Saturday, October 2, 2010

Oktoberfet in Galion, TGF polish food


Just wanted to say thanks to the gods and goddesses responsible for parking a polish concession down the block from our office during the Oktoberfest celebration. The homemade food is like eating Regina Zimmerman's (first college roommate) mother's food. Whether fresh cut fries, mini doughnuts, Moe’s Gyros or HomeCare Matter’s funnel cakes, festival goers have had choice upon choice to choose from for dinner, snack or special treat. Kent Gimbel, director of the street festival, was proud to offer authentic German and Polish options this year. Grandma Ski’s owned and operated by Jay Burgess and Kathleen Kobielski; they bring to the festival authentic, homemade Polish fare that Grandma does make, ham, kraut, mashed potatoes, keilbasa, pierogi and more. Owners hail from Imlay City, Michigan near Hamtramck, an area known for its largely Polish immigrant community. Grandma’s will be at the Millersburg, Ohio antique festival next weekend. For more information, contact them directly grandma-ski@earthlink.net Don’t miss their menu.

As for this blog, obviously still a foodie, but I am no longer based in Toledo. I am going to most likely chronicle my life over the next few weeks as a means of discovering what it means to start taking care of myself and eating more regularly things that I cook. My hope is to try to cook and experiment with some new techniques and recipes. So, keep tuned.

Quick update . . .

Still picking up the pieces. As many of you may know in April of 2009, my husband left me. I don't need to hash out any of the details, suffice to say it was a shock.

I think the grief phase is over, because I am starting to dream of a swimmer, who can cook and loves all kinds of music. I'm ready once again to try to live my life in the sunshine.

On to bigger and better things, let's go!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Barack Obama: First Eater A story by Todd Kliman for NPR


Barack Obama: First Eater

Barack Obama puts on a napkin preparing to eat Gumbo He Can Believe In: Barack Obama prepares to enjoy some gumbo in a New Orleans restaurant. What kind of First Eater can we expect?

by Todd Kliman

So, okay: We know where Barack Obama stands on taxes, on Iraq, on torture, on health care. But what kind of First Eater will he be?

As the great gastronomer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said: "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."

At this point, it's too soon to predict what an Obama cabinet will look like, much less guess at the contents of the Obama cupboard, but we do know this: In matters of taste, as in matters of state, the bold-minded president-elect rejects the false dichotomies (black/white, red state/blue state) that too often are used to divide and conquer.

Regular guy or arugula guy?

Republicans roared with delight when candidate Obama suggested to a group of Iowa farmers that they grow this pricey, peppery green, so beloved by the Whole Foods-set (there are no Whole Foods stores in Iowa). This was the first of many "-ists" to be pinned on him, in the innocent days before "terrorist," "socialist," and "redistributionist."

More recently, a New York Post Page Six item spread the (erroneous) word that the Obamas spent a night at the Waldorf Astoria and ordered lobster, champagne and Iranian caviar (not just caviar; terrorist caviar).

These stories tell you a lot more about the sticky residue of the culture wars than they do about Obama. At best, he's a foodie. But even that definition seems unlikely. He hates beets and asparagus. His favorite food is fried chicken, his favorite recipe is chili, and he's no stranger to the foods of deprivation -- In Dreams from My Father, he confessed that he ate grasshoppers, dog and snakes during his boyhood in Indonesia.

Conclusion: His tastes are as catholic as his sensibilities.

On the prospects for booze, pizza, and dining out, after the jump...

Beer drinker, wine drinker, booze drinker?

On a campaign swing through Latrobe, Pennsylvania, he was at pains to demonstrate his taste for beer, according to New York magazine. "What do they call it? A Yuengling? Trying a Pennsylvania beer, that's what I'm talking about ... Is it expensive, though? Wanna make sure it's not some designer beer or something."

Wine appears to be his drink. The same magazine reports that he has a 1,000-bottle wine cellar at his Hyde Park home. What is not known is what the contents of that cellar are -- assuming there are contents.

Conclusion: Even a thousand bottles would not approach the magnitude of Thomas Jefferson's oenological obsession (the architect of the Declaration of Independence nearly bankrupted himself to stock his White House cellar). But the mere presence of a storage system as big as that does suggest that the future occupant of the White House is an aesthete -- easily the biggest in several generations. Good thing for the Democrats the report was not in wide circulation.

Comfort food or cuisine?

In The Audacity of Hope, Obama writes lovingly about MacArthur's, a well-worn soul food spot on Chicago's northwest side where a plate of chicken and mac 'n' cheese costs just $7.50 and where ex-inmates in need of a second chance are members of the staff. Security has made drop-bys problematic, but Obama is said to regularly order take-out when he's home.

The candidate made no attempt, however, to hide his anniversary dinner plans this past October. Obama and his wife Michelle celebrated at Spiaggia, the luxe Italian restaurant with a commanding view of Lake Michigan that Esquire food critic John Mariani has called one of the top destinations for Italian cooking in the country.

The president-elect's favorite restaurant is said to be Rick Bayless' Topolobampo, a high-end homage to regional Mexican cooking. Interestingly, Chicago's two most talked-about restaurants, Alinea and Moto -- champions of the so-called molecular gastronomy -- are seldom, if ever, linked to Obama by the local media.

Conclusion: A restaurant centrist: respectful of tradition, mindful of the verities.

Deep-dish or thin-crust?

Italian Fiesta in Hyde Park is his favorite pizzeria. It doesn't serve the thick-crust, eat-it-with-a-fork pies that Chicago is best known for. Its claim to fame is a thin-crust pie.

Conclusion: In pizza, as in much else, he's a clear-minded pragmatist, governed less by a sense of "what should be" than by what is. Liberals expecting a fierce, lefty agenda are forewarned.

State dinners or dining out?

Bill Clinton, man of appetites, broke the mold. Until Clinton, presidents seldom ventured beyond the White House to dine with any regularity. Their public dining was generally confined to official functions.

John Kennedy had a handful of favorite spots around town, stemming from his days as senator, including the legendary Billy Martin's Tavern, where he is said to have romanced Jackie, but the Kennedys are widely regarded as having brought an air of glamour to the State Dinner.

The Reagans harked back to that age of Camelot. Aside from Nancy Reagan's much-publicized luncheons with Mike Wallace and others at the Jockey Club, they seldom ate out, a predilection followed by their successors.

Bush the Elder took a liking to Peking Gourmet, a Falls Church Chinese spot, putting it on the map of DC food lovers. But that was the extent of his contribution to local culinary lore. If George W. Bush had a favorite DC restaurant in his eight years, nobody knew it (a trip to the mediocre Mexican restaurant Cactus Cantina was perhaps his biggest outing).

Clinton with his voracious curiosity expanded the role of the First Eater. He ate out widely, most famously at Mark Miller's Red Sage (the stamp of approval helped the restaurant to weather the dismissal of some key critics and triggered a wave of culinary innovation that has transformed a conservative dining scene).

At the same time, the Clintons were keenly attuned to their power to effect a change in Americans' table manners. They encouraged the transition from French-style service to American-style service at State Dinners, started a vegetable garden on the roof and an herb garden in the Jackie Kennedy Rose Garden, and insisted that official menus be made up of contributions from small farmers and purveyors (in this way anticipating the current obsession with local and regional produce.)

Conclusion: Obama's inclinations -- toward community, toward engagement -- suggest he's more likely to follow Clinton than Bush; he's already a fan of two highly-praised DC restaurants, The Source and Charlie Palmer Steak. He's also on record as saying he wants to give his young daughters, Malia and Sasha, a semblance of a normal life, which means an active participation in the life of the city.

At this stage, of course, it's unclear what sort of at-home entertainers the Obamas will be. Still, rumors are already circulating that Art Smith (Oprah's favorite chef) may take over the White House kitchen; conveniently, the two-time James Beard Award-winner recently set up shop on Capitol Hill with his upscale soul food restaurant, Art and Soul.

Smith would be a significant appointment -- the first White House celebrity chef. And a rare opportunity for the Obama administration to popularize and democratize the often-rarified world of gastronomy.

Todd Kliman is a James Beard Award-winning restaurant critic and the food and wine editor of Washingtonian magazine. The Wild Vine, his book about the Rosetta stone of American wine, is due in 2009.

10:37 AM ET | 11- 6-2008 | permalink

Sunday, December 21, 2008

December 2007 Revisited—Carrot Soup

Christmas at the farmhouse is a always a time to surround yourself with good food and family. After finishing off my sister's cinnamon pancakes for brunch, the entire family and some old friends are anticipating a return of a recipe I tried out at Christmas time a year ago, carrot soup. I believe I got the recipe from a William Sonoma cookbook.

The recipe, if you turn back to that blog entry, suggests that the carrots would be softened after 20 minutes of simmering; guess again, perhaps in a pressure cooker after 20 minutes. Despite the fact that this recipe isn't as easy as it sounds; I would recommend it to anyone who has an afternoon to kill on a sunny but cold December day.

Since, I have time on my hands (Greg stranded me here at the farm while he went to Lowe's); I began by baking three sweet potatoes (1 for this recipe and 2 for another I plan on trying in a few days). I covered the skins with oil after cleaning placing them in a baking pan. For those of you too lazy to return to the blog from 2007, just cut up half an onion; sweat them in oil and butter. At this point I added approximately a ½ cup of vermouth and the raw cleaned carrots. I placed the lid on the stock pan and let them go for about 2 ½ hours on low heat.

If you can believe, the carrots were still giving me trouble at the end of the 2 hours. I could put a knife through them but that was about it. I took them off the heat and with my blender I tried to break them up before I added the peanut butter and the broth. I added the contents of one baked yam and then brought the entire soup back up to a simmer. I then turned it down to low heat for another 2 hours. My hope is that by adding the yam, the soup will have a more hearty flavor. I remember that the last time we tried this soup it was very lite summer feel instead of a winter one.

Dinner is in a few hours, I am serving a dark brown bread with a hot crab meat dip/spread. Also, I am serving a Japanese cabbage salad with a Japanese mayo as a dressing. The dressing is similar to one found in a Kani salad. Here are what you will need for the dressing:

Kani Dressing Ingredients (mix, stir, dress cucumber and crab meat)
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic juice
3-4 teaspoons
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon white pepper

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Veretable Quandry Portland Oregon

I loved VQ; it was a very elegant restaurant we found one evening as we were looking at the map of downtown Portland. Near the waterfront, VQ provides a wonderful opportunity to stroll along the river after dinner.

As we wandered through the downtown full of tall buildings and concrete, we made our way from the hotel to the dot on the map. We rounded a corner to find a squat building of brick surrounded by trees and landscaping lighting that made it seem like a magical garden. Their patio was still in use--surprising this late in October; people we're drinking wine and supping despite the chilly autumn weather.

We entered to find a packed bar. We proceeded through to the restaurant. Assuming wrongly that we'd be seated without reservations, we turned back to the bar to find a full menu; hungry we quickly took a booth as it was opening.

The bar menu offered many choices. I ordered the cheese plate for the table along with an African pumpkin soup for my meal. If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with anything reminiscent of West African cuisine and this soup was it. Chopped peanuts provided texture to this otherwise smooth but robust soup. The cheese plate offering was delectable, as expected. What was surprising is the French Stilton was a texture and flavor that was similar to butter which we used to spread on rustic brown bread. The cheese plate included fruit and candied nuts offing a sweet contrast to the salty flavors of the different cheeses. My companions ordered the mushroom gnocchi and a beautiful salad. I stole a bite of each. I now know what real gnocchi is suppose to taste like. As you may remember, I made gnocchi recently, and unfortunately, it was not a success. VQ served theirs with a variety of wild mushrooms in a delicate sauce that was more chicken stock then cream. Little chunks of fried mozzarella gave the dish some depth, but surprisingly these bites didn't overpower. Our new Legal Aid friend, ordered the prawns and a salad. Karen's salad was beautiful and really more than an appetizer. The prawns were also beautifully presented. All of it was incredibly tasty and just beautiful to the eye. I of course was people watching and learned that their signature dessert was a chocolate souffle. Unfortunately, we we're all too full for dessert, so we decided to walk off dinner in the hopes that by the time we reached our destination, Voodoo doughnuts, we'd be hungry. Alas, we walked and walked but by the time we reached Voodoo Doughnuts even the delectable treats there could only offer themselves up as eye candy. It was a great evening of great food and great conversation.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

On the ground in Portland

It is Thursday morning. We're on the ground in Portland after a very grueling day of travel on Wednesday. Assholes in suits we're everywhere in the airports freaking out over their job security, due to the crash yesterday. Very amusing (tragic and sad to the point of absurdity).
So, yeah, we're starving. There is a place called the Cup & Saucer that we're going to try to check out. The downtown transit is free, so we'll see what happens.

I've e-mailed my new online foodie friend for tips of where to eat RAW cuisine. As of yet, I haven't heard back from her, but we'll see what we can work out with that too. I have a couple leads if she does not get back to me. I also want to go to a farm while I am here, but again I don't know how that is going to work out either. . . no car.

So, I'll try to update later this morning, and also try to post some pictures of our adventures.

And, we're back, we went to breakfast at a place called Mother's. We were seated in the velvet room. There I had the best oat meal I have ever had cooked in cream and served with bananas and pecans. Greg had eggs cooked with strips of tortillas. All of it was very good. So good in fact that we went back the very next morning for salmon hash and more eggs. The coffee was very good coffee, and the staff were great. I would highly recommend to anyone. http://www.mothersbistro.com/

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Fromage Blanc Day 2 & Rose Water Fantasies

Okay, yesterday I didn't get as far as I would have liked. A nap got me side tracked, and then I was sleepy (I had bed fog) all day. The accomplishment of the day was to get to the store for supplies and ingredients. We went to a Kroger's in Mansfield that I swear was a Whole Foods in disguise. I think I made a good hall because I was able to get some staples balsamic vinegar (for my pear salad), red wine for poaching pears (last time I used white wine) and lemons too. I also got a meat thermometer for use here at the farm house. I also got my first silpat for baking. I am going to work diligently to stock the pantry down here, so that these trips to the store are not so labor intensive. Tools are important. I pledge to think about my needs and organizing. Organizing will become an issue when I am trying to cook in a kitchen that construction workers will be tearing down and building up.

So, the goals for today are:

to make the cheese
pick pears (Take some to Home)
cook chicken
purchase peanuts (I forgot them yesterday)

Oh, I almost forgot to talk about rose water. I have been obsessed with rose water for the past several years. I have wanted to make my own, another ambition unrealized. Rose water, along with almonds for example, from what little research I have done were both used as sweeteners during medieval pastries kitchens where sugar was scarce and expensive (more later on why). So, I stopped in to the SoFo's Market in Toledo for lunch and walked past their little baking supply area (seriously it's only 4 shelves) and there was a crystal clear bottle of distilled rose water. Hello! Due to my obsession this ingredient has been on my mental shopping list for some time, but never had it presented itself, so of course I grabbed it. So, this entire weekend I have been trying to think of ways to use it. More on this later.



Okay, we're back. I made the cheese. If you want to jump to the crux of the matter, watch the first video, otherwise please excuse the non-edited segments that if you string them together yourself they will tell a story. Enjoy.