Sandra Lee Round 2

More seizure-inducing, cocktail-timing fun from Ms. Sandra Lee, again courtesy of YouTube user Kuranuk. I know I'm picking on her today. I should feel bad. So why does it feel so right?



Oh yeah, that's why it feels so right. This was also featured on G4's Attack of the Show earlier this month. See, those people have taste.

I made mozzarella!

Dinner

Yes, a few days ago I made mozzarella while trying to download stuff off my laptop hard drive - vacation photos and the like - that needs reformatting. It wasn't easy, but the digital cooking thermometer that I bought earlier has come to be a real help. After hunting down citric acid (about $5) and liquid rennet (about $8), I finally was convinced by others that I did not have to have non-homogenized milk (though I did find a good source of it with South Mountain Creamery at the Waverly and I-83 Farmers' Markets). Homogenized will work so long as it's no more than just "pasteurized" - that is, do not use "ultra-pasteurized" milk or it will not work!

I followed the ridiculously thorough examples at Instructables.com's page on how to make mozzarella. The one and only suggestion I might make for an otherwise excellent tutorial has to do with their Step 16, in which they tell you to heat and knead the cheese until it is pliable. I kept on kneading and heating, and all I got was crumbly cheese. Undaunted, I looked up troubleshooting suggestions on what to do when your mozzarella is in this state, and found the answer: to become stretchy, the mozzarella must be at least 138°F. Instructables.com never mentions this, but keep it in mind when you use their otherwise excellent website to make your own.

Kneading the mozzarella...

...after heating it to 138­­° (ouchie)...

...and rolling it into a big mozzarella ball.

I swear, this mozzarella really is much richer and denser than the store-bought stuff (from a supermarket, I mean). To be honest, I'm not sure if I'll be able to stomach it again, kind of like so many other things I've bought at farmers' markets (strawberries, blueberries, milk, lettuces of many types, etc). I had some mozzarella, basil and tomato slices tonight for dinner. It took me a while to finish just four small slices of mozzarella - they were that filling for me.

Just when you thought it was safe to turn on the Food Network again...

Sometimes, I forget just how nutso Sandra Lee really is. And then I catch some random video posted from her show to remind me all about it. Look at this delicious, er, lump of meatloaf?:



UPDATE: Just to give credit, thanks to YouTube user Kuranuk for bringing this oddity to light.

LP Steamers... and several local food bloggers

Tonight, a lot of Baltimore food bloggers got together at LP Steamers. I want to thank everyone who could come. Nine of us were there - eight bloggers and a blog-spouse! We got a lot of jumbo crabs ($5.50 each - they had run out of the smaller ones), plus a few of us got fish sandwiches, chicken strips or oysters. I had the oysters - 3 of them ($9!?!?), and 3 jumbo crabs, which more than filled me up. The total for all of us: about $150.

Just a rundown of who was there: Meg (Pigtown Pigout and Pigtown Design), Julie (Kitchenography), Dara (Dining Dish), Liz (What's to Eat Baltimore?), Kathy (Minxeats and so many others) and husband, Mary (Sweet Mary) and Wendi (Exit 51). Those of you who could not come were, of course, very missed, but we look forward to seeing you the next time!

"Fleur de Baie" Caramels

For this week's installment of kitchen science, I set about the task of trying to figure out how to use Old Bay in something dessert-related. Several people have mentioned Moxley's Old Bay ice cream, but they just don't have enough demand to make it. So my thoughts turned to candy, where you often see salt being used in creative ways. Before I knew it, I was adapting a standard recipe for fleur de sel caramels - in this case, this recipe from Epicurious.com.

The making of the caramels was the difficult part. The easy part was adapting the recipe. All I did was replace the sea salt in the recipe with an equal amount of Old Bay seasoning (in this case, 1 teaspoon). I was worried that it wouldn't turn out very good, but I was surprised at how little I could taste the Old Bay. In fact, the only reason I could taste it at all was because I was deliberately looking for it. So my next step was to roll the caramel in Old Bay. This time I could really taste it. I imagine the reaction people might have would be the same as their reaction to Old Bay ice cream: you'll either love it or hate it. But if you like salty caramels then you will probably be more receptive to caramels covered in Old Bay (or your own favorite Chesapeake Bay) seasoning. I liked the flavor, to be honest. I was able to eke out about 50 caramels. Out of the 43 that remained after I taste-tested them, I rolled about half of them in Old Bay. Another fourth I kept plain, with about a fourth each rolled in fine pink Himalayan salt and coarse Celtic sea salt (I also covered one or two in smoked paprika; jury's still out on how I feel about that).

Better success may be had by replacing the teaspoon of sea salt with a tablespoon of Old Bay, since again it is difficult to taste it. But experiment with it and see if you like it.

Trader Joe's Whoopie Pies

I've never had a whoopie pie before yesterday. I don't think many Marylanders are familiar with them. They are a fairly New England/Pennsylvania Dutch phenomenon. Maryland is really part of the moon pie belt - as far as moon pies go at least, we're below the culinary Mason-Dixon Line. They are everywhere here, which may be why I always thought a whoopie pie was just a moon pie.

But damn, these whoopie pies I got at Trader Joe's are good. I don't know though. I might still like the moon pie just a little better. But if I didn't mind gaining weight, hell, I could eat more of these whoopie pies. And it's fun to say, too. They both are, aren't they?

Because Italian and English soccer teams are coming to town tomorrow

Apparently, tomorrow's World Football Challenge match at M&T Bank Stadium between two of Europe's biggest soccer teams - Chelsea FC (of London) and AC Milan (of Milan, of course) - is sold out. Since it's sold out, I won't be going. But I did at least make some sausage and peppers tonight, to celebrate the Italian half of the game. I don't have anything English right now, so I'm drinking a very Irish Guinness. That makes no sense until you realize how popular Guinness is in most English pubs.


To zhuzh up the sausage and peppers, I fried a little garlic, then an onion, followed by a flame-roasted bell pepper, some chopped up scallion, some minced olives and, finally, a sliced sausage. Next to it on the plate is last night's zucchini-mint-and-garlic capellini. Interesting contrasts there, and it actually goes well with the Guinness.

Capellini with Zucchini, Mint and Garlic

After a very long, exhausting day (of dealing with my stupid, stupid car), I didn't have much patience for cooking tonight. But I did it anyway. This time I tried to replicate a dish I first encountered in New York the weekend before last: zucchini, mint and garlic pasta. I loved how La Carbonara seemed to almost the caramelize the zucchini slices. I also was able to use veggies obtained from farmers' markets and produce stands, which really do taste fresher!

Here's what I did:

1) I chopped produce. I sliced a small zucchini into penny slices, trying (but not always succeeding) to get them as thin as possible. Next, I smashed and minced about four small cloves of garlic, because I love garlic. I also added three small scallions, cut into small pieces - I find kitchen shears to be most up to this task. Finally I chopped about 1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves (oh, make sure you remove the leaves from the stems first - duh).

2) I set the water to boilin'. Yep, that's pretty self-explanatory. Oh yeah, I put some olive oil and kosher salt in that pot.

3) I heat up the pan. To the hot omelette pan, I added about 3 T of olive oil, then the minced garlic over medium heat. After that browned up I added the sliced zucchini and scallions, plus dashes of salt and freshly ground black pepper (I used too much black pepper, I might add).

4) I boiled me some pasta. I put about 1/4 of a box of capellini into the pot of boiling water.

5) I kept stir-frying those veggies. After about five minutes, I added the mint. A few minutes after that I added 1/2 c of pasta water and another 3 T of olive oil.

6) Drained that pasta! Then I mixed the pasta with the veggies.

Dumbass should've taken a photo. Oh well! Next time I will add less pepper, and try to slice the zucchini more thinly than I did. I also should have more thoroughly mixed the veggies and the pasta together in the same dish. Still, all in all a tasty meal.

Because humans were on the moon 40 years ago

Does anybody remember where they were for the Moon Landing? I don't - I didn't even exist yet. But I know this little critter wasn't there when the first Moon Landing happened on July 20, 1969 (and no, it wasn't a friggin' hoax). Imagine if the moon were made of green fondant.

.

Those of you who do remember the Moon Landing: do y'all remember these odd things? I found this during a search for "space food" - because, y'know, I'm curious what they were snacking on during the Apollo XI journey. Instead I found "food" from Pillsbury that would make Michael Pollen irate.



Anybody remember these things? They probably died out in the early '70's.

UPDATE - Here's one that's even more reminiscent of the Moon Landing, with FX that would have made the BBC envious in the late 60's.

Next Food Network Star 5 Live-Blogging: Wood Fire Grill Challenge - in Haiku

I haven't bothered to sit down and watch The Next Food Network Star 5 for about two weeks. It seems that this is my viewing pattern these days: watch every other episode, because there's something else going on. Next week will be the same: I will likely be away from the computer when the next episode is on. And it doesn't really bother me. Frankly, I am losing interest in this show. Wouldn't you if you were sightseeing far from home? Especially with faked-up duke-outs like the ones we see on this show?

And yet, here I am doing another live-blog. Ritualism makes me do it, I guess. And I have a special beer picked out for tonight. Since organic stuff seems to be all over the airwaves lately, Oxford Organic Raspberry Wheat Beer from Clipper City's line of Oxford Ales caught my attention this weekend at the Wine Source. It should get me through the next episode or two at least. Even more difficult since they got rid of all the fey fun that was... Michael.

Alas, poor Michael, we knew him well, Tuschie...

Because this show is tiring me out, I am going to make things more interesting for me by doing the blow-by-blows in haiku format. I haven't done it in a while and I'm feeling creative.

9:00
Wow. Look what I missed:
Debbie last week went and trans-
formed into Teddy!

9:01
Here's the Final Four,
Meeting with Mikey Symon.
Glare off head blinds me.

9:02
Oooh, they're on TV:
South Florida Live.com
They'll MAKE 'em fuck up >:)

9:03
Really - is THIS skill
something they'll need at Food Net?
Or just in live shows?

9:04
Debbie: THIS IS NO
CHALLENGE, WEAKLING! CHICKEN IS
MY FRIEND - HA HA HA!!!!!

9:05
Meliss': OMG!
I'm not Korean! Olives?
What!? You hate olives!?

No, I work alone!
Um, please don't, um, add stuff, sir.
Um, no, stop, er, umm....

Ah, they realize
It is just a joke - but just
AFTER they are filmed.

9:06
What will they do with
Jeffrey now? Poor boy - don't look
up, cuz there's a BOOM!

9:07
I would have paid good
money to see them do this
to Ted or Mikey.

Why does Jeff, while he
holds that mike remind myself
of Corny Collins?

Jamika's herb-roast-
ed chicken breast, with camera.
Here's your big moment!

9:08
Hey, I should write more
posts in haiku format! This
makes it bearable.

9:09
I bet Melissa
failed this challenge. Or Jeffrey?
They all had issues.

My mistake: It is
Melissa that transformed her-
self into Teddy.

And Debbie wins the
mini-challenge sans saying
that she's Korean.

9:15
Symon's back, with grills,
and a massive food set-up.
with Michael LeDoux.

Today's challenge: make
dish for Red Lobster menu
with just wood-fired grill.

DRINK: the look on Jeff's
face is priceless. Oh, and Deb
is Korean: DRINK!

9:17
Wait: they're being stopped!?
They look puzzled. Jeff's issue:
No chilis, dude. NO!!!

It looks like they plan
to blandify, er, change ev'-
ryone's ingred'yents.

9:20
She's never made fish
without citrus? She would not
survive in Bawlmer.

And Deb's Asian food
is confiscated; now, has
Mediterran'yan.

Again: DRINK once for
everyone's frustrated looks,
and "Kimchee" comment

9:26
They are panicking.
It makes sense to push Jeff's and
Debbie's boundaries.

Anchovy: salty,
with honey - interesting!
I am quite intrigued...

Do people who eat
at Red Lobster even eat
habaneros? Hmmm?

I agree w/ Flay:
In fact, I don't think she's used
"hab" chilis before.

9:29
And Jamika's pissed.
They took her pineapple. She's
not sure where she goes.

9:30
Deb can make story
out of anything, and link
it to Korea.

9:31
Not a lot of drink-
worthy moments tonight. So
make some of your own!

9:34
Jamika: I am
hot and pissed. I bet they are!
Melissa: shut up!

9:35
Debbie's dish: capers?
No, I have olives! Wait - she
had to use capers?

Deb's tilapia
is, however, cooked perfect.
A plus for Ms. Lee.

9:36
For Melissa: her
habaneros do not kill.
Wow, M: they're impressed!

Jeffrey's: a force-fit?
His wasabi-rub has worked.
Lots of great flavors.

9:37
Jamika: quite good,
but they seem to find the most
fault with her dish. Ouch!

9:38
Jamika is bummed.
Jeff feels good, but "just don't know."
Jamika cried: DRINK!

9:43
You know, this caper
thing is just the thing that these
yutzes nitpick on.

If I had to pick,
I would say that they will send
poor Jamika home.

9:44
Dude, I don't like to
think of Rachael Ray. But what's
Jeff's "EVOO?"

Ouch moment for Jeff:
"Cook without borders," sure, but
why always Southwest?

Jeff: predictable,
and vanilla. Speak of which:
Jamika's was dull.

9:46
Jamika: focused,
stressed and joy-free this evening.
Man, she was just pissed!

Melissa: did a
one-eighty from SFL.
At peace with chilis.

Interesting: she
talked about being mom with
no mention of kids.

9:48
Debbie: no Asian.
Guys, she used the damn olives.
Why are you bugging?

Debbie makes too much
in the way of excuses?
She cries, and I DRINK.

9:49
We are out of time?
Oh good, then Tusch and Suzie
can leave my TV!

9:50
Down to the finish:
I stick with my prediction:
Jamika is toast.

9:51
Jeff Corwin show: I've
not seen it yet. It's on food
anthropology?

9:53
First up: the winner?
Jeff's dish will be nestled in
with Red Lobster's crap.

9:54
Deb's Korean, and
Southern - DRINK TWICE! Jamika:
She's not drinkworthy.

9:55
Tusch bemoans how tough
their decision is tonight.
So they must nitpick.

9:56
Symon: Jamika
is star-worthy, but can she
really get the job?

Debbie's been coasting.
She aced her demo this week.
Is she bringin' it?

9:57
Cut right to the chase:
Jamika is jerked away
from the show tonight.

9:58
One thing you have to
say about Jamika: she
really took that well.

10:01
What the hell kind of
silly gimmick is this, Duff?
Kate and octs? Good God.

POST-GAME ANALYSIS:


Jamika leaves us,
was quite gracious about it.
Just three more to go...

Old Bay Boiled Peanuts

I finally got around to boiling some peanuts. There are a lot of recipes on the internet. One called for boiling them for two to three hours. That got me a salty, wet and slightly crunchy peanut. Didn't work. Instead, this crock pot method from About.com's "Southern Food" section worked much better: take 1.5 quart of green (that is, not roasted but raw) peanuts - in the shell people, for Godsakes! - and add 1.5 quart water and 1/2 c salt, and cook on HIGH for 7 hours.

My problem: I only had 1/2 lb, which amounted to around 4 cups - or 1 quart. No problem: it turned out fine. But for this, I wanted to make it more Maryland-like. Seeing as how boiled peanuts aren't really found much in Maryland (are they in Virginia?) the only way to do that would be to add some Chesapeake Bay Seasoning. I poured a few tablespoons of Old Bay into the mix, stirred it and turned it on.

These things really are good hot or cold. Contrary to what one commenter said in an earlier post, most suggestions I've seen do not suggest eating the shell. Even so, it's pretty damn chewy and fibrous, so it's not going to be easy for me to eat. But the peanuts were nice, salty and soft as boiled peanuts ought to be. And they had that hint of Old Bay.



I tried half a pound in a pot on my stove. The

Weekend in New York: The Food

I've had a busy, stressful week, so I've been putting off writing about my escapades in New York City last weekend. The trip lasted little more than 48 hours, and was more expensive than I had hoped but still cheaper than it could have been! My money-saving tips mostly involved eating small portions, walking (which didn't really lose me any weight, surprisingly) and forgoing the otherwise-good deals for New York City Restaurant Week, where every prix fixe dinner menu is $35 and every prix fixe lunch menu is $24 (before drinks, tax and tip). If you are going up this weekend, check it out because it's two weekends long.

As I have said before, this is really the first time I have ever enjoyed (pretty much) everything I ate in New York, since I have the uncanny ability to find the average crap. Here are those places that gave me food I liked this time around:


ChikaLicious (East Village) - I found this place accidentally while searching online for cheap dinner options. This place is notable for having very limited seating and a constant line outside where waits go up to an hour (ever gracious, the maitre'd will let the odd person in line enter just to use the bathroom). Chef Chika Tillman makes innovative, ittybitty dessert plates for her dessert tasting menu, for the fixed price of $14; wine pairing is an extra seven bucks. I went for the wine pairing and got three courses. The first was a tiny but tasty melon soup with a big ball of white chocolate mousse floating in it. Next, I had my choice of main dessert courses. I chose a warm chocolate tart with a pink peppercorn ice cream. The tart was alright, while the ice cream was really my favorite part of that part of the meal (in retrospect, I should've gone for the billiard ball-sized mound of cheesecake that the diner next to me raved about). The port that came with it was tasty, but I could have done with or without it. The last part was a small selection of petits fours, flavorful but fleeting. All the while the chef, sous chef and maitre'd doted on all of us with water and charming service. Of course, not having had dinner I was still hungry, so I almost went across the street to the Rai Rai Ken ramen restaurant (one diner in line mentioned to a friend that it was her favorite noodle house in "the Village"). A big-ass bowl o' ramen goes for about $9 or $10. I'll go back next time.


After a stop in a nearby Irish bar, I took a taxi to the Stonewall Inn (Greenwich Village), not really knowing how to get there by subway or foot at that late hour. This was the historic site of the Stonewall Riots, which happened 40 years and two weeks prior, and they make sure you know it! The two floors of the Stonewall were pretty busy, and I didn't really talk to many people, but folks were nice enough when I took a vacant seat that someone had just stepped away from. The bartenders were flirty enough (not as much as the Flex in Raleigh), and pleasant to talk to. My bartender, along with half of us, got very wrapped up in the LA Galaxy-Chivas USA soccer game on both TV's in the upper bar. I think LA won. My bank account did not, as I rang up a $21 tab - two beers and two waters. Not exactly happy hour. I'd certainly go back though.


The next morning I headed to the American Museum of Natural History, where I spent all day. Before it opened I had a cheap, semi-memorable pain de chocolate at Le Pain Quotidien on the Upper West Side. No caffeine, which precipitated the need for a fountain drink in the museum cafeteria. The problem: it cost $2.75 for 12 ounces - and no refills. Hands down, it was the most expensive soda I have ever had.


Lunch was much more memorable. I was determined to see everything in the museum and got halfway through when I left for lunch. I didn't have to go far: I saw a farmers' market set up next to the museum. On the other side of it was a line even longer than the one at ChikaLicious. This line poured out of the Shake Shack (Upper West Side), which one woman behind me swore had the best burgers in New York. I was to find out that this Northeastern answer to In N Out Burger grinds the beef for its burgers on site, and makes the ice cream for its own shakes.


I ordered the Shack Burger (juicy cheeseburger with tomato, lettuce and Shack Sauce - some special type of mayo) with fries (crinkle cut, presumably cut on site) and a vanilla chocolate shake. Total price: $12, but half of that was the shake. Everything was delicious. The burger had a richer beef flavor than most fast food burgers with none of the gristle, and that shake managed to simultaneously be thick and easy to drink through a straw. The fries were not the best part of the meal, but were still much better than most I have had.


Later that evening I headed out to Chelsea to soak up some more of gay New York. A few people mentioned places to eat that I wound up either passing on due to price, or not finding at all. I finally broke down and asked an attractive local standing outside of a bar what he could recommend. He gave a good recommendation: La Carbonara (Chelsea), where the maitre'd and the waiter seemed to almost get into a bitch fight about serving me (and the other guests) as quickly as possible. I was quite doted on while I was there (maybe I'm just adorable*). This is a place where you can easily spend $30 or $40. I kept it to $13 by ordering just an iced tea and one pasta dish - the linguine with thinly-sliced zucchini, chopped mint and sliced garlic. The zucchini was cooked enough to be almost caramelized, and the mint and garlic were a pleasantly unusual combination. The bread with a mound of ricotta and cream cheese in olive oil was complimentary.


The next morning I grabbed a bagel with lox cream cheese at the Benvenuto Caffe (Flatiron District), and checked out of the kitschy and fun Gershwin Hotel. I hiked on over to Chelsea again in search of the Chelsea Market, which (I had read in a cheapskate's guide to NYC) had some stores with free samples just lying around. I had no idea that the Food Network has its HQ there. Apparently they do, which would explain the "Iron Chef America VIP Guests, This Way" posters all over the place. But this was not the highlight of the Chelsea Market. Instead, it was a bevy of fishmongers, organic food sellers, kitchen supply stores and no less than four bakers, most of which specialized in cupcakes. Among other things, I got to try two different mini-brownies from two different places, some salmon nigiri from the Lobster Place (the salmon taste was very subtle - enough so that it left me wanting) and the most remarkable palmiers cookies from Sarabeth's Kitchen - a dollar a piece. Unlike palmiers I have eaten that are tough and cardboard-like in their flavor and texture, these somewhat tinier ones were extremely rich, buttery and melt-in-your-mouth-ish.


I liked mine so much that I came back after lunch and bought five more to take home.


Lunch was all the way over in Queens, at the famed Jackson Diner (Jackson Heights) - yes, Roopa, you were right! Just a block from the Roosevelt St.-72nd Street subway stop in the heart of the vibrant South Asian-American neighborhood of Jackson Heights, the Jackson Diner serves an all-you-can-eat buffet for $10. That's a little pricier than I'm used to during the week, but way cheaper than most lunches you will find in much of New York.


They have many of the standard dishes, and a few I had not expected. No pork or beef at this Indian restaurant - all dishes that I saw were veggie, chicken or goat (maybe lamb, but there was none offered that day). The goat curry was the least bony goat dish I have ever had. The chicken makhani was not the best, but ranked up among them. As for the tandoori chicken, a dish which has gotten more and more boring as of late, I was pleased with what I had. The basmati rice was fluffy and the various chutneys were tangy, especially the tamarind chutney, which was my favorite. They also had a daily special of masala dosa made while you wait. I would have ordered one had I not already been so full. Altogether the cost was just $12, including my soda. The large, pink pitcher of water that was left for me was on the house.

Altogether, I'm impressed at all the money I saved while eating - money that could have been wasted (and has been wasted in previous trips) on more expensive, less interesting or edible food. The best parts are that I found places that I will try next time - the Rai Rai Ken in the East Village and a few Thai places and burger places in Chelsea. And I must make a visit to the Chelsea Market whenever I head back.

Other photos -

My floor in the Gershwin Hotel. The entire floor featured artistic photos that each featured the same woman with the same insipid grin. I didn't know New York allowed 13th floors in its buildings.

Just a few lonely ancestors wandering around Laetoli

I don't have a gym. I might consider going if he's there.

I wonder how many Next Food Network Stars have passed by this logo? Eh, who cares?

* So kidding it isn't even funny. Okay, it is.

Because "The State" is out on DVD

And because it was a pretty cool show.

Soft Shell Crab Tacos

I decided to pull some frozen softs out of the freezer today. I dredged 'em up almost the way my mother remembers her mother doing it - with flour and that's it. I added corn meal and Old Bay to the dredging, then fried 'em up 2 minutes to a side in a buttered pan. Man, that's tasty food.

Since I had no white bread around - how Mom ate them when she was young, with either mayonnaise or mustard - I got innovative. Why not a warm corn tortilla with some sliced raw green onions?

Before...

Simple, quick, delicious.

...and after.

Back from New York...

I will write more at length later, but I have to say that this is the first trip I have made to the Big Apple where I was truly satisfied with everything I ate there. True, New York City is a foodie city. But it is easy to forget that those gems are buried in a lot of crap. Apparently, I have had a knack for finding New York's crap the last few times I have been there. Not this time! I took people's advice and recommendations before eating at most places, took an educated risk here and there, and found good stuff. Too much, in fact, to try on this one trip. I've made note of some places I must return to on the next trip up.

And the best part? No meal I ate in this crazy-expensive city cost me more than $25. In fact, only one cost me more than $15. This meant, of course, that I had to forego New York Restaurant Week, where I would be paying a base of $35 per meal before tax, tip and drinks. Had I done it, I was going to Periyali, one Greek restaurant in the Flatiron area that Roopa - formerly a Baltimore blogger and now at home in Brooklyn, NY - recommended to me (thanks, Roopa).

More about my eating experiences - in Chelsea, the East Village, Flatiron, the Upper West Side and Jackson Heights (that last one is in Queens) - soon.

Next time you park in a parking garage...

...check to see if they still charge the same rates. The company that operates Penn Station's parking garage charged $12 a day the last time I parked there, about a year and a half ago. Today?

$20 per day!!!?!!!?!!

Because everyone knows how much more expensive it is to let people park cars on your property now. >:{

In fairness, I should have done the research - not just to see how much they charge these days, ut to find out what other places would have let me park there instead. Another stupid, expensive lesson.

Food, Inc.

I saw Food, Inc. last night. It didn't tell me much that I didn't already know - especially after reading Michael Pollan's excellent In Defense of Food (Pollan also appeared in the documentary a few times). And still, it disturbed and angered me - specifically the things I did not know. I won't write a lengthy post about it now, except to say that (Oops, looks like I did write a lengthy post about it after all!) After spending 90 minutes at the Charles avoiding all the Brüno traffic, I now have better insights into:

• Just how many things have corn products in them (diapers!?!?);
• Perdue and Tyson (and probably the other one or two megacompanies in "Big Poultry") do a pretty good job of mistreating not only its chickens - to make them much bigger in half the time - but also its chicken farmers - who have to go into hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to upgrade their chicken houses, even though they make about $20K a year;
• I now know why unionizing workers at Smithfield's Tar Heel, NC, plant are so pissed off;
  
• I also now know about food safety advocate Barbara Kowalcyk and her efforts to pass Kevin's Law, named after her son who was killed by E. coli tainted beef that was recalled - a month after her son ate it, and two weeks after he passed;
  
• And after finding out how thoroughly Monsanto - the same chemical company that holds a patent on a genetically modified soybean - harasses those independent soybean farmers who refuse to use their soybeans, and considering how pervasive soy products are in the American food supply, I don't know if I can ever drink soy milk again (not that I did very much to begin with);
• If you want to grow corn or soy in this country, you pretty much have to roll over for the big corporations and do what they want;
• The organic food folks are pretty torn on corporations like Wal-Mart starting to sell organic food, even though it is the very type of change they are seeking. The documentary features one Gary Hirshberg, maker of Stonyfield organic yogurt, who points out that most formerly independent organic companies are now owned by the Big Guys. Tom's (that you see often at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods)? It's now owned by Colgate.
  

Of course, the film points out some things that both Pollan's book and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation already discuss that I already had realized:

• The fundamental changes in the food industry over the last 50 years in order to quickly make cheap, tasty, though not always sanitary food (again, Kevin's Law);
• The pervasiveness of high fructose corn syrup and other many and varied corn products and soy products in our food;
• Because we'd rather prosecute illegal immigrants instead of the corporations that hire them, a lot of food corporations are getting away with some very bad things;
• Our nation's FDA and USDA are much more ineffective than they ever were, especially since food industry big wigs have served in the upper echelons of both organizations on and off for decades, under Democratic and Republican presidents;
  
• Perhaps the most important thing in the movie for me: so many people are too impoverished to even be able to buy the more expensive produce - they only have enough money to buy the junk food, keeping them trapped in a cycle of obesity, diabetes, unhealthy food and - again - poverty.

Mind you, it's not a paean to vegan eating. The movie visits Polyface Farms, an independent farm in the Shenandoah Valley where chickens, cows and pigs are roaming around eating the grass and not being cooped up. One guy traveled for five hours just to buy some of this farm's poultry! You will see owner Joel Salatin slit a chicken's throat on this farm. Of course, if you're a vegan you will never consider this humane. Apart from the slit-throating bit, though, this is more humane for the animals, for the workers, and for the consumers.

It's also much more expensive. Which made me realize as I left the Waverly Farmers' Market today: if you are able to buy this kind of produce, you are paying more for quality and humane farm conditions, especially for the meat, which you shouldn't be eating that much of anyway. But spending more for it will probably force me to both buy less of it, and to waste less of it. And this will probably work out to be less expensive for me in the long run, because I'll be buying less (albeit pricier) food at a higher quality, which is therefore more conducive to my health. Will I still stop at Wendy's or the Fractured Prune? Of course, but not often. And Eric Schlosser comes right out at the start of the movie and admits: it's not going to be easy to avoid all the crap in our food in this modern day and age (unless you take up a life of hunting and gathering). This goes for everyone from the ravenous meat-eaters to the uber-zealous vegans.

So what do we do? The movie may be preaching to the choir. Nevertheless, it urges the viewer to do a few things:

• Write our Congressmen and Congresswomen to get the gears moving to change the system (the producers use the regulations on Big Tobacco as an example);
• Go to farmers' markets and independent farmers much more often - and ask them to accept food stamps, so it's not just open those who can afford to go;
• Grow your own damn food! That justifies my new upside-down tomato grower hanging off my porch railing.
• If you know people that hunt, fish or crab, get some of what they bring back with them.

I've written a lot here. But please don't take my word for it, y'all. See the movie for yourself (the trailer is below). And if it's not playing locally (which it probably isn't for some of you), wait for it to come out on Netflix. It's a pretty damn enlightening documentary.

Right now on Mid-Day w/ Dan Rodricks

Henry Hong is talking about local summer food traditions. Listen live here. Listen after the fact here (or ask for a CD of the broadcast if it's been a month since broadcast).

Today's dose of weird...

Cathy called me up from Georgia just to tell me about this weird segment of Sesame Street, of all things. Just think "Sesame Street + 30 Rock = talking lemons".



If you've actually seen 30 Rock, the sketch actually kind of flows like an episode of 30 Rock. But the weirdest part? The lemon kind of looks like Tina Fey, if she were a lemon.

Sotto Sopra's Italian Summer Pasta Party - plan ahead

Dara gave me a head's up about a Summer Pasta Party that Sotto Sopra is throwing at the end of the month. From Dara:

Can’t make it to Italy this summer then come to Sotto Sopra Restaurant’s Summer Pasta Party on Thursday, July 30^th where the restaurant will take on an Italian piazza feel with music, dancing, pastas, salads, risotto, wine and beer. The party starts at 8 p.m. and carries on through to midnight. Kick up your heels and let down your hair, come via Vespa, Moto Guzzi or Ferrari, and don’t forget to bring your inner Italian spirit. Summer Pasta Party ticket price of $60 includes food, wine, beer, entertainment, gratuity, tax and can be purchased at Sotto Sopra’s website: www.sottosopra.us. All other alcoholic beverages will be half price for this event. Sotto Sopra Restaurant is located at 405 N. Charles Street.

For further information call Sotto Sopra Restaurant at 410.625.0534

Again, the event is July 30th. It may be a wee pricey, but it does include beer and wine! So if you do have the lire it'll be a lively event!

Seeking Cheese-Making Supplies

Y'all, I need your help. Over the next month, I will be doing some kitchen experiments. One of them involves making mozzarella. I need three things: citric acid, liquid rennet and non-homogenized milk. I found the first one at the Natural Market in Timonium (next to that new Giant from the previous post). They had liquid rennet but they were out. Alas, they did not have non-homogenized milk. Apparently, it is simply not sold unless it's skim milk, and even then it might be homogenized. Really: some organic fat-free ilk specifically said "homogenized" on it.

So I know where I can find liquid rennet. It's vegetarian only (which should be alright). But still I have no idea where I can find non-homogenized milk (can't be goat milk - apparently that won't work).

Any ideas on where I can find that milk?

The new Giant near the State Fairgrounds...

I just went in today for the first time. Dan is right (as he Tweeted not long ago): it is amazing.

Basmati Pilaf with Olives and Two Cheeses

Here's a good use for leftover basmati rice: Take about 2 cups, chop up a 1/4 cup of olives, and about 1/4 total of whatever fancy cheeses you have laying around. I used a little sample of chevre au lait I bought at Whole Foods (from there "ends that we would've thrown away anyway" basket), and some homemade paneer. Yellow ones probably won't work as well. The rice itself already had turneric, curry nutmeg and dried cranberries in it.


It tastes good. Funny thing though, but it smells like Spaghetti-O's.

Next Food Network Star 5 Live-Blogging: Something about Rachael Ray...

Well, I got a little away from the Food Network action with my trip last week, but I'm back! And I'm curious to test my "Katie is safe no matter how bad she fucks up" hypothesis. Probably wrong but we'll see. Even though Teddy is no longer of this show, he's still got a prominent place in the drinking game rules, in case they decide to bring him back for any reason.

Tonight's beer of choice: a Rising Moon, from the Blue Moon Brewing Company. Because it's "Yum-o."

Yes I feel so ashamed for having said that.

9:00 I admit: I will miss that cute little bummed out face that Teddy always sports when he's, you know, bummed out.

9:01 I have to admit: this is the most photogenic group of cheftestants they've ever had. And that's despite Michael! (Or because of?)

9:02 Their midterm? More like a practicum-slash-internship.

9:02 And the devil herself pops up on the TV! Did she just say "In honor of "Yum-o'?

And I have just lost all respect for Debbie.

The challenge: take adult ingredients and make them kid-friendly. Don't even go there with that.

9:04 Katie thinks this challenge is made for her. But she makes crap! And now she's making it for kids!

9:05 Smart thinking, Jamika: hide the tofu altogether!

9:06 Michael: because he's a big fat gay kid. C'mon, you know he'd agree.

You just knew Darth Rachael would come out with those little kid judges. Those kids do not look engaged.

New drinking game: drink ONCE for every time:

• every time someone says "Yum-o"
• every time Debbie reminds us that she's either Korean or Southern (if both in one breath, drink TWICE)

9:07 Those potatoes might actually taste good. I'm still surprised that the kids liked Katie's quinoa quap. I'd eat that stuff that Melissa is making. But I like Brussel sprouts.

9:08 Oh, I would have paid to see Teddy get all "Teddy-like" in front of these kids. That would have been funny!!!

Michael has a good knack for finishing early. Take that any way you want.

9:09 And Jeff charms again. Why do I picture Jeff surfing?

9:10 Okay, I admit it's a good idea to be cutesy and silly around kids. Jamika, however, spends all her time being cutesy.

9:11 Why do I get the feeling that Katie is sticking around for another week?

9:12 Yikes! Jamika is worried. She had trouble cooking and talking at the same time. Mastered that bubble gum thing.

OMG, the depths of hell? Well, we are talking Rachael Ray here...

9:16 Now Katie mentions that Debbie is from the South (what part of the South is WeHo in again!?).

These guys have to work in pairs. The funniest part? Katie and Debbie are together - the "Southern-Korean fusion" person and the "dietitian-y bland-as-cardboard" person. FUNNY!!

9:18 The J's are not jivin'

Homest to God, I'd much rather eat what Debbie wants to make than what Katie does.

9:19 Katie, fry that chicken for God sake!

9:20 Jeff. Jamika. Still not jivin'.

DRINK for Debbie's remark. The way she said "Yeah, that's great" to Jeff and Jamika's dishes? Again, FUNNY!!!

Jamika. Feelin' sorry for herself. Makin' copies.

9:27 Oops, did I forget to DRINK for Rachael? DRINK!

All them ideas have gotta hurt.

Why did Rach not sound all that enthused?

9:28 DRINK for Melissa's kids reference. Do we have this season's Aaron McCargo? The camera scares him.

9:29 GASP! She's out-intensing Rach! Hell, she's out-intensing Emeril! TEDDY!

9:30 How Michael Got Her Groove Back... Or, not. The M's were, hmmmm...

9:31 And now it's time for polar opposites day on The Rachael Ray Show! Coming up: healthy, blandified Korean/Southern food.

Oh, you're Korean? DRINK.

DRINK about five times for Katie's dietitian mojo comin' on.

9:31 Every whole grain pasta I have ever eaten has tasted like packing material. Y'all gotta really - and I mean really - convince me here.

Tuschie: "I was impressed with Debbie, she's so natural." Where's the compliment for Katie.

Katie's chicken" "Soooooo dryyyyy" (Lisa). DRINK TWICE!

9:35 My favorite drive-in experience:



9:36 Jeff and Jamika: bring it, pork n' beans style.

9:37 I wish they had talked about this before. Why is Jamika frozen? Jeff, give her some rope, dude.

9:38 Earth to Jamika, come in Jamika...

I think Tuschie needs a drink.

9:39 No, Jeff, she was not awesome. Why didn't you shut up for a sec?

9:40 Tuschie made a face - DRINK TWICE!

9:41 So it looks like the judges are disappointed in Jeff, Jamika and Michael. The ones who really shone: Debbie and - this is a big shock - Katie.

9:43 I admit: A1's Meat Loaf ad is pretty funny. Cheap, but funny.

9:44 I've been surprised before, but I think Jamika is going home tonight.

9:45 Katie had her head down for a while, but you know, that's something you learn.

Why does Katie still manage to look surprised whenever the judges say that her food sucks?

9:46 Wait: isn't Debbie Korean?

9:47 Debbie sheds a tear, but she's not really "crying" so no drink.

Jeezy peezy, Melissa will cry at the drop of a hat! Kind of like my mother.

9:48 El Flay-o: Alright, Jersey boy to Jersey boy, what's up, brother?

9:49 Should I start drinking every time Michael makes up a goofy word?

9:50 I see. Teddy passed the "OHBOYOHBOYOHBOY!!!" torch to Jeff.

9:51 It's all agreed: this wasn't Jamika's finest hour.

9:54 So, I wonder if the SciFi Channel's Torchwood rip-off will be any good?

9:55 Not actually sure if anyone will win, but I still think Jamika is doomed.

Ooooh, there wasn't a winner this week! But Debbie, Melissa and Jeff are safe.

Katie's still in the bottom - again. And she's crying. CHUG 'em if ya' got 'em.

9:57 That's a coop-out, Leese. Last season's winner was afraid of the camera, too. Remember what happened to him? He has a show on the Food Network now.

Hmmm, maybe it'll be Katie after all?

9:58 And Michael is safe!

And Katie goes home! Conspiracy theory unconfirmed!

9:59 Our fave Fab Fiver is back! And why is Melissa moaning about not getting any help? If she's going to get testy when people complain about helping her, then don't complain when they don't, dude!

POST-GAME ANALYSIS -

Maybe it's coincidence, but I just realized that every time I post a cheftestant's photo, he or she gets eliminated the following Sunday. Happened to Teddy, and it just happened to Katie, who's luck has just run out. I actually am a little surprised, because I really thought the judges were never going to get rid of her. But her food just got too dietitian-y one too many times. Now go eat some tofu, Katie.

One note: I will be in New York City this time next week (scored a one-way ticket on the BoltBus that only cost a buck, man! And $10 the other way). I will be a bit busy, so again I won't be live-blogging. Beats the hell out of me who is going home.

Pleasant Peach Crisp

Look what I just made:


The recipe comes from the back of a box of Domino's Light Brown Sugar (recipe is not on their site for some reason). It calls for about 5 cups of prepared peach pie filling. Instead, I used the peaches I brought home from Georgia - which I did not at the time realize were from South Carolina. The peach crisp was a little wet inside, but I spooned it out. It went great with some ice cream.

Carlyle Club

I don't think I've written about the Carlyle Club since it changed its menu from Lebanese to what I would call "haute South Asian" (more specifically, South Indian). I don't know why. I've eaten there twice, and both times I was quite satisfied. Last night I went with friends who live in walking distance (lucky bastards). It was pretty slow last night, but heck, it's a holiday weekend.

Eric & Alan got wine, but I went for a podina lassi ($4) - a mint, honey and cardamom lassi (yogurt drink if you're unfamiliar) that filled me up just like the milkshake it so closely resembles. Of course, I had help from our appetizers and my entrée. We all shared two appetizers and a salad. The salad was made of arugula and acorn squash ($6), and was a pretty simple and satisfying salad at that. Added to that was a helping of cochin calamari (also $6) - I'm assuming it's calamari flash fried a la Kochi, Kerala-style. It comes with a smooth tomato chutney and is not the kind of calamari you'll find in Little Italy. It's different, and tasty, but went too fast. The other appetizer was just a helping of onion pakora (I didn't catch the price). I've found most pakoras to be a little on the tough, gritty side. This one wasn't tough, and was only a little gritty, and otherwise quite tender. Yes, I'm saying you should order this when you go. It's one of the better pakoras I've had.

My entrée was a dosa, but I'm afraid I caused a little confusion - almost exclusively for myself, since I can't make a decision to save my life - by wanting to mix two dosas together. Their dosas make for good appetizers, but for someone with a small stomach and bank account it can be a very good choice for your entrée. I ordered the habanero and mango dosa ($9), which had a traditional filling of onions, lentils and potatoes with an habanero and mango sauce on the side. But I wanted some paneer as well, so the waiter proposed putting some paneer in with the traditional filling. I don't know why I am so dense, but I was the only at the table who didn't quite understand this at first!

The dosa was served not like a crepe, as I've seen it other places (such as at the Mango Grove), but was instead decoratively shaped in a cone sheltering the filling that sat on the plate. I thought the filling could have used a small dash of salt, but it otherwise tasted delicious. The dosa itself had to be filled like a tortilla, in which you put food and then eat it with your hands (at least that's how I ate it). It's a tasty dosa and a tasty filling. The Indian pickle ($1.50) I ordered on the side was a nice, sharp, salty and tangy contrast to the dosa.

What I ordered cost around $20 to $25. The guys just asked me for a twenty. I didn't ask questions. I'm looking forward to going back again sometime.



NB: Starting with this post, I'm going to begin using the "locally grown" tag when I talk about restaurants. What I mean is that the restaurant in question (in this case, the Carlyle Club) goes out of its way to use local ingredients, such as plants and meats, as part of its menu. For now I will try to use it with restaurants as well as markets. Things that won't be lumped in with tag include beers and wines (those will get the "Maryland products with pride" tag instead. It also won't include crabs, because it's assumed that those will be local. For my purposes, "local blue crabs" means Chesapeake - Maryland and Virginia crabs, not ones from North Carolina, even though those are good, too. If a local crab house does not primarily use local blue crabs, I'll be mentioning that (*COUGH**COUGH*Phillips*COUGH**).

Because it's the Fourth of July

It's amazing what they can do with Peeps these days.