Playing With Food

You what? Youtube comments quiz.

2008-04-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

YouTube is known for having the worst, most hostile, illiterate commenters of any site. See if you can match the comment to the video in the You what? Youtube comments quiz.

Harder Better Faster Stronger song chart on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

2008-03-04T10:16:00.000-05:00

My contribution to the song chart meme. Check out the swiftly growing pool.

Human Puppy Chow Recipe

2007-11-09T10:58:00.000-05:00

From NetCooks.com, one of many recipes for "Puppy Chow" available on the Internets. This snack, which has eluded me until now, is apparently a well-known treat for enjoying in front of the television, or hey, any time! The proportions vary according to the various online recipes, but the ingredients remain the same: a concoction of Chex or Crispix cereal, microwaved with chocolate and peanut butter and coated with powdered sugar. Looks just like Puppy Chow, tastes, apparently, like heaven. I am so serving this at my next swanky party.

Puppy Chow
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
8 cups Chex or Crispix Cereal
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Melt peanut butter, chocolate chips, and butter together in a large bowl in microwave.
Pour over cereal in another large baking bowl and stir very well.
Pour the cereal in a large Ziploc or Glad bag and add the powdered sugar. Close bag tightly and shake until evenly coated with powdered sugar.
Best if refrigerated.
Take out and enjoy!

My favorite part of this recipe is the serving information at the bottom of the page. "Serves: 1-20"

Read A Book

2007-07-06T10:39:00.001-04:00

This hilarious video allegedly played on BET.

'Tis the Season for Turkey Soda

2006-11-22T10:28:00.000-05:00

Another Thanksgiving, another Jones Soda Holiday pack.

This year's edition doesn't include dessert; that's available in a separate "Dessert Pack." Instead, it includes the delightful "Antacid Flavored Soda," along with the usual Turkey and Gravy flavored soda. This year's sides include Sweet Potato Soda, Dinner Roll Soda, and Pea Soda.

The Dessert Pack flavors provide a choice of pie flavors: Cherry Pie, Banana Cream Pie, Key Lime Pie, Apple Pie, and Blueberry Pie.

All flavors are caffeine-, calorie- and triptophan-free.

Happy holiday.

Kugel redux

2006-08-21T15:32:00.000-04:00

Looks like I'm not the only one with a craving for kugel.

Big is the new medium

2006-06-30T11:17:00.000-04:00

Wendy's has decided to remove the term "Biggie" from its menu, and use the more familiar terms small, medium and large.

The 32-ounce soda formerly known as a "Biggie" will now be known as a "medium." That's right, a medium soda is 32 ounces. A quart. That's almost 3 cans worth, at 384 calories and 104 grams of sugar -- about 37 teaspoons. Wendy's is adding a new "large" soda at a whopping 42 ounces.

Perhaps the clothing industry should follow Wendy's resizing example. American Apparel, the popular clothing company whose American-made shirts are the basis for many trendy t-shirt lines, considers a "medium" equivalent to a women's size 4-6.

The average woman in America is a size 14. The average model is a size 6. How is a 4-6 "medium" by any rational standard? Now apply Wendy's sizing paradigm and you get a whole new perspective. A "Biggie," which is 3 times the standard can size, is now a medium. So by logical extension, an "extra large" in clothing -- defined by American Apparel as a 12-14 -- should be the new medium.

Considering the contribution the fast food industry is making to the body size of Americans, it seems only fair we should align our definitions of body size to their definitions of portion size.

Booking Bands

2006-06-08T12:30:00.000-04:00

This meme is addictive... mashing up the names of bands with the names of books:

The Ice Cube Cometh
Dispatches from the Jagged Edge
The 50 PerCent Solution
GodlessSmack
Bob Marley and Me
Because of Winn-Dixie Chicks
Tinker, Taylor Hicks, Soldier, Spy
A Series of Unfortunate Evanessence
All the King's Men at Work

I could do this all day...

Use Your Noodle. But which one?

2006-01-23T15:55:00.000-05:00

This month's Is My Blog Burning competition is "Use Your Noodle." I may finally enter! The question is... which dish to take on? It's between Drunken Noodles, a favorite dish for which I am searching for the perfect recipe, or "Italian Delight," an old depression-era casserole made with noodles which I simply adore. It's a comfort food from my childhood.

Airline Cookies

2006-01-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

If you've flown American Airlines, you've probably had the lovely little 2-pack of biscuit-cookies that they pass out as a snack: Biscoff. These lovely, crisp cookies have a deep brown-sugary flavor, not too sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. These cookies are not available in stores. But you do not have to purchase a plane ticket in order to enjoy the Biscoff (although I might have considered it). You can purchase them online.

I bought the "snack pack," a box containing 12 packages, each of which contains eight 2-packs. Even though it's terribly wasteful, I admit I love the package-within-a-package factor. The 2-pack is a perfect little snack. Or, okay, two 2-packs. I keep an 8 pack of 2 packs in my drawer at work. It's cookie math!

They have other cookies, too, which are probably delicious.

But I love the Biscoff -- the airline cookie. (They actually call it that!)

Blog Roll

2006-01-09T11:07:00.000-05:00

It seems to me that there should be a food called a "Blog Roll." Stay tuned while I invent it.

In the meantime, I've added my blogroll to this site.

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Truffles

2005-12-22T12:54:00.000-05:00

How can you not like a recipe in which the only ingredients are chocolate, chocolate, chocolate and chocolate?

Perhaps I'll be truly kind and make these for a New Year's treat. It might depend on whether I recieve gifts of cash, since purchasing 4 kinds of Scharffen Berger could set me back... well, let's see how much:

62% Semisweet Scharffen Berger bar $9.50
70% Bittersweet Scharffen Berger bar $9.50
Cocoa Powder $8.50
Cacao Nibs $8.50

...$36.00.

(Plus heavy cream and butter for the ganache, which, yes, I know, means there are ingredients besides chocolate in this recipe.)

Teuscher Champagne Truffles run about $40 a pound. I thought that was expensive, but I don't have to actually make them. Plus? They're filled with champagne buttercream, which is also known as nectar of the Goddesses.

So maybe I'll just make the usual Matzoh Toffee and call it a day.

Best Pecan Pie

2005-11-23T10:45:00.000-05:00

I've tried a lot of pecan pie recipes. They're often too sweet, too gooey, too lumpy, or too grainy.

I like this one.

Kentucky Pecan Pie

1 cup dark corn
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter melted
2 tablespoons bourbon
3 eggs
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
9” single crust pie pastry

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, butter, and bourbon and mix thoroughly. Beat eggs slightly, add to sugar mixture. Beat well until smooth. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle pecans on top and press nuts lightly into mixture. Bake 55-60 minutes.

size ate

2005-11-13T16:20:00.000-05:00

"All this not consuming is all-consuming."

That may be the best line in the terrific one-woman show "size ate." Margaux Laskey, in a very personal performance, tells her story of "one woman's journey to find the perfect fit." Using comedy, songs, monologues, and even poetry, she addresses issues of body image, labels, and self-acceptance.

I found much of the show resonated for me. I spent a lot of time nodding with familiarity. For example, when she described the type of roles she got in the high school plays as a non-thin girl (maids, mothers, etc.). I was always the cockney maid, the innkeeper's wife, the mother. I was the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz, for Godssake. She at least got to play a stripper in Gypsy; I was one of the Newsboys. Another bit that had me laughing: when she described the types of men who found her attractive at various sizes. What big girl doesn't know that the black and Latino guys are more into her than the white guys? But when she throws in the Long Island guy -- with a spot-on immitation -- I was cracking up.

Of course, the show is not all laughs. In particular, when she delves into the harrowing reminisences of her second bout with anorexia, at 23, the performance is more tragic than comic. It is, however, very compelling. It was watching this part of the show that I realized that even people who aren't nodding with recognition will appreciate the depth of her revelations and the way she communicates them.

There are only two more performances, tomorrow (Thurs) and Saturday. Go if you can.

Oh, and Margaux is a blogger too!

Jell-o Mold Art

2005-11-11T13:49:00.000-05:00

Artist Liz Hickock has created beautiful, glowing sculptures of the city of San Francisco out of Jell-o, and then photographed them. It's really quite lovely and delicious.

Intentionally Gross Food

2005-11-10T11:32:00.000-05:00

The Jones Soda Company has introduced not one but two new holiday packs this year. Yes, we are talking about turkey-flavored soda. But that's only the beginning.

Jones offers two holiday packs, each consisting of a 6-pack of sodas flavored with a holiday-meal theme.

The National holiday pack, available at Target stores everywhere, includes the flavors of Brussels Sprout with Prosciutto, Cranberry Sauce, Turkey & Gravy, Wild Herb Stuffing, and Pumpkin Pie. The pack also comes with a serving spoon, a moistened towlette, and a wine list. (Wine to accompany your soda?)

The Northwest-themed Regional pack, available only in limited areas of the country, includes the flavors Broccoli Casserole, Smoked Salmon Paté , Turkey & Gravy, Corn on the Cob, and Pecan Pie. This one comes with the spoon and towlette, but no wine list, oddly enough.

I could be persuaded to try the Cranberry Sauce and Pecan Pie flavors, and maybe even the Pumpkin Pie. Although weird, the Wild Herb Stuffing is probably not completely gross; akin to an herbal tea maybe. But even with all the imaginative vegetable combos (is Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto really a common dish on the holiday table?), there is a clear stand-out among the gross-outs: Smoked Salmon Paté.

Is this part of a trend toward food meant to gross out? Jelly Belly created Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to cash in on the Harry Potter craze. What seemed like a novelty product two years ago has become a top-seller, marketed to jellybean fans and Potter fans alike. (Bernie Bott's beans can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores, among other places.) If you are one of the few who haven't read the Potter books, let me introduce you to the product. The idea is that Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans come in every flavor -- even unappealing ones. So while you can enjoy such deliciously interesting flavors as toasted marshmallow, lemon drop, bubble gum, buttered popcorn, or grape jelly, you must also keep an eye out for black pepper, booger, dirt, ear wax, sardine, spinach, or vomit. Yes, vomit.

I know there are plenty of foods that might be considered gross to some sensibilities. From tete du veau (calf's head) to vegemite, blood sausage to creamed herring, cultural differences and personal taste influence our opinion of what is disgusting. But is there anyone, anywhere, in any country, who thinks vomit-flavor is a good idea?

I'm not touching you, I'm not touching you!

2005-11-09T16:18:00.000-05:00

On the Television Without Pity recap of The Apprentice, (Trump(r) Edition), Jacob described a scene in which gay contestant Clay talking about "Sex in the Office" in front of an audience of Learning Annex attendees:

Adam interviews that things were going well, "until Clay started with his comments." ...Cut to Clay saying, "Maybe I saw this amazing guy that came into work one day, and I was like, 'Oh my God, look at his ass.'" One woman blinks, one starts to chew her lip nervously, and I collapse. Clay, come on. Here's the thing on that: it's one thing to be judged and receive prejudicial treatment for being gay. It's a horrible thing. But what I cannot stand is this "I'm not touching you, I'm not touching you" approach to sexual equality: he's daring you to have a bias and freak out on him. And since he doesn't know anything about you, that's a guerrilla attack and has more to do with gearing up for future outrage than it does about the mistreatment itself. It's the "do I look fat in this?" approach to cultural change, and what it does is piss people off.

I like his coinage of the "do I look fat in this?" approach to cultural change. He's kind of put his finger on something here, Jacob has. My own approach has always been more of the "oh, didn't I mention it?" variety. I feel that if I act as if it's perfectly normal thing that I am gay -- which, of course, it is -- then people will follow my lead. But the whole confrontational, I'm-gay-and-I-dare-you-to-have-a-problem-with-it approach really bugs me. Why go into it with the assumption that people are biased? Why not give them the benefit of the doubt, even if they don't deserve it? Because if you act like there's nothing to be biased about, you're communicating that there is nothing to be biased about,which puts a person in the position of actually having to go out of their way to express a bias. And people are embarrassed to do that. People don't usually want to be perceived as biased, even if they are. And if you are generous enough to give people the opportunity to do the right thing, many of them actually do. And it's even possible, if you can bear my optimism here, that you might help change their attitude. Whereas, if you put a person on the defensive right from the start, even a nice person, you're asking them to defend their attitude. And then you get confrontation, and defensiveness, and have you really accomplished anything?

But I also think that the point really is: Clay is just being a pig. (Jacob does, in fact, go on to say that.) Suppose he'd said the same thing about a woman? No difference. So what this demonstrates is that gay men can be pigs just as easily as straight men. Not a point of pride for the gay community, but further evidence that the gays are really just like you and me.

Feeling Blue

2005-10-26T11:24:00.000-04:00

Gertrude wants my recipe for Blueberry Muffins.

She eats blueberry muffins every day. Sometimes two or three of them. She buys them from various questionable sources, such as the Food Emporium. But they're so easy to make, I think she should make her own and have an unending supply of superior Blueberry Muffins.

Deluxx Blueberry Muffins

- muffin -
2 cups white flour, divided
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1 to 1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

- topping -
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar (I prefer dark)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 tsp. cinammon (optional, I suppose, but I like it)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter muffin pans (or use paper muffin cups). Toss blueberries with 1/4 cup flour, set aside.

Mix remaining flour, baking poweder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg, milk, and butter, stirring only enough to dampen the flour; the batter should not be smooth. Gently stir in blueberries. Spoon into the muffin pans, filling each cup about 2/3 full.

For topping, mix flour, sugar and cinnamon thoroughly. Rub butter in with fingers or cut in with pastry cutter or two table knives until mixture has the texture of coarse bread crumbs. Squeeze the mixture together into "clumps" and gently press clumps into the top of muffins, filling muffin cups (it will be a generous application of crumbs).

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until crumbs are lightly browned. Cool on rack.

Note: you might want to stick a piece of foil on the lower rack under these muffins as they bake; crumbs have a tendency to fall off as the muffins rise and they'll burn on the bottom of your oven.

The Jones Soda Co. Holiday Pack

2004-11-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

It comes in a 5-pack:
Turkey & Gravy Soda
Cranberry Soda
Mashed Potato & Butter
Green Bean Casserole
Fruitcake Soda

What is it about novelty foods that is so appealing? When I attended a food show two years ago, I watched people line up to be among the first to try the Bernie Botts' Every Flavor Beans from Jelly Belly, in flavors like dirt, booger, anchovie, and vomit. Last year, when Jones introduced the turkey soda, it ended up selling on eBay for $63 for a two-pack. I suspect that is going to be the big draw for this new product -- snagging it for its value as a collectible.

Well, if I see it at Target, maybe I'll pick up a couple of 5-packs: one to taste, and one to sell on eBay.

Unconditional Slow Cooker Love

2004-10-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

One of the many reasons I love my dog is because she is so quick to forgive. No matter how unreasonably I behave, she is always ready and willing to forgive and forget. Sure, she looks at me sadly when I leave her alone, but no matter how long I am gone, she's always delighted to see me. She is an unstinting well of love who never turns her back on me.

I'm starting to feel the same way about my slow cooker. The squat black counter-space-hog turns out delicious food time and again, even as I push the limits of easy cooking.

In a recent challenge, I threw the following items into the slow cooker in no particular order, all cut into bite-size pieces:

Stew meat(beef round)
beef bones
celery
carrots
onions
mushrooms
bay leaf
oregano
salt
pepper

Then I covered it all with water.

How much of each? Dunno. About a pound of meat, I think, a couple of bones, 3-4 stalks of celery, 3 carrots, a quart of mushrooms. But it's not like I measured anything. Nor did I prep anything in any way other than wash, peel and chop. I didn't saute onions to bring out their caramel flavors. I didn't brown the beef to add richness. I didn't even add complex spice combinations. I chopped, I dumped, I walked away.

About 5 hours later, I added half a package of barley.

And about 6 hours later, I had a rich, deeply scented, slightly fatty, and absolutely delicious beef barley soup. I felt undeserving. My crockpot forgave all my shortcuts and laziness, and gave me something wonderful.

It's unconditional love.

Maybe she does deserve to be in jail

2004-09-21T16:57:00.000-04:00

What is Martha thinking?

How much would you hate to get a toothbrush in your trick-or-treat bag? I don't care that it says Happy Halloween. It's a toothbrush. Maybe, just maybe, a cool toothbrush would be okay. Like this one, which comes with a Lego man inside it.

Which brings me to the subject of halloween candy. I have already bought my first bag of Candy Corn. There is only one acceptable brand: Brachs. And the Brach's company has been kind enough to make these delightful desktop pictures, so I had to have one of those.

Other than that, I have resisted the halloween candy temptation. It's simply too soon. I'm still thinking about late summer produce. I'm only barely ready to go apple picking. I just can't think about halloween candy, despite the premature displays at all the local stores. No halloween candy yet!

Candy corn being the exception.

Free Tofutti Cutie Coupon

2004-09-20T08:45:00.000-04:00

I've never tried these, but I love a good coupon.

Found the link on Fuck Corporate Groceries. Thanks.

Who are these people?

2004-09-18T22:48:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Ginsberg, Lillian Holloway, "A.P."

I don't know who most of these women are, but I can tell you they all have one thing in common: They are good cooks. I know this because I have, and frequently make, their recipes.

The recipes have been handed down through my mother, who would painstakingly roll an index card into her typewriter to type them out for me. Although my mother is not fond of cooking, she is not a bad cook. She cooks well from recipes, many of which came from her mother.

I believe Lillian Holloway was a friend of my grandmother's. That would make her a southerner, which seems somehow reasonable for a name I associate with my favorite cookie recipe. It's an elegant name for a delectable cookie. In fact, I am "known" for Lillian Holloway's Mergingue Kisses. When asked to share the recipe, I have been known to put my own name at the top of the card. Mrs. Holloway, I hope you can forgive me for shamelessly claiming your kisses as my own.

Mrs. Ginsberg, on the other hand, is a complete mystery to me, but her Noodle Pudding (Kugel) is, to me, the definitive recipe. Kugel is one of those highly debated foods, like bread pudding. Raisins or no raisins? Sweet or savory? Cinnamon or none? I am a purist, thanks to Mrs. Ginsberg, and very much of the no raisins, no cinammon school. Mrs. Ginsberg's noodle pudding is an outrageously rich, cheesy custard with only the delicate sweetness imparted by its dairy ingredients of cream cheese and cottage cheese. The perfect texture of chewy softness with a crispy crust would be marred by the unwelcome addition of raisins.

MRS. GINSBERG'S NOODLE PUDDING

8 oz. pkg. medium egg noodles
4 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. cottage cheese
4 Tbsp. butter, melted (1/2 stick), divided
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups milk
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and rinse. In bowl of mixer, blend cream cheese until soft. Add cottage cheese and mix thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients except 2 tsp. of butter and blend until smooth. Arrange noodles in a shallow baking pan (lasagna pan or 2 smaller pans). Pour in cheese mixture; drizzle remaining butter over top.

Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 1 hour. Can be served warm, or frozen and reheated. In the latter from, cut in small squares, it makes a good appetizer.

What's for dinner at Medieval Times

2004-09-17T16:05:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering, while you are watching jousting, falconing and horses, this is what you are served, by a very sweet waiter who calls you m'lady. Utensils are provided only for the vegetarian meal and the cake.

Vegetable soup with barley in a pewter-ish mug

Really good garlic bread, square-shaped

A half-chicken, roasted (it was perfectly done) with some spices

A half a potato with the skin, roasted and slightly cheesy (this was not as exciting as it sounds)

The Pastry of the Castle, which was basically the Danish of the Castle, and was pretty good

If it's your birthday: a small piece of white cake with white frosting, very Duncan Hines

If you're a vegetarian: a ton of steamed veggies covered with Ye Olde Saran Wrap, and a very cheesy piece of veggie lasagna.

Beer and soda, or a virgin daiquiri (strawberry, we had) with whipped cream (!) on top. $15 but you get to keep the glass and it has blinking lights in the bottom!

More about Lizano Salsa

2004-09-15T18:38:00.000-04:00

Apparently, this stuff is the staple of all Costa Rican cooking. Since the label is in Spanish, I didn't know what was in it... until now:

Water, sugar, salt, vegetables, (onions, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers), spices, acetic acid, pepper, starch, hydrolyzed corn protein, tumeric, sodium benzoate, sodium bisulfite and sulfur dioxide

Who knew.

The flavor is quite mild for what we gringos think of as "salsa." It's more like Worcestire sauce. It has a slightly sweet flavor with just a slight zesty kick.

I looked at the prices online, and most places charge a hefty premium for importing this Costa Rican equivalent of ketchup. (It is apparently that ubiquitous there.) But if you want to buy a half-gallon, it's only $6.95 at this site!

Costa Rican Rice and Beans (Gallo Pinto)

2004-09-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

My friend Nora, who spent two years in Costa Rica while in the peace corps, introduced me to this breakfast dish. She swears it's only good with leftover black beans, and that it won't work if you make the beans fresh. The name translates to "Spotted Rooster." I have no idea why.

I have since refined the recipe with the help of actual Costa Ricans. Hazel and Selenia make the most delicious black beans I've ever eaten. Imagine my surprise at learning it's all about pre-packaged spices.

Gallo Pinto
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 can black beans
1 package Adobo seasoning mix with cilantro
1 Tbsp. Lizano Sauce (or to taste)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cooked rice

Heat olive oil in saucepan and saute onions until golden. Add beans, Adobo, and Lizano Sauce. Stir and heat through until hot and bubbly. (According to Nora, you must now refrigerate overnight.)

Heat nonstick frying pan and add eggs. Scramble eggs until almost done but still slightly wet. Add beans and rice, stir and scramble until heated through and eggs are desired doneness. (They will mix with the bean sauce and be sort of brown so it is hard to tell.)

Now here's the thing -- does the authentic dish actually have scrambled eggs in it? While it is a traditional breakfast dish, the addition of eggs may be an Americanization. Most online recipes for the dish do not include eggs. Here's one that does suggest serving over scrambled eggs.

Here is the recipe on the Costa Rican tourism web site.

Food for a sickie

2004-09-09T19:35:00.000-04:00

Since yesterday, I've been queasy and had no appetite. Way to start a food blog.

The strange concoction I made that was the first thing I ate in 24 hours was this: Spaghetti with fresh mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few red pepper flakes. I have no idea why that would be something I would crave on top of a nauseated stomach, but there it was. Who am I to question what my body thinks it wants? Perhaps mozzarella has healing properties. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if it did. And make no mistake, this was superior mozzarella, from the Bronx. Where, you know, they make stuff like that.

Where have you been all my life?

2004-09-08T13:54:00.000-04:00

I had no idea. Really. There are hundreds of food blogs out there. Hundreds. People who are so excited and passionate about food and cooking that they want to write about it every day. Not in a recipe review, "hey this is good" kind of way, but in an intense, expansive kind of way. They take pictures of the food they make, and even the restaurant meals they order. They try new recipes. They create recipes. They challenge each other, review each other, encourage each other.

This is a community I want to be a part of. I feel like I've just stumbled across Atlantis. A hidden city of foodies.

So in humble admiration, I hereby begin my own food blog, Playing With Food.

Playing with food

2004-09-07T17:45:00.000-04:00

This is the start of a new blog, which will be focused on food and cooking.