, Extra! Extra!, and these are the posts from last month. Enjoy!

Farmbox 101: Grilling fruits and vegies || 5.30.2011

What's in Season: JUNE || 5.27.2011

Spring Link Love: Farm to table news from all over the US in 50 links || 5.25.2011

Introducing Farmbox 101: 5.23.2011

No-Toss Ideas: Swiss chard ribs || 5.20.2011

Market Discoveries: Fiddleheads || 5.18.2011

Pantry Basics: Three Seafood Dipping Sauces || 5.13.2011

DIY Edibles: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust || 5.6.2011

Seasonal Spotlight: Avocado || 5.5.2011

TV Dinner Dish: Chopped || duck hearts, fideos, mezcal, aloe vera juice

2011-05-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

Readers of this blog know how much I like to play along with Chopped. (Of course, I don't actually cook, I simply guess what I would make based on what's inside the basket of ingredients. And that's presuming I could make it and in the lean amount of time they offer...)

Last night, I dove in again and here are my results (sorry: show spoilers as well).

-------

Challenge #1: Appetizers
Ingredients: Bay scallops, Braeburn apples, sorrel, duck hearts
Note: I have no idea how to cook a duck heart!
Right off the bat I thought of a salad. My idea: Seared scallops on a salad of sauteed apples over fresh sorrel leaves, tossed in a light vinaigrette with chopped cooked duck heart and bacon crumbles for a crunchy finish. Whaddyathink?

Judson made a hash, which was a clever idea until he put it on top of a crostini. That was just... weird. The hash already has potato in it, why would you need the added starch of the bread? Remy risked going home with her dish, which featured well-cooked duck hearts basted in butter, because she went skimpy on the apple in her salad and she had a strange scallop puree. Justin's recipe sounded kind of like mine but his was far more pretty and sounded like the judges really liked it: Chef John didn't get the food on the plate.

Challenge #2: Main course
Ingredients: Fideos, broccoli raab, mezcal, eel
Note: I've never heard of fideos and I've never "fabricated" eel before. Just sayin'...
I think I've seen eel skinned before and I imagine there are pinbones in there that need some treatment. So went the challenge for the actual chefs, who had to deal with the breaking down of the eel. My thoughts were to fry up eel nuggets using pulverized fideos as part of the crumb for that. I have no idea how that would work but I didn't want to do the obvious "cook the noodles" thing. I also wanted to prepare the broccoli raab in the same manner, little fried nuggets, so that this would be a platter with a mezcal, honey and smoky mustard dipping sauce for both plus a side of pureed yams for some texture, color and contrast. Whaddyathink?

Justin did an eel broth and a gastrique: good on him for cooking the slimy fish two ways. Judson did a more traditional pasta with cream sauce with the eel on top which didn't look good (at all) to me. Remy did not make enough of the sauteed eel to make hers an entree portion, though her raab pistou was a good idea. Still, she went home (and I think Judson should have).

Challenge #3: Dessert
Ingredients: Crumpets, cream cheese, aloe vera juice, orange slice candy
Note: Really, that's all you got?
This was all about pain perdu a la napoleon for me, using the crumpets (cut into neat squares and toasted) as the tiers and stuffing the spaces between the tiers with a cinnamon, cream cheese and orange blossom water filling, plus melting down the orange candy into a syrup with the aloe vera juice to drizzle over the top and sprinkle with toasted pistachio. Whaddyathink?

Justin did a playful version of eggs benedict but made a sabayon instead of hollandaise using the cream cheese and the aloe vera juice. He also made a candied orange syrup. Judson went for a meringue, which was a pretty idea, but the bread just sat there and seemed bland and uninteresting. His orange candy chutney seemed less than spectacular, as well, which is one reason why he didn't win the 10k.

Adventures in the Foodieverse: Port Orchard Farmer's Market

2011-05-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Port Orchard Farmer's Market gathers every Saturday between 9a-3p right along the waterfront. If you like antiquing, you can sneak some of that in, as well, since the main street in Port Orchard has quite a few antique shops as well.

I found a really nice diversity of foods at this market as well as a stalwart crowd (it was cold and rainy, not a conducive atmosphere for an outdoor market).

Shellfish grower Tom Farmer was there with clams and oysters and plenty of stories about the shellfishing life and historic trivia about southwest Washington state.

Get a load of these big boys, longer than my hand from wrist to fingertip!

Baby chicks can brighten up even the soggiest Pacific Northwest morning.

I bought a bunch of these baby red onions and braised them with pot roast for dinner. Yum-delish!

Lettuce and other vegetable starts at the Port Orchard Farmer's Market.

Other goodies to be found at the market include artisan handmade chocolates, homemade jerky, asparagus, ice cream, and barbecue from a truck (yum!). Looking for baked goods? Morning Side Bakery, right on Bay Street in downtown old-town Port Orchard, just a block from the market, has some yummy breakfast pastries and delicious streuseled breads to take home as well.

Parting shot: Alleyway mural between Bay Street and the waterfront.

Belong to a CSA? Check out Extra! Extra! for cooking and storing ideas!

2011-05-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

I've launched a new blog, Extra! Extra!, which aims to offer readers shopping and preparation tips, cooking techniques and easy recipes for preparing surplus vegetables acquired from:

BOX STORE PURCHASES
FARM SUBSCRIPTIONS (CSAs)
FARMERS' MARKETS
ROADSIDE STANDS
BACK YARD GARDENS

Come pay me a visit over at Extra! Extra! sometime! I'd love to hear from you!

Also, an update: you can now follow me in Twitter at @csa_foodie. Let's talk food!

TV Dinner Dish: Chopped || oysters, Chinese okra, passionfruit, French dressing

2011-05-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

NOTE: It's been over a year since I've written a TV Dinner Dish post. Life has a way of canceling out your TV plans, even with a DVR in your back pocket... but it's not because I haven't been watching. I've been busy launching my new food blog, Extra! Extra!, and now that I've got the schedule down, I am feeling ripe to restart good ol' BuzzFood. Thanks for your patience and support!

Readers of this blog know how much I like to play along with Chopped. (Of course, I don't actually cook, I simply guess what I would make based on what's inside the basket of ingredients. And that's presuming I could make it and in the lean amount of time they offer...)

Last night, I dove in again and here are my results (sorry: show spoilers as well).

Challenge #1: Appetizers
Ingredients: Oysters, clementines, Chinese okra, French dressing

Note: I did not know what Chinese okra was but guessed by looking at it that it was similar to zucchini and needed "spining"

Right away I wanted to put those oysters in the oven and get them to pop open for me, rather than spend the whole time trying to crack them open, one by one. My idea: Grilled oysters topped with an Asian-inspired salsa using finely diced Chinese okra (peeled), clementine juice, French dressing, lime, cilantro, fresh chili, minced red bell pepper and noritamago furikake seasoning. Once the oysters popped open, I would arrange them on the plates and top them with the salsa. Whaddyathink?

Chef Shawn also did the baked oyster thing and that seemed to work for him. Adam made a clever oyster-topped flatbread but its biggest flaw was its sogginess, a side effect of not having enough time to bake. I didn't think Wayne would make it with his fried oysters but he did! Rosalind lost a lot of time shucking oysters and, though the flavor profile she had going for the oysters sounded good, she just didn't get it done in time.

Challenge #2: Main course
Ingredients: Duck breast:, Brussels sprouts, adzuki beans, green tea

Note: I've only ever cooked duck once, an all-day roast and rendering, so I'm not sure I'd master this ingredient in such short order.

I would have been intimidated by the duck but the rest of the ingredients seemed friendly enough. My idea: Grilled or roasted duck scallops with a sweet and aromatic glaze made from the adzuki beans (pureed) and a hoisin sauce. On the side, I'd shred the sprouts and roast them with some Chinese five spice, slivered almonds and sesame oil. If there was time, I'd place this over a bed of boiled Chinese noodles seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil. Sprinkle sesame seeds over everything. Whaddyathink?

Adam's curry marinade intrigued me as did his bean cake, though it was a bit of a lump, in the end. Wayne's sauce ideas sounded good but unfortunately his duck bled out into the sauce and ruined his presentation. Still, it looked good to me. Shawn was ambitious, cooking his duck two ways; I loved the idea of the ragu and the use of the green tea to smoke the grilled duck. Too bad he was chopped.

Challenge #3: Dessert
Ingredients: Meyer lemons, cottage cheese, passionfruit, soba noodles

Note: The soba noodles would have been the biggest challenge for me!

Since I'd already been thinking in Asian flavor profiles, I thought the noodles might be turned into a soft, caramelized soba nest filled with sweet cheese "eggs" and fruit curd. Soba noodles are sweet in that way and I imagined that if I could pull off a passionfruit caramel to coat the cooked noodles with, it might work. Inside the nest I envisioned little sweetened quenelles of ricotta and cottage cheese like little eggs, and then I'd make a sweetened curd of the passionfruit and Meyer lemons to drizzle over top, with a few toasted almonds for some crunch. Whaddyathink?

Adam ended up with something similar to what I intended with the noodles, but he had originally meant to make a brittle, which didn't quite firm up. He laced the noodles over a faux ice cream of mascarpone and cottage cheese flavored with the fruits. Sort of an upside down version of what I had in mind. Wayne's dish was like a bread pudding but it really looked unappealing to me and I wondered if it would be heavy and flavorless and starchy. But then he made a fruity glaze and poured that over top and used a salamander to approximate a sugar creme brulee topping and I liked that idea a lot better. He ended up taking home the prize.

Bake Sale Redux with Photos

2011-05-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Just one of our
treat-filled tables!

The National Food Blogger's Bake Sale last weekend, the Seattle event held at the Metro Market Uptown in Queen Anne, was a big hit, with plenty of tasty fare to sell for the great cause of helping to feed hungry children. Share Our Strength, a national charity with the mission of eliminating childhood hunger, was the recipient of 100% of our sales on Saturday. Many thanks to Keren Brown (Frantic Foodie) for her hard work in sponsoring this and many other excellent food blogging events in the Seattle area. I met some amazing bloggers as well, including Ann Scranton (Sugar and Wool), Jaqueline Pruner (Heed the Hedonist), Alex Wu (Yums and Loves) and Mikaela Cowles (Baguette Taste || Wonder Bread Budget). For my part, I brought in Joanna Preuss's Molasses Spice cookies.

Classic jelly thumbprints

Organizer Keren Brown tells a customer about the fundraiser

Homemade marshmallows were a big hit!

If you haven't had a cake pop yet, then you're missing out.

My molasses cookies in festive wrapping.

Yes you read right: BACON Brittle!

Two trends in one package: whoopie pies AND red velvet cake.

National Food Bloggers Bake Sale in Seattle this Saturday, May 14!

2011-05-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Come see me and some fantastic area food bloggers this weekend at the Metro Market in Seattle when we bake for and sell delicious sweets and savories to help end hunger in the US. More info here

Recipes That Work: Thai Curry Noodle Soup

2011-02-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

Creative Commons image: "Hat Yai Market curry paste vendors" by Loke Seng Hon

I've found (and I'm sure most of you will concur) that the best way to know whether a recipe works besides just making it) is to get a first-hand recommendation from someone else.

Enter RECIPES THAT WORK!

I'm here to tell you, the recipes that follow are worth the effort and may even become new family favorites. This is an ongoing series.

Bon appetit!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECIPES THAT WORK #32
Thai Curry Noodle Soup
Source: This is a composite of recipes I've been collecting in an effort to reproduce the delicious chicken curry noodle soup they make at Seattle's Mae Phim Thai.

3 cans unsweetened reduced-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon yellow curry paste
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts,
cut lengthwise, then crosswise, into thin strips
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup chicken stock (or more, if desired)
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt or soy sauce
1 pound Chinese thin egg noodles
2 green onions, sliced thin
Sriracha

Open one can of coconut milk and pour ½ cup right off the top; set aside.

Heat peanut oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant and just begins to brown. Stir in the turmeric, both curry pastes and the reserved ½ cup coconut milk until well blended. Pour in remaining coconut milk. Reduce heat to medium low; stir in fish sauce and sugar until incorporated. Add chicken pieces and frozen peas; cook 4 minutes longer. Stir in chicken stock and lime juice. Heat soup thoroughly; season to taste with either salt or soy sauce.

At this stage, you can cover and keep the soup heated at medium-low for up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Boil noodles according to package directions (fresh noodles will cook much more quickly than dried ones). Drain. For each individual serving, portion noodles to ⅓ the depth of the bowl. Ladle in soup; garnish with green onions. Serve with sriracha for an extra kick.

Makes 8 servings

Recipes That Work: Cajun Remoulade

2011-02-21T20:07:00.000-08:00

Fried Oysters and Cajun Remoulade:
Match made in heaven!

I've found (and I'm sure most of you will concur) that the best way to know whether a recipe works besides just making it) is to get a first-hand recommendation from someone else.

Enter RECIPES THAT WORK!

I'm here to tell you, the recipes that follow are worth the effort and may even become new family favorites. This is an ongoing series.

Bon appetit!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECIPES THAT WORK #31
Cajun Remoulade
Source: All me. Today, my neighbor John K. brought us 18 fresh oysters harvested from Hood Canal. My husband planned to make his spicy cornmeal-crusted oysters, but he came home from the store with the same crappy bottled Cajun remoulade that I threw out last year because it was so horrible. No way would I let that ruin his crunchy Po' Boy Sandwiches! My recipe is far better and easy to make. We used this for spread on Oyster Po' Boy Sandwiches, but it's also good with any kind of fried fish or seafood or hot shrimp or crab from a boil.

⅔ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon Beau Monde seasoning*
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon powdered mustard
1 green onion, minced
1 large caper berry, stemmed and minced (or 1 teaspoon chopped capers)
Tabasco or other Louisiana-style hot sauce (optional)

Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice and dry seasonings until well blended. Fold in green onions and caper berry. If you like more heat, add hot sauce to taste. Chill one hour for flavors to blend.

Makes 1 scant cup, enough for 6 sandwiches

*Beau Monde seasoning is the secret ingredient in homemade ranch dressing, but it also works in all sorts of applications in the home kitchen (I also use it for steak seasoning and coleslaw). You can buy it in a jar at most grocery stores but I would recommend you check out local grocer's bulk food aisles and buy a smaller quantity. A good spice shop like the Market Spice at Pike Place will carry it in bulk as well (that's where I get mine). If you can't find it, mix ½ teaspoon onion powder and ½ teaspoon celery salt to equate the seasoning for this recipe (it's not quite the same, but makes for a fail-safe substitute).

Recipes That Work: Spinach Cheese Strata

2011-02-18T11:45:00.000-08:00

Recipes That Work: Artichoke Pepper Strata

2011-02-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

Poll: Pantry Must-Haves You Keep on Hand

2011-01-26T17:20:00.000-08:00

For my foodie friends: what are the top five pantry items you make from scratch which you can't live without? They could be simple items (like making croutons out of stale bread) or more complex items like freezer berry sauce, herb butter, etc. Things you would miss if you didn't have them on hand, things you generally make from scratch yourself, things you would stay up late to make just to be sure your pantry was complete. I'm asking because I'm looking for some new things to keep on hand that I can make from scratch!

Here are mine:

1. Clarified butter (ghee)

2. Pesto cubes (frozen for quick use)

3. Shallot vinaigrette (family favorite salad dressing)

4. Homemade croutons (using old bread)

5. Vegetable scraps for the freezer (for making into stock later)

I'd love-love-love to hear your top five list. Feel free to comment below, or send your list to me at tamara@writersrainbow.com.

Public domain image: "Residential pantry"

Changes for 2011

2010-12-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

Hey there,

it's been a good long while since I've posted at BuzzFood, so I wanted to give y'all an update.

I'll be returning to BuzzFood at some point in 2011, but not before I get my new food blog, "Extra! Extra!" up and running. This will be a companion blog for the cookbook I'll be working on in 2011, which will focus on handling surplus food, bumper crops and bargain groceries for the typical consumer. In other words, when zucchini season strikes, I'll have ways to prepare you to make the most of those gorgeous green squash so you can enjoy zero percent food waste in your home kitchen.

I'll post a live link to that blog when I'm underway. Otherwise, I hope to see you in 2011!

~ Tamara Kaye Sellman, home cook and food writer

Blogging time off

2010-04-07T09:19:00.001-07:00

Taking care of ~~business this week~~ personal challenges through the end of the month. See you ~~next week!~~ in May~!

Food Karma: Sharing #Twecipes for March

2010-03-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about Twitter is that it can serve as a kind of reference for things like recipes that you want to go back and make after you've posted their links. However, the perpetual tweetfeed stops for no one, and it can be tricky relocating links to things you'd like to make.

Here are eleven recipe links recently posted via @BuzzFood in the month of March (some are sneak previews!). Many many thanks to all the wonderful food bloggers I am privileged to retweet, especially:

● @a_Living ● @BraidenRJ ● @denverfoodguy ● @easychefrecipes ● @FoodStories ● @HomeBistroCook ● @Home_Recipes ● @nwfoodette ● @RecipeDose ●

-----

Breakfast
● RT @denverfoodguy: Wild mushroom omelette recipe - Floyd on France - BBC http://bit.ly/fOpIx
Appetizers
● RT @denverfoodguy: How to make Mediterranean pinwheel appetizers http://bit.ly/nxEMD

Soups & Salads & Sandwiches
● RT @denverfoodguy: Scallop and Corn Chowder Recipe http://bit.ly/YO9bg
● RT @a_Living: Seared Steak Salad with Edamame & Cilantro #Recipes http://bit.ly/9wFwwo

Main Dishes
● RT @denverfoodguy: Betty's Crispy Oven-Baked Parmesan Chicken Breast Recipe http://short.to/msjd
● RT @nwfoodette: Gotta love colcannon! RT @BraidenRJ Those of us w/Irish heritage love this...fresh take on Irish food http://sbne.ws/r/41hX
● RT @RecipeDose: [Update] Prep time : 20 mins. Serves 4-6 Carbonara is a kind of pasta like spaghetti and ... http://tinyurl.com/yjw368m
● @Home_Recipes: Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp (scampi) Recipe : http://www.healthyhomerecipes.com/recipedetail.aspx?id=2243 #cooking #recipes #food

Desserts
● RT @FoodStories: New blog post: Star Anise Ice Cream http://helengraves.co.uk/2010/03/star-anise-ice-cream/
● RT @HomeBistroCook: New Recipe! White Chocolate Easter Cake: http://bit.ly/dbsu3d

Condiments
● HOT STUFF! RT @easychefrecipes: habanero bbq sauce: From the kitchen of Kevin Taylor, the BBQ Guru ... http://bit.ly/b23F97

Public Domain image: "Cookbook by Henriette Davidis and Louise Holle, 41st Edition," circa 1904.

TV Dinner Dish: Good luck, Jamie Oliver (warning: this is a scathing rant)

2010-03-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

God help Jamie Oliver and his new show, Food Revolution.

And God help me... I feel like chartering a plane right now to West Virginia to throw lots of juicy heads of lettuce at a cross-section of some of the most ridiculously mean-spirited, inhospitable and downright clueless Americans ever encountered on TV.

Jamie Oliver is nothing, if not authentic, in his desire to set to rights the eating habits of American children. It's what pediatricians and family physicians have been insisting on for years now. And for crying out loud, it's what Oliver's become internationally famous for. He's been working on the UK national school system for years, mastering not only the tastes and textures of resistance and rejection, but of success as well.

Simply put, Jamie Oliver is a change agent.

But they're not buying what he's selling in West Virginia. He was, clearly, stunned by the irascibly rude DAWG radio DJ (ugh, just give me one hour with that guy and a crate of iceberg lettuce in a sealed room...grrr...), but only because Oliver is perhaps more sincere than anyone in the world in this quest: to bring a food revolution to the United States.

A food revolution we sorely need.

Now, I can feel for the people of Huntington... being singled out as the least healthy city in the US is not a distinction anyone campaigns for. But if that was your town, wouldn't you want to change that? Wouldn't that motivate you to do better? Instead, the school district where Jamie is trying to plant a seed of change, and the local media there, aren't doing him any favors, instead working very hard to slam the walk-in door in Oliver's face.

I am especially appalled at the "lunch ladies" at the Huntington elementary school where Jamie is trying to evolve some poor choices into better nutrition options. Not only were these 5 women closed-minded about his suggestions, but they clearly thought that what they offered to the kids at lunchtime was acceptable. Really? I mean, I can get my mind around breakfast pizza more than Jamie can, but... Pink flavored milk? Manufactured chicken-like substances loaded with chemicals? Artificial mashed potatoes?

I see one woman among them having the potential to turn away from this dark underbelly of American malnutrition, but even she passed the buck on to the people who provided the school their food in the first place. That's a (sorta) decent argument, but it's also a lot like standing around, watching someone get raped in a parking lot, then saying, it's not my fault for not stepping in... that's the security guard's job.

In particular, Alice, the status quo ringleader of the lunch ladies--I will not call them cooks because they do everything but--needs a short-course in 21st century nutrition, a week in charm school, and perhaps some reading glasses because, apparently, she can only read the first ingredient on any 3-inch-deep food label that comes her way. Preservatives are a natural part of the food chain, to her. Even in salad!

Yes, Alice, I want to tell her, with your fabulous kitchen implements, you could make a fresh salad without preservatives in 5 minutes for 400+ kids. Lettuce does not, in fact, come with potassium sorbate sprayed on it.

This rant is not just for her, but for all the oblivious people working in the food production industry who do not feel the slightest bit queasy about the negative impacts they heap upon our children's lunch plates even as they take home their own paychecks and benefits and call it good.

And it's not just the lunch ladies for which "it's always been done this way" is a good enough reason to contribute to nationwide obesity rates in our children. Let's look top to bottom: the USDA, the public school lunch program, food industry lobbyists, agricultural mass producers all contribute to the failure of the school lunch program in some way when they reduce the measure of their work to a few statistical analyses which don't take into account the fact that our children don't even know what whole foods are anymore.

Our children... well, some of our children.

My children know about whole foods, but only because I cook with them, garden, shop at the farmer's market, and insist my kids eat right. I have been appalled at the quality of school lunches in my own local district: their seeming lack of fresh fruits and vegetables, concentration on processed products, and high fat content. The kids don't like it much either and pack more lunches than not for that reason. And ours is not the only family who feels that way.

If the paucity of school lunch nutrition is news to some parents, then I suggest they start paying more attention to what their kids are eating when they're not eating at home. And if school lunch seems okay to them, then that might just have something to say about the quality (of lack of quality) of the food their kids are getting at home. Let's just say, please don't invite me over to your house for dinner, if this is the case.

And though I'm not alone in my concern for the tax-payer funded public school malnutrition of America's kids, it's abundantly clear that, if these West Virginians are representative of all Americans, then I belong to a minority among parents and community members nationwide who think it actually matters how we feed our children. Yes, it is a moral issue.

I feel for Jamie Oliver. From the get-go he's had nothing but rude treatment from a bunch of jingoistic Americans (absent one family and a local minister) who haven't shown any real willingness to think beyond their own bubbles. The way people have mocked and snarled at Oliver is just unforgivable. Is that how your parents raised you, West Virginia?

The thing is, Food Revolution wasn't sprung like an April Fool's Day joke on Huntington, WV. These people, from the top down, had to give ABC and Oliver permission to enter into their community to tape the show. What were they thinking, then? That it would put Huntington, WV on the map in some perversely satisfying way? I can't believe for a minute that they didn't see this coming, though I seriously doubt anybody in Huntington even knew who Jamie Oliver was before they signed on the dotted line.

One could argue that the lunch ladies and others said that they would try... but really, have we seen any sincere efforts to change yet? Nope. What I'd really like to see is them trying because they care about their kids, not because they're on TV or because they're trying to prove West Virginia is better than Jamie Oliver or because they imagine this is a game show like Survivor. Put your money where your mouth is, Huntington. Otherwise you'll just end up in that same endless corridor and coffin of shame where all other ugly Americans reside.

Like Jamie said: Your system may work, but your food doesn't.

Do I think Jamie will make a difference in Huntington? Not right away, if at all. If they don't want to change, that's their... prerogative. But remember, taking pride in closed-mindedness does little to erase the stereotype of ignorance you blame for soiling your good reputation in the past. Here's an opportunity to change that once and for all.

Regardless how Alice and the DJ and their ilk fares, the beauty of TV is that it will inform those who are ready to make changes, no matter where they live (and in fact, I bet there are folks who are quite supportive of Oliver's efforts right there in town). Huntington may very well stay fat and diabetic and artery-clogged long after the show is gone, but the rest of America will have had their eyes opened and maybe, just maybe, that seed planted in West Virginia compost will take root where it can bloom--albeit elsewhere.

Original image: "TV Dinner Dish" icon copyright Tamara Kaye Sellman. All Rights Reserved.

Confessional Gourmet

2010-03-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

I confess to the following recent food-related thoughts, actions and observations...

I really don't value any of the comments judge Scott Conant makes on Chopped anymore, not after his bitchy squeamishness about raw red onions. What a big conceited baby. He no longer resides on my personal elitist culinary artist list.
I can't wait for Jamie Oliver's new show, Food Revolution, however. Bring it on!!!
I learned that Udon noodle soup base is so ridiculously easy to make from scratch that it's really shameful that people should buy the variety that comes with the just-add-water soup base. C'mon...
Baby bok choy is becoming a regular resident of my pantry.
I tend to buy ethnic condiments in the jar first, so that I can taste them at home and try to replicate them, then I attempt to prepare them on my own, and then my husband says,

But why not just buy them already made?
--and then I say, Because when I make them myself, I know what's in them,
--and then he says, But they're cheaper to buy than they are to make,
--and then I say, But they're hard to find premade and if you have all the ingredients on hand anyway, it's still more convenient,
--and then he says, But the grocery store is less than a mile away,
--and then I say, But if you make your own and freeze or store it, you won't need to add more mass to your carbon footprint, and the price of gas makes them less affordable than homemade...

It's an endless circular discussion in our kitchen.
I'm thrilled that my kids are suddenly quite fond of fresh or frozen fruit smoothies blended with probiotic kefir.
I still want to know why so many people don't like brown rice.
Today I took in some treats for my daughter's class. They needed refrigeration. Let me just say, the science lab's refrigerator is NOT the best place to store food you want people to eat. Think dissection and imagine the smell of that alone. We found another refrigerator, thank goodness.
I'm trying very hard to get my kids to kick the processed white flour bread and salty processed snack foods habits. They eat so much of it. Smoothies, edamame, cheese sticks, fried egg sandwiches, yogurt, and peanut butter with apples or bananas after school are becoming pretty good substitutes. Maybe oatmeal cookies with nuts and fruit. Still, the husband brings home crackers and bagels and chips... so all my work? For nothing...
I continue to love my own leftovers.
I'm having a hard time finding powdered lemongrass and galangal. Anybody?
I hope we'll conquer Greek dry ribs this weekend. Doesn't that sound fantastic?
I finally found my favorite hot chili cocoa at a store just off-island. Hooray!
Don't ever give me licorice as a gift. I like it very much--so much so that I will just eat the whole package in one sitting. But it raises my blood pressure, something I don't need. So please don't give it to me as a gift. I won't be able to help myself if you do.
I'm still baffled by coffeehouses that refuse to offer free wi-fi. Really? I'll never buy your coffee. E-ver.
Had my first taste of grilled Cuban bread in almost 20 years. That's just way too long to go without. I wish we had a little Havana here.
I'm still afraid to use my new pressure cooker myself, but my husband has used it a few times and it works. I'll attempt beans this weekend, just to face my fears.

Public domain image: "Interior with a Woman Seated by a Hearth (1654)" by Jacobus Vrel.

TV Dinner Dish: Mark Bittman judges Chopped

2010-03-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

I must admit to suffering from a certain bout with withdrawal during the 10-day carnival that was the Vancouver Olympics. Everyday I would check my DVR groups and find the Foodie TV folder sporting the same goose egg: no new programs recorded.

So when Chopped reappeared in my lineup, I was so thrilled to watch that I practically made a bowl of popcorn to celebrate the occasion. And then, to my delight, I discovered that Mark Bittman had taken a seat at the judge's panel! Woot! I'm a huge fan of his blog, Bitten, and an enthusiast for the kind of cooking he promotes in The Minimalist: fresh quality ingredients, simple techniques, authentic flavors.

I hesitated before watching further: this was the first time I had ever seen Bittman on a television program. I had always envisioned him as friendly and fair, thoughtful. Sometimes what we assume about writers, from their written expressions, doesn't always pan out when they go "live."
But I liked his gentle approach, his congeniality and the fact that, even when he was being critical, he wasn't being mean about it. He's a good match with co-judge Aaron Sanchez.

(Hmmm, maybe Food Network is starting to pick up on the viewing audience's biggest beef with the show: the sniping judges...ahem, Amanda Freitag...)

So I relaxed and enjoyed the double gift of Food TV matched with one of the greatest of the NY food gods.

I have a knack for picking winners for this show based almost entirely on the little video bios of each of the competitors that the show airs at the very beginning. I didn't think Michael Madigan, the yacht caterer, would last. He seemed too snobbish and limited in his culinary vision. Laurielle Clark, the model turned private chef, seemed more interested in how the food looked than in how it tasted (go figure). I thought Andres Barrera could do well because he said "you've got to respect the ingredients" and that's sage advice. And Erik Weatherspool struck me as a shoe-in, if only because I hold a bias in favor of folks with a solid work ethic and a deeply rooted connection to family (both old and young). So Erik got my vote.

Of course I wasn't shocked to see Michael go, and a little relieved. It was excruciating to watch him and to listen to his comments. But I was shocked to see Andres go before Laurielle and think that was mostly a situation where Andres had a bad moment while Laurielle had a great moment. He knew his ingredients much more than she did and seemed quite open-minded when he opened the first and second ingredient baskets. He just got caught up in a searing issue with his lamb while Laurielle rose to the occasion to make what turned out to be a delicious strawberry gastrique.

Still, Erik was in the running at the very end and his dessert was clearly a winner, from this side of the TV screen, with his recipe for Chocolate Orange Mousse Napoleon with Violet Mustard Sauce. Laurielle, on the other hand, needs to look up cannoli in the dictionary: it's not, nor will it ever be, a flat pastry.

Okay, so when do we get going with Top Chef again? Masters, anyone? (Congrats, by the way, go to Padma Lakshmi for giving birth to a healthy new baby!) I don't know if I can take too much more food television withdrawal! Chef v City? The Next Food Network Star? Bring 'em on!

Original image: "TV Dinner Dish" icon copyright Tamara Kaye Sellman. All Rights Reserved.

Favorite foods: Today I call the products by their rightful names!

2010-02-23T09:53:00.000-08:00

My training as a journalist and my loyal adherence to generics in recipe writing keeps me from listing brands when I write about food. Today I break the mold and share a list of some of my all-time favorite branded food items to which I expect to be forever loyal:

Theo Madagascar 74% dark chocolate bar
Equal Exchange Organic Spicy Hot Cocoa
Lizzie's Kitchen Mediterranean Herbed Dipping Oil
Country Cider Mill fresh apple cider
Safeway sesame bagels and sliced sourdough loaf
Trader Joe's bulgogi (until we perfect a home recipe of our own, this will remain a favorite stand-in)
Patak's Chilli Pickle
Sweetlife Farm Herbed Salts
Snoqualmie Falls Lodge Oats
Starbuck's Via Decaf Italian Roast
Dell' Alpe Giardiniera
Yoplait coffee yogurt
Greek Gods plain 0% fat yogurt
Whidbey Island's Village Pizzeria House Vinaigrette
Ekone Oyster Company smoked oysters
Helios Vanilla Kefir
Uncle Dan's Creamy Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
Horizon Organic Cottage Cheese
Hormel Natural Choice lunch meats
Cholula Hot Sauces (all of 'em!)

Notice of Disclosure: Nobody paid me with goods or money to include their products on my list. I have received free chocolate from Theo at a private tasting for food bloggers, but that happened years after I fell in love with their confections. I received free samples of new flavors of Cholula Hot Sauce at last summer's Starlight Parade in Seattle. And I got to sample Via first before buying.

Public domain image: "Dell' Alpe imported Italian Giardiniera" by Darjeelingtea (2009).

Food Karma: Sharing #Twecipes for the Winter (a baker's dozen links)

2010-02-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here are a baker's dozen worth of recipe links recently posted via @BuzzFood. Many many thanks to all the wonderful food bloggers I am privileged to retweet, especially:

@cookingthisweek - @denverfoodguy - @kalofagas - @MarkBittman - @Slashfood - @steamykitchen - @vegancook101

-----

Appetizers
● Goat Cheese in Herbed Olive Oil: http://ow.ly/QsgI @Slashfood

Soups & Salads & Sandwiches
● RT @vegancook101: Everyday Vegan: Waldorf Coleslaw http://ow.ly/16e8us
● RT @cookingthisweek: We served the mains with a carrot salad http://bit.ly/dmNiiB and spicy couscous http://bit.ly/dAWMGo and some salad...

Main Dishes
● RT @kalofagas: http://twitpic.com/13hmq2 Foodporn Alert! Grilled lobster on a bed of asparagus & Greek oil & lemon sauce (Latholemono).

Side Dishes
● RT @denverfoodguy: THAI FOOD basil chicken fried rice http://is.gd/4Bx7r

Desserts
● RT @steamykitchen: Chinese New Year is 2/14: Chinese Almond Cookies recipe from Chef Pichet Ong http://ow.ly/14Ad9

Condiments
● RT @denverfoodguy: Tzatziki - Greek Food Recipe http://bit.ly/1lvdMP -- THX, we're making greek tonight!

Miscellaneous
● RT @denverfoodguy: How to sew a stuffed calamari http://bit.ly/5S2ae
● Recipes That Work: Linguine w/White Clam Sauce, Quinoa Salad w/Garbanzo Beans, Parsnips, Spinach; Norwegian Apple Cake http://ow.ly/LJds
● In case you missed it: Developing umami with smoked anchovies: http://ow.ly/OkyT from Mark Bittman

Public Domain image: "Cookbook by Henriette Davidis and Louise Holle, 41st Edition," circa 1904.

Recipes That Work: Chicken Enchilada Soup and Chai Spice Mix for Coffee

2010-02-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

New Year, New Look

2010-02-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

Hope you like the facelift I've given BuzzFood. I've also changed things up a bit by doing the following:

1. Moving to once weekly posting

2. Focusing on the following subjects:

      Confessional Gourmand
      Recipes That Work
      TV Dinner Dish
      Food Karma
      Twecipes

3. Updating my links etc. and adding a new direct link to Kalon Magazine, where I write the food column, Kalon Kitchen. Come pay me a visit!

I've kept everything else the same and hope this new design and sustainable schedule will help make this best personal food blog ever!

Best wishes,
Tamara

Public domain image: "Carrots of Many Colors" by Stephen Ausmus for the USDA (2006).

Confessional Gourmet

2010-01-31T08:22:00.000-08:00

I confess to the following recent food-related thoughts, actions and observations...

As soon as I decide that I don't need to buy anymore cookbooks, I find some cookbooks I really want to have and I buy them anyway.
I really want to make a lot of Thai and Indian food this year. It's all I think about making.
I am now happily ensconced in a daily habit of oatmeal for breakfast. If I don't have my oats, the day just doesn't go right.
I was chided today by a waiter for not drinking all of my chai while it was still hot.
I can't get enough cocoa with hot chili in it these days. The best part is the little nibs of ground chili at the bottom of the cup mixed with dregs of chocolate.
I have tried many multigrain artisan breads over the years and, still, my favorite is Poulsbo multigrain. For everything: sandwiches, toast and jam, French toast, etc. Cracked wheat sourdough is a close second, and by only a grain.
It's really cool to be able to give away smoked salmon as a gift when you actually caught the salmon, smoked it yourself and then pressure sealed it in a jar. It doesn't get more scratch than that!
Lady Grey tea is amazing when it's turned into iced tea.
I bought (as replacements) kitchen shears, a blunt-edge can opener and a mortar and pestle only to find the original missing objects later.
The best meal I've had in town a while? Today's buffet at Spice Merchant, which included Butter Tofu, Chicken Korma, and that yummy cilantro potato salad. Curried Vegies there are always much better than I expect, as well. Second best meal, breadsticks and meatballs with marinara sauce at Penelope's. Perfect rainy day food.
We still have food from Christmas and New Year's in our fridge.
I'm rethinking canned peaches. Good ones in the winter lead to the same cheery feeling you get when you put a lone tulip in a bud vase.
I am blessed and cursed by the huge number of seed catalogs finding their way to my mailbox. Blessed because just looking at them brightens January gloom; cursed because it means I have to think about what edibles I'm going to grow this year and I'm not ready for outdoor chores yet.
I think I m going to can food this summer. For the first time ever. (My husband was responsible for the aforementioned canned salmon, in case you're wondering.)
I've finally broken down and allowed my children to drink decaffeinated lattes and mochas.

Public domain image: "Interior with a Woman Seated by a Hearth (1654)" by Jacobus Vrel.

TV Dinner Dish: "cooking school" shows

2010-01-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

My food TV viewing has been a little disjointed this last month. We switched from DirecTV to Comcast to Dish Network in less than 3 weeks and the power user learning curve for me has been a little challenging.

I'm still figuring out how to protect programming so that it isn't accidentally removed from the DishPass by an errant someone or other who thinks that canceling a show to watch Live TV is somehow okay...

CHEF ACADEMY
As it turns out, I finished the Chef Academy season away from my power user DVR: I was on a writing retreat and, well, it got a little quiet out at that (wi-fi enabled) cabin in the woods, so I loaded up the last couple of episodes via Hulu and the rest is, as they say, is history.

I ended up really liking this show for a couple of reasons: a/Jean Christophe (misspelled 'Christopher' in previous posts here, mes apologies!) is charming and really does want his cooks to succeed, and b/the show was equally informative and educational to the viewing audience.

I was pleased with the outcome, in which there were no single winners but graduates. All but Suzanne, the ditzy "OC housewife," made it to the final graduation ceremony, and I wasn't disappointed at all with that decision. Her long painted nails, overly cosmetic face, high heels and long loose hair don't belong in any commercial kitchen, if you ask me. Call me cold, bu I'm still not certain that the drama surrounding her squid allergy was all that justified. But I have to give Suzanne credit for being a superlative hostess at the final graduation banquet. She sorta grew on me, but not as much as say, drama queen Sarah, who overcame her fear of deep water in order to learn how to clean a fish. Now that took guts (so to speak)!

Other favorites of mine among the students: the cocky, but ultimately earnest Kyle; Tracie, the natural leader (although I still can't erase that image of her grabbing Emmanuel's naked ass ...ugh); and, well, of course, the gorgeous Emmanuel, who seems to be a really sweet guy as well and quite a talented cook.

And the recipes... there are several I want to make from the show, and they're all available at the CA page via Bravo, such as:

Baby Squid and Tiger Prawns on Lemon Grass Brochette with Pulp Orange and Vanilla Glaze
Chocolate Pot with Whiskey

Garden Pea Cappuccino with Foie Gras, Black Pudding & Pancetta

Parmesan Baskets

Scallops Baked in their Shell with Vanilla Piperade

Slow Braised Honey and Cider Caramelized Pork Belly

Spiced Fruits and Berries with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream in a Cage of Caramel

Whole Baked Camembert

WORST COOKS IN AMERICA
As for Worst Cooks in America, I have to say that I like this show primarily on the strength of Anne Burrell's personality. Not that I don't like Beau, it's mostly that I am such a big fan of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and Beau comes to me new.

It really is amazing that people are this incompetent when it comes to cooking. It does seem as simple as following directions until you realize that more people fail at whatever they're doing because they *don't* follow directions. Another side of it: without a sense of what things are supposed to taste like, you can go into this competition with a real disadvantage. And cleanliness matters, especially when handling chicken, no? Have these people lived under a rock all these years while the rest of us harbored fears about the cross-contamination of salmonella on cutting boards and unwashed surfaces? Now, the folks with presentation problems... I don't know. Why would you use silverware as a garnish? Are raw carrots a tasty side dish for a soft, creamy crepe? Are they?

Still, there are hopefuls. Jennifer Cross from Philadelphia seems determined to win, but Jennifer Vecchio of Cumberland, Rhode Island could very well give her a run for the money. So you heard it here: I'm predicting a battle of the Jennifers before this show is through.

OMG!!! I would totally make that!!!

2010-01-22T22:33:00.000-08:00

As I settle back in after a few weeks away from the blogosphere, I've had a little time to read some of my favorite blogs and foodie websites. There are so many good things going on right now it would be a shame not to share my finds with you, Dear Readers.

Here are 10 fabulous recipes from 10 fabulous cooks, bloggers or magazines that I have already printed out to try in my own home kitchen.

Hey, if you try any of these, let me know how they turn out, okay?

Mark Bittman ~ Leek and Potato Gratin
Kalyn Denny ~ Eggs Fried in Olive Oil with Wilted Greens and Sumac
Eating Well ~ Dark Roast Creme Brulee
Jennifer Iserloh ~ Pretty Poached Pears
Marisa McClellan ~ Meyer Lemon Curd
Jamie Oliver ~ Banana Tart Tatin
Stacey Snacks ~ Chocolate Bark with Fleur de Sel
Dede Wilson ~ Florentine Bars
Molly Wizenberg ~ Spinach with Kale
YumSugar ~ Neapolitan Mac and Cheese

Creative Commons image: "Viola and Mina share food," copyright 2008, Kathy Simon. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Out of Town

2010-01-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I'm off for a retreat and will be off the grid until mid-January.

Happy New Year, thanks for reading my blog, and see you later this month!

Darkest Day: Darkest Blog

2009-12-21T12:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Winter Solstice to everyone!

I'm checking out for real life this week and will not be posting until after the Christmas holiday. Thank you for reading and see you next week!

Tamara

The Confessional Gourmand

2009-12-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

I confess to the following recent food-related thoughts, actions and observations...

I am always proud of the soups I make out of leftovers.
It's really hard for me to eat salads made primarily of greens during this season, with the exception of spinach or napa cabbage.
Is it possible to pig out on vegetable sandwiches? Yes.
What is this new fast food thing: pasta in a bread bowl? What? Why not just throw in some white rice and mashed potatoes and chase it with a shot of insulin...
I wish my family would eat more whole grains. I find myself buying brown rice, wild rice and bulgar combos, quinoa etc. and having to make it for myself.
I wish we could find a decent Chinese food restaurant on this side of the Sound.
I crave black beans.
I'm not in the Christmas spirit at all and expect that this weekend, when I make cookies for next week's exchange, I'll be a changed woman. But I'm not optimistic.
I'm thinking bouquet garnis for food gifts this year.
I don't look forward to Christmas ham as much as I look forward to raclette on New Year's Eve and gumbo on New Year's Day.
I've eaten more toasted sourdough bread and butter this week than I have all year long. Sore throats and laryngitis inspire specialty diets, eh?
My daughter invented a cashew penuche over Thanksgiving without even knowing it. I am so proud.
I think the reason why I don't drink tea more regularly is that it ends up being my first defense against illness in the winter and the assocations it has with being sick or in pain kinda ruin it for me.
Today I broke the rule of consuming dairy products while congested and drank about 5 cups of drinking chocolate. That's what too much hot tea will do to you.
I can hardly watch those Challenge shows on Food Network regarding cakes and candy sculptures because the stress is just way too much for me. Same reason I can't watch Hell's Kitchen; having worked in a restaurant in the past, I already know how highly stressful it is to crank out food at a busy restaurant even without the torture of an a**hole yelling at me.

Public domain image: "Interior with a Woman Seated by a Hearth (1654)" by Jacobus Vrel.

Recipes That Work: Linguine with White Clam Sauce; Quinoa Salad with Garbanzo Beans, Parsnips and Spinach; Al's Norwegian Apple Cake

2009-12-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

I've found (and I'm sure most of you will concur) that the best way to know whether a recipe works (besides just making it) is to get a first-hand recommendation from someone else.

Enter RECIPES THAT WORK!

I'm here to tell you, the recipes that follow are worth the effort and may even become new family favorites. This is an ongoing series. For more Recipes That Work, click on the link under "Topics" in the lower right hand sidebar of this blog.

Bon appetit!

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RECIPES THAT WORK #24

LINGUINE WITH WHITE CLAM SAUCE
Source: Based on multiple recipes my husband found one night while trying to perfect a recipe we've been in search of for more than 10 years now.

We fell in love with Linguine with White Clam Sauce while living in Chicago but could never seem to find the right combination of flavors and the right consistency of sauce to replicate it on our own. Out of desperation we would buy the Progresso prepared White Clam Sauce, knowing it coulnd't be that hard to make. Finally, Mike discovered the right blend and lo! our kids like it, too!

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cans chopped minced clams, undrained
2 cans whole clams, undrained
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 pound linguine, cooked and drained

Heat oil and butter in a heavy skillet until butter is melted; add garlic and shallot and sauté 4 to 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and clams with liquid. Simmer for 5 minutes. Toss with parsley just before pouring over hot cooked linguine to serve.
Makes 4 to 6 main dish servings

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RECIPES THAT WORK #25

QUINOA SALAD WITH GARBANZO BEANS, PARSNIPS AND SPINACH
Source: I started out with a recipe from CDKitchen and added and subtracted accordingly.

I made this for the Hugo House Write-O-Rama lunch spread and was quite pleased with the outcome. So were the folks who ate it; I took home two empty bowls not long after the lunch line dwindled! This is vegan and vegetarian, not because I was trying, but because it simply is.

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into dice-sized pieces (I recommend purple carrots, if you can get them, for their beautiful color)
3 parsnips, scrubbed and cut into dice-sized pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup dry quinoa
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 cups vegetable broth
½ cup dried fruit (any combination of dried cherries, cranberries, golden raisins and or currants)
Boiling water
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
3 to 4 cups stemmed raw spinach leaves
1 (14-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
½ small red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley (do not use dried)
Sea salt (or herbed sea salt) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Additional olive oil and a dash of ground cumin

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Toss carrots and parsnips in olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Place on a jelly roll pan in a single layer and bake about 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes, until roasted. Remove from oven to storage bowl; cool completely.

While vegetables are roasting, thoroughly rinse dry quinoa in a fine mesh sieve until rinse water runs clear. Place rinsed quinoa with lemon juice and broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; lower heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 15 minutes, until quinoa is swollen and tender.

Meanwhile, soak dried fruit in boiling water to cover for 5 minutes until plumped. Drain and set aside.

Remove quinoa from heat; stir in plumped dried fruit and thyme. Allow quinoa mixture to cool to room temperature.

Just before serving, combine roasted vegetables with spinach, garbanzos, red onions and parsley. Stir into quinoa mixture, mixing well. Check seasonings and add salt and pepper as necessary. Drizzle salad liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with cumin.

Makes 12 side-dish servings

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RECIPES THAT WORK #26

AL'S NORWEGIAN APPLE CAKE
Source: This recipe originally appeared in The Victoria Advocate on August 15, 1968. My mother gave me the clipping recently and I was able to trace it back to a newspaper archive. Read the story about Al here.

My mother made this recipe a long time ago and recently resurrected it for a post-Thanksgiving treat, substituting Splenda for the sugar with success. I was suddenly reminded of the cake that had inspired so many of my attempts at a hybrid apple gingerbread I've been trying to make for a while now. My kids gobbled this up for dessert, breakfast and snacks. Though I've given the recipe some updates, I've left the sugar in this version.

4 cups diced peeled tart apples (about ¼-inch pieces)
1¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup safflower or grapeseed oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Whipped cream for garnish

In a medium bowl, combine apples with sugar and corn syrup; let stand 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F; grease a 15×10×1-inch jellyroll pan and set aside.

Meanwhile, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat together oil, eggs and vanilla until foamy. Stir in apple mixture and walnuts. In batches, stir in flour mixture until just combined. Turn cake batter into prepared jellyroll pan.

Bake about 45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool slightly to serve or cool completely in the pan. Cut into squares and serve warm with whipped cream.

Makes twenty 2½×3-inch squares

Public domain image: "Apples." Image courtesy US Government Agricultural Research Service.

TV Dinner Dish: Chef Academy, Chopped, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, and Top Chef Las Vegas (Courtesy of Tivo)

2009-12-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged about Food TV but that's not for lack of viewing it! Here are some comments about recent programming:

Chef Academy: I kinda like this show. Kinda?

What I like: The charming Chef Jean Christopher Novelli and his adorable pregnant fiancee, Michelle. Novelli seems fairly human and down-to-earth for a high-caliber Michelin chef (not to disrespect other Michelin chefs, but they do seem a tad inaccessible in personality and status). I also like the Pass/Fail format of the show. Novelli's assistant, Steve Kitchen, is charming as well. There is a personal nature to the show that I like as well; personal, as in "we're all trying to learn something here, but it doesn't have to be all work and no play." Also, I cracked up when I watched Chef Novelli have a fit about the inferior juicing machine. I also like it that Joel, the personal assistant, is not a cook and still, Chef Novelli treats him respectfully. Finally, I liked it that Novelli pointed out the importance of not smoking (a huge problem in the restaurant industry), as it affects one's ability to master tastes.

What I dislike: All the swearing. This could be a good show for my aspiring 11-year-old chef except for all the rough language. Well, that, and some of the sexual innuendo. The nudity and the discussion of Emmanuel's history as a porn actor. This means I can't comfortably watch this show with my family, so kids with a growing interest in the culinary arts might miss out on some good basic techniques taught on the show because of it. I also dislike Suzanne for her makeup and cleavage and high heels and painted nails. These are just not things that I find acceptable in any kitchen and I wish Novelli would send her home for it. At least he made a big to-do about her lipstick to get across the point that a chef's first priority is knowing flavors, and who can know flavors with all that lipstick in the way? She's a ditz, besides, and way out of line in asking Joel to arrange a tailor to adjust her chef's coat. Gimme a break.

Chopped: Despite my displeasure with the way some of the judges "embrace" their roles (oh, the tyranny of critics!), I'm still watching this show because I am in utter awe of these people who are thrown into a huge challenge and come out more or less unscathed. I'd like to name names and gossip about some memorable chefs of late but Food Network doesn't have a list of competitors at its website for some reason, and their episode summaries do not include the competitors' lineups. Why's that?

Secrets of a Restaurant Chef: I've been catching up on my Anne Burrell of late and thrilled to be doing so. She offers recipes for things that real people will want to make, and she gives not only a solid recipe for making each of these things, but she always delivers at least one new tip or technique that I haven't thought of.

I'm not sure about this lawsuit that accuses Burrell of making sexually harassing remarks toward women staffers in her restaurant, and I'd be disappointed if it was true. It's definitely something that women have come to expect in the high-end world of restaurant entrepreneurism, but typically such abuses come from men. Doesn't make it right, either way. All I can say is that I hope it's not true.

I find Burrell to be charming in a down-to-earth and non-snobbish tomboy's way on the show. I especially like the idea of having a "thank you for coming" bowl for those ingredients which are meant to make an appearance but not "stay" for the whole dish (i.e. garlic), and I also like that she demonstrates the importance of saving vegetable ends to make broth.

Top Chef Las Vegas: I'm disappointed that redbeard Kevin Gillespie didn't win, especially since he pretty much lost because he had a single bad day. What about the body of his work? To me, that was consistent enough and a true rendering of his chef's "voice." I would definitely choose his food over all the others'.

Still, the Voltaggio brothers worked it hard and were also deserving of the top 3 accolades. I preferred Bryan over Michael from a personality standpoint, but I think Michael won it based on his derring-do and willingness to experiment and take his art beyond expectation. I do agree that a Top Chef should be a trailblazer and risktaker, so for that reason, I'm happy for Baby Brother.

This was my favorite championship of the series. They are all deserving.

Original image: "TV Dinner Dish" icon copyright Tamara Kaye Sellman. All Rights Reserved.

#Twecipes for the Quarter: sampling the BuzzFood palate

2009-12-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

@101cookbooks - @cookingwithamy - @denverfoodguy - @foodista - @fooducate - @gourmet - @GuyKawasaki - @HomeBistroCook - @kalofagas - @kalonkitchen - @KalynsKitchen - @leftoverqueen - @MarkBittman - @offalchris - @seriouseats - @Slashfood - @smallpotatoes - @StaceySnacks - @sweetnicks - @umamigirl

Bread & Breakfast

#Healthy #bread in 5 min/day from @Kalyn'sKitchen: http://tinyurl.com/yjdg2cl
@StaceySnacks: Baked Eggs in Bacon Baskets via StumbleUpon: http://ow.ly/AwwH
Migas in the morning at HomesickTexan: http://ow.ly/ug1A Hat tip to @slashfood for the idea! Sounds delish!

Appetizers

Chinese style meatballs? @MarkBittman has 'em here: http://ow.ly/Dc0G
RT @cookingwithamy: Smoked Salmon Flatbread w/Cucumbers and Chives an unmitigated success. No retesting necessary. Love when that happens. (http://tinyurl.com/yjvazlg)

Soups & Salads & Sandwiches

Comfort food I grew up with: Grilled pimiento cheese sandwiches: http://ow.ly/wIls
This is the kind of gutsy vegetarian food I love! Double Broccoli Quinoa with Avocado from @101Cookbooks: http://ow.ly/oB8N
One great way to get acquainted with sumac: Chickpea Soup w/Garlic, Sumac, Olive oil & Lemon http://ow.ly/sDbt from @KalynsKitchen. #fb
Make your own manwich and skip all that CFS from @fooducate http://ow.ly/x4DF
Richard Olney's garlic soup courtesy @101cookbooks: http://ow.ly/ug2a TIS THE SEASON! #fb

Main Dishes

RT @denverfoodguy: Comment on Lasooni Dal Palak ~ Garlicky Lentils with Spinach by rekha... http://bit.ly/4W06HN {sounds fab!)
RT @denverfoodguy: Broccoli and Anchovies Over Pasta http://short.to/nv23 YUM!
RT @offalchris: Lamb breast, celery root, broccoli di ciccio & mint anchovy salsa http://yfrog.com/10zk3j ANCHOVIES ARE IN!
RT @HomeBistroCook: New Recipe! Pan Seared Sea Scallops with a warm Parsley Lemon Butter: Yum! Find out how to make .. http://bit.ly/3SYJ43
@Serious Eats keeps the delicious carnivore action rolling with Steak with Anchovy Butter http://ow.ly/z2AN
Pork Patties with Lime Leaves and Cilantro... can you say Mmmmm? @Serious Eats: http://ow.ly/z2zM
You can't do better than white beans and greens to chase the chill away from @seriouseats @gourmet http://ow.ly/x4Im
RT @foodista: Slow-roasting tomatoes in Foodista test kitchen. 4-cheese pasta gratin looks like great way to use'em: http://tr.im/yHu5
Wild Rice with Sausage and Mushrooms from @KalynsKitchen: http://ow.ly/ugbf #fb

Side Dishes

3 cheers for @KalynsKitchen for this fab-u-lous roasted shredded Brussels sprouts recipe: http://ow.ly/GmEh I made mine with pine nuts.
Greek-style spinach rice sounds good on the day after #Thanksgiving, no? http://tinyurl.com/yjxqtop @kalofagas
#Recipes That Work: Newfangled #Thanksgiving Side Dishes. @kalonkitchen http://tinyurl.com/yan6akm #fb

Desserts

Mmmm a better-for-you Raspberry Zinger Cake. http://ow.ly/AVUT
OH YUM! RT @foodista: Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie is two fall favorites in one http://foodista.com/7P7FLBRZ
OMG @sweetnicks glazed apple bars (recipe): http://ow.ly/wIjl
Serious Chocolate: Balloon Bowls (Not a Hoax) (love that post title!) Great idea... http://ow.ly/vJyB #fb
Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread from @umamigirl: http://ow.ly/ufZQ
RT @jenlouden: RT @GuyKawasaki: Gluten-free holiday cookie recipes http://om.ly/cigN (YEAH!) ATTN: @shannonevans
Mexican Chocolate Crackle Cookies via @seriouseats Looks like a potential new holiday favorite! http://ow.ly/I3g1
Oh yum, I've always wanted to make one of these! Poppy Seed Roll recipe via @Slashfood http://ow.ly/I3jF
Maple Pear Upside Down Cake from @MarkBittman: http://tinyurl.com/ykaovak

Condiments

RT @foodista: Subbing pepitas 4 pine nuts, cilantro 4 basil give pesto a wholly Mexican flavor http://foodista.com/SY3DS4WZ #foodistabook
Anne's plum jam recipe, care of @KitsapSun and @smallpotatoes: http://ow.ly/sCEL

Miscellaneous

Bring on the parsnips! I have a whole bag of 'em waiting for directions. Recipes from @seriouseats http://ow.ly/I2Nu
What happens when “Eat a #Cranberry Day” meets “National #Cashew Day?” http://tinyurl.com/yb5qh5r @kalonmagazine #kalon #tamarasellman
Good uses for leftover rice and beans, if they last long enough that you need to find new ways to eat them: http://ow.ly/Awvt @leftoverqueen
New work up at @KalonMagazine The Season of the Hunt: Mushrooms Fit For a Queen http://ow.ly/rw3E [free reg req'd] #fb
SUPERMARKET SURVEY: Blackberries for the pickin' KalonMagazine: http://ow.ly/rw5r [free reg req'd] #fb

Public Domain image: "Cookbook by Henriette Davidis and Louise Holle, 41st Edition," circa 1904.

Holiday Leftovers: Use 'em or lose 'em

2009-12-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

If you're anything like me, having an fridge overstuffed with plastic containers and foil-wrapped packages of leftovers is annoying.

You can't dip in easily for the carton of milk you need for your breakfast without practically unpacking the whole appliance to do so. If this sounds like an average post-Thanksgiving or -Hannukah situation for you, then you may want to check out my article on using leftovers at Kalön Women. (May require free registration to access.)
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From the website: "What is Kalön, you ask? Everything… a garden or a tree, a piece of jewelry or a favorite walk has its kalön and is beautiful or admirable after its own fashion. Something can be beautiful without being perceived or known as beautiful. It is our very inability to know everything about a given object that actually makes it beautiful. Beautiful is an experience that grows out of curiosity, the paradox of knowledge and the infinite ability of the particular to continue to reveal itself in continuously new and interesting ways.To shut down the work of beauty, one need only claim to know everything about a given particular–either that one knows definitively what it is, or that one knows it is most definitely nonsense. Either way, it ceases to hold our attention or to reveal new meanings and truths to us.It is then up to us, to reveal new meanings and truths to hold our attention and to grasp the true meaning of Kalön within ourselves."

Kalön Kitchen Graphic courtesy of Kalön Women Magazine.

All that feeds me: Gratitude edition

2009-11-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Aside from the Thanksgiving table, I have much in the way of culinaria to be grateful for:

Kalon Kitchen
Strong decaffeinated coffee
Dutch babies and Swedish pancakes
Seattle Foodie Keren Brown and all her wonderful minions!
Trader Joe's
Smoked foods
Raspberries, nectarines and papaya
Food banks
Safeway online coupons
Fried egg sandwiches
My favorites of Top Chef: Las Vegas making it into the top-four finals
Swiss chard, parsnips and gourmet potatoes
Children who eat
My own homemade chicken soup (just sayin'...)
Farmer's Markets
Organic growers, CSA and sustainability
Food activists
Beautiful and reusable grocery bags
Vegetable sandwiches
Pampered Chef
Brown rice
Good olive oil
Someone to help keep my kitchen clean
Thai and Indian food and Asian fusion
Kalua pig
Food bloggers and their passions
Spinach salad with garbanzo beans and pumpkin seeds
Fresh herbs in the yard
Food writers, and novels with food themes
Children who bake
Ribeye steaks
Wild mushrooms
Food TV
Shellfish and seafood
Chickens, for letting us eat their eggs
People who actually cook and bake from scratch

Public domain image: "Dame mit Kaffeetasse" by Emile Eisman-Semenowsky (1857-1911)