September 28, 2007
I cannot get over the exquisite detail that Floyd County resident Barbara von Claparede-Crola put into this beautiful little gingerbread house.
For days, von Claparede-Crola has been toiling away in her kitchen, baking gingerbread cookies and this gingerbread house using the same authentic German recipe she learned from her mother and grandmother in her home country.
Barbara isn't doing it to make money or even to earn praise, although I think she deserves quite a bit of back-patting. She is a member of the board for Opera Roanoke and has created this sweet little abode simply to delight the donors who attend a party after tonight's opening performance of Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel" at The Jefferson Center's Shaftman Performance Hall.
Continue reading "Too pretty for a wicked witch OR St. Nick" »
September 27, 2007
I have always enjoyed dried figs and fig desserts but had never experimented with fresh figs until this summer, when I coincidentally crossed paths with them on two different occasions.
First, a friend shared some small, fresh figs she'd received as a member of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm out of Floyd. I enjoyed those figs simply by popping them whole into my mouth and chewing, taking in the subtle sweetness and velvety texture.
Figs, Round 2 occurred this Sunday, when my husband and I were strolling through South Roanoke in an attempt to work off at least one of the wings we planned to eat later that day. It was hot and we were thirsty, so I got excited when we saw a couple of children with some kind of booth on the corner up ahead. Ahhh, even if it was Kool-Aid lemonade, I was going to be purchasing a couple of cups.
Continue reading "Fancying figs" »
September 25, 2007
What a strange coincidence that blog reader Rich should suggest an Elvis Presley cookbook. Today, I received a letter from a reader asking for help finding an old recipe that she and her husband used to enjoy.
It was written in a somewhat shaky hand. Here's an excerpt:
Could you please help me recover my old recipe. It is for Elvis Presley's homemade vegetable soup. I remember it contained ketchup and green peppers and maybe ground sirloin. Served hot off the stove, in the winter time it was really a hit.
I'm a widow now, and I still have memories of my husband and I sitting by candlelight eating homemade soup and listening to "Love Me Tender."
I can't imagine how valuable that memory must be to her. Hopefully, I have many more years to share meals with my own sweetheart.
As is commonly the case with these situations, it took little more than a Google search for me to find the recipe. I'll attach it below. Maybe we can all put on a little Elvis and have some vegetable soup with the one we love.
Continue reading "Sweet letter, sweet memories" »
I probably receive about one cookbook per week on average back here in the Features department. It's one of the perks of my job, I suppose.
I see cookbooks about fad diets, feeding diabetics or the glucose intolerant, baking, juicing, stir-frying and all other manners of creating. But not every one catches my eye the way these three did.
Perhaps it's because they offer not only a variety of doable recipes, but also some fascinating tales about the well-known people who have either cooked or eaten the foods. What did Maya Angelou's grandmother fix her to dry the tears after a traumatic day at school? What are the 30 or 40 staples that Jack Nicholson's personal chef always keeps in his trailer during a shoot? What did June and Johnny Cash's cook do with all the grapefruits they plucked from their trees in Jamaica?
Cooks of all levels of accomplishment are known to read cookbooks just as if they were novels, but cookbooks written with these kinds of personal stories are even easier to devour. They are, in some ways, the Harlequin Romance or murder mystery or Tom Clancy novel -- whichever your indulgent pleasure -- of the cookbook world.
If this sounds good to you, check out "Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes" by Maya Angelou, "Cooking for Jack" by Tommy Baratta with Marylou Baratta or "Cooking in the House of Cash" by Peggy Knight.
And by the way, if your curiosity must be sated now, Angelou's grandmother made her famous caramel cake when a teacher slapped her grandbaby at school one day. And Baratta always kept on hand tomatoes, clams, cannellini beans, baguettes, ricotta, egg substitute and a number of other healthy ingredients for Nicholson. And the Cash grapefruits went into a spinach salad, which, from the looks of the rest of the book, might have been one of the healthiest dishes the Cashes were known to eat.
You can find that recipe below.
Continue reading "What famous people eat" »
September 24, 2007
Ack! It's Monday. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
The highlight of my weekend eating was probably dinner at Fork in the Alley on Saturday night. I ordered the North Border Burrito, which was stuffed with chicken, white beans, cheese, green chiles and red peppers. I suspect it is little more than their white chicken chili stuffed in a flour tortilla with a few extra touches, but that's okay. The tortilla was nicely toasted in the brick oven and the accompanying guacamole and salsa exploded with flavor.
Last night, I grilled orange roughy in tin foil packets with butter and seasonings. I think orange roughy may be my very favorite fish, so it's too bad that it cannot be had fresh in this part of the world. What I wouldn't give for a fresh filet of that buttery fish! Maybe I need to plan a trip to New Zealand, where I just discovered they also call it "slimehead." Okay, I think "orange roughy" is quite a bit more appetizing.
Well, since I splurged this weekend, I figured I'd pass along a recipe from one of my best cookbooks, "1,001 Low Fat Desserts" by Sue Spitler. I just passed along this bread pudding recipe to my mother, who has some stale bread she wants to use up.
Continue reading "Monday repentance" »
September 21, 2007
Here's a warning for all you teetotalers out there: This blog entry is going to be devoted entirely to alcohol. Please forgive me now and read no further.
Specifically, I would like to dedicate this column to my grandfather's all-time favorite liquid on earth, Jim Beam. It was followed closely by oil and gasoline, which he mixed lovingly for his chainsaws, and bug spray.
Full disclosure: I got the idea for this blog entry from the Jim Beam folks themselves, who sent me a press release last week about a new bottle label featuring a portrait of Fred Noe, the latest in a long line of Jim Beam distillers. Cheers, Fred! You have your face on a bottle of "the finest bourbon on earth."
Incidentally, it also happens to be "National Bourbon Heritage Month." I swear, there's a month for everything.
Continue reading "National Bourbon Heritage Month" »
September 20, 2007
Yesterday, I received some last minute information about a fundraiser tomorrow night (Friday) for The Al Pollard Memorial Foundation, which has awarded thousands in scholarships to students at Roanoke's new chef school, the Institute of Culinary Arts.
Al Pollard was a high profile restaurateur in Roanoke before his death last year at age 46. He and business partner Roger Neel operated Corned Beef & Co. and Frankie Rowland's Steak House in downtown Roanoke and 419 West in Southwest Roanoke County.
The fundraiser will take place at the Roanoke Country Club from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and is open to the public. The cost is $50 per person and includes music, drink and all the food you want (it's catered by the country club).
In addition, there will be a local chef cook-off during the event. Guests will get to watch local chefs prepare their signature dish, taste the dish and vote on the best.
Tickets are available at the door or at The Jefferson Center. According to foundation board member River Bonhotel, more than 300 people attended last year's fundraiser.
This year, the Pollard Foundation awarded $20,000 each to 10 students of the Institute of Culinary Arts, which is now in the middle of its very first semester.
"This information is important to get out to the public for those aspiring chefs and to let the community know that we are supporting internal growth within the valley as Al's legacy would have it," Bonhotel wrote.
Do you have something really important to say? Well, why not say it on a Fruit Roll-Up? Hmmmmmmm?
Brace yourselves for the introduction of "My Fruit Roll-Ups," a customizable version of the kiddie treat. All you have to do is go to www.myfruitrollups.com to create a personalized message, complete with pictures and words, that will be printed on strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups and shipped to your front door for the a-may-zing price of $29.99 plus shipping and tax for a carton of 30 roll-ups.
Just imagine the possibilities: birthdays, soccer meets, Christmas, July 4th, St. Patty's Day, Valentine's Day, you name it!
Actually, I can see the potential for adults to also become enamoured with these fruity sheets of informational goodness. Will you go out with me? Will you marry me? Guess what-- I'm pregnant.
Okay, so maybe a wedding proposal on a Fruit Roll-Up would be...well, less than romantic. But consider this: you could just stuff it in your mouth, chew it up and swallow it and pretend that it neeeeever happened!
P.S. I know this is a terrible picture, but I never imagined how hard it would be to photograph a Fruit Roll-Up. The glare is an issue.
September 19, 2007
I'm a little behind on this, but yes, The Mix One 6 in the former Dolce location on Campbell Avenue is open and serving a $6 lunch buffet. According to the sign in front of the rather nondescript-looking building yesterday, the buffet included beef stew, green beans, rice, garlic bread and dessert.
Anyone tried it out yet? Do tell.
The word on the street is that the Healthy Treats Bakery & Café at 106 Market St. in Roanoke (formerly Quiznos) is supposed to be opening any day now, if it hasn't already. And the former Green Dolphin Grille is set to become Alejandros Mexican Grill in the near future, according to business reporter Jenny Kincaid Boone. The owner of that spot says she will serve casual Mexican fare, chips with various salsas for dipping and alcohol.
Man, I hope that place doesn't turn out to be just like every other Mexican restaurant in town. I'm really craving something new on the Mexican food scene. I love that fare so much. It would be exciting to see a really unique menu at Alejandros.
Stay tuned.
My, my. It seems we are all not only food lovers, but wing nuts as well!
Rich gets my vote for the most amusing comment so far:
If you like thick meaty wings with amazing sauces, you'll like All Sports Cafe.
If you like dry, jerky like wings with uninspired cookie cutter sauces, and annoying buffalos, stay at BDub...just leaves more wings for those of us who have discovered this little jewel of a wing shop.
The votes are rolling in for the best wings in Roanoke, and so far it appears as if Mac 'n' Bob's in Salem, All Sports Cafe near Patrick Henry High School and Buffalo Wild Wings are running a tight race. But most who voted for BWW said they were attracted by the variety of sauces and heat levels, not the quality of the wings themselves.
If you haven't already, check the comments on yesterday's blog posting for a couple of delicious-looking homemade buffalo wing recipes. I believe I'll test one of them out this coming Sunday.
Continue reading "Wings, part deux" »
September 18, 2007
It's that time of year-- time for me to watch Jason Elam save my beloved Denver Broncos at the very end of every game. No, actually it's time to start eating some hot and spicy buffalo wings on Sunday afternoons! There's just nothing like a sweatshirt, a cold beer and a plate of wings on a fall football afternoon.
I've been pondering several possible wing-related articles for this fall and I'm hoping that some of my faithful foodie friends can assist me with some brainstorming.
Continue reading "Wings, glorious wings!" »
September 16, 2007
Last night, after a long day of moving my friend and her husband into their new duplex, I took up another pal on her dinner offer. She prepared these pork chops, which I have to say with much sincerity are among the best pork chops I've ever eaten.
Maybe it was the cool air of early fall and my exhaustion that contributed to the experience, but these chops are going down in my book of perfect comfort food after a hard day of work.
Stacy's Pork Chops
6 pork chops (the thick, boneless chops are recommended)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. seasoned salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup flour
2 cups herbed bread crumbs
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 (10.75 oz.) can soup (any cream-based soup- my friend used cream of mushroom with roasted garlic, but cream of celery, chicken, mushroom, broccoli, etc. will work)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup white wine
Preheat oven to 325.
Rinse chops. If thick, pound out to about 1/2-inch thick. Pat dry and season with garlic powder and seasoned salt. Dredge chops lightly in flour, then dip in egg, then coat with bread crumbs.
Heat oil in skillet and fry chops until breading is browned. Place in a 13 X 9-inch pan and cover with foil.
Bake one hour. After one hour, combine soup, milk and wine. Cover chops with soup mixture and bake for another 30 minutes.
Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.
September 14, 2007
Blog reader Helen saw the chiles rellenos recipes in this past Wednesday's Extra section, but she has pointed out that the recipe calls for charring peppers, which she's not sure how to do. This was an oversight on my part-- I should have included some quick instructions on charring peppers for those who have never done it before.
It's pretty easy, Helen. Here's what I've done:
Get your grill going on a high heat. Wash the peppers, but otherwise leave them whole. Pretty much any larger pepper you want to use is fine. Varieties like bell peppers or Anaheims or poblanos work very well. Place the peppers on the grill and grill them, turning slowly, until they become charred (black) on the outside. Then place them in a paper bag or a dish covered with plastic wrap. Let them sit and steam until they are tender and cool enough to touch.
After that, it should be fairly easy to peel the skin off. You may not be able to get all of the skin off, but you should be able to slip off most of it. After that, proceed with your recipe!
As always, if any readers have additional tips or disagree with something I've said, feel free to chime in and help our friend Helen.
Whether you are celebrating or not, you can enjoy this delicious recipe for Honey Challah, a sweet twist on the traditional Jewish yeast bread:
Continue reading "In honor of the High Holy Days" »
September 13, 2007
One more bit of free advertising this week: To satisfy a sweet tooth and help out another good cause, check out the Roanoke city bake sale on the Campbell Avenue side of the municipal building on Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proceeds benefit the United Way.
Regular blog reader John Cornthwait, a city employee, will be selling $1 raffle tickets for a chance to win his Italian cream cake and his chocolate mayonnaise cake. A third raffle is for the winner's choice between an old-fashioned pound cake (vanilla, lemon or sour cream), red velvet cupcakes, a big batch of cookies (chocolate chip or chocolate-chocolate chip), a German chocolate cake or a triple citrus cheesecake.
John-- HELLO!-- I said I'd bid on the Italian cream cake but that's before I heard about the triple citrus cheesecake. Dang, if I don't win it, I at least want that recipe!
Other city employees are baking up their specialty for sale, and I'm told that you can satisfy a craving for as little as 50 cents. My friend, Sarah, will be at home tonight, busily making her baklava.
Tasty treats, indeed.
Today is Thursday, and we all know what that means: it's past time to start thinking about the weekend. Especially when the weekend could begin as early as 11 a.m. tomorrow.
The big place to be this weekend? The Roanoke Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
This festival is to Greek food what the Lebanese Festival at St. Elias is to Lebanese food. Who doesn't like dolmades (stuffed grape leaves)? Or baklava? Who doesn't like stomping grapes?
Best of all, who doesn't like benefitting a good cause? Because a portion of the proceeds from the festival benefit the Roanoke Rescue Mission and Center in the Square.
Admission is free and the festival runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; Noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Be there or be a square...of deliciously flaky, sweet baklava.
I'll be there doing a little video on Friday afternoon, so if you spot me, give me a shout!
September 12, 2007
Two years ago at the Outer Banks, my local friend finally tracked down a half-bushel of blue crabs for those of us who were blue crab-starved and crushed by their scarcity.
Little did we realize that they would still be scrabbling in their cardboard box when Cindy dropped them off, brushed her hands together and took off like a flash before we could protest or she could see them meet their untimely demise.
My husband, Howard, conveniently decided that it was time for a shower. A veeeeery long shower, at the end of which he hoped there would be cooked crabs waiting all beautifully seasoned and cooked and put out of their misery. It was all I could do to not introduce an unexpected shower partner to him-- a partner with big, blue claws!
Our buddy, Mike, bravely stayed in the kitchen with me and we set a pot of water to boil, gulped hard and reached into that box to retrieve our future meals. Crabs do not like tongs. They do not like tongs at all.
Several landed on the floor while we frantically tried to transfer them from box to pot. A very large one went right for Mike's bare toes, sending him squealing out of the room, at least temporarily.
We eventually got the crabs cooked, and they tasted just as good-- if not better-- than the pre-cooked guys we buy at the store. I learned some important lessons about steaming crabs, but I'm not convinced that any tips will ever make it an EASY job. But wait.....
This brings me to the weirdest food blog entry I have seen today. Almost as weird as Janet Jackson breast cupcakes or Kool-Aid pickles.
This fellow, disturbed that he has disturbed his 3-year-old daughter by boiling lobsters in front of her, has figured out how to hypnotize them first.
Now, if I could just figure out where I'm supposed to tickle those blue crabs.
Got an e-mail this morning from a reader named Norma who must have read my chile story in this morning's paper.
She writes:
Attached is a picture of a plant I took at Pigeon Forge at The Christmas Place a few weeks ago. My husband says that they look like real edible peppers. What do you think? You are free to display the picture, if you like. Your article in today's Roanoke Times was very interesting. I personally cannot tolerate peppers BUT my husband has a "cast iron" stomach and he loves them.
I can recall seeing these plants in the gardens at the Roanoke municipal building a few years ago. Every time I walked by, I was tempted to pluck a few. But I figured the city landscapers wouldn't appreciate a fascinated reporter ravaging their little plants.
Apparently, I wasn't the only fascinated reporter. Roanoke Times writer John Cramer did a story on the peppers. Here's an excerpt:
Continue reading "Edible or just ornamental?" »
September 11, 2007
After a week of good food and drink (not to mention spectacular views and fresh air), I have returned to the best job in Roanoke. And as one friend joked, I would not be surprised if we've lost two restaurants and gained three more while I was gone.
My trip to Idaho and Montana to see relatives and take in the breathtaking beauty of Glacier National Park left me exhilarated. I got my fill of those towering Rocky Mountains I so missed from my childhood, as well as hiking, boating and relaxing. I also got my fill of totally unhealthy food, which has left me with a strong impression that it's time to get back to the gym-- and pronto!
As a food lover, vacation has always meant trying new restaurants and comparing the food scene in other cities with our offerings here in Southwest Virginia. On this trip, I found some spots I'll surely miss. But I also discovered that I wasn't disappointed to get back to the relatively wide variety that Roanoke has to offer.
Continue reading "Montana girl is a Roanoke girl again!" »
|
.....Advertisement.....
|
