I've Been Lied To

Let me start by saying that I got a new cook book in the mail. It's a cooking text book full of wonderful techniques, recipes, and history. This book led me down the rabbit hole. I was flipping through it this week trying to decide where to start reading when I found a recipe for ranch dressing. Being my favorite I decided I had to make it. This is where the trouble started.

I was at the grocery store yesterday and remembered I needed Worcestershire sauce for the recipe. I started checking the labels only to find that every single brand at Meijer's had high fructose corn syrup. I was shocked. I mean, I know it's hiding around every corner, but I never guessed here. It's not in the soy sauce I'm using. I even checked all of the bottles a second time to make sure I wasn't misreading them (silly, I know).

I headed over to Naturally Yours next. I figured I was saved! No luck, but the friendly staff told me they could order it if I could find one. Now the hunt is on.

Anyone know of a Worcestershire sauce without high fructose corn syrup?

Do You Fantasize About Food?

I met my grandparents for dinner tonight. The conversation, it was great. It had been too long since I'd seen them. The food, I should have skipped. We met at a 'BBQ Franchise' restaurant close to work.

We started out with drinks. The waiter tells me 'of course' when I asked if their tea was fresh brewed. On that note it's tea for me and coffee for my grandparents. Always coffee. There's been a Bunn coffeepot in the same place in their kitchen since I can remember, brewing a pot of Folger's in under 3 minutes.

When my tea arrived with a bitter over-brewed flavor. Had they brewed it a few days earlier? It tasted like instant fountain tea to me. The waiter said the coffee would be a few minutes, he was brewing a new pot. I was at least pleased to see that they were making fresh coffee, even if it was probably ground months (or years) ago!

After coffee arrived, I ordered a cheeseburger and fries. My reasons were simple. The menu said I could choose my jack or cheddar cheese. I was thinking to myself that choice of cheese is always good. I just hate it when you get American on your burger because that's all they offer. There's just to many other options out there.

After telling the waiter I preferred my burger medium, not the medium well the menu advertised, we finished ordering and got back to the conversation at hand.

My cheeseburger was a sad guy when he arrived naked in a basket of fries, without a side of ranch. Using this time to inspect the rest of my meal, I was sad to find the cheddar cheese greasy and translucent. The little saltless fry wedges did had a nice crunch. Five minutes later the waiter breezed by, sliding the dressing under my arm without so much as a word.

The cheeseburger, upon cutting into it, was definitely medium well. Yes, I still cut my sandwiches in half. I like to start in the middle. The crust just tastes better last and I don't end up with fingers that get 'saucy' if it's a messy sandwich. I guess you could say I'm weird. But back to this burger, it was medium well, covered in tasteless cheddar, with a side of pale sickly looking veggie toppings. Bite after bite I kept imagining, maybe even hoping it would turn into the burger's we'd had for dinner Sunday night. Baconburgurs smothered in smoked Gouda and cheddar. His was BBQed in nothing but Sweet Baby Ray's with a slice of local grown tomato. I opted for the homemade whole grain Dijon. These burger's are made locally, and when I say baconburger, I mean the bacon is ground in with the beef. It's a truly great thing! It begs the question, do you fantasize about better food when you're out to eat?

I only made it through half of this meal. The portions, they are Hungry Man size. The food just didn't taste good enough to keep picking at while we sat around chatting.

Next time, I think I'll pick the restaurant.

Monkey Cupcakes!!!!!!!!!

No Excuses

Knock Knock... ?

Anyone out there?

:)

I really don't have any excuses for where I've been all these long winter months. Blame it on my poor skills with the camera or my inability to tear myself away from a good book! I'm happy to say spring is in the air! How can I tell? My allergies, of course, but I'm not letting that get me down. The Farmer's Market starts in 4 weeks on May 17, with new, later hours - 7:30 - Noon. I can't wait.

And now... well, really there's no excuse at all. I started this post on 4/29 and here it is, June 2. My how the time flies. Spring is over. Summer heres. Three Farmer's Markets have gone by Bloomington and Normal welcomes its first market tomorrow! I've been enjoying all the market has to offer, great cheese, bread, meat, veggies, and great friends! It's fun to see so many familiar faces. Like last summer, I make stopping in at A.Renee a must. I try to pick a new bottle of wine each week, but with favorites like Stella Rosa, sometimes it hard. I picked up a new Moscato D'Asti to try this week! I'm also excited to see that A. Renee has a blog up, stop over and check out all the fun things these wonderful ladies are up to! I'm also trying to expand my veggie horizons this summer. I picked up green garlic this week. I'm not sure what I'm going to try making with it. Anyone have any suggestions?

Champagne On Center

I love it when Downtown Bloomington has an evening event! Enjoy Champagne, gourmet food, and music on Center Street from 5 - 8 next Friday. Do you need a better reason to visit? Honestly, the food is enough to get me there! Visit Specs Around Town or see my calendar for details on all the sights, sounds, and tastes!

Let me know if you're going, and until then, check on the hosts:

A. Renée
Kelly’s Bakery
Eaton Gallery
Specs Around Town
Fox n’ Hounds

Coffee Monkeys

A friend sent me this awesome picture of a latte with a MONKEY design!! How adorable! I think I might ask next time I'm getting coffee if they know how to make monkeys, though it's so cool looking I'd be afraid to drink the monkey.

Playing With Food

For the better part of this year I've been keeping a Google calendar of things to do around Bloomington-Normal that focus on food or wine. This month I decided to start keeping another Google calendar of my experiments in the kitchen. Mostly, this is so I can remember when I try new recipes. I wanted a place to keep notes. I'm not sure if anyone is interested, but I've decided to share both calendars. (This is where you get excited and cheer!)

Check out the links over to the right. Who knows? Maybe I'll run into you at an upcoming cooking class! I took two classes in August from Chef Brian Bowman at Vrooman Mansion. I looking forward to taking more classes and I'm trying to talk Brian into an all dessert class!

Summer's Sweet Bottles

A. Renée will have a booth at downtown Bloomington’s Farmer’s Market this Saturday, September 8!!! They will have samples of Ropp Jersey Cheese, dressings, salsas, and other delectibles!

I'd also recommend talking the short walk from the Farmer's Market to their store front to pick up an amazing bottle or three of wine! I'm been sampling my way through some amazing sweet wines this summer, here's a few of my favorites!!

• Pheasant Hollow Winery Red & Blue
• Illinois River Winery Chocolate Raspberry Port
• A. Renée Muscott
• Pheasant Hollow Winery Black & Blue (My Old Favorite)
• Il Conte D'Alba NV Stella Rosa (My New Favorite!!)
• Muscadel - South African, Can't remember the exact name (Update: It's Rietvallei Red Muscadel 2005)... it's my other new favorite!

Update 9/9: I bought a bottle of Beni Di Batasiolo Bosc Dla Dei - Moscato D'Asti (2006) this weekend and just opened it. It's an intense sweet sparkling white wine from the Piedmont Region of Italy. It tastes of pineapple and ripe fruits. This just might be as good as a glass of Stella Rosa!

Serve It Warm With Butter

I've been making this quick bread for probably around five or six years. I picked up the recipe from a co-worker who's husband thought it was too chocolate-ly, so she brought the bread to the office and shared! A lover of all things chocolate, I break out this recipe whenever the bananas on my counter threaten to go bad. This time around, I just happened to have a pint of plump juicy blueberries on hand just begging for attention.

In Steel Magnolias Clairee Belcher asks Truvy Jones for her recipe for Cuppa, Cuppa, Cuppa. Clairee responds after hearing the ingredients with, 'sounds awfully rich'. Truvy says, 'it is, so I serve it over ice cream to cut the sweetness'. This chocolate banana blueberry bread, it's rich, so I serve it warm with butter, you know, to cut the richness!

The recipe calls for a cup of mini chocolate chips, which I don't keep on hand. I use Scharffen Berger bars in 62% Cacao Semisweet and 70% Cacao Bittersweet for my 'everyday' baking. For this bread, I chopped up just over a 1/2 cup of a 62% cacao bar.

I prefer making mini loaves, which make a perfect snack! I wrap the cute little loaves in plastic wrap. By the next morning the powdered sugar has soaked in and the bread is moist and the flavors of fruit and chocolate have become one with each other!

Next time you've got a few bananas on the counter turning brown, don't throw them out, instead, make luscious little loaves of chocolate banana blueberry bread. I promise, you won't be sorry.

Chocolate Banana Bread (With Blueberries)

2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Droste's Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
1 Heaping Cup Mashed Ripe Bananas (About 3)
1 Cup Fresh Blueberries
1 Cup Mini-Chocolate Chips or Chopped Chocolate

Note: If you want to make this without the blueberries, use 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas.

Preheat oven to 325.

Generously grease and dust loaf pans with cocoa powder.

Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl, at medium speed, beat sugar, oil, and eggs until well blended. Add bananas and beat until well blended.

At low speed, beat in flour mixture just until blended.

Stir in chocolate chips and blueberries.

Fill mini loaf pans 2/3 full and larger loaf pans 1/2 full. If you aren't using the Mini Petite Loaf Pan (or something similar), place the pans on a cookie sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm with butter!

To store, wrap in plastic wrap.

Note: The recipe makes enough batter for six mini loaf pans and three 6 x 3 x 2 foil pans OR thirteen mini loaf's using this Mini Petite Loaf Pan.

Chocolate That Really Cures PMS

Jamieson PMS Support is a collection of 15 premium soy crisp chocolate bars that are infused with natural botanicals to help relieve both the physical and emotional symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). It contains a blend of white willow bark, sodium caseinate, artichoke leaf and chasteberry -- natural source ingredients that work together to relieve menstrual pain, bloating and irritability.

The really important question is -- Do they taste good?

[via Jamieson Laboratories - Health News]

Thyme To Eat Local

Tonight's dinner started out as a craving. I've been thinking about those cute little potatoes from the Farmer's Market and how good they would be roasted in a little butter. I was also thinking, I have pizza crust that needs baked. While potatoes on pizza sounds promising, I don't think my usual thin crust pizza can handle the weight. It's definitely an idea that's getting filed away. While making dinner, I remembered that I'd seen a sign at the Farmer's Market this weekend advertising an Eat Local Challenge. A trip over to there website revels that...

In honor of National Farmers’ Market Week (August 5 - 11), we are looking for members of the Bloomington-Normal community who will pledge to eat at least one meal composed of Illinois-grown food during the month of August.

Sounds easy, 1 day in a 31! I can handle that, even if the month is almost half over. I know there's bloggers out there that do this more often. So, as a challenge to myself, I'm going to try do it once a week, until the Farmer's Market closes in October.

The main ingredients in tonight's meal were all local. I say main ingredients because, well, while I enjoy eating good, local food, I haven't ventured into grinding my own grains. I also used a bit of fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, while the cheese wasn't made locally, I did by it from a local merchant here in town!

I started out by washing and cutting the cute little potatoes into bite size morsels. I can't remember the variety, but they have a taste that puts Yukon Gold's to shame and they are the size of new red potatoes. They went into a oval crook with about 2 tablespoons of organic salted butter, a few pumps of cracked peppercorns, a hearty amount of dried thyme, and a dash of dried basil. Since the stone was heating in the oven, these little beauties went into the toaster oven on 450. Don't forget to toss them every 10 minutes. They're ready when fork tender, about 25 minutes later.

While the potatoes where cooking I rolled out the pizza dough. It's a variation of the pizza crust I've still been trying to perfect. I'm now making the pizza's individual sized, so everyone gets crust pieces! Pizza though, is a shiny object, so let's get back to the dough. Once the dough is rolled out paper thin, I brushed it with about a tablespoon of that organic butter I mentioned earlier and poked it with a fork, because I don't yet have one of these cool gadgets. After I grated a thin layer of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, I slide it onto a stone in a 500 degree oven. About 3 minutes later I pulled it out and topped it with a dash of olive oil, dried thyme, basil, and grated brick cheese from Ropp Jersey Cheese. It's is another shiny object, but one I haven't gotten the chance to talk about yet. So, while the potatoes are roasting a bit longer, let me tell you about them. I found them at the Farmer's Market this year, a little stand just off the corner. It was love at first bite. It's the best cheese I've ever eaten, made right here in Central Illinois! Amazing cheddars -- Tomato Basil Garlic, Pizza, Dill, Bacon, Garlic!! They have both yellow and white, though I prefer the white. They also have amazing cheese curds! I was thrilled last week when Ken Ropp, along with his family, made a surprise appearance at my Italian Cooking class (offered at Vrooman Mansion - I hear a website is coming soon). What a treat, he brought fresh made ricotta cheese! I don't think I'll ever want to eat another ricotta. I look forward to trying a new cheese every time I visit the market!

It's about time to toss the potatoes one last time, put steak to cast iron, and slide the pizza back into the oven! The steak was a Flat Iron Steak from Heartland Meats. I cooked it for about 5 - 7 minutes is a searing hot cast iron skillet with about 1 - 2 teaspoons of organic coconut oil. The steak was seasoned with dried thyme and Lawry's, and cooked to a tender, juicy, medium rare. I pulled the pizza from the oven just before the steak was done. After plating the steak I heaped the potatoes on the side, making sure to pour the extra butter and seasoning on top of the steak. The breadstick-like slices of the pizza fit nicely on the side and are a fun break from a traditional 'steak and potatoes' texas toast style garlic bread. The combination of sweet, strong brick and robust Parmigiano-Reggiano against herbs and a crunchy crust pairs superbly with the tender potatoes and juicy meat. The whole plate gets topped with crushed peppercorn and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Since I had a bottle of wine already open, I couldn't resist having a glass with dinner. In fact, I'm having a second glass as I write this! It's a lovely blush wine made right here in Illinois. Pink Catawba is from Peasant Hollow Winery in Whittington, Illinois. It's a semi-sweet wine made from the pink catawba grape.

Tonight's dinner hit the spot, was ready in less then an hour, and was made as locally as it gets (for me)! I can't think of a better combination to end a hot summer day away from work. Now, don't be lazy, if you're from these parts, won't you join me in the Eat Local Challenge? Come on, who's up for it? Leave a comment and let me know what local treats you've been eating!

I just can't leave without mentioning the Vic Firth Salt and Pepper Mills in the picture at the top. I've been pheaning over these for years, and finally found them on sale! I love them, and I love the fact that they can be used one handed, so you can stir with the other!! They are filled with salt sea from Common Ground and Black Peppercorns from World Market.

Roller Coasters & Shopping, Oh My?!

My first impression of this is, 'Wow, what a cool way to shop!". Alas, the novelty wears off before the video is even over. What if you only need to run into the store for some Diet Coke, which you should always have on hand. Or what it it takes you longer to decide what brand or size of dried noodles to buy then the coaster allows? Does this ride have a brake? These decisions are important, I can't be made to decide in a split second while moving! I would end up riding the coaster round the store 8 times for 6 items because even when I bring an organized list I forgot to actually pick up the item and put it in my cart.

I think I'll stick to tradition and use my feet to get around the grocery store. My trips these days tend to keep me mostly out of the aisles and around the edges of the store anyway.

[video via Boing Boing]

The Central Illinois Life

How refreshing to see another blog in Central Illinois that talks about food! It's even more refreshing that this blog is from a friend of mine! If you're looking for something to do off of the beaten path or wanting to find a interesting place to eat with friends or family, head over to Central Illinois Life and see where Henny Penny has been hanging out!

That's cooking...

"You have to understand what a recipe wants to achieve in order to fit your ingredients and your tastes. That's cooking." - From 'An Obsession with Food

What a great post from Derrick over at An Obsession with Food. Go there. Go now and check it out!!

'Good' Wine Increases Food Consumption by 12%

Check out this PsyBlog post of the effects of 'good' wine and eating!

Mutato

Check out the Mutato Project! What a fun thing to do at the Farmer's Market!! Maybe I'll take the camera this week!

It's Love!!

... and it will be here, in MY kitchen on or before July 11. I can't wait to see what adventures we have together!

Pizza Dough?
Italian Meringue Buttercream?
Pastries?
Cakes?
Breads?

I simply can't wait!

I've wanted a Kitchen Aid Mixer since college. For me it's been this hefty goal, a pie in the sky (ha!), untouchable, unreachable, dream. After reading everyone else's blogs for the last year, I realized that maybe it wasn't such an unreachable goal. Maybe I too could own one! I started looking around on eBay, and to my surprise, found that people were selling BRAND NEW mixers starting at NO RESERVE. I waited until the color I wanted showed up. The rest, well, I imagine it's the start of a beautiful friendship.

Route 66 Rummage Sales

We spent the day shopping along 90 miles of rummage sales, otherwise known as the IL Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor. We left at 8:00 AM with a set amount of money and came home at 4:30 PM with $2.00. What a way to spend a Spring Day!

The first big kitchen score of the day is the pressure cooker I found in Lexington, IL. It's a Mirro-Matic 4 Quart pressure cooker. eBay is selling them for $10.00 - $15.00, this one was only a $1!! I mentioned to the lady selling the cooker that I'd never used one, but was looking forward to testing it out. To my astonishment, she went in the house and brought out her recipes for the cooker and gave them to me!! I'm looking forward to making the Country Style Potatoes!

Another good find were the Vintage Star Wars and Smurfs glasses from Burger King. I loved the Smurfs as a child and was tickled to find Baker Smurf and Smurfette. The 1977 Star Wars glasses were only $0.25.

I think that one of my favorite purchases was the umbrella for the patio, only $5.00!! I can't wait to test it out this month! The other glasses in this photo will be making another appearance here soon. I've got a drink I want to share now that I have pretty glasses to show it off!

Towards the end of the day, I talked this iron skillet down to $5.00. It doesn't even look used, but I can fix that! The small skillet was in a Free Box. It's a Hammercraft 6 1/4 Inch Skillet. I can't find a date yet, but I'm thinking it's at least 50 - 60 + years old. Anybody know?

I loved playing Lego's as a kid. I remember spending time in the toy room with my little brother building houses. These Lego's will be a great addition to the set and they were only $0.50! We also got a Bionicle Lego set.

A crossbow for $5.00. Next step.... arrows. He's looking forward to testing this out!

Rummage, garage, yard, parks, sidewalks.... sales everywhere! By the end of the day I was even getting better at haggling over price!!! Check out a few more of our good deals!!

Pizza - Quest For The Perfect Crust

For at least the last year, if not longer, I've been trying to perfect the perfect pizza crust. My inspiration, you ask? Lucca Grill, home to Central Illinois' 1st Pizza, they have been making them since 1936.

My quest started simple, I wanted to make a good pizza at home. Not only a good pizza, but one with the perfect, thin, flaky, crispy crust. After a couple attempts, I quickly ruled out the store bought, pre-made crusts. Next on my list was the store-bought mixes. I put in a valiant effort, mixing, and tweaking along the way. With no luck, I moved to the Internet, trying various recipes. I was getting closer, but the crust always turned out to thick, to bready (is that a word?).

Last fall I was at a book fair and stumbled upon an Italian cookbook. I didn't really need another cookbook, but who can resist pouring over pages and pages of delectable food. In my world, a cookbook is like a good novel, it should be read cover to cover. I didn't hesitate to purchase Williams-Sonoma Italian Favorites. Today, ot's selling for $18.21 on Amazon. The book fair I was at had it for $11.99, but I would pay full price, it's worth it's weight in pizza crust! The book has a section on Basic Recipes & Techniques, and the recipes in the book all build on these. It was page 319 that had my attention, a recipe for Milk Pizza Crust:

This soft, butter-enriched dough produces a then, crisp crust that compliments sweet toppings.

All of the recipes that used this crust were for dessert pizza, but I was determined to make this crust work for a traditional pizza. For my first attempt, I followed the recipe, a rarity for me, but I wanted to know what I was working with before I started to change things! While the crust turned out good, my best attempt to date, it was still to dense. The best part about this crust is that it doesn't require time to rise.

For my next attempt I split the dough in two. Finally, I had the thin, flaky crust I'd been dreaming of. Next up, can I get the crust to remind me of Lucca's? Their crust has a distinct cheesy flavor. After maybe a dozen attempts at different cheese combinations, with adjustments to the original ingredients to make up for the addition of cheese, I finally found the winning combination. Last weekend, I felt like my quest was over. Without further ado, here's what I've come up with!

Milk Pizza Crust
2 1/4 Cups Bread Flour
3/4 to 1 Cup Milk
5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature, Cut Into Cubes)
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
Parmigiano-Reggiano (100 Strokes with Rasp Shredder)
Asiago (50 Strokes with Rasp Shredder)

Note: Next time I make the crust, I'll measure the cheese and update!

Combine Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, and Cheeses.
Add Butter, ensuring it's coated with flour mixture.
Add Milk, reserving about a 1/4 Cup, and stir with fork until a soft dough forms.
Finish mixing dough with hands, using the reserved milk if needed and shape into 2 balls!
Turn out 1 of the dough balls onto a lightly floured surface.
Roll out into a thin crust, flipping occasionally as you go.
The dough should be slightly thinner in the middle then the edge.
Move dough to a pizza paddle, dusted with corm meal.
Top dough and bake in a 500° F oven for approximately 5 minutes.

Note: If you aren't making a second pizza, the extra dough can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated. It will only last 1 day in the fridge, so you may want to cut the recipe in 1/2 if you don't need 2 pizza's! I haven't tried freezing the extra dough yet, but I'm going to try it next time.



Topping Your Pizza
At this point, you can top the pizza with your favorite ingredients and bake. I prefer pepperoni, but have been known to top pizza's with anything from chicken and garlic to ham and pineapple.
I always cook the pepperoni before I put it on my pizza. It cuts down and the greasy factor and you get crispy pepperoni to compliment the crust.

Once the crust is on the paddle, I brush with olive oil and Italian herbs. Next comes a thin layer of cheese. Pictured is provolone, but a thin layer of shredded parmigiano-reggiano works just a good. This adds flavor to the pizza and puts a layer between the crust and sauce, making for a crispier crust! Sauce (a thin layer for me, thank you!) goes next and then mozzarella cheese and more parmigiano-reggiano. Last, but certainly not least, the cooked pepperoni.

Finally, the pizza is ready for the oven. I heat my pizza stone at 500° F for 60 minutes, which is about how long it takes to to make the dough and put the pizza together! The oven should be super hot at this point. I can always tell here at home because the smoke detector goes off (it doesn't matter if the oven is clean or dirty, that little smoke detector is sensitive). About 5 minutes on the stone and the pizza is ready to eat, which is of course, the best part!

Wondering When Strawberries Will Be In Season?!

Here in Illinois, it's May and June. Yum, strawberries, pick your own or get them at the Farmer's Market!

To find out when your favorite fruits and veggies are in season, check out this fun chart.