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November 2009
After a year of free pizza, Home Slice winner is hungry for more
I hate asking people what they do, because I presume they presume that all I care about is how they make money when in fact I mean to say, “How do you spend your days?”
Likewise, Seth Mazow, who is at the end of a year of free pizza he won last year from Home Slice Pizza, hates it when people ask him what he does, lest he sound like an unmotivated, unemployed slacker who doesn’t have a job, which is true (the jobless part, not the slacker part).
So when I met him for a few slices of pie last week at what has become his second home on South Congress Avenue, he gave me the reply he gives everyone who asks him what he does: “I eat pizza.”
It’s been almost a year since Mazow won Home Slice Pizza’s Hands on an Eggplant Sub contest, above, which means he gets a free large pizza with unlimited toppings, standard or premium, every time he visits. Now that he’s unemployed, that’s four to five pizzas a week, he says. Mazow figures he’ll have eaten about $4,500 in free pizza when it’s all said and done at the end of this week.
And on Saturday, it’s all on the line — er, eggplant — again during Home Slice’s Carnival O’ Pizza, where Mazow knows he’ll have some serious competition to win the coveted prize a second time, but he’s determined to repeat.
It’s not that Mazow doesn’t want a “real job” or isn’t supremely talented. He’s worked in Silicon Valley and, during this year’s Legislative session, at the Texas state capitol. He’s one of those work-smarter-not-harder folks who has managed to live abroad for extended periods of time on several occasions in the past 10 years.
As his work at the capitol was winding down in May, he started Year of the Pizza, a blog to chronicle his free pizza adventures. Mazow’s social media and blogging skills (he was one of the first bloggers in the nonprofit sector years ago) have helped him turn free meals into big publicity for both himself and Home Slice.
And no, he doesn’t get paid extra to say all those nice things about the pizzeria around the corner from his house. “I really do think their pizza is the best in town,” he told me as we split an overloaded pie with kalamata olives, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni (on my side. He doesn’t mix meats and dairy.), broccoli, garlic, basil and, best of all, anchovies.
But on Saturday, he’s prepared to spend days with his hand on the sandwich to win the prize again. He says he’s even got some secret techniques he’s been working on to A) remain standing the whole time and B) not pee in his pants. (Contestants only get a bathroom break every 10 hours and no diapers are allowed.)
All for the love of pizza, which even after a year of consuming it almost every day, Mazow says he still looks forward to eating.
Photo of eggplant contest from Home Slice Pizza.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Playing with your food
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Melt in your mouth Sugar Cookies
For being so simple, sugar cookies are awfully finicky.
I wanted to try reader Annika’s Melt in your mouth Sugar Cookies when I read that she uses powdered sugar instead of regular sugar. I could see how powdered sugar might lead to a cookie melting in my mouth, so I made the dough at Kristin’s house and then let it sit in the fridge for a few hours when I got home.
You can always make just regular drop cookies with sugar cookie dough, but when, if not the holidays, do you get to break out the reindeer, snowman and holly leaf cookie cutters? (That’s Julian’s cookie-cutting handiwork in the photograph above.)
The problem is, as soon as you take the ball of dough of the of the fridge, it’s like a ticking time bomb. Once you start rolling out the dough, you only have a few minutes before the dough gets too warm and everything falls apart. You can put the dough in the fridge again, but next time I’ll take the advice I read somewhere on the Internet: Roll out the dough, cut it into big pieces and stack the pieces between layers of parchment paper before refrigerating.
Annika says, rightfully so, that these cookies are best when not over baked, which for sugar cookies means don’t bake them a second longer than the minimum amount of time the recipe calls for. She likes to decorate them with red and green sugar; we just ate them straight off the pan.
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. You can leave comments or rate the recipes you try. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Cooking, Desserts
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Breakfast of Champions Cookies
Leanne Clark’s Breakfast of Champions cookie recipe takes it name from the Wheaties used. She says it’s her husband’s favorite cookie from his childhood.
Without chocolate chips, oats or nuts, these cookies are nice and simple, even with the addition of coconut. (We were even able to convince Kristin’s coconut-hating son to try one, and he didn’t notice it.) Once again, I’d probably crush the flakes to even out the texture a little in the final cookie.
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. You can leave comments or rate the recipes you try. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Cooking, Desserts
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Chicago Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cereal seems to be a popular ingredient in many recipes in the Statesman’s Cookie Swap. Marie Lauritzen submitted this recipe for Chicago Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies, which she thinks originated at the Chicago YWCA and was printed — without nuts — in a 1980’s Woman’s Day or Family Circle. It is one of several that call for corn flakes.
The cookie had a nice chewy consistency, and I like the texture of the flakes, but next time, I’m going to crush them a bit before mixing them into the dough. Without the addition of milk, like when eating cereal, the flakes can be a little jarring to bite into.
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. You can leave comments or rate the recipes you try. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Cooking, Desserts
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: World’s Best Cookie
Just before Thanksgiving, I met up with food blogger friend Kristin Schell to bake up recipes from the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap. Kristin immediately picked out the World’s Best Cookie, based on its name alone. Reader Tanis Clifton says the recipe is from her 80-year-old friend who always gives her yummy baked goods, including these cookies, which are made with coconut, pecans, oats, chocolate chips and Rice Krispies.
We ended up making about half a dozen of the submissions to the cookie contest with the help of Kristin’s kids, who were happy to help in the kitchen but even more eager to try the finished results.
As for this cookie being the world’s best? It’s good, but to find out if it’s one of Austin’s best, stay tuned on Friday when I announce the finalists for the cookie contest.
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. You can leave comments or rate the recipes you try. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Cooking, Desserts
A turkey-free Thanksgiving, times two
After spending the past six weeks up to my ears in all things Thanksgiving, I decided that this year, my family would skip the traditional meal back home in Missouri for a week by ourselves at the beach.
But just because your table isn’t full of stuffing and green bean casserole doesn’t mean you’re not celebrating the Day of Thanks. We made seafood paella with friends earlier this week, which satiated the communal meal desire, which meant that yesterday, it was just me and my boys, braising lamb and enjoying the quiet, non-frantic house. (We’ve got our paella-making friends’ house by ourselves for the week.)
It’s been a lovely Thanksgiving holiday, with more good meals than we’ve had in a while. I’ll be posting about dumpling-making and seafood markets next week, but in the meantime, I want to see a glimpse of your Thanksgiving. We’re putting together a gallery of Thanksgiving food photos, and you can upload pictures of your own here.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Playing with your food
Cookbook author Matt Lee: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
What I wouldn’t have given for an invite to the Thanksgiving of Matt and Ted Lee, cookbook authors and modern missionaries of Southern foodways. Just look at these green beans.
The Charleston-born brothers have plenty to be thankful for this year, just after the release of their second cookbook “Simple Fresh Southern,” a follow-up to the 2006 James Beard Award-winning “The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook,” which thrust them into the national spotlight. (You’ve probably read their articles in GQ, Martha Stewart Living or Food & Wine magazines or seen them make something scrumptious on a morning television show. They been blowin’ up, as they say.)
Their new book features innovative dishes made with quintessentially Southern ingredients. Pork, greens and cornmeal have never had it so good.
What three things are always in your fridge? Sriracha, half and half and country ham bits
What’s your favorite condiment? Artichoke relish
What’s your go-to late night snack? Pimento cheese on toast
Matt and Ted will be in Austin next week, promoting their new book at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at BookPeople, which means they get to revisit the Austin favorite breakfast of migas, a recipe for which made it into the new book.
Austin-Style Brunch: Greens and Eggs Migas
Good for breakfast or dinner, the Lee Brothers place this Austin favorite on a bed of collard greens and chorizo.
For greens:
2 tsp. peanut or canola oil
4 ounces chorizo or smoked sausage, finely diced
3 poblano chiles, seeded and sliced into thin strips (about 3 cups)
2 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 1/2 pounds collard greens, ribs removed and leaves thinly sliced
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
For migas:
1⁄4 cup canola oil
three 6-inch corn tortillas, cut pizza-style into 8 triangles
3 ⁄4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
8 large eggs, beaten
4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
salsa, for topping
Over high heat, pour peanut oil into a skillet and when it shimmers, add chorizo or sausage. Cook until meat has rendered most of its fat, about two minutes. Add poblanos and continue to cook until they have softened slightly and the sausage is cooked through, about four minutes. Add garlic, half the collards, salt and 2 tablespoons water to the skillet. Cook, turning collards with tongs and adding more greens and those in the pan wilt, until all the collards are in the pan. Continue to cook until collards have softened and become dark green, about six minutes. Add vinegar and continue to cook collards until vinegar has evaporated and the pan is dry. Season to taste with salt and reserve.
In a large skillet, heat canola oil and one of the small tortilla triangles over medium-high heat until the tortilla sizzles vigorously. Add remaining tortilla pieces and stir them in the hot oil until they become crispy and gently browned, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted metal spoon, transfer them to a plate lined with a double thickness of paper towels.
Sprinkle with 1⁄4 tsp. of the salt, and set aside. Pour off the oil, and add butter to the skillet, and when it’s completely melted and frothing, add onion and remaining 1⁄2 tsp. salt.
Cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add eggs and tortilla chips, and scramble until eggs are curdy but still moist, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese over top, cover, and cook just until cheese melts, about 45 seconds. Divide the collard greens with poblanos and chorizo among four warm serving plates, and top each portion with eggs and spoonfuls of salsa. Serves 4.
Photos by Matt Lee.
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Is this year’s Thanksgiving dinner the best ever? Show us!
Hours of planning, shopping and cooking culminate on Thursday with a dinner that friends and family will be talking about until next year’s Thanksgiving.
Whether you’ve roasted a bird or are side-stepping tradition with seafood paella (more on that from our trip to Galveston later this week), take a photo of your Thanksgiving dinner table covered in food and upload it here. at austin360.com/food.
This weekend, we’ll put together a photo gallery of Central Texans’ Thanksgiving tables.
Photo by Larry Crowe for the Associated Press.
Permalink | | Categories: Playing with your food
In Julie Powell’s ‘Cleaving,’ more marital misery than meat
Powell’s first book chronicled her attempt to pull herself out of a mid-life slump by cooking — and blogging about — every recipe in Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” The book was sassy, but fun and entertaining to read. “Cleaving,” on the other hand, is a dark look into Powell’s affair-ridden marriage, told as she sets out on another culinary adventure: to become a butcher.
The Austin High School graduate talked about this “darker, more personal” book when I interviewed her in August for a profile on her that was published around the time the movie debuted.
“It’s about butchery in the same way that ‘Julie and Julie’ is about Julia (Child),” she said. “It was a dark period in my marriage…I kinda had to do it. It was my digestion of the entire experience…By the time I got through to the end, I was able to approach the entire experience from a place of generosity and understanding. It wasn’t coming from anger or spite,” she says.
By the end of the book, it was easier to tell that she and her husband had processed the myriad infidelities, most notably a two-year affair with a man Powell refers to a “D” in most of the book.
Although the book ends with a revived passion for her husband, the lewd details of her affair are difficult to read, especially for fans of the first book. In “Julie and Julia” (both the book and the movie), we fall in love with her husband, Eric, a fellow former Austinite, who is patient, witty and sensitive, the calm to her crazy. She went to such great detail to portray him as the near-perfect mate, it’s hard to have sympathy for her when she falls (back) in love with a fling — or at least his preference for S&M sex — from college.
Marriage isn’t perfect, and Lord knows we need more realistic looks at what and what does not constitute a modern marriage, but there’s something to be said about modesty when it comes to writing about extramarital sex, the painful details of which I’m too embarrassed for her to share, just in case her family or friends are reading this blog.
I loved the parts of the book where she’s learning how to butcher like the boys at Fleisher’s butcher shop in Kingston, New York. The cold of the meat, her weary muscles, the boisterous banter in the store; Powell is a solid writer, but she could have used a little editing to pare down the endless pages filled with Buffy the Vampire references or scenes where she’s anticipating the buzz of her phone, which meant a racy text from her lover, or downing yet another bottle of wine alone after work.
The final third of the book becomes a travel memoir as she visits meat slayers in various parts of the world. The self discovery found along the way is to be expected, but it’s still nice to follow Powell as she’s on her own, away from the men who trouble her mind, gaining the confidence we knew she had all along to resolve her romantic woes.
It’s no “Julie and Julia,” but “Cleaving” will certainly make you appreciate a balanced partnership if you have one and warn you of the dangers of complacency and temptation inherent to marriage if you don’t.
Powell will be making several appearances in Austin in December. The first is a book signing at BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd., and the second at 7 p.m. on Dec. 7, at an Alamo Drafthouse screening of “Julia and Julia” for Eat Local Week.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Food in the news
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Best Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Unlike millions of Americans, I don’t suffer from any kind of gluten or celiac problems, but I’m always on the look-out for recipes that are gluten- or casein-free.
Catherine Hilton’s recipe for Best Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies uses no flour or butter, which means it’s free of both gluten and dairy. It does have one egg, so it’s not vegan.
I made the mistake of making these with half organic peanut butter from Whole Foods and half Jiff (I was almost out of both). As soon as the cookies went into the oven, a chemical-y smell wafted through the house.
The cookies had a good texture and flavor, but if I were to make them again, I’d only use the best peanut butter I could get my hands on.
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. You can leave comments or rate the recipes you try. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Cooking
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Triple Peanut Oatmeal Cookies
Beth Solomon says her Triple Peanut Oatmeal Cookie is “a serious fix for the devoted peanut-lover,” and after my coworker Jodi made these cookies for a bake sale at work a few weeks ago, I can concur.
It’s a peanut cookie to the max, but the oatmeal will make you think you’re eating something healthy.
But peanuts and peanut butter are good for you, right? Because the newsroom staff ate up the whole batch in a snap.
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Cooking, Desserts
Pumpkin puree, from scratch
Canned pumpkin shortage or not, it’s good to know how to puree a pumpkin.
Gourds of all kinds can be roasted, pureed and then added to stews, risotto, muffins, mashed potatoes and, a favorite this time of year, pie.
Libby’s has warned of a canned pumpkin shortage, but even if there is plenty of canned pumpkin to go around this week, consider making your own for a fresher Thanksgiving pie.
Pumpkin Puree
You’ll need: 1 small pumpkin (jack-o-latern-sized pumpkins are often tough and less flavorful than the “pie pumpkins” available at most grocery stores this time of year), a blender or food processor
To make your own pureed pumpkin (or butternut or acorn squash), just slice off the top half inch of the pumpkin, which includes the stem, and cut the flesh into quarters. Scoop out the seeds and stringy insides, which can be easily cleaned, seasoned and roasted.
Without adding oil, salt or pepper, place the quarters on a roasting pan and roast at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes.
Once fork tender, remove from the oven. Let cool, and peel off skin and then puree in a blender or food process until smooth. (Add water a teaspoon at a time if it seems dry.)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: 15 Minutes or Less, Cooking
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Uber Yummy Oatmeal Holiday Cookie
I’m a freak when it comes to oatmeal cookies.
Oatmeal raisin are probably my hands-down favorite category of cookie, but I’m just as happy with cookies like this Uber Yummy Oatmeal Holiday Cookie from Dianna Perez, who says it’s one of her favorite cookies to give to friends during the holidays.
White chocolate and cranberries is a classic connection, and with the oatmeal thrown in, it’s definitely a recipe you’re going to want to try.
If you like oatmeal cookies with fruit, that is. I know several people who insist that oatmeal chocolate chip is ideal, but this recipe combines the best of both worlds.
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Desserts
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Hippie Oatmeal Cookies
With parents like mine, there was no way I couldn’t not test these Hippie Oatmeal Cookies. (There’s a reason the kids used to call me “Granola.”)
Lauren Kincke blogged about making this recipe for National Oatmeal Day in April this year, and she says that this “fruit-cake in a cookie” comes from her great-grandmother.
I love chewy, granola bar-like cookies, and this one definitely fit the bill. I love that it’s made with honey, too.
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. You can leave comments or rate the recipes you try. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Desserts
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Gumdrop Cookies
It takes a lot of ingredients to test a few cookie recipes.
A tableful of ingredients, in fact. I thought I could get by with the basics in my pantry for at least a few cookie recipes, but when browsing through the recipes submitted for the Cookie Swap, I realized I was going to have to get to a bulk section stat.
I loaded on up nuts, chocolate, coconut, vanilla and, of all things, orange slices for this Gumdrop Cookie recipe.
The orange slices were a pain to chop up, but along with the oatmeal and coconut, they made for a complex texture in the final cookie.
I loved the potpourri of ingredients, and the orange slices made me think about my great-grandmother who always kept them around. (In fact, the last time I was in Missouri, I saw that my grandmother now has a jar of them on her counter. I guess it’s an inevitable part of growing older.)
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. You can leave comments or rate the recipes you try. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Desserts
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Brown Butter and Pecan Shortbread
Browned butter makes everything better.
Beth Balsam tapped into this truism with her Brown Butter Pecan Shortbread cookies. Her mom always made these cookies, and she started making them with browned butter instead.
They are delicious with a perfect shortbread texture. There’s just something about toasted nuts and beurre noisette…
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. You can leave comments or rate the recipes you try. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Desserts
The Cookie Swap Made Me Do It: Potato Chip Cookies
I’ve never baked a cookie recipe that called for potato chips in the dough, but this Potato Chip Cookies, submitted by Donna Rinn, tapped into that salty/sweet obsession of mine.
“This is a simple yet very yummy cookie that is good anytime of the year,” she writes. “I bake them every year for my teachers during October. (National Cookie Month)”
I bet teachers love them, but it seems like the students would have a fun time trying to guess the secret ingredient!
To get a feel for the recipes being exchanged in the Statesman’s Virtual Cookie Swap, I’ve started baking recipes that catch my eye. It’s a lot of cookies, but someone’s got to do it. You can leave comments or rate the recipes you try. The deadline to enter to win the title of Austin’s Best Cookie 2009 is Dec. 2. We’ll announce finalists on Dec. 4 and pick a winner at a holiday bash at Stubb’s on Dec. 17. Stay tuned for details.
Permalink | | Categories: 2009 Cookie Swap, Desserts
Olivia chef James Holmes: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
Holmes has cooked at a number of restaurants, including the famed Perini Ranch Steakhouse outside his hometown of Abilene. After helping start the student-run Ventana restaurant at the Texas Culinary Academy, he created film-themed feasts at the Alamo Drafthouse before opening Olivia on South Lamar Boulevard last year.
Olivia, named after one of his two daughters, was named one of the best new restaurants in the country by Bon Appetit earlier this year, and Rachael Ray fell in love with Holmes’ dedication to using local, sustainable ingredients.
Holmes has already gained a reputation for “nose to tail” cooking, and he’s even figured out that he can use pig skulls as scarecrows for the restaurant’s on-site garden. (Did I mention he’s into composting, too?)
Now the only question is when is he going to open another restaurant named after his littlest daughter, Lucy?
What three things are always in your fridge? There is always Lone Star beer, a variation of pickled jalapenos and bacon grease in the fridge.
What’s the first thing you pull out of the fridge in the morning? Whatever my 4-year-old daughter, Olivia, is drinking, which is what I’ll end up drinking, too. Usually apple juice, orange juice or cranberry juice.
What’s your favorite condiment? Tears of Joy’s “August in Austin” hot sauce
Photo by James Holmes.
Permalink | | Categories: What's in Your Fridge Friday
Get tickets now for 3rd annual Eat Local Week
December might seem like a strange time to host Eat Local Week, but Edible Austin publisher Marla Camp says late fall is actually one of Texas’ most bountiful seasons.
For the third year, Edible Austin is hosting a week full of activities to bring together farmers, chefs, cooks and people who love seasonal food. Many of the activities are free, but for some of the events, you’ll need tickets that could sell out before Thanksgiving.
All the money raised goes to Urban Roots, a program that uses sustainable agriculture to transform the lives of area teens and helps increase access to locally raised food. Urban Roots participants help grow more than 22,000 pounds of food, 40 percent of which they donate to people in need and the other 60 percent they sell at local farmers’ markets.
UPDATE: Marla Camp says that for the next two Saturdays at Edible Austin booth at the Austin Farmers’ Market, they’ll be giving a $5 discount on seats for the screening of “Fresh” at the Paramount.
Here is a rundown of the events; details and tickets for all of the events can be found here.
- BookPeople is hosting a launch party from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4, that will feature Ana Sofia Joanes, director/producer of the documentary “Fresh,” and food and drinks.
- On Saturday, Dec. 5, the downtown farmers’ market will host the official kick-off event, complete with a 24-carrot salute and other free activities. The market is one of three starting places for the Urban Farm Bicycle Tour ($25 for individuals, $45 for families), which will hit a handful of local farms and community and school gardens. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. also on Saturday is the Edible Austin Tea Festival at Zhi Tea Gallery, 4607 Bolm Road. Taste teas from local tea purveyors for free and enjoy food from Ecstatic Cuisine for $10 a plate. At 7 p.m. on Saturday night, catch a special screening of “Fresh” at the Paramount Theatre, and stick around for a Q&A with the movie’s director and Joel Salatin, the farmer activist of Polyface Farms featured in Michael Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma.” (Tickets start at $15, and the $100 tickets include a pre-screening reception with Joanes and Salatin and food from local restaurants and drinks.)
- On Sunday, Dec. 6, Owl Tree Roasting is hosting the Drink Local Coffee Festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and TipsyTexan.com is hosting the Drink Local Contest at the Palm Door from 6 to 9 p.m. that will pit local bartenders against each other to create the best drink from Texas spirits and ingredients. (Tipsy Texan David Alan is accepting entries for the contest through Nov. 22.)
- “Julie and Julia” author Julie Powell will be on hand for dinner and a screening of the movie inspired by her book at the Alamo Drafthouse at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7 ($75).
- From 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8, the Austin Museum of Art hosts a Gulf Coast Sampler featuring a panel on regional seafood traditions ($15), and from 5 to 10 p.m. you can skate at Whole Foods Market downtown for $10 and enjoy samples of local food and wine.
- Create a custom holiday gift basket on from 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at City Hall at the Local Holiday Gift Fair, which will feature members of Better Bites Austin, a coalition of local food artisans and businesses.
- From 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10, browse food-themed art at the Wally Workman Gallery while eating food and sipping cocktails. A portion of the art sales will to go Urban Roots.
- Whip In Parlour Cafe and Market is hosting the Meet Your Local Brewers Happy Hour from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11, where you can sample local beers and list to music from James McMurtry and others. ($20, which includes six beers)
- Cheer on local media celebrities at 10 a.m. at the downtown farmers’ market on Saturday, Dec. 12, during a cook-off between Kate Weidaw of KXAN-TV and Bryan Beck of KGSR-FM.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Eating locally, Playing with your food
Canned pumpkin shortage? Don’t bet your pie on it
When a national food corporation runs low on a product, they issue a press release saying there’s a shortage.
Panic sets in.
Customers run to stock up (see: sugar, Kellogg Eggo waffles), only to find out that “shortage” isn’t a shortage at all, but one or two companies running low on a certain product.
Reports of a shortage on Libby’s canned pumpkin have been circling the Internet lately. The company says rains destroyed this year’s pumpkin harvest, which means there might not be enough canned pumpkin to go around.
It’s as if Libby’s is the only company in the canned pumpkin business. At two grocery stores yesterday, I was able to find plenty of the stuff, as well as whole pumpkins that — gasp — could be used to make pumpkin puree.
The reasons for a food “shortage” are rarely what they seem: Kellogg blamed rain for shutting down several of its plants, but one Atlanta plant was shut down for two months after a routine inspection found Listeria in a package of buttermilk Eggo waffles. It appears the plant had to be sanitized twice, which caused the delay in production that consumers will feel through next year.
Once again, there’s more than one company selling frozen waffles these days.
The sugar “shortage,” it seems, was more about prices than supply. Even the American Sugar Alliance said candy companies were crying wolf.
As for the canned pumpkin shortage? It was a rainy year for much of the Midwest, which I’m sure means that Libby’s doesn’t have as much of their signature product as they’d like.
But there’s no better way to make sure they’ll sell what they do have than announce there might not be enough to go around.
Photo by Deiru on Flickr.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Food in the news
Baking is bread for my soul; what’s yours?
In today’s Relish Austin column, I expand on an earlier blog post about MFK Fisher’s take on baking from her book “How to Cook a Wolf”:
(Making bread) is pleasant: one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with peace, and the house filled with one of the world’s sweetest smells. But it takes a lot of time. If you can find that, the rest is easy. And if you cannot rightly find it, make it, for probably there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread.
I was in college when I first realized how relaxed I became while baking bread. While kneading the dough, stress from my shoulders seemed to transfer to the mix of water, flour and yeast that I was bringing to life in my hands. Even though the sources of stress have changed, the process of baking bread is still one of my favorite stress-relievers.
Baking does it for me, but what does it for you? Are you a knitter who doesn’t really care if the finished product is Etsy-worthy? Do you garden just to feel the soil?
I think we all have some activity that we do not for the result but for the process. What’s yours?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Playing with your food
Be part of a farmers’ market cookbook
The Sustainable Food Center is putting together a cookbook.
The nonprofit in charge of the Austin Farmers’ Market downtown and at the Triangle has tons of other projects going on all year long, but this holiday season, a cookbook is in the works.
If you want to submit a recipe that uses local, seasonal ingredients from any time of year, submit it along with the story that inspired it through their Web site. The SFC team will test the recipes and compile them for a book. (They are still seeking a publisher, so if you have connections with a printing house who wants to support an Austin nonprofit, contact Susan Leibrock at 512-236-0074 ext. 111 or afmcookbook@gmail.com.)
Marshall Wright of Eat This Lens will be making the photographs for the book, which they plan to release 2011. December 1 is the deadline to submit online or via mail. (Send recipes via snail mail to 1106 Clayton Lane. Ste 480W, Austin, TX 78723.)
Permalink | | Categories: Cookbooks
Turn gratitude into new school in Tanzania
After all this talk about what we’re eating on Thanksgiving, it’s time to talk about gratitude.
On Nov. 24, people around the world will be gathering for TweetsGiving, a fundraiser like the Twestival that capitalizes on the generosity and camaraderie of the social media community to support a good cause. Money raised at next week’s TweetsGiving will go to Epic Change, which is helping expand the Shepard’s Junior School in Tanzania with new classrooms, a library, cafeteria and dormitory. (Students from the school are the kids sharing what they are grateful for in the video above.)
The Austin TweetsGiving will take place from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Mama Fu’s downtown, 100 Colorado St. Buy your tickets here (100 percent of the proceeds go to Epic Change).
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Food in the news
Drop the guilt, and drink some chocolate
Drinking chocolate is one of Spain’s gastronomic gems.
The indulgent drink is more like pudding than what Americans consider hot chocolate and is widely consumed in Spain, often at breakfast with pastries or churros, or fried sticks of dough similar to doughnuts.
At 5 grams of fat and 200 calories per 3/4 cup, the drink has half the fat of a chocolate bar and about the same number of calories. You also can serve it on top of ice cream or as a fondue dip with fruit, graham crackers or marshmallows. Available at Cost Plus World Market (13.52 ounces for $3.99, 30 ounces for $10.00) or online.
I hold Valor near and dear to my heart because when I lived in Spain, I got to visit their Willy Wonka-esque factory in Villajoyosa, which isn’t far from my adopted hometown of Alicante. Valor Chocolates have been around since 1881, and the company has a museum of chocolate right next to its production facility, which smells exactly like you’d think a chocolate factory smells. (I remember not needing to try any of the free chocolate “bonbons” because the sweet smell of sugar and cocoa was enough to satiate my craving.)
Fact: For centuries, the only way you could consume chocolate was by drinking it. The Mayans first explored the uses of cacao, and it wasn’t until the 1800s that Europeans figured out how to solidify liquid chocolate, thus making the first chocolate bar.
There are several other drinking chocolates around, but this was the first I tried that gave me flashbacks to the kind of chocolate that madrileños have become famous for drinking in the wee hours of the morning after a long night out eating, drinking and dancing.
Now if only I could find some authentic churros…
Photos from Ensee on Flickr and Valor.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Desserts
Austin company lets you design own wine label
At least once a week, someone proposes on the label of a bottle of wine, says Alex Andrawes, founder of Austin-based PersonalWine.com, a site that allows people to order customized wine labels.
If it’s not a proposal, it’s a birthday wish, congratulations or thank-you note sent on a bottle of wine shipped from Andrawes’ East Austin office. (He even recalls a label with a picture of someone flashing the middle finger that was sent to a former boss. That bottle spawned a slew of bottles sent to ex-bosses from people who had been fired.)
But Andrawes, who above is standing in front of a wall with every label they’ve printed this year, isn’t just selling any wines he can get his hands on. Ever since the 33-year-old started the company in 2001, he’s been buying from winemakers around the world directly, using his palate to find sophisticated, yet accessible wines that no one would be embarrassed to give their boss, fiancee or mother-in-law.
Bottles start at about $20, which includes a label that you can either upload, design on the Web site or have one of Andrawes’ in-house artists create for you. Etching is also available on any bottle in stock. Andrawes also runs Wines.com, a discount retail site with a discussion forum.
Last week, I was a guest on the first of Andrawes’ twice-weekly “winecast” on Ustream, which also featured John Antonelli, a local cheese expert who is in the middle of opening Antonelli’s Cheese Shop in Hyde Park. (The store isn’t open yet, but when it is, Antonelli and his wife plan to showcase some of the finest cheeses in town.)
Tune in at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays on Personal Wine’s Ustream channel to see who else Andrawes brings to the table.
Permalink | | Categories: Beer/Wine/Spirits
Tasha Petty and Camille Woods: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
They are goofy and energetic, always excited about a new art project or bike route to work. They throw great themed parties and are always introducing me to someone new and interesting. (In fact, I met my husband through Tasha when I first moved to Austin, and now she and Camille are some of Julian’s favorite surrogate aunts.)
During the kick-off weekend for the East Austin Studio Tour, they are hosting a Sunset Shakedown from 6 to 11 p.m. at Ecoxera, 1111 East 11th Street, to show off some of their newest pieces of artwork and photography.
What three things are always in your fridge? Corn tortillas have replaced flour tortillas while we’re trying to stay gluten free. Cheese, at least three different kinds, always including a block of Reggiano and goat’s milk. Zucchini
What’s your favorite condiment? Braggs Liquid Aminos for all things Asian influenced. Valentino hot sauce for all things Mexican influenced. Classic yellow mustard for all things American influenced.
What’s your go-to late night snack? We generally consume wine vs. food late night, but if munchies happen, chips and hummus or veggie chips or Cajun mix from the Whole Foods bulk section.
Photo by Tasha Petty.
Permalink | | Categories: What's in Your Fridge Friday
Smithville’s world record is broken by Norway cookie
Smithville’s Guinness World Record for the largest cookie has been broken.
In Norway, the world’s tallest man — Turkey’s Sultan Kosen who is 8 foot, 1 inch tall — unveiled a 1,435 pound cookie. That’s 128 pounds more than the previous record, set by a group of bakers in Smithville, just east of Austin, that was baked in 2006.
Permalink | | Categories: Food in the news
Backyard gardens help feed, sustain the formerly homeless
Now, in addition to Resolution Gardens, Austin Urban Gardens, Green Corn Project and a number of other area businesses and nonprofits, Mobile Loaves and Fishes wants to help Central Texans grow food.
With the help of people who were once living on the streets, Mobile Loaves and Fishes will build and maintain gardens and set up chicken coops in people’s backyards. Home owners will pay for supplies, but in exchange for the work, they’ll also share half of the bounty with the formerly homeless who help grow the food. Founder Alan Graham posted this video on Twitter this morning, showing off his backyard chickens and garden.
This garden and chicken service is just one part of the larger Karpophoreō Project — also know as KP — whose goal is to help low-income, homeless and formerly homeless create a sustainable food supply for themselves.
If you’re interested in partnering up with Mobile Loaves and Fishes, e-mail them at info@mlfnow.org.
Permalink | | Categories: Food in the news, Food in your backyard
Building the chef community, one roasted pig at a time
Meaty Monday Madness isn’t so secret now.
Zack Northcutt, co-owner and chef of Mulberry, has been hosting these get-togethers for his chef friends on the first Monday of every month for a while now, but after Matthew Odam’s article in the Wednesday paper, people are probably pounding down his door for an invite.
The meat-centric potluck is more than an excuse for chefs to eat together. In the past decades, cooks who cut their teeth on the line at now-closed establishments like Jean Luc’s and Seven are now in charge of their own kitchens. Chef rivalry can be a good thing for a food scene, forcing chefs to step up their game lest be overshadowed by their harder-working peers, but Northcutt knows the value of building a community.
The cooks at his party — from everywhere from Izzos Tacos to Jeffrey’s — might have had a friendly competitive banter about whose roasted goat or pig was better, but they were more focused on hanging out and eating good food. Diners in Austin are better off with these chefs befriending each other.
Competition is a good thing, but friendships are even better.
Permalink | | Categories: Playing with your food
Giving thanks: Free meals for Austin veterans
Russell Williams, a pedicab driver, student and veteran of the U.S. Navy, picked up on reports yesterday of free food for area veterans, so he enlisted friend Jason Soliz, who is also a student/pedicabber/veteran, to help him visit each of the places in Austin honoring them with free meals.
Together than have more than 13 years of service to the U.S. military.
I met up with them for lunch at Wing Zone, where owner Brad Meltzer was giving away T-shirts and handshakes and heartfelt thanks to customers. Meltzer is giving away meals at Wing Zone until 2 a.m. Thursday and will be giving away dinner at his Austin and San Antonio Benihana restaurants from 5 to 10 p.m. Applebee’s is giving away an entree to veterans, and Outback Steakhouse has an onion blossom and a drink to honor folks who have served.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Eating out, Food in the news
Turkey Talk: Heritage, free-range and organic
Thanksgiving will be here before you know it, and if you’d like to serve a free-range, organic or even heritage turkey, here are some of the options in Austin.
Greenling Organic Delivery is selling locally raised turkeys from Richardson Farm and others from Prairie Organic, which is based in Wisconsin. Wheatsville Co-op is also selling Prairie Organic turkeys; Newflower Farmers’ Market and Sun Harvest have free-range turkeys available. Inquire at the meat department for availability.
Alexander Family Farm is another source for locally raised turkeys.
Sprouts Farmers Market, the newest addition to the quickly expanding natural grocers scene, and Natural Grocer, the Colorado-based chain, both have online ordering available for free-range turkeys. Through Nov. 23, you can order a free-range turkey from the Arizona-based Sprouts and specify with location you’d like to pick it up at. Natural Grocers is taking orders online for free-range, free-range organic and heritage varieties on its Web site.
Heritage or heirloom turkeys cost four to five dollars more than most other kinds of turkeys, but the meat is markedly darker and more gamey than regular turkeys (so don’t think you can pull a fast one on your Thanksgiving guests who are used to Butterball birds.)
If you do get a heritage turkey, check out these cooking tips from Saveur magazine. Because they aren’t raised to have breasts proportionally larger than they should be, the meat can dry out easily. (Saveur also ran this great profile of a passionate farmer in Kansas, above, who is doing his best to save heritage breeds.)
(Be careful: Some heritage and local birds can cost upwards of $6-7 dollars a pound, so keep an eye on the size of bird you order, otherwise you might end up with a $140 turkey.)
Kosher turkeys have been pre-brined, but brining is a good idea if your turkeys usually dry out. (Read more about the brining debate, plus a guide on how long to roast and whether you should trust the plastic “popper” in this column from last year’s Thanksgiving.)
Photo by Jim Turner for Saveur.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Cooking
Are you ready to swap cookies?
We’re only in week two of the Statesman’s virtual Holiday Cookie Swap, and readers have already submitted more than 30 recipes for their favorite cookies to the Austin360 recipe database.
Just like a real-life cookie swap, the goal of this virtual project is to 1) share recipes for holiday treats 2) narrow down all of the submissions to five finalists, whose cookies will then be judged by a panel of area celebrity bakers and one guest judge (see below) at an open-invite holiday party on Dec. 17 name Austin’s Best Cookie of 2009.
So here’s where you come in: Of course readers should continue submitting recipes and photos, but I’d really like to utilize the commenting and rating feature of the database. Even if you don’t get a chance to bake a recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the cookies.
Are you a peanut freak? Beth Solomon’s Triple Peanut Oatmeal Cookies might be just the cookie recipe you’ve been looking for your entire life. If a certain recipe, say MeMaw’s Pinwheels, reminds you of your MeMaw’s special cookie (or maybe she’s a HeHe, GaGa or YaYa), share the connection in the comment section.
We’ll take comments into consideration when picking the finalists, and as an extra incentive, I’ve got a stack of baking books to give away to a commenter selected at random.
If you’d like to be a guest judge at the holiday party, @reply me on Twitter or reply to one of my status updates on Facebook about why your cookie qualifications, and I’ll pick a winner the week of Thanksgiving.
So many good cookies, so many rich stories, including anecdotes coming from readers whose mothers and grandmothers developed the recipes for their kids’ favorite teachers or when sugar was rationed during World War II.
It’s a good thing I’ve stocked up on baking supplies; it’s going to be a sugar-filled month!
Photo by Bret Gerbe for the Austin American-Statesman.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Desserts, Playing with your food, Recipes
Tiff’s Treats to help send Austin boy to Disney World
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, they’ll be selling a dozen cookies for $3, an unbelievable deal made even sweeter by the fact that the money will go to Christian, a 7-year-old Austin boy with leukemia whose wish through the Make a Wish Foundation is to go to Disney World.
Inside many of the boxes are gift certificates and gift cards that have been donated by a number of local businesses.
Cookie purchases must be made in cash and there is a limit of five dozen cookies per customer.
Photo by Deborah Cannon for the Austin American-Statesman.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Desserts
Anne Rutt of Hosteria Verde: What’s in Your Fridge Friday?
Anne Rutt-Enriquez, owner of Hosteria Verde Supper Club and Catering, keeps her green onions in a water to keep them “extra crunchy.”
Rather than going out, Rutt-Enriquez says she has been entertaining people at home a lot lately — with her food, not just the extreme measures she goes to to keep green onions fresh or her adorable dogs Maddi and Tanner — to save money for an upcoming trip to Mexico.
But there’s no way she’ll be able to get out of town before the holiday rush is over. She’s helping kick off the holiday eating season on Saturday with the Austin Junior Forum’s annual Christmas at the Caswell House, where she’ll be serving chantrelle soup, beef tenderloin, gnocchi and vanilla bean panna cotta. (Tickets cost $65 per person and can be purchased here.)
What three things are always in your fridge? To-go boxes from Thai Passion, milk and Topo Chico mineral water.
What’s your favorite condiment? I LOVE condiments. We always have way more different types of sauces- than food in our fridge! I can only narrow it down to two: white truffle oil and sriracha. I put it on everything!
What do you eat before 10 a.m.? My husband and I are hooked on French Press coffee and cream. It’s not the healthiest way to start your day, but a big cup really gets me going!
Photo by Anne Rutt-Enriquez.
Permalink | | Categories: What's in Your Fridge Friday
Apples, Halloween and blackberry pie in Missouri
“Everybody here, comes from somewhere that they would just as soon forget and disguise.” — “Supernatural Superserious” by R.E.M.
Like many of you, I came to Austin from somewhere else.
For a long time, I tried to distance myself from Southwest Missouri, where I grew up and graduated from high school.
It’s always a blast into my past when I’m in Aurora, where my family’s roots go back to the 1950s when my grandparents moved there to raise their three kids. Flash forward almost 60 years: My dad is on the city council (we don’t call him Mayor Dan for nothing) and my mom is just a few years from retiring after decades as a teacher and guidance counselor. My grandmother, who lives in the same house just a few blocks from the high school where my mom grew up, knows just about every person in town, and if they are my age, they all call her GaGa (she’s the one not wearing a dreaded Rastafarian wig/hat).
I got pretty good at disguising my rural roots by wearing my big city shoes over the years, but I’ve finally been away long enough that I can go back without feeling guilty for leaving. Halloween this year was the perfect occasion for a trip to my hometown.
Midwestern families are as fervent about trick-or-treating as they are football. We suited up (my sister’s Mary Poppins costume put everyone else’s witches, ghosts and hippies to shame) and hit the town, stopping by the same houses of family friends I hit when I was a kid.
Julian, understandably, was obsessed with the Halloween candy, but the changing season was the real star of our visit.
Fall is a magical time in Missouri, where leaves turn a brighter yellow and orange each day before falling into a crispy carpet that blankets the ground. My grandma and I bundled up (temperatures dropped into the 40s at night) on Halloween morning to go to the Aurora farmers’ market.
Living in Central Texas, I’m spoiled by the markets that happen nearly every day of the week and feature produce from Texas’ year-round growing season, but I really liked going to the quaint market — about five people selling produce and baked goods out of truck beds near at one of the city parks — which was the final one of the season.
Whole pies sell for $8, and folks line up for eggs that cost $1.75 a dozen. No locally raised meat for sale, but one farmers had a bounty of late-season peppers, holiday gourds and blue and red popcorn kernels.
In Marionville, the next town over, apples are the attraction. Family-run orchards used to surround the town, but now just a few are still in operation. After a trip to a pumpkin patch run by a family we know (everyone knows everyone in Lawrence County, I swear), we went to Murphy’s Orchard to stock up on Braeburns for a pie we ran out of time to make.
Fall doesn’t get any more perfect than sipping hot apple cider, picking out pumpkins and looking over bushels of every kind of apple imaginable.
The last food story I’ll tell you has to do with a place called Butterflies Cafe in Sarcoxie, another small town not too far from Aurora. My dad and I were on a road trip through the countryside (another activity I insist on doing every time I’m in my hometown) and ended up at this small town cafe tucked inside a gas station. We split a chicken fried steak sandwich (gravy on the side!) and freshly battered and fried onion rings.
It was around noon on Sunday morning, so people slowly trickled in after church let out. My dad and I sipped coffee and caught up as we enjoyed a dish that I hadn’t tried until I moved to Texas.
I realized that chicken fried steak doesn’t belong to Texas, just like apples don’t belong to Marionville and fabulous blackberry pies are made by grandmothers other than my own. But we all associate certain foods with certain places.
Indulging in those regional favorites — whether it’s Springfield-style cashew chicken or beef brisket from Smitty’s — is as important as the other rituals we insist upon when spending time with our families, wherever they might be.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: On the road
Farewell, gorgeous Gourmet
With the help of Tipsy Texan David Alan and Fino bar manager Bill Norris, chef Jason Donoho and owners Emmet and Lisa Fox, we helped say goodbye to Gourmet yesterday.
It’s been more than a month since the food world found out that the 68-year-old magazine was closing, even though it had nearly a million subscribers and was regarded as the cream of the crop when it came to food writing and photography.
But good things always come to an end, and the good folks at Fino offered to host a wake of sorts for the publication whose last issue hit newsstands in the last few weeks.
Gourmet fanatics sipped on vintage cocktails (St. Ceclia Society punch and Chartreuse Champagne cocktails, for example) and nibbled on food inspired by the magazine (saffron rice croquettes and truffled popcorn prepared in duck fat) as we flipped through old and new issues.
Magazines, like every other printed media, are a tangible record of history that shows a slice of life in, say, 1975 when no one thought twice about advertisements like this one promoting cigarettes. (Norris and Alan said they spent quite a bit of time gawking at the now-laughable alcohol advertisements that featured elements like talking artichokes.)
Kim Usey also brought in her favorite issues, which included a Southern food issue from 2005 which featured a few gorgeous photos that I’ll admit made me well up. For years, Gourmet has printed photos that weren’t merely well-composed shots of well-styled food, they were a tender glimpse into what it means to love food and the act of serving it to family and friends.
Thanks to everyone, especially the readers I hadn’t met in real life, for coming out.
It’s a sad moment in food culture, and I was glad for the chance to mourn with friends.
Permalink | | Categories: Food in the news, Playing with your food
Treat your teeth: Donate some of that Halloween candy
If you’ve got bags and bags of candy after this weekend’s festivities, consider giving some of it away.
Mobile Loaves & Fishes, a local nonprofit that provides food and supplies to homeless and low-income people in need, collects thousands of pounds of Halloween candy every year, which volunteers then give away a few pieces at a time for the rest of the year, along with essentials like toothbrushes and toothpaste, Tricia Graham says.
Giving away candy keeps kids and adults from overindulging, Graham says, but it’s also a good way to teach kids about the gift of sharing. Church, school and scouts groups gather much of the treats, but families can drop off candy from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday at the commissary at 903 S. Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360). (Graham says you can call 306-8036 to set up a donation time on the weeknights or weekends.)
Permalink | | Categories: Playing with your food
