May 30, 2008Freaky Friday winner...and a recipe for the weekend
Blog reader Deb was the quickest with her keyboard this time around, so she wins the three books I discussed in this morning's blog entry. Continue reading "Freaky Friday winner...and a recipe for the weekend" » Freaky Friday!I'm about six hours away from vacation, and I've just about finished all the work I needed to do before I leave. Needless to say, I'm in a giddy mood. As a result, I decided to dedicate this blog entry to a few odd new products and some of the weirdest cookbooks I've received of late. 
We'll start out with Kraft's new brainchild, Macaroni & Cheese crackers. The box you see here came shipped in a much larger box that, when opened, made crunching noises. I swear it's true. We tried the crackers and found them to be rather good, actually. They are a bit like noodle-shaped Cheez-Its with a powdery cheese coating on the outside. Within a half hour, they had been polished off by two of my co-workers. On the other hand, it was about 4 p.m. in the afternoon, which is generally munchie-time in the Features Department. Next up: Those crazy kids over at McCormick are at it again. This time, they've developed new black pepper blends that are infused with the flavors of Worchestershire or Smokehouse, depending on which you choose. 
McCormick recommends the Smokehouse flavoring for burgers and the Worchestershire blend for steak. They even include a marinade recipe on the back of the Worchestershire blend: 3 Tbsp. each of oil, water and red wine vinegar, mixed with 2 tsp. each of the pepper and minced onions and 1/2 tsp. of salt. Sounds pretty good! Not to be left out, the folks at KFC have developed a new flavor called Smoky Chipotle Crispy Fried Chicken. It is only the third flavor to be introduced at KFC since the restaurant was founded 65 years ago, a spokeswoman said. 
Continue reading "Freaky Friday!" » May 28, 2008New brew in the Big Lick?Jenny Boone has got a great scoop over on her Storefront blog about a possible expansion of Awful Arthur's Towers Mall location that will include a brewery. For the love of Lebanese food
What you're seeing here is a family of very good cooks. And some don't even know it yet.
May 27, 2008More eating! More eating!
I'm usually not much of a breakfast eater, so when I woke up hungry as the dickens this morning with my tummy growling like thunder, I knew something was up. That something? Probably the fact that I gorged myself on awesome food all weekend long and my stomach is thinking it's time for another dose already. But that's what a combination holiday/birthday weekend should be all about in a foodie's universe, right? I had a huge, honkin' homemade cheeseburger with all the fixins, a chili dog and so many wonderful side dishes prepared by my friends, including Stacy's broccoli salad with raisins, craisins, sunflower seeds and bacon bits, Kenn's homemade pesto potato salad, Kathy's fruit salad (loaded, of course, with watermelon, her No. 1 pregnancy craving so far) and my own carrot-raisin salad, which I made with crushed pineapple this time around. For dessert, it was Fresh Market carrot cake and a homemade strawberry pie that I made with frozen strawberries left over from my trip to Dansby's strawberry farm in April. Those berries were so sweet that all I added was 3/4 cup of sugar, a dash of cinnamon and about a half cup of flour to create a nice, thick juice. And only in a food geek's world would several packages of fresh beef wrapped in freezer paper be such an exciting gift. Those came from my sister and brother-in-law, who bought a whole side of beef from Ohio and sent me a sirloin, a roast, some stew meat and a couple packages of hamburger. The sirloin is going to go well with the bottle of Malbec my dad gave me. But enough about MY weekend! I know everyone else out there kicked off cookout season the right way, despite last week's story about the rising price of food and fuel this summer. One of those folks was blog reader Patrick, who sent the yummy picture (above) of a friend's pizza dip. I'm also going to share a recipe that came in my regular newsletter from Ladles & Linens, the downtown Roanoke kitchen shop. This is for a crunchy coleslaw with dried cranberries and almonds. Enjoy, and tell us: What was the best thing you made or ate this past weekend? May 23, 2008Weekend tidbits
If you're looking for a place to eat dinner tonight, consider heading out to Three Lil' Pigs in Daleville. They're celebrating their fifth anniversary by offering free food to every fifth table. Here's a little more info. Test your luck! Also this weekend: Festival in the Park in Elmwood Park in Roanoke. Head out there for a variety of food and other activities. And if you're from out of town, be sure to swing by the farmer's market in downtown Roanoke and check out all the local products. Finally, please don't forget to chime in on the hamburger discussion we started yesterday. In case you missed it, the Texas Tavern has been named in a new book, "Hamburger America" by George Motz. Do you agree with the TT's inclusion? If not, where would you go to find the best hamburger in Southwest Virginia? I'm taking Monday off. Thanks to all the soldiers and their families who have sacrificed for us. Have a great Memorial Day weekend! Burning money
I know it caught my eye, because like many other Americans, we plan to have a few friends over for a cookout this holiday weekend. From the article: Food inflation is the highest in almost two decades, driven by record prices for oil and gas, mounting global demand for staples such as wheat and corn, and rising costs for proteins such as chicken. I don't know about you guys, but I've noticed the difference in my grocery bill every time I go shopping. Just about everything on my list is more expensive, and it seems to be most noticeable in the produce department. But maybe that's just where I'm paying closest attention. How does it all really break down? Well, that was the most interesting part of the CNN version of the same story, in my opinion. While they say the overall cost of the cookout has gone up about 6 percent from last year, they provided some exact figures for all the individual components. See below the jump: May 22, 2008Where's the beef (in SWVa)?
There's no telling how many patties on a bun he must've consumed to come up with the "state-by-state guide to 100 great burger joints." As with any food tour book, I've always got to find out right away whether any eateries in our neck of the woods made the list. In this case, only one place made the list. And it's the same place that makes just about every American road food book that hits the shelves. Did you guess which restaurant it is? Don't cheat! Hazard a guess before you click to the jump. May 21, 2008Lunch through a strawEvery so often, an all-news e-mail goes out that has reporters leaping from their chairs and dashing to the counter in the newsroom. May 20, 2008Go lay a record-setting egg
The egg, which was found at Julie and David Hewitt's farm, weighs 8 ounces and measures 8 inches in circumference. If this is for real, then one of the Hewitts' 30,000 chickens has been working overtime. The couple told the BBC that they aren't sure which one of their chickens actually laid the egg. No comment on how one would go about determining that....is one chicken walking funny? This does make me think, however, about my recent infatuation with farm fresh eggs. I'm pretty sure that as long as I can get my hands on country eggs, I'll never buy grocery store eggs again. May 19, 2008Thai hot Sunday
It must've been the tantalizing selection of ethnic foods at the Local Colors festival in Elmwood Park on Saturday that did it. Whatever it was, I was in the mood to whip up something completely different for dinner last night -- something with exotic flavors and a few ingredients I don't normally break out at dinnertime. In my house, Sundays are always reserved for the most time-consuming recipes; things like pot roasts or stuffed pastas or homemade casseroles. The Thai peanut chicken I made last night may have tasted like it took all afternoon, but it was surprisingly fast and easy. I (almost) followed the recipe I found online. The only changes I made concerned the sauce, since I tend to be a really saucy gal, especially when the dish is going to be served over rice. The original called for 3/4 cup each of peanut butter and coconut milk, but I went ahead and rounded it up to a full cup of each and adjusted the other sauce ingredients accordingly. The unplanned addition was a green mango salad that I decided to stir together just before I started dinner. I had seen a delicious green mango salad at Local Colors and didn't get a chance to try it. I'm sure theirs was more authentic, but mine didn't turn out too shabby. Instead of following any one recipe, I studied about 4 different recipes and threw in every ingredient I had on hand from them all. The only key ingredient I was missing was fish sauce, but I don't think the salad suffered too much from that omission. In the end, the spicy, creamy peanut chicken dish was complimented well by the cool, tangy zip of the mango salad. Try this combination some time-- you won't even have to reserve it for a Sunday night! May 16, 2008New deli with a mystery location
Roanoke could be getting a new deli late this summer, but so far sources are mum on where the Southern-based McAlister's Deli chain wants to put their newest restaurant. The Roanoke Times received an e-mail yesterday from Juli Carroll, a representative of Design Team Sign Company of Savanna, Georgia. Carroll is looking for old photographs of Roanoke with which to decorate the walls of the new deli. I e-mailed her about the location and opening date and she wrote: "We don't know exactly where it is going to be but I think it will be late summer." Retail business reporter Jenny Boone is working on getting more details from the McAlister's peeps. Look for those on her blog, The Storefront, or in her retail column in the Sunday newspaper. According to their Web site, McAlister's Deli opened its first location in Oxford, Miss. in 1989. If we do get a McAlister's here, expect to walk in and be greeted by a big chalkboard menu filled with sandwiches, potatoes, salads, soups and sweets. Customers order at the counter and then find a seat at a table, where the food is delivered by an employee. Nona, who guest blogged for me earlier this week, has eaten at McAlister's and says the soups are great and the sandwiches are big. She also said they had a really good-looking dessert case, but she never indulged because she only ate there for lunch. This sounds like a spot I'll have to try out if they do open in Roanoke. I love stuffed baked potatoes and well-made soups, especially in the winter. If you have ever eaten at a McAlister's Deli, let us know what you thought of it. Photo from www.mcalistersdeli.com. May 15, 2008A reader-submitted recipe
Take a gander at that lovely white chocolate cheesecake with strawberry swirl. It was prepared by none other than faithful Fridge Magnet reader Deb. And unlike the rest of us, Deb actually thought to take a picture of the cake before digging into it. I probably would've sent in a picture of a half-gnawed piece! Not only did Deb send the pic, she also snail mailed the recipe to me so I could share it with the rest of you! If you happen to have any fresh strawberries left over, this might be the perfect use for them. Update: I just got four gorgeous food pics from blog reader Mandy. To see her swan eclairs, lemon-raspberry tartlets and more, head to the Fridge Magnet Flickr group. May 14, 2008Grouper cheeks and Key lime pie
I've returned from the Sunshine State with two oddly-shaped splotches of sunburn on my back and plenty of calories under my belt. It's a good thing we did a lot of swimming and walking while we were away; I needed the exercise to burn off all the fish and Key lime pie I consumed while I was away. Before I left, I consulted the chat boards at Chowhound.com, and I was extremely happy with the recommendations. One of the restaurants that was mentioned several times on Chow was Guppy's, where we enjoyed a spectacular meal on our last night. If you've never tried posting a question on Chow, you might want to consider it the next time you plan to visit a city for the first time. Most of the responses you'll get are from locals who know the food scene pretty well. Before we got to Guppy's, I enjoyed one of the Clearwater Beach area's signature dishes: a grouper sandwich (pictured above). Just about every restaurant in the Clearwater-St. Pete area has some version of this treat on the menu. I ordered mine at Sea Sea Riders Restaurant, a casual little place just off the bay. For a market price of $11.95, the fat, juicy grouper filet came blackened on a bun with a thick slice of ruby red tomato, lettuce and creole tartar sauce. May 13, 2008Easy recipe from the guest bloggerIt's Nona again. Lindsey will be back tomorrow. Some of my favorite dishes are the simplest to make. And as much as I like to cook and bake, I also take a little store-bought help wherever I can find it. I made one of my favorite desserts Sunday night. I started with a chocolate angel food cake from the Kroger bakery. I put the cake on a plate, poked holes in it with a fork and drizzled a big shot of Kahlua over it. I let the cake sit for an hour so it can soak up all the liquid. After about a half hour, I set two 8-ounce containers of mascarpone cheese out on the counter to get to room temperature. 
To the softened cheese, I added another shot of Kahula, a quarter cup of powdered sugar and a couple of tablespoons of Hershey’s syrup. I whipped that all together into a smooth frosting and covered the cake with it. Then I put the cake in the fridge to chill until after dinner. May 12, 2008Guest blogger in the kitchenHello Fridge Magnet readers! I am Nona Nelson, the resident pet blogger here at roanoke.com, and I am honored to fill in for Lindsey today and tomorrow so she can enjoy a few days with her family. Hope you all enjoyed the nice weather on Saturday before everything got all cold and drizzly. My husband and I enjoyed a cool, sunny afternoon on our deck and then fired up the grill to cook a flat iron steak for dinner. 
A flat iron steak is cut from the top of a roast. The end result is half-inch thick cut of meat that is often in a triangular shape that resembles the flat part of an iron. May 9, 2008The Charlottesville sceneThe Washington Post recently did an interesting story about the burgeoning food scene in Charlottesville. If you haven't had a chance to read it, click here. After seeing the article, I can't wait to check out Mas, a Spanish restaurant that supposedly serves up great tapas. Anyone else have a favorite restaurant in Charlottesville? Or any thoughts on what makes the dining scene better than Roanoke's, if anything? While I'm sharing random tidbits, I'll share a random recipe. I found this recipe for Mango Chicken Curry on Simply Recipes. Yellow curry...golden raisins...mangoes...heavy cream...what more could you want? Since Swagat, one of downtown Roanoke's Indian restaurants, has apparently closed down, maybe it's time to perfect some Indian food at home. Enjoy! Before I go, I wanted to let you all know that I'll be in Florida this weekend and the first part of next week visiting my grandmother for Mother's Day. When I get back, we can dish about grouper sandwiches and conch fritters and key lime pie. Until then, please enjoy the guest blog entries on Monday and Tuesday by my colleague Nona Nelson, who can typically be found over at Happy Wag, the Roanoke Times pet blog. Thanks, Nona! Tater salad and a BBQ opportunity
One blog reader requested the recipe for my family's all-time favorite potato salad, and I am now prepared to offer exact measurements for all the ingredients. My sister came through with the measurements this morning, which is appropriate because she's the one who started this whole potato salad thing, in a roundabout way. When she was in college, Sis dated a chef who ended up being a real jerk. But we did get this recipe out of him before they broke up, so you see something positive comes out of every relationship. Gee, I hope that guy isn't reading my blog. The secret to this potato salad, I believe, is the bacon. We all know that bacon makes just about everything taste better. I'll attach the recipe below. As with any potato salad, this one tastes a lot better after it has had a chance to sit for a few hours or overnight. May 8, 2008Mother's Day prize winnerCongratulations to Julie F., who submitted her mother's recipe for warm, soothing rice and raisins and won our Mother's Day recipe contest. Thai-tanic flavors
Have a look at this beautiful photo of shrimp pad thai, which was sent in by blog reader Angela. According to Angela, she was addicted to the shrimp pad thai at Thai Orchid, but when that restaurant closed, she tracked down a Thai cookbook and decided to master the recipe herself. The first time I tried Thai food, I was hooked immediately. I adore the flavors of coconut milk, curry, kaffir lime, lemongrass, ginger and Thai basil. So like Angela, I decided to try and create two of my favorite dishes, pad thai and green curry, at home. May 7, 2008Pickin' and grinnin'
In other news, Roanoke Public Libraries are hosting an Introduction to Thai Cooking class later this month. If you're interested in learning more about this intoxicatingly delicious cuisine, check out the details after the jump. And don't forget to enter my Mother's Day recipe contest! The prize consists of a whole package including a Pampered Chef apron, knife, spatula, measuring bowl and seasoning blend as well as a Betty Crocker cookbook written just for women. May 6, 2008Winning recipes for Mother's Day
If I had to, though, I'd say that my Grandma Nair's carrot-raisin salad is near the top of the list. It's such a simple recipe, but it taught me that you don't always need exact measurements to turn out a delicious taste. And as someone who generally is not that fond of carrots, it showed me that with an open mind, an adventurous spirit and the right combination of ingredients, a person can learn to love a dreaded food. I'll attach a loose version of Grandma's recipe below. But I'd love to know what one recipe you have that always reminds you of your mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, godmother or another very special woman in your life. Entries must include the actual recipe. They will go into a random drawing to win a prize that's a little more elaborate than my usual Cookbook Giveaway. This one (pictured above) includes the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Women and a Pampered Chef apron, measuring bowl, spatula, paring knife and herb seasoning blend. The deadline for entering is 5 p.m. Thursday. I'll announce the winner Friday morning. May 5, 2008Wanted: good jamFaithful blog reader Debbie is headed to New York this summer, and lodging will be free! She's staying in a friend's apartment while he is away in Europe. May 2, 2008Garde manger classes show their stuff
They were kind enough to invite me, and I was duly impressed. Garde manger is a French term for the cool storage area in many restaurants where cold dishes like salads, pates, cold hors d'oevres and other foods are prepared. The class also includes the study of garnishings. Some of the students also completed projects involving salt dough. One student created the school's logo entirely out of salt dough. Please enjoy these pictures and look for more information about the culinary school in the next few months! Note: The above picture shows edible tortilla spoons with shrimp ceviche. May 1, 2008So healthy it's inedible
Brothers-All-Natural sent me a box of samples yesterday, which I immediately dug into. The freeze-dried Fuji apple crisps were pretty tasty, with a crunchy, puffy texture and a sweet, natural apple flavor. But when I broke into their "newest innovation," the "first-ever freeze-dried potato chips," you should've seen the look on my face. In order to verify my own opinion, I shared them with a few co-workers. It turns out that what Brothers-All-Natural describes as a "fresh from the farmstand flavor," my colleague Tad actually described as "what you would imagine potatoes would taste like after they have begun to rot in some dank place." Wow. What an endorsement. I guess my thought is this: While I appreciate food manufacturers' efforts to produce healthier versions of unhealthy favorites, I don't think these foods need to veer so far into the "healthy" sphere that they no longer even taste good. Eat an apple. Cinco de Mayo y fresas
Monday is Cinco de Mayo, a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. One of my friends has an annual Cinco de Mayo party where everyone brings fantastic Mexican dishes and we all stuff our faces and drink margaritas. It's a blast. The party this year happens to coincide with my infatuation with fresh, local strawberries. Yesterday, I visited Dansby's Strawberry Farm near Rocky Mount for next week's column and picked myself five pounds of strawberries. Well, that turned out to be not near enough because they are sooooooo naturally sweet and delicious. I'm going to get some more before Saturday, and I'd like to come up with a dish that has a Mexican flair but incorporates strawberries. I'd love to do a from-scratch tres leches cake or something, but I'm afraid the schedule will not allow it. And as I said, I have this habit of committing to a difficult recipe when I know I don't have the time to do it right. A few trips around the Internet have resulted in a couple of worthy ideas: an easy tres leches cake that starts with a cake mix and could be garnished with berries, or a Mexican specialty, fruit water. The fruit water looks incredibly easy, calling only for water, ice, fresh fruit, a little sugar and some lime wedges for garnish. If anyone else has an idea for an easy strawberry dish that would fit the theme, I'd love to hear it. And since Mexican food is one of my very favorite cuisines, this is always a great time of year to solicit your favorite Mexican recipe, whether it involves strawberries or not. Last year, I ran a wonderful recipe for papas rellenos, or fried potato and meat dumplings, which I got from Roanoke Police Chief Joe Gaskins' secretary, X Alvarez. If you'd like a reminder of that recipe, click the link. I'll share the two simple recipes that I'm considering below. |
Related linksFrom the Roanoke Times
Other food blogsGood food/recipe sitesFind me here.....Advertisement.....
|
...Advertisement...
...Advertisement...
