Does anyone out there have a tried-and-true recipe for homemade jerky?
What ingredients and method have you found to be the best?
Whether you make turkey jerky, deer jerky or any other kind, I'd love to hear from you for a future Front Burner column.
Mondays are difficult anyway, but today I had a very serious and important responsibility added on to my job.
The challenge: To judge an office chili cook-off at the Art Museum of Western Virginia that had reportedly already resulted in extensive trash talking among the staff.
When I arrived with my co-worker and fellow judge , Kevin Kittredge, we were greeted by a delicious, spicy aroma and nine steaming pots of homemade chili. The museum staffers hovered around and watched us, presumably waiting until we had completed the judging so they could eat lunch.
In reality, I believe they were studying the judges for some inkling as to which way we would lean.
A few days ago, my co-worker was looking for a fancy red meat recipe to impress his sweetie. He had heard of osso buco (literally translated as "bone with a hole") and wondered if I could find a recipe.
Find one I did, but the cooking time for these tender veal shanks was more like 3 hours than the 35 minutes or so that he was hoping to spend on that night's dinner. I hear he ended up buying a nice ribeye steak instead.
Since it's almost the weekend and we've got plenty of time to plan for a 3-hour meal, I'll pass this recipe along to you all instead. That is, if you have no problem with the thought of feasting on what was once a cute, baby animal. I know I don't.
Have a great weekend.
Another restaurant is folding this week, but they are not falling victim to low profits.
No, according to Sundance Cafe owner Sharon Gentilini, business was humming along just fine at her little Campbell Avenue lunch joint.
"We were doing excellent business here," she said. "We did a kick-butt lunch."
For more than a year, Sharon and her husband, Robert Gentilini, sold club sandwiches, soups and salads to the starving downtown masses. And those masses, bored with Zak's Cafe and still mourning Angler's departure from the West side of downtown, kept coming back.
But according to Sharon Gentilini, the Virginia Department of Health ordered the restaurant to make improvements that she was not willing to pay for herself. And Total Action Against Poverty, the owner of the building, also did not want to fund the changes, according to Dick Robers, who handles leasing for TAP.
Every so often, I hear it: "I wish Roanoke was more like Asheville."
I'm not going to argue the point; I've been to Asheville and have always admired its charm and diversity.
But if this article is any indication, it seems that Asheville residents have actually been coveting something that Roanoke has had for many years: a Dunkin' Donuts.
According to this article in the Asheville Citizen-Times, which was forwarded by my friend Mason, the recent announcement that a Dunkin' Donuts location is coming to town has resulted in everything from cravings to squeals of delight.
The article itself has received more than 50 comments from excited readers.
Except this guy, who has to put a damper on it all:
"Waddle your fat butts on down Lardos and dunk away. Soak up that sugar and fat until you have to ride the fat chair.
Then you can complain about how your low metabolic rate makes you fat."
Oh, lighten up.
If you haven't seen today's Extra section or perused Roanoke.com, you're in for a whole mess of special Thanksgiving recipes, turkey tips and information about what local restaurants are doing on the holiday.
Today's Front Burner column features many of the 35+ Thanksgiving recipes that were submitted by you, the lovely reader. I want to thank you all very much for sharing those. If you don't see your recipe in print, do not fear. All you have to do is go here to see the complete list of recipes and a Web page stuffed with all sorts of other holiday news.
As for the leftover turkey, I plan to test out a recipe tonight for a turkey-broccoli casserole that promises lots of warm, cheesy, noodly goodness. I'll let you know how that turns out.
If you have not yet seen my video of Sue Reavis talking about the significance of her pumpkin pie at their family Thanksgiving table, here it is. It's not too late to share your own poignant or funny Thanksgiving memory. We've set up a message board on the Thanksgiving 2007 page where you can share away. If you don't want to do it there, feel free to comment on the Fridge Magnet blog.
And finally, some very exciting news for anyone interested in what's going on in the music, arts and dining scene in Roanoke. The Roanoke Times will soon be launching our E-Cast, which will go up on the site every Wednesday and offer lots of information about fun stuff to do the following weekend.
The E-Cast will officially go live in a couple of weeks, but here's a sneak peek especially for you: http://www.roanoke.com/multimedia/video/ecast/wb/134420
If you get a chance, give me a shout and let me know what you like -- or don't like -- about the E-Cast. As they say, there's always room for improvement!
You can blame my late blog posting today on an all-day assignment at Meadow Creek Dairy in Galax, Va., where I got to watch co-owner Helen Feete and company make a huge batch of Grayson, one of their award-winning cheeses.
On the way home, I told photographer Jeanna Duerscherl that my job assignments sometimes feel like school field trips. What better way to earn a living?
Richard Todeschini, the talented French chef who created much of Blue 5's unusual menu, is no longer in the kitchen.
According to Todeschini (pictured at left) and Kerry Hurley, part owner of Blue 5, the chef's departure was the result of "differences of opinion." Todeschini's last night at the restaurant was Nov. 3.
"I'm not going to go into details about what happened," Hurley said, later adding, "There is always a natural battle between the front and back of the house."
Sounds like the clash of two very strong personalities to me.
According to Hurley, the restaurant hasn't missed a beat since Todeschini's departure. In fact, Hurley said, they just had one of their best weekends ever.
Even if you didn't act in time to reserve a pasture-fed or organic turkey from a local farm, it may not be too late for you to serve up an all-natural bird.
I just received word that the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op is going to give away FIVE organic, all-natural Shelton's turkeys this year.
All you have to do is drop by the store between now and next Monday, Nov. 19 and fill out an entry form. Only one entry is allowed per person, per day and no purchase is necessary.
The drawing will be held Tuesday, Nov. 20.
Even if you have already purchased a turkey for Thanksgiving, look at it this way: You'll be prepared in advance for Christmas!
One week ago, I asked readers to submit their favorite memory of chocolate.
I never imagined that I would get so many detailed responses. Some were funny, some nostalgic and some just hunger-inducing.
It was very difficult for me to decide who would win "I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas" by Marcel Desaulniers. But after reading and re-reading (and re-reading) all of the wonderful comments, I decided to award this book to Autumn.
Here's what she wrote:
My fondest memory of chocolate is from when I was a little girl and would spend the night at my grandparents' house.
My grandmother would let me stay up to watch Saturday Night Live with her. While we were watching, she would always have a "midnight snack" (literally!) of a piece of her homemade chocolate pie, which we would share.
The image of a little girl curled up on the couch with her grandmother and a piece of pie just melted my heart. Imagine how exciting it must have been for Autumn to stay up past her bedtime and indulge in a homemade treat late at night.
I don't know if Autumn's grandmother is still living, but my own sweet grandma is gone. So I know how important it is to have memories like these.
Autumn, if you will e-mail me your full name and address at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com, I will put this book in the mail for you. If Autumn does not respond within the next week, I'll give the book to a runner-up.
Stay tuned for another cookbook giveaway soon and have a delicious weekend!
