The Joy of Food Shopping

Last Saturday we visited one of our favorite places- a food warehouse. From the moment you walk in the door the smell of Indian and Asian spices wafts around you. It’s great. We bought our share of gluten free products, shedded coconut, dried lentil and beans, a kilogram (which is over two pounds) of chili flakes and a large number of dried cranberries imported from the USA. The guy on the checkout as he rang our items up had a chuckle about the number of bulk packets of dried cranberries we bought. What can I say? Mick and I love … Continue reading →

Your Favorite Holiday Pie

When the desert comes out around the holiday dinner table do you have to be quick to make sure that you get a piece of your favorite pie? Throwing a napkin in someone’s face can help you win that slice, although I admit, the practice isn’t very nice (worse still if it is a used napkin). Usually, we wind up with too much of a certain type of pie and not enough of another. So, you may just want to have an informal survey of your relatives and friends to see exactly how much and which types of pies to … Continue reading →

Ask a Food Blogger: All About Oatmeal

Question: I’m trying to makeover my diet and so I started eating oatmeal. But someone said instant wasn’t good enough if I want all the nutrients–is this true? Yeah–pretty much. There are several different types of oatmeal and as far as oats go. . .instant is a distant last in the grand hierarchy of oatmeal products. The essential different in oatmeal is the processing. Like most foods, the more its processed, the less nutritious it is as the processing depletes many of the nutrients. Here is a quick primer on oats. The Problem with Instant Oatmeal As I mentioned before, … Continue reading →

What Is and Is NOT Chipotle

This is a food rant. My first experiences with “real” cooking (you know, the kinds that don’t involve a microwave or pre-packaged stuff) were in a kitchen in Mexico. It’s where I learned to make arroz con leche, real pico de gallo, and arroz con frijoles. I learned how to make tortillas there–and actually, I learned to roll them out and make them perfectly rounded all by hand. Mexican cuisine is the only ethnic cuisine that I would say I know really well. It seems that the current trend in food marketing is to call all things Tex Mex ‘chipotle’. … Continue reading →

Bake to End Childhood Hunger

Calling all bakers! The Great American Bake Sale has officially begun and this is your opportunity to bake your way towards ending childhood hunger. The Great American Bake Sale is sponsored by Share Out Strength, the same people who also sponsor the Great American Dine Out. Their goal is to work with local community efforts in providing food for at-risk children in their communities. They form partnerships with local organizations, as well as state agencies and others to provide money and food for hungry children with the goal that no child should ever know what it’s like to be hungry. … Continue reading →

Ask a Food Blogger: Chinese Five Spice

Question: Can you tell me what Chinese five spice is? What type of dishes would you use it in and where do you get it? What Is It? Chinese five spice is a spice that as you may have guessed, is used in Chinese cooking. It’s used in a variety of dishes although what it’s used for varies from place to place. In Hawaii, some restaurants even have it on the table as a seasoning condiment. The thought behind Chinese Five Spice is to “bring balance to food” by blending together all of the tastes in Chinese cooking: Tung Hing … Continue reading →

King Arthur Flour and The Baker’s Catalogue

A whole new world of amazing delights I never knew existed has just opened up to me. Some people have sweet tooths, but not me. I am a Sweet Tooth and I found perhaps what can only be deemed my Mecca: The Baker’s Catalogue. Recently I wrote about how I’m definitely not opposed to having food delivered by mail. That’s how I stumbled across this amazing find. Wayne and I got to talking about a favorite cookie from our youth: cherry chip. King Soopers, a grocery store back in Denver, our hometown, used to offer kids a choice and Wayne … Continue reading →

Happy National Fluffernutter Day!

I admit it, my kids are the only kids on the block that know what a fluffernutter is. I must be clear too and say this sandwich will not win any awards for being healthy or low in sugar content. But a fluffernutter sandwich is just about the quintessential American childhood sandwich of days gone by. If you really don’t know what a fluffernutter is, it is fresh white bread, marshmallow spread known as Fluff and peanut butter. This super sugary concoction is delicious and absolutely necessitates a glass of milk. Since you’re already feeding the kids all that sugar, … Continue reading →

Terrorism Chili, and Other Odd Food News

Terrorism Chili The Thai Cottage in the Soho district of London, inadvertently closed roads and had an entire couple of blocks sealed off after Londoners reported being under chemical attack–possibly of a terrorist nature. The terrorist in question? A spicy chili made by the Thai cottage called nam prik pao. The chilis used to make this spicy Thai dip were left dry frying. Several people thought that the smell, wafting from the Thai cottage, was actually a chemical attack. The police broke down the door to the Thai cottage. No arrests were made because as the police chief points out, … Continue reading →

Ask a Food Blogger: What Are Free Range Meats?

Question: I keep seeing in my grocery store certain meats being advertised as ‘free range.’ They are much more expensive than ‘regular’ meat. Can you tell me why this meat is called ‘free range’, why it’s so much more expensive, and if it’s better for my health? This is an excellent question! Since you’ve really asked three questions. . .I’ll have to give you three answers. What Is Free Range Meat? Free range meat is a cut of meat from an animal that is allowed to roam in unrestricted pastures. Sort of. The USDA defines the term ‘free range’ such … Continue reading →