Ever wonder what your fave celebs eat? Do they chow down ion burgers and fries like you and me? Or do they just inhale a lettuce leaf and spring water? Today's Times Dining section answered this question.
And yes they do eat real food like we do.
The era of the willowy starlet is gone as Jeff Gordenier, a Dining regular contributor has found out. They love hearty breakfasts and lunches. Stephanie March, the former Law and Order SVU actress loves anything fried from chicken to steak. Luckily Ms. march is married to Bobby Flay who can satisfy all her culinary whims and passions. other actresses such as Mila Kunis of"Black Swan loves Mickey' D's supersized mealswhile Drew Barrymore is famous for her lifelong love of baked mac and cheese.
The real problem is what about the guys. Do we obsess over Christian Bale's or Colin Firth's diets? Do we care if Clooney eat a hot dog or lasagna?Or if he gains weight? no!There's this absurd double standard that means we scrutinize what any female actor eats while the males of the species can pig out whenever and whatever they choose. It's ridiculous. Luckily we're starting to appreciate the curvaceous actress again such as Chrisitna Hendricks or Sofia Vergatos
Yes, those starlets eat real food. They were real people before they became famous. They weren't; dropped from the skies by the gods and goddesses, destined to live on air and love from their fans. They need bacon and eggs, pizza and burgers to survive , like the res t of us mere mortals
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Foods For A Sick Day
There's nothing quite like a stomach flu or cold to kill an appetite. The problem is you have to eat. The more nourishment you have in your the faster you'll get well. The problem is what to eat. The answer is to eat simply. There's enough foods out there that can take you through a few days of discomfort.
Soup is one of the best foods to have when you're feeling not quite yourself. A clear broth or consomme is always good if you;re battling any kind of stomach flu or virus. Just add some plain Saltines and you;re good to go. Another favorite is chicken soup or even what the Northern Italians make , panne pesto , bread crumb soup. This is what has helped and almost cured generations of Piedmontese and all it is is just beaten eggs with bread crumbs in a chicken or vegetable broth. As you're feeling better or even have a cold then you can work your way up to minestrone.
Rice is another good sick day food as is pasta. Both can be made plain and then served with butter. Both make for light but nutritious lunch or dinner. It's also filling and easy to make if you;re on your own. Simple toast is good but you can also have plain slices of chicken turkey or even roast beef. Forget adding mayo or mustard. Just stick with light sprinklings of salt and pepper. Avoid anything like vegetables , spicy or greasy food. Lay off the snacks and sweets until you're ready to resume your normal diet.
You have to eat when you;re sick. It;s just that simple. However just stay away from the wild and the spicy , the greasy and the exotic. Stick to the simple foods.
Soup is one of the best foods to have when you're feeling not quite yourself. A clear broth or consomme is always good if you;re battling any kind of stomach flu or virus. Just add some plain Saltines and you;re good to go. Another favorite is chicken soup or even what the Northern Italians make , panne pesto , bread crumb soup. This is what has helped and almost cured generations of Piedmontese and all it is is just beaten eggs with bread crumbs in a chicken or vegetable broth. As you're feeling better or even have a cold then you can work your way up to minestrone.
Rice is another good sick day food as is pasta. Both can be made plain and then served with butter. Both make for light but nutritious lunch or dinner. It's also filling and easy to make if you;re on your own. Simple toast is good but you can also have plain slices of chicken turkey or even roast beef. Forget adding mayo or mustard. Just stick with light sprinklings of salt and pepper. Avoid anything like vegetables , spicy or greasy food. Lay off the snacks and sweets until you're ready to resume your normal diet.
You have to eat when you;re sick. It;s just that simple. However just stay away from the wild and the spicy , the greasy and the exotic. Stick to the simple foods.
Monday, February 14, 2011
A Hot Cup Of Love
Today is Valentine's Day and usually it's a day rserved for champagne or wine. However there's nothign like a good hot cup of cocoa or even a mocha latte. Love may be better with bubbly but it's more cozy andcomforting with something hot and sweet. What better than with a rich, steamy chocolatey drink.
There are a lot of good powdered chocolate mixes out there. You can use the Dutch based Droste which is the closest in taste to a rich Parisian chocolat chaud. Be warned with this one however. You do have to add sugar to bring its' flavor. Droste is a bitter cocoa that's used more for baking but it could be used for chocolate or even a malted. Another favorite is surprisingly the supermarket fave, Land O ' Lakes' Usually the company is associated with butter and eggs but they've branched out into the hot cocoa and instant cappucino arenas. Their Chocolate supreme is heavenly but also try their mint and amaretto infused hot cocoas.
A good mocha coffee on Valentiness Day is another cup of warm, snuggly love. Mocha coffee is easy to make. You can just add any syrup or mix in a hot cocoa mix to your average cup of joe. You could also try Maxwell House's International Brands. These are great. Just add hot water and a blob of whipped cream and you're good to go. They 're sweet and tasty with almost a home brewed taste.
Champagne is fine for this day but even better is something hot and sweet. Make yourself and your sweetie a hot cup of coffee or mocha and cuddle up. It's the perfect night for it!
There are a lot of good powdered chocolate mixes out there. You can use the Dutch based Droste which is the closest in taste to a rich Parisian chocolat chaud. Be warned with this one however. You do have to add sugar to bring its' flavor. Droste is a bitter cocoa that's used more for baking but it could be used for chocolate or even a malted. Another favorite is surprisingly the supermarket fave, Land O ' Lakes' Usually the company is associated with butter and eggs but they've branched out into the hot cocoa and instant cappucino arenas. Their Chocolate supreme is heavenly but also try their mint and amaretto infused hot cocoas.
A good mocha coffee on Valentiness Day is another cup of warm, snuggly love. Mocha coffee is easy to make. You can just add any syrup or mix in a hot cocoa mix to your average cup of joe. You could also try Maxwell House's International Brands. These are great. Just add hot water and a blob of whipped cream and you're good to go. They 're sweet and tasty with almost a home brewed taste.
Champagne is fine for this day but even better is something hot and sweet. Make yourself and your sweetie a hot cup of coffee or mocha and cuddle up. It's the perfect night for it!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Honest Abe's Menu
Today is Abe Lincoln;s birthday. This great man came from humble beginnings as we all know. His backwoods origins also included a love of simple food whether from the forest or the garden. He ate simply , his mind more on his law studies than on his stomach. Despite all he ate well and even nutritiously.
Lincoln's Southern Illinois and Indiana back in the 1800's was just starting to become farmland. His stepmother probably cooked a lot of wild onion and parsnips, either boiled or stewed with meats to flavor them. There was plenty of wild meat to choose from, from raccoons to squirrels to pigeons. Lincoln had a fondness for chicken, especially fricasseed and he carried that with him to the White House. H e liked gingerbread a, love from his boyhood along with fruits, in particular apples. These probably grew in abundance on his farms and along the roads and were always there for the picking.
Once he was elected into the White House, Lincoln abandon his culinary loves. He still enjoyed plenty of fresh fruits,. especially grapes in the summer. He still loved apples along with apple pies pies He was not into the fancily decorated cakes and gelatins of the period, preferring simple butter cookies and plain cakes. He did have a passion for oysters especially in a creamy stew.. This last was a big 19th Century passion. Mostly everyone from that era relished this particular bivalve. and there was an incredible amount of oyster recipes in cookbooks of the time. One thing that stood out Lincoln was a lifelong non drinker,he preferred a glass of water to wine or spirits. This may have come from his days of drinking fresh stream or well water a a boy.
Abe Lincoln wasn't a gourmand like other presidents. He had none of Jefferson's culinary curiosity about food nor was he a love of all things rich like Taft . Much like his principles, he was more for the simple and pure..
Lincoln's Southern Illinois and Indiana back in the 1800's was just starting to become farmland. His stepmother probably cooked a lot of wild onion and parsnips, either boiled or stewed with meats to flavor them. There was plenty of wild meat to choose from, from raccoons to squirrels to pigeons. Lincoln had a fondness for chicken, especially fricasseed and he carried that with him to the White House. H e liked gingerbread a, love from his boyhood along with fruits, in particular apples. These probably grew in abundance on his farms and along the roads and were always there for the picking.
Once he was elected into the White House, Lincoln abandon his culinary loves. He still enjoyed plenty of fresh fruits,. especially grapes in the summer. He still loved apples along with apple pies pies He was not into the fancily decorated cakes and gelatins of the period, preferring simple butter cookies and plain cakes. He did have a passion for oysters especially in a creamy stew.. This last was a big 19th Century passion. Mostly everyone from that era relished this particular bivalve. and there was an incredible amount of oyster recipes in cookbooks of the time. One thing that stood out Lincoln was a lifelong non drinker,he preferred a glass of water to wine or spirits. This may have come from his days of drinking fresh stream or well water a a boy.
Abe Lincoln wasn't a gourmand like other presidents. He had none of Jefferson's culinary curiosity about food nor was he a love of all things rich like Taft . Much like his principles, he was more for the simple and pure..
Friday, February 11, 2011
A Meal At The Mall
Despite what food snobs say, mall food isn't that bad. Whether;'s it the popular chain restaurant or the pretzel stand, they can provide good eating for much less than a fancy privately owned restaurant. In these money tight times. there's nothing like a meal there.
Chain restaurants are mall magnets. it;s a bit more upscale yet the food isn't as high priced as some chichi one. There's PF Chan's which offers a glam setting and god Chinese food. They also have a wide array of dishes that cater to everyone. Their desserts are Western - .Let's face it who can resist the great Wall of Chocolate?. Another fun one is On The Border a fast and somewhat fancy Mexican restaurant (and a subsidiary of Chili's). Try their build your own fajita along with some of the tasty chicken taquitos. Another fun thing that I love about this restaurant is their bottomless bowl of tortilla chips that start off every meal. For more elegance, try the super cool Legal Seafood which looks more like a chic NY night club. The seafood is excellent with emphasis on the catch of the day and the shrimp dishes.
Malls can't be beat for less expensive fare either. They're great places to pick up pizza or a burger. my favorite is Villa Pizza which has one of the best spaghetti dishes. The sauce tastes exactly like homemade scratch and it comes with a garlic bread. Another fave is Ranch Chicken . Their popcorn chicken nuggets with fries makes a fun Saturday night dinner . The y also have healthy plates like the grilled chicken and veggies. This is a meal for two and doesn't; taste like any bland diet dinner.
There;s nothing like a meal at the mall. You can save money along with having a wide ranges of choices. You can go for Italian, Japanese Mexican , American, the whole gamut. It's great way of eating out without breaking the bank.
Chain restaurants are mall magnets. it;s a bit more upscale yet the food isn't as high priced as some chichi one. There's PF Chan's which offers a glam setting and god Chinese food. They also have a wide array of dishes that cater to everyone. Their desserts are Western - .Let's face it who can resist the great Wall of Chocolate?. Another fun one is On The Border a fast and somewhat fancy Mexican restaurant (and a subsidiary of Chili's). Try their build your own fajita along with some of the tasty chicken taquitos. Another fun thing that I love about this restaurant is their bottomless bowl of tortilla chips that start off every meal. For more elegance, try the super cool Legal Seafood which looks more like a chic NY night club. The seafood is excellent with emphasis on the catch of the day and the shrimp dishes.
Malls can't be beat for less expensive fare either. They're great places to pick up pizza or a burger. my favorite is Villa Pizza which has one of the best spaghetti dishes. The sauce tastes exactly like homemade scratch and it comes with a garlic bread. Another fave is Ranch Chicken . Their popcorn chicken nuggets with fries makes a fun Saturday night dinner . The y also have healthy plates like the grilled chicken and veggies. This is a meal for two and doesn't; taste like any bland diet dinner.
There;s nothing like a meal at the mall. You can save money along with having a wide ranges of choices. You can go for Italian, Japanese Mexican , American, the whole gamut. It's great way of eating out without breaking the bank.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
A Good Southern Restuarant
You would think that the New York Times Dining section would only cover city restaurants. It makes sense because it covers the Manhattan metro area. Yet , yesterday's Dining section regular writer.Sam Sifton gave a glowing review and interview about Husk. Sean Brock's brand new sensation in Charleston, South Carolina.
Sean Brock is really a Virginian who attended the famous Johnson and Wales College which is famously known for their hospitality courses. H e fell in love with Charleston during his years there , so much in fact that he purchased an 1893 Queen Anne style home in the town's center. The cuisine celebrates Southern heritage and th e foods that made it great. There is also mentionof Mr. Brock's other restaurant McCrady's , another local favorite
I was curious myself and I checked out Husk's menu. It does stick to the Carolinian food traditions of combining fancy and simple . There' s even a fried baloney appetizer which is kind of a rebel fave. Yet there is also a great variety of seafood, a nod to Charleston's maritime heritage. Grits were on today's' menu (it changes daily) with shrimp . I can just imagine this to be creamy and actually a perfect accompaniment.Usually grits are somewhat dry and not known for being with seafood,
Good Southern cooking is hard to come by these days, even in the South itself. Yet, Sean Brock has managed to top even himself with his love of the cuisine and use of fresh ingredients. he adheres to the tradition of good cooking with simple ingredients , and makes each dish true to tradition yet unique.
Sean Brock is really a Virginian who attended the famous Johnson and Wales College which is famously known for their hospitality courses. H e fell in love with Charleston during his years there , so much in fact that he purchased an 1893 Queen Anne style home in the town's center. The cuisine celebrates Southern heritage and th e foods that made it great. There is also mentionof Mr. Brock's other restaurant McCrady's , another local favorite
I was curious myself and I checked out Husk's menu. It does stick to the Carolinian food traditions of combining fancy and simple . There' s even a fried baloney appetizer which is kind of a rebel fave. Yet there is also a great variety of seafood, a nod to Charleston's maritime heritage. Grits were on today's' menu (it changes daily) with shrimp . I can just imagine this to be creamy and actually a perfect accompaniment.Usually grits are somewhat dry and not known for being with seafood,
Good Southern cooking is hard to come by these days, even in the South itself. Yet, Sean Brock has managed to top even himself with his love of the cuisine and use of fresh ingredients. he adheres to the tradition of good cooking with simple ingredients , and makes each dish true to tradition yet unique.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The New Wave Of Sports Bars
Sports bars bring to mind smoky atmospheres with loud TVs and louder fans. The food isn't particularly great, just filling and at times super spicy. However all that's changing. Gourmet and haute cuisine are coming to these now up scale hangouts. It's not only fun to go out and cheer your favorite team it's becoming chic.
This was explored in today's New York Time's Dining section, with a great article written by Glenn Collins. He visited several more upscale bars and tasted their fare. It turns out that it wasn't just your average plate of soggy nachos and oily wings. There was butternut squash bisque and roasted Brussels sprouts, two dishes normally not associated with this type of restaurant. There is also a meatloaf that has minced shrimp in it to give it more oomph. Some even offer brunches worthy of Village bistros
There are the traditional nachos and wings. After all that;'s what sports fan cry for. Yet these are a bit better, with more thought put into them. The nachos, are crisper and cheesier, made more like a layer gratin than just a pile of corn chips with cheese gooped on them. The chicken wings have ginger honey and Old Bay seasonings. Even the burgers and tacos are a veer off from the eh ordinary with the burgers being infused with anchovy and paprika and the tacos having tuna frown in from Hawaii.
Sports bars are not the hangouts they once were. You can now get gourmet food while watching your favorite team win or lose. It's not just about the game anymore.It's about the food.
This was explored in today's New York Time's Dining section, with a great article written by Glenn Collins. He visited several more upscale bars and tasted their fare. It turns out that it wasn't just your average plate of soggy nachos and oily wings. There was butternut squash bisque and roasted Brussels sprouts, two dishes normally not associated with this type of restaurant. There is also a meatloaf that has minced shrimp in it to give it more oomph. Some even offer brunches worthy of Village bistros
There are the traditional nachos and wings. After all that;'s what sports fan cry for. Yet these are a bit better, with more thought put into them. The nachos, are crisper and cheesier, made more like a layer gratin than just a pile of corn chips with cheese gooped on them. The chicken wings have ginger honey and Old Bay seasonings. Even the burgers and tacos are a veer off from the eh ordinary with the burgers being infused with anchovy and paprika and the tacos having tuna frown in from Hawaii.
Sports bars are not the hangouts they once were. You can now get gourmet food while watching your favorite team win or lose. It's not just about the game anymore.It's about the food.
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