Toluu

Ultimate Foodie

Rachel Ray to be immortalized nude in paprika and oilsYesterday

Rachel Ray to be immortalized....

One of my favorite foodie publications is “Grub Street“  the foodie column/blog at New York Magazine. They made my otherwise stressed out afternoon with this headline that I could nor resist posting

• Artist Alex Gardega is planning to paint a nude portrait of Rachael Ray using paprika and oils. Gardega finds Ray “charming and sexy.”

God Bless America!

But really… if you have to immortalize a nude foodie in “oils and paprika,”  I’d start with Nigella, Padma and Giada and definitely use some Cayenne…or maybe curry powder

NOTE: Karen… I am sooo sorry I bumped your awesome post on “Cooking for One” with this crap… but it’s a foodie culture thing… I could

Table for one. . .Yesterday

We all have to do it from time to time. A lunch alone. Dinner by yourself.  Whether you are single, dating, married, have a ton of kids with activities hither and yon, empty nesters…every once in awhile you have a meal alone.

So what do you eat?

Most people I know will high tail it to the closest drive through or chinese take out or make that somber pilgrimage into a restaurant for a table for one, but frankly if you have to do it on a regular basis that’s hard on the budget, the arteries and the waistline. Lord knows I’ve done my share of staring blankly at a pantry of stuff when it’s only a meal for myself bemoaning the fact there’s nothing to eat and grouchily settling on oatmeal with an ice cream chaser. (Yes, it ain’t pretty! No, I’m not doing that any more.) It’s not any fun.

Better solution…cooking for one.

If you flip through a modern cook book, a lot of recipes are for 4-6 people and make a ton of food, which is fine if you have other people to help with the leftovers. But if you’re just looking for an entree and a side for one, you don’t need to toss the cookbook in a pique of dining rage. You just need to find something that will work. Look for recipes that are made in a single skillet and are easily divided. Check out the appetizers and party food sections for things that are easily made in small amounts. If you are lucky enough to have a cookbook from the 50s, look for a section specifically for dining for two

UF Review - Vermont Smoke and Cure MeatsJanuary 2

Meat lovers paradise - Vermont Smoke and Cure

I’m sorry it’s taken me a while to get to this, but their product is worth a review.

A while back I received a “cold pack” in the mail from the fine folks at Vermont Smoke and Cure. I had only once received “Meat by Mail” so I was curious to see what hey had to offer - they sent me a sample pack with some awesome products to try out including ham steaks, thick sliced Vermont Maple Brined, Corn Cob and Maple Smoked Bacon, Summer Sausage and Smoked Pepperoni.

My faves were the pepperoni and the bacon. I have been suffering through turkey bacon hell for the past year as the wife and I are watching the weight, and I am here to tell you that breaking my (pork) bacon fast with the Vermont Smoke and Cure Bacon was just the ticket. I actually made a real breakfast with eggs and bacon, I made a Corn Chowder that was to die for. It flat out rocked with a perfect bit of sweetness from the maple brining and the corn cobs.

The Smoked Pepperoni was spicey, smokey and delicious and was awesome on it’s own a

What is your foodie pet peeve?January 2

So - you have just spent the last 30 - 60 minutes cranking out some awesome grub that you have seasoned perfectly (and tasted to make sure.) You plate it up artfully and bring it out and place it in front of your guests… and the first thing that they do is attack your pride and joy with the salt and pepper - assuming it needs it? (without even a taste first)

ARGHHHH!

What is your foodie pet peeve? Please discuss below.

My favorite gift so far - Rachel Ray Yum-o Family CookbookDecember 26 2008

Yum-O Family Cookbook

Lots of people bag on Rachel Ray (my anti-hero Tony Bourdain included) but I think she has done something that advanced the cause of eating well and bringing family into the kitchen more than most with her “30 Minute Meals” show on FoodTV and her cookbooks. She has shown people that making really tasty home made food doesn’t have to be an “hours of sweating over a hot stove” production.

As a father of 2 (and my 7 yo daughter is my kitchen shadow) I am stoked to have pulled Yum-o! The Family Cookbook out of my stocking yesterday. This book doesn’t get too complex with the flavors and keeps the r