www.roanoke.com

How many journalists does it take to build a gingerbread house? If the pictures over on the So Salem blog are any indication, it takes a whole roomful.

Unfortunately, even with that many hands ready to help, the So Salem gingerbread house (which was created as an entry for Salem's Gingerbread Festival) suffered a natural disaster: the roof caved in. They're blaming it on Santa; saying he landed on the roof in a sled so heavy with gifts (and his own fat butt) that he caused the roof to cave.

It's a shame, too, because what a fine gingerbread house it is otherwise. Note the marshmallow snowman, the candy trees, the peppermint window panes. Somebody (an elf tells me it was mostly So Salem reporter Miranda Adkins) went to a lot of trouble on that place before Santa rolled in and ruined it all. You can still see his little hat poking up out of the destruction.

Now, instead of having "Salem" emblazoned on the side of the house in green frosting, I'm afraid we're going to have to get the Federal Emergency Management Agency (the North Pole branch, of course), to come in with the blaze orange spray paint and mark this sucker for demolition. I'll help out -- I'll take the cookie tree off their hands.

Well, anyone who tries to make a gingerbread house gets an "A" for effort in my book. I've never done it myself, so I don't have any idea what might have gone wrong. If anyone has tips for the team, post them here or over on the So Salem blog.

Blog reader Emma was the first to send a picture of her kitchen, along with her wish list, to my e-mail address. Here's what she had to say:

Hi, Lindsey!

Here's my kitchen. It's really pretty nice until you realize that it's a shared kitchen that used to be a dorm room (it still has a closet rod hanging over the fridge!)

So my wish list really starts with my own kitchen, but since I live on campus that's not going to happen any time soon! So failing that:

An immersion blender
A mandoline
A wok (and gas burners to go with it!)

Happy Thanksgiving!
Emma

Emma, when I was right out of college, I hit up a lot of yard sales and found quite a few kitchen gadgets to tide me over until I could afford new ones. In some cases, I'm still using the old stuff because it worked so well! I know it may be hard to find a good immersion blender at a yard sale, but I'll bet you $1 you could find a wok -- probably for $1!!

All this speculation about White House chefs has me thinking about what it would be like to cook in a kitchen like that. Then again, what is it like to eat in a kitchen like that?

I haven't seen the First Kitchen, but I can't imagine that it's cozy. Can the kids run in and put their elbows on the counter and beg for a cookie? Would it be a stainless steel counter in a huge, commercially bright kitchen?

I'm just glad the pedigree and style of a kitchen isn't necessarily related to the quality of the food. With my Paleolithic-era knotty pine cabinets and my unintentionally knotty fake wood grain countertops, it's a wonder I can make a sandwich. But it is cozy.

Read more »

Frequent blog reader Brandi Robertson sent me a wonderful e-mail this morning about an experience she had on her way to work:

This morning while I was in the drive thru line at Starbucks-Tower's location I ordered my Grande hazelnut hot chocolate because I have now become an addict. I pulled up to the window and the barista informed me that the car in front of me had already paid for my cup and wanted to tell me Happy Thanksgiving. He had no idea who it was. I was stunned...what a simple way to really make someone's day...so I said, well let me go ahead and pay for the person behind me. Now there was a really long line and I wonder how far back the generosity went.

So needless to say the person in the Red Blazer really started my holiday season and I hope the Grande mocha with no whip and chocolate chip cookie is feeling as excited as I am.

I was also hoping if at anytime you could ask your readers what random acts they have gave or received it would get everyone excited about this generous season.

After hearing Brandi's story, I got curious and called that particular Starbucks store. The employees informed me that they did indeed remember that string of generosity in the drive-thru lane this morning. It lasted for 5 or 6 cars, they said. Now, we may never know what sparked Red Blazer Person to do that. Regardless, it started a brief chain-reaction that probably started off people's days on a sweet note.

Has anything like this ever happened to any of you?

Okay, since we didn't get overly excited about chestnuts, here's something else we can roast: olives!

Who knew you could roast olives? I certainly had never thought of it. But the folks at Lindsay olives (such a great brand name -- if only they'd spelled it correctly) today sent over this fascinating recipe (after the jump) of roasted olives with tomatoes and garlic. Sounds like the makings of a great tapenade, but they say to leave the olives whole and serve the mixture with crusty bread or crackers.

I'm trying to picture how one would eat this appetizer gracefully at a party. Of course, if you just make it for the fam to enjoy, who cares about eating gracefully?

Read more »

I received an e-mail a few weeks ago from a reader named Susan who is looking for a little foodie advice. Here's what she wrote:

I'm new to the area, having lived in the Western half of the country for 30+ years. We moved into a house in Salem last year and have reaped a bountiful harvest of all sorts of fruits and nuts.

... I was hoping you might look into what the heck I could do with chestnuts. I actually got to them before the squirrels this year and have a whole box full of them.

Well, Susan, besides chestnut dressing and roasted chestnuts, I can honestly say I don't know. My own personal experience with chestnuts has not been positive. I don't really enjoy their flavor and I spent too many seasons puncturing my hands through the gloves trying to remove the darn husks from my yard after the squirrels had their way with them.

But "Food Lover's Companion" says they can be roasted, boiled, pureed, preserved and candied; used in desserts or savory sides. You should store unshelled chestnuts in a cool, dry place and refrigerate shelled ones in a covered container, the book said. I also came across a whole Web site about cooking with chestnuts that offers up recipes for soups, breads, desserts and even a sweetened chestnut puree.

If someone brought me a Chocolate Chestnut Tart (recipe below), I might be convinced to rethink my dislike of this ingredient. Does anyone out there have a great chestnut recipe?

Read more »

They are the favorite foods of presidents.

Ronald Reagan started eating jelly beans to quit smoking and got hooked; George W. loves his beef. And according to a recent Associated Press story, Barack Obama is hot for chili.

The story reports that the Obamas are food lovers and the president-elect himself likes making his own chili and topping everything with hot sauce. One of their favorite restaurants is a Mexican one, where they enjoy margaritas. They also love hand-made pasta.

At 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the family will have a chef to make all their favorites -- the story says Malia and Sasha love macaroni and cheese and fried chicken (who doesn't?), french toast and pie, particularly lemon chiffon. Those are girls after my heart.

As with some other presidents, though, Obama also has a most disliked food -- beets. If you'll recall, George H.W. Bush famously hated broccoli, so the vegetables strike out again. My grandfather refused to eat broccoli, in part because he liked the senior Bush.

I'm proud to say I love broccoli and beets, if they're prepared correctly. I fancy myself an open-minded eater.

I'll be at the Stocked Market at the Roanoke Civic Center from noon - 2 p.m. today, manning The Roanoke Times booth. Stop by if you're in the neighborhood and check out our umbrellas and the Roanoke Area Ministries cookbook we'll be selling. Or just say hello!

I've been waiting for the perfect day to blog about this new cookbook I received called "300 Sensational Soups" by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds. Given the damp conditions and cool temps outside yesterday and today, this seems like as good a time as any.

Soups and stews are a favorite topic on this blog, and it's a no-brainer to dig it out on a cold day. But I think this book is worth a mention because of the sheer number of recipes that it contains, which range from stocks to chilled soups to meat stews to chowders to dessert soups. There's even a chapter called "Gilding the Lily: Toppings and Garnishes."

Soups are not only a great option for a quick weeknight meal, they're perfect for company, too. I think I've mentioned that a friend of mine recently had a big soup party with several soup varieties, crusty bread and cold beer. Do it as a potluck and you have a very low-stress gathering. Who cares what Miss Manners says about potlucks anyway?

Well, enough with the yammering. I know you all want recipes. Here are recipes for Tortellini and Mushrooms in Parmesan Stock, Chorizo Chili Soup and Salmon Chowder with Chives. Enjoy!

Read more »

A reader named Craig has asked a very compelling question of Fridge Magnet readers. In case you didn't see it in the comment section, here it is:

As a frequent reader of 'Restaurant news' at the Fridge Magnet I am always curious as to how many of you ever bother to visit the Virginia Department of Health website and review the health inspection records of your 'favorite' restaurants - such as Alejandro's. With all the recent furor over the problems in the Market Building why is it that no other dining establishment in Roanoke is deemed too dirty to eat in? Just how many 'critical violations' is too many for you guys?

This is my response:

To be quite honest, Craig, I haven't checked health inspections in a very long time. And that's because I think the Virginia Department of Health does those inspections for a reason -- so they can shut a restaurant down when it gets "too dirty to eat in." That's what happened at the Market building.

Read more »