tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30643032024-02-20T00:12:00.526-06:00bitespotEat. Drink. Learn.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-75583704899105315592008-09-21T18:26:00.006-05:002008-09-21T20:37:05.919-05:00Happy Mabon!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/SNb1NUJAinI/AAAAAAAAALo/qU1aGSFOadY/s1600-h/veggies2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/SNb1NUJAinI/AAAAAAAAALo/qU1aGSFOadY/s400/veggies2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248652024840489586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Veggies from the garden, along with a capri salad made with my own cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.</span><br /><br />Tomorrow is the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of Fall, and also the pagan holiday of Mabon. I love this time of year, when the leaves are changing and the air is crisp, and I have the urge to spend a lot more time in the kitchen.<br /><br />Mabon marks the end of the grain harvest, and much like Thanksgiving, is a time for celebrating the fruits of our labor, both literally and figuratively. As I mentioned in my last post (much too long ago, I know), this year was my first attempt at a vegetable garden, so for the first time I have my own little harvest to celebrate.<br /><br />I ended up getting a lead test through <a href="http://www.algreatlakes.com/cus_soi.asp">A&L Great Lakes Laboratories</a>, and the process was very easy. I took a few different soil samples from different parts of the garden area, put it into a plastic bag and mailed it to them along with a form downloaded from their website and a check for around $40 (I got the extended test to analyze the soil composition -- the lead test by itself was around $20). They sent me back a detailed analysis that told me that my soil was okay (barely) for growing plants where the fruit would be eaten, but not the leaves. So the tomatoes and peppers were okay, the herbs needed to go into containers. So that's what I did, and it all worked out very well. I've had an abundance of standard and cherry tomatoes, bell and jalapeno peppers, as well as all the cooking herbs I tend to use most often.<br /><br />I've enjoyed the garden so much that I plan to kick it up a notch next year. I plan to put in a raised bed, buy some tomato cages (the stakes just weren't enough) and experiment with some additional vegetables and herbs. I wasn't able to get the composter and rain barrel this year, so I plan to do that next year as well (I found out that you can get them through the <a href="http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@1238686127.1222041954@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccfadefemllgfjcefecelldffhdfho.0&contentOID=536925773&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&blockName=Environment%2FWater+Conservation+with+Rain+Barrels%2FI+Want+To&context=dept&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Environment&deptMainCategoryOID=-536887205">City of Chicago</a>, so I may do that).<br /><br />I also plan to try and hang and dry some of my herbs in our pantry, and I'm going to try to keep my herbs growing inside through the winter. My two cats are the biggest obstacle to this -- the only good place for herbs is the kitchen window, and keeping the cats from getting up there and eating them is going to be a challenge. But it's been so nice to have fresh herbs always on hand (and free!) that I don't want to give it up. I'll try and keep up with the reporting as I go along.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-24381549245913480002008-04-22T23:59:00.000-05:002008-04-23T00:27:41.344-05:00HAPPY EARTH DAY!<br /><br />One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to attempt to leave a smaller footprint. I've been meaning to write about that for a while now, and Earth Day inspired me to get to typing. <br /><br />Chicago seems to be a <a title="relatively environmental city" href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1193833,00.html" id="l7sd">relatively environmental city</a> on a governmental level -- we've got the <a title="hydrogen buses" href="http://transitchicago.com/news/whatsnew2.wu?action=displaynewspostingdetail&articleid=128629" id="xsw6">hydrogen buses</a>, the <a title="rooftop gardens" href="http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&contentOID=536912065&topChannelName=HomePage" id="ac1q">rooftop gardens</a>, lovely parks, a preserved lakefront (<a title="no museum please!" href="http://www.savegrantpark.com/" id="hf2m">no museum please!</a> ) and some really great resources for bicycling. However, the blue bag recycling program has always been something of a joke, and I don't feel there's been much effort to educate Chicago residents as to what to recycle and how. We now have <a title="blue "carts"" href="http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalEntityHomeAction.do?entityName=Recycling+Chicago&entityNameEnumValue=148" id="nu6i">blue "carts"</a> that are specifically for recycling placed beside the regular trash cans in some neighborhoods (including ours), and there seems to be some effort being made to make sure that what goes in those bins actually gets sorted and recycled. That wasn't really the case with the blue bags. The bins just kind of showed up one day, though, and I still had to go and figure out what was okay to put into them. Which I resolved to do, and have, and I've also attempted to cut down on buying throw-away products. I have a nalgene water bottle and a coffee thermos, and I try to use those instead of buying out (although I've recently relapsed into buying Dunkin Donuts coffee in the mornings), and I carry canvas bags in the back of my car to use instead of plastic bags when grocery shopping (the <a title="islands of plastic" href="http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm" id="ub-6">islands of plastic</a> that are floating around out in the ocean really freak me out). For more information about what to recycle and where, I found the article <a title="How to Recycle Practically Anything" href="http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3172" id="ngfl">How to Recycle Practically Anything</a> a good starting point. <br /><br />As far as what I'm doing in the kitchen, this year I'm making my first attempt at a vegetable garden. We live on a first floor and have access to a large (by urban standards) back yard. A couple of years ago my friend and I dug out a gardening patch, and I've half-heartedly attempted to keep it up. It's gone from pretty to completely overgrown a few times over now. I know nothing about gardening, but I'll have (in theory) a little more time to think about it this summer and I hope that planting vegetables and herbs I can actually use will hold my interest more than planting flowers. <br /><br />I've been spending some time researching online and have a basic plan. I figured out our Zone (5) and got some idea of what I can plant from <a title="Burpee" href="http://www.burpee.com/" id="inrj">Burpee</a> and <a title="Gardeners" href="http://www.gardeners.com/" id="h_bn">Gardeners</a>. Burpee was a really good resource for figuring out whether to start seeds indoors or sow them directly into the ground (although at this point I'm going with plants -- I guess I'm a little late in the game for starting from seed). It also lists expected growing times and plant height, and it has a wish list feature that I found handy. I was able to figure out which plants go well together using this <a title="List of Companion Plants" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants" id="qmpc">List of Companion Plants</a> on Wikipedia. I plan to do some additional research on the individuals plants (I've already done a bit on <a title="tomatoes" href="http://www.tomatogardeningtips.com/" id="gw33">tomatoes</a>) and I hope to update here as I learn. This past Sunday I spent the day clearing out last year's leftover overgrown mess (with the help of the two kids who live upstairs) and putting in some edging. I would have liked to have created a <a title="raised garden bed" href="http://www.raisedbedgardeningtips.com/index.htm" id="u78u">raised garden bed</a>, but it seemed like purchasing a kit for a garden this big was going to be too expensive. This weekend I plan to head to Gethsemane and pick up a tester to test the soil for pH balance, and I'm also trying to figure out how to get it tested for lead. If all's well, the next step is to buy plants. If the lead content is too high, I'll have to plant into containers instead of directly into the ground. We'll just see how it goes!Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-559666733742714872008-03-12T21:30:00.006-05:002008-03-12T21:44:27.212-05:00Can I Have a Napkin Please?Discovered via <a href="http://laughingsquid.com/food-court-musical-a-spontaneous-musical-in-a-mall/">Laughing Squid</a>, I thought this Food Court Musical was hilarious. I think the world really needs more spontaneous outbursts of song. This particular burst was organized by <a href="http://improveverywhere.com/">Improv Everywhere</a>.<br /><br /><object data="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.swf?mediaId=726498" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="revver72649812053757322769175" height="337" width="425"><param name="Movie" value="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.swf?mediaId=726498"><param name="FlashVars" value="allowFullScreen=true"><param name="AllowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="AllowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://flash.revver.com/player/1.0/player.swf?mediaId=726498" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="allowFullScreen=true" allowfullscreen="true" height="392" width="480"></embed></object>Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-2276346389229158672008-02-14T00:57:00.006-06:002008-04-23T00:30:53.331-05:00Ninja Cream Puff<span style="font-weight: bold;">"If a Ninja could be a food, what food would it be?</span><br /><br />A cream puff. A very deadly cream puff. Maybe the pastry, it has very sharp angles on it, and the cream that's inside is poison. The powdered sugar is actually, um, powdered swords. That's a pretty deadly food right there. I wouldn't mind being that food. Would not want to eat one, though."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ask A Ninja Classic: Question 17, Omnibus</span><br /><br />(At the very, very end.)<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HD404yabqZU&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HD404yabqZU&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-28286636278880054412008-02-04T19:09:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:56:03.413-06:00DIY Dinner via WiredScience<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R6fEOrvGSTI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/mFHt77YEA_U/s1600-h/elements.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R6fEOrvGSTI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/mFHt77YEA_U/s320/elements.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163311254341044530" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.dcduby.com/main/">DC Duby Wild Sweets</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span></span><br /><br />I'm not much of a DIY girl, but I received a tweet from <a href="http://twitter.com/WIREDScience">WiredScience</a> linking to a blog post called <a href="http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/blogs/2008/02/diy-dinner.html">DIY Dinner</a> and the 'Dinner' bit prompted me to go check it out. Thankfully so, as it contained a fascinating set of links to molecular gastronomy resources that I'd never heard of. The highlights:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.khymos.org/">Kymos.org</a>, with it's PDF collection of <a href="http://khymos.org/hydrocolloid-recipe-collection-v1.pdf">Hydrocolloid Recipes</a> such as Pomegranate and Vodka Fluid Gel, Frozen Parmesan Air and Spherical Tea Ravioli. In addition, upon delving a bit into the Kymos <a href="http://blog.khymos.org/">blog</a>, I found a link to the beautiful as well as informative <a href="http://www.foodpairing.be/">Foodpairing</a> site.<br /><a href="http://www.dcduby.com/main/"><br />DC Duby Wild Sweets</a>, a somewhat difficult-to-navigate but nontheless interesting site where you can purchase a variety of high-end scientific sweets (<a href="http://www.dcduby.com/boutique/index.php?collection=drink%20kits">Pinot Noir Hot Ganache & Strawberry Praline Pearls</a> for me, please!) as well a "complete line of culinary elements" that you can purchase to spherify, densify and gelify your food (recipes available on the site).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.kopykake.com/EpsonInks.html">Kopykake Edible Ink</a> for Epson printers, which will enable you to make like <a href="http://dine-online.co.uk/foodie/chef-homaro-cantu-of-moto-restaurant-the-food-replicator-printer/">Cantu</a> in your own kitchen. Say good-bye to that hot oven, toss the methyl cellulose, and just chow down on pictures of your food!Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-82074350977686567482008-01-20T22:16:00.001-06:002008-12-09T00:56:03.557-06:00Saturday Night: Fish!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R5Qduk0oyaI/AAAAAAAAAGc/mjFGNKqfCA8/s1600-h/kona_kampachi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R5Qduk0oyaI/AAAAAAAAAGc/mjFGNKqfCA8/s400/kona_kampachi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157780159241701794" border="0" /></a><br />Some girls spend their Saturday nights out: dinner and a movie, drinks and dancing. I often spend my Saturday night experimenting with food while listening to my favorite podcasts. For example, last Saturday was spent up to my ears in fish viscera while being entertained by <a href="http://twit.tv/mbw">MacBreak Weekly</a>, <a href="http://girlsgonegeek.tv/">Girls Gone Geek</a> and <a href="http://gspn.tv/">Generally Speaking</a>. Fun, right?<br /><br />Actually, it was.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a marketing agent for <a href="http://www.kona-blue.com/">Kona Blue</a> and asked if I would like a sample of <a href="http://gourmetsleuth.com/equivalents_substitutions.asp?index=K&tid=2606">Kona Kampachi</a> to try and, only if I wished, write about. I agreed, saying that I'd love to try it and would be happy to write about it as long as I genuinely liked it. I had the choice of receiving the fish whole, cleaned or filleted, and as I'd never worked with a whole fish before, I decided the take the more adventurous route.<br /><br />I did some research on cleaning fish in my reference books, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Textbook-Culinary-Fundamentals-only/dp/0131713272/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201388626&sr=8-1">On Cooking</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Chef-Culinary-Institute-America/dp/0764557343/ref=pd_bbs_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201388626&sr=8-4">The Professional Chef</a>, and found resources online from <a href="http://www.cutlery.com/filletb.shtml">Cooking Enthusiast</a> and <a href="http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/Filleting-Your-Fish.id-374.html">Dummies.com</a>. Then I jumped right in, rather clumsily and making a fairly big mess, and ended with two notably uneven fillets (the second side went more smoothly than the first). I'm sure I left a shameful amount of fish on the bone, but I froze the the head and bones to make fish stock at a later date.<br /><br />It seems, from <a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/260297_konafish22.html">what I've read online</a>, that Kona Kampachi is especially tasty raw, but I'm still not comfortable enough with raw food preparation to attempt sashimi in my home kitchen. I decided to pan sear it, since that's the method that I'm most comfortable with, with just some salt and pepper so that I wouldn't be getting anything but the full flavor of the fish. I cooked half leaving the skin on and half skinned, and preferred the skin on. A trick to this is to remove the skin after the fish is cooked and continue to crisp it up a bit in the pan.<br /><br />The fish was delicious—moist and full of flavor. Kona Kampachi has a 30 percent fat content, which makes it tasty and hard to overcook (my initial cooking was on the rare side, but I actually preferred it medium). It also makes it a good source of Omega 3's, so it's also a healthy choice. I'd like to try it again, and next time I may steam it.<br /><br />If you'd like to try Kona Kampachi but your local restaurants aren't serving it yet (it only recently reached the Chicago market), you can order it online directly from <http: com="" php="">Kona Blue, or find it at Whole Foods. If you're in the Chicago area but would prefer to try Kona Kampachi at home, you can find it at <a href="http://www.dirksfish.com/dirks/whatsnew.htm">Dirk's</a> (it's currently listed at one of Dirk's favorites).<br /></http:>Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-80455240375856338002008-01-06T23:14:00.002-06:002008-12-09T00:56:03.799-06:00Winter Borscht<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R5v2c7vGSNI/AAAAAAAAAHA/FUNVGRxb8Ww/s1600-h/borscht.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R5v2c7vGSNI/AAAAAAAAAHA/FUNVGRxb8Ww/s200/borscht.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159988775015041234" border="0" /></a>This recipe, adapted from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Cookbook-Katzens-Classic-Cooking/dp/1580081304/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199682991&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">New Moosewood Cookbook</span></a>, is one of my favorite winter soups. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht">Borscht</a> is a traditional Eastern European dish, and there are many variations. This version comes from the Russian tradition, where beets, cabbage and tomatoes are standard. Beef stock, as well as the addition of beef or sausage, would probably be the more authentic, but I like to use chicken stock and I don't add meat. You could also use vegetable stock or just water for a vegetarian stew.<br /><br />The original recipe called for boiling the beets with the potatoes, but I thought that roasting them would provide more flavor. However, I really wanted to preserve the red color and wasn't sure that I would get the same results as boiling them and then using the cooking liquid. To keep the color, I rinsed the cooked beets (and the juices off the tin foil I roasted them in) in a bowl with some water (I used some of the cooking liquid from the potatoes, but cold water would be easier) and then peeled the beets over that bowl of water so that any juice would be retained. I then strained out the beet peelings and reserved the liquid for cooking. All of this is optional (it's a little messy). If you want to preserve the color without the extra work, boil the beets and use that liquid. Or you can roast them and peel them without reserving any liquid. It won't affect the flavor and you should still get some color. I just think that the intense red is pretty, and I like to extract flavor from anywhere that I can think of.<br /><br />I also used the reserved pot likker from my New Year's <a href="http://bitespot.blogspot.com/2008/01/happy-new-year.html">collard greens</a> as part of the cooking liquid, and that worked out well.<br /><br />This soup is great for a warming but light weeknight meal, served with some hearty bread (or in my case, leftover cornbread).<br /><br />WINTER BORSCHT<br /><br />3 medium russet potatoes<br />3 large beets<br />4 cups liquid, (chicken stock, beef stock, or water)<br />1 Tablespoon oil or butter<br />1 medium onion, medium dice<br />2 Tablespoons cider vinegar<br />1 teaspoon caraway seeds<br />2 stalks celery, chopped<br />1 medium carrot, chopped<br />1 half small cabbage<br />1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, chopped<br />1 teaspoon dill<br />1 Tablespoon brown sugar or honey<br />1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste<br />lemon juice or a little more cider vinegar, to taste<br />salt and pepper , to taste<br />sour cream or yogurt, for garnish<br />dill, fresh or dried for garnish<br /><br />Preheat oven to 450 degrees.<br /><br />Wrap beets in foil and roast for one hour or until tender. Cool with cold water (reserving liquid to preserve color if desired.) Remove skins (over bowl to reserve liquid if desired). Chop into bite-sized pieces.<br /><br />Peel potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place in a pot and and cover with cold water. Add salt and cook over medium heat until tender (approximate 20 to 30 minutes).<br /><br />Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onion and saute until translucent.<br /><br />Add cider vinegar and saute to au sec (almost dry). Add caraway seeds, celery, carrots and cabbage, plus 2 cups of the liquid (including reserved beet liquid if using). Cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender (10-15 minutes).<br /><br />Add the tomatoes, dill, brown sugar or honey, beets and potatoes. Cover and simmer for at least 15 more minutes.<br /><br />Add Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.<br /><br />Serve hot, topped with sour cream or yogurt and dill.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-89770105506072613582008-01-02T00:11:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:56:03.951-06:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R3w-b00oyVI/AAAAAAAAAF0/6RC45eyEfCA/s1600-h/hoppin_john.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R3w-b00oyVI/AAAAAAAAAF0/6RC45eyEfCA/s200/hoppin_john.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5151060721561815378" border="0" /></a>Growing up in North Carolina, we always ate black-eyed peas and greens at my grandmother's house on New Year's Day. We moved to Wisconsin when I was 10, and I don't remember if my mom continued the tradition for a while but at some point it stopped and I forgot about it. As I got older and more interested in cooking and food history, I remembered and decided to return to this tradition.<br /><br />Now, every year I make Hoppin' John, collard greens and cornbread on New Year's Day. Hoppin' John, at its most basic, is a mixture of black-eyed peas (or in some traditions, field peas) and rice. According to <a href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/HoppinJohn.htm">this history</a>, the dish is primarily associated with the Carolinas, but can be found in Georgia as well and, I believe, Louisiana. The dish is thought to have Caribbean roots, and was most likely created on Southern plantations by slaves originating from that area. According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoppin%27_John">Wikipedia,</a> the dish dates back to at least 1847, when it was published in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carolina-Housewife-Sarah-Rutledge/dp/0872493830/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199313389&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Carolina Housewife</span></a> by Sarah Rutledge. The black-eyed peas in the dish are thought to bring luck and money (the black "eyes" of the peas resemble coins) and the greens are thought to add an extra financial boost. I like to say that we eat Hoppin' John for luck, collard greens for money and cornbread because it's good.<br /><br />I stole this year's recipe from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_9900,00.html">Emeril</a>, so it has a bit of a Cajun influence. It starts with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajun_cuisine">Cajun trinity</a>, onions, celery and bell pepper, and incorporates cayenne, which I substituted with a Cajun spice blend. I think Hoppin' John was originally flavored with bacon, and while I used bacon fat to start both the beans and the greens, I used a ham hock as the main flavoring in both. To make these dishes meat-free, you could substitute <a href="http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/spanish-smoked-sweet-paprika-pimenton-de-la-vera-dulce">smoked paprika</a> to get that smokey flavor.<br /><br />So far, I don't know that making these dishes on New Year's has made me any richer, but it's fun and makes for a good hearty meal on a chilly January day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">HOPPIN' JOHN</span><br /><br />1 Tablespoon bacon fat, or vegetable oil<br />1 large ham hock<br />1 cup onion, medium dice<br />½ cup celery, medium dice<br />½ cup green pepper, medium dice<br />1 tablespoon garlic, chopped<br />1 tablespoon cider vinegar<br />1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed<br />1 quart chicken stock<br />1 bay leaf<br />1 teaspoon thyme<br />1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning, or to taste<br />Salt and pepper, to taste<br />¼ cup green onion, chopped for garnish<br />¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped for garnish<br />3 cups white rice, pilaf or steamed<br /><br />Heat fat in a large soup pot and sear ham hock on all sides (approx 4 minutes).<br /><br />Add the onion, celery, green pepper and saute for approximately 4 minutes.<br /><br />Add garlic, saute until fragrant.<br /><br />Add vinegar and reduce to au sec (almost dry).<br /><br />Add black-eyed peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme and Cajun Seasoning.<br /><br />Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes or until the peas are creamy and tender. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock.<br /><br />Adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also chop up the meat from the ham hock to add to the dish if you like.<br /><br />Garnish with green onions and red pepper. Serve over rice.<br /><br />---<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">COLLARD GREENS</span><br /><br />1 Tablespoon bacon fat, or vegetable oil<br />1 medium onion, medium dice<br />2 cloves garlic, chopped<br />1 Tablespoon cider vinegar<br />1 quart chicken stock, or water<br />salt and pepper , to taste<br />pepper vinegar (or cider or white wine vinegar and tabasco), to taste for garnish<br /><br />In a large soup pot add bacon fat or oil, then sear ham hock on all sides (approx 4 minutes).<br /><br />Add onion and saute until translucent.<br /><br />Add garlic and saute until fragrant.<br /><br />Add vinegar and reduce to au sec (almost dry).<br /><br />Add stock or water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.<br /><br />Gradually add greens to pot, allowing time between additions to allow them to soften into the liquid.<br /><br />Return to a simmer over low heat and cook until tender, approximately 55 minutes.<br /><br />Season to taste and serve with pepper vinegar or vinegar (cider or white wine) and tabasco. You can also chop up the meat from the ham hock to add to the dish if you like.<br /><br />You can serve a bit of the liquid, called 'pot likker,' as a dip for cornbread. You can also reserve the liquid to add to a future batch of greens, or add it to an appropriate soup (freeze it if you won't use it right away).Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-82464460803127782712008-01-01T22:48:00.000-06:002008-12-09T00:56:04.054-06:00Red Velvet Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R3sqOE0oyTI/AAAAAAAAAFg/q1e_o9dLAu0/s1600-h/red_velvet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/R3sqOE0oyTI/AAAAAAAAAFg/q1e_o9dLAu0/s200/red_velvet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5150757020129347890" border="0" /></a>After a long hiatus (no good excuse really, just busy), I hope to be a little better about updating in 2008.<br /><br />I'm just now returning to the real world after a wonderful holiday. I love the Christmas season—I think it may be my favorite time of year. I can even appreciate winter and snow when it's part of Christmas (past January, though, I could really do without it).<br /><br />My boyfriend and I always spend the Yuletide season with my mom and stepdad. My mom is a fabulous cook and the house is always filled with good things to eat, things much too good to turn down, and I tend to eat myself silly. I currently feel like a little stuffed sausage, and at least 25% of my wardrobe doesn't fit. Ah well, but it was fun.<br /><br />One of our traditional family desserts at Christmas is Red Velvet Cake, and it's been my favorite Christmas dessert for as long as I can remember. My mom's is still better than mine, although I watched her this year and realized she was doing a lot more mixing than I was. I made the cake pictured above as a post-Christmas treat for my dad, but I haven't heard back yet as to how it turned out.<br /><br />My mom has said that this recipe was published in a North Carolina paper years ago. I'm not sure whether it was first adopted by my mom or my grandmother, but I'm guessing it was my mom.<br /><br />No one seems to be quite sure where Red Velvet Cake comes from. It's generally considered a Southern recipe, although it was a signature dessert at the Waldorf-Astoria in the 1920's (though they, too, called it a Southern dessert). This <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/dining/14velv.html?ex=1329109200&en=30b25927180258c1&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss">New York Times article</a> from February '07 gives a great overview of the history. They surmise that the cake may have evolved from the practice of adding beets to chocolate cake to enhance color, or from the fact that the cocoa powder used before Dutch process cocoa became standard created a reddish color that people felt the need to replace (that reddish hue may have been the origin of the name 'Devil's Food' as well).<br /><br />The cake recipe the article lists is similar but different, and the frosting (from the Waldorf-Astoria recipe) is completely different. I may give it a try for a post-holiday dinner that a friend of mine is throwing. I like our frosting recipe, but I wouldn't mind lightening up the texture of the cake a bit (it's a very dense) if I could do it without changing the overall flavor.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">RED VELVET CAKE</span><br /><br />2.5 cups all purpose white flour<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />1 tablespoon cocoa<br />1.5 cups sugar<br />2 cups oil<br />2 large eggs, lightly beaten<br />1 cup buttermilk<br />1 teaspoon vinegar<br />2 ounces red food coloring<br />1 teaspoon vanilla<br />1 recipe cream cheese frosting (below)<br />1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped<br /><br /><br />Preheat oven: 350 degrees.<br /><br />Prepare 2 9" cake pans with butter and flour.<br /><br />Sift dry ingredients and set aside.<br /><br />Cream sugar and oil.<br /><br />Add eggs and beat well.<br /><br />Add dry ingredients alternatively with buttermilk in 3 additions, mixing well inbetween.<br /><br />Add buttermilk.<br /><br />Mix vinegar, food coloring and vanilla. Add to batter and mix well.<br /><br />Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set.<br /><br />Cool, then frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with toasted pecans.<br /><br />---<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">CREAM CHEESE FROSTING</span><br /><br />8 ounces cream cheese, softened<br />2 ounces butter, softened<br />16 ounces powdered sugar<br />1 teaspoon vanilla<br /><br /><br />Mix together cream cheese and butter.<br /><br />Add powered sugar a little at a time until well blended.<br /><br />Add vanilla and mix well.<br /><br />Frost cake!Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-32047085740784810502007-08-14T10:43:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:56:04.213-06:00Recipe: Earl Grey Brownies With Lavender Honey Ganache<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RsHQgRE3_QI/AAAAAAAAAEw/t89amIgtfLM/s1600-h/brownie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RsHQgRE3_QI/AAAAAAAAAEw/t89amIgtfLM/s200/brownie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098585505918352642" border="0" /></a>This was my first <a href="http://www.bakespace.com/">Bakespace</a> recipe submission in response to the Baker's Edge <a href="http://www.bakespace.com/_lib/promos/bakers-edge/">brownie contest</a>. I didn't win anything, but it was really just for fun. It's an original recipe, so it's experimental. I tweaked it a bit after testing—I thought the flavors weren't quite strong enough and that it was a little overly dense—but I haven't tested it again. I think the crystallized lavender is really what adds the most interest, although I originally added it just for the visual.<br /><br />6 oz. bittersweet chocolate<br />6 oz. unsalted butter (1.5 sticks, cut into quarters)<br />6 oz. eggs (4 large)<br />13.5 oz. granulated sugar (1.75 cups)<br />1 Tbsp. vanilla extract<br />3 Tbsp. looseleaf Earl Grey tea, ground in a coffee grinder<br />5 oz. cake flour (1.25 cups)<br />3/4 tsp. baking powder<br />1/2 tsp. salt<br /><br />1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray or butter pan.<br /><br />2. Melt the chocolate with the butter over a double boiler.<br /><br />3. While the chocolate is melting, whip the eggs and sugar in a large mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment for 10 minutes.<br /><br />4. Combine Earl Grey powder, flour, baking powder and salt. Sift.<br /><br />5. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla to the eggs. Stir by hand to blend completely. Fold in the flour, mixing until just combined.<br /><br />6. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.<br /><br />7. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted tester comes out with just a few crumbs attached.<br /><br />8. Allow to cool, then add ganache and garnish with crystallized lavender (recipes below). Refrigerate.<br /><br />---<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lavender Honey Ganache</span><br /><br />2 oz. semisweet chocolate<br />2 oz. bittersweet chocolate<br />6 oz heavy cream<br />1/2 tsp. vanilla<br />2 Tbsp. honey<br />1 Tbsp. lavender<br /><br />1. Finely chop the chocolate into 1/4-inch pieces.<br /><br />2. Place the chocolate in a medium heat proof bowl.<br /><br />3. Place lavender flowers in the cream and scald. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and rewarm.<br /><br />4. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, stir gently in a circular motion, starting from the center of the bowl and working out to the sides. Be careful not to add too much air to the ganache. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and completely emulsified.<br /><br />5. Cool. Spread over brownies.<br /><br />---<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crystallized Lavender</span><br /><br />1 egg white (pasteurized, if desired)<br />1/4 cup lavender<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />food coloring (optional)<br /><br />1. Color sugar with food coloring, using fingers to spread color evenly. I divided the sugar and used both pink and lavender.<br /><br />2. Spread lavender onto a sheet pan covered with aluminum foil. Using a pastry brush, coat dried lavender with egg white. Spread sugar over lavender, mixing with fingers to coat evenly. Allow the lavender to dry.<br /><br />3. Stir lavender to remove clumps, and transfer to an airtight container.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-58940414259265368742007-08-14T10:01:00.001-05:002008-12-09T00:56:04.443-06:00Cooking 2.0: Bakespace.com<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RsHKthE3_NI/AAAAAAAAAEY/BSzQ2ydcKR4/s1600-h/bakespace_logo.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RsHKthE3_NI/AAAAAAAAAEY/BSzQ2ydcKR4/s400/bakespace_logo.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5098579136481852626" border="0" /></a>I'm a social networking junkie that will join up and check out almost any new site, although I generally create an account, look around, and never go back again unless I start to get messages from friends. I really only use <a href="http://twitter.com/BleuCaldwell">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=865170236">Facebook</a> on a regular basis, although I have a lot of friends on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/bleucaldwell">MySpace</a> and will answer messages and read blogs there. That said, a relatively new social networking site called <a href="http://www.bakespace.com/">Bakespace</a>, which is specifically for "cookers and cakers," has caught my attention and, more importantly, has managed to keep my attention.<br /><br />You can tell that Bakespace is a new endeavor—it's a little awkward to navigate and I find it to be a little less than user-friendly (although I think MySpace is a nightmare but people love it, so there you go). What's keeps me going back? I, of course, like the subject matter and while there are a gazillion great cooking forums, discussion lists, and recipes sites out there, this type of site seems to appeal to me more. I can search around for recipes, have a place to save them, and submit my own—which I can also do on, say, <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/">Epicuirous</a>, but I can also make friends and create a community, and Bakespace just seems friendlier for whatever reason. Maybe it's the cupcake logo—I can always be wooed with a cupcake.<br /><br />I also really like their <a href="http://www.bakespace.com/index.php?mode=newsletter">newsletter</a>, which I receive by email. They include recipes, tips, trivia and contests and again, while there are other sites that do this, Bakespace continually seems to draw me back to their site for more information. I've been wanting a centralized space to save all my recipes, and I think this might be it, especially if the site continues to evolve and grow. Check it out, and if you decide to stick around, <a href="http://www.bakespace.com/members/profile/bleu/10209/">add me as a friend</a>.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-49965319013246076122007-08-09T22:13:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:56:04.684-06:00Everything's Better with Bacon!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rrv-xhE3_II/AAAAAAAAADw/5X2jEUBdLxc/s1600-h/MosbaconBarPop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rrv-xhE3_II/AAAAAAAAADw/5X2jEUBdLxc/s320/MosbaconBarPop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096947529945709698" border="0" /></a>Well, maybe not everything. <a href="http://www.pastryscoop.com/miniscoop/thescoop_miniScoop_0605.html">Bacon desserts</a> have been popping up for a while now, but I wonder if the appearance of the <a href="http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/bacon_exotic_candy_bar/exotic_candy_bars">Vosges Bacon Exotic</a> candy bar is the official indicator that bacon craze has reached its peak. If you feel like celebrating the fact that during this <a href="http://bitespot.blogspot.com/2007/02/gung-hay-fat-choy.html">Year of the Pig</a>, the pig is still big (over a year ago Josh Friedland declared that "<a href="http://www.mathlete.com/portfolio/sites/NYTimes/t_l_2156_remix_turnpage_.html">the other white meat is the new black</a>."), check out the following:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://karagitz.blogspot.com/2005/09/chocolate-covered-bacon_28.html">Chocolate Covered Bacon</a>, a recipe to make it yourself if the Vosges is just too expensive (or if you just want to add sprinkles).<br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.slashfood.com/2006/08/06/bacon-ice-cream-is-an-udder-delight/">Memphis Barbecue and Bacon Ice Cream</a> from Delaware-based <a href="http://udderdelighticecreamhouse.com/">Udder Delight Ice Cream House</a> (sounds kind of icky, but the peanut butter and jelly ice creams sounds delish).<br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://http//www.chow.com/digest/1595">Bacon Brittle</a>, which doesn't sound so bad. It's reminiscent of Pig Candy, and I literally laughed out loud when I read Jonathan Gold's <a href="http://www.laweekly.com/eat+drink/ask-mr-gold/ask-mr-gold-what-is-pig-candy/12929/">description of Pig Candy</a> on the <span style="font-style: italic;">LA Weekly</span> site:<br /><br />"Pig candy has been a secret dinner-party hors d’oeuvre for years, and there has been a bit of an underground craze for the dish started in Washington, D.C. The only place I know to get it in Los Angeles is at Lou, a tiny, wonderful wine bar that just opened at the south end of Vine. Lou serves a pretty decent range of artisanal cheeses, the garlic-laced salamis of Seattle’s Armandino Batali, and slivers of Colonel Newsom’s legendary Kentucky ham, but on cool nights there may be nothing better than a plateful of pig candy and a glass of organic Cotes du Rhone."<br /><br />Huh. Secret dinner-party horsd'oeuvre? The only place he knows to get it is a wine bar? Here I thought you just put a bunch of bacon on a pan, cover it with brown sugar, throw it in the oven, and munch on it with a Diet Coke at 2am (I think the <a href="http://www.speakeasy.org/%7Esjmaks/bcb/">Bacon Cheese Baconburger</a> may be the male equivalent of this scenario). And I bet it was invented by a southern woman with PMS, not a fancy chef in D.C. Anyway, it's got to be good because the <a href="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A11130">Sweet Potato Queens</a> say it is.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://www.baconsalt.com/">Bacon Salt</a> from J&D's (Justin and Dave, “bacontrepeneurs”), which is vegetarian. I haven't tasted it, but the concept seems similar to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSMOKED-SALT-10-OZ-TIN%2Fdp%2FB0001WKPAC&tag=bitespot-20&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">smoked salt</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bitespot-20&l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" /> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTwo-Pack-Sweet-Smoked-Paprika-Vera%2Fdp%2FB000IMQ70C%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dgourmet-food%26qid%3D1186719399%26sr%3D1-2&tag=bitespot-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">smoky paprika</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bitespot-20&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;l=ur2&o=1" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1" />, both of which I love. These are great additions to anything you want to add a smoky depth to, and make great substitutes for bacon or ham hocks when you want to make a vegetarian (or just lighter) version of a dish that really needs that flavor. Amusingly, Justin Ozersky and Daniel Maurer of <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/07/bacon_has_jumped_the_shark.html">Grub Street</a> feel that the bacon salt is the point where this bacon fervor jumped the shark (and I loved J&D's <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/08/yes_bacon_has_jumped_the_shark.html">response</a>), but they're all about the bacon chocolate. I bet they eat their pig candy at wine bars, too.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://gratefulpalate.com/?p=Category_11">Bacon of the Month Club</a> from the Grateful Palate, where you receive a different artisanal bacon each month, along with a variety of bacon tchotskys. They also have a <a href="http://http//gratefulpalate.com/?p=MultiOption_13&parent=Category_36">Bacon Geek T-shirt</a>. Fun!<br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://designismine.blogspot.com/2007/07/shops-ins-general-store-bacon-scarf.html">Bacon Scarf</a> from <a href="http://shopsinsgeneralstore.com/">Shopsin's General Store</a>, one side marbled, one side lean. Show your piggy pride with flair!</li></ul>Thanks to my friend Heather's bacon-link email, the original inspiration for this post.<br /><br />In a piggy-related Bleu factoid, I met many of my current circle of friends (including Heather) through a Yahoo Group of Chicago goths called Black Porkchop. Here's a photo from the Black Porkchop Goth Pool Night at Sheffield's [edit: oops, that's Philosophur's—Sheffield's is down the street] (now Cherry Red) from back in the day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rrv8JRE3_GI/AAAAAAAAADg/8uiAfKxFWJY/s1600-h/bpcphilo01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rrv8JRE3_GI/AAAAAAAAADg/8uiAfKxFWJY/s400/bpcphilo01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096944639432719458" border="0" /></a><br />Ah, memories! Photo swiped from <a href="http://www.osirisani.com/">Tarik Dozier</a>.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-38661790164409600332007-08-08T23:45:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:56:04.774-06:00Things to Do in Cleveland, OH: Little Italy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rrq1yBE3_FI/AAAAAAAAADY/OeAJBmDMiqg/s1600-h/cannoli.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rrq1yBE3_FI/AAAAAAAAADY/OeAJBmDMiqg/s400/cannoli.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096585799210105938" border="0" /></a><br />I spent approximately half of my high school years in Cleveland, OH. Unfortunately, because I was a teenager and, stereotypically, only interested in boys, music and shopping, I really missed out on all the best bits. Little Italy was one of those places that I was vaguely aware of but, at the time, not the least bit interested in. These days, I'm fascinated by diverse little neighborhoods that add such flavor to the cities they inhabit, so when my mom planned a Red Hat bus tour to this historic area, I had to tag along.<br /><br />Cleveland's <a href="http://www.littleitalycleveland.com/">Little Italy</a> neighborhood, also referred to as "Murry Hill" after the street that runs along its center, was established in 1885. By 1911, 92% of the residents had been born in Italy. Today, it's a trendy and artistic little area that is feeling the strain of gentrification, and as is so often the case in these cultural hotspots, the native ethnic population is dwindling and the art student population is rising. However, it still retains its Italian charm: the cobbled streets, young boys toting baskets of fresh baked Italian bread from the bakeries to the restaurants, old men sitting and chatting by the storefronts, eager to flirt with the passing ladies, and shops that open lazily at 1pm on a summer Saturday (to our dismay, as we were there early). I loved it, and if I lived in Cleveland, it's most likely the neighbohood that I (a little past art student but not so far past) would want to live in.<br /><br />Our highlights:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.prestisbakery.com/index.htm">Presti's Bakery</a>, originally opened in 1903. The bakery was relocated to the current location in 1999, and while it has a more modern feel, it's still has atmosphere aplenty. They have good coffee, fresh bread, a wide selection of pastries, and a large variety of savory items. I also sampled their gelato before we left, and it was very good (although I have to say that I think the homemade gelato at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/NefsI5U8L-CeHMrKB-TeZw#hrid:Irt0cCFYU9VQ1l53rxIA5Q">Ventrella's Cafe</a> here in Chicago is still the best I've ever had.)<br /><a href="http://www.trattoriaromangarden.com/home.html"><br />Trattoria on the Hill</a>, where we had lunch, is only 20 years old but still seems to be a local favorite. They had great bread, supplied by Presti's, and the pasta was very good. Everyone loved the food (although the service was a little chaotic). You can buy a jar of their tomato basil sauce to take home with you.<br /><br /><a href="http://bestof.clevescene.com/bestof/award.php?award=128317">Algebra Tea House</a>: A little off the beaten path, and a little out of place, this tea house made me feel like I had returned to the apartment that I shared, a decade ago, with my friend Kym. She was (and still is) a wonderful artist who turned our living quarters, originally a run down office space directly above the notorious <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/viFGd1WmuObof_x-qup7HQ">Tuman's</a>, Chicago's Alcohol Abuse Center of old, into a bohemian work of art that also functioned as a fabulous party pad. They have a variety of tea, a selection of Middle Eastern coffee, old boards games, couches, shelves of dusty pottery and free wi-fi. I bought some hand ground Turkish coffee along with a cute polka dot Turkish coffee pot, and received verbal preparation instructions and a free cup along with it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.littleitalywines.com/">Little Italy Wines</a>: A cute little wine shop that was so crowded when we visited that I decided to forego trying to search out a bottle to try, but they have a wide variety of wine available as well as a selection of good beer. We did, however, purchase the <a href="http://www.littleitalywines.com/test/cheese.html">Bellavitano cheese</a> that they sell, and it was quite tasty! Although Bellavitano is made in Wisconsin, it's made in the <a href="http://www.artisanalcheese.com/prodinfo.asp?number=10404">Piave</a> style. Apparently Little Italy Wines is the only store in the area that carries it, and if you're curious you can order it from their site.<br /><br />Also, although it isn't in Little Italy, I have to mention <a href="http://www.alescifoods.com/default.aspx">Alesci's</a> as well. This Italian deli located in South Euclid, OH (right around the corner from where I lived) carries all kinds of Italian specialty foods, including Alesci's own sauce and meatball mix, and some of the best Italian bread I've ever had.<br /><br />There were a lot of other places that we didn't get to explore, so I hope to be able to get back there some time (preferably in the late afternoon—I think I need to move to Europe!) and explore what we missed.<br /><br />More pictures of our trip are available on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bleucaldwell/sets/72157601319766433/">Flickr</a>.<br /><br />Some other interesting facts about Little Italy, courtesy of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Italy%2C_Cleveland">Wikipedia</a>:<br /><ul><li>The first pasta machine was invented in Cleveland's Little Italy by an Italian immigrant named Angelo Vitantonio, who received a United States patent for the product in 1906.</li><li>Guarino's was the first Italian restaurant in Cleveland, and arguably the first Italian restaurant in the state of Ohio. It is located just past Murray Hill on Mayfield Road.</li><li>Chef Boyardee's cooking skill became notable when he opened his first restaurant called "Il Giardino d'Italia" in the Little Italy section of Cleveland in the 1940s.</li><li>Cleveland's Little Italy was home to the largest Mafia organization between New York and Chicago, comprised of family names like Porrello and Lonardo. The organization was the seat of power for families that operated in Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Toledo, Detroit, and Akron.</li></ul>Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-12538316557977118182007-08-02T22:21:00.000-05:002007-08-02T23:47:48.309-05:00Wine 2.0: Wine Library TV<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Crimi2famPA"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Crimi2famPA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />I've been meaning to post about <a href="http://tv.winelibrary.com/">Wine Library TV</a> ever since <a href="http://revision3.com/diggnation/2007-05-10">Diggnation</a> put it on my radar, which was a while ago. I hadn't gotten to it, but as host <span class="fn">Gary Vaynerchuk's guest appearance on <a href="http://http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O%27Brien/video/index.shtml#mea=138492">Conan O'Brien</a> last night was big news on the geek circuit, </span><span class="fn">I think now is the perfect time to talk about it.</span><span class="fn"><br /><br />If you're interested in wine but haven't heard of Wine Library TV (yet, because if you haven't, you will) you should definitely check it out. In addition to being on Conan, he was also interviewed recently in <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1638446,00.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Time</span></a>, where he is described as "</span>more hyper than Emeril, more cheerful than Rachael Ray, more street than Bobby Flay and cockier than all of them combined." An article in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.slate.com/id/2171517/">Slate</a> described the show as "Wine Geeks Gone Wild." The Food Network may have given this country the foodie bug, but it warms my heart that it's a vidcast by a New York Jets fan from New Jersey that will make this a nation of wine geeks. Only in America can a guy on the internet compare wine to "big league chew and to your leather baseball glove" (<a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://abcnews.go.com/Business/FunMoney/Story?id=3234793&page=2">ABC News</a>), spit into a New York Jets bucket, and then get Conan to eat dirt on national television. I'm sure there are plenty of oenophiles crying foul, but in my opinion, the more wine appreciation there is here, the easier it makes it for me to enjoy and learn more about good wine.<br /><br />Gary's rise to fame has also a been a great 2.o social networking experience. I saw his announcements about the <span style="font-style: italic;">Time </span>interview and the Conan appearance on <a href="http://twitter.com/garyvee">Twitter</a>, saw (and participated in) the responding congratulatory and good luck tweets, and then followed along as he sent out updates from the Conan set. It's a well-connected and entertaining new world, folks, and I'm excited to be a part of it.<br /><br />Keep on bringing the thunder, Gary, you'll make <a href="http://www.vayniac.com/">Vayniacs</a> of us all!Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-17945167083742159492007-07-28T22:22:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:56:04.907-06:00Movies for Foodies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RqwdWhE3_CI/AAAAAAAAADA/jRabH697iWA/s1600-h/tk_blt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RqwdWhE3_CI/AAAAAAAAADA/jRabH697iWA/s320/tk_blt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092477551322332194" border="0" /></a>In response to the fact that this seems to be the summer of restaurant-related movies (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382932/">Ratatouille</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473308/">Waitress</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481141/">No Reservations</a>), <span style="font-style: italic;">Premiere Magazine</span> has released a list entitles "<a href="http://www.premiere.com/features/3970/the-20-most-mouthwatering-movie-moments.html">The Top 20 Most Mouthwatering Movie Moments</a>." I'll leave it to you to go and peruse the descriptions, but here's the movie list:<br /><ol><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092603/">Babette's Feast</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115678/">Big Night</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/">A Christmas Story</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111797/">Eat Drink Man Woman</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080724/">Fatso</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101921/">Fried Green Tomatoes</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366551/">Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388125/">In Her Shoes</a> (brought the term 'foodie' to the movies)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103994/">Like Water for Chocolate</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422720/">Marie Antoinette</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246772/">Mostly Martha</a> (the German film that inspired No Reservations)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119738/">My Best Friend's Wedding</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158831/">Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120169/">Soul Food</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371246/">Spanglish</a> (featuring the <a href="http://yumsugar.com/395026">Thomas Keller BLT</a>, pictured above)</li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092048/">Tampompo</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057590/">Tom Jones</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190861/">Vatel</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441909/">Volver</a></li><li><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067992/">Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</a> (the original)</li></ol>A couple of my favorites that aren't on this list: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241303/">Chocolat</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328589/">Under the Tuscan Sun</a> (although I preferred the books for both of these). I also think of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375063/">Sideways</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097108/">The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover</a> as being foodie movies, but the the former counts only if you're into wine and counting the latter could be seen as a tad morbid.<br /><br />What are your favorite movies about food? I've added all the movies from this list that I haven't seen to my Netflix queue, but I'm sure there are others out there. List your recommendations here, and/or <a href="http://www.netflix.com/BeMyFriend/P9vGFAzgcnRa97QrDoaS">add me as a friend</a> on Netflix.<br /><br />Thanks to <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2007/07/top-tasty-momen.html">The Stew</a> for the original link to this story.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-34509645381222794472007-07-23T02:06:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:56:05.013-06:00Maybe All We Need is a Little More Wine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RqRdChE3-_I/AAAAAAAAACo/qw--09RY4rk/s1600-h/malescotlabel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 252px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RqRdChE3-_I/AAAAAAAAACo/qw--09RY4rk/s320/malescotlabel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090295776655440882" border="0" /></a>My friend <a href="http://wildcard.geofront.com/">Ben</a> sent me the link to this <span style="font-style: italic;">Washington Post</span> article: "<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/12/AR2007071202356.html">A Gate-Crasher's Change of Heart</a>."<br /><p>"A grand feast of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp was winding down, and a group of friends was sitting on the back patio of a Capitol Hill home, sipping red wine. Suddenly, a hooded man slid in through an open gate and put the barrel of a handgun to the head of a 14-year-old guest. 'Give me your money, or I'll start shooting,' he demanded."</p>But the robber was distracted by another guest's suggestion (panic-induced, I'm assuming) that he join them for some <a href="http://www.malescot.com/">Chateau Malescot St-Exupéry</a>. After a declaration of "Damn, that's good wine," the robber proceded to tuck his gun away, tuck into the Camberbert, and eventually ask for a group hug. Kevin Underhill of <a href="http://www.loweringthebar.net/food_and_drink/index.html">Lowering the Bar</a> has contacted Chateau Malescot to suggest that "Damn, that's good wine" be their new slogan.<br /><br />You can find a detailed overview of Chateau Malescot St-Exupéry at <a href="http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/malescot.shtml">TheWineDoctor.com</a>.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-50232362735761249572007-07-20T04:34:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:56:05.133-06:00Things to Do in Akron, OH: Lavender and Lace<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RqCA2EI_zVI/AAAAAAAAACg/8jJWk7RSIq8/s1600-h/lavender_and_lace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RqCA2EI_zVI/AAAAAAAAACg/8jJWk7RSIq8/s400/lavender_and_lace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089209245241429330" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, podcast episode #2 has arrived! I've switched to being mostly on my Mac, and it took me a bit to figure out Garageband (much thanks to Big-O's <a href="http://www.technofodder.com/">Techno Fodder</a> podcast for making it much easier). I also used Adobe's new sound editor <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/soundbooth/">Soundbooth CS3</a> to attempt some heavy-duty cleanup. I really like the program, and it did manage to make my noisy recorded-in-the-car podcast a little bit cleaner. It's still not great sound quality, but I tried!<br /><br />Now, on to tea. There are many tea rooms in Ohio, and I hope to explore many of them, but my mom's favorite is <a href="http://www.elizabethstearoom.com/index.html">Elizabeth's Lavender and Lace Tea Toom</a> in Dover, OH which is about 45 miles outside of Akron. The tea room is housed inside an absolutely gorgeous 1876 Second Empire Victorian Home that retains the original mansard roof. I love places like this because the history is just palpable.<br /><br />The interior is decked out in Victorian style. There are multiple tea rooms and plenty of hats, boas and stoles to play dress-up (you're never too old to play dress-up!). They specialize in afternoon tea parties for all ages, and it's a great place for birthday parties, bridal showers or just a casual get-together.<br /><br />We enjoyed a four-course meal, and everything was very good. Our tea choices were the Winter White Earl Grey, which I found to be much lighter than the standard black, and a Raspberry Tea, which wasn't our favorite but would be good if you're looking for a fruitier, non-caffeinated choice. The color was beautiful. Our menu was as follows:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">First Course:</span> Lemon tea bread, Chicken noodle soup and a light salad.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Second Course:</span> Chocolate chip scones with raspberry jam and whipped cream.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Third Course:</span> Three varieties of tea sandwiches - cinnamon pineapple cream cheese, chicken salad and tuna salad.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fourth Couse:</span> A variety of desserts - raspberry tart, chocolate cake and key lime pie.<br /><br />We had a great time and were absolutely stuffed upon leaving. We visited the gift shop before we there, where they sell a variety of tea. I purchased a sample of their pumpkin spice tea, which would be lovely in the fall.<br /><br />We weren't able to record inside the tearoom itself, so we had a discussion about tea on the drive home. We talk about our experience at the Lavender and Lace tea room, as well as about the history of tea and it's renewed popularity here in the U.S.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Links of Interest</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stashtea.com/facts.htm">Stash Tea</a>: A nice overview of the history of tea.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.harney.com/index.html">Harney & Sons</a>: One of my favorite tea purveyors (I thought they were British, but apparently they're in Connecticut.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/store/tea">Intelligentsia</a>: Known for their coffee, but I had an intense to-go cup of Jasmine tea here. I could have worn it as perfume.<br /><a href="http://www.britishtea.com/"><br />British Express</a>: Browse and purchase a variety of British tea here.<br /><br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3016342.stm">How to Make a Perfect Cuppa</a>: BBC Guide to a perfection in a tea cup.<br /><a href="http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2005/06/last-tea-post.asp"><br />Tea Post from Neil Gaiman</a>: What my favorite Brit author has to say about teal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">---<br /><br />Click here to listen:</span><br /><a href="http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-27616/TS-35380.mp3">Bitespot 02: Lavender and Lace</a><br /><br />You can also subscribe in <a href="itpc://recordings.talkshoe.com/rss27616.xml">iTunes</a>.<br /><br />View photos of our Lavender and Lace visit on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bleucaldwell/sets/72157600920000666/">Flickr</a>.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-30235371787820508542007-07-17T00:56:00.001-05:002008-12-09T00:56:05.217-06:00Ear Candy: Cupcakes Speakers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rpxdw0I_zUI/AAAAAAAAACY/HamHxymqUgk/s1600-h/cupcake_stereo-speaker_sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rpxdw0I_zUI/AAAAAAAAACY/HamHxymqUgk/s400/cupcake_stereo-speaker_sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088044772233301314" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, they're cute enough to eat but do they sound as sweet? Don't know and probably not, but these cupcake speakers that I spotted on <a href="http://geeksugar.com/402880">Geek Sugar</a> are certainly adorable (I voted geek chic). This is a product produced by <a href="http://www.semk.net/">Semk</a>; the site was slow to load for me and a little odd to navigate, but they have some fun stuff. Neat little flash intro, too. <a href="http://technabob.com/blog/2007/07/16/cupcake-speakers-sound-delicious/">Technabob</a> mentions that these are brand new and probably won't be available for a while, but will probably start showing up in stores in a few months. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll to a thing for my <a href="http://bitespot.blogspot.com/2007/06/cupcake-circuits-colbert-and-science-of.html">cupcake circuit</a>.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-86123044271944981312007-06-30T15:31:00.000-05:002007-06-30T16:50:41.878-05:00Cupcake Circuits, Colbert and The Science of AppetiteFirst, apologies for the recent lack of posts. I was laid off from my job last week and it threw me for a bit of a loop, but I think everything's relatively under control now.<br /><br />As I was catching up on my feeds this afternoon, I came across this post by Cathering Morgan on Blogher: <a href="http://blogher.org/node/21118">The Science of Appetite, Weight Loss, and Dieting. Can We Rethink Thin?</a> The post was inspired by a <span style="font-style: italic;">Time Magazine</span> article, <a href="http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1626795_1627112_1626670-1,00.html">The Science of Appetite</a>, which I found fascinating. It begins with the concept of a "cupcake circuit," the elusive and non-quite-understood part of our brain that associates cupcakes (or whatever food it is that creates the <a href="http://sulcus.berkeley.edu/mcb/165_001/papers/manuscripts/_831.html">serotonin-induced</a> happy dance in your brain) with pleasure, happiness and satiety.<br /><br />I, like many others, am one of those people that have always struggled with weight. I was a pudgy kid, a teenager that thrived on sugar and alternated between pudgy and starved and eventually, a very overweight adult. However, I witnessed the staggering decline of both my grandmother and mother-in-law due to a lifetime of obesity and diabetes, and as I was starting to experience symptoms of irregular blood-sugar myself, I was freaked out enough to change my habits. So over the course of a few years I changed my diet and became a lot more active and I lost around 60 lbs. and 12% body fat and am now probably healthier than I've ever been in my life.<br /><br />That said, I still struggle with my weight, and I definitely struggle with my cupcake circuit. I love sweets. They make me happy, and sometimes I crave them so badly that I feel like I'm having a drug withdrawal. I still eat too much sugar, but not nearly as much as I used to and as long as I stay active it seems to be okay. It fascinates me how much influence food often has over our psychological state of being. I try to use exercise as my overall spirit-lifter (for example, I've been more conscientious about my workout lately to counteract the blues of being unemployed) but sometimes, only a cupcake will do.<br /><br />The article goes on to talk about how humans have historically had too little to eat rather than to much, and how we're adjusting (or not adjusting) to the current abundance of the industrialized nations. Scientists are currently scrambling to understand more about the process of appetite so that they can address the obesity epidemic that has emerged in the U.S. and is now spreading to other countries as they adopt more of our higher-speed, overstressed, fast-food culture.<br /><br />Morgan also dicussed the recently released book by <span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times</span> science writer Gina Kolata, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FRethinking-Thin-Science-Loss-Realities%2Fdp%2F0374103984%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1183238617%26sr%3D8-1&tag=bitespot-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325">Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting</a>, which talks about the history, science and myths of weight loss and the diet culture. I followed Morgan's link to an interview with Kolata on the <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=86212&ml_collection=&ml_gateway=&ml_gateway_id=&ml_comedian=&ml_runtime=&ml_context=show&ml_origin_url=%2Fshows%2Fthe_colbert_report%2Fvideos%2Fcelebrity_interviews%2Findex.jhtml%3Fstart%3D16&ml_playlist=&lnk=&is_large=true">Colbert Report</a>, and what she had to say sounds interesting. The concept that we should happy even if we're not a size 2 is pretty standard, but she goes into a little bit of why dieting is so hard and just how long we've been doing it. I had no idea that the original low-carb diet was invented by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Banting">William Banting</a>, an English undertaker, in 1863. According to the arictle <a href="http://www.thehistoryof.net/the-history-of-dieting.html">The History of Dieting</a>, "British Medical Association immediately attacked this approach, and because Banting was not a scientist, claimed that it had no scientific value and would not work for others. The public however were impressed, and people all over the English speaking world read of his plan and lost weight themselves, not caring about the doubters. So popular did it prove to be, that it was translated into other languages and thus spread even wider." Amazing how much things have changed, and yet how much they've stayed the same!Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-59006899351883076722007-06-12T21:40:00.000-05:002007-06-12T22:03:45.901-05:00Note: Email IssuesIt recently came to my attention that there was a backlog of email on my mail server that never came through. I've switched over to a new host, which has solved the problem, but lost some email in the process. If you've recently emailed and haven't received a response, please send another to <a href="mailto:bleu@bitespot.com">bleu@bitespot.com</a>. Sorry!Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-56135329120732799962007-06-07T00:22:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:56:06.054-06:00A Little Bit of Wine Geek Humor<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RmeXVEolDKI/AAAAAAAAAB4/4B9qQBovDaQ/s1600-h/wine_humor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RmeXVEolDKI/AAAAAAAAAB4/4B9qQBovDaQ/s400/wine_humor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073189893533142178" border="0" /></a>From the <a href="http://www.thebeaconjournal.com/">Akron Beacon Journal</a>, 11/3/06.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >(And yes, I'm slow).</span><br /></div>Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-31695198807595874942007-05-31T00:14:00.001-05:002008-12-09T00:56:06.678-06:00Island Cake and Lost Finale Party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rl5aZW6JftI/AAAAAAAAABg/HwL94KRQ2Nc/s1600-h/island_cake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/Rl5aZW6JftI/AAAAAAAAABg/HwL94KRQ2Nc/s320/island_cake.jpg" alt="" id="Lost Island Cake" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Hatch Map Photo:</span> <a href="http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Image:BlastDoorMap.jpg">Lostpedia</a></span></span><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.crankyfanatic.com/?p=72">Cranky Fanatic</a> Lost Finale Party was a blast, and my island cake turned out pretty well. It's not the prettiest (the hatch map on top was very hastily added at around 3:30am), and I think the fondant got a touch dry, but all-in-all, I would say it was a success!<br /><br />Working with the fondant really was fairly easy. One thing I will do differently next time is mix in the base color as I'm initially mixing the fondant. One recipe I referenced recommended this, and it would have made sense since I wanted the whole thing to be green. I wanted some darker swirls to create a marbled effect, but the darker color could've been added later. I think the little bit of dryness I experienced was due to having to mix all of the color in after the fondant was formed. It took a lot of kneading to get it even.<br /><br />In related cake-decorating news, Epicurious' latest email newsletter contained a link to an article on a <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/cooking/holiday/wedding/cake">DIY Wedding Cake</a>. I haven't explored it completely, but it looks like they have some nice how-to information there.<br /><br />My other favorite dishes from the menu were the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_17525,00.html">Garlic Shrimp</a> (I didn't have Sherry, so I used Tequila) and the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_19702,00.html?rsrc=search">Grilled Sweet Potato Salad</a> (I used toasted macadamia nuts instead of peanuts).<br /><br />You can see a couple of pictures from the party on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bleucaldwell/sets/72157600290404138/">Flickr</a>, and you can listen to us rehash the finale on the <a href="http://www.crankyfanatic.com/?p=72">Cranky Fanatic</a> Lost podcast.<br /><br />Big-O is going to be hosting live Lost trivia contests on <a href="http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=11562&cmd=tc">Talkshoe</a> during the hiatus. I just participated in the first one, and even though I got the lowest score—I'm not so good with the trivia—it was a lot of fun! You can listen <a href="http://www.crankyfanatic.com/?p=74">here</a> or join in on Wednesdays at 8pm CST.<br /><br />---<br /><br />On a completely unrelated note, please pardon my dust as I make some domain adjustments. A friend of mine originally set up the hosting for the Bitespot domain name and I'm transferring things around a bit so that I can apply it to this blog. I'm currently having some picture link issues with older posts, but that should hopefully be resolved soon.Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-10944155770757865352007-05-22T00:40:00.000-05:002007-05-22T01:25:26.830-05:00Baker Baker, Baking a CakeThis Wednesday night is the Lost Season Finale, and <a href="http://www.crankyfanatic.com/">Cranky Fanatic</a> Big-O is having a finale party here is Chicago. In my book, all celebrations need cake. Therefore, I'm attempting my very first fondant cake in an attempt to create something Lost-themed.<br /><br />The cake itself is a Margarita Cake, basically a white cake that used margarita mix for the liquid. Honestly, I really haven't gotten the whole cake thing down. My mom, although she'll deny it, is a master. Mine are usually too dry or too dense or too bland or too <span style="font-style: italic;">something.</span> I just finished making the cake layers, and the smaller top layer seems okay, but I used a single large round cake pan for the base and I think it was probably too big. Perhaps the reason that smaller, individual layer pans are used for conventional home ovens is that there isn't enough even air circulation for the big pans. I plan to use a strawberry preserve filling and frosting in between layers, though, so that will help if it's dry.<br /><br />I'm going to decorate the base of the cake with regular shortening-based blue frosting. That should be easy since it's representing waves and doesn't have to be any sort of smooth. I would use buttercream since most people prefer it (I, myself prefer the supersweet stuff) but I can't refrigerate the fondant so this will be more compatible.<br /><br />The fondant was a spur-of-the moment inspiration. I was listening to the <a href="http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=90741698&MyToken=ec72410b-4f97-4dc7-9850-bada68bf0410ML">Dharmalars</a> Finale Predictions podcast earlier today and, oddly enough, they were discussing fondant with Jorge Garcia (he's an Ace of Cakes fan). I think that was the catalyst. The top, smaller layer will (in theory) be covered in green fondant to represent the island, and I plan on piping on a simplified version of the <a href="http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Blast_door_map">hatch map</a>. I have absolutely no experience with fondant (other than eating it) so this is entirely experimental. I followed a <a href="http://www.wilton.com/recipes/recipesandprojects/icing/rolledfondant.cfm#anc3">recipe</a> on the Wilton site, and it went so well that I'm suspicious. It can't be that easy. It's all wrapped up in an airtight container, and on a double-check seems to be fine, but I'm convinced that I will come home tomorrow to something rock-hard and unusable. Or maybe the hard part is getting it on the cake? We'll see, and I'll let you know how it goes!Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-36256024729361070172007-05-15T23:36:00.000-05:002008-12-09T00:56:15.877-06:00Urban Grilling<img style="width: 249px; height: 159px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RkqVQG6JfpI/AAAAAAAAAA8/8JECZT-jz9s/s320/grilliput_patio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065024834896494226" border="0" /><img style="width: 96px; height: 66px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SYF8cYimLU0/RkqUsG6JfnI/AAAAAAAAAAs/Sw_rWGj_lSs/s320/grilliput_closed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065024216421203570" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Photo credit:</span> <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/93d9/">ThinkGeek</a></span><br /><br />Last Friday my friend Leah graduated from Loyola, and she wanted to have a beach barbecue party in celebration. On Thursday, it was sunny, beautiful and in the upper 70's. However, Chicago weather being what it is, it dropped about 20 degrees on Friday and was excessively windy. Therefore, the barbecue ended up at my apartment.<br /><br />I have a Weber charcoal kettle grill on my back porch that I use for grilling. Admittedly, it's not the safest of arrangements and our landlord would have a heart attack if he knew, but I've only had one close call and that was because I had an oven mitt hanging on the side of the grill (it combusted, and I really hope my mom doesn't read this post). I do tend to keep the fire extinguisher close at hand. It's the reality of urban grilling. You do it even though you probably shouldn't, and you hope you don't catch anything on fire. I have a back yard, and I could put the grill in it, but one of the neighbors would steal it or, more likely, blow it up.<br /><br />As I was manning the grill on Friday night, I remarked on how I love to grill, and I love the charcoal flavor, but usually I'm cooking for two and it's just too much fuss to get the big kettle grill going for a small amount of food. I said how nice it would be nice to have a little bitty grill that I could use for that. So, what arrives in my inbox today? The ThinkGeek newsletter advertising the <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/93d9/">Grilliput Compact Grill</a>. I have no idea how well it works, but it looks like a sturdier option than those cheapie camping grills that they sell at Walgreen's. Plus, it's made of titanium and it compacts down to a little cylinder!<br /><br />The grill and accompanying firebowl are approximately $45 to order from ThinkGeek. I will probably wait to see if there are some positive reviews floating around before I buy one, but I am planning on picking up this <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/rc/8cd5/?cpg=52H">R2D2 Action Figure</a> for my dad for Father's Day, so maybe I'll order the grill along with it. If I do, I'll report back on the results!Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064303.post-50640182688181537902007-05-07T18:14:00.000-05:002007-05-22T10:50:56.218-05:00Corona-Matic Keyboard Waffle Iron<img src="http://www.bitespot.com/images/misc/typewriter_waffle_iron.jpg" alt="Corona Matic Keyboard Waffle Iron" /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br />Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.designhead.net/cdimino/typewriters4.html">Chris Dimino</a> via <a href="http://laughingsquid.com/keyboard-waffle-iron/">Laughing Squid</a></span><br /><br />Finally! A keyboard that I don't have to worry about getting sticky! The problem, presented by the <a href="http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu/">School of Visual Arts</a> in NYC: "Take this now useless item [a typewriter] and give it a new life." To the apparent joy of geeks everywhere, one of <a href="http://www.designhead.net/cdimino/dimino.html">Chris Dimino's</a> solutions was to create the <a href="http://www.designhead.net/cdimino/typewriters4.html">Corona-Matic</a>, a keyboard waffle iron (you should check out his other designs, too—my 2nd favorite is the urn). I originally heard about this on the <a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-12552_7-6515274-1.html">Gadgette's</a> 'Things We Want' episode, but it's been featured on many of the online gadget guides. I wonder if Chris expected to generate all this excitement? The story is currently working it's way up on <a href="http://digg.com/design/Keyboard_Waffle_Iron">Digg</a>, so if you have a Digg account, contribute! Spread the word! I'd love to see this get made into an actual product. I don't have a waffle iron, but this would absolutely be my excuse to get one!Bleuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11606965849392400024noreply@blogger.com0