All in Eating and Cooking
“Hacks” are a popular thing to see floating around the internet these days. You know you have seen them all over your MySpace wall or cramming up your Friendster account. There is always the “Top 20 Hacks to Declutter Your House” or “Best Binder Clip Hacks” or “Trump Announces That His Hacks are the World’s Greatest” or “Clinton Hacks Her Own Secret E-Mail Server”. I like these hacks and I’m excited that Food & Wine Magazine has started a regular article called Mad Genius Tips that include hacks for making delicious meals easier.
Sunday was the first day of my last business trip at Frank & Company. I was heading down for three days of management meetings and probably more than a little socializing with my co-workers. After a few hours on an airplane and about an hour waiting for and riding on a shuttle I made my way over to the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and got checked into the hotel.
MMMMMMM, cookies. Who doesn’t love a nice, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie that almost melts in your mouth? Nothing is better, except maybe if you have a glass of ice cold milk to wash it down. Cookies are a treat. Cookies are a dessert. Cookies are sweet. Or are they?
What does it take to make a delicious breakfast treat? Waking up early in the morning to spend hours slaving over a hot stove to churn out some tasty pastries? Scouring the local farmer’s market to find the freshest fruits available for your muffins? Maybe pounding and beating dough to make it rise and fall to have the best and fluffiest cakes available? No, it doesn’t take all that work. It takes butter and sugar; lots of butter and sugar. At least that is what I learned while baking up this month’s delicious Make me a Sandwich treat; orange-cranberry scones.
Who doesn’t love potatoes? The answer is no one. Everyone loves to eat potatoes in all their many shapes and sizes. Baked potato? Check. Mashed Potatoes? Double Check. French fried potatoes? That isn’t even worth a response. Potatoes are everywhere and you can get them at your favorite restaurant with ease but what about potatoes slutty cousin the sweet potato? Sweet potatoes are rarely listed as a menu item at a restaurant and when they are it is like seeing a unicorn in the wild. That is too bad because the sweet potato is delicious, can be used in any recipe that a potato can be used in, and has a sweetness that can really make a potato dish extra special.
In part 2 of this two part post, we make brunch.
In part 1 of this two part post, we provide a brief history of brunch.
Somewhere along the course of human history it was deemed inappropriate or uncouth to drink alcohol before noon. I don't know why that became the standard. It's not like the sun passing the midway point in the sky has some sort of mythical power that allows alcohol to be acceptable. However, there is one exception: brunch.
Why is it so hard to find real food in a box? I get some things are not made to stay fresh for long periods of time without some sort of preservatives. Meats will spoil. Vegetables will go bad. Fruits will rot. But what about baking products? Doesn't it seem like these types of boxed foods don't need to be filled with ingredients we don't recognize and can barely pronounce?
When it comes to methods of cooking, baking has always scared the hell out of me. Throwing something in a frying pan or on a grill makes sense in my neanderthal brain. Meat + Fire = Good! Maybe toss some salt and pepper on that bad boy and then you're on your way. However, baking is too much like going to chemistry class to possibly be real. Only some sort of witch could mix together 17 different powdery substances with an egg and some water to create a delicious cake. I assume there had to be some blood of a newt or the hair off a dragon's ass in order to make baking a reality.
Everyone is familiar with cooking with wine. A nice white wine sauce can go well over a lightly sautéed chicken and some al dente pasta. Most people know that cooking with liquor, especially in desserts, can make a tasty treat. Much lesser known is cooking with beer. Sure, you've had some beer cheese from the local bar or beer battered fish. These are great but beer can also be used to make some sophisticated dishes and not just "pub" food.
