Resources for wanna-be gardeners

Hey folks - It's time to start planting that "recession" garden! Every little bit will help you. A pot of herbs, a patio tomato - money invested in a growing plant will come back you tenfold. Take a gander at a recent Dispatch article talking about the backyard garden revival.

Afraid? Don't be! OSU has a Master Gardener's program with trained volunteers to give you a hand. Check out their website. Not only are there articles with general information, but the Master Gardeners can give you personal advice!

Even if you don't have room of your own, you can look into using community gardens. A community garden is a place where land is set aside for use by the general public for growing vegetable and flower gardens. Some sites require you to rent the plot, others ask for volunteer hours or donations to offset the cost. Check with the owners of the garden plots to see what the rules are...

A few of the sites I found here in Columbus:

Four Seasons City Farm

Leave A Mark Community Garden

University Area Enrichment Program

Sycamore Hills Community Gardens

Grandview Heights Community Gardens

Plus more...

I was surfing the net and came across this site for the American Community Gardening Association. They do list quite a few sites in and around the Columbus area, but the information is sketchy, so research will be necessary.

You have land but don't have the tools? Check out the Tool Library run by the City of Columbus. They have a sod removing tool and a rototiller. I wish I had known about the sod remover a couple years back!

If you are on Food Stamps, you can purchase food bearing seeds or plants with your allowance . As long as the store accepts your Ohio Directions Card, you can start growing a few things of your own!

Finally, if you do grow a garden this summer, remember those who are less fortunate than yourself and Plant a Row for the Hungry .

These are but a few of the resources available online. So what are you waiting for?

Meet and Greet

Anyone interested in hanging out at the Banana Bean Cafe tomorrow from 4pm til 7pm? There will be a gathering of foodies - I hope to be there with the hubby after 6pm. For more details, check out the Meetup site.

Garden Envy

Ahhhhhhhhhhh - it spring and an old woman's fancy turns to thoughts of home gardening... I've caught myself pouring over seed sites trying to locate things like Ghost Peppers for the garden this year. I still have to till the ground - and this year I am using Ben, one of Annie's friends (who owes me money) to help me get the ground ready for planting. (Get to work beotch!) I just hope it drys out soon before he graduates and heads out for college - damn Ohio weather!

In other gardening news...

Michele Obama wearing the latest in gardening gloves.
Damn girl - those make you look hot!
(Charles Dharapak/Associated Press)

I think it's really exciting that a Kitchen Garden is going in at the White House. Check out the diagram from the article. Pretty freakin' sweet. Of course, for the Secretary of Agriculture, it was still a press opportunity to pimp out the plan to put more fresh fruits and veggies on the lunch trays of school children ever where. I want to know if there is money in the plan to train the cafeteria staffs on how to cook food properly and not leach every single bit of nutrition out of the fresh produce - and food education courses for the kids so that they learn to appreciate all the new foods that are going to be coming across their plates. I can just see it now - tons of fresh veggies getting dumped in the trash because it"tastes yukky!" Sigh.

I think other government agencies should let people grow food on their vast expanses of green lawns. Every time I drive by a huge lawn in front of a building and think of how much herbicides and pesticides go into just maintain some grass..... *grrrr* it makes me mad. We talk about how expensive fresh fruits and veggies are, and yet we waste valuable growing area on grass.

And churches - they have tons of empty lawn space they could use to help raise fresh veggies, not only for their own congregation members, but for charitable donation as well. I know that there in one church up on Sawmill Road that has plots available. (Sorry I suck and can't remember the name.) Also, The Leave A Mark Church is offering garden plots for people who don't have land of their own. If you are interested, give them a shout.

Not sure how to start with your own garden? Check out the Master Gardeners website. The volunteers in this program offer advice and classes for people who want to learn how to grow their own veggies and fruits.

OH and I just wanted you to know that home gardening is non-partisan - I won't hold it against any of you Democrats or Republicans if you want to raise a few veggies...

I WANT CHICKENS!!!!

I came across this during my internet adventures this evening. I love the idea of having some chickens for fresh eggs - and chicken manure for the garden...

Am I crazy or what?

Isn't she cute?

Eighteen years ago today - my daughter Annie was born.
Amazingly enough, her head is still that pointy.

Happy Birthday!!
Love Mom

Book Review: Eat Feed Autumn Winter

I've been a bad girl for the last few months...I've been sitting on a copy of the wonderful Eat Feed Autumn Winter by Anne Bramley , published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang (who always publish rockin' cookbooks!). It's not that I didn't want to share, but merely that I was distracted by other things. Plus I really didn't want to share. There I said it! It's mine! You can't have any of these wonderful recipes!!

As we know, eating seasonally is easy in the summer, when we have lots of top quality produce just laying around at the markets, but what about fall and winter? If you have to ask that question, then this is the book for you! Anne uses focuses on what is in season during the various cold months, and ties those items in with holidays and events. And we are not just talking about American holidays like Valentine's day or Christmas. There are menus for events such as Burns' Night from Scotland or Twelfth Night , which we generally don't celebrate here. However, with these new recipes in hand, I may just have to start celebrating these holidays just so I have an excuse to make this food.

One of the things I liked best about this cookbook was the use of all different types of ingredients in a variety of new and different ways. For example, most of us don't think of beets except as pickled or roasted. How about beet fries? With blue cheese dressing on the side? What about pumpkin seeds? What if I told you that they were used in a stuffing for chicken breasts? Intrigued? I was! If you are timid, don't let things like beet fries scare you away. There are still good solid fare for the less adventurous as well, such as a beef and ale pie, puddings and roast beef.

And the desserts are not forgotten either. With dishes ranging from items such as traditional English puddings to the sinfully decadent triple chocolate stuffed mocha cupcakes (OMG, the photos for those made me swoon!)

Criteria number one: Food porn - Lots of porn action here. However, the book isn't just about looking good. There is a depth of content here which ensures that this book will be staying in my collection, and will be come out again and again whenever there is a nip in the air..

Criteria number two: Ingredients - Most of the ingredients are readily available - the right time of year. Remember, this is a "seasonal" cookbook. Plan on plonking down some cash for things like lamb, caviar or lobster but there are still plenty of other recipes with ingredients that are cheap in season, like mushrooms, apples, pears and citrus fruits.

Also, a couple recipes call for specialized equipment like a pudding mold. If you have one, great. If not - it would have been nice to have explicit instructions on an acceptable substitute along with photo illustrations. Sometimes a picture can be all the encouragement that's needed to try out something new.

Criteria number three: Difficulty - This book would be accessible from an intermediate beginner on up. There are not a lot of fiddly recipes that require a degree from the CIA to accomplish. I love looking in a cook book and the recipe is only half a column long - I am more likely to try something that I don't have to sweat over in the kitchen - especially when I am entertaining (IE eating like the glutinous pigs we are).

Criteria number four: Recipes - Anne covers the gambit from appetizers to desserts to drinks. I have quite a few tagged for future investigation, mostly in the main dish category, like pasty pie and chili lime shrimp. Most of the recipes are straight forward - nothing ground breaking with recipes like roasted root vegetables - but still a nice mix when pared with the holidays she details in the side notes.

Criteria number five: Author - I will confess, I had not heard of the author before receiving this book. Anne Bramley is co-founder and host of Eat Feed, a podcast that focuses on eating seasonally, no matter the time of year. She is a professional foodie - she obviously loves her craft. The books shows a certain flair for understanding the day to day workings of a home kitchen, something often lacking in other "pretty" cookbooks.

So in celebration of St. Patty's day, I decided to make the "Irish" dinner - the last menu in the book. The other reasons I decided on that was 1) the lamb shoulder chops were on sale because they were *gasp* seasonal, and 2) the recipes were easy and I had all the other ingredients on hand. (And yes - I do keep Guinness in the house at all times. It's that kinda house, baby!)

I will tell you - the hubby LOVED these lamb chops. He has been talking about paying full price for more chops just so he can have them again. That is pretty high praise in this cheap-ass household.

If you get a chance this week - please make this dish. You will not regret it one bit!




Here is the recipe for

Stout-Glazed Lamb Chops with Colcannan

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 lamb shoulder chops (6 to 8 ounces each)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup stout, such as Guinness

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar

Generously salt and pepper the lamb chops. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the chops to the skillet and brown 3 minutes on each side. Remove the chops to a platter. Deglaze the pan with the stout, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the brown sugar until it
dissolves. Re­turn the chops to the sauce. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn and cook, covered, for another 15 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook the sauce and chops for a final 8-10 minutes until the sauce is thick and syrupy and the chops are tender. Turn the chops to coat in the glaze every 2 minutes or so. Serve the chops on a bed of colcannon (recipe follows) and drizzle with the sauce.

Serves 4

Colcannan

(I will admit to cheating a little bit on this recipe. I did not use two pots. I put the potatoes in a large pot of water and when they were done enough, I simply added the cabbage in with them and cooked them the last . Such a cheater - I know! - R)

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup warm milk

3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced

Salt

White pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil Add the potatoes and cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain. While the potatoes are cooking, bring a medium pot of salted water to boil and cook cabbage for 5 minutes Drain. Mash potatoes with the butter. Stir in the milk and cabbage. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4

You mean somone will actually have to COOK in the school cafeteria?

About time!

Really Sad News

I saw this in the Dispatch this morning - it breaks my heart. Not only do I feel bad for the folks losing their jobs, but Columbus will loose a wonderful aroma as well. I am not a real big fan of Wonderbread, but it still smells wonderful when it's baking.

It's just another in a long line of bakeries that have gone the way of the dodo. My parents shopped at Omar bakery off of Parsons Ave. when I was a kid. The whole South side of the City smelled like fresh bread when they fired up the ovens. In college, I lived near the Big Bear Bakery. While I still loved the smell - it was torture because I was poor and knew that I wasn't going to be eating Big Bear baked goods anytime soon...

Gettin' my Geek on!!!

My family and friends already have tickets to see the midnight showing of The Watchmen at Studio 35. If you can't make it tomorrow night, please attend opening week! Support one of our last independent theaters. It will make you feel good inside. Plus they serve beer.

You know you are a Watchman Geek if:
1) You own more than two copies of the graphic novel
2) You are wondering if you could go as Dr. Manhattan for Halloween if you started working out now and invested in a lot of liquid latex
3) You have The Black Freighter pre-ordered on Amazon
4) You plan on wearing the exclusive Comic-con t-shirt to the premier opening
and
5) You hope they come out with the Silk Specter Tijuana Bible - real soon....

Deals!

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post this earlier...

Stopped by the Pepperidge Farm Outlet store on Kenny Road today to find out that they had more baked goods then they knew what to do with. They had loaves of bread Buy three, Get one free. The final cost was about $5.25 for four loaves.

For your sweet tooth, they had packages of cookies 2/$1! That included Milanos, which have a big following in our house...

Breakfast: Kickin' it old school at Paul's Fifth Avenue

I love eating out for breakfast, especially when I get there nice and early on a week day.

My usual haunt is Nancy's. The price is right and the food is plentiful. The best thing is the atmosphere. Where else can you get up and serve coffee to the rest of the patrons and not get yelled at?

This morning I just happened to be in Grandview. It made me tingly all over because it meant I got to eat at Paul's Fifth Avenue. Paul's has been around for a long time and like a lot of little places here in Columbus, I think it's been forgotten in the rush to find the "shiniest" new place to chow down.

What do I mean by "shiny"? My hubby and I came up with this theory long ago. People are attracted to the newest, most trendy of anything: movies, books, houses, and, of course, restaurants. Just like all primates, we like things that sparkle. Given the choice between a dull pebble and a sparkly one, most creatures will pick the sparkly one. It doesn't matter that the dull one might actually be more useful, or of better quality, or be worth more money - the sparkle is the selling point and the new one will win out. Of course, that is a generalization, but analyze some of the choices you make and you might find that you are fascinated by "shiny" as well.

Paul's has a fairly simple breakfast menu, with some items of note - for which I love them dearly.

The first is the Callahan. What is a Callahan you ask? They define it as a omelet made with home fries instead of eggs. I say its hash. HASH!!! Hash with cheese on it. When was the last time you saw real hash on a menu? I love hash. It's my favorite part of leftover roasts...but I digress...

Cheesey, starchy goodness

The second is the Joe Fries. Extra crispy home fries. Not burnt - like when you order them well done at TeeJay's (blech!). These treats have a permanent place on the menu - as well they should.

The food is simple, but prepared properly. Tony ordered 3 eggs over easy, toast, sausage and joe fries. Eggs are a telling point in a busy restaurant. These were perfect - the whites set and the yolks runny. The sausage wasn't dried out and the joe fries were crispy but not burnt.

yummmmmy - eggs!

I ordered the Louisiana Callahan. It had an emphasis on the potatoes, with a nice mixture of add-ins. My only regret is that I didn't ask for joe fries instead of the regular potatoes. My fault - not theirs! Topped with cheese and sprinkled with hot sauce - it was just the thing to get me going.

At 8:30 am,the place was filed with a mixture of older folks, young couples with babies in tow and a bunch of third shifters from OSU hospital. The decor is plain, but clean. The wait staff was friendly and kept the coffee coming. The food came out fast and hot. What more can you ask for?

Paul's also has a reputation for having a killer lunch and dinner service. I've caught lunch only twice in the last few years and it was stellar both times. I have never made it to dinner, but I have been told I need to make the effort, since they run daily specials based on what is fresh, plus they are supposed to have incredible Italian fare. (Can anyone confirm?)

Fryin' Taters

My food ventures have been plebeian at best in recent weeks. When I am busy, I tend to make the same old standbys time and time again. It makes the family happy though - they bitch because I will make something once and then never make it again in my quest to keep the Internet engaged.

Take the recent blizzard. I actually had an adult snow day when my company shut down. Woohooo!! Stuck in the house, we decided that a nice big breakfast would be perfect before we went out to wrestle with the snow and ice that had encased both of our vehicles.

And what did my lovely hubby and daughter request?

Fried taters and eggs.

Fried taters and eggs - they are so simple they are easy to ruin. And I will confess that I have ruined my fair share of both. But not this day. For I -Rosie the magnificent - hit the proverbial nail right on the head and produced a platter of perfectly prepared potatoes for my progeny and her progenitor. Yeah - there have been days when I was not worthy of the lowly spud or humble ova, but as the snow gently drifted against our battened door, I was able to rise above my base station and produce a breakfast that was fit for a monarch (and not any butterfly either!)

Lo! Behold my perfect potatoes!



Look pretty damn good huh? Mouth watering yet?

To me, these are not hash browns or home fries. Hash browns are shredded. Home fries are precooked then browned off in a hot pan. They are fried taters. That means you start with raw potatoes and fry until crisp.

There are a couple of secrets to making good fried potatoes.

The first is to make sure the potatoes are sliced thin. My new mandolin does an fantastic job in that respect. I would say that these were sliced about an 1/8th of an inch thick. If you have to cut by hand, make sure you keep all the slices fairly uniform.

The second is to have a large pan. A large heavy pan. Cast iron being my favorite. You want a lot of surface area - the potatoes need to be spread out so that they don't steam themselves into mush. You also want a pan that will hold the heat when you toss in the potatoes. A sudden dip in temperature is bad. It will allow the oil to soak into the potatoes before the whole mess comes back up to optimum frying temp.

The last is to pick the right type of potatoes. I prefer russets, but have made due with Yukon Golds in a pinch. How many potatoes to use? Once again, it depends on your pan. For my 12 inch skillet, I will use 4-5 large russets. Maybe 2-3 pounds of taters. You don't want to over-crowd.

These instructions are kind of sparse. I learned to cook these from my mom, who was also known for her fantastic fried potatoes. The real secret to any fried food is finding the golden ratio of food to oil for the specific pan you are using. if a recipe calls for 1/4 cup of oil in a 10 inch skillet, that is fine. But be aware that not all 10 inch skillets are built alike. A straight sided cast iron skillet will give you a different depth of oil than a skillet with sloping sides.

For my 12 inch cast iron skillet, I pour in enough oil to give me about 1/4" depth. I used to use Crisco. My ex-mother-in-law swore by it as did my mom, but I switched to veggie oil as it was something I always have on hand.

A full load of potatoes in my 12" cast iron skillet -
notice there is room around the edges and the whole pan is not packed tight?
That's what you want to see...

I heat the oil over medium high until a potato slice will sizzle when I drop it in. I think of it as "shallow deep frying". You want the moisture in the potato to escape, so you oil needs to be good and hot. Now the tricky part - I feed in a few potatoes at a time and let them start to brown off. Then I will add a few more and turn everything over. But this needs to be done fairly quick, so that the potatoes will cook at about the same rate. Repeat until all the potatoes are in the pan

Now comes time for the seasonings. I use seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and some ground chipotle pepper. You could use cayenne instead, but I like the heat and bit of smoke that the chipotle gives. You don't want to potatoes to be too spicy, so be stingy with the ground red pepper. Sprinkle the seasonings on top of the potatoes. They will get mixed in as you flip the whole sheebang.

Try not to flip too much. This will break up the potatoes. Have patience and give them 'lil guys on the bottom a chance form a brown crust before you flip. I will take the time to wrangle the really pale slices or slices that are not getting cooked through to the bottom.

The whole point of the exercise is to cook the potatoes through, drive off moisture and get a crisp exterior. Not every potato needs to be super golden brown, but I have been know to fish out the really brown ones to give the less cooked pieces a chance to brown off before we have charcoal briquettes in the pan.

The final touch for me is to add a finely chopped onion the last few minutes of cooking. They get transparent, but still retain a bit of crunch.

Drain the potatoes on paper towels to blot off excess grease and serve.

And there you have it - fried taters.

Any questions?

Smackie's update

My new work schedule prevents me from partaking in the glorious all you can eat Sunday buffet at Smackie's, but that didn't stop my family and friends (bastards!) Smackie's suffered a personnel shake-up a while back, but the good news is that the food is as good as ever - or in some cases (as reported by my backstabbing friends) even better.

I did, however make it back to the restaurant on a Thursday night when they sell the 1/2 chicken dinner. Best bird in town!

The other update is that they will be moving soon. It's ok - don't panic! Deep breath!! Instead of being housed in the freestanding building where they are at present in Columbus Square, they will be moving to the same strip that houses Mi Li's (Mi Mi's) Cafe. That just several hundred feet away. The website says they will be closed mid-February and reopen March 1st.

Something to warm you up!

I was checking out CowTv today and found their video tour of the Cajohn facility. Being a chili head, I love CaJohn's products, even though I haven't tried their new line of sauces made with the infamous Ghost Chilis. Maybe I can get some and our little group of chil heads can have a "bonding" moment.

This is a long video, so I recommend getting settled in before you fire it up...

The truth about "surprise" visits or Bamboo Cafe redux

When I was in college, I shared a apartment with a female roommate. Sad to say, we were both total slobs - lazy drunken slobs. It was shameful. You wouldn't think two gals could live in such a trash heap, but to my chagrin, we did. Instead of cleaning, we spent time drinking $2 pitchers of Old Swill at the Beer Stube. My roomie - we'll call her Betty to protect the not so innocent- had parents who were very generous with the monetary gifts - allowing us to "further our studies" of cheap beer and cute guys on her parent's dime. The only catch was that twice a year, Betty's parents would come down and spend the weekend in Columbus. Part of the visit included stopping by our apartment before taking us out to dinner. Since we KNEW when they were coming, we would spend the two days before the visit cleaning our pad from top to bottom, making sure that everything was spic and span, that we strategically placed our textbooks and "notes" from class where they could be easily spied and that our fridge was totally empty of anything except a bottle of ketchup and an expired yogurt - since we were starving college students. When Betty's parents appeared at the appointed hour, we were the neatest, most upstanding, hardworking co-eds that ever attended OSU.

So what does that have to do with restaurant reviews?

Imagine that a restaurateur knew that a reviewer and a photographer from a local newspaper were coming for a visit. Don't you think that the restaurateur would make sure everything was spic and span - just like Betty and I did when we knew her parents and their checkbook were coming to visit?

I read Jon Christensen's review of Bamboo Cafe in this week's week Dispatch. Amazing how Bamboo Cafe went from a one star restaurant to a four star restaurant when The Dispatch food critic and a photographer showed up. Do you think there was an advance phone call? Did the folks at Bamboo Cafe get a chance to hide their dirty laundry before the man with the credentials showed up? I am going bet on one of two things - either there was an advance call or someone at the Bamboo Cafe ran a psychic hotline before they opened the restaurant. I know where I would put my money.

My question is:
Will you - the man on the street - have the same dining experience as Jon the Dispatch reviewer?

 It depends on two things
a) are you a paid restaurant reviewer?
b) Do you have any way to influence the public's opinion of this restaurant?

Since I doubt that most you get paid to eat out, I will guess that the answer to question A is "No!".

However,the answer to question B is "Yes"! The Internet gives you - the average person -  power to let others know of your "covert" visits to the various restaurants you patronize. Any restaurant who trots out their A game for a KNOWN reviewer is not a good place to patronize. You will only end up being disappointed and have a kid who dropped out of college after three years (Poor Betty!)

Instead, find a good restaurant that you like and vote for them with your wallet. Let people know through sites like Urbanspoon or Columbus Underground. The everyday experience is what counts in the long run, not what any reviewer - including me - says. Your experience will determine how you should feel about a restaurant. You should only use a review as a guide, not words from the burning bush.

Cuca's

I've been looking for a non-chain Mexican restaurant to go to for a while now. While the El Vaquero chain is OK, its not the best I've ever had, plus they are all invasive - kinda like kudzu. They have other restaurants under different names that use the El Vaquero menu...Cazula's Grill on campus is an example of that practice. I feel it is my duty to support the little guy who is making good food and takes personal pride in what he is making, so I try out all kinds of small out of the way joints...

Enter Cuco's on Henderson Road. I stopped in a few months ago to grab some carry out during a grueling double shift at work. At the time I chose a tamale with beans and rice for sides...$5.95 carryout. The beans were tasty. The tamales were homemade, and the rice was moist. A big plus was that the whole meal came with a big bag of fresh cooked tortilla chips and homemade salsa.

I went home and raved about Cuco's to the hubby. He was skeptical. The last time I took him to out for Mexican at Aztecas and it was awful, so once bitten - twice shy. Plus, the bar has been set pretty high since we went to Las Palmas in St. Louis - which is fantastic.

After much wheedling, I talked him into stopping for lunch while we were out grocery shopping. He went from not happy to ecstatic in the course of the next 45 minutes. First, our waiter brought a big basket of homemade chips and salsa. Tony complained that the salsa wasn't hot. So I went up to the salsa bar and got some of their other homemade hot sauces, a red and a green. While not incendiary, they were both very flavorful.

Vats of homemade hot sauce - made me wanna go for a dip!

They also had some pico de gallo and a pickled onion dish which I can't remember the name of. All were very good - the pico de gallo would have been better with summer tomatoes, but you have to work with what you have...

We also ordered guacamole - which was fresh made to order by mashing the avocados with a helping of pico de gallo. It was pretty decent.

I ordered carnita tacos - the lunch special for $5.95. Tony had commented on the fact that cheese, sour cream and guacamole were extra. I told him I would reserve judgment until they came.

Tony asked the waiter what he would recommend. "The fajitas" came the answer. Recommending fajitas to us was a risky thing - with us thinking back to all the tough flavorless meat and mounds of burnt veggies we had been served in the past. Tony looked doubtful, but being the brave soul that he is, ordered away. (We ask for recommendations from the staff to see if they know their food - its a good way to get a handle on how well the front of the house knows the back of the house.)

A few minutes later - out came our main meals. Yes - my tacos looked plain, consisting of nothing but warm tortillas, meat, and a sprinkling of white onion and cilantro. But when I picked them up and took a bite, the meat was the star. It was perfect - moist and flavorful. The only addition I made was to sprinkle a green hot sauce on them for a little punch. The beans and rice were spot on as before. I asked the waiter if the beans were homemade and he indicated that they were - a big plus in my book.

$5.95 - can you beat that?

Tony was reticent about eating his fajitas. He looked suspiciously at the sizzling plate. He stabbed a piece of beef off of the pile and bit an end. Then he ate the whole piece. Then he started loading up the tortillas and tearing into his lunch with gusto. Yes - it was good. Some of the best I've had in years. The steak was tender and not overdone. The veggies, while charred a little, were not burnt or bitter. The sides were generous and included guacamole and sour cream. I stole some as well - there was plenty to go around.

Hot Sizzlin' Meaty Goodness

Tony insisted that we order dessert and asked for flan. The waiter said - no you want the churros. So we ordered the churros. He had been right so far, why doubt him now?

Sorry I couldn't wait!

Churros - wow. Hot, deep fried dough with caramel inside, covered with dulce le leche and cinnamon sugar with whipped cream on the side. Damn. That is all I can say. Damn.

We were so impressed that we took our friend Eric out to eat there the next night. It was still good then too... even though they were busy as heck.

So if you are looking for a reasonably priced Mexican place that takes pride in their food- I say give Cuco's a try.

Bamboo Cafe

We have been driving by Bamboo Café on Bethel Rd for the past month or so– the spot they now fill has been empty a while. The reason – it is located behind a McDonald’s. Not the best location for any business, much less a restaurant. However, Annie was intrigued by the “curtain” of live bamboo that screen the window and the very beautiful décor within. Much begging ensued and we reluctantly gave in.

The Bamboo Café promises both Vietnamese and Thai food. We like both. We have our favorite places to go for each cuisine, but there is always room for one more restaurant on our list. MiLi’s (MiMi’s) is my normal go-to place for pho and sets the standard by which I judge all others. We have also become big fans of Tai Thai in Grandview for Thai curries.

We came into a nearly empty restaurant on a Thursday lunch. There was a single waitress on the floor and one other couple at a neighboring table. As we sat down, we admired the scenery – bamboo walls, a bamboo archway over the entrance to the kitchen, rich textiles under the glass of the tabletops. It looked nice.

The menu was limited, but offered a sampling of standard dishes from both cuisines. The prices were a little on the high side - $10.00 for a bowl of pho, $9.50 for curry.

After looking over the menu, I decided to get the Pho. Annie chose a Thai red curry. Tony asked the waitress what she recommended and she pointed out the same pho dish that I had ordered, so that is what he ordered. Tony and Annie asked for water, and I ordered hot tea.

The whole group started to get bad “vives” when the add-ins for the pho came out. The Thai basil was wilted and bruised, as was the culantro. The sirrachi and hoisin sauce bottles were kind of “gnarley” and needed a good wipe down.

Yummmm - rotting vegetation!

The food arrived quickly. Much to our regret. It was terrible. I know that is brutal – but true.

The worst bowl of pho EVER!

First the pho. For those of you who have never had pho, I need to explain a basic technique that goes with the dish. Thinly sliced raw beef is placed into the bowl, then very hot broth is poured over the top. This cooks the beef quickly, and it is very tender. I’ve heard it termed “shaboo-shaboo style”. Not so with the Bamboo café. The meat had been precooked, re-warmed (possibly in a microwave) and then put in the soup. It was like chewing on old shoe leather. The same was true of the tendon meatballs. I had never had a tough meatball before – but I can no longer say that. To top all this off – the broth was straight out of a can. Nasty, metallic beef broth. The whole dish was inedible.

My daughter’s curry was the wrong dish. She had ordered the red curry. What she received was a pale yellow in color. The beef was the same as in the pho – pre-cooked, re-warmed and dumped into re-warmed curry base. The curry sauce had no real flavor other than that of coconut milk. So, tough nasty beef in a bland sauce.

Does this look red to you?

The meal was so bad we didn’t finish it. The waitress asked if we wanted to take the leftovers home and we said no. In most restaurants with an experienced wait staff – this would have been a tip off something was wrong. Fat people who didn’t want to take the extras home. We tried to explain that the food was not good, but the explanation appeared to be lost on her, as her English vocabulary was not very strong.

We were presented with the bill. I asked her to take off the tea – which I had never received. All told, our lunch came to $35.00 with tip. That is a lot cash for bad food and mediocre service in a pretty setting.

So, in summation, I would rather have bamboo under my fingernails than ever eat at Bamboo Cafe again.

Read my reactions to the Dispatch Review here

Happy Holidays! Even if they are over by now...

I hope everyone had a great time – visited with family and friends (without drama), got everything you wanted (including usual socks and underwear), ate lots of great food (without gaining an ounce) and drank mass quantities (without any hangover).

We went kinda light on the presents this year. My hubby did splurge and buy me something interesting to play with in the kitchen – an Orion Smoker. He saw a good deal on it, did a little internet research and took the plunge. I have some pork I am going to turn into a “smoking hot butt” soon should the nice weather hold…

Our holiday feast had a southern theme to it– simple baked ham, sweet potato casserole, mustard greens (with a ton of bacon in them!!), green beans, homemade rolls and bourbon pecan pie for dessert.

The homemade rolls were from an old handwritten card buried my mom’s recipe file. Named 60 Minute Rolls, they are exactly that. How is this achieved? By adding a HUGE amount of yeast (two 1oz packages) to a relatively small amount of flour (four cups of AP).

I remember my mom making great rolls every Sunday after church – and at one point she told me this was the recipe. Well these weren’t that great…they were way too yeasty plus they didn’t have enough salt in them. I think the major problem is that the recipe is so old that the types of yeast may have changed. All it said was “2 packages of yeast”. That could mean the old school blocks of yeast from the refrigerator section or just two packages of the old school dried yeast. I substituted the new “super yeast” and it may have been too much for the recipe. The salt issue is most likely a guess-timation issue – my mom was notorious for pouring a little bit of stuff in her palm and guessing the amount when she was marking up recipes.

I hope to try them again soon once I get the whole thing figured out.

I tell ya –fixing up these old recipes is driving me to drink!

I also received several board games from my friend Tate to add to my ever growing collection. New Year’s Eve was dedicated to eradicating zombies and Cthulhian horrors while ingesting massive amounts of food and drink.

As far as eats went - the menu was split. We had lots of “normal” people showing up so we had to have some “safe” food for them. They got hot dogs, baked beans and a veggie tray. For all the adventurous folk in the crowd, I “created” some Middle East inspired dishes, such hummus with pita chips and lamb “burgers”. Eric also brought a cone of gyro meat which we slivered off and cooked up on the griddle. Damn it was good!

Tate asked me to make some cookies for the party as well – mostly so he could
bite the heads off of them. But he specified that they could not be made of gingerbread. So I ended up with chocolate chip shortbread zombies, Cthulhian monsters and their ilk.

I got the recipe from the Nestle site, but it really needed some help. When I followed their exact proportions of butter to flour, it ended up being way too dry and crumbled away when I tried to shape it after refrigeration. I ended up having to add an extra egg so that it would hold together enough to roll out. While the concept is worthwhile, I think I am going to have to work on getting the right dough for the job.

So the food got ate, games got played and everyone had a good time… I hope this starts a new tradition…

Eat Christmas Cookies and Be Happy

I am happy to be participating in Eat Christmas Cookies 2 being hosted by Food Blogga. As you all know, this is the time of year when I pull out my collection of cookie cookbooks and plot the ruin of other peoples' diets. Yes - I am the evil little Christmas baker! I hide behind the bright smile of an chubby, middle-aged matron but, deep within my heart, I am plotting the expansion of your waistline. Muhahahhahhahahahhahaha!

Other than that, I just really like baking cookies. They are little packages of flavor with happiness and love hiding on the inside. (As far as you know!)

One thing that sets Christmas apart from the rest of the year is the opportunity to make lots of "fancy" cookies. The rest of the year it seems like you are making everyone else's favorites - usually involving chocolate chips, oatmeal and/or peanut butter. Not that I have anything against those types of cookies, but occasionally it just nice to stretch your culinary wings and make something else.

In past years, I've shared some of my "fancy" cookies. I tend to lean towards spice, nuts and fruit when I make my cookies.

Here are some of my past entries -


Pecan Tassies and Spiced Cranberry Apricot refrigerator cookies


Stroopwaffles - which I am preparing to make this afternoon


Lebkuken - from Gail's Heirloom recipe


This year I would like to feature a cookie I found in Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter . A quick word about this book - I love it. Not only do the recipes produce great cookies, Carole also spends the time classifying each cookie by type, but also by their characteristics - such as versatility or fragility. Plus - and a big plus for me - she gives you a shelf life for each recipe. An immense help when plotting the diet downfall of some distant relation.

Now introducing - Chocolate Snowcaps! Everyone wants chocolate chocolate chip - so this appeases both my family and friends' desire PLUS I get to make a really pretty cookie. This will be the second year I am making these - the hard part has been finding the nonpareils. I eventually located a brand called Bazzini at my local Pepperidge Farm outlet store. (Yes there is one in Columbus - and they carry large boxes of puff pastry at a great price as well!) The outlet store only carries the Bazzini brand during the holidays - so if you want to beat me to them, you better hurry.


The other secret to this cookie is that you have to use the best ingredients. It's a simply cookie. If you use poor quality ingredients, it shows in the finished product. I once again indulged in a high fat cocoa powder - Ghiridelli this time. Be aware that high fat cocoa powder is likely to go rancid quickly - so store it in a cool dry place and test it before you use it. Even a "new" can from the store can be rancid if it has sat too long on the shelf or been mishandled in transit. The same is true of things like butter - please taste your butter before you use it. If it tastes of anything other than sweet creaminess - get another pound for this recipe.

Oh - and just in case you wanted to know - there cookies were deemed by Carole to be versatile, have a long shelf life and are temperature sensitive.






Chocolate Snowcaps

from Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter

MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN 2·INCH COOKIES

These chocolate shortbread cookies are topped with disks of semi­sweet chocolate nonpareil candies. While nonpareils are available in most supermarkets, those purchased from a specialty candy store will be well worth the investment. Not only are these candies available in assorted flavors of semisweet, milk, and bittersweet chocolate, but some are covered with rainbow nonpareils.

Because these cookies are made with a shortbread-style dough, take care not to overwork the mixture, otherwise the dough will become too soft to handle.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled

1/2 cup strained Dutch-processed cocoa powder, spooned in and leveled

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm

1 cup strained confectioners' sugar, spooned in and leveled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons seedless raspberry preserves

48 semisweet chocolate nonpareil candies

MAKE THE DOUGH

1. Strain together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on low speed until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar with the vanilla and mix just until blended.

3. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix briefly to incorporate. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the remaining dry ingredients by hand, working the mix­ture just until the dough is smooth. Do not overmix.

4. Scrape the dough onto a strip of plas­tic wrap, then shape it into a 6 x 8-inch rectangle. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate until firm, 45 to 60 minutes.

BAKE THE COOKIES

5. Position the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°. Butter the cookie sheets well.

6. Using a pastry scraper, divide the dough into 48 I-inch squares. Roll each square into a ball and arrange about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Place the granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Dip a flat-bottomed glass into the sugar, then press down on each ball to form a 2-inch disk. Using a small spat­ula, spread a dab of preserves on the bot­tom of a nonpareil and lightly press the candy, topside up, into the center of each disk.

7. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until the cookies feel set on top. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back toward the end of baking time. Remove the cookies from the oven and let stand for I to 2 minutes before loosening with a metal spatula. They will harden as they cool. When firm enough to handle, transfer the cookies to cooling racks.

STORAGE Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 3 weeks. These cookies may be frozen.

One last note - if you really want to see some other folks fantastic cookies, then check out the Eat Christmas Cookies round page. Don't forget - if you don't have enough time before the holidays to try them all, you can always come up with other excuses!

Cookie Confab 2008

I am sad to report that Debbie, Gail and I have decided that we would not have a cookie confab this year. We are heartbroken, but there was really nothing else to do. I now work the weekends. Debbie and Gail have weekends off. I work swing shift, Gail works second shift and Debbie works first shift. So even on my days off, it would be impossible for us to even squeeze in an evening of cookie making, much less a couple weekends like we have in past years. But we have made a pact to make cookies on our own and trade out some of our specialties to the others so that we can have the best of all worlds. (Oh God - I sound like Candide!)

Since I am not working with the other cookie ladies this year, my hubby has declared that I am allowed to break the rules. Actually just one rule - he wants chocolate chip cookies. And so do all his friends. They have actually been calling me asking when I will have the chocolate chip cookies ready! It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! They managed to separate me from the rest of the group and I am now their helpless cookie baking thrall.

I am always on the lookout for more cookie recipes - especially those that promise not to make my butt wider than the Grand Canyon. If anyone has any other cookie suggestions, drop me a line. You know me - no cookie will go uneaten!

Here is a partial list of cookies I am going to start making this coming "weekend"

Stroopwaffels - I picked up a pizzell maker at New Uses this past spring for all of $10.00. True they will be HUGE cookies, but they will taste great. As part of my revenge, I plan on forcing Tony to sit at the kitchen table to make the cookies while I relax on the veranda (IE: play computer games).

Baby Fruitcakes - Specifically the recipe from The Cookie Lover's Cookie Book by Richard Sax . I used to love regular fruitcake. Olde fashioned fruitcake is awesome when an experienced cook (like my mom) makes it, but about fifteen years ago I got tired of having eight metric tons of fruitcake around the house after the holidays. So when I saw this recipe, I knew it was for me. The only bad thing is that they are not keepers unless you freeze them.

Chocolate on Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies - This is a new one that I am trying from Maida Heatter's Brand New Book of Great Cookies. (I picked up both her older book of cookies and her newer book of cookies at Half-Price this past year. And yes - they are different.) The thing that really intrigues me about this recipe is that you make dough logs as in a typical refrigerator cookie recipe, then put chocolate between two slices of raw dough and bake it all together. I figure it will be a love 'em or hate 'em situation with the folks on the receiving end - but they should remember they are getting them as a present and if they bitch, I will put the smack down on them!

Pecan Diamonds - I lost my favorite recipe a few years back. Isn't that always the way? I had photocopied it out of a book and laminated it so I could reuse it in the kitchen. All that time and effort - POOF!! Gone! Of course that is the way it always works. I can't even remember the book they came out of, since it was over twenty years ago when I found it. (OMG - I just wrote that and felt sooooooooooo freakin' old.) This past year, Gail found me a recipe in an old magazine that she had used before and gave it to me. It is turned out pretty damn good. Here is the recipe in case you want to try them.

Pecan Diamonds

Prep: 25 min. Bake: 12 + 20 min.

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup shortening 1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups chopped pecans
2 tablespoons whipping cream

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15 x 10 x 1inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan; set aside. In large bowl, combine 1/3 cup butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and the shortening; beat on medium speed until combined. Beat in egg, vanilla, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour. Pat dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes or until top is set.

2. In saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup butter, the brown sugar, honey, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bring to boiling over medium heat; boil gently 3 minutes. Add nuts and cream.

3. Spread hot nut mixture onto crust. Bake 20 minutes; filling will still be soft but bubbly all over. Cool in pan on rack. Use foil to lift from pan. Place on cutting surface. Using sharp knife, cut lengthwise into six to eight strips, then cut diagonally to form diamonds. Makes about 40.

TO STORE: Layer between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.