Thursday, July 30, 2009

Lions and Tigers...and Cucumbers!!! Oh, My!

Oh boy, Oh boy...I picked up my farm share today -- here's what I found in my packages:




Yes, you are seeing correctly -- many cucumbers. These will be added to my collection of cucumbers that I haven't used from last week. As of last night, I had managed to pretty well use up what I had accumulated from the last two weeks, but not the cucumbers. I'm not a huge fan of them and my SO doesn't eat them at all. I suspect my lovely co-workers are going to get a crack at them tomorrow.

Another option to deplete my stash is bestow them on my dear family who I will see this weekend. They are usually up for just about anything that I make...actually, I can't think of one thing they've ever rejected without at least trying it first -- even my kimchee experiments!

Here are a couple of things I'm considering trying:

Lee Hong's Cucumbers -- I'm intrigued by the author's statement that people always want to take the leftovers home...hmmm...

Or maybe Japanese Vinegared Cucumbers

Another strong possibility is Gazpacho -- check out this version -- Not sure about the inclusion of carrots in this recipe, but that could be worked around.

With a little spare time on my hands, pickles wouldn't be out of the question but that spare time is going to be scarce over the next few days.

So, what's a girl to do? I mean, I can only wear so many cucumber slices over my eyes...Please submit your cucumber suggestions in short order!!!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Being an Iron Chef at Home

Are you trying to tighten your belt and keep your expenses down? Geez, aren't we all to some extent this year? With the economic downturn, we are more often choosing to stay home instead of running to our favorite eateries. Even so, groceries are not cheap...

I have found a way to make the whole "I'm eating in to save money" thing a bit more fun. I created my own personal Iron Chef challenge at home. For those of you not familiar, "Iron Chef" is a television show where the chefs compete to cook several dishes from a mystery ingredient with a time limit.

So, here's how I modified the show concept to make eating at home a bit more adventurous:

Each week I pick some old foodstuff that's been hanging around and find a new way to use it up -- sometimes I can even incorporate more than one thing, for example, white chocolate chips and dried cranberries which made their way into some awesome cookies...click here for the recipe.

Just to give you an idea as to what I was faced with one week -- here's a picture of what was in my fridge



Does one person really live here?












So, dig down into your freezer, reach to the back of your pantry closets and see what you can find. Google recipes for your ingredient(s) and see what your opportunities are.

You could even broaden this exercise to turn it into an occassion for getting together with friends where everyone brings their Iron Chef dishes.

Happy Thriftiness!!!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

for the love of falafel...


Today, lunch was healthy kids - really healthy. I had a falafel.
What is that you say "Is a falafel - related to a waffle?" - no.
Falafel is originating from Egypt - originally made with fava beans. As the recipe migrated northward - chickpeas were substituted. Read more on (wait, what is it? - you got it - my favorite you know... Wikipedia) by clicking here.

It's really good stuff. Many a night clubbing ended with a falafel at 4 am on the corner of St Laurent & Pine Avenue during my college years.

Anyhoo...I digress.
Falafel makes a great lunch base - because given it's vegetarian, chances for it spoiling unrefridgerated in hot weather are WAY lower than say...egg salad, or ham & cheese, to name a few.

It makes a nice salad topping, or you can just roll a few up with some hummus, salad, et voila - healthy lunch that packs a punch!

A lot of people steer clear of unfamiliar sounding foods - but if you've ever been interested in Middle Eastern street food, this is a good - not too messy place to start.

For the purists - a recipe is in order... I like this one I found on About.com - click here. If garlic turns you off - you can omit it and have no serious consequences, really.

But for the lazy days - Costco has a GREAT falafel, sold in packages of two that really hits the spot.

Falafel can also be a great appetizer for a cocktail party - just serve the falafel up with some dipping sauce & toothpicks and your guests will find you oh so cosmopolitain & food savvy.

Until next time!
Food n Kisses everyone
xo
M


Monday, July 27, 2009

Classic Cookbook Series: The Classic Italian Cookbook


If I were to be put in solitary kitchen confinement with only one cookbook, as a practical matter, I'd probably take the 75th Anniversary Edition of "The Joy of Cooking". However, my heart would yearn for Marcella Hazan's "The Classic Italian Cookbook" (copyright 1973).

You see, Marcella was my first teacher and in that respect, is somewhat like my first love.

I stumbled upon my little paperback copy sometime in the early 80's and in those pages, I heard her speak to me.

One dark and stormy night (not kidding), after leaving work at 9:00 PM, I went home and made my first recipe: Spaghetti Ajo O Ojo (Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil). What could be simpler than olive oil, garlic, salt, spaghetti, ground pepper and parsley? It was food of the gods and a revelation that I could produce something so delicious. I confess that I ate too much and fell into a pasta-induced stupor afterwards, but still...

Then, came the Fettuccini with White Clam Sauce -- I still "benchmark" this dish, meaning that if I see it on a menu, I have to order it because I have to compare it to all the other versions I've eaten and so far, none compare to my rendition of her printed recipe.

Next, I tried and mastered Pasta al Pesto and life was never the same. I've yet to see or taste a better version than Marcella's.

Of all of the wonderful discoveries and adventures I've derived from this work, the best is a simple stew of olive oil, garlic, chickpeas, tomatoes, beef broth, and rosemary -- aptly, titled "Chick-pea Soup". The chickpeas are slowly cooked in the oven and develop a creaminess that puts them head and shoulders above any canned or stove top cooked version. The tomatoes are cooked in the garlic-infused olive oil until "the tomatoes separate from the oil" -- Forget how many minutes, know when to take the next step by looking at what is happening. No matter how much chick-pea soup I make, it is always gone too soon.

Marcella followed up with "More Classic Italian Cooking" which is also a good book and then both books were published as one. I have the combined version, but there are some differences between the original and the revised edition and I recommend tracking down the original which you can do here.

If you love to cook Italian food, you simply must own this book.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Remembrances of Sundays Past: Corn in July

I have been in possession of too much corn this week and have corn on the brain...Who didn't love creamed corn when they were growing up? Even the commercial for the nationally known brand had a great jingle("Ho, ho, ho..."). With fried chicken? Mmmmm...on Sunday...and peach pie.

One thing we didn't have when I was growing up for some unknown reason was homemade creamed corn. Odd that. 36 years ago there was more time allowed for things like making pie crust, mashed potatoes, and creamed corn and yet, no homemade creamed corn.

Not until after my fourth big lap around the sun did I encounter such thing as homemade creamed corn.

But, here I am -- a homemade creamed corn mad scientist with a method to my madness.

Before I launch into the "how to", I have a couple pictures to share:

This method involves making a corn stock first -- cobs, silk, husks battling for domination in the pot!





A not-so-great shot of the finished product.












How did I do it?

Creamed Corn

6 ears of fresh corn
1 quart water
4 peppercorns
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 carrot, peeled

Wash corn well. Husk and clean corn, saving the husks and silk. Cut corn off of the cob and set aside the kernels. Place corn husks, silk and cobs in large stock pot with other ingredients. Bring to boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Remove vegetables and strain, saving the stock (about 3 to 4 cups).

For the dish:

1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 to 4 cups corn stock
Corn kernels from 6 ears of corn
1 tablespoon vegetable seasoning salt

In a large pot, heat oil on medium high heat and saute onion for five minutes. Add 3 cups stock and remaining ingredients. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes until everything is very soft. Puree. Add additional stock if needed and adjust seasonings.

Food for Thought: Try swirling a tablespoon of smoky, hot chipotle salsa to each serving.

Enjoy!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Friday, July 24, 2009

My Personal Picnic Paradigm Shift

Oh, the whole picnic show thing is really coming together very nicely! We are having so much fun with this.

As usual, I'm enjoying the whole research and development process and as you know from my prior post on the subject of picnics, I was surprised to learn of the English heritage of the picnic. In my own life, however, my most memorable picnic involved a much different part of the world...

Over twenty years ago, I was friends with a guy who was from Lebanon. He had lived here for most of his life but was still very much connected to the Middle Eastern community here. Back then and at first, this didn't register as significant to me.

So, at some point, he invited me to a picnic that his brother was organizing for about 50 people at a park. Sounded good to me -- sure, I love hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans, etc.

When it was time to eat, I got thrown for a big loop. I didn't recognize one thing that was being served. It's laughable because a lot of these foods are pretty mainstream now, but not back then: Hummus, Falafel, Kofta burgers, Baked and Raw Kibbe served with pita bread, Bulgarian Feta Cheese, Grape Leaves stuffed with meat, and lots of olives. I think all I put on my plate was lettuce!!! Eventually, I tried everything but the Raw Kibbe, and liked it. Then, I learned how to make all of it and was determined to duplicate those tastes.

That picnic was life-changing for me -- I had stepped smack dab in the middle of another culture and it was first obvious to me through the food. In order to better connect with these folks, I then learned to make the dishes.

Since then, I have learned that when I want to cross a cultural divide, I can always do so through being open to the food. If I'm willing to put in my mouth what they do and then show appreciation, we will have a conversation and then maybe a friendship. It's simple and very powerful...and it all started with this one picnic.

In closing out this post, I'm going to share the simple Hummus recipe that I have made countless times -- it's the first dish that I remember not recognizing at that picnic long ago -- and it's adapted from a little book called, "Pita The Great":

Hummus

1/4 cup tahini
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup warm water
2 - 3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups (1 pound can) chhickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Dash ground cumin
Olive Oil (garnish)
Chopped fresh parsley (garnish)

Put tahini, lemon juice, water and garlic in food processor fitted with the metal blade. Cover and process until smooth.

With the machine running, gradually add the chickpeas, salt, cumin, and pepper, processing until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick paste. If necessary, stop the machine and scrape down the sides with a spatual. The mixture will thicken when it is refrigerated, so if it seems too thick when you've finished processing it, add up to 1/2 cup more water and process again. Taste to correct seasonings.

Put the hummus into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, to chill. Before serving, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with the chopped parsley.

To store, refrigerate, covered, for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes 2 cups.

Enjoy!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Movie Review: Julia & Julie




Wow...wow...wow...I loved the book AND I loved the movie!

Yes, I'm a sucker for movies that feature lots of food and cooking. But, really, it was GOOD.

It's late and I should be going to bed, but I had to report in while the details are fresh in my mind. Here are some of my favorite parts of the movie:

(1) Meryl Streep was outstanding as Julia Child and I'm not normally gaga about Meryl (except I was completely swept away by her in "The Devil Wears Prada" as Miranda Priestly...)

(2) They played the song, "Psycho Killer" by the Talking Heads during the lobster cooking scene. Being a child of the 80's this really made my heart strings zing. Now, I have to cook with the Talking Heads playing in the background. It is now a given.

(3) Ah, the La Creuset in the old, original orange-flame color. Glory be. It made me want to come home and just cook and cook and cook beefy things with red wine.

(4) The portrayal of Simone Beck was fascinating. Now, I feel myself yearning to buy some of her books. What a peachy gal she was!

(5) Stanley Tucci -- cute as always.

(6) Julia's steadfast determination to learn how to cook. I know that feeling. I know the desparate desire to possess the skill to get techniques and ingredients to reveal their secrets to you.

Two wooden spoons up on this one!

Food & Kiss, GiGi

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine and Thou...



So, I'm hot and heavy into researching the content for another one of the potential pilot episodes of the Food & Kisses show -- the focus is on that grand summer tradition, the picnic.

As we know, I'm a little geeky in a glitzy kind of way (I did the wash tonight and I cannot believe how much GLITTER there was in my laundry after a weekend of three straight days of glittering it up for a dance performance) and I like to share my glitzy, kitchen geek ways here on this blog. I know I would be remiss in my duties if I did not dish a little about some of the back story of the Picnic Episode.

For starters, the picnic was popularized during the Victorian age in England. It's not completely clear how the word "picnic" evolved. There is some speculation that it originally indicated a hodgepodge of anything and came to mean a party to which all guests contributed a share of the provisions.

There is a terrific quote from "Chamber's Journal", dated June 6, 1857 that goes like this: "A picnic should be composed principally of young men and women; but two or three old male folks may be admitted, if very good-humoured; a few pleasant children; and one -- and only one, dear old lady: to her the whole comissariate department be intrusted by the entire assembly beforehand, and give her the utmost powers of a dictatress for so shall nothing we want be left at home."

Why, I wonder, only one old lady? Was Chambers concerned that there would be a power struggle for control of the comissariate department? Did he fear there would be too much gossiping? Or was he concerned about the health of the old gals...afterall, back in those days one never knew when a dear old lady might come down with the ague, apoplexy or the dreaded vapors!!!

For inspiration on this subject, I turned to one of my favorite cookbook authors, Claudia Roden and her book, "Everything Tastes Better Outdoors". I was not disappointed when I read the following: "The leisurely atmosphere of vacation cooking is the best time to learn to trust your own taste and common sense, to weigh with eyes and hands, to feel and taste and dream a little." So true...

In the middle of all of this research, dropped into my email box was a link for 25 No-Cook Recipes from the dear folks at Recipezaar -- many of these would be perfect for your next picnic: click here.

Researching this topic has been quite fun and we look forward to bringing this to life for you!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Behold! Baby Zucchini!!!


At last, I have my first harvest from my Topsy Turvies!! I thought it would be a tomato, but the zucchini won out.

This little darling will meet up with some long lost relatives that I still have from my market share last Thursday. It's a very busy week with not enough time in the kitchen so it could be a simple preparation of tiny dice squash sauteed in olive oil with garlic, red pepper and fresh oregano (also from the Topsy Turvy).

The tomatoes are starting to turn red so stay tuned for their kitchen debut!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Ah for the love of pizza...


Last night, I hit Artscape - the majority of the thing was a bust (missed Arlene, got stuck in parking, had a friend with who didn't like crowds - nor did I really...if I'm honest)...the evening seemed to be in the gutterbox...but then, we decided to go to JoeSquared2 pizza in North Arts District.
Once we emerged from parking hell...it became an oasis of sorts - filled with fun people, interesting live music - but the highlight - was the pizza.
Kids - this is not your Momma's Pizza hut.
This is serious pizza.
Grown up, hit you in the face, slap your taste buds around you in a good way pizza.

My opinion of perfect pizza - is simplicity - great crust, good sauce, great cheese, quality pepperoni and a judicious sprinkling of good quality anchovies. This delivered.

Check it out if you're in the Bawlmer area (click here)- and I will follow up later with a longer post on tips for the best pizza at home :)

Food and Kisses,

M

Friday, July 17, 2009

Love at First Sight

Do you believe in love at first sight? I think it happens. Sometimes it's a thunderbolt, sometimes it's more subtle.

But, this week, I got the thunderbolt experience.

Behold!

I loooove this juicer!!! It is the Hamilton Beach Commercial Grade Manual Citrus Juicer.

For a long time, I thought it would be a little excessive to buy a juicer just for citrus, but I confess, it's love at first sight. I used to rather dread having to juice up some oranges or lemons for things. Not anymore.

As soon as I unpacked and washed the juicer, I immediately cleaned out five lemons from my fridge that were clearly on their way down hill. Then, I mixed up a batch of fresh lemonade. Summer in a glass!!

Now, I'm thinking about the joys of pink grapfruit juice with icy Skye Citrus Vodka -- I mean, afterall, it is Friday.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Thursday, July 16, 2009


Just came from a photoshoot at 13.5% wine bar - newly opened in Hampden. It was tough concentrating for reasons I won't get into here - but this place is AWESOME! It features an $8 corkage fee & you can purchase lunch or dinner - or small plates in the evenin'.
You can also go there just to buy wine...

Menu is well priced with lots of great wine & food potential pairing options





Lovin' My CSA

...as in my Community Supported Agriculture. Have you tried this yet or thought about trying it?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a farm operation that is supported by a community of individuals. As the farm yield becomes available, it is distributed to the community of supporters. With my particular CSA, One Straw Farm (click here for website), the vegetables are grown organically and I pick it up once a week.

I paid my share up front back in January (also the best price) and waited with great anticipation for June to arrive when the farm would start distribution.

So, here is today's market share:



Cucumbers, Zucchini, and Patty Pan Squash



Red Leaf Lettuce, Romaine, Beets, Onions, and Purple Cabbage

Not only is the quality outstanding, but I love the weekly surprise and then figuring out how to use it. Also, the cost works out to be very much comparable to what I would spend on produce that was of far less quality.

To find a CSA near you, look here

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A Moment of Silence

Let's have a moment of silence for the sauerkraut project.

Sauerkraut died officially at 9:00 PM this evening. He passed peacefully in his sleep after a brief illness.

The family asked that no pictures be taken so that we can all remember him as the sweet bird of youth that he was but a week ago.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

M&C Attack!


Aiyiyi...I did get up and exercise by it wasn't easy after the macaroni and cheese extravaganza last night. As mentioned yesterday, M was coming over last night and I had some surprises in store for her birthday. The big surprise was making two different versions of macaroni and cheese -- one rather inexpensive and the other was a dairy farmer's dream with 5 different kinds of cheese.

I didn't get pictures as I was too caught up in the cooking, but M did some filming and I can't make any promises but there is a possibility that this footage may be available for your viewing pleasure at some point.

In the interest of both glamour and science, there was a sparkling chardonnay tasting as well. This doesn't happen often, but that bottle of bubbly didn't cut it with either of us and was poured down the drain. A delicious bottle of fume blanc saved the night though!

And, I think I've discovered something new: The Cheese Hangover. Ironically, cheese is named as a hangover cure -- check this out . So, if I eat more cheese, will this cheese hangover go away?

We will bring you the macaroni and cheese recipe that we like the best. I'm not holding out on you. It's not quite ready yet. This is one of the interesting things about using other people's recipes: a lot of times they need a little tweaking. If you read my other post about the m&c project, you know that I looked at a number of recipes before embarking on last night's feast. After making both versions, both M and I felt that further improvements could be made. We made some changes on the fly last night, but still didn't feel that the finished products delivered the right levels of taste and fun. So, hang in there with us a little longer on this one.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Shhh...Don't Tell...It's a Surprise

M is coming to my house tonight and she's getting a couple of suprises for her birthday (which was yesterday). I promise to take some pictures.

In the meantime, take a look at what I bought...



This, gentle readers, is $40 worth of fruit!!!












Reminds me of a quote from the book, "Heat" (read this book if you are into food and cooking), "Wretched excess is barely enough."

Back tomorrow to fill you in on what Monyka's surprises were!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Monday, July 13, 2009

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is a special day, it's my birthday - and I have to give some thought to the tradition of the birthday cake. Personally, I like an ice cream cake (cookies ' n cream ideally) but recently, I attended a birthday party over the weekend that featured a homemade, single layer, chocolate birthday cake served with homemade whipped cream. Divine.
The one responsible for this lovely offering that melted in your mouth said the secret was the cake baked at 275 degrees! And that there was coffee in it.
Coffee, I get - I mean who doesn't know to add a pinch of instant espresso to anything chocolate to deepen the flavor? but 275 degrees?
Madness, no?

Anyway - I had to find out more about the whole "Birthday cake thing" found some interesting info on a site called Tokenz.com - check it out by clicking here.

Ok - if I get near a birthday cake today - I promise to take a picture and post :)
Food & Kisses, M

Sunday, July 12, 2009

When There Aren't Bubbles, There are Troubles...

As in, what is going on with my sauerkraut experiment???

The instructions say that I should be skimming the brine each day for the next couple of weeks. I don't see anything to skim as of this morning (Day 3). So, I'm a bit concerned.

However, I do have some pictures of the process so far to share.



This is the cut cabbage that has been mixed with salt to soften a bit before going into the crock.




Here the cabbage has been transferred to the crock where it will now live for the next few weeks -- assuming all goes as it's supposed to. Inside there is a plate weighting down the cabbage with a ziploc bag filled with water to weigh things down.




And, here we have tidy little home of my fermenting (I hope) cabbage.

As things develop, I will keep you posted!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Secret Beauty Routines

Last week I was on a most excellent vacation with my SO and indulged in some of my favorite vices (fried foods, ice cream, pizza, margaritas, great wine, etc.). Since I've returned and getting back into my routine, I've gotten less sleep than I need too. This morning I did finally get a full night's rest. Unlike a lot of people, sleeping is kind of boring to me -- I figure I'm going to get plenty of sleep one day when I am physically not able to do what I like or am just plain gone -- so I like to push myself pretty hard.

But, a fast pace does catch up to one and sometimes you have to slow down and take time for certain things that are your own personal foundations of glamour. It's hard to beat sleep for it's incredibly restorative properties.

In addition to sleep, I find that if I take a step back and lean harder on the fresh fruits and vegetables for a bit, that helps too. So, today, I've done just that. I started with a smoothie made with banana, raw chocolate, and fresh almond milk. I know it sounds a little weird, but it tastes great and is easy on my stomach.

In anticipation of needing this cure, I had laid in a supply of a 5 lb. bag of granny smith apples and 5 lb. bag of organic carrots as well as a hunky-chunk of fresh ginger. So, I was off and running with the juicer mid-morning and by lunch time was sippling this yummy cocktail of anti-oxidants:



After working out, lunch followed and included a raw zucchini pasta with a fresh tomato sauce.

So far so good...and then I stopped by the liquor store to "buy just one bottle of champagne"...next thing I know, 9 bottles are in my cart and well, if you are going for 9, you might as well just go for the case. I mean, afterall, first of all, the case discount results in a free bottle and also, my little stash was missing some key wines that I like to have on hand on a regular basis...therefore, this happened:



I don't have a secret beauty routine involving wine other than it certainly makes me feel beautiful after I have two glasses.

Next up, I'm headed for the shower and post-showering, I will lovingly apply pure, organic coconut oil on my skin instead of a commercially made moisturizer.

Oh, and one more secret beauty routine -- doing something you find relaxing -- for me that is knitting. I just finished a rather lovely item. Take a look:



Stay tuned for tomorrow's sauerkraut report!!!

Gotta Run!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Friday, July 10, 2009

For the love of sandwiches...



Ok - so man of my life is heading out of town, busy - can't grab something to eat before he leaves - so what do I do - promptly pipe up ready to show love & bring food!

There's a huge correlation between people who love & people who love to eat. Don't believe me - check this book out, "The Sex Life of Food" is written by a pastry Chef and cookbook auteur called Bunny Crumpacker. I thought this was great reading & served to reinforce my fears about people with empty refrigerators by choice (enough said). Note to self - I now want to interview Bunny Crumpacker...gotta find her first though...

But the question is - what is convenient, tasty, filling & not going to require cutlery, and a whole lot of jazz - not to mention be easy to eat on the go...Any guesses? No kids - not that vile "Soup in a Cup" (besides it's summer) stuff ...I'm talking about ye ol' sandwiches...but not just ANY sandwiches...
We're talking sandwiches - Glitzy girl style ;)

What exactly does this mean...?
You know me and my love of Wikipedia - they've got a great entry on sandwiches - click here to read.

Well - Let's dissect a sandwich & piece by piece - I'll show you how easy it is to take the simple & make it sublime...I unlike Arlene - do not photograph my work...why? I'm a crappy photographer...suffice it to say I am way better at describing with words, cooking or eating than I am playing fooderazzi (uh...food photog). God bless her though as without her, we might not have ANY original images on the blog! Shout out to Arlene & personally, for what it's worth - I would have preferred to hear about Arlene and Anne Marie - than Julia & Julia...( I don't know either Julia but I DO know Arlene!)

OK - I'm digressing...Where does it all start? The bread.

Think of the bread as your plate for the rest of the concoction you're building...it's important...make one wrong move here and everything - falls apart, literally!

So - why start with boring sliced bread...pick something daring, something with gusto - today that happened to be a perfectly baked sourdough sub roll...Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.

First tip - At all costs prevent soggy bread!

Basic thing to do is use either a light (operative word being light) coating of Extra Virgin Olive or a small spread of butter. Don't even go to the "almost butter, healthy "spread" stuff...from the ground up if you start with pooh pooh - you'll get er...pooh pooh...Got it?

The barrier created by a light coating of either oil or butter - helps the bread repel excess moisture. What does this mean for you? It means you can pile on the condiments with greater confidence...and a great sandwich demands great condiments.

Second Tip - Ensure a contrast of textures!

OK - what next? I like to put an "added layer" of sog prevention by placing some lettuce (I like curly red, or green for this purpose but don't let that limit you, watercress, lamb's lettuce, bibb, Boston, all do great) on top of said "sog barrier".

OK - why add lettuce you ask? Because it counter balances fillings well - depending on what kind of sandwich you're making...You see a sandwich should be a symphony of textures, of tastes that all come together to say "hello - your mouth is very happy right now".

Third Tip - Consider a Sandwiches flavors like the composition in a flower bouquet - Opposites attract but there should be some harmony going on...

After lettuce, I decided to go the old mixed cold cuts & cheese to keep it simple. But not just any cold cuts...here's where it pays to go premium. A little goes a long way.

I layered premium pepperoni, house smoked black forest ham & real hickory turkey breast...lovingly massaged that with some horseradish mustard & added a layer of Swiss followed by some "hots" (crushed red pepper relish) & some mayo...the result - heaven on a bun!

Well kids, I'll report back how lunch was received...in the meantime...
Food & Kisses!
M

You Know You Want It


The Kiwi Fruit Tart from AnneMarie Colbin's "The Natural Gourmet".

About 15 years ago, I read the story of how Alice Waters cooked her way straight through an Elizabeth David book. Reading this caused a chain reaction of events for me: 1. I promptly bought a slew of Elizabeth David books; 2. I read through them but couldn't get hooked on the idea of cooking through them; 3. I thought about what kind of cooking I wanted to master (at that time); and 4. I finally settled on making the commitment to "The Natural Gourmet".

The experience of making the commitment to a single book and then working my way through the recipes probably taught me more about cooking than anything else.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the wherewithal at the time to record much detail about this experience and that is why there is no movie called "Arlene and AnneMarie" and we have instead "Julie and Julia"!

This tart is truly sensational (I know the photo doesn't quite do it justice). I highly recommend this book for those that want to cook with whole foods with great tasting results.

Cabbage/Sauerkraut Update: Yes, I did it. I put it together late last night. The sauerkraut experiment is on its way. I'm documenting it with photos and will post the recipe assembly shots soon.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Cabbage-mania


The cabbage from my market share is ganging up on me.

So, I've decided to dance with the devil known as fermentation and make some sauerkraut.

I just read the directions from "The Victory Garden Cookbook". It's simple enough to do -- I'm pretty sure I even have pickling salt on hand -- but there's that little part about skimming the brine everyday for 2 to 3 weeks...now, I have to commit to making sure that gets done because the last one anyone needs is SAUERKRAUT GONE WRONG.

Stay tuned as this story develops...

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Fine dining at the Capital Grille - An essay on eating, drinking Stoli Doli's, oysters & Steak




So,
The love of my life is unfortunately NOT going to be here for my birthday - long story but the man's gotta travel across the ocean and leave me alone. Given he's a thoughtful guy, and knows I adore good food, he made a reservation at Capital Grille in the Inner Harbor. We arrived, got shown to a table that was more suited to a business meeting than cozy lovers feast but gotta give it to them, they moved us to a "show booth" right away upon the slightest sign of my displeasure.
We started off with the Capital Grille's signature "Stoli Doli" - a dangerously smooth concoction of premium vodka and fresh pineapple that essentially marinades for days & gets poured by the glass. Seems other people like this drink too - in fact, here's a great ode to the Stoli Doli I found online - check it out by clicking here.

How do you make your own "Stoli Doli"? Here's an excellent recipe I found on AllRecipes.com

Another version - from an article that talks about making your own flavored liquor is equally interesting...it was authored by Lindsay Christians and can be viewed here.

Now, let's move on shall we? Appy's were a challenge to pick - everything looked good. I was really in the mood for oysters (yes, I know no R in July...blablabla) but sadly, they only had these really small ones. I like the big meaty ones - Wikipedia has some interesting info on oysters - start here.

It's impossible for me to eat/think/look at oysters and not think about...uh, sex. Here's a neat read about if oysters are or aren't really aphrodisiacs.

Anyway - I skipped the oysters & went for a crab cocktail (after years of living in Maryland I try to get excited about lump crab meat - but still...it's a challenge.) My love ordered the famous calamari with peppers - we both agreed the peppers were the best part of the deal.

For dinner we did our own Surf n Turf - him ordering steak (Delmonico - medium rare) & myself ordering a lovely 3lb Lobster. It was awesome, divine & definitely very delicious.

Dessert was a pre cut slice of some chocolate cake (which was toooooo chocolatey - one of those flour less chocolate paste concoctions) and a pretty good slice of plain cheesecake with a strawberry coulis.

All in all - good meal - were I rating with stars, I'd say 4 out of 5 (largely being due to the company - who himself was a pretty tasty dish). Here's a great article I found on how to turn "Cheap steak into Gucci Steak" courtesy of a cool site called "SteamyKitchen", click here to read.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Researching Macaroni and Cheese


I'm sitting here surrounded by a baker's dozen of cookbooks.

Thus commences the research on the Food & Kisses Macaroni and Cheese Episode. You see, gentle readers, the Glitzy Gals here at Food & Kisses are launching a production company aimed at bringing our glamourous kitchen style to the world via the Internet.

So, here I am, up too late with a large stack of books sitting next to me. Feeling content and overwhelmed at the same time. I know I should go to bed, but what treasures I have already discovered...

Pam Anderson's "The Perfect Recipe" had me ordering up a copy of John Thorne's "Simple Cooking" within five minutes of starting my research. I may have owned that book at one time and lost it in the shuffle of many moves back in the 1990's. In any event, I remember the book is classic and well, what the hell, when I already have about 800 cookbooks.

I will let you in on a secret that I've already discovered: forget what you thought you knew about macaroni and cheese. The really good stuff isn't made the way you would think at all. Can't let the cat too far out of the bag right now though. Alternatively, I've stumbled upon a trick using the boxed stuff that I'm going to try -- It's somewhat outrageous. Don't know if that will make it past the editor, but I think it's important to come at this from a variety of angles. Hopefully it will because I know some of the viewing audience isn't going to make the leap to the lobster/truffle/cognac version!!

Nitey-Nite -- Food & Kisses, GiGi

Eating in Baltimore on the cheap - is it feasible?

Best restaurants

The best cheap eats in Inner Harbor. According to - Urbanspoon.com (http://www.urbanspoon.com/npr/31/3014/1/Baltimore/Inner-Harbor/Cheap-Eats.html)

  1. Five Guys Famous... - Love it - one of the area's best hamburgers & a winner for kids
  2. Vaccaro's Italian... - Uh...you have to LIKE their style of desserts - personally I rather trek to La Scala for THEIR desserts that Mama makes...& stick to Ice Cream
  3. Pickles Pub - Loud, boistrous but when you're drunk & sport happy - who cares?
  4. Chipotle Mexican Grill - Uh can we say CHAIN that masquerades as healthy in this incarnation...
  5. Edo Sushi - GREAT sushi & awesome lunch deals (mixed drinks aren't bad either & view is one of the complexes most affordable while dining)
  6. Ben & Jerry's - Duh, Ice cream
  7. Boheme Café - Amazingly FRESH, awesome food - She
  8. California Tortilla -Left me flat
  9. Fudgery - One word - not for the timid - Sugar rush anyone?
  10. Sotto Cafe- LOVE it! But service can be very spotty and somewhat cafeteria style ambiance could turn you off.

The Garden!

Wow! What a beautiful morning!! It's sunny and a little crisp-ish this morning. Took some snaps of the "garden".

Last year in an impulsive fit, I purchased these hanging planters after seeing them on TV. This year they actually were put into production -- thanks mainly to my SO. These hanging planters are a little different than most I have seen because they have holes in the sides...so instead of just ho-hum tomatoes hanging from the bottom, my two planters have over 20 plants coming out of them. I can't take the credit -- my SO really drove this process. So far, everything is doing pretty well -- take a look!!!



Here is a shot of the Thai Hot Peppers -- exciting to see them starting to turn red. I'm feeling a batch of dipping sauce coming on...



See the nastursiums coming out of the top???



The plum tomatoes are coming on strong too!



Somehow a musk melon sneaked into this mix -- no pictures of those yet -- although there are flowers.

Gotta run!

Food & Kisses!! GiGi