Content
We consider ourselves very lucky to have been given the opportunity to review the new cookbook, The New Jewish Table, by Todd and Ellen Kassoff Gray of Washington, DC's Equinox Restaurant, While the internet provides us with thousands of recipes just by using a few keystrokes, it cannot replace the touch and the feel of a cookbook especially one with gorgeous pictures of the featured dishes.Every
Each year, we all do our best to spoil our Moms on the day named just for her. We lay plans to let her sleep late and make her breakfast in bed. This year, why not go a step further and plan a brunch for the whole family replete with breakfast and lunchtime favorites accompanied by cocktails to compliment the offerings.If you’re new to planning a brunch and would like to make your own this weekend
The traditional Mexican version of this ancient beverage is made with rice. It is always spiced with cinnamon sweetened and often flavored with lime. This drink can be found in most Mexican restaurants and is often sold by street vendors in Mexico City. There are many tasty variations to the recipe, but they all come back to the same basic premise of a creamy, yet light drink that goes down
This post was originally written for inclusion on the Virginia-Highland Civic Association website on May 1, 2013:Tucked away behind some of the neighborhood’s more raucous eating establishments is one of Virginia-Highland’s hidden jewels, Pozolé Restaurant. This family friendly eatery is named after a Mexican specialty made with hominy (alkali-treated corn) and is served on special occasions. “Par
This post was originally written for inclusion on the Virginia-Highland Civic Association website on April 17, 2013:Spring in Georgia brings with it the highly anticipated Vidalia® Onion season. Named as the official State vegetable in 1990, the Vidalia onion is a sweet onion of hybridized Granex parentage (or other similar varieties). Only onions grown in a production area defined by Georgia and
Variety is indeed the spice of life. However, having spices in your cabinet that you will never use is a waste of money and precious space. Pretty sets with fancy containers are nice, but will you ever really use caraway, chervil or mace? It is best to start out with herbs and spices that you are familiar with and will use. These are the herbs and spices* we find indispensable:Allspice - Mainly us
With summer clothes already hanging in shops, those of us carrying more than we’d like around the middle, will likely pass over skimpy seasonal dresses in favor of over-sized shorts and shirts. The health complications associated with being overweight include cancer, heart disease, infertility and type 2 diabetes making this the perfect time to start thinking about eating a healthy foods
All good things must come to an end… We must say that this is the best contest we have ever hosted! We were wonderfully impressed with all the recipes you all uncovered in our contest challenge. In fact, we were inspired to cook one of the recipes from the Cooking Planit collection. We had a big container of cashews from Costco in the pantry (which we can highly recommend) and the broccoli looks a
Traditionally the practice of eating Easter bread or sweetened "communion" bread traces its origin back to Byzantium and the Orthodox Christian church. The recipe for sweetened or "honey-leavened" bread may date back as far as the Homeric Greek period based on anecdotal evidence from classical texts that mention this type of special food. Bread has long played an important role in religious ceremo
There is an endless array of doodads and hoohaws designed to help with every imaginable kitchen task: strawberry hullers, lemon squeezers, and avocado slicers are among the plethora. If you cannot resist the urge to buy an assortment, try a discount store like Dollar Tree; that way you will not spend a fortune on gizmos you will rarely (if ever) use. This is also a good way to research different t
In putting together our series on College Cooking, it has become clear that it is not just beginning cooks that sometimes feel intimidated about cooking. Planning and orchestrating a meal is not as easy as it looks on those cooking shows with the insanely happy hosts. While we have attempted to make our blog posts easy to follow, it can still be difficult to coordinate an entire meal.Enter Cooking
You have the equipment needed to cook; now you need something to cook your food in (or on). When Dom and I were starting out in our first kitchen, we were given a complete set of Corning “Visions” cookware. We used them until we could replace each piece with a higher grade piece (All-Clad, Le Creuset, Calphalon). Since most college students are on a budget, consider a visit to your local thrift sh
This post was originally written for inclusion on the Virginia-Highland Civic Association website on March 15, 2013:With St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, you may be looking for somewhere to “get your Irish on” and there is no better place than Atlanta’s oldest Irish bar, Limerick Junction. This genuine Irish pub has been a corner stone of the Virginia-Highland restaurant scene having opened its doo
There are hundreds of devices and machines to aid in cooking. When you are just starting out, there is no reason to have one of each! Most college cooks have no need for a Sous vide machine, pressure cooker or Panini press. The following is a prioritized list of small appliances from most useful and versatile to those that are nice to have but not necessary. Please understand that this list
Photo by Emily WilsonHow would you like a chance to win an awesome spice set (valued at $100) that includes 26 of the most commonly used spices? Now, how would you like 50 chances to win? This awesome giveaway is being sponsored by the great people at Cooking Planit. They've given us and 49 other foodie, mommy and techie bloggers spice sets to give away to their readers in any way that they would
Moments after you receive your college acceptance letter(s), you start planning for the big move to campus. You start the shopping list: towels; extra-long twin sheets; coffee maker; hot pot; toaster oven; microwave; but, do you really need these items?Many colleges and universities require freshman students to live on campus which typically means living in a dorm room and eating in the dining hal
The Buick Discovery Tour, featuring Celebrity Chef Michael Psilakis rolled into St. Regis in Atlanta offering locals the opportunity to mingle with celebrity chefs, attend cooking demonstrations, participate in a wine tasting and get a first-hand look at the latest Buick luxury lineup. Buick, in partnership with FOOD & WINE magazine, gave Atlantans the chance to “discover” gourmet cuisine, fin
Welsh cakes, also known as "bakestones" (Pice ar y maen in Welsh) because they are traditionally cooked on a bakestone (a maen in Welsh) which is a cast iron griddle about ½-inch thick. These scone-like cakes resemble crumpets and are about 2 inches in diameter and about half an inch thick. Welsh cakes are usually dusted with sugar, and served hot or cold. They are a common treat eaten on St. Davi
For the last few weeks, everyone in our house has suffered from a cold. All of us in various stages of sniffling, sneezing, coughing… you get the picture. So following the old "BRAT" rule, we have been consuming quite a bit of bananas, rice, apples and tea. Which for a day or two is fine, but you can only eat so much plain rice and applesauce before you long for something with some flavor and subs
While the word “lent” actually comes from the Old English word: lencten meaning “springtime,” the term most commonly refers to the 40-day fast in penitential preparation for Easter which has been observed by many Christians since apostolic times. This time of fasting and alms giving is meant to remind the faithful of Christ’s fasting in the dessert. Traditional Lenten rules stipulated that only on
This post was originally written for inclusion on the Virginia-Highland Civic Association website on February 13, 2013:Valentine’s Day always conjures images of roses and chocolates. The Valentine’s Day gifts of our youth were usually foil-wrapped, milk chocolate cones produced by The Hershey Company. Today chocolate is as widely varied as wine, micro-brewed beers or designer olive oil from covete
It is a chilly, dreary morning and a warm Dutch Baby will be just the thing to serve for breakfast! This sweet German-style pancake is similar to Yorkshire pudding and is best served with lemon and confectioner's sugar. The name is derived from the German word pfannkuchen (pfanne and kuchen meaning "pan" and "cake"). In Southwest Germany, sliced pancake strips (flädle) are often served in so
Steaming is a wet cooking method that transfers heat to food via conduction, (i.e. from direct contact with the water vapor,) and convection, (i.e. from the upward motion of the water vapor.) Steaming is a highly effective method of transferring energy. Steaming doesn't leach away nutrients like immersion methods do since the food is not surrounded by roiling liquid. St
Excerpted from the post originally appearing on the Virginia-Highland Civic Association website on January 16, 2013 :Many people do not know that the term Mardi Gras actually means “Fat Tuesday.” Fat Tuesday is the last day of the Carnival season that begins January 6th which is the twelfth day after Christmas, (yes, like in the song). Fat Tuesday is the last opportunity to celebrate before Lent w
Many people assume that because we cook and write about food that we are food snobs. Sometimes we are asked “Do you eat like this all the time?” Like what? Yes, we cook and eat at home, but not every dish or meal that we serve is chichi. Cooking at home is more about creating an environment that keeps everyone coming back for more than pretentious dining. Simple roasted cauliflower or a quick toma
Deglazing is the technique of dissolving the caramelized tidbits of seared foods is dissolved with a liquid in order to make a “pan sauce,” which will maximize the flavor of the finished dish. Most often the seared item is meat, but it could also be vegetables, either as a main dish or as a building block of another dish.Deglazing can be done with any liquid. Alcohol or stock is most frequently us
It only seems appropriate that this we post this on New Year's Eve. Even though toast is found on our table at breakfast, lunch or dinner, toast is a typically considered to be a breakfast food. Sliced bread is browned by exposure to dry heat ("toasted"). This browning reaction is a form of the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread, making it more pleasant to eat for some, allowing for butte
Most of you know that we adulate the DeKalb Farmer’s Market. The huge market opened its 140,000-square-foot Decatur location just a few months before Dom and I met, and it was one of first places we went together when we were dating. As we have reiterated in other posts, we truly enjoy trying and experimenting with new and exotic ingredients and the market offers plenty of opportunities for explor
Growing up in the South, I had never heard of a cookie table. While the concept is easy enough to understand, the exact meaning of the term is harder to grasp until you come face to face with the cookie table itself. With acres of baked treats, it is truly a wonder to behold. These magnificent collections of delicacies are most often seen at weddings, but can also be found at anniversary celebrati
Excerpted from the post originally appearing on the Virginia-Highland Civic Association website on December 14, 2012: The weather in the South has finally turned colder, making it feel like it really is December and the season for celebrating the holidays with friends and family. With everyone’s busy schedules it can be difficult to find a time when everyone can get together. And, l
The weather in Atlanta has been cold and overcast for the last two days. While out running errands, I got quite chilled and a bowl of soup seemed the perfect way to get warm. As luck would have it, I had a gift card* from Panera Bread in my wallet and was a mile away from my neighborhood Panera location.I walked in and was immediately impressed with the décor and the ambiance. I was expecting a lo
My first introduction to opera came as a teenager when all things foreign appeared chic and romantic (especially if they were Italian). Even though I did not speak Italian, in my teenage angst, I could understand every poignant aria of La Boheme. I became obsessed with Italian Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Michelangelo, and Raphael and read Machiavelli’s “The Prince” in an attempt
During each night of Hanukkah, a candle is lit to symbolize the miracle that occurred 21 centuries ago when Jewish troops attempted to purify their Temple after its occupation by their enemies. They believed their Temple had been spiritually defiled by the worship of foreign gods and sacrifices. The troops were determined to cleanse the Temple by burning ritual oil in the Temple’s menorah for eigh
Christmas is the time of traditions and nostalgia. The smell of cinnamon and spruce bring memories of childhood holidays flooding back. Opening the boxes of ornaments is like visiting with friends you haven’t seen for a year. I get a tingle of excitement on cookie day when we put our favorite Christmas music on and break out handwritten cookie recipes along with the collection of holiday cookie cu
Baking is a cooking method which uses dry heat acting by convection over a specified period of time. This is usually achieved in an oven, but can also be accomplished using hot stones, hot coals or even a car radiator. When the desired temperature is reached within the heating instrument, the food is placed inside and baked for a specific amount of time. The dry heat of baking changes the form of
Candy canes have been a traditional part of Christmas for so long that several different origin stories have cropped up around exactly where they were created, why and by whom. One popular story claims that they were invented in Indiana and are linked to Christian religious beliefs, but antique Christmas cards show clearly that candy canes existed well before the state of Indiana did.The most prob
Scalding is a moist-heat cooking method in which liquid or steam is used to help solids, such as sugar, flour, or chocolate, dissolve more easily into the liquid. The technique of scalding can also be used to rapidly heat the exterior of food items without cooking through. Scalding is also used in the poultry industry to make feathers easier to remove prior to processing.The term scalding, however
The dishes are clean and put away, the table linens are in the washing machine and the house seems empty after the controlled chaos that is Thanksgiving. After an early morning of Black Friday bargain hunting and back home for scouring, you have worked up an appetite; it’s time to break out the leftovers [insert eye roll here.]Okay, for some us, the thought of eating more turkey is repugnant, but
Your turkey is perfectly cooked and your guests are assembled. The moment of anticipation has arrived: it's time to carve the bird. Here’s how to do it with little trepidation:First, you will need a carving knife with a sharp, flexible blade designed to follow the contours of the bird. A two-pronged fork will help to steady the turkey. A boning knife is useful for cutting through joints and removi
There are some movies and television shows that transcend the age barrier and have great appeal to parents while entertaining their kids at the same time. The Muppets are at the top of that list. Humorous and smart, Jim Henson’s creations have been engaging audience for over 40 years. “Muppet Treasure Island” starring Tim Curry was released in 1996 and quickly became our favorite Muppet caper espe
This article was written for and originally appeared in the Virginia-Highland Civic Association's e-newsletter, VOICE, on November 13, 2012:The sidewalks come to life each Saturday as neighbors scuttle by with empty shopping bags headed toward the Morningside Farmer’s Market located in the parking lot adjacent to Rosebud on North Highland Avenue. The brainchild of culinary icon Guenter S
Barding is a 19th century technique for wrapping meats in a layer of fat before cooking it. Barding maintains the moisture of the meat while it cooks and helps keep it from overcooking. Barding is only necessary when the meat does not have enough natural fat. Barding tends to be employed when roasting meats, although meats that are to be grilled can also be barded as in the case of small game bird
Our friends at Jenn Cuisine and Creative Culinary have created a blogging event to raise awareness of the relief effort for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Food bloggers from around the country have been asked to create a post sharing a comfort dish; something that we would make for someone in need to help them feel at home. Food brings people together in good times and bad, and this week, you’l
Preserving food by using a combination of salt, nitrates, nitrites or sugar is a technique called curing. Some curing processes also involve smoking for flavoring or cooking. Food curing dates back to ancient times, both in the form of salt-cured meats and smoked meats.Regular table salt is the chief ingredient used in meat curing. By removing water and adding salt to meat, a solute-rich environme
We have all heard the old admonition to drink at least eight glasses of water every day, but few people actually do so. In the summer months, the hot weather serves as a reminder to re-hydrate but in cooler weather we don’t feel as thirsty. Because of this, many people can become mildly dehydrated without not even realizing it.While mild dehydration is not a serious health issue, it can
These little devils make a perfect nosh before and after trick or treating. They also can be made ahead and frozen and then reheated on a busy evening like Halloween (or anytime you get a devilish craving.)Each year, for as long as we can remember, our neighbors Margarette and David have hosted an open house the Sunday before Christmas. The entire neighborhood stops by for warm apple cider and a b
When the term “Devil” is used as a culinary term, it refers to dishes prepared with hot seasonings, usually mustard or cayenne pepper. The word derives from the connection between the devil and the excessive heat in netherworld in which he dwells.In a nineteenth century sketchbook, Washington Irving used the word to describe a highly seasoned dish similar to curry. Deviled dishes were very popular
Yesterday morning before most folks had finished their first cup of coffee, seven stalwartly foodies were seated the Cook’s Warehouse indulging in a delicious repast at the Second Annual Blogger Breakfast hosted by owner Mary Moore; Matthew Hott, Manager of the Ansley Mall location; Wendy Allen, director of The Cook’s Warehouse Cooking School; and, Jim Brams, director of public relations.Chef Jess
