My Sister is Jealous and I Know It

Posted on by RedFlair14

One of the best things about living in Vegas is that it has become a “dining destination” city over the past 10 years. People come here with dining agendas and a list of places they want to try out. They read food mags, reviews, check the internet and do the research to make sure they are making the most of their dining hours. True foodies have eschewed the buffets and are willing to shell out some serious dollars to be pampered and have a spectacular dining experience. The image of Vegas being a city of excess is still alive and well, but it is mostly not for true food lovers.

A plethora of celeb chefs have restaurants here, and for the most part they are pretty decent (think Bobby Flay, Rick Moonen, Emeril Lagasse, Guy Savoy, Hubert Keller, etc). I feel that JUST because a celeb’s name is on the door is NOT a reason to go anywhere, but when I hear about decent food, celeb or not, I have to go. In fact, if I hear super-hyped food is NOT decent, I still have to go to see if I concur. And if there are mixed reviews, all the more reason for me to show up and dine. Whether a well known name is on the door or not! I am NOT considered a pro by anyone in any area of the food realm, but I know what I like and WHY I like it.

So, let’s talk about my Sister Nancy’s favorite celeb chef, Gordon Ramsay. He’s mean as hell on TV and I can’t even bear to watch his shows due in part to the way he talks to and treats people. I found it very difficult to justify spending any cash in any of his places until I learned that he is REALLY a nice guy and that the “Screaming Gordon” is a TV persona only. He has three places here in Vegas and I have eaten at two of them and sampled from the third. When he opened Gordon Ramsay Steak, Vegas Uncork’d was hot on the heels of the opening and he had a presence at the event. He served Beef Wellington, and while the beef itself was good, the pastry crust was a gummy mess and the mushroom duxelles was tasteless, so I couldn’t figure out why Nancy was so enthralled with this guy.

After mixed reviews from food writers and diners alike, Friend Lynn and I went to Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill. Other than a nice chatty bartender (which, if you have been following along, you know I adore) we were wholly underwhelmed. Everything was just OK – nothing spectacular. Everything was adequate, but not outstanding. Still, I was left wondering what all the hype was about. Why do people revere and love this guy? I couldn’t figure it out.

That changed last week when Friend Al Mancini invited me to check out Gordon Ramsay BurGR with him. Now of course, as I have mentioned before, eating with Al is not like eating with just anyone else. He is a local food writer and host of a soon to be aired Travel Channel Show (All Forked Up), so people in the industry know who he is. I chuckled to myself when I told the hostess I was meet my friend Al and they visibly became giddy and nearly tripped over themselves to take care of me (Moment of Truth – I was early for the first time in my life). We have exemplary service and tasted some really good things. NOW I know why Nancy likes this guy Gordon!

To be fair, we ordered MORE than we could possibly eat because we wanted to try several things on the menu, in fact the manager told us to order one of everything (we did NOT). So here are the pics from the big lunch and my comments are the captions for each item. I can safely say this – I would go back there just to eat that hot dog again. It was so pretty on the plate, and spicy and beefy and it really made my mouth happy. I went in excited about a great burger with clever toppings and came out in love with a Sabrett hot dog. Go figure! BONUS: Gordon Ramsay BurGR is one of more than 80 participating restaurants in our semi annual Restaurant Week Three Suare Food Bank Fundraiser. For more info and a complete list of participating restos click here.

The Kale Caesar Salad was Kale in name only. Hardly enough kale to matter, but the dressing was really good and not too heavy handed!

The Onion Rings were a little greasy for me, but tasty nonetheless and came in this lovely cone with Parmesan “snow”

The Jalepeno Poppers come with a little surprise. One of the peppers is unseeded thus making it spicier than the rest. REALLY good stuff.

This is the aforementioned Chili Dog. Even a close up.

The Brittania Burger had gooey melted cheddar and a surprising condiment – Major Grey Mango Chutney. Don’t knock it ’til you try it.

The Uber Cheese Burger is loaded up with three different cheeses that seem like too much of a good thing.

And finally dessert…Chef Ramsay has a version of Sticky Toffee Pudding on all of his menus. This one is done in Push Up Pop style layered with peanut butter ice cream (not my fave) and the shake was Caramel Pudding and Chocolate, no I am not kidding. Downer here? The whipped cream wasn’t the best.

So Nancy, I promise I will take you here when you come out to visit the next time…

What’s All the Fuss About?

Posted on by RedFlair14

This is the 3rd time I have tried to write this blog! Either I am too stupid to remember to hit “save” or my computer is resetting to an earlier location when it services itself and reboots every Thursday morning. That being said…Sorry there was no blog last week. Being sick blows, but since no one pays me to write this, I figured I could take a week off to recuperate. Thanks for sticking with me.

Moment of Truth – sometimes I just have to admit I am a little jealous of Henderson. Counting Town Square (which is MUCH closer to H-son than to me), they have 2 Whole Foods, 3 shopping malls, 2 Trader Joe’s and countless Mom & Pop dining choices that are good, or at least decent. They even have a slew of chains (not that I am advocating eating at “big box” chain restaurants, but even Chili’s closed up by me…I live in a restaurant desert). Yet, I am not sure if it is jealousy or just simple pragmatism, I still won’t drive there just to eat or shop when there are closer options. Do I want to go to Bread & Butter? YES! Did I want to hit up Meat + Three before they shut their doors? YES! But they were in H-son dammit! I need a REASON (party with friends, visit with clients, spend time with my buds from Boulder City, etc.) to drive 45 minutes, and shopping and dining are not good enough reasons. John loves Khoury’s but won’t go there just to go there, he only visits on the days he works in H-son.

So let’s talk about Settebello. On Valentine’s Day I had the occasion to be in H-son. Darling Hubby bought me a gift that I had to pick out – a new Boston Terrorist puppy. Her name is Cannoli BTW, and the white marking on her forehead looks like a Chef’s knife. John suggested since we were going to be down there, we should go to Settebello and see what all the fuss is about.

It’s cute. The pizza was good (not NY style, but Italian style) and the service was great. If, and when, I am in Henderson I will go back there. Will I make a trip JUST to eat there? No. Why? Dollar for dollar and mile for mile, Due Forni makes better pizza. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the pizza at Settebello (oh and it’s a small chain BTW) and maybe I will like them more once the location in Summerlin is open, but I REALLY like the pizza at Due Forni. They both have their fancy schmancy ovens and they both make similar styles of pizza (like I said, not NY style, but authentic Italian style), but as I stated before, driving 45 minutes for a pizza seems ridiculous to me when I think of pizza as fast food. Would I go back to Settebello? Sure! In fact, I would have gone there this past weekend for a friend’s b-day party if John wasn’t exhausted from a cross country business trip, but there again – that’s a REASON to go. The pizza is not enough, for me the salted caramel budino was better than the pie.

So I am left wondering what all the fuss is about. Good pizza, not great pizza, is not enough to create all this stir. Did we get less than exemplary pies? Am I being a jealous bitch because once again H-son has some place decent to eat? Was I just crabby because I was too hungry when I walked in? If I was paid to be a food writer, I would go there at least three separate times before writing anything, but I am not paid. Still, what’s all the fuss about? Folks go on and on about Settebello, but Due Forni has better pizza. Why? Feel free to comment!

Next week, my thoughts on dining with Friend Al Mancini and Gordon Ramsay Burgr.

Did You REALLY Have to Bring Them with You?

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Remember the saying, “Children should be seen and not heard”? Well I believe that for the most part. I also believe there is a time and a place for kids, and with rare exceptions, Las Vegas’ famous (or infamous) Strip at night is NOT one of those places. Before anyone jumps all over my ass about this topic, I want you to know, YES, I do have a child. It is also a fact among anyone who knows me that I really don’t like kids. I only like MY PEOPLE’s kids (I can use friends Dani, Lillian and Dena as references). It is also a fact that while attending a conference in Anaheim, I once walked into a restaurant in Downtown Disney and told the seating hostess that I wanted to be seated where there were no children. (Moment of Truth – Friends Laurie and Jen nearly choked when I said it, but I meant it.) When we planned our 25th Anniversary Party, we had it in a BAR and the invites said “18 and over welcome” and we had no kids at our wedding. When kids are well behaved in public, I go out of my way to tell the parents how fantastic their behavior is, just like I did this past Valentine’s afternoon at Settebello. That being said, there are just some places kids don’t belong. Why in the name of all that is good in this world would you bring your kids to The Strip at night? You want them to see drunks fighting and puking in the street? You want them to see all the card “flippers” touting strippers and call girls? You want them to see drunk girls falling off their too high heels that they can’t walk in? Why would you bring your kids to an event that is partially sponsored by alcohol and wine companies? I can see bringing kids to a winery or brewery for a tour. It’s a learning experience and they usually have a restaurant. But a tasting event? Really people?

Well, that’s what happened this past weekend. Friend Lillian and I went to the Las Vegas Chocolate Festival & Pastry Show at the Venetian. What a fiasco! This event was so poorly planned and organized that all I want to do is drop F-bombs to describe it, the first one beginning with the word “cluster” and ending with “f***”. First of all, we had “VIP” tickets, but apparently everyone else did too. Continuing, the place was overcrowded, there were no water stations that I could find and no glass rinsing stations. The sampling lines were long, dirty dishes were piled on every flat surface, the music too loud, no non-alcoholic drinks to be had and a charcuterie purveyor that I never did get to sample because the line literally snaked out the door all night long because they were the only savory offering. (As much as you know I love it, what charcuterie has to do with chocolate, pastries and wine, I will never know).

As if that wasn’t enough to turn me off, at an event scheduled for the hours 8 pm until midnight, there were people who thought it was a good idea to bring BABIES to this event. I counted no less than 3 strollers, 3 babies worn in baby carriers, 6 toddlers and several preteens. WHY?! There were at least 6 alcohol vendors giving samples, people drinking to get drunk (as tourists in Vegas are wont to do), and as stated before it was over crowded. Both Lillian and I thought that because there would be a good deal of alcohol, that it was an over 21 crowd only. Had we known, we probably would not have gone and we won’t go again next year if this continues to be the policy. We thought we were being overly harsh with our criticism, until we ran into friends Elly and Frank. They agreed with us (whew!). The only pluses for this event are the following: we didn’t pay full price for our tickets (thank you Groupon) and the money went to St. Jude’s (and don’t tell me that’s why the kids were there).

So let’s talk about the food…completely uninspired! I was nearly bored to tears. I had expected more creative combinations. Several pot de crème offerings, a few mousses, bon bons and “pops” – the apparent trend of the moment. There were some lovely displays and sculptures and the purveyors were very accommodating and exceedingly nice. While everything I had was tasty, it was all very boring. I was hoping for chile infusions, candied ginger, mole, bacon, anything to titillate and make me wonder about flavor pairings. It was all pedestrian crap for the children toting masses. The best things I ate all night were mini-cupcakes from the Goodie Girls and Annette Starbuck (winner of Cupcake Wars 2011 – she was VERY nice BTW). There was a Spiced Red Velvet with cayenne and cinnamon and a Strawberry with Balsamic glaze that were both moist, interesting and delicious. And while I loved the flavors of the Blood Orange and Sage Pesto offerings from B & B, the chocolate base was so thick and rich it was nearly impossible to choke it down.

The best parts of the evening were my time with Lillian and the visit to Public House afterwards where I had a very tasty casked beer and Lillian was happily surprised to learn they have Sailor Jerry in house.

I didn’t take a single photo all night. The credit for this gorgeous pic goes to Cory Fields of Fields Photography. Click HERE to see more photos of the event.

But I’m Not on a Diet…

Posted on by RedFlair14

It’s always a challenge for any home cook when there are people in the house observing more than one dietary eating pattern. For example, everyone is a carnivore except one vegetarian (or worse, vegan – no butter or cheese) or vice versa. But what about when one person is following a weight loss reduction plan (like Weight Watchers) and no one else is? Still, it’s a challenge.

I did the WW thing (twice) for a year and I lost weight. It is the ONLY sustainable plan that really works if you stick to it. My problem is that I can’t stick to it. I love to cook and I found that my creative cooking was stifled because everything had to be lowered in fat and I am not a fan of “fake” substitutions (i.e. soy cheese, soyriso, fat free products, margarine, etc.) and choosing the real deal is too many “points”. I want the real deal. I want to use butter with reckless abandon and bathe in cream. I want crispy fried chicken and I want to wrap everything in bacon or pancetta. And let’s face facts people, how many salads is one person supposed to be able to consume in their lifetime? I think I have hit my quota. The things I enjoy eating that actually SATISFY me and fill me up “cost” too much on that program. And let’s not even talk about cocktails and beer… Still, I stuck to it, as did John, and we both lost a LOT of weight, nearly 100 lbs between us.

The other option is to work out like a fiend to burn off the foods you eat. I really admire people who convince themselves they like to work out. Good for them! I have only found three exercises that I actually enjoy: swimming laps, dancing and yoga and each presents a different set of problems logistically (Moment of Truth – I just read that sentence and it looked like “…swimming, lap dancing and yoga”).

So here we are three years later having put back on 2/3 of the weight we lost – both of us. What to do? Well, I decided to be happy at my size, for now. I am not on camera, I am not an over 40 model and I can maintain this weight and eat what I like. John however, is unhappy and has decided that “counting points” is the best option for him. So now, I am cooking our only daily meal together as if I am on the plan with him. “No biggie”, you say. “It will be good for you too”, you say. “Just think how healthy you are going to be”, you say. But what about Valentine’s Day?!

Each year on Valentine’s Day I go all out. I stretch my culinary boundaries and make something I have never made before that we don’t order when dining out. Last year it was Lobster Thermidor (the sauce alone in that dish is an entire day’s caloric intake). Attempting to cook lavishly on a calorie budget has me stymied this year, but I am working on it. One thing I have found I LIKE as a sub is almond milk instead of cream in SOME recipes like THIS creamed spinach recipe. I didn’t even notice it was lower in fat and calories because it tasted so good!

Now I am reading cookbooks again, searching the web and looking at some of the Pinterest pages of my friends who love to cook. I am sure I will come up with something healthy that tastes great and satisfies both of us. All bets are off when it comes to dessert though. Just a warning.

Digging in the Dirt

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As I sit here writing this piece, I REALLY want to be outside. The weather here in Vegas is starting to get spring-like and I feel the need to take advantage of it just in case we get another cold snap. (Moment of Truth – we had a bad cold snap this winter and I had a pipe that actually burst because it froze!) I love to be outdoors and I thoroughly enjoy gardening. If you sneak into my backyard on a nice day, you will likely find me with headphones on, dancing around while I rake, dig or plant. It’s especially vibrant dancing in the spring and fall. Perhaps a throwback to a pagan ritual, perhaps just feeling good to have the sun on my body (don’t worry, I wear protective clothing), perhaps a combination of both.

Growing up in upstate NY, we had a garden. A big garden. We grew LOTS of stuff including the dreaded zucchini. I have one sister who still can’t stand it. Here in Vegas, my yard size dictates what I grow and my garden is more free form. I don’t have neat rows of plantings (odd for someone with a touch of OCD). I don’t have designated spots for certain things. There is a fig tree smack in the middle to provide shade to things that require a little sun protection and I have multiple patches of this and that, mainly herbs, throughout.

As I walked through the yard this morning with my tea, I realized the garden needed an overhaul. It’s a hot mess! I see a great deal of digging, planting, and cutting in my future. John already trimmed the fig and peach trees. Now for me to clear, rake and cut back to allow for new growth. Each year is a time for NEW GROWTH and this spring I am feeling it more than ever.

If you have proper irrigation you can grow almost anything here in the desert, but I try to be respectful of the environment. I only plant things I can eat. I don’t waste water on flowers in general. I use drought tolerant varieties when possible and try to choose plants that love the heat as a rule. If you don’t have the space to literally DIG in the dirt, have you thought about planters? I have grown plenty of great things in planters! Currently there is little growing besides a couple of fall planted crops that will result in harvest soon I hope!

So here’s to the humble gardener (or the farmer as the great Dodge commercial from this last weekend stated). Enjoy these pics.

The ever-invasive mint – no matter how much I remove, there is ALWAYS plenty for Mojitos!

Baby beet plants

Leeks – re-seeded from last year

Cilantro – it re-seeds itself if you don’t collect the coriander from the dried flowers.

Melrose Place?

Posted on by RedFlair14

As I have mentioned before, when I visit a city, I like to park the car and walk around. You see and meet the most interesting people (like Michael Voltaggio’s gal Jamie and her little French Bulldog Kimchi) and you see some great things. Last week’s blog was all about our fine dining experience in LA, but that is NOT the only thing we did. If you listen to the Travel Channel or the travel guides you don’t get the whole picture of the cool places and things there are to do in any place. I found this particular post difficult to write because it started to sound more like a travelogue of what we did instead of evoking how those experiences made me feel. I never do ANY research when we travel, I let the spirit move me, whereas John has to make a complete itinerary. This time we had a partial itinerary, but I found myself wishing I had done some research. I had no idea we’d be so close to Ink. I didn’t know we were literally down the street from Charm City Cakes West.
The cinnamon bun at Charm City Cakes

Since we were staying in West Hollywood, conveniently located near everything we wanted to see and do, we took advantage of fantastic weather and walked EVERYWHERE we could. Part of the appeal of walking is soaking up the atmosphere of the area, interacting with locals and seeing what they see every day. A lot of the time I find that if I only go where the tourists go, I miss out on a great deal of the flavor. I miss out on the little things that make a neighborhood unique. When we walked down Melrose we saw graffiti art and even a Banksy tribute piece (we THOUGHT it was a REAL Banksy – but upon some research I found it was not). When you walk down Melrose you can see the neighborhood change from toney, to edgy and back again simply by looking at the shops and people.

Friends Drew & Dena live (and work) in Studio City, so we took a little trip over to Drew’s workplace and headed to a brewery from there. While the beer was good, I was a little put off by a primarily vegetarian menu. I don’t have anything against vegetarians, but I really think my beer should be alongside an ashtray (as if that would happen in Cali) AND MEAT. To make matters worse, I didn’t ask the right questions about the burger I ordered and they put Thousand Island dressing on it (gross). Totally my fault, so I scraped it (and most of the cheese) off and skipped the bun half the offending condiment had soaked into. We continued our Studio City visit with a stop at Laurel Tavern with the Lucases. The Chorizo Fondue was amazing as was the beer and our fellow diners. At the next table over was Channing Tatum, yes really – Magic Mike. He had his back to the room for the better part of the evening, so clearly he was trying to be unnoticed, so I didn’t bother him for a pic. I love the fact that at a real locals’ spot, a real local, who happens to be a celeb, was there hanging with his buds. It just made the whole experience more “Hollywood” for me.

Beer at Laurel Tavern

At Golden Road Brewing

Saturday morning brought us gorgeous weather and a trip to The Hudson – we had to go because of the name (Moment of Truth – I graduated from Hudson High School). There, we experienced one of the most exquisitely crafted cocktails EVER! It was a cousin to a Rye Manhattan. The secret ingredient is small batch bitters containing candy cap mushrooms. Aromatic and breathtakingly delicious. And the food wasn’t bad either and the bar staff was outstanding.

Midwest Monk – that amazing cocktail

Pulled Pork Tacos

Crab cake Benedict

Of course walking around and taking pics makes for thirsty work, with each bar calling out to us, we had no choice but to stop and visit for a while. At The Village Idiot we met “Johnny Walker Red” – that’s not his real name, that’s just what we called him. He’s a local personality and bar denizen. Always wearing a tux and hat, he is intimately involved in the bar and entertainment scene if we could believe everything he said. Very fun and personable. We did so much and visited with so many people, both from my past (Hudson friends Dave T and Scott H) and from our present (the Lucas Family). There just isn’t enough time to do everything justice in this blog, so enjoy the pics. I drank 2 pink cocktails for heaven’s sake!

I find that I could visit LA every single weekend. There is so much to do and see and 3 days is not enough. Maybe renting a place for a month long walk-about…

Life’s a Bazaar

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LeAnne-uary continues! As I have mentioned before I don’t think birthday celebrations should be limited to just one day. I celebrate the entire month of January and then celebrate Febu-Laurie and Lillian-uary in February. John has embraced this idea and organized a getaway weekend in LA for me, and it was super special.

One of the things we try really hard to do is shop, eat and stay local whenever we can and John has made it a personal mission to try and find indie hotels and cool Mom & Pop boutique hotels whenever possible. He found amazing places in New Orleans and Palm Springs in the past, but this time he out did himself. The Charlie used to be owned by Charlie Chaplin and the owner has restored the space and tried to keep as much of the original architecture and appointments as possible, while updating the property to make it contemporary. No easy feat, but well done here. There is a cobbled parking area with designated spaces for each of the 14 apartment style units, mullioned leaded windows and lovely gardens. The staff was very helpful and our stay was ultra-relaxing. It’s situated between Melrose and Santa Monica in West Hollywood and was walking distance to almost everything we wanted to do. Perfect! A word of caution – this place is expensive ($500-$750/night) so look for it on Groupon or Living Social for a steal of a deal. For the record, we stayed in the “Ruth” suite complete with a photo of Ruth Gordon getting her Oscar for Rosemary’s Baby.

The door to our “room/suite”.

The gorgeous gardens.

The Master Suite

Accommodations acquired, we set out to walk about the area, take a tour of Paramount Studios with Dave & Gil (thank you again!), and take a Disco Nap* before dinner with Dena & Drew. And what a dinner it was! I have never really been a fan of molecular gastronomy, maybe because I never had it done RIGHT! Jose Andreas completely changed my mind on this and Bazaar in the SLS Hotel is the perfect place to cut your teeth on this type of meal. Everything from the “Liquid Olives” to the “Philly Cheesesteak” to the deconstructed (sort of) Hendrick’s and Tonic was the stuff of dreams for someone who embraces new experiences. Thank you again Drew & Dena – this was a spectacular continuance of LeAnne-uary!

Enjoy these lovely photos and be prepared for part 2 of my LA weekend next week. Some places, like Seattle and LA clearly need more than one week.

That amazing Gin & Tonic, and yes, I ate the nasturtium

Liquid Olives

Left to Right, Jamon Serrano, Jamon Iberico, Acorn fed Jamon Iberico -SUBLIME!!! Charcuterie Whore HEAVEN!

Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

Stuffed ‘Shrooms – which were better at room temp than they were hot.

Paper thin jicama purses filled with guacamole

The legendary Philly Cheesesteaks – the little baguettes were filled with melted cheese and topped with capaccio…yes, really!

Food Memories this past week include a lunch with Erica T at Nosh & Swig, LA bites and food and drinks with friends old and new. Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories!

*Disco Nap – for those of you not old enough to remember…it’s a late afternoon nap that allows you to keep looking and feeling great until the wee hours of the morning.

“Easy” vs “Good”

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For the record, I have never had an original thought about cooking (as is witnessed by the fact that I still don’t have a TV show of my own), but I do believe in cooking from scratch whenever possible. I make my own chicken stock, beef stock, and veggie stock. I have been known to make my own bread and pizza dough. I shred my own cheese. Like everyone, I am constantly in search of something new to make for dinner so I turn to the web from time to time. I have never seen so many crescent roll recipes in my life (and that includes the fact that I have been a Pampered Chef sales director for 15 years – and we all know how PC feels about speed scratch* cooking)! I realize that Martha sometimes makes things MUCH more difficult than they need to be, but isn’t there a happy medium between the Sandra Lee (Semi-Homemade) garbage and Martha Stewart?

Like most of America I am enchanted with Pinterest. A digital bulletin board where I can store all the links I find that I like? Cool beans! And like most users I have a “recipe” board that I use to keep track of the recipes I want to try. In an effort to seek out new things to try, I visit other people’s boards, like everyone else, but I am mostly appalled by what I see. I simply cannot believe that people cook and eat some of the crap that I see on blogs, recipe sites and food sites. Most of the recipes I am finding are more like frat party food than anything a home maker would serve to her family, but yet some of these recipes are on the boards of home makers. There was one mother of four that had 5 different recipes for Philly Cheesesteak Rolls – yes, really. And the recipes read like an advertisement for the many packaged food products contained in the ingredient list.

I have a Sandra Lee cookbook that a friend gifted me with several years ago. At first I thought, “Oh, it’s like Pampered Chef recipes on steroids.” Lots of pre-made, store bought items tossed together in an uncharted way to create something new to eat. After reading thru the recipes in this book, there is only one that I have ever made and I tweak that one to be less “speed scratch” and more LeAnne style. The food is revolting and people gobble it up? WHY? Because it is easy that’s why. Here is something to think about: Easy doesn’t always mean GOOD! When I started with The Pampered Chef 15 years ago nearly ALL of the recipes included crescent rolls (yes, really) and as I did recipe trials getting ready for my demos, John asked, “Do all of these recipes include crescent rolls?” “So far, yes. Why?” “Because I hate crescent rolls.” I had been married to the man for 10 years and this was the first I was hearing of this. It became my mission to seek out PC recipes that DIDN’T include crescent rolls. It is much easier now (Moment of Truth – I love the products I sell, I dislike most of the recipes) since PC has developed recipes using fresh ingredients whenever possible. But that doesn’t alleviate the maelstrom of crap food on the internet.

Now before you start screaming that I am a snob, let me clarify a few things. I find nothing wrong with canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. They make a great base for loads of things, although I DO believe in doctoring the sauces. I find nothing wrong with canned chicken stock in a pinch. But canned pizza dough? Grated Parmesan cheese in a green tube? Grated cheese in a bag? Soup in a can? Why? All of these things can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge or in the case of soup, frozen for later use. And don’t tell me you don’t have the time! It takes less than 5 minutes to grate an 8 oz block of cheddar and put it in a container in the fridge, and FYI it’s about 1/3 cheaper too! Why would you intentionally fill your belly with crap that you MAKE? I have publicly admitted to being a junk food junkie and I have been known to slide through the drive thru for convenience’s sake, but I can’t imagine eating like that AT HOME…all the time!

You can do some fantastic things that are easy AND good. Here are a few things to get you started on the right track:
• Grate your own cheese – it’s cheaper and it will melt better because freshly grated cheese isn’t coated with “cellulose fiber to prevent caking”. Read the label on pre-grated cheese. Sometimes there is more than just CHEESE in the package.
• Make your own chicken stock and freeze it – having it on hand for loads of different recipes from risotto to gravy will make you happy. Bonus – you can use a whole chicken or chicken parts, buy what’s on sale. Anthony Bourdain has a great primer on stock in his book The Les Halles Cookbook.
• When choosing prepared foods, if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, you shouldn’t be eating it.
• When choosing prepared foods, if you don’t know what the ingredients are, you shouldn’t be eating it.
• Learn to make your own pizza dough – you’ll thank me later – here’s my fave recipe.

On a completely tasty note – my Food Memories of last week revolved around my birthday. Lunch with friends at Honey Salt and getting spoiled for dinner at Nove Italiano by Chef Geno Bernardo (he is moving on to the David Burke group in NYC) with Al Mancini and his lovely wife Sue.

Chef Geno Bernardo and me.

Birthday Cake at Honey Salt

Clams with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe at Nove

The best Grilled Octopus at Nove

Butternut Squash Ravioli at Nove

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

*Speed Scratch = using store bought prepared foods and adding a few fresh ingredients, like chopped herbs, boneless skinless chicken breasts, onions and garlic, to create a dish that says, “I made it at home, so it’s homemade”. Sandra Lee is the queen of this crap.

Gifting for the Foodie in Your Life

Posted on by RedFlair14

Do you have a Foodie on your gift list? Do you find that during the holidays and other gift giving times you are at a loss on what to give? I know that it seems that this blog MAY be a bit late, but now that the BIG RUSH is over you have time to plan for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays and any other gift giving opportunities. I am happy to help by providing you with a list of things, small and large, that most Foodies will love. Some of these are for COOKS on your list and others are just for folks who love to eat. Enjoy!
• Maldon Salt – the unique pyramid shape of these crystals make them sought after by chefs, cooks and Foodies far and wide. It isn’t a cooking salt like a good Kosher salt, it is a finishing salt. Maldon adds a beautiful finish to any dish. Just sprinkle and enjoy.

• Truffles (prices vary) – not the chocolate kind, the fungus kind. This is an extravagant gift for someone near and dear to your heart. These are the little darlings that The Truffle Pig from grade school books was seeking out. They are fungi that grow beneath the surface of the earth and are highly prized for their aroma and flavor. A little goes a long way! White truffles are significantly more expensive than black ones. Be sure to include a truffle slicer as well!

• Le Creuset cookware – if you have a budding Julia Child in your midst, a beautiful glazed cast iron Dutch Oven is sure to please! This is one of those investment pieces and again priced for someone near and dear to your heart.

• A GOOD citrus press – Great for lemons and limes, it’s like a giant garlic press for your citrus. Look for one that is NOT plain metal. The plain metal ones can transfer a metallic taste to your juices. Find one that is coated with ceramic, like this one from The Pampered Chef ($19). This is also a fine gift for the cocktail enthusiast on your list.

* A cookbook from their fave Celeb Chef ($15 – $50) – right now, tops on my list is Carnivore by Michael Symon. There is a vast selection to choose from once you do a little research into their likes and dislikes. Wanna make it extra special? Get it autographed by the author! Thanks Jack for my copy of Carnivore!

• If your Foodie lives in Vegas, a copy of Eating Las Vegas is essential! ($14) It is a list of the 50 essential dining establishments in Vegas. Again, get it autographed if you can. Best part of the book? The “Veto Section”!

* Great smelling hand soap – anything that helps get rid of garlic, onion and other cooking odors is much appreciated! Thanks Dani for the Rosemary Mint soap!

Food Memories this week include a great beer selection in an unlikely place, hot soup to nurse my cold and eating leftovers so I didn’t cook much.

Happy Birthday to me! Today is my birthday and rather than celebrate just the one day, I have changed the name of this month to “LeAnne-uary” and I celebrate from beginning to end! I took a page out of my friend Deb’s book on this one. Her birthday is in “Deb-tober” and whenever we’d go to lunch during that month, she’d tell the wait person, “We’re celebrating my birthday!” They never asked for proof and they always brought a dessert for her. Well, why the hell not? I encourage you to do the same thing.

Until next time go out and make your OWN Food Memories.

Make Your Own Rules

Posted on by RedFlair14

Happy New Year!

For the past week I have played host to literally 100 people. Several were from out of town and the remaining folks were in town guests. What would prompt ANYONE to host that many people during the holiday season? It was our 25th Wedding Anniversary! And so far as I can tell, a good time was had by all in attendance. If you were unable to make it, you were missed!

When we were married in 1987 there were certain expectations for the ceremony, reception and surrounding events. Customs used to be more rigid, but as times have changed, the expectations have flexed with current mores and customs. Back then in NY, marrying into an Italian family (and custom in my family as well) meant open bar, sit down dinner, dancing and of course the cake. We were told what we HAD to do and what we COULDN’T do. John and I like to push boundaries and step outside of the norm. Even in 1987 I knew what I wanted was not the classic expected or accepted norm. But in an effort to keep everyone happy, I did the expected things. I often felt like my wedding ran away with me instead of the other way around. The one thing we couldn’t do, but wanted to do, was have a rehearsal dinner. We were married on the 26th so everyone was having Xmas dinner with their families. My poor mother in law always wanted to host a rehearsal dinner and never got to do it.

When you plan an event the only thing you want people to remember is that you and they had a good time. If the planning is so stressful that it takes the joy out of it, what’s the point? The day after my wedding John’s Aunt Mary, who hates everyone and everything, said to me, “I have been to my fair share of weddings in my day and that was a FUN wedding. And the food was the best I have ever had at a wedding.” Ok, I guess I did something right! No one knew that because I changed the date, I lost my band, caterer and reception venue and the day of the wedding, the cake almost landed on the floor – yes really. Let’s forget it was so cold and windy that there are pics of me with my head piece flying off my head (Moment of Truth – I wanted to be Sister Bertrille when I was a kid. She could FLY!). A good time was had, people laughed, danced, ate and enjoyed the event.

Flash forward to 2012 and our Silver Anniversary. We have been planning this event since March. I wanted no hiccups. Of course you know that didn’t happen! Let’s just say that all I want people to remember is that they had a great time and so did we. The kicker was this: WE GOT TO MAKE OUR OWN RULES! Unlike when you get married, for a 25th Anniversary Party there are no real guidelines as to what we could or could not do, no rules about what we should or should not do, so we made our plan and allowed it to morph into what suited us NOW. There was no sit down dinner; everything was served tapas style in honor of our newlywed years in Spain. There was no cake, but there were fantastic little desserts you could pick up and walk around with. There was no champagne toast, but there was an open bar. There was dancing and of course a vow renewal. We had a Reggae band, a photo booth, fire dancers and a juggler – yes, really. No one told us we couldn’t have a juggler, so we had a juggler. And the favors were pounded iron bottle openers, custom made for us by an honest to goodness American Blacksmith – yes, really (and don’t ask them to make them for you – they won’t). This 4 day extravaganza reflected who we are NOW, shunning any expected customs.

Some things remain a constant, regardless of time. Old friends meeting new friends. Family reconnecting. Friends meeting family for the first time, all of whom know you differently. Old friends visiting with family. All of these things happened on December 27th and so much more. One other constant is that the hosts don’t get to eat much, or take many pictures. That was true for our wedding as well as the anniversary, so all of the pics you will see were taken by someone else and I thank those of you who shared your photos with us. Oddly there is only one food pic so far, and that is from RM Seafood.

One of our dear friends said that the party had a “circus-like atmosphere”. He said everywhere he looked there was something fun happening. I am taking that as a compliment because I felt like the ring leader in a three ring circus.

My Dad with his daughters and all of our ‘staches…

Mom and her daughters

Hubby with our son

High School friends and one of my sisters on the patio

Dinner with the family at RM Seafood

If no one hemmed you in with THEIR expectations of what was acceptable, how would YOU plan an event? What would you do? Of course you would have food and drink, but would you have odd ball entertainment? Would you bow to expectations or would you let your imagination run free? Would you follow the rules, break the rules or make your own rules?

My wishes for you this New Year are these:
• Choose to MAKE your own rules.
• Step out of your comfort zone and experience something new
• Do something unexpected
• Eat something you have never tried before
• Be happy and healthy

Food Memories this week all centered around the Anniversary Party – Xmas dinner with Dad & Jeanie at Emeril’s Fish House, Chinese food for the family at our home, paella and lechon at Bar + Bistro for 100 friends & family, and dinner at RM Seafood for the immediate family.

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