Sorry guys, I still feel like sludge. Monday should be a better day and a longer entry (especially about bagna calda)
Hopefully the grapefruit juice my Mom has given me will kick in. I need more tender loving citrus
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Another Postponed Entry
Sorry foodies, I'm going to wimp out yet again and postpone my article on bagna calda. The ocld is just too much for me to handle. Sorry.
Anyway, this sick, little foodie would like suggestions about how to deal with them/
Please write - now.
Anyway, this sick, little foodie would like suggestions about how to deal with them/
Please write - now.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Cold Case Foodie
Guys, this will be the shortest entry to date. I am racked with a God awful cold and find it hard to even stand up. I'm taking it easy today with a lot of bed rest.
Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow to write about bagna calda - that great Piedmontese winter dish.
Liz
Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow to write about bagna calda - that great Piedmontese winter dish.
Liz
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Foodie , Heal Thyself
Guess what, gang, Little Miss Eat This , It's Good For You has not followed her own advice. I am suffering from a killer cold and I'm thinking partially due to not eating enough Vitamin C. This is the time of year when catching anything runs rampant. Gird yourself, fellow foodies and prepare for a long, sneezy, coughy winter ahead.
Stave off a cold by eating foods rich in Vitamin C. I know this is the oldest adage in the book but it's true. Supermarkets have oranges and grapefruits piled high. Buy one or two for yourself for the week. Use your juicer for fresh made juice. Remember that you can use orange and grapefruit juice as marinades and a substitute for vinegar in salads. Pineapple is one of the fruits highest in the vitamin. Get your hands on some for a healthy snack. For veggies tomatoes, broccoli and potatoes (yes potatoes!) give you some dose of Vitamin C. Add more tomatoes slices to your sandwiches or make a tasty bruschetta for lunch. Also think about baked potatoes lavishly topped with broccoli and cheddar for a relatively healthy meal (OK, so the cheese spoils it , but the cheese is rich in calcium).
Once you embrace your cold, then stick to foodie comfort foods. I am living on soup, popsicles, and juice right now along with hot oatmeal for breakfast. That orange that's sitting on my table with be added to the mix today too.
If any of you fellow foodies are sick or starting to get even a sniffle, heed my advice. Eat healthier to prevent getting any kind of crud.
Stave off a cold by eating foods rich in Vitamin C. I know this is the oldest adage in the book but it's true. Supermarkets have oranges and grapefruits piled high. Buy one or two for yourself for the week. Use your juicer for fresh made juice. Remember that you can use orange and grapefruit juice as marinades and a substitute for vinegar in salads. Pineapple is one of the fruits highest in the vitamin. Get your hands on some for a healthy snack. For veggies tomatoes, broccoli and potatoes (yes potatoes!) give you some dose of Vitamin C. Add more tomatoes slices to your sandwiches or make a tasty bruschetta for lunch. Also think about baked potatoes lavishly topped with broccoli and cheddar for a relatively healthy meal (OK, so the cheese spoils it , but the cheese is rich in calcium).
Once you embrace your cold, then stick to foodie comfort foods. I am living on soup, popsicles, and juice right now along with hot oatmeal for breakfast. That orange that's sitting on my table with be added to the mix today too.
If any of you fellow foodies are sick or starting to get even a sniffle, heed my advice. Eat healthier to prevent getting any kind of crud.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Updating Old Classics
Yesterday I had written about Ida Bailey Allen's wonderful cookbook Delicious Meals At Low Cost. This is a time capsule of great recipes however it is sixty years old. Luckily with any old recipe you can update it and fit it into modern cookery and baking.
Sometimes older recipe s or receipts call for ingredients that were easy to get in the 18 and 1900's but are hard to acquire now. Let's face it we can't easily go out and shoot a brace of partridge. We can substitute them with turkey or even Cornish hen. As far as with different cuts of beef we can more or less replace one cut with another. We can also update prep methods thanks to food processors and portable grills.
Cakes are another matter . Some older recipes call for a pinch of this and a cup of that . Unfortunately there is always some debate about what constitutes a pinch or a cup. Usually housewives added just s few grains of some thing as a pinch. A cup was usually a demitasse cup also used for measuring flour and sugar. A few scratch cakes call for duck eggs which produce a richer taste and a yellower batter. The problem is how many markets still sell them. Another dilemma with older recipes are the tastes. years ago people were quite used to spicier cakes or less sweeter ones. You have to experiment with recipes a few times and adjust the amounts to get the desired taste.
Updating old recipes takes a lot pf thought and consideration. It can be done however. Just work on them and experiment until you get the desired taste.
Sometimes older recipe s or receipts call for ingredients that were easy to get in the 18 and 1900's but are hard to acquire now. Let's face it we can't easily go out and shoot a brace of partridge. We can substitute them with turkey or even Cornish hen. As far as with different cuts of beef we can more or less replace one cut with another. We can also update prep methods thanks to food processors and portable grills.
Cakes are another matter . Some older recipes call for a pinch of this and a cup of that . Unfortunately there is always some debate about what constitutes a pinch or a cup. Usually housewives added just s few grains of some thing as a pinch. A cup was usually a demitasse cup also used for measuring flour and sugar. A few scratch cakes call for duck eggs which produce a richer taste and a yellower batter. The problem is how many markets still sell them. Another dilemma with older recipes are the tastes. years ago people were quite used to spicier cakes or less sweeter ones. You have to experiment with recipes a few times and adjust the amounts to get the desired taste.
Updating old recipes takes a lot pf thought and consideration. It can be done however. Just work on them and experiment until you get the desired taste.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Lessons From Old Cookbooks
A very good friend of the family recently gave me one of her cookbooks from the mid 1940's. The author, Ida Bailey Allen created a cookbook entitled Delicious Meals At Low Cost. This is a foodie's gem of low budget yet traditional meals that still can be served today.
The author herself published around fifty or so cookbooks dealing with a variety of topics. Ida Bailey Allen was born in 1888 and came of an age when home cooking required a lot of blood sweat and tears. She left in 1973 during the era of convenience foods and the rise of fast food empires. This book that was given me is a meld of traditional old school recipes and new , more "modern" ones. What I love about it is the fact that Ms Allen goes into great detail about ingredients. All sorts of meats are completely analyzed form their taste and texture to what can and should be done about them. Dairy is carefully broken down into specialized categories along with their benefits. Then there are the suggestions as to what to do with leftovers. This was way before the microwave era and Ms. Allen has some very creative ideas as to what to do with them. All in all it makes for a fascinating read.
You can learn a lot from old cookbooks. Culinary history is always fascinating, especially when it comes with asides. What's even neater is that the recipes can be updated today and used in our diets.
Note: You can still buy any of Ida Bailey Allen's books on the web. Use Google to do so and a complete list will come up.
The author herself published around fifty or so cookbooks dealing with a variety of topics. Ida Bailey Allen was born in 1888 and came of an age when home cooking required a lot of blood sweat and tears. She left in 1973 during the era of convenience foods and the rise of fast food empires. This book that was given me is a meld of traditional old school recipes and new , more "modern" ones. What I love about it is the fact that Ms Allen goes into great detail about ingredients. All sorts of meats are completely analyzed form their taste and texture to what can and should be done about them. Dairy is carefully broken down into specialized categories along with their benefits. Then there are the suggestions as to what to do with leftovers. This was way before the microwave era and Ms. Allen has some very creative ideas as to what to do with them. All in all it makes for a fascinating read.
You can learn a lot from old cookbooks. Culinary history is always fascinating, especially when it comes with asides. What's even neater is that the recipes can be updated today and used in our diets.
Note: You can still buy any of Ida Bailey Allen's books on the web. Use Google to do so and a complete list will come up.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
To Drive The Cold Winter Away
Today's title come from a Loreena McKennett album (I'm one of her biggest fans). It also means the warm food and drinks we have to drive the winter away. Yes it's January and we need that extra dollop of heat to keep us from turning into Popsicles.
What to eat? Spicy chilies are good and easy to make. Add a extra flip of chili turning it from a one alarm to a three alarm. You can also heat up your hot cocoa this way too. Make Mexican hot chocolate for yourself by using Droste plain cocoa powder and a pinch of chili powder. Add a drop or two of hot water to make a paste, some sugar to taste and then the hot (not boiling ) milk. You may have to experiment with this to get the taste right . The first time may result in a five alarm drink. Another heat generator is curry. Curry powder lends a wonderful taste to beef, chicken or vegetables not to mention keeps you toasty.
January is the month for , comforting soothing soups and stews. You can make creamy corn or lobster bisque's for a delicious hot supper. Add toasted bread and a salad and you're good to go. A big slow cooked pot of beef stew is not only perfect on a cold snowy day, it's also nutritious. Add some carrots , leeks, onions and turnips for needed vitamins and minerals. Make dumplings to go with it to create a dish that will stick to your ribs.
Don't let the cold temps get you down. Warm up with some hot drinks and hot food during this January. Treat yourself to yummy foods that will certain drive the cold winter away.
What to eat? Spicy chilies are good and easy to make. Add a extra flip of chili turning it from a one alarm to a three alarm. You can also heat up your hot cocoa this way too. Make Mexican hot chocolate for yourself by using Droste plain cocoa powder and a pinch of chili powder. Add a drop or two of hot water to make a paste, some sugar to taste and then the hot (not boiling ) milk. You may have to experiment with this to get the taste right . The first time may result in a five alarm drink. Another heat generator is curry. Curry powder lends a wonderful taste to beef, chicken or vegetables not to mention keeps you toasty.
January is the month for , comforting soothing soups and stews. You can make creamy corn or lobster bisque's for a delicious hot supper. Add toasted bread and a salad and you're good to go. A big slow cooked pot of beef stew is not only perfect on a cold snowy day, it's also nutritious. Add some carrots , leeks, onions and turnips for needed vitamins and minerals. Make dumplings to go with it to create a dish that will stick to your ribs.
Don't let the cold temps get you down. Warm up with some hot drinks and hot food during this January. Treat yourself to yummy foods that will certain drive the cold winter away.
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