It's a blog for foodies around the world. Here you can read about recipes , new ideas and old techniques. You don't have to be a gourmet, just someone who really LOVES food and drink!!!!
What to do in a heat wave? Head to your nearest Lid!! Yes the air conditioning is bliss but there's another reason they have the best ices and ice creams. There's so much to choose from, whether's it's ice pops or a cone.Best of all they're so delicious.
I am a huge fan of anything LIdl and ices. Of course I have their various Gelatelli ice pops. Their fruit pops are the best
It is summer and it is blisteringly hot. The heat affects the way we eat. There are days when having a meal seems a chore . Cooking is that way too. what can be done? There are several ways to beat the heat culinary wise.
If anything hydrate - hydrate - hydrate. Yes have planting of chilled or cool water yet there are also water filled foods that can also help.watermelon and cucumbers are two that are full of water. The first is very versatile. Watermelon makes an excellent dessert or snack, especially when it's been in the fridge for a few hours but it also makes a wonderful salad ingredient too. One of the more popular combinations is adding cucumber and feta crumbles, dressed in a simple vinaigrette. Another tasty dish that can easily be a side or a dessert is grilled watermelon. Before grilling cut the melon unto thick triangles and then baste with a mix f honey lime juice and lime zest. Grill until grill makes appear. As for cucumbers a refreshing and old fashioned way to have them is sliced and dressed in a mix of sour cream and dill. You can sub in plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream if you want a lighter taste. Cucumbers are also good on their own dressed in a light white wine vinegar based dressing. You could also turn it into a cool green gazpacho.I't mixing pureed on es with plain Greek yogurt , olive oil and salt. A dash of white wine vinegar gives it some zing.
What about some protein? If you can stand being in front a hot grill then think of kebabs. These are easy to make and fun to eat.also it's a good way of combining meats and veggies in one bite. You can vary the proteins with having chicken one night and steak the next. As for veggies, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper slices and mushrooms also work along with onion quarters. An easy marinade for both chicken and steak is one made with olive oil, lemon salt and pepper. Another marinade is a base of plain Greek yogurt with lemon juice and olive oil. spice it up with cumin oregano and paprika. if you want an Asian flavor then think a soy sauce based one with a dash of Worcester and red wine vinegar to zing up beef kebabs. Keep in mind that you can already buy already prepared meats like rotisserie chicken and use it to create tasty and easy wraps. This is an ideal supper. Add romaine lettuce and Caesar dressing to shredded rotisserie chicken for a light meal that combines veggies and meat all in one bite.
Eating through a heat wave is not difficult. There are many light meals that can fill you up without heating you up. Try them for a cool and refreshing lunch or dinner.
RIght now there's a distinct divide in America and most specifically in Washington D,C. .It even goes right down to where to eat.There are Democrat hangouts. There are Republican hangouts. Opposing parties know to avoid them. Yet there is one restaurant that unites everyone - Ama. This Italian eatery brings both parties together for a plate of healthy pasta and wine.
New contributor and food journalist Jane Black wrote about this in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. She is familiar with it being Washington based but others have sung the restaurant's praises. It's chef and owner is Johanna Heilrigl who has created delicious dishes using all natural grains for her pastas and grass fed meats for main courses. Her thrust is Northern Italian , with her background come from Aldo -Adige in the German part of northeastern Italy. (hence her German first and last names) and ii features recipes familiar to every Northern Italian. The recipes sweep across Northern Italy with a nod also to her father , Andreas who was a chef at the famed Manhattan restaurant Paleo, named for the famed Tuscan horse race. Her menu includes mouth watering grissini , the delicate brittle breadsticks served with such cold cuts as spec ,m ortadella and prosciutto cotta along with Parmesan. There are also sauerkraut and strudel recipes a nod to her German roots.
It is her devotion to all purw ingredients that attract, especially those of the MAHA - Make America Healthy Again - movement. She was influenced by one of her frequent customers Calley Means. He and his sister Casey wrote Good energy which Chef Helrigl read while recuperating from her son;s birth. she had had a difficult labor followed by a cesarean .It was later complicated with a difficult recovery which her doctors dismissed. It was only after seeing a functional medicine doctor who helped pinpoint her problem. She had a compromised immune system and a microbiome that had been depleted after surgery and five rounds of antibiotics. Her improving health lead her to delve into metabolic health. She read the Means' book and obtained a certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, a New York School that trains health coaches. It's the reason there are no artificial colors or ingredients in any aspect of her cooking and baking. Even her bar, run by her husband Micah Wilder , has no artificial colorings All the drinks are naturally brewed and fermented. Diners won;t seen the bright orange drink Aperol there or any other dyed liqueurs . The bar and restaurant have become havens for such pols as Corey Booker and Hakeen Jeffries. Staffers go there in the morning for all natural coffees ,teas and pastries too.
Ama is a rare restaurant in the Washington D.C. scene.It brings Democrats and Republicans together while serving healthy food and drink. It is the star of the capital.
Mention eating at the airport and people grimace. it usually was stale cofee and and handful of some nibbles. This is changing. Airport eating has become airport dining.food has gotten better and tastier. They're flying high with their menus.
Regular Priya Krishna wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section.fr years most airport lounges didn't always have the best foods. They also didn;t have the best furniture and tables either. There was a rattiness to many of the lounges , especially the American based airlines. It wans't so with the foreign airlines such as Cathay Pacific and emirates. For years they've accessorized their lounges with dim sum, cocktail pairings and even cigar bars. Their American counterparts are catching up with a vengeance. Famed chefs are now creating gourmet menus for weary and anxious travelers. Next week lounges operated by such great chefs as Kwame Orowuachi, mashama Bailey, Michael Solomonov and Sarah Greenbieg. even the very famous chef Jose Andres is running the lounge at Ronald Reagan in Washington. He has create a flavorful tapas that include jamon croquetas and gambas alalijo. spicy shrimp.
Even airports like LaGuardia in queens ,New York is stepping up it's game. Long considered a third world airport even bu President Biden , the lounges there are being filled with gourmet treats. The Chase sapphire Lounge , accessible to those who have the Chase Sapphire card., the J.P. Morgan T+reserve card or the Rit-Carlton credit card can have access to an area that looks like a lobby of a posh hotel.It's centerpiece is a circular bar with purple velvet chairs. The coctkail menu comes from the popular Manhattan bar Apotheke. The baristas can even make a trendy sea salt and oat milk latte. each table also has QR codes where guests can order such meals as gnocchi with zucchini and mint and marinated beets with whipped feta. Mind to get into this lounge card holders will have to pay a hefty fee Chase sapphire reserves costs eight hndred dollars a year while J.P Morgan and Ritz-Carlton also have large fees of eight hundred dollars and close to five hundred dollars respectively. For a cheaper rate Dallas 's United Polaris Lounge offers radicchio and roasted peaches..
Airline lounges are changing. They're offering great food and drink. what a perfect way to start a trip.
These are tough times. We need to be there for each other. It could be as simple as sharing garden harvests or helping with groceries. Home chefs need to be the source that others in need have to depend upon. It may take a lot but it's worth it. people need to be fed.
One of the best deeds is to share garden harvests. This is the time when tomatoes are in full bloom along with eggplant and zucchini. These can easily be given to those neighbors, friends and family who need them.If you're making sauce invite them over - it's a fun cooking experience and let them go home with a few jars. Give out a couple of boxes of pasta as a thank you gift for helping. Also if you have fruit trees ,make sure that family and friends get the extra peaches and nectarines. This is also late blackberry and blueberry season. Invite them to go picking with you and treat them to a basket. If you;re in New Jersey it's corn season. There are some corn fields where you can pay a small price and pick a bushel. Another idea is making sauces and chowders with your harvest along with main meals like eggplant rolatini or Parmisian and give it to family and friends who are financially hurting . The dinner can be eaten now or saved for later on.
Everything these days are being cut and that includes food pantries and food banks and veterans services. it's unfair to be sure but everyone can play a part in alleviating it.if you;re a manufacturer , think about donating something to help. The same goes for local farmers. Thanks to the cruelty and stupidity of this administration many schools and food banks will not be able to buy directly from local farms. This impacts the quality of food as well as the farmers themselves.If you own a farm, think about donating a small part of your harvests to schools. DOGE has also gone after urban farms which feed many of the inner cities across the US. Try to donate whatever you have to help them.Organize fundraisers and bake sales. Talk with local merchants to help and see what they can donate, whether time or money.The DOGE cuts also affects our VA. Veterans will suffer too. Try to offer some time whether at the VA or with any veteran you know. They too will be affected. Share food and harvests with them. Invite them over for dinner or out to lunch.
Be the source for people to come to. These are tough times and they can be eased a bit if we all come together. Be the source people come to.
Scotland and picnics may not seem to go together yet the Highlands are a beautiful place to enjoy the weather and scenery/. A hearty landscape requires hearty yet easy to carry foods.A dd a dream of whiskey too for a quiet buzz and to relax under sapphire skies,
A great picnic basket favorite is Scotch eggs. These weren't invented by the Scots but are much loved through the United Kingdom. it;s just hard boiling eggs and then wrapping them in layers of herb infused sausage and then bread crumbs.These are deep fried and can be eaten warn or cold. as for the herbs, try summer hetbs such as mint, thynes, rosemary and dill. You could add a tiny bit of hot sauce to give them zing.Anything cold and salmon also worked in a Scottish picnic. salmon runs throught the country and it's figures in many dishes.use a can of salmon instead of fresh for easiness.It's then mixing in mayo, chopped celery and red onions or shallot.Add dill and lemon for more flavor and then chill.it could be served as a filling for sandwiches for a topping for water crackers. Keep in mind that you could add pasta or noodles to this. If you;re having a barbecue picnic then think salmon burgers.It's using the boneless fish mixed with lemon juice and bread crumbs along with Dijon mustard and shallots . You do have to grind the salmon so that it forms a paste to mild into patty form. Its then grilling then on grill pan.They can't be put on a regular grill because the'll fall apart.
The Scots can turn oats into anything delicious. Think oat cakes to munch on with jam and butter along with a good thermos of tea. They only need a few ingredients such as oatmeal, butter and bicarbonate of soda. To this add a pinch of salt and hot water to bind. its' then creating a rolled out dough and cutting out rounds with a large cookie cutter.Once cooked they can be slathered with a good homemade preserve and a rich butter. However a savory topping wouldn't go amiss. YOu could add salmon on top or even ham for a new spin on a pic nic sandwich.if you're feeling more adventurous then think of baking a loaf of oat bread.It's the same as white bread except made with oat flour and rolled oats. A fresh baked loaf is perfect for making sandwiches with ham. Another idea is store bought haggis than you can easily cook at home and bring along .It's more of a winter dish, being made at Hogmany or New Year's. Serve small bite soft it on the oat cakes. Of course shortbread is a must. You can make it or if it's too not then buy a package of Walker's it goes wonderfully with a cup of iced tea as a perfect end to the picnic. You can also make the whiskey infused white fudge called tablet too if you want.
A Highland picnic is a wonderful way to enjoy good food and nature around you. Create a good salmon salad and some oatcakes. Bring shortbread and tea .ENjoy a wonderful afternoon celebrating the best of Alba - Scotland.
Yes football season seems an eon away as does tailgating. Yet the season will be here soon enough. With it comes a recipe book that has the yummiest tailgating dishes. Keep in mind that these also work at a barbecue too.
Chef Tim Lopez who created dishes for the Philadelphia Eagles for sixteen yeatr put together Kickoff Kitchen Sixty-Four Game Day Recipes inspired by Every Pro Football Team.(quarto Publishing Group 2025). He has divided the recipes into the eight divisions where the teams stand.The first chapter has a playful picture guide to what home chef's will need in creating recipes.There are pictograms of blenders and even toothpicks. There is some great advice about not combining both hot and cold dishes along with how to cook with cleanliness when dealing with tailgating cooking. Home chefs should bring both thermal bags for keeping foods hot and bags of ice for keeping cold ingredients frosty.what is good about all of these recipes is that they would fit right in a backyard barbecue. Tailgating foods are not just hot dogs and hamburgers. Chef. Lopez takes into consideration the local ingredients and culinary traditions of the teams ' home cities.The Miami Dolphins has a mini Cuban sandwich which has roasted pork and ham. Also there are extra points section that offer good tips about the ingredients or cooking process. The back of the book has interesting tidbits about the teams such as their mascots ,when they were first formed and hometomwn fun fact
The recipes are perfect for any cook out and party too.Being from Northern New Jersey I love the recipe for the NY Giants disco fries this is a big plate of crispy fries smothered in a homemade beef stock based gravy rife with onions, celery and carrots. Mozzarella is melted on top of all this. It's definitely going to be a fun weekend dish.Another alluring dish is the roast beef on weck sandwiches celebrating the Buffalo Bills. This is Buffalo's much beloved sandwich with a large pie of roast beef on a flavorful kummelweck roll with a slick of a horseradish and mayo spread on it. Tailgating food doesn't have to be all beef. Chef Lopez shines a light on the Atlanta Falcons with a tasty shrimp and cheesy grits bowl.It's shrimp cooked with bacon and paprika along with other spices and ladled on the grits redolent with cheddar. Then there's the Cincinnati Bengals Skyline chili,a fiery and spicy chili that's served over spaghetti with a sprinkling of shredded cheddar on top. This is the perfect meal for a chilly autumn night. Yes there are hot dogs here There are Sonoran dogs full of veggies that celebrate the Arizona cardinals.and Coney dogs from Detroit .This last is a chili dog with cheese.
Tailgate season will soon be upon us. Use the fun and filling recipes of Kickoff Kitchen for your menu.everyone will love their teams and even the opposing ones favorite bites.
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