Daily Candy’s Deal of the Week is one of my favorite cleaning products.
1. Because it doesn’t contain chemicals and
2. They’ve got great packaging and
3. Because Mrs. Meyer and I share the same last name!
To get the discount, enter “CLEANDEAL” at checkout.
In case you haven’t caught on yet, I’m a total sucker when it comes to Southen food. My husband keeps telling me he thinks I’m a Southerner stuck in a New Englander’s body. 3 Bar and Grill now has a great new menu filled with Southern specialties like hush puppies served with maple bourbon mustard dipping sauce, fried green tomatoes with goat cheese and Creole remoulade, oyster po’ boy served with lemon cayenne aioli and chips and fried chicken and waffles. Executive Chef Brian Robinson actually used to work at Georgia Brown’s so he knows what he’s doing when it comes to Southern cuisine! We snagged a few minutes of his time to ask the usual questions.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
Either the smoker or my new cheese knife.
What is the most overrated food/technique in restaurants today?
Filet Mignon is far and away the most overrated food, ever. Expensive, tender, but no real flavor.
If you were to open a restaurant with a different type of cuisine than what you are cooking now, what would it be?
A seafood restaurant with Asian flavors.
What is your favorite local product or purveyor to work with?
Babes in the Woods, a small pig farm in southern Virginia. The pork is fantastic and Bill Jones, the pig farmer, is a great guy.
What is your biggest customer pet peeve?
Using the menu as a shopping list to create their own dish.
What do you drink/eat after work?
If I don’t go out and get a beer, it’s Gatorade and hot dogs at home on the couch.
What is your favorite thing to cook at home?
A nice juicy steak seared in a cast iron skillet.
5. – The Chicago Tribune 7 Tips to Cut Food Bill, but Not Flavor “How much of your family budget do you spend on food? The answer will vary from household to household, depending on such factors as income and family size. But on average, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we Americans spend a whopping 30 percent of our budgets on food.”
4. – The Boston Globe DIY Cookbooks “Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton have all the skills between them to publish their own cookbooks. Hirsheimer (she’s a she) was a founder of Saveur magazine, has written a number of books, and shoots food photos for Jacques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, Mario Batali, and Rick Bayless. Melissa Hamilton is a chef, food stylist, and recipe developer.”
3. – The LA Times Writing a New Chapter in Napa’s Rebirth “What’s a town gotta do to gain some cachet? The city of Napa has new homes, new hotels, new shops and new restaurants. The once-neglected river that runs through town has been reclaimed, historic buildings have been restored, and developers have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into downtown. Even though it’s not nestled amid vineyards and the main street into downtown is lined with shopping centers and car dealerships, a year ago the valley’s namesake city (long considered the poor stepsister to Yountville and St. Helena) was being touted as a destination in its own right.”
2. – The NY Times What to do about the leftovers? “We think of leftovers with special frequency during a recession because they represent our efforts to be economical. Frugality may be a virtue, but there is no denying that when it comes to leftovers, people get a little nutty. That some foods, but not all foods, are more flavorsome the day after they’re made doesn’t seem to simplify matters. As Ms. Abu-Jaber put it: “Lots of dishes improve with time, and leftovers can be the sweetest sort of offering. They imply that you share a home-style friendship, that you aren’t company, but family. But sometimes leftovers are just that — the stuff no one wanted to eat the first time around.””
1. – The Washington Post A Chef’s Roots, In Every Jar “The first thing Stefano Frigerio does when he makes jam, before he even starts to cook, is taste. He takes a bite of a strawberry, deems it on the tart side and knows what he will do: Increase the sugar. The same goes for the apricots, the figs, the peaches. The only way he can be sure to get the right balance of sweetness and fruit in a jam is to trust his palate.”
comic from The NY Times
There’s often so much focus on MEAT when we talk about grilling and I thought a little primer on grilling vegetables was in order. Here’s my general rules for prepping and cooking the good stuff over a hot fire.
Red, Yellow and Green Bell Peppers – Grill the peppers over high heat until charred all over, about 12-15 minutes. Then place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for ten minutes, then rub off the charred skin with a paper towel. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds.
Mushrooms - Begin by trimming off just the bottom of the stem and brushing them free of any loose dirt. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until tender and slight wrinkly on the outside, about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash - Cut into 1/4″ wide slices. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat until tender and grill marks appear, about 6-8 minutes.
Scallions - Begin by trimming off the root ends. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high until tender, about 4 minutes.
Eggplant - Halve lengthwise and and cut into 1″ to 1 1/2″ chunks. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat, covered until soft, 5-8 minutes.
Potatoes – Cut into 1/2″ wedges and precook by steaming for 10-15 minutes or just until tender. Let cool. Then brush with olive oil and and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until grill marks appear, about 8-10 minutes.
For the Fourth of July this past weekend and my sister’s suprise engagement I whipped up this giant strawberry shortcake (big enough for 30 people) with a little help from Bisquick. Generally I don’t cheat and use baking mixes or the like when preparing food, but since it was the holiday weekend, I was in someone else’s kitchen and it was for so many people I did it… I used Bisquick and I’ve got to tell you – It was delicious!
I used two 12 inch cake pans to make this monsterous dessert. Here’s the recipe.
Giant Strawberry Shortcake (cheating with Bisquick)
14 cups Bisquick mix
3 cups milk
36 tbsp sugar
36 tbsp butter, melted
The June Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart… er… pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800’s in England.
Bakewell tarts…er…puddings combine a number of dessert elements but still let you show off your area’s seasonal fruits.
Like many regional dishes there’s no “one way” to make a Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding, but most of today’s versions fall within one of two types. The first is the “pudding” where a layer of jam is covered by an almondy pastry cream and baked in puff pastry. The second is the “tart” where a rich shortcrust pastry holds jam and an almondy sponge cake-like filling.
The version we’re daring you to make is a combination of the two: a sweet almond-flavored shortcrust pastry, frangipane and jam.
Recipe after the jump. Keep reading →
5. – The Chicago Tribune Cooking with Kass “The Tribune star arrived as any star should, accompanied by an assistant, a cameraman and a six-pack of beer. I assumed all the extra beer was there to quell any flare-ups in the charcoal grill Kass had hauled out onto the Tribune’s 22nd-floor balcony. I noted approvingly that he donned a chef’s white coat and used hardwood charcoal.”
4. – The Philadelphia Inquirer Tuna, packed in questions “Think Southern-fried chicken, and chances are the next words that come to mind are “secret herbs and spices.’’ To me, that’s Southern-fried baloney. Prolonged immersion in very hot grease is not a method that coaxes out bouquet; the only elements likely to survive are garlic and cayenne. But spicing aside, the sine qua non of good fried chicken certainly is the crust, the best being a simply seasoned flour- or cornmeal-based coating delicately but thoroughly welded to the skin in a crisp, delicious synthesis.”
3. – The LA Times The Sweet Dream Team “Slap a generous scoop of ice cream between two cookies, tidy up the edges and pop the whole thing in the freezer until it firms up. How difficult can it really be to make a great ice cream sandwich? The ice cream is easy. You can really let your imagination go, as far as flavors are concerned, though you’ll be better off choosing premium brands — they tend to freeze more solidly than less expensive types, which often contain stabilizers.”
2. – The NY Times Turf War at the Hotdog Cart “In four weeks of business, the couple has been threatened at the depot where they park the truck; cursed by a gyro vendor who said that he would set their truck on fire; told to stay off every corner in Midtown by ice cream truck drivers; and approached by countless others with advice — both friendly and menacing — on how to get along on the streets.”
1. – The Washington Post Fried Chicken Four Ways for the Fourth “For every reason you can come up with not to make fried chicken, there’s one that can’t be denied: It tastes great, especially when served alfresco in the summer. To hit the trifecta of tenderness, crunch and temperature, you’ve got to fry it at home. Some people make it better than others, of course, which sent us searching for finer points on how to do that.”
photo from The LA Times
According to my husband, it’s with homemade fried chicken that one can steal a man’s heart. After a month of eating out in St. Louis while thinking about this incredible meal that we had at Jackson 20 (see photo), he came home on Friday, begging for a dinner of nothing but fried chicken.
Here’s my how to…
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
4 tbsp Kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
2-3 pounds of chicken drumsticks and thighs
3 cups nonfat buttermilk
3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Oil for frying (I like to throw some bacon fat in the mix)
YAHOO! It’s finally here!
9 am – 1 pm in the Hardy Middle School parking lot (Wisconsin at 34th Street NW), across from Social Safeway (under construction)
You’ll be able to find fruit, vegetables, eggs, baked goods, and other fine local products from:
Black Rock Orchard
Bonaparte Breads
Derick’s Orchard
Gardener’s Gourmet
Hondo Coffee
Smallwood’s Veggieporium
Smith Meadows Meats and Pastas
Toigo Orchards
Westmoreland Produce
Wheatland Natural
With the heat of summer upon us, there’s not much better than cool, refreshing cocktail to bring the work day to a close. While in sweltering Kansas City this past weekend, we settled into the bar at Pot Pie (which is charming and has a well stocked bar, btw) after a long day in the sun. When the bartender swaggered over to satiate our palates while we waited for our table, I insisted our friends try my cool-as-a -cucumber Hendricks g and t. I’ve been a fan for a while, but still, every time I bring my lips to the glass for the first sip of this delightful beverage, I am, once again, hooked. Give it a try – I dare you – and 5:00 might just begin to come earlier…
