food and beverage

There is an old adage that one should not buy a woman a gift that plugs in or that she can't wear in public. Well that might be true for some women, but there are some things that are exceptions that prove the rule. Luxury items, things that are out of the day to day budget or represent the best of the best are that for me. My husband will tell you that some of my favorite gifts are my Dyson vacuum, and my Wagner steamer(I know that sounds lame!), and my Bahama blue LG front-loading washer and dryer.

As a foodie, and a mom, I cook a lot and have a lot of food on hand, and we have had an old fridge in our garage that holds our waters, and extra perishables since it seems our fridge is always bursting at the seams. Finally, the poor thing died, and after looking at possible replacements, I talked my husband into getting a new fridge for the kitchen and moving our current fridge which works great but is over ten years old to the garage... and so the search began. We agreed that we would get what we want, rather than just what we needed and it would count as my birthday present - I was cool with that since I had my eye on one of the new french door models to replace my existing side by side.

What were the features I was looking for? I wanted space and shelving that is flexible to hold extra tall things as well as jugs of tea, and juice, and milk that we never have room for. Probably like a lot of you - my fridge seems to be overrun with condiments and ethnic ingredients that must be refrigerated- 4 kinds of mustard, kim chee, 3 kinds of olives, plus assorted cheeses, salad dressings, pickles, black bean sauce, marinated artichokes and sundried tomatoes in oil from Costco-leaving no room for actual fresh food !! While it is a luxury, ice and water on the door was a feature we wanted because my family is a bunch of ice fiends, and we save money by using filtered water instead of bottled. I want spillproof shelves (because someone is always spilling something), and I want shelves and bins that are strong and supported from underneath since we are always filling our bins full of lettuce, cabbage, or 20 containers of yogurt that I got on sale, which caused the plastic tracks of our current fridge to crack and break,and cost $30 per track to replace. The other thing that Iwas looking for was the accessibilityof the water filter, since our existing fridge had to be moved in order to change the filter.

I love my LG washer and dryer and so we started there, but my husband wanted to look at the Samsungs since we had heard a lot of good things about them. Seriously, when we opened the new Samsung, I thought a choir of angels should sing- the energy-saving LED lights came on gradually just like stage lights in a theatre. It had all the features we wanted...and and extra ice maker in the bottom freezer to boot!! We were sold... but our new fridge is backordered, so I have to wait between 7 and 21 days to out it to the test. Happy birthday to me!!

What do you think? What about your fridge do you love... or hate?

Since I started blogging, now almost two years ago, foodblogging has exploded as a medium for chefs and home cooks alike, giving a voice to those who love food in all its forms from Boise to Boston, from Manila to Marseille, from Dehli to Dusseldorf. The food blogging trend started in the big cities that are full of unique and diverse food experiences, but soon, family cooks in small towns around the world found that blogging gave them a way to capture their own food traditions and to share those experiences and insights with other "foodies" around the world.

And what a rush! I was so excited the first time I got a comment from a reader in Scotland who worked in a lab as well and confirmed that scientists and engineers swarm food at the coffee pot in Scotland too! And being listed on Epi-Log in the same list with food luminaries like Ruhlman- I still have to check periodically to make sure that is real. I now have foodblogging friends all over the world. I share not only in their recipes but in their lives. I know who has had a baby, and who has lost a loved one, which one knits hats and booties for preemies, and which one has moved or renovated their kitchen, and which one is a photographer, which one makes their own sausage, which one loves baking and even which ones have turned their blogs into books! Foodblogging is like having an extended family in cyberspace.

Which brings me to Julie and Julia, which is causing a stir across the food blogosphere. Julie Powell's story,on the surface is a food blogger's dream - to have a blog that turns into a book and then a movie is amazing validation of what began as a labor of love, not to mention financially desirable. But it is Julie's personal journey that parallels what many of us "invisible" bloggers enjoy and endure every day. We have full-time jobs, families, responsibilities,but find that making time to cook and to share that with others is rejuvenating, rewarding. We get up at 5:30 AM or stay up with a Coke or coffee after the family is asleep to post our latest dish or visit our "regular" sites. We can't eat a dish without snapping a picture whether it is with a cell phone or a camera, to the consternation of our family and guests. We spend hours when we could be reading the latest hot novel or relaxing poolside searching for the perfect bread recipe, or the best pimenton, or a tip for poaching eggs.

Many foodbloggers I follow have been lucky enough to turn their blogs into books, and I celebrate that with them, and I am truly in awe of Julie Powell's journey to the big screen ("I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!) But other than the few bucks I make from the hits on my blog or the free sample I get to review now and again, my blog will likely never make me money. However, I have made lifelong friends, I have captured the foods and experiences that make up my life and my children's memories so that long after I am gone they can recreate Grandma Dowd's Sausage stuffing, or my "Fricken Chicken", and remember and share the story behind each of those dishes. I have learned about foods from around the world, the struggles and triumphs of farmers and bakers and waiters, all who share a common love of food. So, like many of you, as I wait to see Julie and Julia, I know that even if my blog doesn't make me a dollar, every day it still makes me very, very rich.

It will take me awhile to catch up so I am going back to the beginning of this crazy summer to bring you up to date on some fun and great food we have had. If you have read this blog you know that my family gravitates toward either the beach or the mountains for relaxation and recreation. Several weeks ago some friends of ours called and said they wanted to go camping before they were reassigned (they are military) since they could wind up anywhere. Even though it was not the best time since I was in the middle of proposal season and camping takes a lot of preparation, I thought we might be able to do it if there was a cabin, since then we wouldn't have to pack and carry our tent. I have to say, that I really didn't expect there to be one available, since cabins are usually all booked in the on season, but there was one available and so we were on for a weekend in the mountains!

Some of the best part of camping is the food, but it takes a lot of planning. Luckily, our friend Julie was up for a camping"Iron Chef", and so we set about splitting the meals and developed menus for the trip. For my dinner, I made a great recipe that I actually found on Foodbuzz for a flank steak and delicious cheesy polenta. But Julie blew me totally away this trip. She made a delicious version of eggs benedict that used thinly sliced roast beef with sauteed mushrooms instead of ham and a cream and cheese sauce instead of the routine hollandaise. Served on sliced brioche from Anderson's Cafe, a fabulous cafe in an upscale garden shop here in Newport News, this dish was a real hit, definitely better than usual camping food,and Julie even poached her eggs on a camp stove!!! I was amazed, since this is a skill I have yet to master. Round 1- Advantage Julie

I was sure that I could blow her out of the water since I had made homemade venison sausage.I planned pancakes but on a whim, I made the leftover cheesy polenta into patties and fried them with the sausage, and they were a great hit, the cheesy creaminess making the perfect complement to the spicy sausage. Since I had to cook in the rain- I give myself extra points. Round 2- Advantage Me

Our next dinner, Julie made a mushroom soup with toasted cheese sandwiches made from the Anderson's brioche with brie and gruyere cheese, and a clone of the Bonefish Grill's Saucy Shrimp Appetizer that was out of this world! Round 3-Goes to Julie

I hope I am not making it sound as if it were all competition since we had an awesome time with good friends, hanging out by the fire, talking and laughing and soaking up the beautiful scenery at Crabtree Falls. Besides the great food the hit of the trip was our tennis racket-style bug zapper which provided some unexpected entertainment, and our Mayan hammock which provided a great place for hanging out (and sleeping, for Lilly!)

Saucy Shrimp Appetizer Clone From Bonefish Grill*

1 ounce butter
5 ounces (50/60 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 of the Bonefish Grill lime-tomato-garlic sauce (see below)
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1. Add butter to sauté pan, coating pan. Pour excess butter out. Sauté shrimp, olives and sun-dried tomatoes until shrimp turn opaque.

2. Add one-fourth of the lime tomato garlic sauce (see note). Toss the
sauce with shrimp and vegetables and remove the pan from the heat.

3. Pour all ingredients onto an appetizer plate. Top with crumbled
feta and a pinch of parsley.

Lime-tomato-garlic sauce: Place 1/2 cup roughly chopped
sun-dried tomatoes, 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh tomatoes, 1/4 cup
lemon juice, juice from 2 limes, 1/4 cup chopped garlic, 1/2 cup white wine and 5 tablespoons granulated sugar in saucepan. Stir and let cook until reduced in volume by half. Add 1 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon white pepper. Stir and let simmer until the mixture thickens. On medium to low heat, slowly add 2 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces) until melted. Remove pan from heat when all of the butter is incorporated.
Makes enough for 4 servings

*Adapted from:
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/eatingout/eating_b/bonefish-shrimp-appetizer.htm


Awesome Julie's take on Anderson's Showplace Eggs Benedict*

1 loaf of Brioche, sliced
1 lb. of sliced deli roast beef, chopped
4 Portabella mushroom caps, diced
8 eggs
1 batch of mornay sauce (recipe below)
1 bag of baby spinach

1. Toast Brioche and set aside.
2. Boil water in deep skillet for poached eggs
3. Place mushrooms in pan with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (if you
chose- if you are using a non-stick skillet this is not needed) and
saute.
4. Once mushrooms are cooked add chopped roast beef. Mix well and allow
to heat through.
5. Begin poaching your eggs and steam spinach.
6. Once eggs are cooked to order, put toasted bread on plate, top with beef, spinach and mushrooms. Add egg and top with mornay sauce and serve.
Serves 4

Mornay Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups hot milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyere
1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Dash ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper

1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour and
cook slowly for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove
from heat. The mixture should get foamy or frothy but not brown.
2. Add the hot milk and whisk vigorously until smooth. Add the seasonings and return to the heat and boil for about 1 minute over medium high heat. Remove from heat, add cheeses and stir
until incorporated completely. Add cayenne.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

You know that old saying that when it rains it pours? Well, this summer has been off to a bang, which is why I have been absent from both my own blog and yours over the past few weeks. Before I get back into the swing of things and share some great food, let me clue you in.

First of all, we had a great vacation at the beach. Our house, which we rented through Sun Realty was amazing- great views, expansive decks, and a great pool and hot tub. The owners really knew what they were doing when they named it A Perfect Escape, because it was exactly that. We had family and friends throughout the week and had some amazing food which I will be sharing in several subsequent posts.


We had just gotten back from the beach (depressing enough) and were putting everything away when I heard my daughter Bridget yelling for me from the kitchen, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I went in. My husband was seated on the cooler we had just brought from the Outer Banks squirting (no exaggeration) blood from his leg. I called 911 and applied pressure trying to stop the bleeding and figure out what happened. While the fire station is only about two miles from our house it seemed like an eternity before the paramedics got there, and once they took over, the rest was a blur of moving furniture to make way for the stretcher, locking up the house and following the ambulance to the Emergency room. The paramedics were incredible using two trauma packs to finally stop the bleeding and Gavin was continually conscious, so I felt that he would be fine, but since he is a diabetic and had already seen a surgeon for really bad circulation, I was really worried about his leg.

It turned out that he bumped the cooler and caused a skin tear above a large varicosity that was close to the surface, so even though it took only two stitches to close, he lost nearly a liter of blood, making my kitchen look like the Manson family murder scene (Bridget snapped a picture on her phone when we came back from the hospital, but I will spare you!) An ambulance ride and two (can you believe it!) stitches later we were on our way back home to clean up the bloody mess. To make a long story short, this made the doctor move up his scheduled VNUS Closure procedure that uses RF (radiofrquency) energy to close veins that just aren't doing their job anymore. This takes the place of the old "vein stripping" that requires a hospital stay and long recovery with an office procedure that uses only local anesthetic and the patient walks out of the office in about an hour. My husband walked two miles the next day. Now two weeks later, his bad leg is about half the size it was, and ultrasound shows that he has very little venous reflux in either leg. Awesome,huh?! A big thanks is due his surgeon, Dr. John Newman, who is an expert in the VNUS closure and one of those rare doctors who takes time for his patients.

Now the bad news. In the midst of all this,our dear friend and neighbor Calvert lost his long battle with cancer (that is him at his birthday wearing one of his wife's famous homemade party hats!). He was an incredible friend and neighbor and a surrogate grandpa to our children since we moved to this neighborhood, and his loss will be felt so much by family, friends, and neighbors. We will be celebrating his life at a memorial this weekend, remembering his sense of humor, his fun-loving nature and warm heart.

Between taking care of Gavin, working, finishing a freelance proposal that was due, and helping our neighbor prepare for the post-service wake there has just been no time to post. But hopefully, we are past health issues and surgeries and any other bad news, and can begin bringing you up to date on the great food that we have enjoyed in and around these crises, and I will be stopping by your cyber-kitchens to check out what you have been up to!

After driving to Corolla three times, talking with four different realty companies and taking about 50 pictures and even video on my husband's new Flip video camera, we are quickly approaching our days in the sun (a pun, since the house we finally selected is managed by Sun Realty, an established firm in the Outer Banks that both rents and sells homes. This will be our first stay both with Sun Realty, and in Whalehead, a community in Corolla, so I will keep you posted about all the food, fun, friends and family that we can cram into our beach week!

If you are interested in vacationing in the Outer Banks (or likely almost any resort area), my advice is to check out reviews or references by others who have rented, and to talk to more than one rental company. The economy has resulted in fewer leases and owners would rather fill their house at a discounted rate rather than having it set empty. In fact some companies are even offering partial week rentals, something virtually unheard of during the "in" or peak season. Also if you live near the area of your rental, select a few you are interested in looking at and take a day to go down and see the property firsthand. Pictures often don't convey either the plusses or minuses of a house accurately. In our case we turned down a great rental deal right across the street from ocean access because there was a house built right in front, completely blocking the view! The house we went with is positioned on its lot to offer a great view from the decks and a straight shot to the beach- a winner for us!

I am feverishly making menus, planning what we have to carry, and what we want to get there... in addition to my regular job and writing a major proposal, so if you have any great suggestions for "beach food" (or drinks) that is simple and delicious, send them quick!

I have no idea how it got to be May and over a month since my last post. It is not like I stopped either cooking or eating, but the stimulus money and glut of proposal deadlines has taken up every free moment (and there weren't that many to begin with!) of my non-working time.

I will try to catch you up, and make a real effort to be a better citizen of the blogosphere despite my other commitments. So, here is a brief summary of what has been going on in my culinary (and otherwise) life:

• We had a wonderful St.Patrick's Day complete with lots of family,lots of corned beef, and of course, the delicious corned beef hash the next day (my favorite part!)
• For the past several months I have been preparing to officially become a Catholic. That journey culminated at the Easter Vigil when I celebrated the sacraments of initiation. My entire family was there except for my son Gavin, making it really special (it would have been perfect if he had been there too!). It was really an amazing experience, complete with a celebratory reception and champagne punch. The team at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel helped to make this process meaningful, providing opportunity for fellowship, introspection, and celebration.
  
• I have been cooking a lot with just quick and easy in mind since I am in the middle of grant season, particularly with the stimulus funds out there. But I do have some good pictures on my camera and recipes up my sleeve due some other friends and family and their culinary inspiration. And I promise not to be away so long again...
• One of things I love about being a foodblogger is getting products to try and blog about, but I have to admit that sometimes life overwhelms me and I am a little slower than I should be and such is the case with Country Bob's who sent me two bottles of their all-purpose sauce to try and blog about. While the sauce tasted great, it took me awhile to figure out how best to use it.I was in the mindset of a steak sauce, and for me a good steak really doesn't need any steak sauce.But recently, I had some beef short ribs and I though maybe Country Bob's would be great for cooking those ribs in. The result...ribs with meat falling off the bone,perfectly seasoned in a way that highlighted the flavor of the meat, not the sauce. My success led to numerous other uses of Country Bob's as an ingredient. I have used it in ground beef when I made burgers, and it was terrific. So even if you are not a steak sauce fan like me, you can find a place for Country Bob's in your pantry (at least as long as it lasts!)