October 2010
17 posts
Apples: A Cure All
Vinegar comes from the French, meaning “sour wine.” Apple cider vinegar is a type of vinegar made by the fermentation of apple cider. During this process, sugar in the apple cider is broken down by bacteria and yeast and turns into alcohol. If the alcohol ferments further, you get vinegar. Over the centuries, vinegar has been used for countless purposes from cooking to cleaning....
Caramel Apple Pork Chops & Brussels Sprouts with...
If I was on a cooking show and had to make a signature dish, this would be it. It’s tender, juicy, savory and sweet. It’s delicious. I probably make this dish once a week and never get tired of it. Caramel Apple Pork Chops
-Ingredients-
4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted...
Apples: A Saucy History
Food historians tell us sauces made with apples and related recipes were made by medieval European cooks. These sauces could be made from tart to sweet and were served as accompaniments to a variety of foods. In early times, they were called by different names, often with regards to its use as sauce for meat. For example, the applesauce recipe in Elizabeth Raffald’s Experienced English...
Apple - Carrot Muffins
I wanted to start apple week off with breakfast. I found a recipe on Whole Foods Market’s website for carrot -apple muffins and it sounded good, but I got to be honest they left something to be desired. First of all, if I hadn’t have added my own cinnamon-sugar topping they would have been the most bland muffins in all creation. Secondly, they tasted nothing of apples and hardly like...
Week Two: Apple Week
You know, I had apple week planned for this week since I first had the idea to start a seasonal food blog. The funny thing is I get my local grocery store ads and all of them are having Apple Fest. That’s right, sales on apples and foods that pair brilliantly with them. This is what I love about using seasonal ingredients— they’re cheap! So let’s embrace fall and have an...
Tomatoes: Queen of American Vegetables
Tomatoes became more important in North American cuisine when thousands of Southern Italians immigrated to the United States. They planted tomatoes in their gardens, ate them raw, cooked with them and introduced them to their non-Italian neighbors. Many Italian immigrants worked in grocery stores and restaurants and continued to spread word of the tomato. But it had to be in a form that was...
Italian Style Pizza
This was my first attempt at making a pizza at home. Not only that, but I made my own dough! I had to wait three whole days for the cold fermentation process, but in the end it was worth it. Sooooo, worth it.
Here’s the recipe I used for the dough: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001199.html I’d type it all out for you, but it was a a rather detailed affair so I’ll just...
Tomatoes: Toe-may-toes
The Mayas probably introduced the Aztecs to the tomato, which they immediately accepted because it reminded them of something they were already eating—the husk tomato. They juiced the tomatoes, added some chili peppers, ground up a little pumpkin seed, and had what we call salsa.
The first time the Spanish ran into the tomato was when Cortés marched into Mexico in 1519. The Spanish called it a...
All American Chili
To me a good chili is colorful, chunky and spicy. A good chili should please the eye, fill your belly to the brim and warm your heart and soul. This is a good chili. More than that it’s the perfect way to use any tomato products you might have remaining after tomato week.
-Ingredients- 1 pound ground turkey or beef 1 can red beans, rinsed 1 can pinto beans, rinsed 1 green pepper, diced...
Tomatoes: Turn You On
The earliest published description of a tomato in Europe appeared in Italy in 1544. It came to be called a pomo d’oro, which means “golden apple.” Tomatoes were associated with the yellow fruit of the mandrake plant, which was described in the Bible as an aphrodisiac. It was also believed that the fruit that Eve ate from the tree of knowledge was a tomato and not an apple. As a result, the...
Chicken Caprese Sandwich
This recipe is from Clean Eating Magazine. Have you ever read a recipe and wanted to make it immediately? That’s what this sandwich did to me, it called to me from the glossy pages and said, “Make me! Make me!” I did change a few things though. The recipe called for balsamic vinegar and focaccia bread but I used what I had: red wine vinegar and deli-style Italian bread....
Tomatoes: Let's Play Ketchup
The word ketchup conjures an image of a thick, sweet, tomato-based condiment. The word ketchup is originally from China. It was originally a fermented fish sauce, or fermented soy sauce called kêtsiap. It referred to a product was a very thin, liquid-y sauce that was spiced and fermented and mainly used for cooking—not a condiment. Ketsiap migrated from China into Southeast Asia, and...
Tomato Glazed Meatloaf
The only way I like my meatloaf is the way my momma used to make it (when she used to cook, that is). My mom’s meatloaf way always hearty, but complimented by a sweet tomato glaze. So, for tomato week I made my very own tomato glazed meatloaf. Nom nomz. -Ingredients- Meatloaf 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey 1 egg 1 onion, diced and sauteed in butter, until lightly brown 1/2 of a...
Tomatoes: A 'Juicy' History
Tomato juice has been the official drink of Ohio since 1965. I live in Ohio and never knew that until tomato week. Tomato juice was first discovered during the summer of 1917. Louis Perrin was a French-American chef at a resort in French Lick Springs, Indiana. One day he did an experiment and started serving his Chicago-businessmen-guests tomato juice. They loved it and spread the word that...
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup & Italian Style Grilled...
-Creamy Tomato Basil Soup- Ingredients: 1 tomato 1 cup tomato juice 4 basil leaves 1/4 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons butter Step One: Peel, remove seeds and dice one tomato. (http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Removing-Tomato-Seeds/Detail.aspx) Step Two: Cook tomatoes and tomato juice on medium heat for half hour in medium saucepan. Step Three: Puree tomato juice, tomatoes and basil in blender or food...
Tomato Goat Cheese Tart
The only downside to this recipe is it calls for frozen puff pastry, which I’m not a fan of since it’s full of so many unnecessary, unnatural ingredients. Alas, until I learn to make my own puff pastry dough I will have to succumb to buying the boxed stuff. However, I stick to my statement that it is the only downside. This is a tasty, savory, surprisingly filling tart. Tomato &...
Week One: Tomatoes
Tomatoes are widely available from May to October. Since tomatoes will be out of season by the end of the month, we’re going to make full use of them now. Plus, there’s the fact that all my neighbors keep offering me theirs. It seems that anyone who grows their own always have too many to use themselves. So, let’s take care of that end of the summer tomato surplus —...
