Make Your Own PSL

 Everyone is rushing to get that seasonal treat pumpkin spice latte even one from Starbucks can cost you close to six dollar.s Dunkin Donuts is half that.yet it still adds up. A better choice is creating your own. You can also dial up or dial back the spoice factor too.

Every flavored coffee starts off with a base of a good roast. You can easily buy what Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts or DD has to offer . Their blend of beans contain the perfect flavor not just for a latte but for other drinks like caramel and mocha too.As for the milk don;t use heavy cream or creamer. Any other milk, from cow, to soy and nut milks work just fine. How much to put in? That's up to you but the average is about one cup of milk to every cup of coffee.If you prefer a more coffee flavor then decrease to half a cup.If you like it milky , then increase to a quarter of a cup more.DON'T use evaporated milk, This is too sweet and maybe you could use it to make pumpkin spice fudge.It would turn an already sweet drink into liquid candy.

Some recipes call for actual pumpkin (!!!) to be added. This is up to you. Many home baristas use the same pumpkin puree that you'd use for pie.Just make sure you use PUREE and not pumpkin pie filling. The last is a bit watery and stringy to add. As for the star ingredient pumpkin pie spice , you can add a teaspoon. Do you want it already made or homemade? Try McCormicks' which has the perfect blend of the needed spices.  You can also make your own to use not only in lattes but for, waffles ,  cakes, icings and even roast veggies too. It's a mix of cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves , allspice and nutmeg. Take three tablespoons of cinnamon and mix in  two teaspoons of ground ginger and one and a half teaspoons of ground nutmeg. Add two teaspoons of mixed dried cloves and allspice to finish it off. Store in a clean jar in a cool, dry place . You cna finish your coffee with a big blob of whipped cream or add ice for a frappeccino. Dust with more pumpkin pie spice and enjoy.

Why go out and buy a cup when you can make a pumpkin spice latte at home? It's a tasty treat that cna be whipped up in seconds. Have it with your favorite cookies or just as a treat after dinner.

Braising ABCs

 braising is a great way of cooking any kind of meat.It adds a tenderness to it along with giving it flavor.It;s also an easy cook perfect for  those novice chefs Even better is that any meat can be braised.

To start with you need a good braising pan.Who has a good braiser? le Creuset is the best. it has a spacious cooking surface, a large lid knob for easy grabbing and easy to grip handles. Any Le Creuset surace is perfect for cooking. It is expensive with the price varying from $380  on Amazon to $290 on Amazon. A nuch cheaper one is Crock Pot Artisan.It's almost the same as Le Creuset but has a smaller cooking surface. yet it's only $67 at Wayfair and $62 on Amazon. You can also score a $50 one at Target too. Keep in mind that the cheaper ines have trouble with the enamel eroding. Braisers can be used for other types of cooking too.it's greati for browning chicken wings and thighs as well as such roasts as London Broil.The pans are not delicate. You can easily put one in your dishwasher witout any worry of scratches ro nicks.

What meats are perfect for braising? Beef short ribs and chuck work. As for pork think the shoulder also known as  Boston Butt. You could also braise lamb shoulders or shanks as well as chicken thighs or legs. You should season your meat first, usually just sea salt and freshly ground pepper will do. You could add some herbs such as thyme or oregano  along with either onion or garlic powder for flavor. Add oil to your braiser. Both Italian and Greek olive oil work the best. These are the most flavorful and will enhance the meat's taste. You can add veggies  such as carrots and peas. Braising requires some kind of liquid in the second part in the cooking.Red wine works rhe best with braising. Stock is also necessary. Beef or chicken works the best. Use beef broth for both the lamb and the pork too. The lid is then put on the the meat and veggies are cooked for a good hour to an hour and a half.

Braising is an easy way to have a delicious hot meal. All it takes it  a good braiser and a great cut of meat. Put them together for a tasty dinner.

A New Feature THE Question

 Times are busy here at Foodie Pantry and there's no time to really write a good post.  (This will end in January)This is why THE Question is being introduced. It'll be revolving around all things food. I'm looking forward to the answers.

THE QUESTION: What is your favorite kitchen appliance and why?

Fall Flavors

 yes, pumpkin spice is rhe flavor of the moment right now but there are other fall flavors both savory and sweet to consider. They not only  the season but tastes and depth to any recipe.

There are savory flavors as well as weet. Sage is big right now.It's one of the components of stuffing and brings a green earthiness to any dish. A homemade stuffing with a good sprinkling of sage leaves is the perfect side to any roast turkey and evne chicken. You can also use it in a butter sauce gracing pumpkin or squash filled ravioli. Turmeric is also an autumnal spice that's good for you.It reduces inflammation throughout the body.You could easily make a warming curry or dal with it Roasted turmeric potaotes would make a nice side with any Sunday roast.Try the otaotes this time with thyme, an herb used mostly during October and November.Even putting in in scalloped potatoes is a change up that would please the family.

Of course other fall flavors are maple and walnut. Maple can be versatile being used in both saovry and sweet dishes. Mix it with orange juice and ginger and then glaze Cornish hens with it. it can also be used in various pies cookies and cakes.A maple flavored frosting would be perfect on a cardamon spice cake.Walnuts are big in the fall. It would be great in making a Black Forest cake a lovely Bavarian treat rich with chocolate and cream. Of course walnut brownies is the perfect after school snack or weekend treat.

There's more to fall than just pumpkin spice.Try these other flavors.They too can get you in the mood for crisp weather and warm snuggly sweaters.

Twenty Years Of Pumpkin Spice

 it's that time of year again. the leaves are falling. People are wearing sweaters and fleece.what season is it The twentieth one of pumpkin spice latte. It's amazing that it's lasted this long.

New contributor and Food 52 recipe developer  Ella Quittner wrote this humerous observation in yesterday's New York Times Food section. She also delves in the history too.Twenty years ago Peter Dukes, a director at the company created the drink, thus beign known as the "father of the PSL." Surprisingly though it scored lower than chocolate and caramenl infused coffees at the time as it debi=uted mostly around Washington DC, and Vancouver British Columbia. The mangers were the first excited about it then the stars of the early Aughts, Katy Perry and Kristin Cavelleri touted its; assets. The drink took off. Despite this it was never considered hip.In fact its' unwillingness to be hip has helped it to be a perennial classic.It's a season trend but not trendy.

It is a  comforting drink. Thanks to it there is everything pumpkin spice  from hummus to even deodorant. Starbucks' rival Dunkin Donuts created it's own version in 2020. Many associate it with white girl privledge and the patriarchy.Its a derogatory portrait of the basic woman.Maybe because Starbucks has been ubiquituous and it is in almost every small town and large city.it was sure to be a must have in everyone's lives. There may be a "cringe factor" as Victoria Carliotti, a New School student puts it and she woulnd't post herself drinking it on Tiktok. yet she will be ordering it.Ir's sort of like McDonald's Grimace Shake popular during last summer when Gen Z made it a central part of their sbusrdist horro shorts on social media. 

Pumpkin spice latte is here to stay. It's a comfort  drink that symbolizes fall and coziness. It's what people want to celebrate the coming of fall every year.

LA'S BEst Restaurants

 New York  Chicago and San Francisco have alway sthe premier cities for fine dining. Yet Los Angeles is becoming a city known for quality restaurants. There are some great place to dine in the City of Angels.

Native Angelino and regular contributor Tejal Rao listed them in today's New YorkTimes Food section.there are some very good ones and that cater to all sorts of tastes.There are classic Italian ones such as Quarter Sheets ,an upscale pizzeria that features all sorts of pies. Antico Nuovo features Italian country cooking and quirky pastas like foglie d'ulivo and maloreddus. French cooking also reigns supreme in LA too. There is Republique, known for it's crunchy baguettes and delicous fusion dishes.in nearby Santa Monica there is the classic menu of Pasjoli. Here you can try pressed duck, done in the same way its'been cooked for centuries.Mexican food is also represented in Ponchu's Tlayudas which serves their version of blood sausage There is the wine bar Ruby Fruit, an inclusive gay bar, which features tast food such as their vegan hot dogs.

Yes there are Asian restaurants too CHinese .Korean and Japanese restuarants reigh supreme here too. Go to Needle for a Cantonese version of French toast. Perilla LA may be  a smalleatery but it packs a big punch food wise.There are rolled omelets and warm seasoned rice.Yangran is a Korean American place that combines Ashkenazi Jewish recipes with traditional Korean. There is pea shoot salad served with a golden capped congee potpie. Visitors to the city have to try Yess where there are tasting menus along with katsu, Japanese fried chicken. There is also Tsubaki that features charcoal grilled yakatori ans that also features seasonal ingredients. If you want Thai food then try  Anajak Thai which features a tasty fish custard and Thai fried chicken.Ravel offers a taste of African cooking that features North African and Middle Eastern cooking. 

LA is a culinary mecca worth visiting. The city is chockful of many different eateries from all sorts of cultures. It'san international  buffet .

The Next Food Destination Paterson NJ

 Could paterson , new Jersey be the next foodie destination, Surprisinglly this gritty industrrial town could be on everyone's list to visit int e next few years.It has a thriving immigrant community and with that a thriving food scene. You can find everything from Caribbean pupusas to Turkish piti there. 

Paterson has always been a factory town ever since Alexander Hamilton (yes , that  Alexander Hamilton) showed George Washington the majestic falls known as the Great Falls. It was in 1792 that Hamilton wanted to turn the area into the next Manchester England, an industrial city filled with mills and factories. He succeeded and within a century it became a major US manufacturing city. with it came the first immigrants, namely Irish. However the Piedmontese came from Northeastern Italy to run the silk mills, hence the city's nickname Silk City, They brought such good food as bagna calda , fritto misto and risotto. The Syrians, also skilled in silk making followed and they brought dishes like kibbeh, and the now popular breakfast dish  shakshuka. African -Americans migrated from the South in the Sixties and Seventies and brought with them such tasty dishes as fried chicken and collard greens. The recent wave of South Americans brought a tropical flavor to the city , with such dishes as plantanos and mofungo. 

If you go to Paterson (and it's a quick hop from Manhattan) there are several restaurants to try.Patsy's is one of the oldest , first serving customers in 1931. Their pizzas are legendary and have a huge fan base.. They also have arancini, Sicilian rice balls and clams oreganata that are amazing It's right off Route 20 and is easy to get to. The city has a relatively large Middle Eastern population. There are several places to get sharma and za'atar along with Turkish pizza  or pide This is a long flat bread filled with everything from pastrami to veggies.Pide 28 is one of the best and one of my favorites. I do like their tomato and mozzarella pide but the pastrami one is beyond tasty.Every bite is a mouthful of delicious spiced beef. It's across from another great place Nablus Sweets Bakery. Here you can try all sorts of yummy sweets like knafa, a kind of Middle Eastern cheesecake. The classic Bonfire Restaurant , a paterson staple for decades has reinvented itself. It now serves every kind of mofungo, from the traditional pork infused  to ones full of lobster or goat stew.

Few cities in New Jersey have a multicultural culinary scene like Paterson. Visit it for the history but definitely stay for the food. You'll find a rich and varied menu.