Happy Thanksgiving...have a safe and healthy winter...enjoy all the soups and creations you made with your fall bounty...will be in touch about Season 2010 in due course. Keep checking the blog for recipes and events, and continue to share your food fun. 
I was just in Whole Foods this week looking for the new edition. I was very sad to read the news. Hopefully someone will take over this publication. It would be a shame to lose it!
Edible Chesapeake to cease publication
Tuesday, November 24, 2009, 10:07am EST
Renee Brooks Catacalos will cease publication of Edible Chesapeake, the local food magazine, she announced on the publication's Web site Tuesday (hat tip to Food Service Monthly's Michael Birchenall, who alerted me to the news).
She said the decision was based on "much reflection on how best to balance the needs of my family and myself as a small business owner, with the needs of the local food community." It is unclear whether the publication will continue under a new publisher.
Edible Chesapeake has published quarterly since 2005.
Source: http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/top_shelf/2009/11/edible_chesapeake_to_cease_publication.html?ana=e_du_pub
Favorite Food Magazine #3: Everyday Food
Everyday Food is my newest addition to my cooking magazine subscriptions. From the kitchens of Martha Stewart, this publication is the perfect weekday resource for meal ideas. If you are familiar with the PBS series Everyday Food - this is the print companion. I am sure you have seen it at the grocery check out aisle and never even noticed it.
I know ... Martha Stewart... run for the hills!!!! Read on then decided.
Don't let the small size of the publication fool you. In fact, this publication is the “Anti Martha Stewart” for food. Forget all that fancy pretentious hosting and entertaining stuff that Martha Stewart is known for.
Everyday Food lives up to it title by focusing on (well) Everyday Food. It is a down and dirty source for easy-to-make recipes during the weekdays. When I am lacking the culinary creativity or just need a starting idea - this is a good go to publication. There is a rich range of recipes in the publication
Everything in the publication is easy to read from the articles to the recipes. Photos are stunning. Also, there is a rich range of information from spotlight ingredients, to cook once - eat twice, to kids favorites and more.
The recipes are simple and designed for quick cooking. Planning a week's worth of meals is very easy with Everyday Food. While I probably know most of the recipes that are shown, it is very nice not to have to think and just do. I would say if you got a tween or teen into cooking, this is a great publication to inspire their cooking juices.
Favorite Cooking Magazine #2: Cooking Light
Cooking Light has been delivered to my house for well over a decade. While I personally tend to focus on the spring and summer issues, the publication offers great seasonal recipes.
I particularly enjoy their spotlight topics such as regional cuisine or seasonal cookery. Unlike other culinary publications, this one offers simple direct recipes without all the "over the top" culinary snobbery. The recipes are easy to make and for the most part utilize common ingredients.
I also like that each issue covers a wide range of recipes from breakfast to late night desserts. If you fret hosting and holiday meals, fear no more - Cooking Light does an exceptional job of everything from the backgrounder to the menu to the gameplan for preparing the meal . It just does not get much easier than this.
There are recipes focused on kid friendly, budget cooking, vegetarian, super fast cooking, make ahead. In addition to a rich range of topics and recipes, the publication has a clean and easy to navigate design that is very friendly and inviting.
It is clear that the publication skews towards a female readership. While I do not fit their common demographic, their articles outside of food are well written and easy to digest making the publication an easy read. I particularly enjoy their travel and enthic food specials that do an exception job in a few pages of helping you to better understand the cuisine and key ingredient of a particular cuisine from around the world.
Cooking Light is my choice gift for folks that are interested in cooking and want to learn more.
Another question that was recently asked of me was - what are my favorite food related magazines?
This is a tough one, I get a lot of them and they all serve different purposes. On the flip side, I personally feel that there are many food magazines that are not very good either because of the quality of the recipes/articles or the complexity of the recipes.
While I read some for inspiration and others for what new in food trends, the ones that I find the most useful are the ones that do the thinking for me. I have to confess ... even I have those days when I just don't want to think about food or cooking but got to get a meal to the table for the family.
While I have a "small library" of cookbooks (600 and counting), I find that I am reaching consistently for are three cooking magazines that I thought I would suggest.
Each of the three are excellent for home cookery and offer the best of healthy, easy and seasonal. All are under $15 (little more than a dollar an issue), visually stimulating and focus on simplicity in cooking with great recipes.
Favorite Food Magazine #1: Eating Well
I have been a long time fan and subscriber of Eating Well. It is a wonderfully designed publication focused on healthy, fresh cooking.
This publication make healthy eating a way of life with great, easy recipes (most 45 minutes or less). There is a ton of information on the latest nutrition science in easy to understand language. Lastly, I find the layout exceptional and the photography excellent and mouth watering.
The recipes run seasonal and are a great compliment to your CSA share. If you are looking for sustainable cooking this is a great source for ideas on seasonal cooking.
The publication always has interesting and new idea that are pushing the new boundaries of "eating well". More recently, the publication has become very committed to quick cooking and make ahead solutions recogonizing that we all dont have tons of time to cook during the weekdays.
It is for that I noted above and more that they are a top magazine pick for me personally. Not to mention EatingWell has been named one of the top 3 food magazine for the last 3 years (Folio: Eddie Award). It also won a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award for nutrition reporting in 2008 and an IACP Bert Greene Award for best food essay. The EatingWell Diet was named one of the top 10 best diet cookbooks last year by Health Magazine and CNN.
In my eyes, there is just no way to go wrong with a subscription to Eating Well if you are planning on the maintaining your CSA share in the coming year.
As we are getting closer to Thanksgiving and the holiday season, it is time to start thinking about more formal meals.
Compote is a classic autumn recipe that is a great accompaniment to any roasted protein meal like turkey or chicken.
Compote is essentially dessert of stewed or baked fruit that is served as a side for the main course. In a warped way, it’s a way to get dessert out before dessert time!
Nice thing about compotes - they are easy to make and most people really like them. Sweet and made with familiar ingredients, they make a great side for a Thanksgiving meal.
If you want to make it ahead, simply cook until it’s halfway done. After cooled, refrigerate until you are ready to use. When you reheat, it will cook the remainder of the way. You might need to add some more liquid (cider preferred) to the pot during re-heat.
The recipe calls for squash. It is pretty flexible. Use what is available. This could be butternut, pumpkin, delecata, etc.
Ingredients
There are just those cold nights when you want something warm, sweet and good for the spirits. Here is a great little recipe to keep close at hand for those nights.
It’s a warm cider drink with some toffee liqueur added. What you end up with is a sweet, candy like drink that is warm for the body and soul!
If the toffee liqueur does not do it for you, applejack brandy is a fine substitute.
Ingredients:
Process:
I am often asked by many folks - what books and magazines do I recommend for cooking.
Next week, I am going to run a mini mags series highlight a few magazines that I would recommend for the home cook. These are not your "uber chef" publications that the pro's use.
These are publications that have great content and recipes for cooking at home. In fact, these are magazines that I personally subscribe to and use on a regular basis for ideas.
Just so you know, we have joined the Amazon affiliate program. Should you decided that you want to subscribe to any of the recommended magazines, we ask that you use the links attached on this site. There is no additional cost to you if you purchase and we get a small commission that we use to keep this website running.
If you think amaretto sours go down easy... meet its cousin cocktail.
Bourbon, amaretto, and ginger ale combine to improve on overly sweet sour mix.
The addition of the cranberry sauce is added for a new twist on flavor and leftovers.
Ingredients
I think I have reached my quote of broccoli consumption for this year. In an attempt to use more of the CSA broccoli in one recipe, I offer up a hearty broccoli soup with cheddar cheese.
The recipe has all the classic elements of a great soup - stock, herbs, butter and cream. While you can make some substitutes, I would suggest making the recipe as is, each of the ingredients adds to the richness of the meal.
This is a great make-ahead soup. The soup can be made the day before. Just cool slightly before putting in the refrigerator to cool completely. After cooled, cover and keep refrigerated. Just reheat to a simmer when ready to use.
Ingredients
Unless you hate potatoes, you are going to be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn’t like this dish.
Potatoes that are crispy... what is there not to like?
This is a classic three ingredient recipe that you will need to make in volume because there will be none left.
Key to getting the potatoes crispy is high heat and patience. Potatoes are one of those ingredients that take forever to get started but when they start to crisp it will happen very quickly.
Feel free to interchangeable swap out the potatoes - just make sure they are new potatoes. New potatoes are not a separate variety of potato, but younger versions of other varieties. The skin of new potatoes is generally thinner and flakier than the skin found on older potatoes. For this reason, new potatoes are rarely if ever peeled before cooking.
These potatoes are at their best when browned just before serving.
Ingredients
One of my favorite childhood memories of autumn was apple cider. There are few things that complete a cool fall day like a nice warm cup of apple cider.
After you consider what it takes to make apple cider you might think twice about purchasing it at the store.
It is super simple to make and is a great activity to do with the kids after an afternoon of picking apples at the local orchard.
Another benefit to making your own cider is that you are in control of how sweet you want your cider. Feel free to adjust the sugar to your tastes and to the sweetness of the apples.
Ingredients
In my attempt to offer you different and healthy ways to deal with your CSA share, I thought this was something a bit off the beaten path but highly interesting (at least to me).
The roots of pickling began as a way to preserve food for out-of-season use and for long journeys, especially by sea.
I find pickling to be a great and easy way to extent the season bounty without the guilt of tossing good food gone bad. This recipe as prepared will keep for several weeks in the fridge.
So the next time you are facing a situation of too much of a particular produce item... think pickling.
The recipe below was adapted from The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich (see below). This book is considered one of the bibles of pickling and a must have for anyone interested in pickling foods.
Ingredients
For you salmon lovers, here is a very delicate, light and very healthy preparation. The flavors are subtitle from the lemongrass and citrus creating this extremely smooth flavor that melts in your mouth.
In general poaching is a great cooking technique that is often overlooked for "high heat" cooking. Poaching is particularly suitable for fragile food, such as eggs, poultry, and fish which might easily fall apart or dry out.
The key to poaching is to keep the heat low and to keep the poaching time to a bare minimum. This will preserve the flavor of the food.
Ingredients
In the realm of cooking techniques, I am pretty sure roasting would not rise to the top of the list for cauliflower. However, when prepared correctly, roasted cauliflower is very delicious.
The key to roasting cauliflower is to keep the florets in large thick pieces. A little olive oil and herbs and you are good to go. The parts that are in contact with the pan while roasting will brown. That browning creates a wonderful nutty, sweet flavor.
The sweet, nutty flavor is finished off in this recipe with the balsamic and parm that just compliment the roasted cauliflower that much more.
Ingredients
This is a pretty interesting article on Sam Kass - White House Chef and politico from the NY Times. Worth a read before it vanishes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/dining/04kass.html?_r=3&8dpc
Purple broccoli is simply a different variety of broccoli, sometimes called purple head broccoli or rosalind broccoli. It is very similar to regular broccoli except its florets have a purplish color to them and the heads of purple broccoli are typically smaller. Its taste is the same as regular broccoli and it can be use in the same manner.
The purple color is due to formation of anthocyanins, the plant pigments also found in red cabbage and in red wine which have been shown to have positive health benefits.
All varieties of broccoli have a pretty impressive nutritional profile, however, the darker colors of florets contain more beta carotene and vitamin C than those with lighter greens.
Note, the purple color fades to green when cooked.
Here is a recipe just in time for Thanksgiving! This is a delicious dish with layers of flavor from sweet, to citrusy to creamy to earthy - all at the same time. It is called a hummus because of its aromatics from the toasted cumin. It’s a dip... calling it a hummus makes it a bit more exotic.
As far as preparation, it’s easy! Because you are looking for cooked sweet potato flesh, just microwave the potatoes until soft. Add all ingredients in food processor and blend.
The recipe can be made up to two days in advance. I would suggest that you hold off on the zest until time of serving to avoid overpowering the dish with citrus.
Ingredients:
For those of you not familiar with Thai cookery - Tom Yom Goong is a classic spicy and aromatic broth. Below is an easy adaptation on this classic that can be made anytime because it appeals to more commonly accessible ingredients.
With more traditional preparations, shrimp is add. For this adaptation, the shrimp has been omitted.
In general, each of the ingredients in the recipe are each "very powerful". The key is to incorporate the ingredients to achieve a harmonious balance of hot and sour - this soup by no means should be bland.
The preparation is very simple. The bulk of the flavor will be coming from the lemongrass. Other than making sure that the lemongrass stalks are clean, you do not need to fuss with separation of the inner and outer leaves. Just chop and drop in the pot.
To simplify access to ingredients, Serrano chile peppers are used. However, if you have access to Thai bird chiles use them. Thai chiles are available at most Asian grocers. You can control the heat from the peppers - if you want less heat, remove the seeds and ribs of the peppers before use.
Keep in mind, you are in control. You can control the intensity of the dish - always start with less and add more if you have any doubts.
The recipe serves very nicely with cooked rice and is very flexible to other additions including:
Turnips are a root vegetable and a member of the cabbage family. They're a good source of Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C and Manganese.
Think about using them as you would other root veggies.
How about:
Curried Turnip and Apple Soup
In a large saucepan, heat the butter/oil. Add the onion, celery, turnip, and apple. Cook until wilted. Stir in the curry powder and parsley; cook for another minute. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and add the rice. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper.
Talk about three of my favorite ingredients that are just a great marriage of flavors. It will have your senses dancing!
Made from ingredients that not too long ago were considered hard to find, this is what I call a dish with "depth". That is depth in flavor and complexity. But for all of its tremendous flavor it is very simple to make.
I would shoot for pencil thin asparagus spears for this dish. The larger spears are tougher and change the mouth feel and flavor in my opinion. Also, make sure that you have fresh garlic and shallot for this dish. You want the rich flavor and bite that comes with the freshness.
Lastly, watch your heat levels when you cook. Too much heat and you will burn up the ingredients and destroy their textures.
Ingredients:
Lemongrass is a common ingredient in Thai cooking and curries. Usually the tender white part of the lemongrass stalk is used for adding to dishes, but the blades can be used for stocks or infusions or even dried to use in potpourri and tea. So, don't waste any part of it!
You can grind the stalks and use this for seasoning. Or you can treat it more like bay leaf and leave it in larger pieces that can be removed before serving.
***Boil a handful of lemongrass blades in water for 5 minutes for a Lemongrass Tea. [You can easily freeze the blades (in a ziplock bag) to use whenever you want to make some tea.]
A recent study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the department of Science and technology ( DOST ) claims that every 100g of lemongrass when boiled can contain up to 24.205 micrograms of beta-carotene the anti-oxidant that scientists believe can help prevent cancer. Another DOST study shows that lemon grass oil has the potential as a tropical eye medication against keratomycosis, an inflammation of cornea often associated with burning or blurring of vision.
Interesting Article in USA Today regarding how parents can help their kids to love veggies. It is worth a read for sure!
Click Here
OK... its November. We are officially a few weeks away from Thanksgiving... and dare I say - two months until the end of the year.
As I start to think about holiday entertaining and "the Holidays", I am always looking for something different.
Yes, I am that person that is not satisfied with the "traditional seasonal fare". Maybe bad childhood memories of holidays past, but more likely the desire to explore the full universe of food that is out there. That said, I am going to start to offer up some different recipes that you may want to consider for this holiday season.
This soup is truly a fusion of ingredients. Consider each ingredients and its contribution to the overall dish: sweet potatoes for sweetness, cinnamon/nutmeg to enhance the sweetness, curry/bay offer the earthiness, ginger/red pepper for the bite, and thyme that offers a refreshing overtone. This is culinary fusion!
Ingredients:
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