she craves

Reason to Give A Shit About What You Eat #8 - EGGS

When it comes to food production, animal welfare is our welfare. There, I said it. And yeah, I buy local free-range eggs from a local person. If I had a backyard, I'd raise my own. Call me a hippie, but at least I'm not throwing the dice with rotting chicken carcasses, chicken shit, and salmonella. 

Don't believe me? Read some startling revelations here from one of my favorite liberal-biased news sources. 

The Perfect Poach According to Bon Appetit Magazine

Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se acclaim offers up one way for the Perfect Poached Egg. And for the love of God, do not hard boil the yolk. If you do, Thomas Keller will come to your house and sucker punch you. True story.

Chocolate Can Keep You Slim? Duh. Slim and Happy.

[I use A LOT of chocolate. To put into recipes. And to stuff into my face. Above, chopped dark goodness for a drinking chocolate recipe. 

Gotta love an article that begins: "People who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner, new research suggests." At least, so reports this piece on BBCnews.com.

First, it's good for your heart. Now it might be that cathecins (also found in that magical magical green tea) in dark chocolate can help promote lean muscle mass as opposed to weight gain normally associated with higher calorie food like chocolate.

Just goes to show - eat for pleasure. Savor the damn things. And if it makes you feel good, then don't stress about it. Save that anxiety for when you've polished off an entire bag of Dove chocolates by your lonesome, because a.) That's a lot of chocolate, b.) The chocolate was most likely crap, and c.) ew, Dove? Really?!?

Chestnuts. Pain in the Ass No More?

I love chestnuts. But they are finicky little bastards in the kitchen. Even if you just roast them whole and take to them with a nutcracker and an iron will, you're gonna earn your seasonal snack out of sheer effort and dogged determination. 

And then to cook them, extract them from the shells to make a puree? I head for the ready-made variety. Though with this piece from the NY Times has me wondering if I do in fact might have the wherewithal to take a crack at it (pun entirely intended). 

What do you think?

Wise Words for Thanksgiving: "Just Put the F*cking Turkey in The Oven"

I love this woman. Take heed to her wise words. Just relax. And make sure you pour yourself a glass of Chardonnay or Pinot Noir when you pour for your friends. Happy Turkey Day, all!

Know Thy Beekeeper

Buyer beware. This cuddly little guy may be hiding a dirty little secret from the honey "industry." The golden stuff so filtered and processed it lacks the pollen particles that vital to make it. That means the millions of folks who buy honey from supermarkets thinking they're getting help from allgergies and all the beneficial properties of honey are getting nothing but a large spoonful of processed sugar.

More filtration means dminished quality. More cost to us, the consumers. Check out this article for the complete lowdown and a list of honeys who failed to actually provide, well, honey.

The only foolproof way to ensure you're getting the real deal:  Know thy (and love) thy beekeeper.

I Like to Smell Good.

Bon Appetit Daily - the magazine's blog posted about this Brooklyn company called I HATE PERFUME and their atypical fragrances. I'm a total fragrance geek and I love perfume, but I'm also slightly warped enough to be intrigued by the scent of Roast Beef. I would totally eat, er, smell like that. Read more here.

#121 On The Bucket List

[photo: Joachim Ladefoged for The New York Times]

#121:  Eat at Noma. Meet this guy, Rene Redzepi. Swoon. 

Local Food, Very American

Mark Bittman. New York Times columnist. Food expert. Food lover. And all around bad ass. The latest reason? An opinion piece on why local food is NOT elitest. 

FYI: Elmo's Favorite Food ...

Watch the full episode. See more Independent Lens.

This answer will surprise you. But it makes total sense.

My Current Kitchen Soundtrack: Beirut, "Forks and Knives"

Usually, I like to post what I'm listening to while I'm in the kitchen - cooking, eating, alone, en masse, laughing, being pissed off, etc. In the right column of the page is something called KITCHEN SOUNDTRACK. With all due respect to Mr. Reinhardt, I've always had room on my playlist for Zach Condon and his work in Beirut. And this is one of my favorites, not least of which is because of the song's title.

It's the soundtrack for a slapdash cooking session or a casual meal when the sun is out and you are in the midst of a happy spell. I'm still waiting for someone to create a wonderful song entitled "Three-Pronged Fork," because it's one of my favorite things on earth.

Until then, this will suffice.

WTF? - Bucklin's Old Hill Ranch Errantly Sprayed with Neighbor's Herbicides, Loses Organic Status

 

If you thought organic farming was doable, this should make you worry. If you always root for the little guy, you should be downright pissed. If love Will Bucklin, (as I do) this should make you mad. If you love his wine, (I really really do) this should infuriate you.

How does this happen to one of the few wine producers in this country who actually does it right from soil to wine? I could call the state a bunch of inept morons. But really, "ass-hat" is the only appropriate term. They don't even deserve "-hole" in this case.

A Bit of Beauty: "How to Be Alone"

A bit of beauty for the week, especially for those feeling alone or unconnected. And for my fellow food-lovers, pay special attention to the bliss described between 0:55-1:26. We should all do this more often and be more than okay with it. [Many thanks to RhymesWithSpoon. You are strong and beautiful more than you know.]

"Man v. Food" Lands in Salt Lake City

The Travel Channel's food adventurer landed pretty close to home recently. Adam Richman apparently made a stop in Zion and mercifully avoided anything have to do with Jell-O and concentrated instead on some more savory and belly-filling offerings.

Local places of interest:

1.) Bruges Waffles & Frites - Can't say I'm a fan of their waffles, but their frites are hands down irresistible. Though from what I understsand, on Adam's menu is The Machine Gun sandwich, a gut-busting spicy merguez lamb sausage slathered with spicy mayo and topped with - you guessed it - frites.

2.) He pits that against Crown Burger's signature Crown Burger. By the sounds of it, it's a double, not a single that he'll sample and compare to the machine gun. Personally, I'd take either one, though the Crown Burger has always been fast and reliable while the Bruges joint tends to take their sweet ass time.

3.) Kobe Sushi - A little known sushi joint in the city's suburbs where they serve something called Hellfire Spicy sushi. The clip above shows what Richman is up against. I'd heard about the tuna topped sushi, but haven't had the balls or the will to drive out there to try it.

Will this compel? Well, like you, I'm gonna have to watch and find out.

Man v. Food: Salt Lake City, UT

Wednesday July 7th at 9:00 E/P on the Travel Channel

See, we've got more food than you think. Just so you know, Richman is barely scratching the surface in terms of what this city has to offer ...

Bake Sale. For Real.

Yes, America. I'm subjecting you to my baking trials -- all in the name of a good cause. Luckily, though, I've been beefing up on my skills and am happy to report that I am capable of delicious baked goods, thank you very much. And I'll be contributing for this very special occasion.

Across the country, food bloggers are hosting bake sales for Share Our Strength in a campaign to end child hunger. How could anyone argue with any of this? Food blogs. Awesome. Bake sales. Delicious. A non-profit out to end hunger. Saintly. Specifically, the type of hunger that makes little kids' bellies grumble and prevents them from paying attention to what teacher has to say in class? Why the hell not?!

In my neck of the woods, Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod has set up a fantastic line-up:

Tiffany from Food Finery- http://foodfinery.blogspot.com/
Barbara from Barbara Bakes- http://www.barbarabakes.com/
Dara from Cookin Canuck'- http://cookincanuck.blogspot.com/
Becky from Vintage Mixer- http://vintagemixer.blogspot.com/
Krista from The Double Dipped Life: http://doubledippedlife.blogspot.com/
Frieda from Frieda Loves Bread- http://friedalovesbread.blogspot.com/
Cristie from The Table Runner- http://www.thetablerunner.com/
Gabi from The Feast Within: http://www.thefeastwithin.com/
Alicia from the Kitchenista: http://www.kitchenista.org/
Laura from Rather Be Baking: http://ratherbebaking.com/
Ginny-she doesn't have a blog, but is baking amazing cakes for the sale:)
Koo De Ker: http://tinyurl.com/yfwb29h
Sweet Tooth Fairy Bakery: http://www.thesweettoothfairy.com/

Here's the skinny. If you're in Salt Lake City, stop by at Dan’s Market  on Foothill Boulevard (1360 South), or our southerly neighbors can scope out Shirley J’s (15 East 400 South) in Orem on Saturday, April 17th, from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.  Peruse the fine selection of outrageously good goodies.

Basically, you eat to help prevent hunger. Brilliant.

In addition to mouth-watering cookies, cupcakes and the made-from-scratch-lot (we are a state that LOVES our sweet things), this ol' blog will offer up Mini Banana Rum Coconut Bread.

If you can't stop by to try a taste, the recipe will be up this weekend. A great weekend project, especially if you've got some forgotten bananas mummifying in a fruit bowl somewhere.