July 4, 2008Goin' where the water tastes like wineHappy Independence Day, everyone! July 2, 2008Ode to the Mason jar
In case you missed it, check out today's Front Burner column about the Mason jar's 150th birthday this year. The actual birthday, I guess, would be the patent date of November 30, but with so many pressure cookers hissing away during the summer months to preserve veggies from the garden, it seemed like a great time to wax nostalgic about the versatile container. As I wrote in the column, my memories are full of Mason jars. And those jars in my mind are filled with everything from Grandma's damson preserves to Paw-Paw's honey to the squirrel torsos Mom used to can for Dad's eating pleasure. In fact, our pantry was always lined with a whole rainbow of fruit- and veggie- filled Mason jars. And that was just the beginning. They hung out in the shed, filled with seeds, and in the garage, filled with nails and pins and anything else my dad or my grandfather saw fit to fill them with. I'd love to know your fondest memories of the Mason jar. Does anyone collect them? As you'll see in my column, they can be worth quite a bit of money if you know what you're looking for. Matthew Rowley, who wrote a book called "Moonshine!" shared a recipe with me for the story, but it came in too late for press. I'll share it here instead. It's not what you're thinking, you naughty kids! That stuff is illegal! This is a recipe for a spiced-up homemade "ketchup" that Rowley says is tasty on everything from sandwiches to soup to roasted meat. Sounds like a great way to spice up meatloaf, too. July 1, 2008Beets me!
Why don't people like beets? I pondered this question last night as I slowly chewed and savored my tiny, baby beets. It made me think of how my mother used to serve us sliced, boiled beets for dinner and I would scarf them up with just a little salt to complement their naturally sweet flavor. What kind of little kid eats beets without complaint? Well, maybe I'm recalling a rosier version of the tale, but I'm pretty sure that kid was me. Fast forward to earlier this month, when my story about local food producers was published in the newspaper. Splashed across the front of the Extra section was a picture of Richard Ursomarso up at Waterbear Mountain Farm holding a big clump of dirt-covered beets that he had just pulled from the earth. Somewhere along the way, they were incorrectly identified as turnips in the caption. By the time the proofs came around, I was on vacation. Would I have recognized them as beets instead of turnips? I'd like to think so, but since it's been a coon's age since I ate a fresh beet, I decided that I had better reacquaint myself. June 26, 2008Saving pasta salad, one step at a time
It is the height of cookout season. You're expected to bring a side dish. At almost the last minute, in an effort to avoid another trip to the grocery store, you pull out the elbow macaroni and mayonnaise with plans to concoct one of summer's least inspiring dishes: macaroni salad. Now, I'm sure there are folks out there who adore macaroni salad, and I'm not saying it can't be good if it's prepared well. Usually "well" involves fresh tomatoes and grated cheddar, in my opinion. But overall, I agree with Sara Dickerman, who wrote a recent article for Slate.com about pasta salad, when she says "Pasta salad is the wallflower of summer foods: It almost always makes it to the barbecue, but no one quite remembers who invited it." The rest of her article is equally amusing and enlightening. Ultimately, she says the key to a good cold noodle dish is "attentive seasoning, both with salt and with more aromatic ingredients like fresh herbs and scallions." I would urge you to read the entire article here. You'll surely enjoy it as much as I did. But in the interest of time, I will boil down her twelve tips here: June 25, 2008Random recipe: Greek Cheese Torta
A few years ago, an acquaintance brought an appetizer like this to a cookout at my friend's house. I can remember being awestruck over how beautiful it was. I could only assume that she had spent a great deal of time putting it together. As it turns out, this Greek cheese torta is actually quite simple to prepare. I recently found a similar recipe in some Pampered Chef literature that might even be easier than the original version I had. The white cheeses, green spinach and pistachios and bright red sun-dried tomatoes make for a lovely, colorful dish (Sorry I don't have a picture). And of course, with all those ingredients, the flavor just explodes in your mouth. If you're heading to a cookout this weekend or next and you want to bring something a little different than the usual deviled eggs (not that I don't adore deviled eggs), check out this recipe. I always recommend that folks read recipes all the way through before they begin. With this one, you'll see when you read it that the ingredients are going to be packed into a small to medium glass bowl, then inverted onto a platter to form a nice, round mound. You could make the torta ahead of time and leave it in the bowl until you're ready to invert and serve. June 18, 2008More summer bounty
Here's my first attempt at fried green tomatoes. I threw them together last night on my husband's dinner break, and they turned out pretty good. As you can see, I served them with summer squash and a piece of sauteed tilapia. I thought I had cornmeal in the cupboard, but I didn't. I ended up dipping the tomato slices in a mixture of egg and milk with a few drops of hot sauce, then dredging them in seasoned flour and frying in oil. Flavorful, but not as crunchy on the outside as I would like. I suppose practice (and a little cornmeal) will make perfect. If anyone else decides to attempt fried green tomatoes as a result of our discussion this week, please try to send a picture. I would love to see them! The produce fairy came again yesterday while I was at work, leaving a huge armful of fresh rosemary and basil. I plan to use some of the fresh rosemary within the next few days, but I cannot possibly use it all.. Since I love the herb so much, I'm going to dry it and save it for future use. I did a little research about drying herbs and found out that not every herb dries well. June 17, 2008Fried green tomatoes
This morning, my friend Randy from down the street brought me my first big mess of summer squash. They are beautiful little things, only about the length of my hand and pale and tender as butter. I plan to incorporate them into my favorite summer side dish -- sauteed squash and/or zucchini with sweet onion, garlic and tomatoes. Also in the bag were a few lovely banana peppers and two small green tomatoes. It was the latter that got me thinking about my next kitchen experiment, though. I've always liked fried green tomatoes but I've never made them myself. It is just me, or are fried green tomatoes appearing on more and more restaurant menus these days? And it's not just restaurants with low country fare, such as Trio in downtown Roanoke. I've had them topped with lump crab meat and dressed with ham and balsamic vinegar reduction. The best fried green tomatoes I've had in recent past were prepared by a chef with Jim Schaal's Catering. They were light and crispy and perfectly seasoned. Jim didn't make them himself, but it could very well have been his recipe. I asked his assistant how he made them that night and he just shrugged and gave me one of those "I don't know, a little egg, a little cornmeal, some seasonings" replies. Maybe it really is THAT simple. I could see all sorts of seasoning possibilities for fried green tomatoes -- seasoned salt, a little creole seasoning, a dash of Tabasco. And they are incredibly versatile in terms of toppings, as well. Remoulade? Feta cheese? A chili/sour cream sauce? Does anyone out there have a tried-and-true recipe for fried green tomatoes? I've got a couple of 'maters at home that are just dying for a dip. June 9, 2008One more thing... shrimp and grits!Here's an addendum to my comments about Oak Steakhouse in Charleston. My father asked me to bring him back a good recipe for shrimp and grits, and this one came straight from the man himself, Chef Brett McKee. For a twist, these shrimp are served over creamy polenta instead of grits. 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, 2008For 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 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 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 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 9, 2008Tater 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 1, 2008Cinco 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. April 30, 2008More from Doreen's kitchenIn today's column, I promised a few more recipes from Doreen Sidor's kitchen. Below the jump, you'll find those recipes for Artichoke and Green Beans Romano, Maui Onion Rings and Filet Mignon with Merlot-Butter Reduction Sauce. April 29, 2008Breakfast in bed
It's less than two weeks before Mother's Day (Sunday, May 11), which means some of us need to start thinking about the best way to treat one of the special women in our lives. As an adult, it's fairly easy to send a card or flowers, call mom or take her out to a nice lunch or dinner. But as a child, it's a little bit harder to plan a wonderful day for Mom without a little help from Dad or another adult. And sometimes Dad might be a little short on ideas. For that reason, I was delighted to receive an e-mail lately from the Fruit and Veggie Guru that included simple recipes for delicious breakfast treats that kids can prepare for their mother on Mother's Day. It makes me wish I had made breakfast in bed for my mother at least once. I'm going to attach a recipe for strawberry breakfast pizzas. I'd love to hear from anyone out there who has a special food-related memory from Mother's Day, whether you were on the giving or the receiving end! April 28, 2008Weekend eats
Deb promised to make something this weekend and send me a picture of it for my Fridge Magnet Flickr page, which has lately been neglected. If you've got any great food pics, e-mail them to me at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com or join my Flickr group. This is rigatoni with chicken sausage and Parmesan cheese, served with a salad of asparagus, cherry tomatoes, crispy prosciutto, fresh basil and a lemon vinaigrette. That salad makes me drool. I passed up the barbecued chicken this weekend in favor of barbecued country-style pork ribs. I've lately been working on perfecting my country-style rib recipe and I think I'm there. One of my favorite things about this dish is the affordability. I fed about 10 friends on Saturday night with $15 worth of ribs, and nobody went hungry. I'll attach my recipe below. Someone asked for my red-skinned potato salad recipe, but I need to work on the ratios of ingredients. I'll pin that down and post that recipe later. April 21, 2008Happy Birthday FM!
Correction: The Spinach-Artichoke Casserole should've included one large clove of garlic and two green onion tops, minced and sauteed in a dab of olive oil. It makes all the difference in the world. *** I've been so busy cooking, eating and writing that I never even noticed when the Fridge Magnet's first birthday came and went. March 26 was the big day. Happy birthday to the Fridge Magnet blog! Of course, I couldn't have made this little blog into anything without all the wonderful comments and advice from readers. We have some very talented home cooks and chefs in Southwest Virginia and I'm happy to provide at least one place for socializing and sharing. Some days have been better than others. While I've had my share of groggy Monday mornings with no motivation to write fresh, daily material on this blog (hence the random recipes), we've also fired up some great discussions on everything from buffalo wings to top restaurants to grilled cheese sandwiches. One thing is certain: I've learned a heck of a lot from you guys. I hope you've learned as much from me and your fellow blog readers. In honor of the one year anniversary, I'll share a quick, easy, delicious side dish recipe that I created last night to go with some barbecued country-style pork ribs. Did you cook up anything noteworthy this past weekend? If so, do share. April 17, 2008Asparagus with garlicAs long as we're on the subject, I wanted to share a recipe I didn't have with me at my desk yesterday when I wrote the asparagus entry. This recipe originally came from my friend and co-worker, Natalee Waters. But like many recipes, this one traveled an unusual path. Natalee gave it to me, I gave it to my dad, I lost it and dad gave it back to me. Ha. I first tasted this when Natalee brought it to a cookout at my house. It has a wonderful Asian flair and it's a perfect dish for a potluck or a cookout because it can be eaten chilled or at room temperature. And it can be eaten with your fingers as described in yesterday's blog entry. Keep bringing on those great thoughts and recipes about this favorite veggie. April 16, 2008The age of asparagus
Anybody who has read Barbara Kingsolver's novel "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" probably remembers that asparagus is the first vegetable of spring. When those little shoots reach high for the sky, it's a sure sign that strawberries and blueberries and cucumbers are just around the corner. Not only is asparagus an early riser, but according to one of my favorite books, "Nature's Pharmacy," it is high in vitamins A and C as well as glutathione, which keeps eyes healthy by interfering with the formation of cataracts. In addition, asparagus is high in potassium and folates, so if you're thinking of getting pregnant or you're newly pregnant, eat up! Of course, all of these benefits are well and good if you love asparagus, which I do. But there are a significant number of people out there (my sister and mother included) who absolutely hate asparagus. I don't know how I could be related to them. April 1, 2008The PERFECT grilled cheese sandwich! Even though this simple sandwich can consist of nothing more than bread, butter and cheese, I love it because it can be adapted with just about any other ingredient you want. Still, I think my very favorite version is always going to be the basic, three-cheese deluxe on whole grain bread. I made one last week and this is how it turned out (see photo below). If you're interested in my process, check below the jump for a pictorial demonstration. March 31, 2008Last chance soup day?I know some of you have said the weather doesn't have to be cold for you to get in the mood for soup. But for me, there's just no better soup day than a cold, wet, dreary day -- kinda like today! March 24, 2008Eggcellent idea!
It's another one of those National Food Days. Except this one makes a whole lot of sense: It's National Egg Salad Week! What else are you going to do with all those leftover hard-boiled eggs you dyed for Easter? When I was a kid, I got a hard-boiled egg in my lunch every day for a week after Easter. And I dutifully peeled it, sprinkled salt on it and ate it along with my sandwich. But I'll bet it would've been a whole lot tastier blended with mayonnaise and salt and papper. Better yet, why not spice up your salad a little bit with curry powder or horseradish? I've attached three egg salad recipes below the jump. One is for old-fashioned egg salad, one for curried egg salad and one for bacon-horseradish egg salad. How do you jazz up your egg salad? March 21, 2008Hashing it out
A recent blog posting about corned beef had one reader asking whether anyone out there had a time-tested recipe for corned beef hash. March 17, 2008A lucky find
She was in her grocery store in Spartanburg, South Carolina looking for the ingredients she would need to make a cake she'd found a recipe for in her local paper. Kim's a sucker for anything key lime, so when she saw the recipe for Key Lime Cake, she was all over it. Since it actually turns out green in color, it also seemed like an appropriate treat to make for her co-workers just before St. Patty's Day and Easter. But Kim had a question. She couldn't find key lime juice at her store and wanted to know if I thought she could just use lime juice instead. March 12, 2008Corned beef from the vault
Every year about this time, I start thinking about my dear Grandma Nair stabbing holes in the corned beef roast and stuffing them with whole garlic cloves. Mmmm, I can just picture the steaming slices of corned beef beside a pile of cabbage and potatoes. For a good-looking corned beef recipe, check out the Meal Planner in this coming Sunday's Extra section. Meal Planner guru Susan Nicholson has a tasty honey-mustard glazed corned beef recipe that looks like a winner. Also, in case you missed it, we published a few more Irish recipes in the Extra section today. They are for Irish Beef Stew, Dublin Coddle (a layered dish of sausage, cabbage and onions with bacon) and Irish Pound Cake. That pound cake recipe looks like it'll actually turn out a 3-pound cake. It calls for golden raisins, dried currants, dried cherries, chopped almonds and a brushing with Irish whiskey when it comes out of the oven. If you missed those, you can still check them out here. Just look to the left of the page under my picture. Does your family eat anything special for St. Patrick's Day? March 10, 2008Layers of loveHubby had a stressful week last week, and since I wanted to cheer him up this weekend and make something he's been requesting for some time, I had to bring out the big, red lasagna pan and go to work. If you're like me, every time you make lasagna, you realize anew what a pain in the keister it can be. It's not that it's difficult, it's just time-consuming. I'm still relatively new to lasagna making, as well. I use my mother's old time-tested recipe, but when I forget to actually look at the old time-tested recipe before leaving for the grocery store, I forget little things such as...oh, the fact that I'm supposed to have an entire pound of mozzerella rather than just an 8-ounce package. Good thing I had a package of cheddar/monterey jack blend. The time came for a little improvisation. As is typical on some Sunday afternoons, I also had some food supply maintenance issues to take care of -- in this case, I still had that chicken carcass to boil down into stock. 
March 5, 2008Mission: Impossible?
Of course, anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows that even though the equation is a simple one to understand, it can be one of the most difficult things to carry out. Abstaining from overeating can be just as difficult for some as abstaining from alcohol is for an alcoholic. Fortunately for me, I am not an alcoholic or a compulsive overeater. But I do love food and I do manage to talk myself out of going to the gym on more occasions than I'd like to admit. Result: I am nowhere near ready to put on a bathing suit. I don't even want to put on a bathing suit in my imagination. Because it's my job to eat good food, I refuse to go on some strict diet. Instead, I've decided to stick with a regular gym routine and be smarter about what I put in my mouth when I am not sampling a dish for my blog or my column. February 27, 2008A killer recipe: Texas chocolate sheet cake
Continue reading "A killer recipe: Texas chocolate sheet cake" » Not-so-random recipe: Cream cheese-Banana nut breadAfter last week's entry about National Banana Bread Day, one reader made this scrumptious recipe and said it turned out killer good. Continue reading "Not-so-random recipe: Cream cheese-Banana nut bread" » February 19, 2008Back in the game
After two days of eating soup and crackers, I'm ready to tackle the double pack of Rock Cornish game hens that have been thawing in my refrigerator since Sunday. February 7, 2008Hello, dumpling!
Happy Chinese New Year! |