"In60Seconds" news and stories

Mini Cheesecakes, Recipe Boxes and Motivational Speakers -- The Baton Rouge Advocate in 60 Seconds

by Hanna Raskin, Posted Nov 19th 2009 @ 12:00PM

Cookie exchanges are so passé in southern Louisiana, where swap-minded cooks are now trading cupcakes, cheesecakes, pralines and single slices of pound cake.
The potato is enjoying newfound popularity at tailgate parties, thanks to its terrific versatility and low cost. (But if you have cash to spare, the editors suggest pairing grilled potato kebabs with Zinfandel.)
The director of Baton Rouge's International Cooking Competition & Tasting Fair reports the festival is "getting bigger and better."
Corrine Cook extols the beauty of timeworn, taped-together recipe boxes and binders.
A motivational speaker inadvertently inspires a recipe for shrimp and corn sauté.

by Sarah LeTrent, Posted Nov 16th 2009 @ 12:00PM

An inside look at Volt, the restaurant of Bryan Voltaggio -- a remaining contestant and one-half of the brothers Voltaggio on 'Top Chef Vegas.'
Inspired by a cupcake, a contemplation of eating with your hands: "There's an intimacy with your food ... that you don't get when you have the intermediary fork thingie."
As many are picking the perfect bird for Thanksgiving, food journalist Rob Kasper acquaints himself with heritage turkeys at a Baltimore County farm during their final days.
Aspiring to become a sommelier? Test your wine I.Q.
Cooking with wine? What about cooking with beer? From beer-battered to basted, a look at menu items from Baltimore restaurants that put a little hop into the recipe.
In light of the mass beef recall in early November, consumers are turning to small butcher shops, small cattle farms and gourmet grocers in search of a better burger.

by Hanna Raskin, Posted Nov 13th 2009 @ 12:00PM

What's more Southern than pecan pie? At Thanksgiving time, it's a blackberry jam cake with a dollop of Charlotte custard sauce.
Festival goers at Mamma Mia, Daphne's annual edible celebration of the Alabama town's Italian heritage, will be able to weigh in on their favorites this year, selecting a People's Choice winner.
Experts reveal a fail-safe recipe for deep-fried turkey: three minutes a pound at 340 degrees (and, for best results, don't bother with a newfangled electric turkey fryer).

by Hanna Raskin, Posted Nov 9th 2009 @ 12:00PM

Candied apples.
Photo: tibchris, Flickr.

South Florida book clubbers are setting their tables to match their assigned reading, whipping up Jell-O salads in honor of "The Help" and making candied apples to celebrate "Water for Elephants."
Readers rush to the aid of a Pakistani ex-pat seeking to recreate his late mother's carrot rice pudding.
The Desperation Dinners team proves you can make faux maque choux in 25 minutes.
Dried mulberries and melon seeds line the shelves at a Persian grocery store in Plantation, Fla.

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Aug 10th 2009 @ 12:00PM

Photo: lepiaf.geo, Flickr

Seattle-area blueberry u-picks are overrun with "a bazillion berries."
A look into David O'Reilly's Oregon wines, and love for his $9 Corvidae 2008 Mirth Chardonnay.
The city's cocktail scene, plus a recipe for Sake Sangria.
Adios Juan Valdez! The coffee man moved out of Seattle in July.
Hmm ... is organic food really tastier than the alternative? A new study challenges the claim.
Some travel to Europe for history, art and fine dining, while others backpack their way to vacations as farm hands.
Restaurants: Capitol Hill's Barrio dishes decent food, while Ravenna's Pair boasts beautiful sliders.
Recipes: Spicy Baby Back Ribs with Orange Glaze, Cool Summer Garlic-Lily Soup with Almond Pesto, White Gazpacho with Almonds and Grapes, Seafood Kebabs with Zucchini and Yellow Squash Rice, Garlic Shrimp with Unripe Mango Curry, Any Fruit Coffee Cake and Pollo Con Naranjas, Grilled Tomato Sandwiches with Blue Cheese Spread, and Mesclun Salad Pizette with Peaches and Pecans