Plain sugar-coated glass rims are so last century. Add excitement to your glass rims with interesting colors and flavors!
Food Festivals: Who wants a strawberry tart in the face?
We're back in business this weekend, with food festivals from coast to coast (actually just on both coasts). And since it's finally beautiful outside, there's no excuse to shy away from amazing opportunities to consume ridiculous amounts of strawberries, artichokes and (as always) alcohol. Savor: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience (May 16-17, 2008) - Don't be turned off by the pretentious name -- instead embrace the chance to attend a reception-style sampling (it's Washington, D.C., what did you expect?) of over 35 appetizers and 96 craft beers. The pairings look amazing, with duos like Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing's Dread stout beer with pan-seared pilsener sirloin tips with shiitake blue-cheese sauce. I'm salivating. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
The Food and Wine Festival at National Harbor (May 17-18, 2008) - And while you're in the nation's capital, check out the tons and tons of exciting foodie events down on the Potomac River. Attend lectures, panels, tastings and shows, and I definitely wouldn't miss the Maine-style clam bake either. With an emphasis on foods from across the globe (food will be divided by continent in the main tasting pavilion), this definitely seems like an all-hit, no-miss opportunity.
And there are more!
Continue reading Food Festivals: Who wants a strawberry tart in the face?
Not your granny's herb garden
It's still not Spring here in Philadelphia. In fact, it's currently about 50 and rainy, but I've been pretending that Spring is here by planning my imaginary herb garden. Yes, my herb garden is sadly imaginary since I'm moving this year, but as a result, it's actually much greener, fragrant and exciting than any live herb garden I've ever grown for real (my thumb is not the greenest one out there). I mean, I love rosemary and mint as much as the next person, but I'm ready for a little more excitement! Here's what I'm thinking:
Chocolate Mint - I tasted this for the first time recently at a Farmer's Market, and it was delicious. The chocolate taste is slight, but definitely there, and I'll definitely be using it for imaginary iced tea, or even in cupcakes and baked goods.
Lemon Thyme - How easy it will be to make a roast chicken or even lemon-thyme frosting with these two ingredients already combined into one! Just kidding -- you apparently can't really count on it for a full lemon flavor, but it still works great for roasting anything, and for great fish and meat dishes as well.
Cuban Basil - The belle of my garden. After seeing/smelling how delightful these leaves are, I couldn't resist buying some for my mom for mother's day. Not so much into it? Check out this long list of interesting basil varieties here.
Lavender - Maybe this would be in my grandmother's garden too, but I just love the scent so much that it's going in my imaginary one as well.
Looking for more exciting herbs like juniper or fenugreek? Check out this list and these hints and tips. And if anyone has suggestions for additions to my imaginary garden, please share! It's imaginary, so no there are no limits!
Tip of the Day: Pimp your fruit salad
It sits alone and untouched at the end of a long buffet table -- a bowl full of apples and bananas, maybe a seedy orange tossed in as an afterthought. Don't let your fruit salad meet this awful fate, spruce it up instead!
Food Festivals: Can't get enough chocolate and wine
After the crazy number of food festivals last weekend, maybe it's a good thing that this weekend is looking a bit sparse. Take some time to cook at home for mom, go for a walk, emotionally prepare for the food festivals yet to come... Yes, this weekend, I only have two festivals to share. Luckily, however, quantity and quality don't correlate, and these two look like some of the best I've seen thus far. Northeastern Ohio Chocolate Festival (May 8-11) - Take advantage of a slew of chocolate-centric events, including the first ever National Fudge Brownie Eating Championship. (I know I could take that prize.) After stuffing your face with chocolate, work it off strolling down the chocolate boardwalk, where you can ... eat more chocolate. And if you haven't had enough, sign up for a chocolate clinic, and bring home the goodies for post-chocolate chocolate snack. Salivating yet?
Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend (May 7-10) - Check out tastings, dinners and other events at this classy (the official champagne is veuve cliquot) weekend in Charlotte, NC. There'll be a grand gala and auction, plus wine classes for tasters of all levels. All proceeds benefit local charities, but hurry up -- hot events are selling out quickly!
Top Chef: Here comes the drama
Spoilers! Tivo-users beware!So there's been some speculation lately, some whispers around the blogosphere regarding a certain Bravo television show. I've heard the rumor that Top Chef's going downhill, that it's dated. I've read comments accusing the show of being bland, even boring. Well, I'll put it out there loud and clear: Top Chef is still hot hot hot.
When life denies you lemons ... choose a different coffee shop?
I love it when people care. Even if it's about something minor, like whether you can get a slice of lemon with a Starbucks iced tea, it's always refreshing when someone actually gives a damn. I feel like I'm generally too busy (read: lazy) to care about things, and it's good to know that someone out there is doing the caring for me. Plus, caring gets other people caring.Take, for example, Al Lewis at the Denver Post, who cares desperately about the fact that Starbucks doesn't provide fresh lemons to squeeze in iced tea. I never noticed it before, but now that I think about it, I might really like that option. I always ask for lemon with iced tea in restaurants, but it never occurred to me that Starbucks has been denying me. So while part of me thinks Al Lewis should just invest his time in finding another establishment for purchasing out tea, more of me thinks he keeps fighting the good fight. Your thoughts?
Gifts for the vegetarian (or vegetable-loving) mom
Mom made you eat your veggies for years, so return the love with vegetarian-friendly gifts this Mother's Day. Whether her diet is strictly vegetarian or just veggie-inclined, check out these lovely presents that will surely brighten her kitchen and her day!
Culinary Herb Garden Kit from wishingfish -- The gift that keeps on giving.
Swiss Peelers, Set of 3 from Williams Sonoma -- Simple, colorful, practical.
Subscription to Vegetarian Times magazine -- Great recipes and fun eating ideas from a magazine that your mom will love all year long.
Mother's Day petit fours from Figis -- Who am I kidding? These are for any mom -- vegetarian, meat-loving, herbivorous, sweet-toothed...
Olive and Rosemary Topiary Trees from Stonewall Kitchen -- A beautiful way to present a practical gift. These will look great anywhere, and come in handy when cooking with fresh herbs.
Organic vegetable box from Mode Organic -- Produce straight to your door.
Bamboo steamer from WokShop -- Great for veggies, and anything else.
Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian from Amazon -- My favorite cookbook. Soon to be your mom's. Bittman offers easy recipes and plenty of suggestions for a well-balanced vegetarian diet.
Vegan body lotion from von Natur -- Organic beauty she'll feel good about.
6-pack Coffee Sampler from Grounds for Change -- Organic and fair trade.
Kenneth Jay Lane Apple Necklace from Max and Chloe -- Not really a cooking gift, but a bit of bling never hurt anyone.
Membership to the Harry and David Fruit of the Month Club -- Classic!
Soy candles from Welcome-home Candles -- These yummy candles come in great scents, and since they aren't made from beeswax, they'll please even the most conscious vegan.
Vegan baking mixes from Goodbaker -- Chocolate cake, oatmeal cookies, fudge frosting, multi-grain muffins...
Anyone have more ideas for the vegetarian Mom? Feel free to share!
Tip of the Day: Experiment with non-dairy milk
So many of us are lactose intolerant these days, but there are so many milk substitutes that it's difficult to know where to turn! Find out where to go, and how to incorporate these substitutes into your cooking.
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Food Festivals: Ayee! This pig is smokin'
It's a good weekend for attending a food festival if you: a) are a hipster of the American Northwest
b) love wine
c) have never attended a crawfish boil
d) are hungry
If you, like me, find yourself nodding emphatically at these criteria, read on! This weekend offers food festivals sprinkled across the country, promising some of the most interesting and delicious foods I've seen in a while.
Top Chef: Contestants: They're just like us!
Spoilers! Spoilers!Last night's episode of Top Chef showed that there is a difference between being a great chef and being able to cook a meal in a home. Take Stephanie, for example. She can win challenges by the handful, but when asked to cook a meal for four, she overcooked a pot of couscous and tried to make a sauce out of peanut butter and tomatoes. In a way, it made me feel a bit good about my own cooking skills -- like, please, I cook dinner every night for 2-10 people and it (occasionally) looks a (a little bit) better than the turkey on rice that Mark made for the Quickfire.
Continue reading Top Chef: Contestants: They're just like us!
Don't tell your high school English teacher about this drink
My fashion-forward roommate reads Nylon Magazine, and I was flipping through it the other day when I came across the drink of the month: the Grapes of Wrath martini. The Grapes of Wrath is one of my favorite novels, but to see it as a martini? I'm not so sure how I feel. It would be one thing if the magazine had designed a martini around a book like The Great Gatsby (I'd actually bet there are many), but The Grapes of Wrath? I mean, it takes place during the Great Depression -- none of the characters go near anything like a martini, especially not one featuring Belvedere Vokda, grapes, apple juice, elderflower cordial, and a dashes of lemon juice and sauvignon blanc. Is it blasphemous, or am I reading too far into a name?
But the whole thing got me wondering about other novels, and whether they have drinks named after them. I found a Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind (another personal favorite), which consists of peach liqueur, cranberry juice and a lime wedge. That's appropriate enough -- though I'd have loved to see something perhaps with a touch of sour mix! I found a Monte Cristo with coffee and orange liqueurs, hot coffee and whipped cream, though the drink could be named after one of the various cities by that name and not the book The Count of Monte Cristo. Anyone know of any others? Extra points for books you read in high school English and for drinks that are wildly inappropriate for their respective novels.
Slashfood Talks: Casey Thompson
Fed up with theories that Top Chef Chicago is nothing more than a lesbian morality play? Been reminiscing about the good old days of last season and wondering what your favorite contestant, Casey Thompson, has been up to? Lucky for you, so have we. Casey, Executive Chef of Dallas's Shinsei Restaurant, was one of the final three contestants during Top Chef Miami, and I could tell from the other end of the phone line that her life hasn't slowed a bit since then. She's supposed to be blogging about this season, but since she admits that she hasn't quite found the time, read on to find out what she thinks of this year's contestants, her favorite cooking ingredients, and where you may see her in the future.How did you decide that you wanted to become a chef?
I was going through some changes in my life. I was living in Houston and working for a different job, and it was one of those decisions like, "Do I move now do I start a new career? Is this the time?" How did I decide to work in a restaurant? My mother didn't think it was a good idea for me to go back to school. It was expensive and a lot of time. She recommended that I work in a restaurant to see if I even liked it, and I did.
Tip of the Day: Use orange peels for bowls
For me, the presentation of a dish is critically important. Here's a trick for turning orange peels into beautiful serving bowls for almost anything you can create.
Food Festivals: I want Maple Cotton Candy
It's my final semester of college, and I'm taking Literature of the Great Depression to finish my English major. I think that my professor often feels badly, though, about assigning texts that are just so darn depressing, so she often opens class with a cheerful question like, "What's your favorite type of pie?" or "What's your favorite breakfast?" Recently, she asked us what our favorite thing about Spring is, and I knew instantly that mine is the delicious new food and produce that Spring brings. Clearly, there's no better way to celebrate these bright new ingredients than with entire festivals dedicated to them! This weekend, we have homages to asparagus, seafood, beer, more seafood, seafood and (my favorite) maple.Read on after the jump to see where to go for the party, and meanwhile check out these lovely photos from last week's Great American Pie Festival.
Gallery: Great American Pie Festival
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
