Category Archives: Food Cult

How Many Degrees of Separation Are You From Me?

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Last fall my nieces made this beautiful cake for my grandniece’s birthday. I was so impressed that I saved the photos for a blog post.

In my niece’s post (she writes as Vanderbilt Wife) she references her source for this gorgeous cake.

Image via vanderbiltwife.com

After I saw the photos of the birthday cake for my grand-niece, I ran across this photo either on Pinterest or on a link from my Facebook page.

Image via iheartbaking.blogspot.com

Since it was so similar to the other cake, I investigated where this recipe originated. I Heart Baking’s  original post was about this gorgeous roses cake.

Image via http://i-heart-baking.blogspot.com/2011/10/roses-cake.html

Lo and behold, eventually everyone referenced back to I Am Baker, who posted the tutorial on how to do the rose frosting.

Image via http://iambaker.net/vertical-layer-cake-tutororial

She also posted a tutorial on how to do the vertical layers. Amazing.

This nest of link-ups is an example of the ethical dilemma we bloggers are presented with daily. Do you always cite your sources for both text and photos? Are you labeling your photos? If someone wants to steal your work, they will find a way, but I’d like to think that we have an obligation to each other to protect our craft.

Each of these ladies shared their talent and creativity with the world. I was happy to find that everyone involved in this degrees-of-separation scenario eventually linked back to their source. Talent, creativity, and ethics. I’m proud to be one of you.

Saturday Linky Love: Julia Child’s Kitchen — Quelle dommage

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I just read that the Smithsonian is dismantling Julia Child’s kitchen and putting it in a larger exhibit where it will be “in context” with other food exhibits.

Image via Richard Strauss/Smithsonian

Image via Richard Strauss/Smithsonian

OMG. I was just thinking about planning a spring break trip to Washington, D.C. in order to put my secret stick of butter in Julia’s kitchen. It’s a good thing I read David Lebovitz’s posts on my Facebook page!

Image via sanfranciscosentinel.com

They say it will be open again “sometime” because the Child kitchen has become a “go-to” exhibit and has attracted visitors far beyond the Smithsonian’s expectations. I was ready to make my pilgrimage, and I’m really disappointed.

I’ve been a Julia disciple for many years, but she really came into focus for me after reading her books and seeing the movie made of Julie Powell’s book. I blogged about my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking here, made a recipe from the cookbook and blogged about it here, and commented on the book and the movie on my previous blog. I’ve excerpted my comments for you here.

Having recently finished reading My Year in France by Julia Child and viewing Julie and Julia, I can’t help recalling the scenes in both the book and the movie where Child gathers in a group of people and creates a family wherever she lives. She lost her mother early, her relationship with her own father and stepmother was strained and it appears that she was disappointed to remain childless, but she made up for this sadness in her life by being a catalyst who drew disparate people together.

Not surprisingly, her lasting friendships appear to have revolved around food and travel. The Valentine’s Day scene in Julie and Julia in Paul and Julia’s French dining room is poignant and felt very meaningful to me as it triggered memories of the wonderful meals I have shared with family and friends in 2009. Even when I went to the movie web site and watched the trailer, I was reminded of incredible meals from the movie and from my own life.

After reading both books and bookending the books with viewings of the movie, I heartily recommend that you do all three. The movie is good enough to stand on its own, but your enjoyment and understanding of the characters involved will be deepened by reading the books.

When I wrote this post in 2009, I had not yet been to France. This summer, we will go back to Paris for a return trip. I’m going to do some more research about Julia’s life in France and perhaps will be able to perform this year’s visit to the Julia shrines in France rather than the United States. Let me know if you have any good ideas!

24 Days of Christmas 2011: British Christmas

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Having enjoyed many Christmases with our English friends over the years, we have begun to include some British customs and food into our Christmas celebrations. Mince pies, Christmas pudding with brandy butters, the Queen’s Christmas Message, and Christmas crackers are all fun ways to shake up your family’s customs. Crackers can be found at most home goods stores, such as Crate and Barrel, and good groceries carry Christmas pudding, mince pies, and brandy butters during the Christmas season. We have a wonderful British store near us in Long Grove called British Accents which carries many British foodstuffs and gifts all year long.

I might even try to make the mince pies myself from this supposedly easy recipe, and this recipe for Christmas pudding is made without the traditional suet. If you’re going to try Christmas pudding, it’s time to make it so that it can age. Here’s a quick version if you don’t get around to making it until the last minute. Don’t forget to buy the brandy so that you can set it on fire when you serve it!

While you’re cooking or driving around in your car buying all of your British Christmas items, I suggest listening to some traditional British music. These were all available at my library.

Adeste Fidelis! Christmas Down the Ages was recorded in 1996 and features the English soprano Emma Kirkby, who specializes in early music. I was surprised to find that Amazon actually has a Westminster Abbey Choir “Store” where you can purchase both compact discs and MP3 recordings by the choir.

Although it is not strictly a British box set of Christmas music, The Baroque Christmas Album is a compilation of recordings from important early music performance groups. This album is also available in MP3 versions from Amazon.

Musicians from the Academy of St. Martins in the Fields under the baton of Neville Mariner – what’s not to like? Christmas with the Academy is a listener’s delight and is also available in CD and MP3 formats. If you’re in London by Trafalgar Square, stop in to see what’s going on at St. Martins in the Fields. There’s a nice cafe downstairs in the old crypt and you might catch a concert or a rehearsal as we did the day we visited.

All on a Christmas Day is a collection of Irish Christmas music performed by Jimmy Keane and Robbie O’Connell, so I suppose for the Irish purists out there, this album doesn’t belong with a post entitled British Christmas.

If you are a history buff, I encourage you to watch this video of Queen Elizabeth’s first Christmas Message in 1957. It’s fascinating. The Anglophiles among you may also be interested in the videos at The Royal Channel. Who knew?

Just in case you haven’t had enough, here’s last year’s 24 Days of Christmas post.

Food Cult: Oyster Dressing

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As we enter our week of Thanksgiving and gluttony, I would to pause and give thanks for the many creatures that give up their lives for us at this time of year.

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/01/for-the-moment-finding-pearls-in-paris/

Insert. Silent. Pause. Here.

My little family band gets together with my brothers and their families on the day after Thanksgiving. We have been doing this since 1976; I have not prepared a Thanksgiving meal in my own home since then. Every year, we drive the 600 miles round trip to be with our family to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year we decided to forego our gift giving to each other and donate to Heifer International instead. We’ll still be giving gifts to the young ones, and it will be fun to see them open their presents. We also sing Christmas songs — we are THAT family that could make our own Trapp Family Singers — and I’m looking forward to hearing three-year-old Libbie sing her part in The Twelve Days of Christmas.

For me and some of my family, it just isn’t Thanksmas without oyster dressing. It’s unclear where our family recipe comes from, but my mother started making oyster dressing for our holiday gatherings a long time ago. In fact, I can’t remember when she didn’t make it. It was just always there.

My mom passed away in June, and as the eldest child, it has become my job to bring the oyster dressing. I’ve been making it for events here in our Chicagoland home for a while, but no one loves oyster dressing as well as my brothers and I do. My niece Jessica wrote about our family recipe on her Vanderbilt Wife blog, calling our treasured oyster dressing our “grossest family recipe.” I beg to differ, but as she is allergic to clams, I wouldn’t want her to get sick on oysters. I do, however, want to share the recipe for what I consider to be the crowning glory of our holiday buffet table.

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Another recipe can be found here: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Seafood/OysterDressing.htm

Grandma’s Oyster Dressing

Cooking spray

Four cans frozen or canned oysters (fresh would be fine, but not necessary)
Four ribs finely chopped celery
Four cans mushrooms
One box saltines crushed
one pound butter pats
About two cups of milk

First spray a 4.8 quart (15″ x 10″ x 2″) rectangular casserole dish with cooking spray, and then add a layer of crushed crackers. Begin layering the ingredients. After each cracker layer add some milk and the juice from the mushrooms and oyster cans. You should have about four layers of crackers and three of “goodies.”

Cover it with foil so that it doesn’t dry out and take the foil off for the last 15 minutes so the top gets a little crusty. Bake at 350 degrees for at least an hour until the texture is puffy like a souffle. It is okay to prepare it in advance and let the liquids sink in.

A large Pyrex casserole dish will serve eight people comfortably as a side dish.

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And just we’re clear about the popularity of oyster dressing, even the fabled Ree Drummond published a recipe for Oyster Dressing on her Pioneer Woman blog this week. I’m not alone in my love for this succulent awesomeness. Ree’s is a little different from ours; hers is more like traditional tossed bread-cube dressing. Grandma’s Oyster Dressing is more of a souffle-like scalloped oysters. It might be fun someday to make both recipes and see which one we like better!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’m going to take a week off and enjoy my holiday with friends and family. Safe travels to you.

P.S. I’ve been collecting ideas for 25 Days of Christmas — I can’t resist doing it again this year!

Writers’ Workshop: My Favorite Restaurant

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I know it’s hard to believe, but my favorite restaurant while growing up was Burger Chef.

Image via fortunecity.com

My dad was a teacher (one of those corrupt union-card-waving, pension-grabbing, non-Social Security-receiving evil citizens who has ruined the American economy with their greed). Twice a month my dad got paid, and we went grocery shopping and had a romantic family dinner. At Burger Chef.

Despite my current frustration with the anti-teacher rhetoric — really, do you want me to take another job and let YOU take care of your fourteen-year-old monster for eight hours a day?– I respected my dad’s job. In fact, I wanted to be just like him, and most days, I try to be as good of a teacher as he was.

There was something special about not having to cook on payday Fridays. I know my mom enjoyed it and so did we. The succulent grease of the hamburger in the buttery bun was intoxicating, and the crispy French fries hot from the deep-fryer practically made my knees give way. It was a far cry from the frozen or canned peas and green beans out of our stash from the luxurious garden-fresh summer months. Every chicken we ate in the winter I had known personally. Burger Chef was a release from the drudgery of trying to feed five hungry mouths on a salary that wasn’t enough to comfortably maintain our household. I didn’t really understand how poor we were in monetary terms until I become an adult.

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Yet, we didn’t feel poor. My brothers and I shared a warm and rich family structure that allows us now as adults to remain good friends. I don’t even know if they remember Burger Chef Fridays, but for me, the foray into the world of fast food on occasion is a cherished memory of family fun.

This post is linked up to Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. Take a little trip over there to read a few more stories, and don’t forget to give some comment love while you’re there!

31 Days in Europe: Food!

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Image credit: Got My Reservations

One of the many things I have learned over the past three years of visits to England is that the day of bad food is over (if that was actually ever true or just a tourist stereotype). Travelers can find healthy, fabulous cuisine in every largish town and city, and within close driving distance of every small town. While there’s nothing bad about the occasional pub visit, don’t give in to the stereotype. Search out the great restaurants using tour guide books. Even better, ask the locals.

The famous fish and chips meal can be a gastronomic treat if you know where to find it. Although I ate this beautifully prepared piece of fish at the Tate Modern art museum, local fish and chip take-away places can offer sublime versions of a British favorite. Once again, don’t be afraid to ask the locals.

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Say you can’t find a gastro-pub or are not in a position to ask someone who lives there. If you don’t want to blow your whole travel budget on a fancy restaurant, you generally can’t go wrong with Indian food in England. After all, one and half million Indian Britons have to find somewhere to eat their native cuisine.

Image credit: Got My Reservations

And then there’s always the breakfast of champions. British ale makes Miller Light pale in comparison, both figuratively and literally.

Image credit: Got My Reservations

31 Days in Europe: Chapel Down Winery

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“Grape Britain.” Gold medals for British rosés at the International Wine Challenge. An English white wine costing about $12 served at a Royal Wedding reception. Can any of this be true?

Image via telegraph.co.uk

Image via English Wines Group

Frazer Thompson, our host at Sissinghurst Castle Farmhouse, is also the award-winning English Wines Group managing director at Chapel Down Winery in Kent. I was eager to try their wine so we made a visit to the winery. As I soon found out, Chapel Down is the largest premium wine producer in England, and I was not expecting the sophistication and quality that we found at Chapel Down just outside of tiny Tenterden.

Image via English Wines Group

The winery itself is unpretentious but beautiful. Its multi-use property sports a wine tasting room that is more like a gourmet store, a lovely English garden where you can have your wedding, and of course, row upon row of grapevines on the 25 acre property. Although I’m not an expert on winery equipment, its stainless steel tanks looked pretty modern and impressive.

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Image via beer-pages.com

I tasted several of their current wines and brought some back to the bed and breakfast to share with friends — or not. The award-winning sparkling Vintage Rosé Brut lived up to its hype and was well-priced at £24.99. Husband rummaged through all of the bins to find his favorite, Chapel Down’s own Curious Brew, Admiral Porter. He loved it.

Meanwhile, back at the farmhouse, we talked to one of the couples who were staying in the B&B for an anniversary getaway. They had made reservations at the restaurant at the winery for their celebration and were quite excited about experiencing this little gem. The restaurant is named after its Michelin-starred chef, Richard Phillips. We decided that we would take our friends from Cirencester to the restaurant and hoped for the best.

Apparently having Frazer’s name attached to our reservation worked magic, because were seated at the best table in the room and were served with skill and sensitivity. We ordered the chef’s tasting menu and the wines chosen to go with each course. It was pricey, but worth every pound.

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Image credit: Got My Reservations

Our meal was extraordinary and presented creatively. All in all, it was a magical evening. One could even say it was a meal fit for a prince and princess.

Image via blogs.babble.com

This post  linked up with hundreds of other 31 Day-ers. Join the fun and visit other bloggers as they share a piece of themselves. I’m still number 568, by the way.

Food Cult: Anthony Bourdain Experiences elBulli

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Anthony Bourdain is said to be an arrogant, snarky, self-promoting, witty New York restauranteur and chef with a sexy voice. He eats bugs and guts and is politically incorrect. He seems to enjoy that his continual swearing has to be bleeped out on his television travelogue/food show. Sometimes I love his show and sometimes I am grossed out and even offended by it, but mostly I think this guy is the most interesting host on television.

Image via travelchannel.com

If you are already an Anthony Bourdain fan, you probably watched Tony’s visit to the legendary elBulli. If you are not already a disciple and you love food and travel, set your DVR  to let Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations into your life. The complete El Bulli episode airs again on the Travel Channel on Monday, September 5 (Labor Day in the U.S.), at 3:00pm Eastern, as part of a No Reservations marathon that starts at 11 E/P. Even if you are able to watch it live, I still recommend that you record it so that you can watch it again. It is truly a special show and one that blew away all (well, most) of my Bourdain prejudices.

Bourdain’s visit to the amazing elBulli was one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, probably because even though he’s got some cooking chops of his own, Bourdain was clearly in awe of founder and head chef, Ferran Adria. Tony blogged about his visit to what foodies considered to be the most innovative restaurant in the world, and his childlike wonderment about being in the presence of a personal idol practically jumps off the screen when you watch the episode.

Image via apothecaryfox.blogspot.com

Ferran Adria closed the doors of El Bulli to restaurant-goers on July 30, but will continue to run a renovated state of the art compound as a think-tank for chefs who are ready to push the boundaries of food preparation. After having seen this episode, I’m heartbroken that I never got a chance to eat at elBulli. I will have to settle for reading the book my son got me for Christmas and maybe even trying a recipe or two.

Bourdain’s No Reservations has finished its season of first-runs, but he continues in reruns at several times on the Travel Channel. There will be more Tony to love starting on November 21, when his new series, The Layover, begins.

P.S. If Anthony Bourdain’s rough-rider style isn’t your cup of tea, Travel Channel also features Samantha Brown, who’s kind of a cross between Rachael Ray and Bourdain. She visits lots of interesting locations, but I doubt if you will find her drinking tequila with the guys in the desert or eating fried bugs in Asia.

Saturday Linky Love

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First of all, I’d like to say thank you to all who read and commented this week. Apparently most of you like the new format, and I like it too, so I think it stays. I’m still looking for someone to help me with some customization and domain hosting issues. If you know a blog designer in the Chicago area who works with WordPress, please give me their contact information.

I’m going to miss those fluorescent tulips, though. Here’s one more look before they are gone forever.

This week I was determined to do some cross-promotion and it really worked. I had more visits from Mama Kat’s Losin’ It and Vanderbilt Wife that I have had since I posted Grandma Lill’s spaghetti sauce. I’d like to send out a big thanks to those ladies for their continued support of the blogging community.

Just in case you missed one of them, here’s a few links to bloggers that crossed my radar this week. Besides having very creative titles to their blogs, they also have thoughtful and funny stories to share. Please spread the comment love around!

Damsel and Family
A Thankful Heart
These Days of Mine
Rubber Chicken Madness
Mommy’s Nest
The Psycho Babbles
My Time As A Mom
On My Mind
Resonance
Dishwater Dreams
Farewell, Stranger
What Were We Thinking?
Open-Eyed Sneeze

Here’s wishing you a beautiful and restful weekend. If you’re cooking, do it with a glass of something relaxing in your hand and remember that you can always order pizza.

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