Slashfood

'Mad City Chickens' - Chicks in the City

Emily Farris — 2009-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Farming, Midwest Cities, Trends, Eggs, Local Eating

On Monday night, 75 people piled into a Kansas City, Mo., church to catch a free screening of "Mad City Chickens," a documentary from Tarazod Films that chronicles the resurgence of the urban chicken.

Unfortunately, like many U.S. cities, Kansas City makes it nearly impossible to have even just a few hens in the backyard. Chickens are only considered legal residents if their coop is 100 feet from the nearest home or business; they're certainly not allowed to roam. But the more people focus on eating locally, the more chickens pop up in backyards all over the United States (and Kansas City for that matter), legal or not.

Up until a few years ago, Madison, Wis., ("Mad City") banned urban chickens, forcing more than a few rogue backyard farmers -- known then as "the Chicken Underground" -- to get the law changed ... if they wanted to keep their chickens, that is. Now Madison is a veritable backyard chicken oasis, and serves as the backdrop for "Mad City Chickens."

Read about Big Tiny the rooster and Consuela the hen after the jump.

Continue reading 'Mad City Chickens' - Chicks in the City

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A Ride in the Burgermobile of Kansas City

Emily Farris — 2009-06-23T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Restaurants, Midwest Cities, Sandwiches

The Westport Flea Market's Burgermobile. Photo: Emily Farris

"Hey, that's a nice truck!" a young boy yelled at Joe Zwillenberg as he tried to park his Burgermobile at a dog show last weekend. "Where'd you get it?"

Zwillenberg didn't hear the boy. He was too busy concentrating on parking the thing. "I gotta be careful," he said. "I don't wanna scrape the bun."

Well, kid, if you're reading this, the Burgermobile is from New York City. When visiting the Big Apple in April, Zwillenberg -- the owner of Kansas City, Mo.'s Westport Flea Market Bar and Grill -- met artist Matt Targon, who specializes in promotional vehicles. While discussing Zwillenberg's business, Targon declared he'd always wanted to make a burger car. After a little negotiating, Targon told Zwillenberg, "I'm going to make you the best hamburger vehicle ever."

As far as K.C. residents are concerned, mission accomplished. Since arriving in the city's Westport neighborhood earlier this month, the Burgermobile has captured the attention of nearly every passerby, as well as their cameras. It's exactly what Zwillenberg had in mind.

Continue reading A Ride in the Burgermobile of Kansas City

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Join the Fight

Gretchen Roberts — 2009-02-10T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Wine, Midwest Cities

Last month, Michigan passed a bill prohibiting out of state wine shipments, and online retailer wine.com pickup up its toys and left the playground in protest. In 2008, Illinois consumers, who formerly had that right, were partially stripped of it. I've mentioned the Web site Free the Grapes on here before, where you can write to your legislators, and wanted to pass along another resource if you care about direct shipping rights for consumers.

The Illinois Wine Consumer Coalition is working to educate Illinois consumers on how their right to buy wine has been infringed upon by lawmakers. According to the website,

"Prior to passing HB 429, the bill that stripped consumers of their 15 year-long right to buy wine from out-of-state retailers, wine clubs, Internet retailers and auction houses, Illinois alcohol distributors gave $50 million dollars to state politicians. Illinois alcohol distributors were the primary advocates of stripping consumers of their right to buy from out-of-state retail sources. Their interests were protected since now Illinois wine consumers only have access to wines from retail sources that Illinois alcohol distributors supply."

It seems like a no-brainer that U.S. citizens should have free choice in the consumer marketplace, but it always comes down to money. Wondering about your own state laws? Check out this state-by-state guide.

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Balm for the Pain of Chuck E. Cheese

Gretchen Roberts — 2009-01-15T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Parties, Wine, Beer, Midwest Cities, Newspapers, America

I've mentioned before that my idea of hell on earth is a meal at Chuck E. Cheese, but if a Michigan franchise gets its way, they'll be easing the pain for parents with beer and wine offerings--adults only, of course. Other Chuck E. Cheese franchises offer alcoholic beverages, but one township trustee thought it was a bad idea, saying, "It's a fun kid place. Just leave it like that."

Eating rubbery pizza with fake-tasting sauce while listening to the whir and jangle of ten thousand games going at once and trying to make small talk with other parents while our kids race around on a birthday-cake induced sugar high is not my favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and yet I seem to end up there several times a year. If I can take the medicine with a spoonful of sugar--er, a glassful of wine--it might not taste so bad.

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Milwaukee Sausage Cake

Kat Kinsman — 2008-12-18T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Dessert, Midwest Cities, Recipes, Pork, Baking, Food Oddities, America, Retro cookery, Sugar, North America, Meat, Guilty Pleasures

Scanned from Be Milwaukee's Guest, Recipes Collected and Tested by the Junior League of Milwaukee - 1959

I could scarcely be crankier at myself for muffing the opportunity to present this comb-bound recipe gem on a particularly Wisconsin-centric holiday, such as the recently passed St. Nick's Day, but hey -- any day is a great day for pork cake!

I'm a big fan of the melding of meat and sweet (mmm...bacon candy...), and surely have been known to savor a sumptuously larded crust, but I can't swear that I've ever seen a baked good quite so aggressively piggy as this. Pinwheel rolls studded with flecks of seasoned ground beef, yes, but those were generally presented as a savory, hand-wielded Wellington sort of course rather than spiced, as this seems to be, in the manner of a dessert or breakfast sweet. I'm pleading woeful ignorance about the pastries of the Badger State here, so might someone be so kind as to enlighten me -- is this a traditional Wisconsin breakfast or dessert treat, or a relic of the cookbook's era? If the former, I'm booking a trip on Midwest Airlines posthaste. If the latter -- who's up for a bake-along this weekend?

View Poll

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World's largest six pack of beer

Shayna Glick — 2008-06-24T17:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Beer, Midwest Cities, On the Blogs

Here's something for all of you who love all things large and beer. As fans of So Good and Fast Food Critic already know, the world's largest six pack of beer can be found in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

The statistics on this six pack are amazing: 688,200 gallons of beer, enough for 7,340,796 cans, "would provide one person a six pack per day for 3,351 years." The six pack was created by the City Brewing Company in LaCrosse.

My only question is did they drink all that beer before it went bad?

[originally via LiveMore.SeeMore.DoMore]

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Midnight Sausage: Polish Village, Chicago

Kat Kinsman — 2008-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Beef, Midwest Cities, Pork, America, North America, Meat

I'm posting images of sausage counters the world over each weeknight (and occasionally weekend) witching hour (until I run out), so please use the comments section to post links to your Flickr or personal site faves, and perhaps you'll see 'em posted here late some evening.

VIA: Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Previously -- Midnight Sausage: Oaxaca

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Beer powered cars for the Democratic National Convention

Shayna Glick — 2008-05-29T14:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Beer, Midwest Cities, On the Blogs

Denver is the home of Coors Brewing Company, and this summer the city will also host the Democratic National Convention. Beyond that locational proximity, what could the two possibly have in common? Beer! Well, waste beer to be more precise.

According to RealBeer.com, the Dems will be shuttled about in flex fuel cars using waste beer as the bio-diesel. Coors will be donating all the waste beer-ethanol needed by the fleet of GM flex fuel cars.

Not only is beer good fresh, but perhaps waste beer would be a good alternative to corn based ethanol (ignoring the hops shortage for the moment). I'm not saying that beer can solve all the world's problems, but it might not be a bad place to start.

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Chicago Tribune Food section in 60 seconds: farmers' markets, leftovers, and grocery savings

Sarah J. Gim — 2008-05-15T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Grains, Vegetables, Nuts/seeds, Midwest Cities, Fruit, Newspapers, In Sixty Seconds

The feature story this week is on the "greening" of Chicago, with farmers' markets returning to new locations with sustainable produce. The Tribune shares some tips for shopping at the farmers' market, as well as recipes from cookbooks that focus on market fresh produce: Scallops with three peas and prosciutto from Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes, Savory mashed potatoes with garden herbs from Rosalind Creasy's Recipes from the Garden, Butter Lettuce Salad from Fresh, and Watercress, snow pea and shiitake mushroom stir-fry from The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally.

Food prices are rising, so shop smartly at the grocery store, and take a hint from the Leftover Queen.

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Seattle Times in 60 seconds: Savvy shopping, scratch cooking, and stretching food dollars

Sarah J. Gim — 2008-04-30T15:20:00+00:00

Filed under: Midwest Cities, Recipes, Newspapers, Lists, America, In Sixty Seconds, Food News

This week, the Seattle Times devotes the entire food section to stretching your food dollars in anticipation of tight financial times:

An excerpt from Nancy Leson's blog, All You Can Eat, with a bulleted list of tips
Tips for savvy shopping at the grocery store
How to figure out which is better: cooking from scratch or buying prepared
Save with bargain wines

And one of the better ways to save when cooking at home is to use less expensive chicken over more expensive ingredients:

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Chicago Tribune in 60 Seconds: Olive Oil, Seafood, and Community Cooking

Sarah J. Gim — 2008-03-26T12:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Midwest Cities, Newspapers, America, In Sixty Seconds

Leading the charge at the Tribune is olive oil, with recipes for Orange salad with olives and cilantro and Peppery red aioli. Also, Five countries, five oils, What to look for in olive oils, and Chicago-area sources.

If you feel like fish, there is advice on what types of seafood are in season and a recipe for Pan-seared halibut with shaved fennel, watercress and radish.

Also in the kitchen, community cookbooks are a treasure trove, pork medallions are good for the planet, white anchovies, tarragon,and lemons are a yellow marvel.

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Best fortune cookie ever?

Joe DiStefano — 2008-03-09T13:03:00+00:00

Filed under: Midwest Cities, Pop Food, On the Blogs, America

After many years of reading fortune cookie messages that are not so much predictions as truisms, such as "Ideas are like children; there are none so wonderful as your own," many dismiss them entirely. To counteract this boredom with fortune cookies edgy, depressing messages have begun cropping up.

But there are still fortune cookie romantics who save their favorite little scrolls. I count myself among them. When I stand in front of the fridge at 2 a.m. eating roast beef with my bare hands I close the door and take comfort in reading, "Believe in your abilities, confidence will lead you on."

And then there's Bob Bjarke. Not content to post his favorite fortune cookie message on his fridge or elsewhere, he created The Best Fortune Cookie Ever. What could motivate someone to throw up a one-page tribute to a fortune cookie? Perhaps Bjarke is a frustrated would-be astronaut with plans on living into the 2100's and takes solace in the fact that there's a chance he might still be able to snag that Earth-view villa. The only thing I know for certain is that he found his favorite fortune at Chicago's Papajin. I'd love to know what the Jennifer 8.Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles makes of this.
[via SFoodie]

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And the winner is...

Shayna Glick — 2008-02-27T17:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Beer, Restaurants, Midwest Cities, On the Blogs

Maybe you remember the post a few weeks ago about the Wynkoop beer drinker if the year. Well, just in case, here's a little reminder. A big brew pub in Denver holds a contest every year to find the "Beer Drinker of the Year". That person has to be knowledgeable about every aspect of beer and have the personality to evangelize the beverage.

Now they've finally chosen a winner. Drum roll please! And the winner is Matt Venske from Yorktown, Virginia, the second Virginian in as many years. Matt beat out two other competitors for the coveted title, not to mention the free beer for life at Wynkoop and a $250 tab at his local pub.

Congratulations Matt, and keep up the good work!

[Via RealBeer]

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Another win for Sunday alcohol sales

Shayna Glick — 2008-02-25T17:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Wine, Beer, Business, Midwest Cities, Trends, Spirits

A lot of states here in the U.S. have laws banning alcohol sales on Sunday's. I've never really understood why. People are still going to drink if they really want to, so there's no big moral reason. That's even less of a reason if the state allows restaurants that sell adult beverages to operate on Sunday. It would be more moral to let people buy alcohol and drink at home than to make them go out for it and drive home drunk. I suppose there's always the argument that you should plan ahead. I don't know how many times I've been shopping on Sunday, when I have time, and not been able to purchase wine for meal later in the week.

And that's part of the reason why the Colorado State Senate has taken up a bill that would allow Sunday sales of alcohol. On Friday it approved the bill, but it still has to pass another vote in the Senate and also be passed in the state's House of Representatives.

So it's not out of the woods yet, but the effort to have all week access to alcohol is looking better. Attitudes are changing. When the laws were originally passed, most stores were already closed on Sunday. Now, a lot of people do their grocery shopping on Sunday, and businesses are losing out on sales on Sunday, at least.

The government should work on teaching people how to be responsible, and maybe work on strategies to prevent the downsides of drinking. It should not, however, tell me when I can purchase alcohol. That's just un-American.

[Via Realbeer]

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Almost time to choose the beer drinker of the year

Shayna Glick — 2008-02-18T12:03:00+00:00

Filed under: Beer, Midwest Cities

It's not what you think. When I first heard about this, my first question was how much do you have to drink to be awarded this honor? It turns out the title doesn't have much to do with how many beers you can drink in one sitting.

A brew pub in Denver, called Wynkoop, asked for entries in this contest last fall and have narrowed the list down to three finalists. I gather that the winner must be a great ambassador for beer. Here is what Wynkoop asked from entrants. "Resumes must include each entrant's beerdrinking philosophy and details highlighting their passion for beer. Resumes should discuss the entrant's understanding of beer, its history, and its importance to civilization. And what efforts the entrant undertakes to hip others to the joys of great beer and its culture."

So the brewpub is looking for someone with an extensive knowledge and passion for beer who also has the personality to be a great spokesperson for good beer. It doesn't hurt that the winner gets free beer for life at the Wynkoop Brewpub and a $250 tab at their home pub of choice. They also get a t-shirt, but I'd be happy with the beer.

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Schools suspend sale of beef from abused California cows

Sarah J. Gim — 2008-02-04T07:31:00+00:00

Filed under: Lunch, West Coast, Beef, Midwest Cities, America, Health & Medical

In two different articles, two sets of schools -- one set of schools in the Twin Cities, MN, and 100 schools in Washington state -- will not be serving beef that originates from California.

The USDA is investigating the Hallmark slaughterhouse in California, the subject in videos released by The Humane Society of the United States after a six-week undercover investigation. In the video, workers at the meat processing plant repeatedly kicked cows and rammed them with the blades of a forklift. The cows were also said to be sick, which is a major health concern. Sicks cows could be carrying Mad Cow disease or e Coli.

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Super Bowl Week: Buckeyes

Sarah J. Gim — 2008-01-31T20:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Dessert, Chocolate, Midwest Rural, Midwest Cities, Recipes, Candy, How To, Condiments, America, Comfort Food, Super Bowl XLII

In case you haven't figured it out by now, I am a football fan.

However, I have to admit that at least one third of my interest in football is not about the game. Sure, I can follow the game, thanks to four years on the high school cheerleading squad (please, spare me all the comments about cheerleaders -- I already hate myself enough about it). I most certainly appreciate the athletics of the sport, and love giving all my love and adoration to ~~Peyton Manning~~ a team, but I think one of the reasons why I love football so much is the lifestyle around football. I'm not talking Friday Night Lights lifestyle (well, maybe I am a little). Like Paula Deen, I love the food and parties and the Super Bowl, for me, is like, Thanksgiving.

Now I know that buckeyes have everything to do with Ohio and pretty much nothing to do with New England, New York, or even Phoenix, where the Super Bowl is taking place, but for me, they are a peanut buttery, chocolate-y representation of football. I didn't post about it much here at the beginning of January, but I went to New Orleans to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes and the LSU Tigers play in the Championship Game for college football. So for now, let's just say that tiny peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate are a great sweet snack to serve your guests during a football party.

Continue reading Super Bowl Week: Buckeyes

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The St. Cloud Bakery and its many signs

Bob Sassone — 2007-12-06T13:33:00+00:00

Filed under: Business, Midwest Cities, On the Blogs, Bakeries

This is what makes the web great: a seemingly small part of a business is suddenly given importance. In this case, it's the signs that the St. Cloud Bakery in Minnesota put out in front of their store. When seen in a Flickr set, they come across as little works of art, almost like food poetry.

I also like the big banner in back of the sign that reads CAUTION: FRESH CHEWY COOKIES. I want that for my apartment.

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Grant Achatz has cancer

Sarah J. Gim — 2007-07-24T20:31:00+00:00

Filed under: Midwest Cities, America, Health & Medical

I don't know how I didn't catch this one yesterday.

Grant Achatz, chef at Chicago's Alinea, and one of the most notable young chef talents out there, reported yesterday that he has cancer. He told NY Times Dining Editor Pete Wells that he has an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma in his mouth, and says the following about it via his publicist:

"I wanted to personally report that I have been very recently diagnosed with an advanced stage of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth. I have consulted several prominent physicians and will likely begin aggressive treatment within the next few weeks. I remain, and will remain, actively and optimistically engaged in operations at Alinea to the largest extent possible. Alinea will continue to perform at the level people have come to expect from us - I insist on that. I have received amazing support from friends, family, and everyone who has thus far been told of the disease, and I look forward to a full, cancer-free, recovery."

Slashfood will be thinking of you as you go through treatment and are looking forward to your full recovery, Chef Achatz!

[via: Eater]

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Pizza-Flavored Beer?

Joanne Lutynec — 2007-06-19T16:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Beer, Midwest Cities, Food Oddities, Trends, America

Ok, I really need to know - does the idea of pizza-flavored beer really appeal to anyone out there? Honestly?

One man in the Chicago area certainly seems to think so, and has been brewing up batches ever since. Apparently Tom Seefurth came up with the idea last year when he and his wife found themselves with an excess of garden tomatoes. As a brewing hobbyist, he decided to add the pizza flavors directly to his home-brew. His recipe includes not only a tomato garlic puree with garden fresh oregano, but he actually adds in real pieces of baked pizza during the brewing process.

Now I love pizza and I love beer, but seriously - the two together? I'll pass, thanks. What about you - would you try it?

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