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Same Old, Same Old….NOT!

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

We all do it. Find ourselves in a rut of making the same things all the time, because it is familiar, easy to do and you don’t have to think about it. The measurements, instructions and ingredients are all in your head and you can slide through the task of getting dinner on the table while your mind is occupied with something else entirely. Is the food nourishing? Probably to your body, but not necessarily to your soul. Does it taste good? Probably, but it isn’t as great as the first time you made it. One of the dishes I do repeatedly is Chicken a la King. It’s not fancy, but I loved it as a child, still love it as an adult, but it has grown a little more boring than its title for me.

What to do? How do you get out of the rut? What switch do you have to trip to make you fall in love with your food again? For me the answer is reading.

When I was a newlywed, I had few things in my food arsenal that I could make really well and they grew tiresome after a while as they were mostly pasta dishes and heavy and, well, familiar…what I grew up with. Fish was a mystery to cook well. Beef in its ground form or stew form was common, but other cuts befuddled me. And let’s not even get into the YEARS it has taken me to do full justice to a chicken. So I read cookbooks. I READ COOKBOOKS. I pored over sections, reading each recipe until I found one I was brave enough to try and one that had ingredients I was familiar enough with to purchase in the local stores. And I attacked – that’s how I found the a la King recipe. My “go to” book as a newlywed was a wedding gift and it is the pic of the week. You’ll notice there are 2 copies – the one is clearly more than 20 years old, the other is one hubby John tracked down and bought me as a gift because mine was falling apart – literally. The book is now out of print, so finding a BRAND NEW copy, still in the plastic wrap was a real coup!

After a couple of culinary courses and years spent in the food industry and in my own kitchen, reading cookbooks is still fun, but they are not how I get inspiration. I go to them now as sources of reference and I often look up the same recipe in several books and combine them to make the dish the way I want to make it. For inspiration I now read memoirs. I just finished Julia Child’s My Life in France. I wished, as I read through, that I had had the chance to meet her. I am now on to Anthony Bourdain and Kitchen Confidential, and yes, I do hope I get to meet him one day. Both chefs are terribly snarky, bold and candid. If you have a Kindle, both are available for the device. These books have me reaching into my SKILL repertoire and dragging out techniques I use seldom, seeking instruction on some things I haven’t mastered and creating food I have never attempted at home! Lovely! I will also admit that Bourdain has me a bit nostalgic for my days as a waitress – but I think I am romanticizing that time of my life because I used to chant “I hate my job”, over and over again, and I need to remind myself of that before I start filling out job applications! Working as a Cocktail Waitress IS how I met John, so maybe there is a little romance in that work.

If tackling non-fiction is a little daunting to you, as it is to me with anything that isn’t food related, try looking at great magazines for inspiration. Bon Appetit and Saveur are two of my faves. Food and Wine is also a good choice. Seek out the unusual, avoid Southern Living and the like – they are all derivative and I find them more about things other than food. Go to their websites and browse there and see the mags at your local library or quickly disappearing book store (alas Borders is closing).

This week’s Food Memories are watching the guy at the deli slicing up my house made pancetta for me, cooking with friend John Morris for an impromptu and informal dinner on the patio, tapas and mojitos with friends Dani & Robert, and the first crop of figs from our tree wrapped in paper thin slices of prosciutto.

Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories.

Chain of Fools

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

How many times have you gotten together with friends for dinner and they all say, “Let’s go to Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill/Red Lobster? Do you want to throw up your hands in frustration and shake those people? Yeah, me too! Why is it that some people seem to think that a CHAIN restaurant/bakery/store will have the best stuff? Is it the fact that they are always the same? Is it that they are reliably mediocre and the diner won’t be disappointed? The diner knows what to expect?

In case you have been living under a rock lately there is a huge MOVEMENT to support sustainable foods, locally grown and sourced items from small businesses. You may ask yourself, “Why is this a GOOD THING?” Supporting small businesses is a GREAT thing for lots of reasons. In the 80’s and 90’s Big Box stores put a lot of the little guys out of business and we saw the decline of “Main Street”. Well, that decline took away a lot of choices we would otherwise have access to. Of course, sometimes the Big Box is a must – I have a reserved parking space at Costco – but when in your own neighborhood, or on the road, you should try to step into the smaller joints for better quality, good citizenship and all around better customer service. Here’s a perfect example – I COULD have had Jack’s Grad/Bday cake made by a grocery chain, or a Big Box, but I chose to spend a little more for a more personalized experience for HIM. The quality was superb and the flavor exceptional. We got a knockout of a cake that people are still commenting on a month later.

The fact is this: Most chain restaurants (Chili’s, Applebee’s, and the like) make NOTHING in house. It all comes in pre-portioned, all the sauces are pre-made and none of the salad dressings are made in house either. Your salad and veggies may very well be the only fresh things you get. This is not a great way to eat. First of all, the amount of salt is a problem for a lot of people (not me, I am a salt-a-holic) and they are loaded with things you can’t pronounce. I personally have a problem with MSG. Now, while this is not true for ALL chains, for a vast number of them, this is de rigeur. There are a few groups/chains that I do like and actually eat in – the Lettuce Entertain You group (Maggiano’s, Capital Grille) has some strip-side places here in town and some others in major cities that actually MAKE the FOOD, in house! Now for the moment of truth: I LOVE Jack in the Box Curly Fries and once in a while I HAVE to have the Ultimate Cheeseburger from there – I know…don’t judge me!

Supporting a “Mom & Pop” business, whether a restaurant or a store, is a fantastically wonderful thing to do for your taste buds, for your attitude and for the economy. Because these owners often make what they are selling, you can get a customized experience and unlike a Big Box joint, they CARE if you come back.

Consider this next time you have to make a dining choice: are you putting $$ in the pocket of “the man” or are you putting $$ in the pocket of A MAN (or WOMAN)? I choose the little guy as often as I can, and I encourage you to do the same.

This week’s Food Memories are grilled wild caught salmon on the patio with hubby John, freshly picked veggies from the local farm, my first successful attempt at melt-in-your-mouth braised short ribs, and popcorn for lunch at Harry Potter. This week’s pic is that fab cake from Retro Bakery* mentioned earlier and my son using chopsticks to “play” it.

*http://retrobakerylv.com

Until next week, go out and make your own Food Memories!

On the Road….

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

For some people, when they travel, they look for the familiar in a land that is unfamiliar to them. SOOOO many Americans seek out McD’s in Europe, believe it or not (I will admit they have the cleanest toilets in certain areas of Europe – been there, done that). I, on the other hand, decidedly do NOT – I strive for the new and different!

I recently returned from one of my favorite cities, Chicago; I attend a conference there every July. If you have never been there, let me tell you it is great….in the summer! The winters there are too cold for me, but the summer there is special. Downtown has lovely planted garden areas, it’s a great walking town AND there is fab food everywhere you go. I have been to Chicago every year for more than 10 years for this conference, and each year I try to find someplace new to eat. This year was no exception. While I am delving into the city, and striving for the unfamiliar, there are several attendees at the conference routinely doing the same things every year, sticking to the familiar and tried and true. Why is that?

I think I have it figured out! Let’s use Chicago as the example. For people in rural areas, they don’t have a lot of the “trendy” chains – like Cheesecake Factory – so they want to go there, because “everyone they know” says it’s great. People from certain metropolitan areas don’t have Chicago specialties – like Giordano’s pizza and Portillo’s Italian Beef – so they want to go there. Still others find comfort in routine, when everything else they are experiencing can’t be controlled or they over load on foreign concepts, they stick with what they know. And then of course there are the “unadventuresome” – yes, I just made up that word – you know, the burgers & fries, steak & potato, mac & cheese people (because they know what it tastes like).

As I am none of the above, where does that leave me? I do have fave places that I find in every city I go to, and Chicago is no exception, and I try to hit those places while I am there, but I don’t need a routine and I rarely eat in national chains (not at all if I can avoid it – that topic may be my next blog…hmmm). I am nothing if not an adventuresome eater. Because I am unwilling to eat the same things on the road that I can eat at home, and I am unwilling to settle for second rate, I often find myself dining solo. The masses don’t see the boldness of new, unknown choices as a beautiful thing – for some it is scary, some are just plain cheap, and still others would blanch to see “bone marrow” on the menu!

So this trip I found TWO new places and had wonderful things in each and good company for both meals. Sometimes I CAN encourage people to stretch that comfort zone…

This week’s Food Memories include Nutella Crepes for dessert at Crepe Bistro on Wells, a ridiculously good Shrimp Burger at Public House on State St., and a solitary, but not lonely, lunch at The Purple Pig.

This week’s pic is from last year – me with the Sour Cherry Pie from Ed Debevic’s in Chicago. Until next week, go out and make your own Food Memories.

Celebrations

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

Celebrations

When I think of holidays and get-togethers with family and friends, the first thing that comes to mind is the FOOD! I LOVE to cook for a crowd and the more the merrier in most cases. It doesn’t matter what the occasion is either. It can be a birthday, bridal or baby shower, Bunco night or any old reason. I consider it a personal challenge to make sure there is something wonderful for every one of my guests to enjoy, regardless of their dietary restrictions.
Why? I think it is easier for me to express my love through feeding someone than it is to say it sometimes.

Needless to say, June is a BIG month for many people with cooking. Dads and Grads, Weddings, Flag Day and here at home it is also the birthday of a family member (Jackster). This year we had a lot going on with family and friends visiting from out of state and my kitchen got a serious work out. I glided through the festivities like Apolo Anton Ono glides on his skates (honesty moment – I adore him, he was one of the first people I followed on Twitter). Few things make me happier than watching people come together over a plate of well made grub. I enjoy watching their faces as they relish the flavors and laugh through the conversation. Of course, compliments on my food always delight me, but I really dig watching people smile as they eat. For whatever reason, whenever I entertain, I get myself all stressed out and worked up and it’s all for nothing. Almost without fail, the food, the fellowship and the fun are awesome, and this week was no exception. Jack’s Birthday/Graduation party was a huge success and I thank everyone who came and joined us. If you were unable to be with us, rest assured, you were missed.

It is impossible for me to imagine a celebration, or even a single day, without food. Unfortunately there are MANY people in THIS country, right now, perhaps in your neighborhood, that can’t celebrate because they don’t have a basic necessity, FOOD. That is why for several years I have worked as a Sales Director for a company that promotes Family Mealtime and I volunteer with Three Square Food Bank, locally here in Las Vegas. I am a big believer in FOOD FOR EVERYONE! As we get ready to enjoy the summer, I encourage you to volunteer or donate to YOUR local Food Bank or Food Pantry. Oftentimes people think of donating ONLY at the Holidays, but summer is the crucial time for students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch during the school year. For many of those students, that meal is the only one they will get all day. It goes without saying that these students don’t get fed when school is not in session. If you are financially unable to donate cash or food, donate your TIME! It is an invaluable commodity that is needed just as much. Here in Las Vegas check out www.ThreeSquare.org and across the country, to find YOUR Food Bank go to www.FeedingAmerica.org

This week’s Food Memories are a celebratory lunch at Mood in the Artisan Hotel with friends, old and new, a wonderful cake from Retro Bakery, and Karen Behringer’s 50th Birthday Bash. This week’s pic is grilled veggies that were served for the Graduation Party!

Until next week – go out and make your own Food Memories!

Picky and Particular

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

I am NOT picky! I am not a PICKY eater. I am a PARTICULAR eater.

While these may seem the same to you, they aren’t. Let me explain. A “picky eater” is someone who hates everything, even when (especially when) they have never tried it. I find that a lot of “picky eaters” are that way because of the way they ate growing up or because of the foods and cooking styles they have, or have not, been exposed to. I’ve met adult men who won’t eat anything green – no salad, broccoli, spinach, zucchini, green apples…. Now that’s picky! Kids who only eat Mac & Cheese, hot dogs and chicken nuggets…Now that’s picky! Picky eaters never learned to ENJOY their food and they complain about food – ALL THE TIME!

A “particular eater” is someone who will try anything, but wants it prepared according to their specifications. Dressing on the side, sauce on the side, vegetables on a separate plate, hold the onions. I seriously will try ALMOST anything. There are a few food things that I just can’t stomach and will not eat: melon (except watermelon), caraway, black licorice and peanuts (except in Thai food). Yes, I eat Steak & Kidney Pie. Yes, I eat Haggis. Yes, I love sweetbreads. I do not however like fish or chicken in red sauce – not sure why – I love chicken; I love fish, but only with no sauce or white sauce…go figure. I love tomato sauce, but not on fish or chicken. Did you see When Harry Met Sally? Let’s just say Sally had nothing on me.

When we go out to eat, and that tends to be often, I will frequently say to the server, “I have questions about the menu.” John invariably chimes in with, “Of course you do.” I just want to make sure what I am ordering is what I think I am getting and I want to make sure I am going to enjoy it! I figure if we are paying for it, I should know what is in it and how it is prepared just to make sure my dining experience is a good one. I consider this being a good consumer, not a picky eater.

Of course there are exceptions. When eating in a Swank Joint, I rarely ask for anything other than the way the Chef prepares it, but I do ask about my food allergy items and the aforementioned “no way” list. If those items are in a dish, I just don’t order it. I TRUST these Chefs to make the food correctly and to make it well. Recently while in a Latin Fusion restaurant, I noticed they had Paella on the menu. I was quite excited! My Paella tastes like chicken and rice – I have never mastered that dish even after living in Spain for more than 3 years, so I enjoy it when out. I asked what fish was in it and I was told CATFISH! Needless to say I was mortified and informed them, “That’s unfortunate because there is no catfish in Spanish cooking – I know, I used to live there.” I chose something else off the menu and was disappointed anyway and probably won’t go back there. Again, this is PARTICULAR, not picky.

I am forever intrigued and surprised by food and my taste-buds. For years I told people I didn’t like lamb and pork. It turns out that I do like it, I thought there was only one was to make it and I didn’t like THAT way. And foods that I really used to like – like peanuts and peanut butter – are now on the “no way” list. Because I am particular and NOT picky, I continuously find that I am enticed and lured by new flavors and flavor combinations and awakened to OLD flavors that are new to me now.

This week’s Food Memories are Buffet Shenanigans with an old friend from High School, really great gazpacho in Flagstaff from locally sourced veggies and BBQ Ribs with my main squeeze for Father’s Day. This week’s pic is from the BBQ. Until next week – go out and make your own Food Memories!

It’s all about the kid….

Posted on by LeAnne Notabartolo

As a parent, one of the coolest things is having dinner with your kid. Tonight I quietly enjoyed dinner with my son in a brewery in Flagstaff, Arizona while we both read and discussed horror fiction, namely Laurell K. Hamilton. I always like to hear what he is ordering because he frequently surprises me. Hubby John surprises me occasionally, but Jack is always a mystery when it comes to selecting from the menu.

When people are young and their taste buds are developing, adults tend to treat them like KIDS when what they really need to be doing is treating them like the YOUNG ADULTS the parents want them to become. My son, Jack, never ate ketchup, ranch or mayo on his food to cover up the taste. Ketchup was for burgers and fries, ranch dressing was for salads and mayo was for sandwiches. Unfortunately for some people – no one reading this blog – the choices on dining never change from ketchup /ranch/ mayo slathered foods…it’s like they never grow up. Here’s an example: Each Thanksgiving while living in Spain, we invited some of the troops from the barracks to dinner. One year a guest decided it was appropriate to put ketchup on the turkey. I am sure you can guess how that went. He was never invited back…for any event…ever.

I can honestly tell you that Jack NEVER put inappropriate condiments on ANY of his food. In fact he is a minimalist when it comes to condiments. He has a well developed palate because Jack was made to TRY everything at least once. That went double for us too – we had to set the example. If you have young kids and you deign to bring them to Vegas – something I don’t encourage because there really isn’t a whole lot here for them – take them to a GOOD buffet (not a cheap one). There they will have the opportunity to try things they might not have seen before and they don’t have to finish it if they don’t like it.

Jack was THE most adventurous eater I have ever seen and continues to take BIG bites on the culinary scene. I have to admit, his fearless dining choices are one of the things I am most proud of about my son. One of my favorite Food Memories of Jack as a small boy (about 7 or 8) is taking him to the Commander’s Palace at the then Aladdin Casino, and watching him show the “grown ups” how to eat a crawfish, complete with sucking the head. He told them, as first timers, they might not want to do that! It cracked me and the wait staff up. This year he was the designated driver for the Loyola /Tulane Crawfish boil at McMullan’s Irish Pub. Thank you Elly Hanks for inviting us!

As I write, I prepare to take my son to Freshman Orientation at college. [Yes, I know I don’t look that old – I have a great derm guy ;-)] Once Jack is in college full time, I wonder how our dining habits will change, if at all. We ate differently as a young couple, our eating habits changed a bit when Jack was a toddler and changed throughout our lives since then, depending on where we lived.

College will be in Flagstaff and it’s a great food and beer town! Several microbreweries and little pubs dot the town. Some with great menus and some that blow, but all are an adventure. Needless to say – there will be pictures, Tweets and FourSquare check ins to log my Food Journey.

This week’s Food Memories include Fish Tacos with friend Dani, a mediocre meal that left all of us chuckling at the hipsters and “desperate housewives” in the restaurant and GREEK NIGHT at Sam & Jim’s. The pic below is from Greek Night – the tiropita (Greek cheese pastries) were made from scratch by yours truly (thanks Carla Cole for the suggestion!).

In the beginning….

Posted on by RedFlair14

Well, I thought a lot before I started this undertaking and I realized MAYBE people would want to know what I know, hear what I have to say and perhaps be marginally entertained by my words. Actually, I kinda agonized over it.

Friday night, I went to a “book club” event with a fave author whom I know*, and shared with her that I was thinking of starting this blog. Her normally animated face became still, she looked me square in the face and said. “You should do it.” Thanks Vicki for the vote of confidence.

My concerns with this blog are many and varied. For starters:
• Do I have enough to say?
• I have never had an original thought in my head. What do I have to say that someone else hasn’t already said, and said it better?
• What makes me so special?
I asked these few questions to the assembled group and I was assured that my food is good, my teaching abilities and desire to share are top notch, and most importantly, that none of the other Food Bloggers seem to worry about being original or even good sometimes.

So it is with great trepidation that I start here, on a Saturday morning, amid a home improvement project, to share my thoughts on Food with you, and in time, some recipes. If I am feeling particularly generous I will share my Secret Lemon Bar Recipe with you one day.

My friend Jim says, only half jokingly, that if I have a memorable meal (good or bad), I can remember who was sitting where at the table and everything I ate. As I look back on my life that is too true. I revisit all the sorrows and celebrations and realize everything revolved around the food. When I chat on the phone with Mom and she says she went to a wedding /baby shower/ funeral etc. the first question I always ask is, “How was the food?” in a particularly sing song way that New Yorkers do.

Why is that? I have a feeling that it has to do with nourishing ourselves, both physically and emotionally. Think about it for a minute. When you are alone, you are happy eating a bowl of cereal or something simple for dinner, but you will go to great lengths to make sure everything is just right when cooking for friends or family. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes the luxury of a meal in solitude and going the extra mile for yourself is needed, expected and a joy, but generally, the average person eats the cereal.

Let’s call this ability to recall meals and the diners therin “Food Memories” (and someday I hope to publish a cookbook with the same title). Of course, not every meal you make or eat is going to be the stuff of legends. Hello? PB & J sandwiches? Eggs over easy with bacon…really? But when you sit down to eat with friends and/or family, it should be fun, interactive and somewhat memorable regardless of whether it is a special event or not.

This week’s Food Memories included a perfect lamb chop at Milos in the Cosmopolitan to celebrate a friend’s birthday, cooking a pasta dish as a demonstration for old friends and new acquaintances, great conversation, if not great service, after a book signing with friend and author, Vicki Pettersson and a lovely antipasto I created for a Posse Member’s BBQ.

I hope you decide to stick with me through this Journey of Food. Until next time, go out and create your OWN Food Memories this week.

*To learn more about friend Vicki Pettersson’s urban fantasy series go to http://www.vickipettersson.com/