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A Kick In The Pantry
Published on 2012-01-18 20:18:20
When Alicia Hansen over at Poise In Parma recently gave away a $50 Whole Foods gift card to enable a lucky winner to stock their pantry, she asked her readers to leave a comment telling her what their favorite pantry ingredient was. There were many terrific responses and it got me thinking as I rifled [...]
Cauliflower Everyone Will Love
Published on 2012-01-14 17:31:54
I like most vegetables and like to try different ways to prepare them. While I’ve always been a fan of cauliflower, there are many people who shy away from it. I suspect this is because they’ve always had it boiled, steamed, or raw, which while appealing to some, doesn’t bring out much depth of flavor. [...]
The One With Dates, Shrimp, and Heavy Cream
Published on 2012-01-11 21:08:52
If Ali is home you’re likely to find her endlessly watching “Friends” on DVD, even though she’s seen every episode so many times she can quote the lines right along with the actors. So when it came time to title this post I looked to one of her favorite shows for inspiration. You may find [...]
Beef Wellington: A New Old Traditon?
Published on 2011-12-26 22:14:23
The culinary history of Beef Wellington is a bit of a mystery. Many theories exist as to its origin–all of them lacking hard evidence–but none support invention any earlier than the 20th Century. The earliest recipe found titled “Beef Wellington” was published in 1940 in The Palmer House Cook Book and is a much simpler [...]
7 Steps to Perfect Pies
Published on 2011-11-21 11:38:25
Yesterday while I was making pies, Renée made the off-hand comment that I should do a video with some tips. The next thing I knew she was standing in front of me with her phone asking me questions. In light of this video ambush, I thought I might elaborate further in the tips I shared [...]
Rice, Rice, Very Nice
Published on 2011-10-31 08:30:23
In mythology, consumption of ambrosia was typically reserved for divine beings. In the real world, you can make your own and can accompany it with some great music. Beyond the fact that it’s one of my favorite tunes, the Ambrosia song, “Nice, Nice, Very Nice“, which sets to music the lyrics to a song in [...]
There’s Not Enough Songs About Squash
Published on 2011-10-30 11:34:04
Proper grammar notwithstanding, I know you’re thinking, ” Hey, Paul is dead right; there AREN’T enough songs about squash!” But before you waste a portion of your day trying to scratch out some lyrics for “The Crookneck Squash Blues”, you might want to take a listen to this song by Australian singer/songwriter Darren Hanlon. Sadly, [...]
Ba-na-na-na
Published on 2011-10-05 18:57:26
If Beethoven were a baker–and who knows, he may have been–I think this is the banana bread he would have made. In fact, I’ll bet he made himself some banana bread one day and while enjoying a nice warm, buttered slice and pondering the wonderfulness that is the banana, recognized what a fun word banana [...]
Michael Pollan’s Food Rules #14
Published on 2011-09-23 08:05:42
Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature. ~Food Rules: An Eater’s Manifesto Reading the ingredients on a food package can be daunting (unless you happen to be a food chemist), disheartening, maddening, and down right scary. In most cases, it’s not possible to imagine what [...]
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
Published on 2011-09-21 20:13:25
If you can roast a chicken, you can serve dinner to anyone. It's one of the basic cooking skills every self-respecting cook needs to have in his or her culinary toolbox. This method makes it foolproof.
Mardi Gras en Mai
Published on 2011-04-16 13:23:03
Mardi Gras en Mai™ Not a place…but a state of mind. The glory of Mardi Gras began long before Europeans set foot in the New World. And while the period of abandon and merriment grew to a modern day pre-Lent spectacle, the Chefs are tweaking t
The Play’s The Thing
Published on 2011-03-26 11:23:08
“Today’s restaurant is theater on a grand scale.” ~Marian Burros The 14th Street Theater was transformed into a dinner theater for Emerging Chefs‘ fifth event: ThEATtrical, featuring Melange co-executive chef, Adam Bostwick.
Divine Intervention
Published on 2011-02-26 08:31:42
A former Romanian Orthodox church-turned-playhouse in Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District served as the perfect venue for “Sacri-licious”, a little theater of the palate presented by Touch Supper Club Chef Jeff Fisher. As if an
Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week
Published on 2011-02-24 19:03:55
What better way to beat the winter doldrums than by enjoying good food, good friends and good times at a great price–that’s what Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week offers Monday, February 21-Sunday, February 27. During that time you’ll find ex
Chef Provocateur
Published on 2011-01-30 22:26:12
As a venue the Velvet Tango Room is enticing enough on its own but when you enter knowing a provocative menu of food and drink parings awaits you, your expectations naturally rise. Held in the VTR private lounge, accessible only with a “secr
Prohibitively Good
Published on 2010-12-12 22:07:14
For its second event, Emerging Chefs celebrated the 77th anniversary of the end of Prohibition in style as Bar Cento Executive Chef Michael Nowak presented his 5-course take on Depression Era food. The Speakeasy at Mc Nulty’s Bier Markt served
You Say Pecan, I Say Pecan
Published on 2010-11-27 13:02:46
As I mentioned in Another Squash, Another Sunday, I’d never made a pecan pie before and had heard murmurs that it was like some double secret probation magical mystery tour concoction that was hard to make. This recipe from the Williams-Sono
It’s Like Buttah, Only Bettah
Published on 2010-11-23 21:27:27
Some of my favorite creations are things that, for the most part, take little time to prepare but pay big dvidends by producing sublte layers of flavor and adding finesse in other dishes. Infused oils, flavored butters, stocks, sauces, marinades, and
Another Squash, Another Sunday
Published on 2010-11-22 20:13:02
My Sunday began with a great breakfast scramble prepared by Renée with tomato, mushrooms, Lucky Penny Farm goat cheese and bacon on the side. I don’t think you can get much better than the simplicity of scrambled eggs accented with good, fresh
Michael Pollan’s Food Rules #28
Published on 2010-11-10 20:20:58
What we do know is this: populations that eat what's referred to as a "Western diet" (lots of processed foods, added fat and sugar, lots of refined grains, few veggies, fruits, or whole grains) suffer from high rates of Western diseases like obesity
An Excitable Boy and His Pot Roast
Published on 2010-11-08 23:25:24
The first day after turning the clocks back to standard time seems like a good day to make pot roast. Matt and I did some grocery shopping on Saturday and I picked up an English cut chuck shoulder roast for under $10.00.
20, 20, 24 Hours To Go, I Wanna Make Some Pickles
Published on 2010-11-07 20:52:22
Pickling is one of the easiest ways to preserve food and its distinctive flavors and versatility offer a wide range of choices. You can pickle just about any vegetable and many fruits, as well as meats and eggs. Cucumbers, green tomatoes, and jalape
One Red Door, Many Happy Returns
Published on 2010-11-06 00:23:43
Going to a new restaurant is always fun, especially when you go there with good friends. But it's even more satisfying when you know some of the people behind it and you see their hard work and dedication paying off in the form of terrific food, a go
Adventures in Canning
Published on 2010-11-04 23:14:25
One of my fondest food memories is that of Ball jars lining our cellar shelves in neat, orderly rows like a platoon of fruit-filled glass soldiers at attention. Waiting patiently to be dismissed, they shared room with another platoon, this of homemad