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July 2009
The California Cooks: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
SAN DIEGO — A week ago, I featured the fridge of Portland friends we were staying with at the beginning of a 10-day trip down the coast. We ended up in San Diego to spend a few days with my aunt and uncle Chris and Betsy Cook, with whom I lived when I worked in San Diego when I was in college. This second home has always been a food paradise. Both Chris and Betsy are fantastic cooks and even better storytellers. (I’ve been hearing about potlucks and dishes like “Cherry Betsy” and “Dr. Cook’s Happiness Cake.”)
They’ve had a great deal of success with Weight Watchers in recent years, so you’ll find healthful but far-from-boring ingredients. Their fridge is the kind you want to raid in the middle of the night: wine, fresh berries, good quality milk and juice.
What three things are always in your fridge? Fat-free chicken broth. Low-fat yogurt. White wine. We also always have Better than Bouillon stock base (four different kinds: chicken, ham, beef and mushroom). We don’t use it very often, but it’s always in there.
What’s your favorite condiment? Honey mustard salad dressing that we use on sandwiches instead of mayonnaise.
What’s your go-to late-night snack? Frozen yogurt from the Golden Spoon (a frozen yogurt franchise in San Diego).
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Dreamy lunch in a treehouse at Chez Panisse
Halfway through our road trip from Portland to San Diego, we passed through the Bay Area on Saturday. A month before, I’d made reservations at Chez Panisse Cafe, the lunchtime version of Alice Waters’ famed Berkeley restaurant. Thing is, Chez Panisse isn’t so much a restaurant as an institution.
Waters opened the place in 1971, at the forefront of what we now know as the Slow Food movement. Seasonal dishes showcase the ingredients, not fancy chef magic. If I wanted that, I would have stayed up the road in Yountville and dropped a few weeks’ worth of day care at Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry. Both Panisse and Laundry are among the top restaurants in the U.S., but my mission on this trip is to do it on the cheap. Clearly, a pizza purchased across the street from Panisse at Cheeseboard would have saved us some cash, but being a food writer who’s never eaten at Chez Panisse is like being an arts writer who’s never strolled through the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
So we opted for lunch at Cafe at Chez Panisse, which has been open above the main dining room since 1980. Unlike dinner, which is always a three or four course, fixed-price meal ($75 per person, not including wine), lunch is a la carte. My friend Emily, who went to college up the hill from Chez Panisse, came up to the Bay Area from Los Angeles to join us.
(When I made reservations a month ago — you have to call exactly a month ahead to get a seat at the cafe, two months for dinner — I made them for four, hoping I could convince a friend or two to join us. Emily flew up from L.A. for lunch. Chez Panisse has that effect on people.)
We weren’t disappointed.
First off, we sat among the trees in a small room off to the side of the main dining room upstairs. Surrounded by green leaves, we ordered courses of fragrant salads, solid entrees and ended with a delicate blackberry ice cream and cobbler. I’ll let the pictures do the talking, but I’ll note that I didn’t get a photo of my favorite dish, which — to my surprise — ended up being the cheapest: A frisee with green beans with anchovy, garlic and egg ($9) that our fourth dining companion, Kyle, ordered.
Blue Heron Farm Little Gems lettuce with smoked Alaskan salmon, creme fraiche and tarragon ($11)
Terra Firma tomato and fennel salad with anise hyssop ($10)
Liberty Farm duck confit with sweet peppers, kale and almond salsa ($22)
Californian sea bass with romano beans, beets, roasted potatoes and aioli ($23)
Grilled James Ranch lamb leg with spinach, fried new onions and olive relish ($22)
Peach and blackberry cobbler with blackberry ice cream ($9.75)
We spent more than $200 for the four of us (including a bottle of wine), but it was well worth it for the experience. Friendly, not-too-formal service, memorable food in a spectacular setting.
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The Soeseidelmantaerts: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
PORTLAND, ORE. — Rachel and Russell Seidelman relocated to Portland two years ago from Kansas City, Mo., for the cool weather and laid-back biking culture (I couldn’t get them to “accidentally” stay in Austin when they stopped there on their cross-country journey to move out here).
I met Rachel when she was Rachel Soetaert in Spain, where we were both studying abroad from Mizzou. (When they got married a few years ago, Rachel and Russell joked that they were going to combine their vowel-filled last names into one: Soeseidelmantaert, thus the name of this post.) Turned out, her folks live in the same part of Missouri as mine, and our families have been intrinsically intertwined ever since.
Now she and Russell have made their home on the West coast, eating food grown in their own garden and from a CSA they just joined. They wear their hippie souls on their fridge shelves, with oat, hazelnut and almond milks next to reused tortilla bags full of lettuce and homemade pumpernickel bread. Don’t forget the freezer, which holds a dozen or so old tomato sauce jars full of blueberries Rachel picked last week on Sauvie Island.
What three things are always in your fridge? Bridgeport IPA, fresh fruit (particularly apples, “I mean Washington is next door,” says Rachel, a Missouri native.) Eggs.
What’s your favorite condiment? Tapatio
What’s your favorite late-night snack? Russell’s popcorn that he makes in his big stock pot, Rachel says, topped with melted butter.”There’s no kernels left in the bottom,” she says. “He makes the perfect popcorn. Perfectly salted and buttered, with butter melted in the toaster oven because we don’t have a microwave.” Served with grapefruit juice or apple juice.
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Biking to grab CSA veggies, pickled cherries and a pint
Pardon the break from Relishing Austin, but for the next 10 days, I’ll be relishing the West coast on a road trip from Portland, Ore., to San Diego with my husband and travel buddy, Ian. I’ve promised everyone not to work too hard on this vacation, but I can’t resist the opportunity to share the food discoveries we make along the way.
First up is Portland, where yesterday, my dear friend Rachel led us on a bike tour of her Killingsworth area. One of the errands we had to run was picking up her CSA basket (from a community-supported agriculture program). In a land where 85 degrees is considered hot (which if you’re like most Portlanders and don’t have air conditioning, it is), the produce shares look considerably different than those in Austin at this point in summer: Snow peas, lettuce, baby greens, garlic, a few zucchini, etc.
The most interesting thing on the menu today was a pickle plate at a Wisconsin-esque pub called Saraveza. Pickled green beans, onions, beets asparagus and, of all things, cherries, served with a Double Mountain Scottish Ale called Idle Hands.
Of all the progressive food-related things I’ve seen in Portland (more on that when I get back), this fermentation festival was one of the coolest:
Next stop: The Southern Oregon coast! Feel free to leave me suggestions of where to eat in the comments…
For fun while I’m gone, give your haiku muscles a work out with @foodinhaiku, a Twitter account I set up recently. You can direct message your haiku (remember the syllable pattern? It’s 5, 7, 5) to @foodinhaiku and it will automatically repost in the feed. (Another reminder: In order to direct message someone, they have to be following you. I’ve got my Twitter monkeys working hard to make sure @foodinhaiku follows everyone back so you should be able to direct message the account soon after following.)
Here’s a haiku inspired by (non) plane food:
Three bucks for peanuts / Ten cents per nut. What a rip. / Should just buy a drink
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What do you eat when no one is looking?
(Photo of toast with cottage cheese and cinnamon by size8jeans on Flickr.)
For me, it’s cottage cheese, scooped directly from the container with saltine crackers.(Premium, please. No other brands need apply.)
In today’s food section, check out this article about Deborah Madison’s new book “What We Eat When We Eat Alone,” which examines what, why and how we eat when no one is looking.
Late at night, early in the morning, in the car on the way to work, we all have secret — or not-so-secret — eating habits. What do you eat when you’re by yourself?
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‘Next Food Network Star’ casting call in Austin
It wasn’t a full as the “American Idol” audition that packed the Hyatt Regency Austin a few years ago, but “The Next Food Network Star” casting call at the Hyatt last week brought in several hundred folks from all over Texas who were vying for their shot at celebrity chef stardom.
The first round of auditions was on Friday, with several dozen people getting callbacks to return on Saturday or Sunday. We won’t know if any of the energetic and talented Austin hopefuls made the final cut for several more weeks, but this video will give you an idea of the kind of folks who tried out.
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Trick your taste buds with the Berry Fairy
Remember that magical food trip I took a while back?
Well now is your chance to check out the crazy “miracle berry,” a West African fruit that alters taste buds so that sour and bitter flavors taste sweet.
Jenny Wang, a Houston food writer who started the Berry Fairy event company for parties like this, is hosting a Miracle Berry Flavor Tripping party at 6 p.m. on July 29 at the Belmont, 305 W. Sixth St.
After eating the berry at the party, guests can enjoy drinks from Tito’s Handmade Vodka and a “bacchanalian banquet” of foods whose flavors are most affected by the change, including lemons, vinegar and goat cheese. The effect lasts between 20 minutes and two hours. A portion of the proceeds will benefit We Are Learning. Tickets ($40) are available online.
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Buy tickets now for screening of ‘Fresh’
The problems of the modern agriculture system have been uncovered in dozens of books and movies in recent years. One of the most recent productions is “Fresh,” a movie that focuses on the new ways of growing, distributing and selling food. Unlike “Food, Inc.,” which was released to theaters nationwide this summer, “Fresh” is being shown at private and public screenings across the country.
On Aug. 25, Edible Austin and the Alamo Drafthouse are hosting a screening at Boggy Creek Farm in East Austin that will raise money for the Sustainable Food Center. Drafthouse chefs John Bullington and Trish Eichelberger will create a locally sourced picnic dinner to be served just before the film starts at dark. Buy tickets ($35) now if you want them; the event is well on its way to being sold out.
Here’s a trailer from the Web site:
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Austin burgers on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 list
Where can you find the best burgers in the state?
Texas Monthly food editor Pat Sharpe and her team have canvassed the state to find the best hamburgers, and although an Austin restaurant didn’t claim the top spot, we fared pretty well on the list, which will appear in the August issue that comes out next week.
The Counter Burger from Counter Cafe on North Lamar Boulevard earned second place behind the classic cheeseburger from The Grape in Dallas.
Other Central Texas highlights:
- Cheeseburger with green chiles on a jalapeno-cheese bun from Alamo Springs Cafe in Fredericksburg (No. 3)
- Chop-house burger with cheese and bacon from Cover 3 (No. 12)
- Bulgogi burger from Burger Tex II (No. 14)
- Kobe beef burger from Max’s Wine Dive (No. 16)
- Cheeseburger from Parkside (No. 26)
- Black buffalo burger from Black Sheep Lodge (No. 27)
- Half-Ass Burger from Roaring Fork (No. 30)
- Hamburger from Mighty Fine (No. 37)
- Jalapeno cream cheese burger from Roadhouse in Bastrop (No. 38)
- Cheeseburger from Classics Burgers and “Moore” in Kerrville (No. 40)
The list heavily favors newer establishments in Austin such as Cover 3, Black Sheep Lodge, Mighty Fine and even Parkside, which has only been open for about a year and a half.
No Hut’s, no Five Guys, no P.Terry’s, no Hill-Bert’s or Phil’s Ice House (one of my personal favorites).
What do you think of the list? Which places were overlooked or overrated?
(Photo of the Big-Ass Burger from Roaring Fork by Kelly West for the Austin American-Statesman.)
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Adam Beaugh: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
Beaugh had plenty of experience with multimedia and Web projects, but his passion for vino sprung from a trip to Italy a few years ago. So Beaugh, who also owns a Web consulting business and is a DJ and “dance enthusiast,” according to his application, whipped up this video, which includes a shout out from The Gov himself:
Out of nearly 2,000 applicants, Beaugh and nine other finalists are headed to Healdsburg this weekend for the final round of interviews. Beaugh says he plans to chronicle every aspect of the trip on AReallyGoodeTrip.com, a site he put together this week that should go live by Friday afternoon.
The winner will be announced on Tuesday.
What three things are always in your fridge? Wine, Beer, Cookie Dough… Does this mean that I am a wino with a sweet tooth? Most likely.
What’s your favorite condiment? Worchestershire sauce. I grew up with my mother making a special steak sauce out of Worchestershire, Ketchup, Texjoy Steak Seasoning, and ground pepper… I still put it on everything today. A close second would definitely be Stubbs Original BBQ Sauce. One of my favorite quotes is “Ladies & Gentlemen, I’m a Cook” - C.B. Stubblefield (Stub)
Favorite wine not in your fridge? I am having a glass of Murphy-Goode’s Liar’s Dice Zinfadel as I type this… I must say it is very delicious. Two other bottles that I can never pass up are: Tintara Shiraz (2006) and Fattoria Montellori Moro (2005). The Moro is harder to find, but is available at Vino Vino, The Grove, and sometimes Vespaio.
I’m always on the hunt for interesting refrigerators. If you want to show off yours, take a photo of it (please resist the urge to clean or rearrange) and send it to abroyles@statesman.com.
(Photo by Adam Beaugh.)
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Is 140 characters enough for a recipe?
You can say a lot in 140 characters.
Twitter, whose character limit is teaching a generation of verbose online users how to be succinct, is one of my favorite ways to pass along tips, events or other foodie information that would otherwise require a three paragraph blog entry.
It saves us all time and character strokes, which means we’re digesting more tidbits of information than ever.
But I draw the line at 140 character recipes. These so-called “twecipes” are cryptic and, if you’re not a seasoned cook, confusing. Worst of all, it seems hurried and, with the millions of full length recipes available at our virtual fingertips, completely unnecessary.
For example, does this tweet for a standard blueberry tart inspire you the same way a traditional recipe, complete with a luscious photo, does?
To make sure I wasn’t the only one annoyed by these curt, text message-like recipes, I asked around on Twitter and Facebook yesterday. Here’s what you had to say:
@imneverfull RickBayless twecipes fairly useful mostly as base inspiration 4 something 2 cook l8r. mental jog.
@FoodOriented Yes, especially @Rick_Bayless. Try to recreate some of the menu items, too.
@SuperCrashRocks no but our babymama reads them. Never actually uses the twecipes.
@sam92077 I read them, but I am obsessed with recipes.
@SummerH Are you talking links to recipes, or 140-character recipes? If the latter, nope, not me.
@psandalio I post recipes and some houchies have used them. I like to share
@Vertie I’ve cooked a few of @Rick_Bayless’s recipe tweets. Think you do need basic cooking knowledge in order to figure some of them out.
@nandita I don’t. I find them too cryptic and uninspiring. I like to see what things look like and get a feel for the taste.
@brittneydanne I use the ones from Whole Foods, Central Market, Women’s Health and Shape!
@amythink Nope. i’m not going to rely on a tweet for a recipe, and if I have time to click through, I’ll look it up myself.
@mcglory13 no, recipes on twitter sounds like a dumb idea.
@alisoncook Agree on @Rick_Bayless twecipes as inspiration. He’s an idea factory. I jot down his formuli frequently.
@AGolden1 Yes, I am currently using a recipe for disaster that I was twittered…
Over on Facebook, Soup Peddler and cookbook author David Ansel chimed in:
“Well how do you “use” a recipe? Do you sit down and play along note for note, or do you just file the idea into your mental recipe box? For the former, I guess twecipes are at a disadvantage, but for the latter they work just as well. Twitter is basically a memoryless system… outside of cutting and pasting the recipe locally or jotting it down, you can’t bookmark tweets and/or file them, and there’s no effective recipe search. From the twecipes I’ve seen, the audience is really only the culinarily advanced, who only need simple cues for fairly involved techniques.”
Laura Stromberg said:
“i can’t imagine any reason to do that. people are really reaching with this social networking bidness, i say. so what if i say it via facebook!?”
Brenda Thompson said:
“Perhaps the same people who like the ‘4 ingredient’ cookbooks.”
It seems chef Rick Bayless has the right combination of recipe and tweet, not too technical, yet short and simple enough to effectively convey in 140 characters. I love the idea of sharing ideas for dishes through Twitter, but give recipes with measurements and cooking times a proper post.
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Flowers aren’t food, but they sure look pretty
When I planted my backyard garden in January, I set out to grow food.
Everything I’ve planted, with the exception of zinnias and salvia, has been a fruit, herb or vegetable, and up until the Heat Wave of 2009 started last month, I was having a good deal of success.
Too bad I don’t eat tomato hornworms.
I’ve only found one of these guys — a big one, as fat as a cigar — on my heirloom tomato plants, but it ate a good chunk of the leaves. Not like the plants are producing any tomatoes for me, but I’m still holding out hope that if I can keep the plants alive, they will produce another crop come late August or September.
Here’s what the tomatoes look like when I pick them:
Pretty depressing, but instead of let the still-barren peppers, tomato, eggplant, winter squash and green bean plants get me down, I turned my camera toward the optimistic parts of the garden.
A cantaloupe the size of my thumb! Much better than the pea-sized watermelons that shrivel up and die (even though I have thoroughly mulched and water every day).
Small spiky cucumbers keep popping out. None of them get very big, but at this point, I’m happy to see anything edible growing from the plants.
Mulching helped the squash plants tremendously, but despite the regular watering, about half of the little squashes that pop out shrivel up. I have a feeling that the hardy few that remain are going to on the tough side once they end up in the kitchen.
Watermelon flowers abound, but none of the melons have gotten any bigger than a marble.
And last (but in this heat certainly not least), zinnias and salvia, two heat-loving, non-edible plants whose colorful blossoms are often the only nourishment keeping my garden soul alive.
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Kareem Hajjar: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
You don’t meet many vegetarian distance runners/lawyers like Kareem Hajjar. Hajjar, who represents about 100 bars and restaurants in Austin, went veg four years ago with his then-girlfriend Melissa. They got married and stuck with the meat-free diet.
The Notre Dame graduate is still eating tofu instead of animal protein, unless you “accidentally” slip a piece of bacon in his salad. His plans to run a marathon are on hold due to a knee injury, but he’s got his sights sent on a 10K swim, that is, if he can lay off the cheese pizza.
What three things are always in your fridge? Wine, orange juice and pickles, usually mini gherkins.
What’s your favorite condiment? Hellish Relish, which, sadly, is now out of production.
What’s your go-to late-night snack? I’m doing my damnedest not to eat late at night, but when I do, it’s cheese pizza, usually Tony C’s. I don’t know why you’d pollute pizza with toppings.
I’m always on the hunt for interesting refrigerators. If you want to show off yours, take a photo of it (please resist the urge to clean or rearrange) and send it to abroyles@statesman.com.
(Photo by Kareem Hajjar.)
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Free screening of ‘Food, Inc.’ on July 16
If you haven’t had a chance to see “Food, Inc.” yet, consider it your duty as a foodie to do so. The movie is playing in theaters around the country, but on July 16, you can see it for free at Regal Arbor Cinema at Great Hills.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, which buys some of its pork from Polyface Farm, one of the farms profiled in the film, is sponsoring the screening at 7:30 p.m. on July 16.
Tickets will be issued on a first come, first served basis. Click here for more information.
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Laptop lunch box to the rescue
If you’re looking to spice up your lunch box routine, check out this story about bento boxes and tiffins that ran in today’s paper.
Both devices have a rich tradition in their countries of origin (Japan and India, respectively), and both are gaining popularity in the U.S., especially bento boxes.
Bento bloggers represent a substantial percent of food bloggers, Austin blogger Jack Yang is one of them. The Eating in a Box blogger helped me out for today’s story in part by lending a few bento supplies for our photo shoot, including the blue box you see here that’s made by a company called Laptop Lunches.
These phthalates-, bisphenol A- and lead-free boxes are a favorite among the parenting community in Austin. I first saw them at a playdate earlier this year when a mom had packed an array of snacks for her toddler. I haven’t splurged and spent the $25 or so they cost, but I just might be tempted to do so if you all don’t go out there and snatch them all up first.
You can buy both bento supplies and tiffins in Austin at the locations listed at the bottom of the story. You can buy the Laptop Lunch Box can online or at several places around town including Whole Foods and Wheatsville Co-op.
(Photo by Laura Skelding.)
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Get Sum Dim Sum from the Golden Gate to you
When Austin chef Foo Swasdee first started hosting Iron Chef-style competitions at Asia Fest in Austin four years ago, chef Chan Chi Keung kept winning them. “I recognized how talented he is with dim sum,” says Swasdee, the owner of Satay restaurant on Anderson Lane. When Chan, who ran Chef Chan Tea House in San Antonio, approached Swasdee about opening a dim sum restaurant in Austin, she said she was honored but made him promise to serve only MSG-free food. Chan agreed.
Get Sum Dim Sum opened at the end of May. Chan - the former executive chef at Yank Sing, one of the most famous dim sum restaurants in San Francisco - is now serving handmade and MSG-free dumplings, noodle rolls, pot stickers, soup, baos and rolls in the brightly colored, light-filled, fast-casual restaurant at 4400 N. Lamar Blvd. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. 458-9000.
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A boozy send-off for Tales of the Cocktail
The Austin cocktail scene, like many in the United States, has spiffed itself up in recent years, with the garden-to-glass and handcrafted, classic cocktail movements hitting places including FINO, Peche and now Annie’s Cafe and Bar. Bar staff with an interest in the craft of cocktails are banding together to elevate the drinking scene, despite the prevalence of neon drink mixes, margarita machines and the much-loathed “bottle service,” where patrons mix their own spirits and juice.
Christa Haxthausen of Annie’s Cafe
Mindy Kucan shares her secret ingredient she’ll be using on Friday with Eat This Lens blogger Marshall Wright and Edible Austin publisher Marla Camp.
So it’s a good thing Tales of the Cocktail, one of the world’s largest cocktail conventions, is so close. The SXSW of the cocktail world takes place every year in New Orleans, where all facets of the drink industry come together for seminars, contests and any opportunity they can find to show off their drink-making skills.
A cadre of Austin bar specialists, spirit companies and even a chef or two are headed to The Big Easy today for the five-day convention.
To send the dozens of attendees on their way, Annie’s Cafe and Bar hosted a send-off party on Monday night, with everyone who’s anyone in the cocktail scene enjoying New Orleans cocktails and jazz.
The highlight of the night was when everyone who could shake lined up for a shaker salute to the Ramos Gin Fizz. The drink, which contains egg whites and cream, has to be shaken for several minutes to attain the desired froth and thick consistency, says Annie’s bar manager and Tipsy Texan blogger David Alan.
Annie’s Cafe bar manager David Alan and Edible Austin associate publisher Jenna Noel
Lara Nixon of Boxcar Bar, Darren Makowsky and Mindy Kucan of the Hilton Hotel
Russell Davis of Peche and Bill Norris of FINO
Beth Bellanti-Walker of Tito’s Vodka, who will be speaking on a panel on Friday about building brands through word-of-mouth, Tito’s owner Tito Beveridge and Ranch 616 chef Kevin Williamson are loading up vans for a party on Wednesday celebrating Ranch 616’s “Ring of Fire” drink that won the city of Austin’s official drink contest last year.
Mindy Kucan of the Hilton Hotel downtown and Bill Norris of FINO will be throwing down caipirinhas on Friday night.
Want to follow their adventures from the road? Check out the #totc09 hashtag on Twitter.
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Let the ‘Julie & Julia’ parties begin
Two events celebrating the release of the movie “Julie & Julia,” based on the book written by Austinite Julie Powell, have already been planned:
Cissi’s Market and Wine Bar will host a movie launch party from 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22 with jazz music by Jeff Lofton and free small dessert bites from chef Faith Chan, who trained in French pastry cuisine and who will also give a food demonstration. They’ll also offer discounts on featured French wines by the glass. Free swag grab bags for the first 50 guests.
The Austin Farmers’ Market downtown will host a cooking demonstration with Fonda San Miguel chef Alma Alcocer-Thomas at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 25. Food writer Laura Kelso of Dishola will be asking trivia questions, with winners getting tickets to a special screening of the movie on July 29 at Arbor at Great Hills.
As more events pop up, I’ll post them here.
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Musician Amy Cook: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
Musician Amy Cook says she’s an eat-local person, stocking her and partner Liz Lambert’s fridge from places like Farm to Market on South Congress Avenue. Lambert, the developer behind the hippiest of Austin projects including Hotel San Jose and the Saint Cecilia Hotel, and Cook are always on the go; Cook is touring in California for much of July and Lambert is working on El Cosmico, a trailer park-inspired hotel and art residence in Marfa.
Last week, after Michael Jackson’s death, Cook recorded this heartfelt tribute to the singer with her version of “Beat It,” which just might be enough to bring tears to your eyes in this otherwise jubilant holiday weekend.
Cook’s evocative voice and narrative songwriting can be heard on her next album, “Let the Light in,” which is produced by fellow Austin musician Alejandro Escovedo and will come out later this year.
What’s your favorite condiment? Hot sauce. We always have Cholula hot sauce.
What three things are always in your fridge? Topo Chico, pickles (don’t know why, don’t eat pickles), peanut butter, love butter.
What’s your go-to late night snack? Annie’s shells and cheese. i also like those pretzels with peanut butter inside.
I’m always on the hunt for interesting refrigerators. If you want to show off yours, take a photo of it (please resist the urge to clean or rearrange) and send it to abroyles@statesman.com.
(Photo by Amy Cook.)
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Massive amount of ground beef, fajitas in H-E-B recall
The recall late last month of 400,000 of pounds of beef from JBS Swift Beef Co. is hitting closer to home with H-E-B issuing a voluntary recall of the following products:
- Raw beef briskets with plant inspection No. 969 (EST #969) with sell-by dates between May 12 and June 20.
- Raw beef inside skirt steaks in a Styrofoam tray with sell-by dates between May 4 and June 20.
- Hill Country Fare Beef for fajitas with a sell-by date of May 23.
- Any fresh ground beef in a Styrofoam tray with sell-by dates between May 9 and June 20.
Let’s see: ground beef, fajita beef, skirt steaks, beef briskets. Some of the most popular cuts of meat this time of year. And look closely, folks, that’s six weeks’ worth of ground beef sold in Styrofoam trays that H-E-B now says could be infected. With sell-by dates going back as far as May 4, most of this beef has probably already been consumed.
Check your freezer, just in case.
A little more backstory about the expanded recall: JBS Swift initially only recalled whole cuts of meat, but because many places grind beef in-store, ground beef got wrapped into the recall. JB Swift wasted no time placing the blame on stores that don’t use the “antimicrobial intervention steps” they do.
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Pig Roast 101: Barbecue beans for 1,400
I’ve been sitting on the pig roast story that ran in today’s paper for more than a year. My whole life, really, if you count the hundreds of times I heard my dad tell tall tales of his pig roasting days in college.
You can read the story for the full account, but the biggest one involved 1,400 people, 47 pigs and 145 kegs of beer (his initial recollection of 3,500 people, 24 hogs and 282 kegs of beer were a little off, but time skews most memories, doesn’t it?).
I asked him for a recipe from the massive parties, and this barbecue beans with molasses recipe was what he sent me. Thought you all might enjoy his sense of culinary humor.
Barbecue Beans with Molasses
In large container, add 55 1-gallon, commercial-sized, cans labeled “Pinto Beans” from restaurant supply company. Add one 5-lb bag of brown sugar. Add five 1-gallon cans of ketchup. Add eight large bottles of mustard. Add eight bottles of Worcestershire sauce. Add one to two bottles of liquid smoke. Add beer to obtain desired consistency.
Stir with shovel. Enjoy.
Serves 1,400.
All those beans make the pig roast we hosted for our wedding last year look more like a piglet roast.
Speaking of weddings, congratulations are in order for Maisie Goodman, the Round Rock culinary student in the story who found her passion for cooking when she roasted pigs in the military, and her longtime boyfriend Jake Stutes, who are getting married today.
No pig roast is planned.
(Photo by Jay Janner/American-Statesman staff.)
