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Git Yer Bacon By: Sheri Wetherell Published: September 5, 2009 Isn't it apropos that the gateway meat has it's own day? And that day is today. So to help you get your pork on we've compiled a list of the piggy-licious, the pork-tastic, and well, some things that just made us snort (and not in a good way)... Bacon Haikus (giggle!) Bacon Salt, the never ending quest to make everything taste like bacon Bacon Cupcakes from Buzz Bakery on Cupcakes Take The Cake Hardening of the arteries via Paula Deen: Lady's Brunch Burger (snort!) The Bacon Show: One bacon recipe per day, every day, forever (bless you, Bacon Show, bless you) Homemade Bacon Vodka The Bacon Cocktail David Lebovitz's Candied Bacon Ice Cream The Bacon Cookbook: More Than 150 Recipes from Around the World for Everyone's Favorite Food Seduced By Bacon: Recipes and Lore about America's Favorite Indulgence Forget that new car smell! Now there's Bacon Air Freshener (snort!) But nothing beats a good old B.L.T Comments: Angelia McGowan I love bacon! Especially the wonderful bacon drippings, it makes things so much better! Alisa Love these links! Ken Wetherell And one more link for the list -- a must have for all you baconnoisseurs! Portland ecommerce startup: www.bacn.com

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Clams With Spanish Sausage By: Sheri Wetherell Published: September 7, 2009 I had images of barbecuing all weekend, kicking it in the sun while languidly listening to the waves lap against the side of our boat, reading my Kindle and favorite food mags. But instead of sun we got rain. Lots of rain. And wind. (Give me a moment to dab my eyes). Mean Mother Nature waylaid those grand plans (can't you go down to the fires in LA where they need you?), and we've been stuck inside like it's already fall. Instead of barbecuing we've been cooking up an International storm indoors. Last night, inspired by his days long ago in Spain, Barnaby created a fabulous forget-about-barbecue meal that made us feel like we were sitting in a Madrid cafe. The day before, we made the picturesque trek over to Taylor Shellfish in Shelton, WA and picked up an assortment of oysters, mussels and clams. On our way home we stopped off Pike Place Market for chanterelle mushrooms and a visit to The Spanish Table for chorizo. Off to our warm and dry shelter for dinner! Barnaby gently sweated some garlic in olive oil then cooked the chanterelles, topping them with freshly chopped parsley. In another pot, he sauteed slices of the smoky, bold chorizo with tender fingerling potatoes. Adding white wine and bay leaves he simmered the clams into a dish known in Spanish as Almejas con Chorizo. The aroma alone was enough to make you want to dance the Flamenco. We served it up with a warm rustic bread, tender green salad, a good Rioja, and even better company. Go to Foodista for the recipe: Comments: dreama This is an outstanding photo of some wonderful looking food!!! yum yum Charles Ravndal Another scrumptious dish! This actually pique my interest in cooking seafood meal again.

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Pork Belly with Wild Huckleberry Sauce By: Melissa Peterman Published: September 8, 2009 This weekend I had the epitome of a "staycation." No plans except to sleep in, cook good food and watch the second season of Mad Men with Mark. On Sunday night we decided to open up a great bottle of syrah and slow cook a pork belly with a homemade huckleberry sauce. We had gone to the Sunday farmers market earlier in the morning and purchased a pint of foraged huckleberries from Christina Choi at Foraged and Found Edibles. The berries were plump and glistening, looking like violet caviar, simply perfect for a thick piece of pork belly. We roasted some golden beets and Ozette potatoes we had purchased from another vendor to add to our pork belly. After searing the pork belly on all sides, I removed it from the heat and set it aside. Next I added 1/4 cup of finely chopped shallots and sauteed them over medium-high heat with a good pinch of salt and pepper. I deglazed with some balsamic vinegar and syrah wine. Next I added 1 cup of wild huckleberries, 1/2 sprig of fresh rosemary, two fresh sage leaves, a fresh oregano sprig, two garlic cloves that were smashed only slightly and a sprinkling of brown sugar. I brought the pan to a simmer and let the sauce work it's magic for a couple minutes. Next I added the seared pork belly back to the sauce, covered it and let it cook at 300 F for almost two hours, turning the pan half way through cooking. Once the meat was more than fork-tender, I removed the pan from the oven and onto a plate. I covered the pork in the sauce and sprinkled on another handful of the uncooked huckleberries for color and a nice tang to balance flavors. The result was rich, juicy and over the top indulgent; absolutely perfect for a weekend all to ourselves. For the whole recipe for Pork Belly with Wild Huckleberry Sauce go here: Can't get enough of pork belly, check out these other recipes: Cucina Rebecca Cook it Simply Wrightfood Comments: Charles Ravndal September 8, 2009 That looks really beautiful and delicious. I should try to make something like that. Can I substitute the pork for chicken for example? thebear Looks great i will have to try it. you can find huckleberries year around at www.nwwildfoods.com. We supply the blue and red huckleberries IQF year around.

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10 Foods to Eat Right Now By: Melissa Peterman Published: September 9, 2009 Thinking of dinner ideas? With autumn just around the corner, it's time to take advantage of fresh and local late summer ingredients at their peak! Here are 10 must-eat foods that are ripe right now with 10 recipes to inspire your next grocery trip. Berries Plums Peaches Melons Green Beans Corn Eggplant Celery Root Tomatoes Zucchini Need More Inspiration to Take Advantage of Fresh Ingredients? The Splendid Table Greg Atkinson's Apple Pie The Break Away Cook Comments: Charles Ravndal September 14, 2009 Blueberry creme muffins are my fave!!! When it comes to eggplants I do grill them and turned them into omelettes! sanjay singh i am doing business of snacks and dry foods like, almond , cashewnuts,peanuts.i need your help .

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Veggie Beef Tahini Pita By: Sheri Wetherell Published: September 14, 2009 Most people say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Barnaby apparently thought it was the other way around as he's been feeding me delicious meal after meal for nearly nine years. Not that I would have packed it up and headed out if he didn't feed me so well, for he had me at "paella" (the first dish he cooked for me). One of the first I'll-throw-something-together dinners he made me on a rainy Friday evening was this beef filled pita with lemony tahini, tomatoes, avocado and sprouts. An oh so tasty sandwich that combines the flavors of the Middle East with a bit of Berkeley (I always associate sprouts with the famous hippie city!), all wrapped up in a whole wheat pita. Great with an ice cold beer. It's o Click below for the full recipe: Comments: heather September 14, 2009 I would LOVE this! yum! Karen Look so delicious and healthy. I would love to try it at my home. :)

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Lights Camera Action By: Melissa Peterman Published: September 15, 2009 We are counting down the days to FoodSnap! an all-day food photography and food styling event happening this Friday, September 18th at George Town Studios in Seattle, Washington. The event has sold out, but you can follow along with us on Twitter the day of the event and stay tuned for a FoodSnap! round up blog post with highlighted tips and secrets we will have learned from the pros that you can implement at home with a simple point and shoot camera. Here's the list of food photographers and food stylists who will be sharing with us their magic bag of tricks! Lou Manna Lara Ferroni Rina Jordan Barry Wong Charity Burggraaf Kevin Fry Tyler Rebman Danielle Leavell Jonathan Shmidt Kathryn Barnard Comments: Peggy McCormick Lou Manna and all the food photographers at Iridio (especially Darren Emmons) are fantastic. Kelli Garner Great site, how do I subscribe? Melissa Peterman Hello Kelli, If you would like to subscribe to the Foodista Blog, you can sign up on our RSS feed, located at the top right hand corner of this page and you will receive our blogs via email to your inbox. For more information on recipes and information, I would encourage you to sign up for Foodista here: http://www.foodista.com/signinnext=/ Thanks Kelli!

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Foodista is Best Selling Blog on the Kindle By: Sheri Wetherell Published: September 16, 2009 We're doing back flips, summersaults, cheerleader kicks, and just plain jumping for joy! Why? Because the Foodista Blog is now the #1 blog in Food & Wine on the Amazon.com Kindle! Numero Uno, baby! What's a Kindle? Don't yet have one? It's the coolest electronic reading device developed by the e-commerce giant. Books, newspapers, magazines, and even blogs download onto your device in less than a minute. Way cool. I'm loving not have to lug around 12 books when I travel! (We're also #8 in Regional & Travel, but who's counting. Oh yeah, we are!) Comments: britt September 16, 2009 Congrats! You deserve it. Viva la Foodista! Anonymous Not surprised. Such a refreshing treat to read the fabulous blog each day. The day is not complete without a little bit of Foodista. Ken Wetherell Nice going! This is an awesome achievement.

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Next Up for Drinking Lessons Robert Hess By: Melissa Peterman Published: September 16, 2009 Drinking Lessons, a Night School event continues this Sunday, September 20th with Robert Hess behind the bar at the Sorrento Hotel in Seattle. At 6 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. Hess will mix, muddle and stir for 24 lucky attendees sitting around the smooth mahogany bar at the Hunt Club that is inside the swanky Sorrento Hotel. Seattlite Robert Hess is founder of the Chanticleer Society, author of The Essential Bartender's Guide: How to Make Truly Great Cocktails and operator of Drink Boy.com. Want to go? Email [email protected] for reservations. Can't go but want to follow via the virtual bar? Go to http://www.foodista.com/nightschool/ on Sunday night! Cheers!

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10 Great Recipes for Rosh Hashanah By: Sheri Wetherell Published: September 17, 2009 Let me be frank. I am one Jewish-food-lovin' girl. I love matzoh brie, adore kugel, devour challah, and admittedly have a slight addiction to rugelach. I even have a borderline unhealthy fondness for gefilte fish! Though I'm an enthusiastic eater of this fine cuisine the successful preparation of most dishes has eluded me. My matzoh balls are floaters, not sinkers. And my baking abilities are, well, let's just say sub-par, so the beautifully browned and braided challah that I dream to make never happens under my watch. But I will try. And with the help from some of our fabulous Foodista contributors I just may succeed! Here are some of their wonderful recipes: Need more inspiration? Here are three more delicious recipes for Rosh Hashanah: Chow Mama Spicy Brisket Pikelet and Pie's Honey Cakes The Jew and the Carrot's Apple Honey Challah Comments: Gudrun September 18, 2009 thanks for the pointing out the recipe for Hammentaschen, they are my secret obsession! I would love to be able to make those at home.... Desiree Love the Pom Noodle Kugel! Flobro Sheri - Great to have the recipes in one place - for Rosh Hashanah you need a round barches (challah) to make sure the year will be round and good and add raisins. The most basic Rosh Hashanah recipe for anyone with little time: 1 Apple - cut in pieces Honey Dip apple in honey; eat. Shana Tova Sheri Wetherell Thanks, Shana, for the recipe! Enjoy the holidays. Hope your year is round and good :) Jodi Spindel I would love for you to try our Spindel Farms Simply Outrageous! Pomegranate Vinegars. Do you have a particular person that I could send a sample to? Spindel Farms has been producing Simply Outrageous! Pomegranate Vinegar since 1994 but has only offered theis luscious product commercially for 3 years. Jodi Spindel

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Slow Cooked Goat Shank With Alubia Criollo Beans By: Sheri Wetherell Published: September 21, 2009 I'm not a picky eater by any means, but for some reason I've never exclaimed, "Gee, I could really go for some goat tonight!" as I do with, say, lamb. Perhaps that's because when I was twelve the farm that my parents moved us to came with a goat named Nanny. That shouldn't have dissuaded me though - I also had a French Lop Ear rabbit named Nicholas, and I've eaten rabbit (albeit not too excitedly). We had chickens - I eat chicken. And I had a beloved horse named Pronto. You see where I'm going with this. In my defense, I had no idea I was eating horse. When I asked our waiter in Paris what kind of meat it was he made a sound I took more as a baaaa than a whinny. Sorry, Pronto, clearly I need tutelage in international animal sounds. Back to the goat. Barnaby finally convinced me to give it a try. I actually had tried goat once before and, though Nanny never won many points with me due to her frequent need to make hard contact with her horns and my rear end, I found it too gamey, a taste that always stayed with me. But he purchase some high-quality, grass fed goat from Thundering Hooves and I was won over. As with our other grass fed meats it was incredibly flavorful and tender.  We slow cooked a shank all day with white wine, rosemary, garlic and Alubia Criollo beans, a white Spanish runner bean with an amazing rich and creamy flavor. When we got home we were greeted with the heavenly aromas of wine, rosemary and garlic. I knew I was in for a memorable meal. The beans, a wonderful heirloom variety from Rancho Gordo (my new favorite bean purveyor!), were perfectly cooked, the goat meat falling off the shank in delicate morsels.

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When Foodies and Photographers Come Together By: Melissa Peterman Published: September 22, 2009 Last Friday, a group of 75 passionate food lovers, photographers, chefs and food stylists came together for FoodSnap! an event put together by Keren Brown Media and Foodista. It didn't matter if you only had a point and shoot camera or zero experience behind the lens, eight other photographers and food stylists were right there holding reflectors, white cards and offering tips to help you capture the best shot. Chef Wayne Johnson from Andaluca catered lunch for the event and several other vendors provided delicious offerings, including Kathy Casey who provided the attendees with two FoodSnap! signature edible cocktail gelees; pomegranate rosemary and elderberry and cucumber. The gelees were just as beautiful as they were delicious. Here is Keren Brown holding a tray of Kathy Casey's Pomegranate Rosemary Gelees Guest of honor, Lou Manna, educated, entertained and inspired us all to take better pictures in general, not just of our dishes. Pictured above is Karlyn, Sheri, Lou, Barnaby, Keren and Melissa Lou started us off with his basic recipe for food photography (excerpted from Food Arts - July/Aug 2007 issue): Start with a full helping of the camera manual. Lou says your camera's manual is like a cookbook that will help you find the key ingredients of your camera. Think grey. Your camera's light meter is calibrated to measure grey, so using a grey card to meter the reflected light or an incident meter to meter the light falling on the subject will help give you the correct exposure. Think white. Be aware of the White Balance setting on your camera. Do your photos often have that yellow, green or blue tint? Auto White Balance doesn't always work; you can set it manually or take a Custom White Balance to brighten the color of your photo. Think Right. In the Western world we read from left to right, so it makes sense that our eyes also scan a photo the same way. Lou says there are some simple rules of good composition: a spiral composition that leads your eye clockwise; and the Rule of Thirds, where you divide your frame into a tic-tac-toe design and place your subject at one of those intersecting points. Serve with the proper resolution. Use some type of photo editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop, and as Lou puts it, "cook" your photos to enhance their "visual flavor." Set the digital oven to 300dpi with an image size of at least 5x7 in a jpeg format. "Don't forget to meta tag your photos, use keywords, write captions, and use a descriptive file name." For more information and workshops check out and join Lou's social network DigitalFoodPhotography If you're looking for an excellent, informative photography book, check out Lou's Digital Food Photography book available on Amazon.com: Comments: Krissa September 23, 2009 Love the pic of the Foodista team! Sounds like FoodSnap was quite a success... Top Rated Cameras I love the pics on this post! :D I just bought a new camera and I'm on the process of learning some basic shots particularly with different light settings. I would also like to test shots on different food and restaurants that I eat. I think it is a very good idea. :)

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Foodista Makes Front Page of New York Times Dining Section By: Sheri Wetherell Published: September 23, 2009 Making the front page of the Dining section in the New York Times gives you bragging rights for at least a day, doesn't it? We're as proud as new mamas and papas here at Foodista, grinning from ear to ear that our food-wiki baby has splashed the pages of the Old Gray Lady. Barnaby also bravely roused himself out of bed this morning at the crazy hour of 3:45 for an interview on The Takeaway, an NPR and BBC syndicated radio program hosted by John Hockenberry and Celeste Headlee with co-guest Kim Severson, author of the Times article. Cigars all around! Photo by Axel Koester for the New York Times. Jo Stougaard (Mylastbite.com) making Bacon Wrapped Breadsticks. Find the recipe on Foodista: Comments: NotAnotherFoodBlog September 23, 2009 W00t! Well done to all involved! You can hang your aprons and unplug to celebrate :-) Sheri Wetherell Thanks so much! Cheers :) paul redman Sheri, this is awesome news!!!!! congratulations to you guys! I'll have to listen to audio and read article when I get a chance. Swamped with finals week :) Ryan Congrats to you both - well done and well earned! Krissa Yay!! Congrats you two! Foodista just keeps getting bigger :) Alisa Woohoo! Congratulations Foodista! carla Congratulations Banaby, Colin, and your team!!!! You did it. I knew you would. From one of the proud mamas. carla Wait! Where did Sheri go?? Congrats Sheri. You are an awsome writer. Deborah Dodds Congrats Colin! What a wonderful compliment to your blog. Well done. Bill sent pics of the river - looked like great fun! Douglas Eisele Way to go Cuz!!! Proud as punch for you and your team. Call for coffee shop visit if coming this way.

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Oktoberfest By: Melissa Peterman Published: September 26, 2009 I used to work at a German pub and instead of celebrating Oktoberfest every fall, we celebrated it all year round.  Patrons would sit at long wooden tables, drinking steins of beer in a quaint pub that reeked of slow cooked sauerkraut and hot pretzels, and to every regular at the bar, they wouldn't have it any other way. Of course things always got a little crazier at the end of September and the beginning of October when the entire pub was decorated in blue and white checkered signs and the owner would don lederhosen and tap a wooden barrel keg of beer to celebrate Oktoberfest. Now, since I am no longer a bar maid, I get enjoy a bratwurst with a tall pilsner on the other side of the bar for a change. Perhaps I'll even make my own soft pretzels and perfume my house with slow cooked sauerkraut to celebrate!  Suddenly my mouth is already watering thinking about the tang of vinegary cabbage. Feeling inspired to celebrate? German Fare You Can Make at Home

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Mommy Blogger Week By: Melissa Peterman Published: September 28, 2009 This week we are recognizing Mommy (and one Daddy) bloggers who, through their hard blogging work, have helped many a parent put a quick dinner together, provide laundry tips, and teach us shortcuts for making school lunches. Mommy and Daddy blogs offer more than just useful parenting and cooking tips, they are also the voice of a community. Just as informative as reading news blogs, and as addictive as a gossip column, mommy bloggers are an inspiration to new mothers and experienced grandmothers alike. With all the gorgeous food photography and delicious recipes, you don't have to be a parent to appreciate this week's featured food blogs. Just to kick things off, here are some quick and easy menu ideas for the week!

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10 Fall Dishes We Cant Wait For By: Melissa Peterman Published: September 29, 2009 In Seattle, now that fall is here, it means it starts raining. The days grow increasingly darker and the clouds rarely take a break from hanging out above the city. As a native, of course I'm sad to see the sun go for months on end, but honestly there is a big side of me that is excited to spend all evening roasting winter vegetables and drinking red wine, while a game is on in the other room. The wind and cold rain whipping leaves from the trees forces me to stay inside and convince me that it's okay to not do anything, but cook comfort food, feed it to my favorite people and not feel guilty about staying in my sweats all day long. Cheers to Autumn! Here are 10 Fall Dishes We Can't Wait to Cook Comments: Annielicious September 29, 2009 All I can say is YUM!!! and you are so right!!! Melissa Peterman Thanks Annielicious! Nancy I'm in New England and as we lose sunlight and the days get colder, I start to think about heartier recipes including soups and stews. I'll miss the casual days of summer grilled meals but love the way the kitchen draws me in the autumn. Melissa Peterman Hi Nancy, I hear what you are saying, fall is bittersweet in that way. Do you have a favorite soup or stew? I'm a big fan of Italian wedding soup. Suzanne They all sound very tasty. Sophie MMMMMMMM,...iI so love all of the dishes!! The soup sings to me & the cranberry shortbread is a must try!! Yummie all the way,...

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Food and Wine Pairings: Two Happy Accidents By: Jameson Fink Published: September 30, 2009 Editor's Note: Foodista is pleased to introduce Jameson Fink as our new wine contributor. Jameson is an accomplished wine steward with much to share. Look forward to "Wine Wednesday" each week for tasting notes, pairings, and more! As a wine steward at a grocery store, I spend a significant chunk of my day helping people select wines to go with their meal.  I take a lot of pride in making thoughtful suggestions, and I always try to have fun and keep things relaxed.  My goal is to demolish the stereotype of  boorish know-it-all wine snobs with nothing to offer conversationally but their specialized knowledge.  So while I can talk your ear off about matching food and wine for a frighteningly long time, I am often pleasantly surprised how well food and wine work together with just a modicum of effort and a little bit of luck.  Last night's dinner was a case in point. We started with some crostini and a fresh herb cream cheese with (because it was not rich enough already) some butter whipped in.  I just happened to bring along a very tart apple left over from last week's trip to the Farmers Market.  The 2007 Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse, a French Chardonnay, that we began with had touches of buttery richness and texture from moderate oak influence as well as snappy fruit and acidity.  A bite of crostini with cheese, a slice of apple, and a big sip of wine turned out to be the perfect start to the evening, when it was still warm and bright enough to be outside. For our main course we retreated inside.  I had  some baby eggplant and Walla Walla onion that I had roasted with nothing but salt and olive oil.  I dumped in some tomato sauce, wilted some arugula, finished with Parmesan-Reggiano, and served over penne.  I wasn't sure how the 2001 Falesco Marciliano (an Italian Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc Blend) was drinking and if it would work with the food; all I knew is that I wanted to drink it.  It turned out great.  With a few years of bottle-age, the Marciliano had taken on some nice secondary, Bordeaux-like qualities.  I'm trying to think of a better way to describe these characteristics than "green" or "vegetal" but I am a bit stumped.  The wine was fantastic with the sweet, rich eggplant and the arugula bite at the end really played well with the bottle-age on the wine.  I was really surprised how well it went considering there was no meat in this dish. So while there is a time and a place to nerd out over matching food and wine, most of the time it's just best to enjoy the company, the food, and the wine.  The worst case scenario is that maybe you learn a little bit about what doesn't work.  (Unless you are having something like Malbec and oysters.  That is truly awful sounding.)  So what are some of your favorite wine pairings?  Or ones you tried that made you wince?

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Hunch Helps You Decide on Dinner and More By: Sheri Wetherell Published: September 30, 2009 What should I make for dinner? What should I eat in celebration of Oktoberfest? What cooking technique should I use? Forget about food. Heck, am I wearing the right bra size!? Every day we are faced with countless problems we need to solve, decisions that need to be made. Wouldn't it be nice if someone could take a bit of the onus off us? Like our own personal entourage we could turn to to ask questions? We're in luck, folks. There's a fabulous collaborative project called Hunch that helps you make decisions in ten questions or less. Brilliant! Answers are based on the collective knowledge of its users - much like our content is built here at Foodista. In fact, Hunch was launched shortly after us, so we like to think we're sandbox mates, growing up together in the exciting world of collaborative editing. No more coin flipping, no more eeny, meeny, miny, mo. Let Hunch help. It's darn fun too! Give it a try below (and add some of your own topics for kicks and giggles): What should I eat for dinner? - make thousands more decisions on Hunch.com Comments: Charles Ravndal October 1, 2009 Oooh I should check it out since I am quite indecisive sometimes Desiree Hunch is definitely lots of fun! Alisa Had so much fun with Hunch! Thanks for the link! Seth Thanks! : /. One more thing to keep me from studying. Haha

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Tailgating By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 1, 2009 In America, we have rituals about tailgating. We're superstitious, sentimental and even a bit crazy come game day. Your slow cooked chili, chicken wings or bacon-woven bratwursts are just as important as the colors you are wearing. Tailgating season isn't recognized as a series of national holidays with greeting cards and days off, but perhaps there should be? For those of you who don't already have a personal tailgating recipe that you swear by, we have some great tailgating recipes to try here, or check out some of our favorite tailgate inspirational links below. Tailgating Recipe Links Date Night Doins Grillin Fools Tailgating.com Above Photo by Veeliam Comments: Sophie October 4, 2009 What grand recipes are these!! MMMMMMMMMMMM,... Melissa Peterman Thank you Sophie! Foodista has gathered quite a collection. I am really enjoying your recipes too, thank you for sharing so many delicious treats!

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Them is Good Eats By: Warren Etheredge Published: October 4, 2009 If Americans came with user-care manuals, the section on feeding would be reduced to a sidebar… 1) Open mouth; 2) Shovel in crap. Heck, my friends spend more time, money and consideration feeding their dog than it seems most parents do packing their kids’ lunches. Even a bulldog would turn tail from Kraft Yackables. Of course, the reason our palates are now as desensitized as once were SuperMasochist Bob Flanagan’s genitals may well be because we’ve stopped thinking of food as a bounty and rather as a commodity. Thus, ordering chemically-laden, market-designed approximations of sustenance — such as the McRib Sandwich replete with molded “bones”! — is as natural as refueling the Escalade so one can drive the ten blocks to work daily. Even if these practices are as SICK as driving nails through one’s penis for sexual pleasure, corporate interests have successfully reframed Nutrition as a matter of personal choice and objective taste. (Dammit, it’s my right to eat like an uneducated pig!) Sorry, folks, Nutrition is a science. It may be inexact, but I can guarantee you studies prove Mexi-fries are as much an affront to your digestive tract as to Mexicans. (I’m pretty sure Pancho Villa wasn’t filling up on deformed tater-tots no matter how revolutionary either may have been.) This summer, the encyclopedic documentary, FOOD, INC. catalogued some of the most common and grievous absurdities of America’s industrialized food fixation. Recently, I joined KUOW’s chip-craving interlocutor Jeannie Yandel, for a conversation about what other films about food are fit for our consumption. Click here to hear our talk and to download a bonus list of other devourable features. (*I must add that KING CORN should appear on this list as well, but does not… because I forget things? Thanks to David Ward for reminding me about this provocative doc which should be ranked as high as… an elephant’s eye.*) And, click here for The Warren Report’s podcast with Elise Pearlstein, producer of FOOD, INC. Or, here, for my talk with Michael Pollan. Bon appetit! Warren Comments: Mr Difficult October 4, 2009 So you begin your tirade with a rail against Americans specifically, and then add a picture of a product available only to the British? I call hack. Dennis Saying all Americans eat crap is like saying there's gourmet food in England. Where do you get off telling me we eat garbage? I can assure you that I can cook you under a table any day. Face it, the Brits aren't exactly known for gourmet food!! Get the 'F' over yourself!! Warren Dear Mr. Difficult and Dennis, I am sorry you did not read my post in the spirit intended. I can be flip, yet earnest simultaneously. Naturally, I do not believe that ALL Americans eat crap. In no literal way could that be true. It is a generalization and, I believe, that obesity stats and fast food sales would confirm the rather obvious suspicion that the majority of folks are neither preparing their own meals nor assessing the nutritional value of what they're ingesting. Would you really argue otherwise? As for the photo, initially, I had selected a shot of a McRib Sandwich. Perhaps I should have stuck with that. I just thought the Double Meat Beast was amusing. And, while it may not be served in the States, the Whopper is... as are any number of gluttonous abominations. Pick your own favorite. As for cooking, Dennis, I'll take your word for your superiority in the kitchen, but was there anything in my message that indicates a challenge? I am not Bobby Flay and this is not a smackdown. I do not reference my own culinary skills AND if you listen to the radio broadcast it is clear that I chastise myself for my own failure/s to question what I eat. My post was not intended as any sort of personal attack. How could it be? However, I am saddened that your responses are. Stick to the merits or flaws of the content of the piece and I will happily continue the conversation and beg forgiveness if and when proven to be at fault. Take luck, Warren Mr Difficult Hack. An American Dude... this signs in europe. You fat europeians

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Eating Local in the Northwest By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 6, 2009 Open your fridge. Can you tell the exact history of where one item came from? Eating local doesn't seem like a hard challenge until you start thinking about it. Last Sunday night, a group of us got together and cooked a meal that was made almost entirely with local ingredients. The best part of it all was that we didn't intentionally mean to have a dinner made completely of locally sourced ingredients, but once we realized we had the beginnings of one, we made it our goal to get as a close as we could to a completely local dinner. When you start learning where your food really comes from, you learn how much labor, transportation and energy and resources go  into everything you eat. Eating local doesn't just mean you help out the farmers, gardeners and butchers in your area, you are also saving other costs that add up, including energy, gas, storage and other hidden resources used to get those items off a truck and onto a shiny display. Challenge yourself to make it a personal goal to eat one thing at one meal a day that is sourced locally, not only will you feel good, believe me, it will taste better! The Menu Locally Caught Salmon with Lemon, Herb Butter: The salmon was caught locally by my friend Neil. Oregano, thyme and dill all from Washington state. Our splurge was the lemon, salt and pepper and olive oil, purchased from the grocery store. All Blue Potato Salad with Fresh Dill: The all blue potatoes came from a farm that I was apprenticing at, about 20 miles away. Fresh dill and a sweet onion came from the Ballard Farmer's market that morning. Our splurge was purchased Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Summer Corn and Tomato Salad: The corn, basil and sweet onion came from the farmers market. The tomatoes were grown in my garden. Our splurge was olive oil, red onion and salt and pepper. Winter Greens with Garlic and Lemon: The Swiss chard, kale and collard greens were all from the Ballard farmer's market, our splurge was olive oil, lemon, garlic- (although it should have been bought at the farmer's market), and Parmesan Reggiano. Katy's Blackberry Pie with Lemon Verbena Infused Fresh Whip Cream: The blackberries were purchased at the farmer's market, the whip cream was from a Washington state organic creamery and the lemon verbena was from my friend Katy's lemon verbena plant. Our splurge: organic pie crust from PCC, lemon juice, purchased spices. Comments: Suzi I liked the main topic of the article. Have you ever seen or heard of the documentary Food Inc? It is the perfect illustration of the benefits of buying local. What also would be cool is a blog on all of the local farmer's markets in the Northwest, especially the Seattle neighborhood markets (Fremont, Ballard, Capitol Hill). Great job! Melissa Peterman Hi Suzi, I had tickets in my hand at one point to see the movie and something came up, but it is at the top of my list! I believe we have a blog post coming up regarding year-round farmers' markets- so many great markets here in Seattle! Also, stay tuned come November, we are launching Eat Local Thanksgiving! Katy Hey Melissa, One correction to the pie recipe ingredients: no lemon juice in the pie or the whipped cream - all that great lemony flavor came from the lemon verbena leaves alone! Those little leaves pack a powerful punch (I must make a tisane with them one of these days!). Melissa Peterman Thanks Katy! I didn't have your recipe at the time of publishing this, so I substituted a recipe that was already on Foodista. Besides the lemon juice- is there anything else I should edit for a new Black Berry Pie With Lemon Verbena recipe? Thank you for the correction!!

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FTC to monitor sponsored posts By: Helen Pitlick Published: October 6, 2009 Food bloggers: have you ever received a free cookbook or a great new product to review? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is watching you. The FTC voted unanimously on Monday to revise their Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising ("the Guides"); the changes, which go into effect December 1, will penalize bloggers for not disclosing relationships with sponsors or for posting false claims about a product. The eponymous FTC Act established the Commission in 1914, a time when large companies like Standard Oil and the railroad monopoly controlled American business. The FTC's original mission was to encourage competition, which has evolved over the years to consumer protection. This includes regulating advertising and all the tricky ways ad men have convinced, persuaded and coerced the public to buy their products over the years. The Guides prohibit advertisements from making false or deceptive claims; they are not in and of themselves laws, but they provide real-world interpretations of the FTC Act. The Guides were first written in 1975 and last updated in 1980, and much has changed since then. Print, radio and television are no longer the only ways people communicate- or advertise. Advertisers look to blogs and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for cheap sources of positive press, a practice known as "sponsored posts:" companies give a blogger a product to review, sometimes sweetening the deal with cash, and the blogger writes a positive review that may or may not reflect their actual experience with the product. In the eyes of the FTC, and many bloggers and readers, a review that does not accurately reflect the endorser’s experience is dishonest, as is a review that presents the endorser as an actual customer while in fact he or she a paid spokesperson. A reader needs to know the blogger’s entire investment in a product in order to make an informed decision about a product, and cannot do so without full disclosure. Even if the blogger believes they are completely objective, their review becomes biased the moment money enters the picture. As an example, a company offered me a product (a home brewing kit) worth $100 in exchange for a review earlier this year; I jumped at the opportunity and had a wonderful experience. However, though I clearly stated that the kit was a gift from the company, I hesitated to write a completely positive review for fear of ruining my credibility. I actively searched for criticism. However, the small complaints I had with a free product may have been more significant with a product purchased out of my own pocket. Therefore, while my review appeared balanced and fair, I will never know if it really was. Many bloggers already believe in transparency and freely disclose relationships with sponsors. Does this mean you can no longer accept free products or receive monetary compensation for positive reviews? No, but it does require that you disclose the relationship and make accurate claims. The penalties are high: the New York Times reports the FTC plans on fining violators up to $11,000. Therefore, if a sponsor offers you a free cookbook or handy kitchen gadget, you do not necessarily need to refuse: be transparent in your connections and honest in your review, and do not post anything that does not accurately reflect your experience. As the lines between blogging and traditional journalism blur, bloggers are becoming more and more respected as legitimate sources of information. The FTC's new guidelines can only help this progression. For more information and additional perspectives, read the articles on this topic in the New York Times, the Huffington Post, and Mashable. Comments: Ashley Margolis October 6, 2009 there has to be more important problems the FTC can latch on to ... say going after monopolies that stifle competition or are engaged in transparent cabal-like price fixing ?, take your pick ... cable companies .. utilities .. Microsoft .. ? Barnaby Dorfman Great post helen...I love it when someone finds a reason to use the word "eponymous." On a moe serious note, while I'm not in favor of any additional bureaucracy, I do think more transparancy and disclosure is a good thing. We talked a bit about this in the legal panel earlier this year at the International Food Blogger Conference (http://www.foodista.com/ifbc/2009/06/the-ifbc-podcast-session-6-writing-%E2%80%9Cthe-law-and-ethics-in-blogging%E2%80%9D/) Now that the law has evolved into something more concrete, we'll be looking into new ways to help food bloggers comply. Barnaby Dorfman Ack...bad link, here's good 'un: http://www.foodista.com/ifbc/2009/06/the-ifbc-podcast-session-6-writing-%E2%80%9Cthe-law-and-ethics-in-blogging%E2%80%9D/

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Thoughts on the End of Gourmet from a Bloggers Perspective By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 6, 2009 As a passionate subscriber of Gourmet magazine for many years, and a writer for an online food encyclopedia, it’s only natural for me to have mixed emotions about the closing of a legendary print publication like Gourmet. Just this summer, Gourmet’s circulation was still at its decade- long high peak of 978,000. So what was the real deciding factor to suddenly shelve a 68 year-old, beloved cooking magazine that for some, our great grandmother’s subscribed to? Was it because Gourmet needed to turn its focus to an online audience and balance its advertising between the two? Or is this just another example of how times are changing, for better or for worse? I’m sure there are more than a couple reasons behind Conde Nast’s decision to stop the presses on Gourmet, but one of the main reasons for sure is that Conde Nast also publishes Bon Appetite, another cooking magazine which has a larger subscription base, and according to the L.A. Times, tends to focus on more economical recipe driven content.  No one can argue that there is a growing need for cheap meals, I understand that. But, as much as I can agree that each Gourmet magazine must have cost a fortune to produce, I don’t agree with the statements that Gourmet spoke only to an elite audience that cared solely about luxury hotels and four star restaurant reviews. Not too long ago, I was a broke culinary student ear tagging Gourmet recipe pages and circling menu ideas in bold red pen because I was so passionate about a recipe that had inspired me. For many culinary students, Gourmet was just another text on our required reading list. Besides writing only about caviar and molecular gastronomy, those who have read Gourmet in recent years can also attest that Ruth Reichl devoted several full page articles in recent editions to the farm to table movement; including interviews of humble farmers and lengthy pieces on the importance of eating local. New media brings with it, new advertising possibilities and to print, advertising dollars mean everything. Nostalgia aside, if someone were to ask the question “So is online media to blame for the death of print?”  My answer would be “Advertising dollars say yes.” What’s more, people are consuming media in new ways, for example instead of a press release from Conde Nast being announced on the radio or learning about the end of Gourmet in a farewell issue,  Gourmet’s readers are learning from a Twitter post  re-tweeted from a friend that the magazine will no longer be published. So from an advertiser’s perspective, I can understand where the advertisers would want to place their ad dollars. The ability for companies to see the click through rate on their ads, and receive measurable results on exactly how many people have viewed an add, and then discover the amount of people who purchased a product directly from their ad is something that traditional media has a hard time proving. As much anguish as I feel about the end of a print publication that has affected millions, I am writing this on a food blog and posting it to the web. Above Photo by Bittenword.com Comments: Jeremy Warner October 7, 2009 We are current subscribers to Gourmet although only because it was a freebie with the purchase of a Kitchen Aid mixer. Obviously giving away subscriptions wasn't a sustainable business model. And while it was enjoyable, there seemed to be too many recipes with too little discussion and very few articles (although I'm completely in agreement with respecting them for tackling some tough food-related issues recently). Ultimately an advertising driven model just isn't going to work anymore, which makes me nervous for some of the other periodicals I read and enjoy. There are other models - look at Cooks Illustrated, for example. Melissa Peterman Hi Jeremy, I know exactly what you are saying, and I do like what Cook's Illustrated has done. I wouldn't be too surprised to see other magazines following suit. munich I love that picture! Devon We can't read blogs on the subway. For someone who spends a lot of time underground reading Gourmet was a way to learn about food while off the grid. I will miss that glossy in my mailbox. Melissa Peterman Hi Devon, I agree, there is something wonderfully intimate about flipping through a glossy magazine like Gourmet at your own pace and getting inspired. Claudia I feel Gourmet was no longer relevant to any aspiring and/or successful healthy eater. It is impossible to cook and bake with the ingredients required in their recipes and be in any way resonsible for correct weight and health. I enjoyed reading Gourmet but never considered actually cooking from their recipes. RVGoddess As a big foodie and Gourmet devotee, I am quite sad... especially as Ruth Reichl had really stepped-it-up on the social/political front since taking charge at Gourmet. But as a paid-in-advance subscriber, I feel a bit ripped-off too.

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Wine from Scratch: A Global Approach to Wine By: Marcus Pape Published: October 7, 2009 Anyone that knows me knows how obsessed I can be about getting information. Hey, what can I say, I’m a do it yourselfer with an addiction for answers. This is especially true when it comes to wine. There’s just so much to know, that sometimes I have trouble drawing the line between beverage and obsession. Ask my wife, she’ll tell you! I’m not one to just walk the line, or drink the grape flavored Kool-Aid as they say. I want to know why things are the way they are. If someone tells me that I need to lay a bottle down for a few years before drinking, I want to know why. When a waiter hands me the cork at a restaurant, what’s that all about? These are things I want to know. So, on a recent trip to Italy, you can imagine how frustrated I was when I realized that I truly knew nothing about the world of wine. Don’t get me wrong; I knew all about the grapes, the growing regions, and how the wine was made, etc. But what I was truly clueless about was the global culture of it all and how differently wine is perceived in other parts of the world. In Italy, for example, wine is an everyday phenomenon. It’s ingrained in the culture. At local events and festivals they erect portable wine bars. Not because it’s a “wine event”, but because it’s an event. Wine is sold in ice cream shops and coffee bars. It’s everywhere. Grandparents drink it. Young adults drink it. Even kids drink it. There’s no level of knowledge that has to be reached before you’re deemed worthy enough to truly appreciate wine. This open approach to wine is unlike many “new world” countries (areas outside the traditional wine-growing areas of Europe) with shorter wine histories, where we have a tendency to overanalyze wine instead of just enjoying it. On this point, I’m  as guilty as the next person. Everything I thought I knew about wine came from the bottle or glass, magazines or books. But for many people around the world, including those in Italy, wine is a lifestyle, a cultural constant passed down for generations. So, I invite you to join me as I start over in order to gain a more global appreciation for fermented grape juice. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and learn about wine from scratch. * Marcus Pape has worked in media and design for over 10 years with an extensive background in all forms of visual communication. As a proclaimed vinophile Marcus hopes to leverage his abilities to inspire interest in wine, recently launching WineCHATr.com – an online resource for the growing wine community, where both popular wine bloggers and businesses come together to connect and share information on wine. Comments: Suzi October 7, 2009 Great entry, Marcus! What part of Italy were you exploring? I lived and studied in Spain, where wine is also heavily ingrained into the culture. If you are looking to explore other parts of Europe and their wine cultures, Spain is another country that could be of interest (research the botellón!). Happy travels and wining! Marcus Pape Cinque Terre, Piedmont, and the northern lake region. Spain is a great place as well. I haven't been there for about 10-years, but would love to make it back soon. Botellón sounds like my kind of party! ;) Barnaby Dorfman So true, so true! I remember buying this amazing wine in the South of Italy from a communal winery. Local folks would take their grapes to this facility, and based on how many kilos they submitted, they would get a certain number of liters back. To fund the equipment, maintenance, and staffing a certain % was sold to the general public. It was fresh, light, and slightly bubbly, largely because aging was minimal and everything was done in stainless or concrete tanks. No labels or ratings...we brought our own bottles, paid about a buck a liter, and it was fantastic with local grilled fish!

foodista

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5 Ways to Get Out of a Food Rut By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 8, 2009 Lets face it, we all get stuck in food ruts. Seared salmon on top of mixed greens has been my fast and healthy go-to dinner for far too long. Time to shake things up! Of course like anyone, saying one thing and doing another can be challenging when you work full time, have a family or planning within a budget. 1. Make it Easy on Yourself You don't have to get all Martha on everyone and make every single meal from scratch, complete with hand-sewn napkins. Obviously, that would be pretty cool, but maybe you should work up to that. You can still buy a pre-made roasted chicken at the store on the way home, but instead of serving rotisserie chicken as is, cut off the meat and put it in a panini or toss it with a vegetable-packed salad. 2. But I Love Spaghetti Every Night... Really? Okay, no one is going to blame you, but you might want to mix it up a little bit- what about adding some sauteed peppers or throw in some olive and capers for a little puttanesca inspiration? Try a different sauce or put that irresistable tomato sauce on a grilled chicken breast or roasted eggplant. 3. Plan Ahead Doesn't someone telling you to plan ahead sound super bossy and for some of us, unrealistic? I get that. Honestly though, doing one thing like throwing flank steak into a quick marinade the night before or prepping one thing for tomorrow's dinner while you are throwing tonight's dinner together doesn't add up the hours, 15 minutes maybe. Have an office refrigerator? Cooler in your car? If you get a long lunch break, you can save a trip to the grocery store after work, by going on your lunch break. 4. Buy a New Kitchen Tool to Experiment and Force Yourself to Try Something New Nothing makes you think outside the box more than purchasing a fun new kitchen tool. You don't even need to splurge on a Vitamix to stir things up. Even buying something as cheap as a potato peeler that has fun ridges on the sides or even purchasing a panini press from the Goodwill will help inspire you to write up a different shopping list. 5.  Use Resources Right Around You If you are grabbing lunch at a restaurant, don't just read the menu for what you are eating now, see what else looks appetizing and try and replicate it yourself for dinner later on in the week. Ask all your friends, your mom and your co-workers what they are making for dinner, sometimes the simplest ideas are buried underneath all your creative brainstorming. And lastly, nothing is more inspiring for getting you out of your food rut by reading food blogs. They are overflowing with ideas and they are all cooked by real people who are not trying to sell you something! Here are a just a couple of food blogs to check out: Steamy Kitchen Roots and Grubs Cooking with Amy Above Photo by: Gudlyf Comments: Sarah Great tips - I get in lunchtime and snacktime food ruts - but we end up trying so many new things for dinner that sometimes my husband will say "but I LOVED ___ so much! why don't you make it again!?" Going to post this to the Semi-Sweet Facebook page! Melissa Peterman Hello Sarah, Thank you for your comment- I hear what you are saying when people fall in love with one recipe, they want it again and again, why not- if you love it! Thanks so much for posting it on the Semi-Sweet Facebook page! Bec great tips thanks! Karen Great suggestions. Planning ahead is the big one for me. I plan dinner for each night a week ahead on a weekly scedule I print out. The I can make a grocery list, note the steps I need to get done ahead (like marinade, assemble, or defrost) on the schedule on the day I need to do them. I actually find myself being more creative this way, since I already have the meal planned in advance, it is way more likely to get cooked than if I tried to do it spur of the moment with a busy schedule and missing ingredients. Melissa Peterman Hi Karen, Wow, planning a week ahead with a game-plan sounds great! Yes, I hear you, there is nothing worse than coming back from the grocery store having forgot one or two necessary ingredients!!

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Introducing Foodista Labs By: Colin Saunders Published: October 9, 2009 Here at Foodista we've got a million ideas. More ideas, in fact, than we know what to do with. And as a result, some great ideas don't quite make it live on the site. To help bring some of these ideas to the light, today we are introducing Foodista Labs. Foodista Labs is a clearing house for our engineers to release some of the fun, interesting, and even surprising projects they've been working on in their, ahem, spare time. Yes, Foodista has foodies aplenty, but we've also got some strong engineering talent as well. Our first release is fudista, an experiment in recipe presentation. Because we store our recipes as highly structured data, we are able to algorithmically transform them in interesting ways. Here, we abridge the recipes into short snippets, suitable for tweeting, à la Maureen Evans of twitter.com/cookbook fame. For example, how about some Lemon Glazed Carrots: 8med Carrots, 1C Water, 3T Butter, 2T Brown sugar, 1T Lemon juice, Salt to taste, 2t Grated lemon zest, 1/4t Dried dillweed So, head over to fudista to satisfy all your recipe abridging needs, and stay tuned to this space for more fun stuff out of the Foodista Labs! Comments: vikramaditya October 10, 2009 This is cool! Experimenting with food has been a part of us since the stone age and will continue... :)

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foodista

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What Did Christopher Columbus Eat By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 12, 2009 Whether or not you believe it was Christopher Columbus who discovered America, there is one thing we can all agree on, the only thing fresh on the menu while at sea was likely caught on the side of the boat. The pantry necessary for Christopher Columbus' journey had to feed a hungry crew for several weeks and endure extreme weather conditions. Just for fun, we did a little research and figured a boat leaving the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera in 1492 might be stocked with these delicious staples: Comments: Mike Licht October 12, 2009 Other culinary hints may be found in the newly-discovered painting of Columbus. See: http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/columbus-day/ Melissa Peterman Hello Mike! Thank you for sending the link to the "newly discovered painting of Columbus," we were all laughing at the office, it's hilarious. VOIPNJ co vplbksqfwq voip router assurance santé excellent information keep up your good work thanx

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Announcing the Foodista Ingredient of the Day Contest By: Helen Pitlick Published: October 13, 2009 We love a good food contest or challenge, and there are some great ones out there, such as the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge, Tuesdays with Dorie, and You Want Pies with That?, which we eagerly follow through participants' blog posts and tweets. With this in mind, we've created our own, the Foodista Ingredient of the Day Contest. Every morning, we post a different ingredient on our Facebook page. You have 24 hours to submit recipes using that ingredient; the recipes can be from any source, though original recipes definitely earn bonus points. Every Tuesday afternoon, we select a winner from the week's submission, then send that winner a prize and feature the recipe on the contest homepage. Comparing recipes like, say, French Apple Pie and Orange Cashew Chicken is about as fair as comparing the proverbial apples and oranges. We'll select the winning recipes based on writing, image quality, and originality, plus the recipe's contribution to Foodista as a whole. We're not looking for just another version of apple pie: get creative, though if you have an apple pie recipe that you think will really knock everyone's socks off, by all means submit it. Are you ready? Today's secret ingredient is-  well, you'll just have to visit Facebook to find out. Don't worry, the first one's an easy one.

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Fabulous Flu Fighting Foods By: Sheri Wetherell Published: October 13, 2009 'Tis the season for the flu. And, even if you've gotten a flu shot, you can still get the nasty virus (though a milder form). We thought it apropos to share with you some fabulous flu fighting foods, as well as tips to staying healthy in general. We all know these things - our mothers drilled most of it into our heads from an early age - but we get busy and stressed, especially this time of year, and many of us tend to neglect the one thing that matters most.... Yourself. So make some simple lifestyle changes before you get sick, you'll thank yourself for it: Get plenty of rest Drink lots of fluids (this does not include 8 cups of coffee a day, we mean healthy liquids like water, juice, tea, even a glass of red wine has vitamin C!) Don't skip meals and stay away from high-sugar foods Wash your hands more frequently Try not to touch your face or eyes Get some exercise Cough into the crook of your arm, not into your hand (yes, us old dogs need to learn new tricks) Now for the stuff we love - FOOD! Add some of these flu fighting foods to your diet and stay healthy this season. Honey has natural antibacterial properties. Combine it with green tea or drizzle on plain yogurt to pack an even more powerful flu-fighting punch. One of my favorites, sick or not, is a "hot toddy" of hot water, honey, and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. (Okay, I admit it, I sometimes add whiskey). Kefir, and other cultured milk products such as yogurt, line our intestines with good bacteria and help fight off germs. If you can't find kefir look for yogurt drinks or yogurt (plain is best) marked "Live and active cultures." Chicken soup! It's not an old wives tale, research actually shows that a nice bowl of Mom's chickeny brew has mild anti-inflammatory properties, can decrease mucus production, and help soothe throat irritation and swelling. My favorite is Jewish Penicillin (matzah ball soup). Red Bell Peppers actually contain twice the vitamin C as an orange! And we all know that vitamin C is a must-have weapon in our flu-fighting arsenal. In addition to citrus fruits, broccoli, cayenne pepper, tomatoes and kiwi fruit are also excellent sources of C. Try this yummy Hearty Red Pepper Soup recipe. Green tea contains a powerful immune-boosting antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate. (Phew, that's a mouthful! Just call it EGCG). Brew your tea for about 4 minutes to get the full benefit and strive to drink at least 3 cups a day. I like to add a bit of honey to my tea or sometimes a disc of fresh ginger. Sweet potatoes are full of beta carotene - the vitamin that gives them their lovely orange color. Our bodies convert beta carotene to vitamin A, which research has shown to help treat respiratory infections.  Feeling lazy after work? Simply crank up the oven to about 400 degrees F and throw the sweet potatoes in skin and all. After 40 minutes or so pull them out and remove the flesh. Top with a little sweet butter, salt and pepper and you've got yourself a meal - and an easy home remedy! Ginger contains a natural plant compound called gingerol, which not only helps fight off infection but helps settle your tummy when you're feeling pukey. While you're well, try this delicious Ginger Broccoli recipe with brown rice, quinoa, red wheat berries, or the like. If you're already sick, stick with ginger in your tea. Oysters contain more zinc than any other food! Zinc is an important mineral that helps keep our immune system strong. If you can't imagine sucking them down raw, try Oysters Rockefeller or go all out with this Oyster Stew With Andouille Mashed Potatoes recipe. Still can't stand the thought of slurping down these bivalves? Eat pumpkin seeds, they're full of zinc too. Garlic not only wards off vampires but germs, so it's a win-win! In fact, the sulfur compounds in garlic make us two and a half times less likely to get sick. Simply add a clove of minced garlic to your vinaigrette and toss on your salad. Or, here's a tasty Tuscan Garlic Chicken recipe - you can even kick up a notch or two and add more garlic! Kale, and other dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and seaweed, is packed with immune-boosting vitamin D, something many of us are already deficient in. Kale is in season now! Try some Garlicky Kale, a hearty Kale Colcannon, or my favorite snack: Kale Chips. Here's to a healthy season! Comments: Sharon October 14, 2009 I enjoyed this article very much so. I just got over the flu too! :( Anyway, you did only have a short blurb on green tea but I have other benefits if you're interested: http://www.shar-on-nutrition.com/?p=75 Feel free to comment! :) Dentist Palmdale I think that even though you don't have flu, it is good to eat those healthy food containing those flu fighting ingredients. STACEY ZIMMERMAN Every time I come to www.foodista.com you have another remarkable post to read. A friend of mine was talking to me about this topic several weeks ago, so I think I will e-mail them the url here and see what they say.

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I Don't Like Red Wine With Cheese By: Jameson Fink Published: October 14, 2009 Did I get your attention?  Good.  Just trying to be deliberately provocative.   Maybe it was too many college parties with bulk red wine and bricks of generic cheddar that colored my early wine and cheese days, but I think white wines do so much better than reds with cheese.  Yeah, I've had Epoisses with Burgundy IN Burgundy, with atmosphere dripping and charm in abundance, and enjoyed it.  But even with the stinkiest, richest cheeses, I think a dry white, a sparkling wine, or a white with a touch of sweetness just works better with the cheese.  I won't pick on Pinot Noir too much, but big reds with powerful tannins and heavy oak are just plain awkward with cheese. I encourage you to pick up a variety of rich, creamy, and/or sharp cheeses that purportedly are good with reds and throw a few whites in the mix.  And don't be afraid of a little sweetness, like the kind you find in wines like Vouvray or Riesling (which also have good balancing acidity); I feel that the acidity lasers through the richness and the sweetness tempers the strong, earthy flavors of highly aromatic cheeses. Here's a slam-dunk, white wine and cheese pairing to get you started, but don't be afraid to experiment. Bring a white to your next wine and cheese party. Shock the world! A trio of South American whites were fantastic with a fresh, young, soft goat cheese: 2008 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontes (Argentina) 2008 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva (Chile) 2007 Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc Vision (Chile) The Torrontes, a floral, aromatic white that reminds me of a lighter version of Viognier, was very good with the cheese but the Sauv Blancs were the star. The high acidity and subtle grassiness of the wines were a perfect compliment to the goat cheese. Stop buying the overly vegetal, stewed green bean-smelling Sauv Blanc from New Zealand; Chile is producing some delicious Sauv Blanc for around ten bucks. Comments: Darya October 15, 2009 Oooo! I love white wines with cheese too. Good call!! jayne I totally agree with you. In fact, I had to laugh when I saw the picture you posted - I've recently had both the Crios Torrontes and the Veramonte Sauvigon Blanc - with cheeses - and thought they were perfect. I had them with some bleu cheeses, actually, and was really happy with the contrast and balance. Sandra It's so hard to find Torrontes here in the US!

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Remedies for Your Butternut Squash Addiction By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 14, 2009 When it comes to seasonal fall and winter squash, there is always one that seems to take center stage on restaurant menus, glossy food magazines and in premade food products. That would be the ever-popular butternut squash. Yes, as much as I love this creamy, sweet and mild squash, I feel that it has been over used in ravioli and in pureed soups. I think it's time to stir things up!  By no means am I suggesting you set aside your beloved butternut, in fact, I think you should fall in love with it all over again and try it in something new. Think of it as butternut therapy for your butternut addiction. To get you started, here are a couple recipes that might make you look differently at your favorite gourd. Before I forget, you can substitute kabocha squash, acorn squash or sugar pumpkin and really try something different. This recipe for marinated butternut squash is a tangy twist on sauteed butternut squash that is usually tossed with olive oil and fresh herbs. Butternut and parsnip quesadillas!  And, for the salsa lover who wants to eat seasonally, you can get inspired with this beet salsa that not only tastes sweet, fresh and tangy- it looks like a bowl of ruby jewels just waiting to be sprinkled on a salad or scooped up with chips. Another dynamic duo- risotto and butternut together! This creamy risotto with sweet butternut squash could be eaten as a side dish or eaten as a main course. This dish is like putting a warm sweater around your stomach. Don't forget dessert! Here is a twist on the old  apple crisp classic: Butternut Apple Crisp! Need more delicious inspiration? Here are three more delicious ideas: Kalyn's Kitchen 101 Cookbooks Relish Pink Stripes Above photo by lumierefl Comments: evan ouellette October 14, 2009 I worked at an organic restaurant last year in Santa Barbara, CA and we offered Butternut Squash mashed potatoes as a side with our entrees. Extremely easy to prepare and delicious. prepare the potatoes as usual (minus mustard (and possibly chives) if thats how you usually roll), and incorporate the butternut- peel and cut into equal cubes, boil until fork tender, and incorporate. The only trick is to let them cool a bit and make sure to squeeze out as much water as possible before adding them to the potatoes to avoid changing the consistency. Garnish with Cinnamon and or cranberries if desired. enjoy!!!! Melissa Peterman Hello Evan, Thank you for your comment. The Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes sounds heavenly and even better with cinnamon! Yum! Thanks for sharing! Helen Butternut apple crisp? Yes please!

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Blog Action Day By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 15, 2009 Today is Blog Action Day! One day out of the year for blogs large and small to take a moment and voice their opinion on climate change. Whether you blog about sports, news or food, it's time to take action. Like a million raindrops all coming together in one massive wave, each blogger out there can help make a difference by taking action and posting a blog. Climate change is real and it affects us all. A Foodies Guide to Taking Action Grow Your Own- Besides doing it for economical and health benefits, (which alone are staggering) grow something from seed and learn just how much energy, time, water and nutrients are needed for just one plant. Then, imagine if you were taking care of one cow; think about the increased energy, water, space and food necessary to nurture it, verses plant food or fertilizer. Eat Local: When you eat local, you are already making a difference in climate change because you are reducing your carbon foot print. Think about the distance your farmer drove to be at your local farmers' market and compare that to the  planes and trucks responsible for delivering your average grocery store produce and other goods from all corners of the world. Think of the huge impact we could all make just by eating one meal a week from a local farm. Eat Less Meat: According to Mark Bittman's article in the New York Times titled "Rethinking the Meat Guzzler", perhaps the best hope for change lies in consumers’ becoming aware of the true costs of industrial meat production. For many of us, our parents and or grandparents felt that it wasn't a meal unless there was meat on the table. That way of thinking is unsustainable. We don't have to all become vegetarian overnight. Take a cue from Meatless Mondays-a non-profit initiative to reduce the meat consumption by 15%- and learn some tips from Michael Pollan, an advocate for climate change in conjunction with sustainable food production.

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Celebrating Chanterelles By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 15, 2009 Here in the Northwest we are blessed with a variety of wild fungi. It only takes a little bit of rain after the summer heat to suddenly ignite the growth of one of my favorite wild mushrooms; the delicious, velvety chanterelle. Every fall I say to myself, "this year I am going to forage for my own mushrooms!" and then I walk to the farmer's market and I see overflowing baskets of porcini, lobster and golden chanterelle mushrooms and I instantly cave. The idyllic vision of seeing myself with tall rain boots, scrunched up hiking pants and a thick rain jacket while tromping in the woods and seeking out chanterelles suddenly fades once I'm at the market. Now all I see are images of me tossing fettucini with chanterelles, cooking roast chicken and chanterelles or dipping my fork in to rich, gooey soft boiled eggs with sauteed chanterelles and toast. Getting hungry? Me too! Since we are celebrating national mushroom day, I suppose it's only appropriate to inspire you with some earthy, umami recipes. Here is a recipe for a decadent Rib-eye with Chanterelle Mushrooms a frothy, vegan  Mushroom Cappucino soup, Salmon with Chanterelles and Slow Cooked Tomatoes or Lobster Mushroom Penne. Need More Shroom Recipes!? Christina Choi's Porcini with Bay Leaves Adventures in Shaw's Mushroom Pizza Too Many Chefs' Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms

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Foodista Accepts a Challenge By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: October 15, 2009 Foodista has recently been covered in both the New York Times and TIME Magazine. I was quoted, and to provide a counterpoint, so was Christopher Kimball of Cook's Illustrated. Between these two articles, Condé Nast announced that they were shutting down Gourmet, and in response Mr. Kimball wrote this Op-Ed piece in the New York Times. Let me start by saying that I have deep respect for Mr. Kimball and what he has built, but I also disagree with his assessment of the Internet, Wikis, and how it all works. I was thinking about writing a response to the Op-Ed, and then earlier today noticed that Mr. Kimball issued the following challenge on his blog: The current rage is the WIKI recipe notion — a community of on-line foodies who can select and tweak recipes to come up with the best possible version. Then there is the opposite contention — I think that only a professional test kitchen with substantial resources, strict testing protocol, and lots of time can develop the very “best” recipes, all things being equal. So, I am willing to put my money, and my reputation, where my big mouth is. I offer a challenge to any supporter of the WIKI or similar concept to jump in and go head to head with our test kitchen. We will jointly agree on a recipe, on the rules, on a time frame, etc. At the end, we will ask a panel of impartial judges to make and test the recipes and declare a winner. Should be fun! Who is interested? I posted a response comment on his blog accepting the challenge, it is awaiting moderation. This should be interesting! What do you think? Comments: Meagan Rogers October 15, 2009 I may not be a chef but I know what is really a good food. I don't really refer my taste buds to few known culinarians but if the food sounds healthy to me, that is what matters. Michele B I have been following this discussion and am glad to see you accept the challenge! If crowd-sourced recipes can run with the test kitchen, would love to see if you can measure how many unique contributors/edits it takes. paul redman seems like great guy, love the magazine and his show. Can't help but think he must feel a little threatened, however, by what you guys have put together. Endangered species ? :) Vicki "only a professional test kitchen...can develop the very “best” recipes"...??? So generations of grandmas have no idea what they're doing in a kitchen? I hope you kick his test kitchen's butt. kitchenMage I love that you accepted Kimball's challenge, it will be interesting to watch this develop. I do find myself wishing that we could all just get along. As a member of the online food community, I find it invaluable. Haven't had a chance to dig too deeply into Foodista's recipes, but I plan to. I also own several of the "Best Recipe" series and find them extremely useful in my own recipe development. It's like having my own test kitchen that does the work to figure out the technical average of a dish and then details out some of the effects of changing key variables.Do I cook their recipes as printed? Almost never, and then almost only once. Have you thought about which recipe(s) you want to use for the throwdown? I also think that both recipes should be released to the Internet so that we can cook along and vote for our favorites somewhere. Professional judges are nice, but this is about what happens when the recipe hits the hands of the millions of people who cook at home every day, not what happens when the recipes are produced in a test kitchen, right? carla Whooo hooo! Here is what you have been waiting for. What great publicity. Go for it. You are up against a big rival. This is what it is all about. Believe in yourself and be sure to edit the occasional toy truck. I agree with the statement before this one. I think most of us read the recipes for ideas and then change them a little bit. Good luck you guys. Go for it, Barnaby! eM All I know is that the mac N cheese recipe in their "Best Recipes" book (aka "the anal cookbook" in our house) is far far far away from the best recipe I don't read the mag or watch the show because I think cooking should be fun - not some uptight exercise amyp I think you should kick his ass! (Can I say "ass" on Foodista?) Go get 'em, Tiger. Siiri I don't see why we can't all just co-exist (I know, I know, this is the Reed Hippie in me talking). Everyone is right to some degree. Clearly all our gramma's and great gramma's had their fingers on the pulse of what was good, and they shared recipes, tips and tricks just as we do today. But it's also great to have some people out there (like Kimball) that can test all those recipes and see which ones really stand out, so if it's important to have the more dense or more moist or more springy, etc., cake, you know what to use/do. There's value in both perspectives. I think Kimball is a little naive to believe that people all over the country are abondoning their gramma's recipe for apple cobbler simply because he tested 15 and our gramma's wasn't the top dog. Food is about more than just an arbitrary set of criteria that makes something "the best." What about the memories attached to a dish prepared in a certain way? The way a dish makes you feel when you cook it yourself, or come up with your own variation that suits your personal taste? There's just more to it than his blinders will allow him to accept. So go for it, Foodista! I see a Bobby Flay Throwdown Upset coming Kimball's way! Sheri Wetherell I agree, Siiri. I think this is a fun challenge and even more fun discussion! Frankly, we're all winners. It's not black and white. In the food space there's plenty of room for everyone: professional chefs, test kitchen gurus, the novice home cook to the advanced home cook, food bloggers, etc. What kind of garden would it be if we only had red roses? Boring. I want my "garden" filled with lots of variety and color! And discussions like this do exactly that. Happy cooking! Sheri @ Foodista

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Salmon with Chanterelles and Slow Cooked Tomatoes By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 17, 2009 Even though it's mid-October, I am still picking tomatoes off my plants.  Yesterday I had an entire gallon-sized bag of tomatoes that I wanted to use up. So ripe, juicy and sweet- I knew  these tomatoes would likely be the last of the season and therefore needed to be used in a special dish. Earlier I had bought some wild salmon, fresh herbs, a sweet onion and some chanterelle mushrooms. Normally, I wouldn't pair a delicate flavor like chanterelle mushrooms with rich salmon or tomatoes, but I was in a risky mood. What could those flavors be like together? Would the chanterelles get completely lost in the dish? I decided to find out. I sliced about two cups of the tomatoes in half and gently coated them with olive oil, salt and pepper and fresh thyme leaves. Next I spread them out on a sheet tray and put them in the oven to roast. When sweet tomatoes are slow cooked, they get even sweeter. Candy-like actually. To really slow cook them, I would have had to cook them in a 200 degree oven for two hours, but most week nights don't allow for that kind of time. So I put these in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes and reduced the heat to 300 degrees and cooked them for another 10 minutes. While the tomatoes were cooking, I sauteed the onions and mushrooms with olive oil, added some garlic, salt and pepper and a little more fresh thyme. Once the tomatoes were done, I added them to the mushrooms and onions. Then I seared the salmon separately, just to medium rare, with only olive oil and salt and pepper. I placed the salmon on a plate and covered it completely with the rich tomatoes, chanterelles and onions. For a second I was like, oh man, you took something so great and you wasted it by drowning it in sweet tomatoes! But you know what- it worked! Juicy-sweet layers of flavor capturing the end of summer and the beginning of fall in one dish. Comments: Sarah October 17, 2009 Mmmm. I just finished dinner and that's making my mouth water! I have been itchin' to try the truly slow-roasted tomatoes and haven't planned enough ahead to do it - I hear it's a great way to make winter tomatoes tasty. Melissa Peterman Hi Sarah, I agree, if I ever need a tomato fix, I look to Roma or cherry tomatoes and slow roast them in the oven- super yum! Amy at Work Hi Melissa, That picture alone sells me. Wow. In recent years I've lost my taste for tomatoes. Too acidic...or something. But maybe slow-roasting them will bring back the romance. I like your adventuresome approach! Hope to see you again soon - Amy

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Locavore and Foodista By: Sheri Wetherell Published: October 19, 2009 Are you passionate about local foods? Discovering new things at your farmer's market? Like to support your local farmers and food producers? Do you have an iPhone? If yes, yes, yes, and yes, we have the perfect app for you! We like to think it's a match made in heaven: Locavore and Foodista. If you missed our previous announcement of the Locavore/Foodista love connection, read here. In a nutshell, Locavore is a nifty application that not only tells you what's in season in your area, what's being grown and what tastes best, but also informs you of what is about to be harvested. If you're really curious, it will also tell you what's in season in other regions or around the world. Fun! You can also make notes about what you're growing or discovering, browse by food or by state, search for farmer's markets, and find tasty recipes. That's where Foodista comes in. We've partnered with Locavore to bring you delicious recipes for all those wonderful season ingredients you discover. We think you're gonna love it! Comments: Charles Ravndal Well most of our products here are locally made and of course I am all for local stuff! I should try that locavore app on my mac if they have that kind of app. Ken Wetherell Nice post Melissa! I look forward to checking out the Locavore app and pass the info along to my farmer friends in the Portland area. Sara I love local foods and foods that are in season right now...at times it's hard to know exactly whats in season so i think this is great and i'll be using it...Great post.

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Meatless Mondays By: Helen Pitlick Published: October 19, 2009 Foodista recently signed up to participate in Meatless Mondays, a campaign run in association with the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. The goal of Meatless Mondays is to help the environment and improve personal health through reducing meat consumption. There are many reasons to eat less meat and fewer animal products. For one, a vegetarian or vegan diet is less detrimental to the environment: a vegetarian diet uses almost 5 times less land to produce than a meat-heavy diet, meaning a reduced carbon footprint. Vegetarian diets may help you lose weight and reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Vegetarian diets are kinder to animals, since none are slaughtered for the vegetarian table. In addition, vegetarian diets are often cheaper than diets that include meat. We're not encouraging all you die-hard carnivores to eliminate meat completely, but reducing your intake in whatever quantity you wish can make a difference in all of these areas. If you've been thinking about reducing your meat consumption or testing the waters before taking a permanent plunge into vegetarianism, Meatless Mondays are a great place to start. Have fun, get creative, and try experimenting with foods you've never cooked or eaten before: consider it a culinary challenge. Who knows, Meatless Mondays might even turn into Meatless Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Join the movement: it's a whole lot easier than you might think and can make an real impact. Need inspiration? Here are a few recipes to get you started. Image from Wikipedia.

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Moorish Badenjan Dip By: Sheri Wetherell Published: October 19, 2009 It's funny how our tastebuds change as we age. Not too long ago, eggplant was on my shortlist of foods I didn't like, now it seems I can't get enough of it. One day I looked at the plate of baba ganoush my friend had ordered and it just clicked, "I think I like eggplant now!" The same thing happened with onions, black licorice, and avocados. One minute I hated it, the next I suddenly can't get enough of it. There's no gray area either, I don't ease these new 'likes' into my diet, I go whole hog. The first time I ate raw onions I didn't just squirrel them into a salad, no, I made an onion sandwich! Crazy, I know. Now that eggplant is on my radar I find that I'm consistently searching for new, unique ways to prepare and satiate my addiction. I recently discovered this delicious Moorish dish, Badenjan - a creamy smoky dip with deep notes of saffron balanced by fresh mint - and in two weeks I've made it twice. Both times I've prepared it as a condiment of sorts to our main dish. The first time, to accompany aromatic lamb meatballs (filled with garlic, onions and mint), the second time an addition to a Moroccan-style grilled chicken.  This is some serious eggplant goodness. Click below for the recipe:

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Perfect Scrambled Eggs By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 20, 2009 I just learned how to make scrambled eggs after 15 years of cooking. I love eggs, an over easy/soft-boiled egg may be my most favorite food over anything else.Want to know the trick? It's all about the double-boiler. Back in May, at the International Food Bloggers' Conference, Chef Keith Luce of the Herbfarm made the most incredible scrambled eggs as part of his elaborate lunch offering. They were from free-range, organically fed hens but there was nothing more added to the beaten eggs, except maybe a touch of butter; it was all technique. At the  IFBC, Chef Luce slowly stirred the beaten eggs with a whisk in a medium-sized mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, otherwise known as a double boiler. I don't remember how quickly the eggs were stirred or what angle Chef Luce was tilting the pan, all I know is those eggs convinced me that I hadn't had really good scrambled eggs before that. Sheri came into the office recently raving about scrambled eggs, her and Barnaby had made over the weekend using farmer market eggs and the double boiler trick. "I didn't even use butter, and they were amazing!" she said. My mom had given me a dozen eggs from her chickens and so I decided to give it a go. So simple. I used a teaspoon of butter and let it melt in the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water. I poured in the beaten eggs and stirred slowly. To learn how to scramble eggs after cooking scrambled eggs one way for 15 years seems somewhat unreal, like reinventing the wheel. I focused on the beaten eggs as if I had never cooked them before in my life. After a couple minutes they were done. Not fluffy or airy, like a French style omelette, nor wet or dense, these scrambled eggs were a combination of fluffy and creamy. Fluffy isn't even the right word- custard-like? I gave some to my husband and said, I scrambled these a bit different, what do you think? He said, "what kind of cheese did you put in this?" I said none. Then he asked, "Okay then, how much butter is in this?"  Not much! Isn't it cool! I squealed, there is about a teaspoon of butter and just really fresh eggs- that's it. Looking for more scrambled egg techniques? Here are a couple more to try: Above photo by NickWheeleron holiday Comments: Casey Margell October 20, 2009 I'm SO going to give the double boiler approach a try. Thanks for the post! Melissa Peterman Hello Casey! You are very welcome- if you love good eggs, you are going to love this dish! Libby Good scrambled eggs are an art. I heard Gordon Ramsay uses scrambled egg prep to test his chefs. Carrie I'm really excited to try this, I've always ended up with dense, wet scrambled eggs. Eggs are just so fickle. SuperChef Im soo gonna try this method!! thank you for sharing this with us! :) Melissa Peterman I completely agree that perfect scrambled eggs are an art- I think I may make my scrambled eggs this way from here on out!

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Time to Belly Up to the Bar with Erik Hakkinen By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 20, 2009 Once again, the Foodista Team will belly up to the bar for another Drinking Lesson, this time the teacher is Erik Hakkinen, a bartender at Seattle's infamous  Zig Zag Cafe , the same bar you will also find legendary Murray Stenson shaking things up.  Hakkinen will be stirring, muddling and mixing to a sold-out crowd tonight at the Sorrento Hotel's Hunt Club bar. He may be young, but he has already made quite the name for himself. Check out why bar nerds are taking notice of Hakkinen. Follow us tonight on twitter, the hash tag #drinkinglessons and we'll also be posting on the Night School blog: http://www.foodista.com/nightschool/

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Wine from Scratch: A History Behind The Bottle By: Marcus Pape Published: October 21, 2009 Greetings my wine-guzzling friends. As I mentioned in my first post, I’m starting over with wine and you’re all (all two of you) invited along for the ride. I’ll be exploring wine for the first time, all over again with a new attitude and fresh perspective inspired by my recent trip to Italy, one of the largest and oldest wine producing regions in the world. It’s my belief that the key to learning about wine is more than just analyzing grapes and comparing flavor profiles. Instead, we need to look deeper into the different regions, cultures, and lifestyles behind the bottle; because in many parts of the world, wine truly is a style of life. Not just a life with style. For example, in Italy wine is an everyday constant. It’s ingrained in the people and embedded in the culture. This is more apparent right now with harvest than any other time of year, as growers and winemakers work to bring in their grapes just as their families have done for generations before them. One evening in Italy, my wife and I sat down for a home cooked meal with our tour guide Paolo and his friend Valerio. Valerio is a winemaker. Just like his father before him, and his father before him. He never considered doing anything else. It’s what he knows and loves. He can speak for hours on the subject of Grignolino (a red Italian wine grape variety) and it’s magical ability to cure hangovers! Our local wine culture doesn’t quite have the history that Italy does, but there are still plenty of opportunities to learn more about wine from the perspective of the people and places that produce it. My recommendation, before you crack open that next bottle of wine; look at the label and then get online to find out more about the winery that made it and the region the grapes came from. That info alone should provide more talking points around the dinner table than how the wine tastes like blackberries and smells like a cigar box. For a little more historical perspective on wine lookup A History Of The World In Six Glasses, which explores the significant role that wine along with five other beverages (beer, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola) have played in the world's history. Interesting stuff. Cheers! ** Marcus Pape has worked in media and design for over 10 years with an extensive background in all forms of visual communication. As a proclaimed vinophile Marcus hopes to leverage his abilities to inspire interest in wine, recently launching WineCHATr.com – an online resource for the growing wine community, where both popular wine bloggers and businesses come together to connect and share information on wine.

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Pairing Pumpkin Beer with Seasonal Foods By: Helen Pitlick Published: October 22, 2009 Pumpkin beer: beer geeks love it or hate it. "Liquid pumpkin pie", say the detractors: sweet and overly-spiced- hardly beer at all. However, many take pumpkin beer seriously. Very seriously. The Elysian Brewery in Seattle devotes an entire weekend to the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival every October; for this year's event, they brewed not one, not two but nine different varieties. The pumpkin beer category encompasses any style of beer brewed with pumpkin and/or pumpkin pie spices; the base beer can range from a lager to a brown ale to a stout- whatever the brewer desires. The best pumpkin beer is a fine balance between pumpkin and beer, allowing the two flavors to coexist in harmony. These are the money beers, the ones that prove pumpkin beer is more than just a seasonal novelty or pie in a bottle. Pumpkin beers are quite enjoyable on their own, but when combined with food are a delightful celebration of autumn. Don't throw out the usual beer pairing rules with pumpkin beers. Look for ingredients that will either compliment or contrast the flavor of beer, not compete with it. The sweetness, texture, and style of beer will dictate what recipes will work best with which foods: lighter beers tend to work well with lighter fare, while richer beers can stand up to heartier meals. However, pairing completely contrasting flavors can also create a wonderful effect. For example, salty foods will enhance the sweetness of a sugary beer. This contrast should be a playful debate, not a fist fight: the flavors should not be grappling for dominance on your tongue. The differences between the beer and the food will coax out flavors in each that otherwise might go undetected. While it's tempting to couple pumpkin beer with foods containing pumpkin or winter squash, the similarity in taste will generally cause the pairing to fall flat. Instead, consider other fall favorites. Try a lighter beer with turkey, poultry and root vegetables, or darker, richer beers with stews, brown butter, sharp cheese and lamb. Adding a hint of nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice to a recipe can make an otherwise unsuitable dish pumpkin beer-friendly. For a sharp, strong beer like Dogfish Head Punkin Ale or Elysian Night Owl: For a sweet, strong beer like Southern Tier Punking Imperial Pumpkin Ale: For a lighter beer like Shipyard Pumpkinhead: Need to find pumpkin beer? Beer Advocate has a good list. (image from Flickr user euart) Comments: uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Pairing Pumpkin Beer with Seasonal Foods http://bit.ly/15Xe2I... Sheri Wetherell This is great information! I never would have thought to pair food with beer, don't ask me why. I guess you could say I'm stuck in a wine rut. But no longer! Thanks! The Stoner Gourmand yay! beer and food!

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What do You Spread on Toast By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 22, 2009 Are you a peanut butter person? Cream cheese? Honey? Strictly butter and jam? Vegemite or Marmite? Or are you a decadent Nuttella lover? I find this all so interesting. It's different for everyone depending on where in the world you grew up. Myself? I tend to stick to butter and raspberry jam. But on occasion, like this morning, if there is a ripe avocado around, I'll spread that on my toast and sprinkle it with a little salt. Toast is such a humble breakfast but you can make it quite extraordinary with what you put on it. What do you do? Do you Make Your Own Toast Spread? Here are a Couple Ideas: Photo by Ms. Tea Comments: Karen October 22, 2009 I just found a passion for toast with almond butter. I saw your pic of the toast w/avocado...at first I thought it was green bean casserole! I will try the avocado though...not the casserole! Great post for getting other ideas. =) krista mills Cream cheese!!! Yum Yum!! Melissa Peterman Hi Karen, I love almond butter- I never think about picking it up at the store, thanks for the reminder! marlo just made some delicious baba ghanoush with the last of the u-pick eggplant. tastes great on toast! Delphine Nuttella, nuttella, nuttella... i'm from Belgium and grew up on that. I search 2 years for Nuttella in America, were i live now and finally found it! Melissa Peterman Oh Delphine! I'd give my heart to Nuttella any day! Melissa Peterman Marlo- I've done hummus on toast but never baba ghanoush! I'm sold! susan i'm with you on the avocado spread. never thought of using this until i saw my friend do it. if i have a lemon around i'll add a splash of fresh squeezed, fresh ground black pepper and voila! instant late night snack or early brekkie! michele jam!

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A Chance to go to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 24, 2009 Normally I don't enter a ton of cooking contests, mostly because I don't make the time,  but  PAMA Liqueur sent us an email about about "Cooking with PAMA Contest" with the Grand Prize winner receiving a trip for 2 to the 2010 FOOD & WINE Classic in Aspen. Which, if any of you have heard about the Food & Wine Classic, it's pretty foodie-tastic. If you are feeling ambitious and like pomegranate liqueur-here is the nitty gritty: -Create a recipe of your own using at least 3 tablespoons of Pama pomegranate liqueur. It can be in an appetizer, dessert or drink. -Get official rules and submit your recipe and photo to Pama Pomegranate Liqueur on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pamaliqueur -Enter by November 16 Above Photo by Joe M500

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FoodSnap Photo Contest Winners By: Sheri Wetherell Published: October 25, 2009 On September 18 Foodista and Keren Brown Media held FoodSnap, an all-day food photo workshop with award-winning Olympus Visionary and New York Times photojournalist, Lou Manna. What a blast we had! Lou was kind enough to be the judge of our photo contest, and we're happy to announce the winners. Such fantastic photography from everyone (click on a winner's name to see all their photos)! The Grand Prize Winner of a fancy-schmancy Olympus Camera (courtesy of Olympus) is Jasmine Wilkerson for her gorgeous photo (above) of FROST Doughnuts. The Second Place Winner of a KitchenAid Mixer (courtesy of Sur la Table) is Alice from Savory Sweet Life for her beautiful photo (below) of a Wink Cupcake. The following winners in each category will receive a prize from the sponsor: Wink Cupcake Category - by Elise Bauer (Simply Recipes) Red Ticking Category – by Morry Anne Angell Fooducopia Category -by Susmita (The Food We Eat) Kathy Casey Category - by Peabody Pulp Category - by Anne Livingston (Bring to Boil) Emily's Chocolate - Emily's 1 by Mohini (Mango Power Girl) Blue Bird Grain Farms - by Ashley (Not Without Salt) Teasophy - by Askabir Frost Doughnuts - by Jerrod Stafford Andaluca -  by Morry Anne Angell Comments: Daniel Sterling October 25, 2009 Congratulations to all of the winners. Just looking at this page is making me HUNGRY! :) Thanks for having us a part of this fun event! Warm Regards, Daniel Sterling Owner - FROST Doughnuts uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: FoodSnap Photo Contest Winners http://bit.ly/YsBGl... Sheri Wetherell Thanks, Daniel, for being part of it! Was fun indeed! Alice Many thanks to you (Foodista), Keren Brown, and Lou Manna for a great day of photography and food.

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Vegan Halloween Treats By: Helen Pitlick Published: October 26, 2009 Between candy corn made with egg whites, milk-laden chocolate bars and gelatin-based gummies, Halloween can be a vegan's nightmare. Whether you're hosting a party, need a festive treat to bring into the office, or just want to spice things up around the house, here are some ideas. Cupcakes are hot: you can't go wrong with cupcakes right now. Chocolate and vanilla are always good, but why not try pumpkin? Go beyond the basic orange icing with chocolate sprinkles: get creative. Most store-bought marzipan is vegan (be sure to check): use it to sculpt pumpkins, bats, decapitated heads, zombie hands- whatever suits your fancy- to decorate your favorite vegan cupcake and frosting. Or, cut stencils out of stiff paper and arrange on top of cupcakes, then sift orange sanding sugar or confectioners' sugar generously over the cut-out. Apples are in season, and candied apples are a completely vegan Halloween tradition, provided you don't have any objection to corn syrup. Popcorn balls are another classic. Swap the butter for non-hydrogenated soy margarine and wrap them in orange cellophane for a festive treat. Use a cookie cutter to make bat-shaped tofu cutlets; serve with ketchup "blood." Since Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, start the morning right with pumpkin pancakes. Make jack-o-lantern faces with chocolate chips, and douse with maple syrup. When in doubt, pumpkin is a proven Halloween winner. More pumpkin ideas: Indian Pumpkin Pumpkin Peanut Butter Spread Pumpkin and Avocado Oil Soup Photos by hanna_horwarth, Sevenmarie Comments: uberVU - social... October 26, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Vegan Halloween Treats http://bit.ly/3CMSyI... NewJersey an pbx telephone system am going to spin inside weather in new jersey. Mutuelle optique very nice!!!!

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Halloween Drinks for Kids By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 27, 2009 While growing up Halloween trumped Christmas as the holiday I looked most forward to. It wasn't so much the candy that had me counting down the days, but the costumes. My mother would indulge my dress-up desires and help me brainstorm what I could be for Halloween months in advance. Now even today, I look forward to Halloween and fall is one of my most favorite times of year, but besides costumes, I indulge in festive drinks and dishes. Because I associate Halloween with my childhood, it's only fitting to post some frightfully delicious drinks for kids. Perhaps you can think of ones I may have missed? Comments: uberVU - social... October 27, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by Foodista: New blog post: Halloween Drinks for Kids http://bit.ly/2lFcKy...

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Rokeg Blood Pie (and other bloody concoctions) By: Yuna Wu Published: October 28, 2009 Bood Pie* The Rokeg blood pie is a celebratory Klingon dish traditionally eaten on the Day of Honor. On this day, participants reflect on their past and eat this blood pie as a symbolic gesture of renewal. And who wouldn't feel rejuvenated after eating this? The blood and meat custard filling offers a slight resistance to the teeth but yields to the tongue to impart a rich, tantalizing umami flavor with a subtle hint of sweetness. The crust, flaky and tender, provides a nice textural contrast to the creamy, unctuous filling. Wait, what? Where did I lose you? The Klingons? Day of Honor? Don't tell me you don't watch Star Trek - the best and the longest running show in UPN history!? It's alright. I didn't know about this Klingon tradition either. Truth be told, I came across this dish while searching for gory sounding recipes to contribute to the fabulous Foodista recipe collection for Halloween. I was a little disappointed to find out that it was a fictional dish. If you are too, despair not. Animal blood has long been a staple food in human history and there are a lot of great non-fictional blood recipes around. Prepared as soups, sauces, pancakes, sausages, or stirred into drinks, blood eating is... how should I put it? In our blood? Comprised of roughly 80% water and 17% protein, blood thickens at 167 degrees F due to the denaturing of the albumin protein. A common preparation technique is to heat the blood and then bring the temperature back down to allow it to set. Once set, the congealed mixture can be cut into cubes for soups, fried into cakes, or simply rolled with toppings and enjoyed. To me, Halloween has always been a holiday that encourages people to step out their normal comfort zone, a holiday where we trade in our jeans and t-shirts for bunny costumes and superhero capes. If you are new to blood dishes, what better time to give these recipes a try? Or perhaps you are a blood eating aficionado? What have you had? How would you describe the taste? Experience? I want to know! *Not a Klingon blood pie, unfortunately. It's my Swedish blood pudding baked in a pie pan. It's my first blood dish, I will let you know how it goes. Comments: G October 28, 2009 Fantastic Halloween post and I love the Klingon theme! Hope that the pie turned out well. Speaking of bloody things, of my favorite foods here in Spain is a blood sausage called morcilla. There are two versions, one with onions and a lot of flavor, a complex sweet peppery one, and one with rice that has a softer taste and is suitable for frying like sausage patties. I'm hoping to be able to try some of the other European versions (like the German and Swedish ones you've depicted... yumm) and maybe the Portuguese version which all my friends tell me is like the Spanish version, but better (these Portuguese friends say that about everything, yes...). To close I'll add a song that we looked at recently in Catalan class, it's a punky pop number that deals with cannibalism in a humorous light (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLEWC-s9nAw" rel="nofollow">youtube link</A>): The choruses go: I drank her blood, I ate her brain Just like the priest makes mass to have her, I ate her and now she's a part of me I drank her blood, I ate her brain but the only thing I didn't eat were those eyes that drove me crazy I save them in formaldehyde Here's a <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&amp;sl=ca&amp;tl=en&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kumbaworld.com%2F%3Fq%3Dnode%2F8%26idcanco%3D641" rel="nofollow">GTranslate</A> of the rest of the lyrics. Good to see your food blogging! Yuna A true blood-eating aficionado! Now I really need to either find or make myself some good oniony, peppery-sweet morcilla. I have to say, making these dishes yourself can affect your ability to appreciate the outcome...something about that raw, red...viscous liquid. I still haven't eaten my pie yet... (I will though!) Lovely punk number about cannibalism. So cheerful. Any music-food space collision is a win in my book. Barnaby Dorfman I love me some blood! Blood pudding is a favorite, called "Morcilla" in Spanish, they have a variety of types where they mix the blood with different fillers. Common blends include rice, barley, onions, or even diced chunks of fat. My favorite preparation is grilled until the skin is crispy and served with Argentine chimichurri sauce. larasati I like fried "dadih" or Indonesian language for hard-curd-chicken blood. Sold in blocks, slice, spread on pinch of salt and fry. Taste so good for simply eat with freshly steamed rice. Amy at Work Ooh! Disgusting and Wonderful Post! Gustavo Forastiere Vamos Argentina todavía! Yes, morcilla is my favorite. I am from Argentina and grew up eating that as part pf a parrillada. A parrillada includes a little beef, in most cases spare-rib, and then mostly sausages and other parts of the cow most people wouldn't eat: tripes, kidney, morcilla, etc. Yes, all the stuff that would clog ones arteries...

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The World's Most Neglected Wines (Part One): Australian Riesling By: Jameson Fink Published: October 28, 2009 In its recent heyday as the critical darling of the wine world, Aussie Shiraz was unstoppable. Massive scores, massive wines, massive prices. How the mighty fall. With a glut of jammy, indiscernible reds with cloying flavors and gimmicky labels flooding the market (combined, to put it mildly, with a bit of a economic downturn), the wine-buying public turned a blind eye to all Aussie reds that did not have a kangaroo on the label.  I do, however, ask that you ignore all that has come to pass in the world of Aussie Shiraz and focus on Riesling.  Yes.  Riesling.  From Australia.  Look for anything from the Clare or Eden Valley; these are dry, dry, dry Rieslings.  How dry?  Sahara dry.  Yet they have loads of zesty lime flavor, moderate alcohol, and (most importantly) are a delight to drink.  I fondly recall attending one of Seattle's best oyster happy hours at a place with a mediocre wine list.  I asked for a bottle of Pikes Riesling that had clearly, based on the vintage, had been on the list for a few years;  unsurprisingly, the waiter said that in the four years he had worked there I was the first person to order it.  Well, fortune favors the bold.  This lively white, though gathering some dust, was as fresh as a daisy, reasonably priced, and phenomenal with oysters (especially when you top them with a frozen mignonette).  And if you have a fondness for ceviche, fish tacos, and/or sushi (just go easy on the soy sauce), you have found your perfect wine. PS:  Sorry for all the parenthesis; my writing style clearly could use a shot in the arm.  (Seriously.) PPS: I realize this wine has an animal on the label but pike (or any firm-fleshed fish) and Aussie Riesling would be delicious.  (Maybe with a fennel slaw.  Damn, I did that parenthesis thing again.  Twice.) Comments: Australien October 29, 2009 Hi, Currently I was investigating a new anchor story on Australia for our German travel guide to Australia when I was sent by Google to your website. Actually, I didn't find exactly what I expected. But, your article has given me inspiration for another article. Insofar: Thanks. Kind regards, Michael

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Beer for Halloween By: Helen Pitlick Published: October 29, 2009 When selecting which beer to drink on and around Halloween, there are two variables to consider: the beer's flavor and its name. Even if you ordinarily prefer a hoppier brew, Halloween beer should taste like candy, since the whole point of Halloween is candy. Oh sure, some would argue that Halloween is all about dressing up and pretending to be someone else for a day, but isn't the ultimate reason children wear costumes to trick-or-treat to bring home candy? The name of a beer is also important. For instance, how many days of the year can you say, "gee, this Witches Brew is tasty" with a straight face? Whether you're looking for something special to pair with a Halloween feast, or simply a beverage to relax with after a long night of trick-or-treating, here are a few suggestions. If you like chocolate bars, try a Milk Stout or a Chocolate Stout. Milk stout is a stout brewed with the addition of lactose, the sugar in milk, for extra sweetness. While the chocolate flavor in most chocolate stouts is due to the roasted malts, some breweries do add actual chocolate to the brewing process. Young's Double Chocolate Stout Rogue Chocolate Stout St. Peter's Cream Stout Sam Adams Cream Stout If you like Jolly Ranchers, try a sweet fruit lambic or fruit beer. Lambics are spontaneously fermenting beers, meaning they are brewed without the addition of yeast; the fermentation is caused by environmental microbes. Fruit lambics are simply a traditional lambic with fruit added to the brewing process. While most fruit lambics are quite sour, several breweries put out versions that are very sweet. Similarly, fruit beers are also created with the addition of fruit to the brewing process and vary according to the style of the base beer. Lindeman's lambics:  Pomme , Framboise, Cassis, Kriek, Pêche, Belle-Vue  Kriek and Framboise Unibroue Ephemere If you like Sour Patch Kids, try a Sour Ale, such as a Berliner Weisse, Flanders Red, or Oud Bruin. Sour ales are just that, ranging from from mildly tart to completely mouth-puckering. The sour flavor is created by naturally-occurring bacteria allowed to grow during an extended aging process. Duchesse De Bourgogone New Belgium La Folie Deschutes Dissident Jolly Pumpkin La Roja Ghoulishly good names: Pendle Witches Brew Moorehouse's Brewery Black Cat Midnight Sun Berserker Rogue Dead Guy Unibroue Maudite Brasserie Jeanne D'Arc Belzebuth More ideas from other bloggers: Oklahoma City Craft Beer Examiner: Halloween-themed Beer Beer Haiku Daily: Avery Good Halloween Spirit of Halloween: Beer for Halloween Any other suggestions or recommendations? Comments: Mike Supple October 29, 2009 Nice overview! St. Peter's Cream Stout is so delicious... uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Beer for Halloween http://bit.ly/1zywX9... Desiree Very interesting! I think I would definitely enjoy a Chocolate Stout.

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Halloween Cocktails By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 29, 2009 Recently, I posted a blog about non-alcoholic Halloween drinks for kids but as we all know, Halloween is just as much a holiday for adults as it is for kids. Instead of bringing spooky cupcakes or Halloween truffles to your Halloween gathering this weekend, mix up some creepy cocktail concoctions to share with your adult guests. Dressing up? Bring a special potion that goes with the theme of your costume. For example, if you are going as Don Draper, you should probably bring the ingredients to make an Old Fashioned. Going as a vampire? A Bloody Mary is more than fitting. Want to bring enough for a crew? Here is a list of  Halloween cocktails that are to die for! More Cocktail Inspiration Cocktail Culture- Absithe Cocktail Sloshed!- Hard Pumpkin Cider Nightschool-Professional bartenders share their secrets Vintage Cocktails on Facebook Above photo by TangoPango Comments: AikoVenus September 11, 2011 Very scary (and bloody) looking. But I love it!

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Spooky, Gross, Tasty Friday Fun Links By: Sheri Wetherell Published: October 29, 2009 Not Martha bravely bakes up a gruesome, bone chilling, yet tasty meatloaf Meat Hand CakeSpy tests her patience and makes Homemade Candy Corn Nine things you didn't know about candy corn Buzz kill: the scary truth behind Halloween candy Turn your Pigs in a Blanket into spooky Mummy Dogs - the kids will love them! Wondering what you'll do with all that leftover candy? Have a Candy Tournament Spooky Brains! Cocktail Get your drink on! Ghastly Halloween drinks Zombie Food: Melon brains Extreme pumpkins Comments: Dennis October 30, 2009 That's really creative. I like it!! Alisa Oh my, that meatloaf hand is amazing! I dont know if I could get my friends to eat it :)

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5 Goulish Dishes to Bring to a Potluck This Saturday By: Melissa Peterman Published: October 30, 2009 If you are headed out to a Halloween party, there is a good chance you'll be asked to bring a dish. Need a fast idea for what to bring? Here are 5 dishes sure to turn heads. Feed a crowd without breaking the bank with a festive Halloween Pumpkin Soup Go old school with some candied apples! Deliciously Gruesome? Feeling Devilish? Is that a bowl of fingernails? No! It's curried pumpkin seeds! Comments: Dad October 30, 2009 Mejijja! Love your articles, and, love you too! :) Have a 'spooky' 'good eating day' today:) ! Let me know if you run across any fun deserts!! ;) Love/hugs to you and Marky! Melissa Peterman Thanks Dad! Bookmarking some desserts for you now! (by the way, this goes out to lots of people Dad! LOL) Sheri Wetherell Bring it on! I love when our parents shout out their love for us "kids" :)

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Mangalitsa Lard Chicken Confit By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: November 1, 2009 A couple of weeks ago I visited with Heath Putnam of Wooly Pigs at our local West Seattle farmer's market. We caught up a bit and discussed the development of our respective businesses. Just like Foodista, Wooly Pigs is a startup and Heath is an entrepeneur developing the market for a product. I was happy to learn that his wonderful Mangalitsa pork is now being served in some of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, including Frascati. It's not surprising that great chefs are adopting this amazing product with exciting potential health benefits of lower saturated fat. As I was about to move on to another stall, Heath asked if he could give me some lard. I said sure and he pulled out a large white tub of rendered Mangalitsa lard. Heath gave it to us free of charge. He explained that it was rendered with the skin on, which gives it a smokey bacon-like flavor since the skin crisps up and burns in the rendering process. As a result, the lard isn't good for sweet recipes (unless you want them to taste like bacon), such as pie crusts. In return, Heath just asked that we test it out and let him know what we make with it. If you are like me, you have an almost instinctual negative reaction to the thought of eating lard...just typing that sentence makes me a bit queasy. But if you think about it, lard isn't that different from butter, which I happily slather on bread and pop in my mouth. What's the difference? Mostly I think it's cultural, Americans just aren't used to cooking with it anymore, but we love the taste. When you get those fantastic creamy refried beans in a Mexican restaurant...it's the lard. The richest, flakiest pie crusts I've had...made with lard. So what savory dish could I cook with it? I'd been wanting to try making a chicken confit and I thought, why not try it with the lard? After researching a number of different duck and chicken confit recipes, I did what I usually do, which is to combine several different approaches tailored to my favorite flavors. I did a whole Thundering Hooves pasture raised chicken and even though I've never had or seen anyone confit the breast, I included it. That part was a mistake, it came out dense and dry. But the leg, thigh, and wing meat were extremely tender and moist. After the long confit cooking process, the skin was very soft, but I wanted to crisp it before serving. I  first tried to crisp the skin in a frying pan on the stove, that was my second mistake. The skin stuck and the meat was so delicate that the whole thing fell apart. Next I placed it under the broiler to brown and that worked beautifully. The end result was an amazing combination of wonderful crackly skin surrounding the most fall-aparty chicken meat I've ever had, all infused with the unique rich flavor of Mangalitsa. Click below to get my Mangalitsa Chicken Confit recipe. Comments: uberVU - social... November 1, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Mangalitsa Lard Chicken Confit http://bit.ly/2R386q... Amy at Work Re: Eating Lard, A friend traveling through Russia told me tales of being served slices of lard + vodka shots. It would be exciting to see more recipes calling for lard and other rare animal parts. What about those pioneer cookbooks with recipes like Raccoon pie?

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Foodista goes Meatless this week By: Helen Pitlick Published: November 2, 2009 A couple of weeks ago, we announced that we are participating in Meatless Mondays, a campaign run in association with the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. The goal of Meatless Mondays is to raise awareness of the health and environmental benefits of eating less meat; reducing our meat consumption by 15% (equal to one day a week) can make a huge difference. We're in our third week, and things are going well. In order to prove that it can be easy and fun (or at least not all that painful) to give up meat on Mondays, the Foodista Blog is going meatless all this week. Every day, we'll feature exciting and delicious vegetarian dishes. For some members of Team Foodista, a week without meat will be easy; we already do not eat it or eat it sparingly. For others (particularly the Mangalitsa Lard Chicken Confit lovers), it may be more of a challenge. Whether it's permanently or even for just a day, the prospect of going vegetarian can be intimidating to some people because they feel they will need to give up their favorite foods or learn how to cook in an entirely new and unfamiliar way. While it's true that vegetarian cooking can be an excellent way to experiment with different recipes and techniques, it doesn't need to be. Many of our most beloved dishes are already meatless. Is a day, week, or lifetime of eating falafel, hummus, polenta, baked ziti, or muttar paneer really all that terrible? Here's what a Meatless Monday might look like: Breakfast: Lunch: Dinner: Dessert: What are your favorite meatless dishes? A few blogs also participating in Meatless Mondays: Ezra Poundcake Suburban Spoon Powered by Produce Comments: uberVU - social... November 2, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Foodista goes Meatless this week http://bit.ly/1EKYZC...

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Georges DuBoeuf Wine Bag Design Contest By: Sheri Wetherell Published: November 2, 2009 Our friend Julie over at Women & Wine has created a fun contest for Georges DuBoeuf called "Is fashion your bag?" YES!! Well, as a friend, I have deemed myself ineligible (darn!) but that doesn't mean that you are! So, pull together your creative juices and design the coolest of cool wine tote bags ever! You could win a $2,000 shopping spree and a 4-day, 3-night stay at Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. You have until December 31. Check out the details here. Good luck! Photo by Part-Time Comments: uberVU - social... November 2, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Georges DuBoeuf Wine Bag Design Contest http://bit.ly/nNZ8i... Adnams Wines I didn't even know 'wine bags' existed. This is certainly very chic. Can you get glasses in there too?

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Breadfruit Coconut Curry By: Sheri Wetherell Published: November 4, 2009 Our omnivore's attempt to go vegetarian for a week of Meatless Monday led us to the discovery of a new food - the breadfruit, native to the Pacific Islands. We'd seen it before in Asian markets, but for some reason, were never compelled enough to buy one. This week we finally did, and I have to say, it is now one of my favorites. I have a deep love of potatoes and breadfruit is quite like the potato - starchy, bland and high in carbs - but ready and able to take on any flavor. The football-sized fruit is also fast-growing and high in fiber and protein, which makes it a great food for combating world malnutrition. See this interesting article in Newsweek titled Breadfruit to the Rescue. If you were a fan of Mutiny on the Bounty, you'll find it quite fascinating! Most recipes we found called for stuffing it whole with any combination of meat and vegetables, then grilling it on an open fire. Since it's quite cold now here in Seattle we opted out for the outdoor cooking, and instead cracked open the fruit and cut the flesh into cubes. We then simmered it in coconut milk, turmeric, garlic, ginger and a bit of chili powder - a delicious concoction we've named Breadfruit Coconut Curry. For the full recipe and instructions click below: Here are some other interesting breadfruit recipes: Find  breadfruit appetizers, main dishes, desserts and more on National Tropical Botanical Garden Breadfruit Cake from GroupRecipes Vegan Breadfruit Pizza from Child of the Nature Isle Breadfruit Casserole from Nevis, West Indies Comments: uberVU - social... November 4, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Coconut Curry Breadfruit http://bit.ly/3iBwCM... Desiree So happy to see some Caribbean food! Recipe looks and sounds great. :-) Anonymous EEWWWW! looks minging!! Sheri Wetherell It may look "minging" (which, by the way, is a new word to me! Never knew it meant ugly), but I promise it's delicious. If you like potatoes you'd like breadfruit. Never judge a food by its cover, you'll never know what you may discover! :)

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National Candy Day is November 4 By: Sheri Wetherell Published: November 4, 2009 Today is National Candy Day, and while we're still trying to eat our way to the bottom of the leftover Halloween candy bowl, we thought we'd share some yummy recipes with you. Perhaps some will inspire your holiday candy making and baking plans. Also, search Foodista for more great candy and confection recipes. Comments: uberVU - social... November 4, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: National Candy Day is November 4 http://bit.ly/10MY3O...

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Wine from Scratch: A Practical Approach By: Marcus Pape Published: November 4, 2009 For many, learning about wine can seem like a pretty daunting task. Where do I start? What do I need to know? How do I go about getting the right info? Rather than overwhelming yourself with the details it’s better to jump right in and get your hands dirty- or in this case, your mouth. 4 Steps to Knowing What You’re Drinking 1. One Grape at a Time Blends (wines made using multiple grape varieties) can produce fantastic results. But when you’re just learning it’s best to go one grape at a time. Start by picking up a few different varietal specific wines, containing at least 75% of one grape. Common grapes such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc work the best due to brand diversity and availability. Then simply drink the wine and take notes on what you smell and taste. You’ll eventually begin to discover common flavors and aromas in the wines/varieties you enjoy. 2. Style is Key Once you’ve got a handle on a few basic grape varieties and the flavors that go with them it’s time to figure out what style of wine you prefer. Wines of the same variety can come in many different styles (eg. acidic, smooth, bold, fruity). Find wines of the same variety but from different producers or regions and give them a try. You’ll eventually have a handful of favorites that will help in narrowing down what style of wine you prefer. Having some favorites is especially handy when your wine merchant or server asks what kind of wine you like. 3. Get Experimental From your tasting escapades you should now be comfortable with several different grape varieties and have a general idea of the style of wine you prefer. Time to shake things up a bit. Visit your local wine shop and ask the merchant to help you pick out some unique varietals or wines from other regions, based on your stylistic preferences. This is a great way to extend your wine comfort zone and discover some great new wines or wine producing areas. Obscure varietals and regions can also provide quite a cost savings, which we can all appreciate. 4. Visit the Source Now that you have a solid wine tasting foundation it’s time to take your knowledge on the road. Of the wines you tasted there should have been some from the local area. If not go back to the store and ask about local producers that fit your style. Then once you’ve picked out a few favorites visit those places. Wine is more than a beverage it’s an experience, and to truly understand and appreciate it you need to visit the source. And as I’ve mentioned, reliving these experiences sure beats discussing flavor profiles all day. Now get out there and drink some wine. We’ll worry about filling in the other details later. Cheers! * Marcus Pape has worked in media and design for over 10 years with an extensive background in all forms of visual communication. As a proclaimed vinophile Marcus hopes to leverage his abilities to inspire interest in wine, recently launching WineCHATr.com – an online resource for the growing wine community, where both popular wine bloggers and businesses come together to connect and share information on wine. Comments: uberVU - social... November 4, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Wine from Scratch: A Practical Approach http://bit.ly/3OQ8N9...

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Foodista Quick Tip: Infusions By: Melissa Peterman Published: November 5, 2009 Making herb and spice infusions is one way to capture huge amounts of concentrated flavors in liquid form. Infusions like clove and cinnamon oil or basil infused cream can be used as a components or as main flavors to a recipe. Bartenders, ice cream makers, bakers and chefs all use a variety of herbal and spice infusions to create delicious creations like lavender ice cream, tarragon oil or anise infused vodka. Sound too gastronomic or overly labor intensive? If you can brew a cup of tea, then you are already an infusion pro.  There are a couple culinary rules to follow when it comes to infusions. According to chemistry cooking pro, Harold McGee, the best flavored infusions come from slow extractions of raw fruits and vegetables in a liquid at either room temperature or in the refrigerator for several days or several weeks. In most culinary regards, there are two main ways to infuse most liquids: cold infusion and heat infusion. Cold Infusion: Cold infusions are good for delicate herbs that lose their volatile qualities when heated: use a cold infusion technique with fragile leafy herbs like basil, mint, lavender, or tarragon.  A cold infusion consists of soaking whole or blended herbs or spices  in cold water, milk or edible oils, (like olive oil) for several hours. The mixture is then strained and preserved. *Keep your homemade infusions cold when not in use. Heat Infusion: Best with woody herbs and spices like cinnamon, thyme, lemongrass or star anise. This is the most frequently used method for all dried herbs or woody spice infusions and is produced by pouring boiling water over herbs or spices and steeping this mixture for fifteen minutes to half an hour. Another way to make a hot infusion is to bring a liquid with an herb or spice to a desired temperature over a stove and let it steep. Depending on desired potency of flavor, this could take several minutes to several hours. For recipes with infusions, check out these great blogs for ideas, or see the recipes below: Food & Style's Rosemary Gelato Family Fresh Cooking's Chai Tea Infused Applesauce Lillyella's Vanilla Oil Above photo by Quinn.anya Comments: amyp November 5, 2009 Infusions rock my world. Great post! Melissa Peterman Thanks Amy! I'm very guilty of under utilizing this technique- I need to make it more of a conscious method when cooking. uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by barnaby: Foodista Quick Tip: Infusions: Making herb and spice infusions is one way to capture huge amounts of concentrated fl... http://bit.ly/4Cwmyn...

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Is Your Beer or Wine Vegetarian? By: Helen Pitlick Published: November 5, 2009 Nothing compliments a delicious vegetarian meal better than a glass of wine or beer- except when your wine or beer is not vegetarian. Wait a minute. Beer is usually water, malt, hops and yeast. Wine is fermented grapes. What's not vegetarian about these ingredients? The answer lies in the filtering, finings, and additives. Gelatin and isinglass are sometimes used to clarify beer and wine. Most vegetarians understand that gelatin is made from animal products, though isinglass may be a new term: isinglass is derived from the bladders of fish. Both products are often used to process cask beers and white wine; when added to the liquid, they cause excess yeast to clump and sink to the bottom of the vessel. A vegetarian alternative is Irish Moss. Egg whites are sometimes used to clarify wine and reduce tannins and astringency. Albumin, a protein found in blood and eggs, and pepsin, derived from pork, are also used for this purpose and sometimes added to beer to improve head retention. (Contrary to popular belief, a foamy, long-lasting head is actually a good thing in beer- except when that head is due to animal products.) Charcoal can be used to remove impurities and odors from wine; charcoal is frequently made from animal bones. Refined sugar, added occasionally to beer and wine to enhance sweetness, is also filtered with charcoal, meaning it too has animal blood on its proverbial hands. The FDA does not mandate that breweries and wineries label spirits processed using these methods. So, how do you tell if your beer or wine is vegetarian? Look online.  My favorite resource is Barnivore, a site run by a couple of vegans that lets consumers know what beer, wine and liquor are and are not veg-friendly. Unfortunately, while the popular Guinness is not vegetarian, there are a host of other delicious beverages that do make the cut. What's your favorite vegetarian drink? More information: Beer for Vegetarians and Vegans Vegan Wine Guide Vegan Wine: what is it? How to find it? Vegan vino? Sure, but it comes with a few catches Image by Greencolander Comments: uberVU - social... November 5, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Is Your Beer or Wine Vegetarian? http://bit.ly/25XHNs...

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A Very Vegan and Vegetarian Friday Fun Links By: Sheri Wetherell Published: November 6, 2009 We're wrapping up a week of Meatless Monday (thru Friday) posts with a vegan/vegetarian finale! One of my favorite discoveries in my week of no meat? Breadfruit! Which we made into a delicious Breadfruit Coconut Curry. The politics: Meatless days a good idea for a healthy life. Even Presidents Wilson, Truman and Roosevelt thought so. But, the meat industry says it threatens their way of life (well, frankly, eating meat every day threatens our lives) High "red" meat consumption increases risk of Type 2 diabetes Glenn Beck and Lou Dobbs both blast Meatless Monday The fun stuff: Jones Soda's newest wacky vegan holiday flavor: Tofurkey and Gravy Brown Bagging it? Find inspiration in Vegan Lunchbox Around the World Going meatless too daunting? Take baby steps with Almost Meatless A new twist on an old fave: Mac and Cheese (with hidden veggies!) YumSugar's favorite vegetarian recipes Al Dente cooks up tasty Brussels sprouts Photos by: thebittenword.com

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Raw Tacos By: Carrie Barr Published: November 6, 2009 There's no meat in the fridge, no canned salmon in the cabinet, not even a packet of spam. What's a woman to feed a carnivorous husband? So I found a recipe for raw tacos! Walnuts? Check. Spices? Check. Soy Sauce? Check. Food processor? Not so much, but I'm resourceful and make do with a coffee grinder. After grinding, mixing, and using over sized lettuce leaves as shells, I served these tacos to my husband. He protested a little, but he tried a bite. And he liked it! He and I both agree that thanks to using the same spices that you would normally use in taco meat, it tasted just like a normal taco. He even enjoyed the lettuce leaves as a shell. Children might like this recipe too, ok maybe not the lettuce leaf. Try it for yourself! Just drop a glob of guacamole, mango rawlsa, and some rawesome sour cream and you'll have a meatless, vegan, gluten-free meal! Feeling adventurous? Try making your own raw taco shells, maybe even explore some other raw, meatless international food like Raw Pad Thai or Rawssian borscht! Today is National Nachos Day, so how about you mix up a little meatless, raw nachos by making Spicy Corn Raw Tortilla Chips, Raw Nacho Cheese,  and Raw Refried Beans. Of course you could also just use meatless refried beans if you don't want to go all out raw, but hey, guacamole can always be raw right? Photo by Geoff604. Comments: uberVU - social... November 6, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Raw Tacos http://bit.ly/2j4THh... Alex hmmm ive used this recipe a couple times but now I have switched to this <a href="http://eatingfoodraw.com/raw-food-recipes/sunflower-taco-meat/" rel="nofollow">raw taco recipe</a> which uses sunflower seed instead. it's a lot cheaper... taco shells look great though, what's in them? I've been using collard greens as wraps which are pretty but it would be nice to have a taco shell!

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Sci-Fi Toaster By: KMS Published: November 6, 2009 How nice would it be to actually SEE when your toast is done? Well...you'll have to wait a wee-bit longer.  The manufacturer is still working on the glass technology to enable enough heat to actually toast the bread.  But hey - it's something to look forward to! Photo:  Cnet.com Comments: tony November 6, 2009 oh i want one of these....very cool indeed. uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Sci-Fi Toaster http://bit.ly/38ufQa... FoodFitnessFreshair This looks amazing! I definitely think this would immediately catch on! KMS hi foodfitnessfreshair - i completely agree!! i see every household in America having one. :) KMS hi tony - me too, i can't wait. a good lesson in patience. ;) Lawrence I like it ...so innovative ... who knows how it works ? KMS hi lawrence - apparently, the initial design looked fabulous (as you can see) but with one fatal flaw: the glass could not heat up enough to toast the bread. so once they figure out how to source enough heat into the glass layers, they'll be in business!

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Winter Squash is Delicious, Healthy, and in Season By: Kate Opatz Published: November 6, 2009 Though overshadowed by their pumpkin cousins, squash have an appeal all their own.  Their mottled orange and green skins, excessively bumpy or smooth, and many different sizes and shapes draw us to the piled-high grocery store bins.  A symbol of fall, squash is a food that is versatile and even healthful. All squash can be designated as "summer" or "winter".  Winter squash has a hard skin that allows it to keep well without spoiling and is usually picked before it is fully ripe.  Though available throughout the year, the peak season of winter squash is right now. Look for squash that are heavy for their size, with dull-colored skin (shiny skin means it's not ripe) and firm shells.  Avoid squash with damaged spots or cracks.  There are eight types of winter squash, including familiar examples such as butternut, turban, acorn, and spaghetti. Winter squash is also able to retain nutrients throughout storage.  It's a great source of vitamins A and C as well as potassium, dietary fiber, beta-carotene and manganese. Cooking squash is easy - just slice the squash in half through the stem, then scoop out the seeds.  At this point, you can bake, steam, or microwave it until tender.  Cooked squash can be eaten simply with butter and salt, or added to soups, casseroles, breads, curries, pies, and more.

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Dissecting Sugar: A Wade Through the High Fructose Corn Syrup Controversy By: Yuna Wu Published: November 8, 2009 I was still reeling from New York City’s swift ban of trans fat when the high fructose corn syrup debate ignited and tore through the shelves of one of my favorite local grocers, vaporizing all traces of high fructose corn syrup. For a kid who grew up in the 80’s, this is like wiping out an entire food group. It made me queasy. Just what poison is this high fructose corn syrup? Why are we only now trying to get rid of it after it’s been around for over 30 years? If you’ve already settled this sugary mess for yourself and would rather enjoy your Halloween loot in peace, you probably want to meander to happier recesses of the internet . However, if you are curious and don’t mind giving up your Halloween loot, read on. There are two camps in the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) controversy: one insisting that HFCS is harmful for human consumption and another arguing that HFCS is chemically no different than table sugar and therefore deserves equal treatment. The general consensus among experts is that both of these carefully worded statements are in fact, correct. From a chemical standpoint, HFCS resembles table sugar and is metabolized similarly. To make HFCS, corn syrup is converted into fructose through an enzymatic process, and then recombined with pure corn syrup*. Essentially: HFCS = fructose + glucose. HFCS comes in a few different flavors, however: HFCS-42, HFCS-55 and HFCS-90. The trailing number denotes the percentage of fructose each solution contains. Arguments can be made here that these varieties differ from table sugar (sucrose) because sucrose contains glucose and fructose in a 50/50 ratio. But since most consumables are made with HFCS-42 (in foods and baked goods) or HFCS-55 (in beverages), the fructose-glucose ratio is close enough that most experts don't deem HFCS signicantly different from sugar. In a recent lecture given at UCSF, Dr. Robert Lustig notes that the main charge against HFCS is not a chemical difference from table sugar, but an economic one. HFCS is cheaper to produce and it works marvelously as a flavor enhancer. As a result, HFCS has found its way into a majority of our processed foods. As a nation, we are eating more sugar than we ever have and one of the main culprits seems to be the cheap and ready availability of HFCS. The graph below from the USDA shows the trends in the consumption of various sugars over the past 40 years. You can see that corn syrup had replaced cane sugar as the dominant sweetening agent by the mid 80's. As the use of corn syrup has surged, our total caloric intake of sugars has risen correspondingly. This trend is alarming because over-consumption of refined sugar, be it table sugar or HFCS, is detrimental to health. There is mounting evidence that the fructose component of the refined sugars is down right dangerous (yes, fructose, the fruit sugar!). When fructose is isolated from the plant mass, you lose your satiety signal, and it leaves you vulnerable to overeating. Which is exactly what I experienced after having a desperation-cupcake yesterday. Have you experienced this before? Craving more food after having sweets? And that's only the tip of the iceberg. Read what the American Heart Association has to say about the effect of sugar intake (including fructose) on cardiovascular health. In any case, my point is that the arguments of each camp in the HFCS debate (HFCS is bad for you, and HFCS is equivalent to sugar) are not mutually exclusive. To me, the HFCS controversy is emblematic of a larger problem in our relationship with food - a fragmented food chain. There's rarely a week that goes by without some news about contamination in our food supply (for example, this week's stories on BPA and e-coli - again!). This happens because many of us have relegated food preparation to the industrial food complex. When we do this, we become so removed from the origins of our food that it becomes more difficult to know what is healthy or safe. My strategy for staying above the fray? Stay away from processed foods, get in the kitchen and roll up your sleeves with some wholesome foods and good recipes. What's your take on high fructose corn syrup? Has the HFCS controversy changed your eating or shopping habits? If so, how? *Although sound in theory, it seems to me that the more processed a food is, the higher the likelihood for contamination. This Washington Post article from earlier this year reported findings of mercury in high fructose corn syrup. Sugar cubes photo by: Vali... Comments: john November 8, 2009 Really? This is the only difference? Complete your research... How are sugars, and HFCS sourced? HFCS is sourced from conventionally grown corn, produced with petroleum-based nitrogen fertilizer, chemical herbicides and pesticides and genetically modified seed varieties. All this, done in a government (read "taxpayer") subsidized, monoculture system. Whether it is good for us to eat is moot... it is horrible for the earth, and has hidden costs, financial, environmental and human health. Sorry. there is no good reason to consume HFCS, other than to artificially prop up conventional corn growers and chemical/seed companies... Only organically grown, natural sweeteners for me, thank you! Yuna Wu You are right about the differences in their sourcing. As with every food we eat, it's an important consideration. The ethical choices we make about the foods we eat are complex, and involve many factors. My article focused on one factor, which is the chemical composition of these sweeteners and the ways our bodies metabolize them. There are of course other factors. Sarah Great post - we try to avoid HFCS as much as possible - we eat very little processed food and I do most of my cooking from scratch. We generally try to keep our sugar consumption down, and when we do indulge, it's almost always the real thing. Barnaby Dorfman Excellent analysis! I hadn't thought of the lower price (not cost) being such a driver in adding more sugars to processed food. It really is amazing how much sugar you find in the ingredient lists of most packages in the supermarket, not just on cookies, but also the savory foods. One of the big takeaways I got out of Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food," came from the observation that traditional cultures (Eskimo, Asian Indian, Swiss Tyrolean, Fench) eat/ate a lot of the things we're not supposed to, including animal fats. Yet, these people had/have very little heart disease and almost no diabetes. Think of it, Eskimos subsisted on little more than blubber for much of the year...not exactly what the cardiologist orders up! The one thing these cultures didn't eat a lot of: sugars, be they complex carbs/starches or simple. Interestingly, there seems to be an inheritance of problems when we eat animals that eat a lot of sugar. The fat of corn fed beef is much higher in saturated fat than animals only fed grass. Yuna Wu That's a great observation about fat, Barnaby. Sugar as a national health issue picked up a lot of traction when the low fat diet craze took off in the 80's. When food companies took out the fat in foods, they tasted like cardboard - not surprisingly. To remedy, they started pumping it up with sugar. And it's been a downward trajectory health-wise since.

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It's Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day! By: Carrie Barr Published: November 9, 2009 November 9th is Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day! Grab your pitchforks (or knives) and chop some garlic! Slice the blue cheese and peel the durian! Delight in a Limburger cheese sandwich and enjoy the distinct smell of your breath, it's a day to celebrate! Let's just say it's a good thing it's not date night. Here are some recipes that will have your neighbors holding their noses and your coworkers offering you breath mints. Photo by cwbuecheler Comments: uberVU - social... November 9, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: It's Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day! http://bit.ly/35iZ5s...

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Notable Quotes By: Yuna Wu Published: November 9, 2009 "How we eat can change the world" - Alice Waters Life has a way of make us feel overwhelmed and insignificant at times. News headlines never seem to be short on stories of pollution and mounting environmental concerns. It is a daunting challenge. But Waters suggests that each of us have the ability to contribute to the solution in the simple act of eating. I love that. photo by Bruce Tuten

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'Roo Burgers By: KMS Published: November 9, 2009 You can do your part to help save the environment by saying goodbye to cows and hello to kangaroos. Reaching into her bag of tricks, Mother Nature opted to leave out methane, which has shown to be 25% more potent as a green house gas than the carbon dioxide released by cars, in kangaroo farts.  (Did I just say farts)?  Since the Aussies have a stronghold on the kangaroo population, we may be out of luck. Though, even if kangaroos roamed wild across America, you can bet cattle ranchers would lobby D.C. until the cows came home. Ah well, they're too darn cute to eat anyways. Photo by mrimperial Comments: Joy November 9, 2009 I tried kangaroo meat while I was in Sydney this past July. The texture is similar to beef, but the meat is surprisingly sweet. KMS hi joy! sweet, huh? that's so interesting...i wouldn't have imagined that. looks like i'll need to head down to sydney to investigate further. ;)

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Sustainability Week By: Melissa Peterman Published: November 9, 2009 Every day this week, Foodista is proud to recognize a variety of sustainable food bloggers. We want to celebrate each of you out there doing your part to reduce your global impact through your green food practices and choices. Whether you garden, hunt, forage, farm or shop and cook with a local and sustainable conscience, we applaud your efforts! Check Foodista all this week for inspiring, delicious and environmentally conscientiousness recipes. Don't forget to check out our Eat Local Pledge and how you can find farmer's markets and local Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSA's) in your neighborhood. This Week's Featured Food Bloggers Sustainable Pantry Farm Girl Fare Garlic Breath Hunter Angler Gardener Cook Caviar and Codfish Cook Local Straight from the Farm Comments: uberVU - social... November 10, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Sustainability Week http://bit.ly/1zgi5z...

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Waiting by the River at Dawn By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: November 9, 2009 Christopher Kimball threw down the proverbial glove and issued a "Wiki vs. Test Kitchen Challenge" on October 15th. I publicly accepted within hours, but after 3 weeks, we still haven't heard back. I left blog comments, @tweets, and submitted a private message via Cook's Illustrated. I've seen no additional announcements, and though others accepted publicly, none came from a Wiki. Further, it's clear that his post was in response to The New York Times and TIME Magazine articles about recipe Wikis that featured Foodista and quote both of us. Dueling Pistols image courtesy of Nfutvol Though the idea of this challenge seems to have fallen by the wayside, the resulting discussion has been fascinating. I've observed a lot of confusion about how the Web works and what a Wiki is vs. a blog, a search engine, or other types of web technologies. This is the first in a series of posts where I will share some of what I've learned from 13 years of building large scale websites and a prior career in cooking. So what exactly is a Wiki? Well, the whole concept is less than 10 years old and there are a number of definitions, but they all share these elements: Is accessed via a Web browser Facilitates easy creation and publishing of web pages Enables large numbers of people to edit the SAME page Links between pages Reports on who edited what pages and when Print has been a medium used to convey knowledge for thousands of years, including recipes. Indeed, some of the earliest surviving cookbooks date back to the Romans, including De re coquinaria, from circa the 4th century. Gutenberg later used technology to create a new medium: mechanical printing. Replacing legions of scribe monks, his press had a major impact on the business of the printed word when it massively reduced the cost of each additional copy produced. Cookbooks quickly grew to be a significant part of the overall printing industry. Over time, more mechanization continued to lower costs to the point where hundreds of pages can be had for pennies. Still, printing has a number of limitations relative to a Wiki. Here are a few points of comparison: Print Cannot be changed once produced Expensive: Additional cost to every copy Cost increasing, especially when considering the environmental impact Slow to produce and distribute Invisible editorial process Disconnected, getting more information/context is difficult Wikis Pages are continuously improved Inexpensive and getting cheaper, cost of each copy is close to zero Fast to produce, publishing is instant Open and transparent editorial process Connected, more detail is just a click away This is not meant to be an attack on print, in fact I have a large and treasured cookbook collection. However, I feel it is also important to point out some of cost/benefit issues missing from the debate. Upcoming Post: Quality and Accuracy in Wikis Comments: Jonathan November 9, 2009 Very interesting post! I look forward to reading more of your thoughts on this topic. I have one minor correction about wiki history. The concept of a wiki is somewhat older than 10 years. The venerable Ward Cunningham developed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiWikiWeb" rel="nofollow">WikiWikiWeb</a> in 1994. Wikipedia has some interesting articles about the history of wikis, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki#History" rel="nofollow">here</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wikis" rel="nofollow">here</a>. uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Waiting by the River at Dawn http://bit.ly/20fNEp...

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Double Glouchester, Cheddar's Aristocratic Relative By: Kate Opatz Published: November 10, 2009 Judging by the color, Double Gloucester (GLOSS-ter) could be just another cheddar.  Its flavor, however is all its own.  It's rich, nutty, and smooth, and surprisingly creamy for all its firmness. The semi-hard, cheddar-style cheese has been made in Gloucestershire, England since the 16th century, once only made with milk from the (now almost extinct) Gloucester cow.  Made from the whole milk and cream of two milkings, it is then allowed to age for six to nine months.  Single Gloucester is also made, and is lighter and more crumbly than Double as it is made with mostly skimmed milk.  Both types are made in round shapes, though rounds of Double are larger. Double Gloucester also has the honor of being the cheese used in the Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake on Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire.  Competitors chase a wheel of cheese down the hillside.  Catching the 80-pound round is nearly impossible, though, as the cheese can move up to 70 mile per hour down the hill. Choose Gloucester that is cloth-wrapped, as this signifies farmhouse origin and quality.  There shouldn't be cracks or mold and the color should be more pastel orange than bright (which suggests dryness). Though the cheese is excellent by the slice with a glass of red wine, it can also be a delicious (if pricier) substitute in any recipe that calls for cheddar.

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Magic Mushrooms By: KMS Published: November 10, 2009 When you think of MSG, greasy Chinese take out might come to mind.  As an artificial flavor enhancer, it seems to make everything in its path taste unnaturally good, but unfortunately, is not necessarily good for you. In fact, artificial monosodium glutamate in large quantities has been linked to health issues such as brain damage and endocrine disorders.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a natural and safe source of MSG?  Look no further.  Mushrooms are not only praised for their rich, meaty flavor, but also have a high content of free amino acids.  One in particular, glutamic acid, is a concentrated natural source of monosodium glutamate.  Go figure. No wonder mushrooms add such intense flavor to any dish.  For instance, you can start the night off with a Mushroom Pate that will be the new crowning glory of any cracker.  Follow that up with a Mushroom Ravioli using your favorite fungi.  Finally, finish the evening off in style with a scoop of Porcini and Honey Ice Cream. Greasy Chinese food?  Fuggedaboutit.  Why not give magic mushrooms a try tonight? Photo by daneen_vol Comments: uberVU - social... November 16, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Magic Mushrooms http://bit.ly/EqRWz... Jeffrey Coleman we LOVE mushrooms and would LOVE to win your giveaway :) <a href="http://www.cubensis-spore-syringe.com/spore-syringe.html">spore syringe</a>

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Sustainable Found Food Artist By: Melissa Peterman Published: November 10, 2009 You can often find me chuckling when I stand in my mother's kitchen. On the counter it's not surprising to find three crackers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, five almonds in a small dish or something like three pear slices leftover from breakfast resting on a clean plate. "Why are you keeping three grapes in this dish?" I'll laugh. "Really mom, there is only about a quarter cup of mayonnaise in this container and it's taking up space in your refrigerator, why don't you toss it out?"  Neither of my parents are  what I call penny pinchers, nor did they grow up with the notion to save every scrap of food, but one thing my mother hates more than anything else is wasting food. So why throw away three segments of an orange when you could add it to your yogurt tomorrow? My mother is one of the best cooks that I know of. Extremely resourceful and downright clever when it comes to making something out of nothing. Perhaps like a "found artist," she looks at every ingredient in her kitchen as if it could be part of a greater piece of work. Whether we like it or not, we often turn into our parents- and I am no exception.  My husband has since put my counter and refrigerator gatherings on a mental due date. Ever so carefully he'll ask if he can toss half of a grilled chicken thigh that is wrapped in plastic or the quarter-sized piece of blue cheese that I simply couldn't bear to toss from a couple nights ago. The beauty of it all is that I DO find ways to use these found items in my fridge. Like the Cobb salad that I made using the leftover blue cheese and the diced chicken thigh or the half stem of fresh rosemary that -even though small- the leaves were sprinkled on a pizza and I used the stem to infuse the tomato sauce. When you think about it, many gourmet meals we happily pay  for in restaurants today came from leftovers, like cassoulet, Asian dumplings, bouillabaisse or cioppino- the Italian seafood stew, which name comes from people assembling "a little bit" of what ever was leftover from the day's catch. I challenge you all to rethink what you consider as garbage in your fridge simply because you can't be bothered to include bits and pieces into your next culinary creation.  I've got three words for you when it comes to most odds and ends: soup, salad or bento box! A little bit more inspirtation for you: The Frugal Girl - Gives you pointers on leftovers. CheapEats.ie- Gives advice on fishcakes using leftovers. The World According to Eggface uses the bento box solution. Above photo by: The Pack

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GOOD FOOD By: Melissa Peterman Published: November 11, 2009 For all you Seattleites, tune in tomorrow, November 12th to see the movie GOOD FOOD that will be  broadcasted on PBS KCTS/9 at 10 p.m. Move details can be found here on the GOOD FOOD movie website

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Pork Lunch Bag By: KMS Published: November 11, 2009 When I was a little girl, I sported a metal Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox with matching thermos (you know the one).  It was my pride and joy.  I took it with me everywhere.  Even back then, everything in my young life related to food. As an adult, carrying a Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox Circa 1981, to work might not go over too well.  Instead, this nifty Pork Lunch Bag serves as a good alternative.  There’s no matching thermos, but who cares, I'll be too busy packing up homemade pulled pork sandwiches for lunch. Source:  Herobags Comments: uberVU - social... November 12, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Pork Lunch Bag http://bit.ly/4rctdl...

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The World's Most Perfect Food and Wine Pairings (Part One): Champagne and Popcorn By: Jameson Fink Published: November 11, 2009 So you've got yourself a bottle of Krug. Congratulations, you have one of the finest bottles of Champagne on the planet. Oh, what's that? You're inviting me over to share it with you? (You're taking a page out of my wish book. Is this a dream?) And all I have to do is bring something to eat? No problem. I'll be right over. Lobster? Nope. Caviar? Sorry. I'm coming with popcorn. Yes, popcorn. Seriously. Why? I'm glad you asked. With a Champagne redolent of yeast and toasted bread, popcorn, with it's complimentary aroma and flavor, makes a lovely companion. And all bubbles adore salty snacks. Just keep it simple: popcorn, butter, salt. That's it. And a modicum of butter; no need to have the popcorn swimming in a soup of dairy. I even like (dare I admit it?) the pre-popped corn you buy in a bag at the grocery store. (It doesn't get your hands greasy with butter. You are drinking Krug, after all. You don't want to ask for a Wet Nap; it kills the mood.) I also like the idea of taking a luxury good like Champagne and pairing it with something humble and free of pretension like popcorn (or even potato chips). And you don't have to have a pricey Champagne; any decent Cava, Cremant, or sparkling wine in the $15-20 range will give you reasonably similar pleasures. (If you'd like some suggestions, ask away in the comments and I'll give you my picks.) Just resist the temptation to gild the lily here, folks: keep it simple. Ok, I know, Foodista-ists. You really want to gild the lily a bit. OK, how about melting the butter and swirling a little curry powder into it? Curry and a rich, complex, powerful Champagne like Krug are heavenly! Or maybe get out your microplane and grate fluffy pillows of Parmesan into that butter. But that's as far as I'll go. I'm firing up some Jiffy Pop for you right now; have you chilled the Champagne? Comments: Desiree November 11, 2009 I would never have thought of this, but come to think of it, it would go really well, wouldn't it?! Nice! Alisa I'd love that with a box of truffles :)

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Macarons are the new cupcakes By: Helen Pitlick Published: November 12, 2009 (image by Shamanyx) Cupcakes are hot. Pop culture has elevated cupcakes from kindergarten birthday party to wedding cake status in a few short years. Cupcakes are fun, tasty and easily decorated, with a superb frosting-to-cake ratio. Everyone can enjoy cupcakes; in addition to the regular butter/sugar/flour varieties, there are vegan, sugar-free and gluten-free versions, plus some permutations of the three. NPR provides a more academic analysis of why cupcakes have shot to popularity. Still, I'm over cupcakes. It's almost 2010. Cupcakes are sooo 2008/9. The New York Times, enamored with all things Maine, pushed whoopie pies as the next big thing in dessert back in March. That prediction has yet to come to fruition. Why? Whoopie pies are ugly. Despite the naughty-sounding name, there is nothing sexy about even the prettiest whoopie pie. Whoopie pies have little potential for creative toppings or decoration. The best ones are wrapped in plastic wrap and sold in convenience stores; ask any Mainer who makes the best whoopie pie and the answer will be a) his grandmother or b) the gas station down the road. I argue that macarons are the next big thing. Macarons (not to be confused with macaroons), are cookie-like French confections made by sandwiching cream, ganache or almond paste between two wafers made from egg whites, almond powder and confectioner's and granulated sugars. As you can see from the chart below, macarons have increased in search popularity over the past five years, a trend that continues to grow: (image from Google Trends) Like cupcakes, macarons are cute, colorful, portable, single serving-sized bits of goodness. They are also extremely versatile, with flavors ranging from lemon to mocha to pistachio raspberry- even bacon. Their colorful stackability makes them a natural subject for blog headers and Twitter backgrounds. Plus, "Sex and the City," credited in part for catapulting cupcakes to mass popularity, even featured macarons in one episode, an indicator of macarons' commercial potential. I had never heard of macarons until a few months ago; now I see them all over the internet. They certainly have more elitist origins than cupcakes, being both French and difficult to bake (first-time macaron makers often complain that their macarons lack "feet", the ruffles around the bottom of each cookie), which I see as the only potential drawback. Otherwise, macarons are just one SNL reference away from international cult status. Just a theory. What do you think? Other people's thoughts on the matter: Serious Eats: Talk Domestic Deep Thought of the Day: What's the Next Cupcake? Willow Bird Baking: Un Petit Trésor: Les Macarons Comments: Tracy November 12, 2009 To me, widespread success of the macaron depends on its allergy-safe versions. Because while you can make any type of cupcake to suit your needs, people who are allergic to peanuts/nuts (like me) cannot consume traditional macarons because of the almond flour. helen That is a great point! I just did a little research and came across versions made from sesame and coconut: http://www.bakingobsession.com/2009/10/26/nut-free-french-macarons/ You can have macarons too! Plus, since macarons are gluten-free by nature, the celiac crowd doesn't have to worry either. That just leaves out the vegans, though the popularity of bacon shows that vegans don't have much say in food trends anyhow. parisbreakfasts Researche des macarons is an ongoing obsession with me...ahem For example just one post of many, way too many- http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/2009/11/macaron-inventory-day.html Love your graph! Carolg uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Macarons are the New Cupcakes http://bit.ly/OyO3T... helen Gorgeous watercolors! You show macarons' artistic potential- another argument for why they could be the next cupcake! Kavin Macaron has been the "cupcakes" in Paris for a long time. The lines in front of laudree and pierre herme is longer than that in front of Magnolia. That being said, chances of it being a trend in the US migh not be high. We don't have widespread availibility and good macaron is difficult to make, so not a lot of people have the chance to sample truely good macaron. But then again, you don't need to be truely good to start a trend in the food world. Just good enough. Look at starbuck. parisbreakfasts Thanks Helen, There is some serious equipment required to make the macs properly. The ones that spit out perfect macaron lids. The almond flour too is a stumbling block in the US. And too much SUGAR!! a tad depressing it is.

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Obama Nominates Pesticide Lobbyist as Chief Agricultural Negotiator By: KMS Published: November 12, 2009 Haven’t heard of Islam Siddiqui?  You should know him.  The Obama administration preferred if you didn't, but you should know him.  Why?  Because he may soon have the power to directly influence the food you eat. President Obama recently nominated Islam Siddiqui to the role of Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the Trade Office.  He will be charged to lead an organization which represents our agricultural interests both here and abroad.  The problem is, Islam Siddiqui is a former pesticide lobbyist for CorpLife.  He is the same guy who openly chided Michelle Obama for not using “crop protection” (a.k.a. toxic pesticides), in the new White House vegetable garden.  CorpLife even set up a letter writing campaign.  He’s also the same guy who undermined the European Union’s attempt to ban hormone-treated beef in 1999 and rejected the mandatory labeling and disclosure of genetically modified animals in Japan, stating, “Mandatory labeling could mislead consumers about the safety of these products”. What happened to the push by this White House for sustainable agriculture and chemical-free, local foods?  What happened to President Obama’s vow to ban lobbyists from his adminstration? Michelle Obama demanded a pesticide-free garden for her family at the White House, so shouldn’t the American people be given a fair shot of having the same for their families? Photo by deharris Comments: Melissa Peterman November 13, 2009 Oh this is truly sad news- time to write a letter! Thank you for this! Arlyn Mick This individual donated the maximum to, and held a fundraiser at his home for the Obama campaign. Is this the change for which everyone hoped? karen mcdaniel When will America open it's ears and eyes to this President? At every turn we find another one of his croonies in a high position, (note the names). We find he is not living up to his BIG CHANGE promises! WE have a trogen horse in our White House! WAKE UP AMERICA!!!! Judge him by his friends and who he is picking to surround himself. WAKE UP!

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What Breed is Your Turkey? By: Carrie Barr Published: November 12, 2009 Did you know that the standard commercial turkey is a called a Broad Breasted White? It's a breed specifically bred to turn the least amount of feed into the most amount of weight the fastest. This, in turn, creates a bird with such a large breast that it is unable to mate. How can one expect to get a tasty bird if they're grown in such a way? For a more sustainable option and a tastier meal, learn more about heritage turkeys at Local Harvest or read this post about a farmer who raises them. Oh by the way, commercial turkeys are white-feathered. Shh, don't tell the children, their color-by-number drawings of multi-colored turkeys aren't what they're eating for Thanksgiving. Photo by stevevoght Comments: Alisa November 12, 2009 I remember an episode of Mike Rowe's "Dirty Jobs" where he worked in a turkey farm, I was surprised to see that all the turkeys have white feathers

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A Super Sustainable Friday Fun Links By: Sheri Wetherell Published: November 13, 2009 This week our focus on the Foodista Featured Blog of The Day has been sustainability, where we've highlighted some flavoricious blogs ranging from homemade pear butter to foraged pine nuts. We're wrapping up with more sustainable food for thought below. Cheers to all the local producers for their hard work! You make our bellies sing and our hearts go pitter-patter! Boston College's Feed Your Mind program teaches students how to eat more sustainably Cooking with the bounty that fall has to offer: persimmons, Swiss chard, pomegranates and more We're Eating Local for Thanksgiving, are you? Check with your local farmer's market and pledge to have at least one local item on your holiday menu Green Kitchen: Creating a sustainable cooking environment Mastering the Art of Sustainable Cooking: meet the latest winners of the eco-inspired contest (which continues through December!) From the really smart folks at MIT: Eating Local Food Is the Key to Solving Obesity Epidemic Eat Where You Live: How to Find and Enjoy Fantastic Local and Sustainable Food No Matter Where You Live The sweetest (and most rate) persimmon of them all from Al Dente Vote For Your Local Food Heroes! Cast your ballot on Edible Communities Heritage turkeys, artisan cheeses, beer & pretzel caramels, and more! Buy direct on Regional Best from artisans, farmers, ranchers, cheesemakers, bakers and other small, family-owned companies Photo by [puamelia] Comments: uberVU - social... November 13, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: A Super Sustainable Friday Fun Links http://bit.ly/3xngoH...

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Chocolate of the Week: The Raleigh Bar By: Kate Opatz Published: November 13, 2009 A full bar of chocolate can be quite hazardous.  Shard by shard, they tend to disappear.  And so, while perusing the specialty chocolate section, as I always do when there is one, I was drawn to the Raleigh Bar, a mere two inches in length (stocking stuffer?) and just three dollars. Its creator is David Briggs of Xocolatl de David in Portland, Oregon.  Briggs, once the sous chef at the Park Kitchen in Portland, keeps his culinary skills fresh by incorporating savory flavors into his chocolate bars.  There's the bar with Piment d'Espellete (a chili pepper from the Basque region), fried Marcona almonds and smoky paprika in the Almond and Pimenton bar, and a dark chocolate truffle filled with blue cheese. But the Raleigh bar is less molecular gastronomy and more common sense.  Few would argue that salted caramel and pecan chocolate nougat aren't excellent partners.  The caramel truly is salty - bits of fleur de sel linger on your tongue - but with the sweet nougat and slightly bitter edge of the 72% chocolate holding the whole thing together, it's a good thing the bar is so small.  Oh, and there's also a bacon caramel version. The name of the bar is an homage to North Carolina ("Plus, it sounds nice," says Briggs on his blog) and can be purchased on the Xocolatl website. Comments: uberVU - social... November 14, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Chocolate of the Week: The Raleigh Bar http://bit.ly/3flhAU...

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Moose, it's What's for Dinner By: Carrie Barr Published: November 13, 2009 My father-in-law, Chuck, probably eats more sustainably and locally than the average person. He hunts, he fishes, he raises chickens and goats, and his wife grows a lively garden. When my husband and I visit we eat elk that he shot. In the morning it's the most perfect omelets made of eggs from their chickens. They serve truly delicious and nutritious food. The fact that it's all produced by their efforts makes it even better. When my in-laws were newlyweds with a pair of twins on the way, one of them being my husband, times were tough. Chuck had a cast up to his thigh from a work accident, and the newlyweds were low on funds. So, the resourceful man that he is, Chuck took his rifle and a kitchen knife (he couldn't locate his hunting knife) and had his 6 month pregnant wife drive him to the edge of a cabbage field. A farmer there had been complaining that moose were eating his cabbages. For awhile Chuck attempted to hunt in his usual fashion, but with a leg in a cast and unable to bend his knee, it just wasn't working. He took up watch in a dried up pond behind some saplings and waited. After a time, he heard a branch snap and caught a glimpse through the bushes—it was a bull moose! It was a difficult shot, the moose was hidden behind willows and his vitals behind a tree trunk. Through one of the luckiest shots he killed it cleanly, hitting the base of the neck and narrowly missing a nearby cow moose (which was illegal game). It's a harrowing tale, only he can give it the justice it deserves. That moose fed his family for a long time. A bull moose can produce anywhere from 300-600+ lbs. of mild, lean meat. My husband told me that growing up he and his brothers used to joke that the moose in the freezer somehow kept reproducing. That's how long it can feed a family. Let's just hope it wasn't the same moose that their father shot before they were born. If you can get game meat either yourself or through a friend, it would be an even better choice than buying a share of a cow. To quote Chuck, “There's nothing more sustainable and local than taking your bow and arrow and harvesting a bull moose.” And yes, he often hunts with a bow and arrow, how awesome is that? Oh and the plural is 'moose', I checked. I always hoped it was meese. Photo by vigour Comments: Trackback - Che... November 19, 2009 ,..] www.foodista.com is another interesting source on this topic,..]

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How I Slaughtered a Chicken By: Yuna Wu Published: November 15, 2009 Last Spring, a quest for fresh eggs brought my husband and me to a box of chirping chicks.  By late Spring, the chicks had taken up residence in a bright blue chicken coop in our yard in a North Seattle neighborhood.  They grew rapidly, and I dreamed of fresh eggs, shirred, scrambled and coddled. But there was a little problem. One of the hens turned out not to be a hen at all, but a loud, boisterous rooster.  My husband, a mild-mannered software engineer, first considered putting the rooster up for adoption.  But we soon realized that no one wants to keep a loud, menacing rooster around. As he crowed through our neighbor's fourth of July BBQ party, we deliberated and came to the conclusion that the it would be best to kill and eat the rooster. Here is how we did it. (warning, graphic content below) Jonathan the butcher, the Rhode Island "Not-a-Hen" Chicken, and our homemade kill station comprised of a ladder with an inverted traffic cone and a bucket. Putting the bird in the cone, head first. The cone calms the bird and prevents it from bruising itself while struggling. Guiding the head through the cone to expose the neck. Jonathan makes a swift slice at the jugular with a small paring knife and steadies the bird during its death spasms. Done with the hardest part, Jonathan and his first kill. Here, Jonathan scalds the bird in hot water and quickly plunges it into ice water to loosen the feathers. The feathers come out easily afterward. The bird should more or less resemble what you buy from the supermarkets at this point (plus a few parts). For more information on how to butcher a chicken, click here. Comments: uberVU - social... November 15, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: How I Slaughter a Chicken http://bit.ly/b0GBX... Melissa Peterman I commend both you and Johnathan for taking this step and truly going through the process of farm to table. No doubt that you appreciated each dish that this rooster provided for you on an entirely new level. Can you imagine if we all appreciated our food in that way? Very well written Yuna and you have captured the moment in a very tasteful and respectful way. You are both an inspiration! Thank you for posting!

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Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool By: Melissa Peterman Published: November 16, 2009 Nightschool’s Drinking Lessons continues with celebrity chef and mixologist, Kathy Casey tonight at 6 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. at the Sorrento Hotel’s Hunt Club bar. Considered a pioneer of the bar-chef movement, Kathy will educate and entertain 24 lucky attendees while serving up what’s hot in cocktail culture. Kathy is the owner of Kathy Casey Food Studios® and Liquid Kitchen™. She is the author of nine cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-nominated Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table. Nothing could coincide more perfectly for the cocktail revolution happening today than her most recent release, Sips and Apps, a sexy cocktail and appetizer cookbook. Follow along on Foodista and Nightschool Twitter and on the Nightschool Blog for real time reporting of Kathy's creations. All the cocktail recipes Kathy shakes up tonight will be available on Foodista.com.

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Surviving Thanksgiving By: Helen Pitlick Published: November 16, 2009 image by riptheskull Thanksgiving is technically about giving thanks and spending time with loved ones, but it's really just an excuse to eat copious amounts of delicious food- depending on what you consider delicious. A holiday nicknamed "turkey day" certainly does not bode well for vegans and vegetarians, especially those spending the day in a crowd of meat-eaters. This inevitably spawns an omnivore/herbivore dilemma: the herbivores worry about what on the Thanksgiving table will be edible, while their omnivorous hosts worry about what to cook that meets the criteria. After a few Thanksgivings of going through this myself, I've found there are a few things to do to circumvent unnecessary conflict. If you are vegetarian: Let your host know what you eat and don't eat. It sounds like a no-brainer but can be surprisingly difficult, especially if you are dining with a group you do not know well. Perhaps you're worried about judgment and feel you can slip beneath the radar. Or you may not want to trouble your already stressed-out host with an additional concern. However, it is a host's duty to make sure their guests, including you, are comfortable. Plus, your host may be offended if you do not eat anything, and possibly upset that you didn't say anything sooner. Offer to bring something. Your host may not know what to make, so ask if there is anything you can bring. Thanksgiving dinner may not be the best occasion to showcase your famous carob-tofu-agar pie. Instead, bring something delicious that you know everyone will want to try and enjoy (see below). Eat before and pocket an energy bar. If you are not sure what on the table will meet your dietary requirements, eat a small meal prior to leaving the house. At Thanksgiving, it's better to be too full than hungry. If worse comes to worse, have a safe snack on hand that you can slip away privately to eat. Understand that there will be dishes you cannot eat. Your host cannot please everyone, but hopefully they will have enough to satisfy you. If you are hosting a vegetarian guest: Ask what they would like to eat or if they can bring something. You may feel ungracious asking a guest to help with the meal planning or to bring a dish, but most vegetarians will be happy to lighten your load and relived to know that they have at least one thing on their plate. Make accommodations. You do not need to ensure that every dish meets your guests' needs, but have enough dishes that do so your vegetarian guests leave as full and happy as the rest of the crowd. Simple tricks can make this easier. Cook some stuffing outside the turkey. Bake a plain yam in the oven with the candied yams. Make universally acceptable vegetarian dishes, like roasted root vegetables, stuffed pumpkin or a nice salad (see below). Even an act as simple as microwaving a Field Roast loaf goes a long way. Discretely point out to your guest what foods on the table fit their diet. A laundry list of meatless recipes for the Thanksgiving table: Holiday Loaf Related links: Tips and recipes from NPR by Nicole of Cucina Nicolina Cheap Healthy Good: Veggie Might: Vegetarian Thanksgiving Tips, Part I- The Main Dish Healthy.Happy.Life: Vegan Thanksgiving 101: Tips, Advice and the Basics.

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5 Food Games to Help Burn Off The Turkey By: Kate Opatz Published: November 17, 2009 For many of us, Thanksgiving is about the day, not just the evening meal.  And though eating is a time consuming affair (in my family we have one meal mid-afternoon and a second later in the evening), there's always some down time.  Here are five ways to fill it - consider them ice breakers, education tools, or the Thanksgiving equivalent of a treadmill. 1.  Food Lover's Trivia - With food as your game pieces and 1800 questions about all things food, this game may replace the turkey as the highlight of your Thanksgiving.  It manages to be a challenge to the food-educated without isolating the less food saavy. 2.  Foodie Fight - A somewhat simpler version of Food Lover's Trivia with a thousand questions about all things foodie - formal service, celebrity chefs, cooking methods, cookbook authors, and ingredients.  There's room for debate with some of the questions, which can lead to discussion, debate, laughter, and occasionally an actual food fight. 3.  Celebrity Chef!  The Game - Do you have what it takes to land a TV show, run a fabulous restaurant, or sign a book deal?  How's your chef pop culture knowledge?  Take a break between stuffing and pumpkin pie to find out. 4.  Winerd - Move your cork playing piece across wine label spaces by answering wine trivia questions of all sorts...and by drinking wine.  The blind tasting aspect of the game keeps things interesting in a way other trivia games just can't compete with. 5.  Eat It! - The perfect way to distract guests from a turkey that's taking a bit longer than planned.  No questions about grass fed beef here - instead, find out how much you really know about Keebler, Little Debbie, and Cheetos.  What is the oldest Girl Scout cookie, anyway?

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Kabocha and Ginger Squash Soup By: Melissa Peterman Published: November 17, 2009 Lumpy, warty Kabocha squash is one of my favorite winter squashes.  Sweet, understanding and forgiving in the kitchen, Kabocha makes a fantastic cooking companion.  When picking out a Kabocha squash from your farmer's market or grocery store, choose one with firm skin and a woody stem. After I scrubbed and rinsed the outside of the squash, I split it in two and roasted it in a 375 F degree oven for 30 minutes, until it was fork-tender. After removing the squash from the oven, my kitchen was perfumed by its scent- creating a quintessential autumn kitchen. The Kabocha effortlessly gave up its seeds,  leaving behind vibrant, marmalade colored sweet meat.   After discarding the seeds and scooping out the steaming flesh, the outer shell of the gourd stayed mostly intact, resting like a helmet on the roasting pan.  With a squash this easy to cook with, it was hard not to think of other ways to utilize it other than soup. At the same time I roasted the Kabocha,  I roasted chopped onions and carrots tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper in another pan, until caramelized. After sauteing three cloves of garlic, fresh ginger, one Thai chili and two stalks of chopped celery in a large pot with olive oil and dried herbs, I added the roasted vegetables with the squash with four cups of chicken stock and simmered for another 20 minutes. Once the soup took on the characters I was looking for most, then I pureed it in a blender until smooth. I served the Kabocha squash and ginger soup with toasted multigrain bread, smeared with a French triple cream brie.  The pungent cheese paired with the warm, sweet ginger spiced soup couldn't have been more ideal for a Northwest rainy, blustery November evening. Looking for an autumn soup, or perhaps a starter to your Thanksgiving meal, try experimenting with the delicious Kabocha squash.

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Pumpkin Pie vs. Pecan Pie By: Carrie Barr Published: November 17, 2009 Amongst my family members there are those who clearly favorite one or the other, and there are those that don't care, as long as it's pie. And then there are those who don't even like pie. My brother-in-law loves pumpkin pie, my husband's whole family really. Growing up they used to buy a stack of pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. I, on the other hand, love pecan pie. Specifically homemade. And guess what? November is Georgia Pecan Month, which I think speaks very highly of which is the better pie for Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, pumpkin is great. But pumpkin is better put to use in a cheesecake than a pie, in my humble opinion. Which is your favorite pie, pumpkin or pecan? Maybe strike a compromise with Pumpkin Pecan Pie? Are you one of those no-pie people? Or do you serve an entirely different dessert at your Thanksgiving feast? Photo by Cameron Nordhom Comments: Ruth November 17, 2009 Pecan, without a doubt:) Randy (&amp; Ki... From the perspective of a long time pie enthusiast and consumer (Randy, not Kim, who has disqualified herself as she has never liked pie, strange and disturbing but true) I recommend that you make BOTH. First, because I LIKE both and second, because it is SUPPOSED to be a feast! And you need leftovers! And how do you expect to feed people with only ONE pie?!?!! And for universal appeal, adding a third option; apple (with pecans in it) wouldn't be out of line. My 34-1/2 cents.

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The 2,000 Pound Rib Feast By: Yuna Wu Published: November 17, 2009 Don't play with your food, you say?  Jennifer Rubell didn't hear you.  For the opening of Performa 09, Rubell staged a "Creation" themed food installation featuring 2,000 pounds of honey-drenched ribs, 2,000 pounds of peanuts, and 2,000 pounds of ice – all mounded in tall piles. For dessert, Rubell brought in chopped down, fully mature, fruiting apple trees. They lay toppled on their sides with red apples scattered on the ground of the installation space. If the intention of this spectacle was to make a statement about mass consumption, Rubell has done just that. Guests circled her food piles, cringing slightly at the exorbitant display. Rubell is unapologetic about any offense her installation might cause, saying “I wanted people to be forced to examine why they’re so concerned about killing an apple tree.” What do you think?  Art for art's sake or do Rubell's antics make you question your relationship with food? photo from 16 miles of string

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The Ultimate Holiday Cookie Contest! By: Sheri Wetherell Published: November 17, 2009 The Four Seasons Hotel here in Seattle is calling all cookie enthusiasts to join the search for the Ultimate Holiday Cookie Recipe! The winning cookie will be served at ART Restaurant and in the Hotel this holiday season. And, you don't have to be in Seattle to submit a recipe! In fact, they've gotten recipes from England, so join in the fun! Here are the details: ART Restaurant and Pastry Chef Ryan Witcher are searching for the ultimate holiday cookie recipe. From November 1 to December 1, the public is invited to submit a recipe, along with 150 words describing what makes it a holiday cookie. Are these cookies served during the holidays? Do they have seasonal ingredients? The winning cookie will be served during the holidays in ART Restaurant and at The Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, and the submitter of the winning recipe will receive dinner for two and a one-night stay at the Hotel – plus bragging rights. All recipes tested by Chef Ryan will also be featured on Foodista.com! On Sunday, December 6, three finalists will be announced, and their creations will be sampled and judged by attendees and a panel of cookie enthusiasts at the Hotel’s first annual Holidays with HeART – a fun-filled and philanthropic family event hosted by Chefs Kerry Sear and Ryan Witcher. Attendees will enjoy a holiday lunch buffet, decorating stations with fresh-baked cookies, a reading of children’s holiday books, and more. Holidays with HeART will take place from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle. The cost is USD 35.00 for adults and USD 25.00 for children ages 6 to 12. Part of the proceeds will support Treehouse Seattle, which helps kids in foster care. Reservations are recommended, and may be made by calling (206) 749-7070. From now to December 1, 2009, e-mail your ultimate holiday cookie recipes to [email protected]. Rules and Regulations Please read the following rules and regulations for the Ultimate Holiday Cookie Recipe Search. By submitting a recipe, you are agreeing that: The recipe must be original and not previously published The Hotel will acquire ownership of the recipes to use during the holidays The submitter must agree that the recipe can be posted on a number of sites and can be the subject of Hotel tweeting The submitter must agree that their name and photo can be used by the Hotel, including publishing on websites, and in print materials and in radio broadcasts The finalists do not need to make themselves available to come to the Hotel on the particular dates The finalists will receive one Holidays with HeART ticket, compliments of the Hotel Photo by: yashima Comments: uberVU - social... November 17, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: The Ultimate Holiday Cookie Contest! http://www.foodista.com/blog/2009/11/17/the-ultimate-holiday-cookie-contest/.. Amanda Thanks for the info, I just entered!

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Do your food choices determine your political views? By: Helen Pitlick Published: November 18, 2009 Republicans and democrats differ on many issues: healthcare, environmental policy, abortion- we won't go there. However, they may also differ on cheese preference. Or their favorite type of girl scout cookie. According to a report by Hunch, Americans' food choices differ widely by political party. Hunch is a website that asks users a series of questions to make a decision; for example, "what should I eat for lunch?" or (shameless self promotion) "what Foodista recipe should I make"? More than 64,000 people answered the question "Do you tend to support liberal or conservative politicians?" Based on respondents' answers to other questions, the Hunch team determined: French Fries: liberals prefer "bistro-type" fries; conservatives prefer McDonald's fries Cheese: liberals prefer brie; conservatives prefer velveeta or Colby Girl Scout Cookies: liberals prefer Trefoils; conservatives prefer Samoas Birthday cake: liberals are more likely to bake one from scratch; conservatives are more likely to buy one at the store. Lunch: liberals prefer Thai or Indian food; conservatives prefer pizza, PB&J or macaroni and cheese. And yes, conservatives (like Sarah Palin) are more likely to drink soda. Do you agree or disagree with these findings? (image by asecondhandconjecture) Comments: Stevie November 18, 2009 Interesting findings. Reminds me of a quiz you would find in a magazine named, "Take This Quiz And Determine Your Political Views"...I guess I'd be liberal considering I make my own cakes. uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Do your food choices determine your political views? http://bit.ly/dUsEj/... Mike Now we even want our food to become a point that divides us? Be it a wedding or a wake, birthday or graduation, holiday or retirement party, food has always been a player when people come together. Using favorite food as a delineator is another recipe for trouble! Rick Righties eat crow, liberals eat tofu. Righties drink martinnis, liberals drink foreign wine. Righties hunt and fish, and eat the meat, liberals protest. [email protected] I was wondering if you ever considered changing the page layout of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better? appliance repair Ich gelegen Ihrem Blog mit Google und ich muss sagen, das ist unter den besten gut geschrieben Artikel, die ich seit langem gesehen haben. Roomaraduah vous non l'expert, par hasard ? продвижение неи... Well done, my essay was a real success among tutors. I am so satisfied with your work. pril igy It that was necessary for me. I Thank you for the help in this question. p ri ligy I am am excited too with this question where I can find more information on this question?

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

The Great Stuffing Debate! By: Melissa Peterman Published: November 18, 2009 First of all, is it called stuffing or dressing?  And do most people actually prefer it cooked in the bird? Growing up, I've always known it as stuffing and traditionally it was made outside the bird and by one of my aunts and more often than not, it was heavy on the celery. For awhile, I thought stuffing was just okay, not great but good. Then, I tried oyster stuffing and realized I really hadn't been eating what I now consider stuffing. I'm talking about rich, fatty, flavorful stuffing that could be eaten as a main course be itself. call me crazy, but I simply love a good oyster stuffing. Traditionally what kind of stuffing, or "dressing" do you eat? I'm curious to find out what the norm is? Other kinds of stuffing I absolutely adore: Shiitake Mushroom Stuffing- Recipe Girl Southern Cornbread Dressing by Deep South Dish Gluten Free Thanksgiving stuffing by Off the Wheaten Path Not Stuffed Yet? Quick Links to More Stuffing! Above Photo by Maggie Hoffman Comments: Carmel November 18, 2009 I love stuffing and I've never had it in the bird. My fear would be it would dry out the turkey. Anyway, I used to always just enjoy my mom's simple stuffing and grandma's butter-laden bread stuffing (YUM), but recently I've discovered the joys of cornbread stuffing. I'm not a big cornbread fan, but in stuffing, it can be quite delightful. I had a special at Roux years ago--andouille cornbread stuffing in rabbit--and fell in love. I made a similar stuffing (only spicier!) a few years ago and continue to make variations still. Lindsay There is also a version called filling. My family has been making it for as long as I can remember. Its made with mostly potatoes as well as bread, onions, celery, and spices. I believe its a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition (since that is where my family is from). So my vote is for filling!! Melissa Peterman Hi Carmel, I've had cornbread stuffing only once and I LOVED it! Thanks again for reminding me about adding sausage too- how could I have forgotten that!? Tammy I'm putting kimchi in my stuffing this year. Yum! Cindy V. Hamilton So funny! I just saw the commercial on NBC that mentions this debate. My family has its own debate--to sage or not to sage! My grandmother, now in heaven, made the best dressing ever! As a kid, I did not partake, but when I became an adult, I tried it and mourned the years I had passed it over at Thanksgiving. My sister and I have taken up the dressing mantle. We have gotten close, though not yet cracked Grannie's code. My vote, by the way, is not to sage! (Part of the secret is in drowning the ingredients in natural broth before cooking, and cornbread!) Penny Stuffing part mine and part my mom. Bread stuffing with sausage. Dried cranberries, carrot onions and celery, chicken broth and my mom's secret ...cashews! So good! Cooked outside the bird Susan Being a southern lady,it's cornbread dressing, made with onion, celery, fresh sage and thyme. Homemade chicken or turkey broth cooked in a casserole. Yum Nancy I make 5 different stuffings for Thanksgiving. My family looks forward to their favorite one. There's rice,potato,bread,cornbread, and cracker. All are yummy. Can't put them all in the turkey,so I put on my favorite in the bird. Rice....dressing stuffing it's all the same. MIKEE TO BEGIN WITH IT IS DRESSING NOT STUFFING. YOU NEVER PUT IT INSIDE THE BIRD. YOUR DRESSING IS MADE WITH CORNBREAD MADE FROM JIFFY CORNBREAD MIX. THE DRESSING ALSO CONTAINS ONION, CELERLY, CHOPED UP WATERCHESTNUTS, JIMMY DEEN SAGE RECIPE SAUSAGE AND HOMEMADE TURKEY BROTH. Erin We prefer to Stuff the bird After the bird is cooked, I like a mixed dish, we have a Large family what i do is 4cups Sour dough bread crumbs,4Cups corn bread that has sat a day to dry out, celery onion cooked sausage,parsley, walnuts and raisins and herbs and seasonings for flavor always use chicken broth not water with 3 eggs beaten into it, baked in a dish with a little bit of EVOO This is one of the best Dressing/stuffings ever,been passed down generation to generation

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen By: Marcus Pape Published: November 18, 2009 When most people mention food and wine together the first thing that pops into mind is always pairing, because so much emphasis is placed on this mystical combination of forces. Pairing does have the ability to bring out new and undiscovered flavors, but there are also many other ways for wine to enhance a meal before it ever reaches the table. For me it always starts in the kitchen. Not because I’m some amazing chef, but because I’m always handy with a bottle of wine as soon as the preparations begins. A meal just seems a little more special when it starts with an uncorked bottle, even if I’m just an observer. If you’re the adventurous type in the kitchen try a little wine in your cooking to enhance the meal even further. Things to remember when cooking with wine: First and most importantly, always cook with quality. You wouldn’t put sub par ingredients in your gourmet masterpiece, so why use bottom shelf wine? Choose a wine you enjoy, because if nothing else once you’re done with that one cup needed for the recipe, you’re going to end up drinking the rest. Most often when cooking wines are chosen in order to compliment flavors or characteristics in a dish. For example, add Sauv Blanc to an herb dish or juicy Syrah to a rich meat concoction. The primary characteristics in the wine – sweet, acidic, herbaceous, fruity, spicy – will become concentrated once cooked and really accentuate that element in the recipe. Wines can be used in all aspects of cooking, from a marinade where the alcohol and acid in the wine work to tenderize the meat, or for deglazing to use in a sauce. I personally like to use wine to take the edge off while running around the kitchen trying to keep the place from burning down. Choosing a wine to cook with, just like choosing a wine to pair with your meal, can be as complicated or creative as you make it. But overanalyzing anything can lead to disappointment so choose a wine you enjoy and go for it. What’s the worst that can happen? You get stuck drinking a bottle of wine you enjoy? Damn! Poor you. ** Marcus Pape has worked in media and design for over 10 years with an extensive background in all forms of visual communication. As a proclaimed vinophile Marcus hopes to leverage his abilities to inspire interest in wine, recently launching WineCHATr.com – an online resource for the growing wine community, where both popular wine bloggers and businesses come together to connect and share information on wine. Comments: uberVU - social... November 19, 2009 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen http://www.foodista.com/blog/2009/11/18/wine-from-scratch-wine-in-the-kitchen/..

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809