Disasterville!!!

It happens to all of us: you salivate over a recipe, go out and spend your hard-earned money on the ingredients, invest the time in the kitchen only to be met with a bona fide, throw-the-whole-thing-out disaster.

Such was the Cantaloupe Soup with Blueberries experience I had with M earlier this week.

Oh, things started out going well. I was bright and shiny-cheeked with enthusiasm as I carted my ingredients to her house. While M worked over two more batches of Mac N Cheese, I cut up my cantaloupe and peach. It went into the pot to cook for 7 or 8 minutes -- see below:



Then, the first mis-step occurred. I was waxing eloquently about how I've learned the hard way not to fill a blender with too much hot liquid as I ladled the second batch of cooked fruit and juice into the blender. I flipped the switched and, yes, the hot soup went all over the place. We cleaned that up and put the mixture into a bowl.

In the interests of time, I decided that the chilling process would be better served by a trip to the freezer...but there was no room at the inn...:



Unfazed by the lack of space, I started trying to re-arrange things to fit my Big A** bowl of fruit soup in the freezer. In short order, my Big A** bowl had both fruit soup with various little treasurers that leapt out of the freezer into the bowl. The treasurers were cleaned off and returned to their slots. I headed for the big freezer downstairs.

Meanwhile, back at the Mac N Cheese ranch, things were going well. Two beautiful casserole dishes came out of the oven --



After the yummy Mac N Cheese course, it was time for the Cantaloupe Soup. It was fairly cold (but not frozen...yet!) and I prepared it for tasting. It did look rather pretty:



Now, the moment of truth. I took a taste and thought it good. M HATED IT!!!! I tasted it again and had to admit it was not good. The poor soup. It had really been through a lot and the whole darn batch went down the disposal.

Back to the drawing board...

Food & Kisses, GiGi

The Curse and Mystery of Loose Recipes

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this one -- Don't all cooks have that pile of loose recipes that have no real organization or system??? Well, mine may drive me to drink far too much champagne in the near future. I'm going to show you what I've got going on and you are going to think it doesn't look too bad --

For lack of any other better way, I call this the Chronos System; i.e., the clips as I call them are more or less in date order. This isn't all of them. This is probably just from the past twelve to eighteen months.
Anything older than that is jammed into binders. I did finally start separating out the ones that I've made from this pile of complete unknowns -- so that is somewhat of a help when I go back to look for something that worked out.





I just thumbed through everything from the past eight months and I have to say that there's some interesting stuff in there. I would definitely try these! I guess that's way I saved them in the first place...But, anytime I'm looking for something I'm usually in a hurry and don't have time to leisurely peruse through this pile.

Before the internet, I had boxes of newspaper and magazine clippings. When I first started cooking, I used to clip and paste them into blank journals. After many moves, these homemade cookbooks and the piles of clippings are gone. I'm a bit sad about that.

I was so fiendish for newspaper recipes that I used to buy both the Washington Post and New York Times each week for about $10 total for just the food columns and throw out the rest of the paper. A co-worker saw me doing it and we struck a bargain that if I gave him the rest of my Washington Post, he would give me the Sunday food section of the local paper. This was a pretty good deal until his wife wanted to read the paper on Monday mornings and he would be taking it away from her to bring to me. He explained that he had to give it to me to which she asked, "who is this woman?" We all became friends and now twenty five years have passed!!!

But, now we do have the internet and the truth is, collecting loose recipes is probably no longer necessary. Countless times I've gone to look for something, couldn't find it and just googled it with fine results. In fact, often I don't even look at cookbooks and turn right to Recipezaar (click here for this terrifc site).

The internet has slowed me down on having both the curse of and the mystery of what to do with loose recipes, but I'm still old-school enough to want some loose recipes around. And, there's something comforting in a little mess now and then. Not everything should be neat and tidy because life sure isn't.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Food, Interrupted

For me, part of my passion for cooking and things food-related has to do with naturally wanting to deconstruct and reconstruct my food. It's sort of a Frankenstein approach to things, at times...you take this and that and well, now you have another thing.

For example, recently my sweet and wonderful SO and I have been into Double-Stuff Peanut Butter Oreos (DBSPBO's).

OK, yes, this cookie can stand on its own -- you can munch on them with great satisfaction just as they are right out of the bag.








.
But, then one day while on vacation a few weeks ago, I was rumaging around in the car for a snack while on a drive and found the DBSPBO's AND a partially eaten bag of Reese's Pieces. And, because I like to reconstruct my food, I pried off the top of the DBSPBO carefully so as not to disrupt the delicate filling and embedded some Reese's Pieces into the filling. Finally, I replaced the top cookie and had a nicely enhanced cookie experience. FYI -- my SO likes to enhance his DBSPBO's with a dollop of peanut butter. A similar experience, but my version does have the candy-coated crunch aspect.

I like to do this with restaurant foods too. Among my fond food-memories is one of the little dinners that I used to concoct for myself at my first job. I worked retail three nights a week in high school and all through college. I used to come in at 5:00 PM and finish up around 9:00 PM. During my short dinner break, I used to go across the street to a little Chinese take out place called Yang's and get wonton soup, an order of rice, and three packets of soy sauce. I think this cost about $2.50 (which took me an hour to earn back then!). I would dump the rice and soy sauce into the soup for a filling and inexpensive meal.

Of course, recipes abound for dishes where you use prepared things for convenience. One of my favorites is a dessert called Cherry Crunch which involves cake mix, pie filling and a stick of butter (you can click here for a recipe).

But, deconstructing/reconstructing food is not about convenience, it's about looking at things from another perspective and coming up with something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

So, for fun today, look in your fridge, freezer, and/or pantry. Ask, "What would happen if...?" or "How could I make this better?" Who knows what surprises await!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

The Revolving Vegetarian Door

For a number of years I was a bona fide vegetarian. And, I went pretty deep into it. I taught vegetarian cooking and was the head chef in a vegetarian restaurant. I do believe in the mighty power of vegetables.

And then, after about five years, I had to admit that I didn't feel better as a result of my dietary choices and meat re-entered my diet and has remained.

However, as my adorable SO says so well, "The heart wants what the heart wants." And, so over the last year, I have explored vegetarian cooking at deeper levels -- arriving at last at the doorstep of raw veganism -- a vegetarian diet that not only does not include any animal products but also is not cooked. I know it sounds weird, restrictive, and fringe-y, but by and large, the food is light and delicious. It's truly fascinating what people have developed within the raw vegan parameters.

If you've read much of this blog, it's pretty obvious that I'm a die-hard foodie. I'm not sure I could comfortably leave behind so many favorite foods in order to pursue being a full-time raw vegan. No, I don't see myself ultimately swearing off barbecued ribs, fried chicken or, especially, rack of lamb.

And, if I had any doubts, I had an experience last fall that really told the tale.

In my pursuit of learning the ins and outs of raw vegan food prep, I went on a little adventure -- I volunteered to work in the kitchen at the Raw Spirit Festival in Sedona. Here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure:



















For three days, I ate uncooked fruits, vegetables and nuts combined in a staggering number of ways -- I had burritos, sushi, falafel, amazing desserts and some of the best chocolate I've ever tasted.



And, the morning I left Sedona, heading for Tucson, I pulled into the first breakfast joint I could find and had a big omelette with cheese and ham! There I was, feeling clean and light and I ran right for the meat!!!

I could only conclude one thing: I'm an omnivore. It's just who I am.

On the other hand, maybe you are a little curious about this raw vegan thing? Maybe, just maybe, you'd like to dip your toe in the water and check it out -- so, I'm going to share a little something that I made tonight using what I had on hand and it was really good:

Tomato Basil Soup

8 tomatoes, cored and cut into large chunks
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/2 small onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process at high speed. You may have to process the tomatoes first to make room for the other ingredients. You may also add some water if you want a thinner soup.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

How I Learned to Cook Fried Chicken: The Hard Way

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of indulging in my never-ending love of fried chicken -- I didn't cook it at home, but I have and the first time was quite the learning experience...let me explain...

It was the early days of learning to cook. I was about twenty years old and invited my then boyfriend over for dinner. I decided upon serving fried chicken -- Buttermilk fried chicken, to be exact.

I have no clue where the recipe came from but I'm fairly certain it came from a magazine as my cookbook fever had not yet taken hold. I'm a planner so I studied the recipe carefully in advance of the day of the dinner. I studied it so hard that I had it memorized. Yummy, crunchy, moist fried chicken was within my grasp. I can't remember anything else about the menu except the beverage -- I made a big pitcher of what we called Bullfrogs which consisted only of limeade from frozen concentrate and vodka...get the picture?

This all went down at my dear grandparents' house while they were away. The kitchen had an electric stove. Prior to cooking, the chicken was dipped in its buttermilk batter and then the coated chicken was to rest in the refrigerator for a period of time, getting nice and cool before its grease bath. The recipe said to heat the oil to smoking point. I put a large stainless steel frying pan on the largest burner, added a lot of Wesson oil and turned the burner on high and waited to see the smoke.

Yes, the burner turned red hot and yet, I waited. Finally after at least 30 minutes (!), I decided that perhaps the oil was hot enough. I took the chilled chicken out of its icy resting spot...and...I...FLUNG...a whole breast into the oil!!!!

Well, the chicken immediately turned black (did I invent blackened chicken that day?). Hot oil went everywhere. I carefully extracted the chicken and turned down the heat on the burner. Ohhhh, so "smoking point" doesn't mean the oil will smoke...

I cooked the rest of the chicken satisfactorily and drank half the pitcher of Bullfrogs that evening; therefore, cleaning up the kitchen didn't happen that evening. Actually, not only did I not know how to fry chicken until that day, I was still behind the curve on learning how to clean up after myself. In fact, at the end of the summer, after my grandparents came home, my grandmother said, "Dear, did you fry anything this summer?" to which I replied, "Ah,yes, I made fried chicken. Why do you ask?" My grandmother then informed me that she thought so because there was oil all over the ceiling!!!

Click here for a Buttermilk Fried Chicken recipe by Pam Anderson. Have fun and don't start drinking the Bullfrogs until the chicken is fried!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Food Tales from the Road - Part I: Smoked Brisket

One of the food delights of my recent vacation was an incredibly yummy Smoked Brisket made by a friend in Oklahoma. This kind friend got up at 3:00 AM in the morning to have the brisket ready by dinner time. Talk about smoky deliciosity!!! It was tender, juicy and wonderfully flavorful. After we took one bite, our host revealed that he had, in fact, not used any rub or marinade in order to achieve the flavor. This was just the result of Beef + Smoke! With this spectacular dish we had yummy sides of potato salad, deviled eggs, baked beans, and cantaloupe.

We also have some photos to share:

In the beginning, there was raw brisket...







And, after hours of tender, loving, smoky care, there was a splendid smoked brisket!









In the "how to" department, I confess to having owned a smoker at one time (aka "Mr. Meatsmoker" -- not kidding) and discarded my smoker along the way because it was such a labor of love to produce anything between soaking the wood chips, preparing the meat in the wee hours of the morning and then tending to the charcoal all day. Plus the timing was tricky as to when things would be done and never came out the same way, etc. So...our gracious host was kind enough to share his "how to" -- he uses the Cookshack electric smoker -- click here for info. Of course, I'm dying to buy one and am certain that I shall because fall is such a great time for smoking foods, but I do have to find a place to store it and right now I haven't figured that part out.

Oh, and I forgot to dish about the homemade chocolate pie, didn't I? I should have gotten a picture of that too!

Food & Kisses, GiGi

The Best Corn Ever!!!

Hey!!! I'm baaaack....I just got back from a most delightful vacation and do have some food stories to share in up-coming posts. For now, I'm going to keep things simple and just go on and on about how good the corn was that I picked up from my farm share today.

OMG. I have eaten some great corn in my time, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't better than what I had today.

Here's the whole haul from today including said corn:



(If you look closely, you will see there is a small cantaloupe in there too -- it's a little green just yet, but it has promise!)

So. I cleaned the corn and yes, there was a little meat in there, aka a worm. The corn is organically grown so the ears are smaller than the chemically grown stuff. I steamed the corn on the stovetop at lunchtime -- two ears for lunch and the rest for dinner along with salad and summer squash.

The corn was perfect. So perfect, in fact, it required nothing -- no salt, pepper, butter, etc. It was pure summer sweetness.

Eating food like this at its peak is much like the month of August itself. Dickens said it well in "The Pickwick Papers"":

"There is no month in the whole year in which nature wears a more beautiful appearance than in the month of August. Spring has many beauties, and May is a fresh and blooming month, but the charms of this time of year are enhanced by their contrast with the winter season. August has no such advantage. It comes when we remember nothing but clear skies, green fields, and sweet-smelling flowers--when the recollection of snow, and ice, and bleak winds, has faded from our minds as completely as they have disappeared from the earth--and yet what a pleasant time it is! Orchards and cornfields ring with the hum of labour; trees bend beneath the thick clusters of rich fruit which bow their branches to the ground; and the corn, piled in graceful sheaves, or waving in every light breath that sweeps above it, as if it wooed the sickle, tinges the landscape with a golden hue."

It's good to be back.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Tilapia 'tis delightful!

Ah, fish...nothing like a good piece of fish to satisfy your hunger, right?

Well kids - I have to admit, I've not always been very interested in putting finned protein on my plate. I'm more of a steak and truffle mashed potatoes kind of girl, or a pork bbq & fresh corn kind of girl, or a lamb kabob & couscous kind of girl...where was I? Oh yes, fish.

The man (as in love interest) likes fish - let me rephrase that - he likes fish more than anything, it's his "favorite". When we first started dating, this did pose somewhat of a challenge to me. Given for the most part - with the exception of a well done piece of salmon, fresh Dover sole or killer fish & chips - I tend to shy away from sea creatures of the porpoise variety and focus on the things that walk the earth before you eat 'em.

But, man wants "light dinner"...will skip if I don't comply and I do enjoy a nice quiet meal with him, as that's when we have time to catch (besides who likes to eat alone?) up face to face vs by text message or email. So - I comply.

I stop by Giant (not necessarily my first choice for fish purchases - I tend to prefer the Asian market for that) and I look at the fish case. Not overly inspired. However, the nice lady behind the counter (the one with the fish hook jauntily added to her "Giant" employee hat for contextual flare I guess, helps me out.

I beg her to steer me in the direction of FRESH fish (of course - everything has been previously frozen so let us define FRESH in grocery store terms...). Fresh is a thing of the past...aside from if you're store has a "local" connection and gets some shad...in season - expecting "fresh" not frozen seafood is like expecting Louis Vuitton to go on sale - just 'aint gonna happen.

Anyway - Grocery store "fresh" fish is...

Not slimy

Not smelly

Firm in texture

Reasonably pleasant looking...

Fish hook lady says ergo the salmon, catfish, tuna steaks, shark, and go for Tilapia...

Tilapia, sounds like a small country fighting for independence somewhere - but I'll take it.

So - off I go with my Tilapia (and fresh lemons, some spinach & shallots); ready to create a culinary masterpiece.

Tilapia gained popularity in the past few years when there began to be talks of salmon & other fish being "over fished". There's actually over 100 different types of Tilapia (according to my fave - Wikipedia). To learn more, click here.

Anyhoo...here's how I cooked Nemo (sorry bad joke).

First, I heated the pan very hot, added some good quality virgin olive oil (you should know by now that your food is only going to taste as good as the olive oil you're using - COSTCO has a great olive oil for the price - highly recommend it.)

Then I added two shallots, one clove of garlic, about 1/2 a cup of capers and cooked until the shallots were translucent. Sure, you could use onions, but my feeling when it comes to fish (ahem...such an expert am I) is that the flavors should be delicate (especially with white fleshed fish)...onion could easily overpower - but by all means, experiment. No draconnian methodology here.

Then I added my fish filets (which I'd first seasoned with salt & pepper - and allowed to cook for 5 minutes before I flipped 'em (they had become somewhat golden and developped a nice crust). Tasty.

Once flipped I covered each filet with a thin layer of fresh lemon slices & cooked about 2 minutes more. I then removed the fish to plates and added some fresh lemon juice to the pan (about the juice of one & one half lemos) - stirring to make a sauce. I finished the sauce with drizzle of olive oil - but butter would have worked as well.

I plated the filets over a mound of garlic spinach & a medley of summer squash, cherry tomatoes & vidalia onions with a touch of fresh dill.

Quite tasty.

Man seemed to like it too... Who'd have thunk it?

I'm feeling bold - maybe next time I'll try...sea bass or something.

Just goes to say - don't knock it 'till you've Tilapia'd it!

Food & Kisses,

M

Classic Cookbook Series: The Silver Palate Cookbook and The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook

It was 1984...












I was in college and had befriended a woman named Susan who had gone back to school – she was probably about 50. She had been married to a wealthy man, then divorced and, as a student, was living hand to mouth. Her clothes and jewelry were worn and shabby but had been expensive when new. She was sophisticated and interesting and I was captivated.

One clear memory I have of Susan was a Christmas party she had in her boyfriend’s rather small apartment. To this day, I remember two of the menu items. One involved a whole, boned chicken -- that is a story for another time.


The other item was White Chocolate Mousse with Frangelico from a chapter entitled, “Nutcracker Sweet Open House” from the Silver Palate Good times Cookbook. Oh…My…God




At the time, I owned just a few cookbooks and paying $23 to own both seemed extravagant, but everything about these books was alluring: from the pictures on the covers, the illustrations, the chapters titles and of course, the recipes themselves.

It was here in the pages of the first volume that I learned to make what was called “Layered Mozzarella and Tomato Salad” which we now see everywhere as Caprese Salad. The authors, Julee and Sheila, asked, “Could any salad be simpler? Or better?” My answers: No and No!!!

These books have a very 80’s feel to me. It was a time of shameless indulgence in many respects and these books reflect that we were still not afraid of heavy cream, butter, red meat, real bread, and doing so in ample quantities. That was a time when we were waking up to all sorts of culinary delights and these books did a good job of promoting dishes that were heavily influenced by French and Italian cuisines in a stylish way. Moreover, Julee and Sheila were clearly foodies but not snobs as evidenced for example, in the Silver Palate cookbook where on one side of the page “Dilled Blanquette De Veau” is to be found with “Pizza Pot Pie” facing it on the opposite page! A good number of the ingredients were still a bit of a stretch to find if you didn’t live in a very cosmopolitan area, but when something is a bit out of reach, it does become all the more desirable, of course.

But, these books are not just style over substance – they possess both style and substance. By and large, you can count on these recipes to deliver. They are terrific books to turn to if you are going to entertain – they allow you to show off a bit.

Now, twenty – five years have passed since I tasted that white chocolate mousse – it’s a memory for me much like Proust’s madeline. Susan and I lost touch long ago although I don’t remember why now. If you happen to be out there, Susan, and stumble upon this blog, thank you for being a good friend, the memory of the white chocolate mousse and for bringing the Silver Palate cookbooks into my life.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Pho Phix

Sometimes there is simply nothing better than a steaming, spicy bowl of pho – the classic Vietnamese soup comprised of thinly sliced meats and rice noodles that is usually served with basil, lime, bean sprouts and peppers. The broth is a heady brew in its own right and is usually seasoned with cinnamon, star anise, charred ginger and cloves.


Last night I indulged heavily in my passion for pho at the catchily-named Pho #1 located in Catonsville. Among the many versions of pho to choose from, my dinner companion and I both settled on one containing roast pork, shrimp and crabmeat. I’ve made pho at home but for me, this is a situation where I like the ritual involved in eating it out.



Pho #1 has all the appropriate condiments: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha sauce, two other kinds of chili paste as well as fish sauce. For, me, it’s the works – all the peppers, the pepper pastes…I am ready to suffer for this culinary masterpiece.



Now, if you’ve never eaten pho and you are raring to go, here are the ins and outs of what to do once that yummy bowl of goodness is set in front of you:

1. Season your pho – First sample the broth and then add a little fish sauce, black pepper and lime into your bowl to taste.

2. Add herbs and sprouts – Toss a handful of beansprouts into your pho. Submerge them along with any rare pieces of beef. De-stem about 10 basil leaves and add to the bowl along with any fresh chilies if you are game.

3. Prepare your dipping sauce – Combine ½ hoisin sauce and ½ sriracha sauce into a small saucer.

4. Enjoy your pho – Mix all the ingredients in the bowl. Pick up pieces of meat with a piece of basil or chili and dip into the hoisin/sriracha mixture. Eat. Sip the broth in between eating the noodles and the meat.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Remembrances of Sundays Past: Chicken and Dumplings

My death row meal could possibly be Chicken and Dumplings – with the dumplings being big squares, rolled thinly and cooked in the chicken broth remaining from boiling a chicken. In a perfect world, the chicken would be a stewing hen (meaning an older chicken that would benefit from the long cooking). Unfortunately, for most of us, the days of easily obtaining a stewing hen have past. We are relegated to a few options at our local grocery store. Do not despair, good results can still be obtained. Click here here for a recipe that should do the trick!

The accompaniments of this dish usually included coleslaw, perhaps a succotash made with fresh lima beans, white corn, butter and milk and possibly a gelatin-based salad involving carrots, pineapple and orange jello. I know jello salads are not trendy anymore and I’m not advocating for re-igniting that trend, but I do have a soft spot for this recipe.

I don’t remember a specific dessert but I do remember a rather unusual one that we might have had – Fruit Cocktail ice cream. I remember this being quite good – who would think that they bits of canned fruit could be so delightful in ice cream? Click here for a version that is very similar.


This Chicken and Dumplings meal was typically served with quite a few people around the table and it was universally loved. This was many years ago now…I wonder when was that last time? I assure you I did not know then that something that seemed so commonplace, something I participated in countless times would one day become remembered with nostalgia.

As an adult, I’ve made this dish for friends on occasion and each time it translated as being special. Sometimes someone will even ask me, “Have you made chicken and dumplings for so-and-so yet?”

At the end of the day, this is a special dish, but more special is creating memories with those that you love. Sunday is a great day for making memories for you and yours. If you are looking for a springboard, a big pot of Chicken and Dumplings is a good place to start.

Food & Kisses, GiGi

Hungarian wine traditions ....And the whole "fish soup party" thing

Ok - so one of my passions is wine - I do some interesting stuff with it (including something called The Women's Wine & Dine) - there's a blog for that too.

In fact - I was motivated by my participation in a Fish Soup Party yesterday to post specifically about Hungarian wine - if interested in reading about that - click here.

Anyway - this is a post focusing on the food aspect of things. Hungarians like to eat & drink (preferably in large quantities) - and that's one of the reasons I've wholeheartedly embraced this culture since dating a Hungarian native...

In fact - cooking is considered a very "manly" thing and Fish Soup (or Halászlé) as it's called in Hungarian is really good stuff (when it's well made). My guy happens to be a "Fish Soup God" - which means he catches the fish (on average 30+ lbs of it in a given catch), he cleans the fish, he cooks the soup.

The soup is prepared traditionally over open flame and requires deft seasoning & proper care