Fried Pickles and Other Treats

My Christmas tree came with its own ladybug (a real one, not those awful lady beetles swarming the country).  It is keeping me company by my computer now – not ideal for the bug, but it’s freezing out, so I can’t put it outside.

On to the appetizers.  A friend took me to dinner last night at a cute little pub with a Blues theme.  On the menu: fried pickles.  I’d never had them before, so had to order them.  They were wonderful.  Completely decadent, but who cares?!  Yummy.  They were rolled in a flaky batter that was light and crunchy, a perfect complement to the dill pickle spears.  Can’t believe I’d never had these wonders before.  The server also insisted we try the Fried Green Tomatoes, another treat I’d never tasted (I’m not big on appetizers, if you can’t tell).  These were also good, but I think the batter crust overwhelmed the thin tomato slices.  The pickles were by far the winner in last night’s appetizer category. 

I’ll have another quick recipe for you tonight.  Until then, the ladybug and I say have a great afternoon.

Playdough cookery from Kirk Spencer

Kirk Spencer had a great post today on some very creative cooking.  It’s worth a read:

Here’s a bit of whimsy that I never see anyone else do, and yet…

Read through the whole post and you’ll have not only a great recipe for playdough, salt domes and clay pot cooking,  but an excellent way to surprise your guests with their own beautiful, straight-from-the-oven meal.

This had me laughing out loud….

I wish I’d stumbled on it before I posted my Cranberry Recipe, because this is just awesome.  Funny (and bit R-rated), this is how to cook something fun and STOP STRESSING ABOUT IT. 

From Wonkette, a Totally Awesome Cranberry Recipe:

No first lady could even fucking imagine making something as wonderful and perfect as your editor’s famous Wonkette’s Actual Awesome Real Cranberry Business. It is one of those things that just blows people away, because they assume it must be so hard to make real cranberry relish because why else would we eat that Jell-o’d aspic glob from the can? IT MUST BE SO HARD. No, it isn’t, so stop whining about everything, for once.

This dish takes exactly three minutes to prepare, and another 10 or 15 minutes in the oven, and you don’t even have to think about it. Pre-heat the oven, prepare the cranberries, “slide in the pyrex,” as they say, and just turn the fucking oven off, go outside, have a cigarette.    More here….

Microwave Myths and Popcorn Withdrawal

“Mom, I almost called you this week, because I forgot how to make popcorn.”  The reason is, I own neither a microwave or an air popper.  We had a good laugh as I relayed my popcorn adventures, which seems to be the final stop on my year without a microwave.

A year ago I became a household without a microwave.  I figured I’d last a month before I’d have to breakdown and get a new one.  But the month came and went and I found I did not miss it as much as I thought I would.  Reheating leftovers?  Quicker and more evenly heated in a small saucepan.  Cooking?  I never really cooked anything in one, so I didn’t miss that.  I mostly used mine for melting butter, reheating leftovers and making popcorn.  But for almost everything that I thought the microwave was quicker at heating, living without one proved it really isn’t quicker or easier.  So time went on and I never felt compelled to get a new microwave.

With one exception: popcorn.  I really don’t like air popped popcorn and microwave bags seemed quick and easy. Well, except when you burn the bag.  And I missed popcorn.  So last week I bought a bag of kernels, deciding I’d make it the old-fashioned way.  That was until I put the pan on the stove and realized I probably hadn’t made it this way in 30 years and had no idea how.  It wasn’t the ingredients:  hot oil, popcorn kernels, butter and salt.  But the proportions had me stumped.  A little research, a little experimentation and I now have the perfect bowl of popcorn.  And it is 10x better than any microwave bag.  So I guess it will be quite sometime before I become a microwave household again.

Perfect Popcorn for One

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp popcorn kernels
• 2 tsp butter
• salt to taste

2 qt saucepan

Put oil and 3 kernels of corn in covered saucepan with heat on high.  When 1 kernel pops, add remaining corn, cover, reduce heat to medium-high and shake constantly until popping slows to very far apart.  Turn off heat, add butter, cover again, shake up until you’re sure it’s done popping, add salt and pour into a bowl.  Makes about 2 cups.  If you’re making more, use a larger covered pot and keep the proportions: 1 tsp oil per 1 tbsp of popcorn kernels.

I Never Know What to do with Leftovers….

I never know what to do with leftovers….

Nasty Bits from Kirk

I guess I started it when I posted a link to Pickled Pigs Feet recipe.  Kirk has upped the ante.  Go ahead and head over to his blog and read his recipes and links for Nasty Bits.  You may need a strong stomach.  You’ve been warned.

Fun with Food

More fun and games with Food Smarts. 

When and where was the ice cream cone invented?  1896 in New York  (patent issued in 1903) by Italo Marchioni, who then sold them at the 1904 St. Louis’ Fair.

What is Rocket and what dish do you find it in?  It is another name for arugula and it is found mostly in salads.

What does Dim Sum mean?  So close to the heart.

What does Braising mean? To braise is to slow cook with a bit of liquid, like wine, vinegar, water or stock in a pot with a lid.  It’s used with meats, fishes and vegetables.

Food in Fiction tomorrow.  Until then….

Fun with Food

Okay, if you’re a foodie, food is always fun.  But I was surprised with a gift by my friend Steve.  He and his significant other, Joy, spent the summer gallivanting and I looked after things for them.  He felt I needed a thank you gift.  The other day he said he’d found something that he thought I would enjoy.  He was right.  It’s a card set called Food Smarts.  Filled with mini food quizzes, ingredients, cuisine, lingo – to play alone or as a game.  I thought it might be fun to start sharing the best ones with you.   We’ll start with these three:

Ingredients:  When a recipe calls for one teaspoon of granulated salt and you use corse or kosher salt, do you use more than one teaspoon?  Yes, because coarse salt packs less compactly than granulated salt,  use a bit more.

Trivia:  The charcoal briquette was created in 1920 by …. Henry Ford.  He took sawdust and woodscraps from his car factory and with the help of Thomas Edision they created the briquette.  And barbecue was born.  barbecue is said to come from the Spanish word barbacoa, a framework that raises meat over a cooking fire to roast.

Cuisine:  Ketchup comes from the Chinese word ketsiap.  This is a sauce made from the brine of pickled fish or shellfish.