On the very same day I chose to blog about campfire cooking, this informative article, “Playing with Fire,” was published in The Oregonian.
Author Leslie Cole writes that with a little planning, you can take your campfire cooking to a whole new level beyond hot dogs and burgers.
Her report includes some great-looking recipes for dishes like rum-baked bananas and chicken ‘n’ dumplings.
Check it out!
Hey folks, as you might have noticed at the end of my Front Burner column today, I’ve got Sunday brunch on the brain again.
Ever since before I started this food beat, I’ve been dismayed by the lack of a truly unique Sunday brunch experience in Roanoke. I’m craving something quirky and cool that doesn’t just serve standard breakfast options until 2 p.m.
Until recently, the best brunch I’d experienced around these parts was at Cafe Succotash in Vinton, which has long since closed. I can remember having some kind of twist on eggs Benedict with spinach and fresh tomato, all washed down with a poinsettia (champagne and cranberry juice).
I’ve decided to award this week’s free cookbook to frequent blog reader Henry.
Henry offered up several fine ideas for jazzing up dishes with products that most cooks keep on hand on a regular basis.
For that, he gets a copy of “Mealtime Magic” by Joey Green.
Henry’s comment was:
Boullion.
Anywhere you are going to add salt to water, you can use bouillon instead. Pasta, boiled or steamed veggies, gravies, etc. If you are making a pot of green beans, just toss in a bouillon cube instead of salt.
Dried onion soup mix
You can cheat your way to success with onion soup mix in gravies, roasts, marinade, sauces.
Cream of Chicken/Mushroom
You can jazz up gravy with a shot of Cream of Chicken soup. Of course, these are casserole standbys.
I especially like the suggestion that boullion cubes can be substituted for salt in various recipes. I can see myself adding boullion to all kinds of steamed veggies to add flavor without fat.
Henry, shoot me an e-mail at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com to claim your book. Don’t forget to include your address!
Okay, I realize it’s not exactly the same, but if Saveur can find 100 extraordinary food finds around the world every year, we should be able to list at least 25 of our favorite dishes, restaurants, markets, chefs and more here in Southwest Virginia.
I’ll go first. Here are five picks. Give me yours!
1. Carlos Brazilian’s Artichoke-Brie Soup.
2. El Palenque desserts (which are still available, in case you didn’t know.)
3. Southwest Virginia Farmer’s Markets. The fingerling potatoes! The heirloom tomatoes and beans! The tiny cabbages! The fresh peaches! The possibilities are endless.
4. Floyd County. Face it, they rate high in fine local food producers.
5. Roanoke- and Blacksburg- area ethnic markets. Must explore more.
On the Fridge Magnet blog, food writer Lindsey Nair writes about home cooking, local restaurants, entertaining and more. Here, you will also find links to restaurant reviews and our weekly food column, Front Burner. Please also check out our database of Southwest Virginia restaurants resturant user reviews and our recipe database.
RSS feed
