I Left My Heart in San Francisco (that would be lamb’s heart)

Posted on by RedFlair14

Sorry I didn’t post last week. This is the time of year that I start to get a little scattered. I get a project in my head and it takes over everything else. Last week it was the transformation of my dining room, hot on the heels of returning from San Francisco. The weird thing is I usually just go with the flow about most things, but when I get an idea in my head…look out! Apologies, and I hope this one makes up for the absence of last week.

My sister in law, Bonnie and her wife, Gretchen, live in San Francisco and each year we travel up there and they reciprocate by coming to visit us here. Gretchen and I are cut from the same cloth and both of us love to cook AND EAT! And we enjoy cooking together, so whenever we get together there is plenty of cooking, eating and drinking. The last trip involved oyster shucking, whiskey drinking and discovery of wine that didn’t give me a headache. We always have a great time. This trip was made even better than usual by Top Chef Masters Winner Chef Chris Cosentino.

Chef Chris’ restaurant is Incanto and it is nearly impossible to get reservations on a Friday. I was really disappointed that I couldn’t snag a table at one of the places on my “Places to Visit” Pinterest board. I was, however, delighted to learn they had open seating at the bar. If you know me at all, you know I love to sit and eat at the bar and I love a chatty barkeep. So on a chilly Friday night we trekked to Incanto, hoping to find seats at the bar where I could dine and add to my collection (more on that later).

I wasn’t disappointed! The bar had seating and the full menu was offered, but the COOLEST thing about eating at the bar instead of a table was that Chef Chris himself spent the night chatting at the bar with all of the guests, touching base in his Garde Manger station and checking progress on the line in the kitchen. I am sure that he made the obligatory tour of the dining room, but it must have been pretty brief because it seemed to me he was at the bar the entire evening. The staff was attentive and offered suggestions to us first timers and a good time was had by all. For me the star of the evening was the Lamb Heart Tartare. Of course it was so good and I was so excited that I forgot to take a pic, even though we ordered it twice!

John and Chef Chris at the bar

Five Shades of Hay – John’s lamb dinner. He asked Chef Chris what he was most excited about on the menu and promptly ordered it!

The beautiful Charcuterie Plate – Charcuterie Slut strikes again!

Of course I HAD to have my photo taken with Chef. While taking the pic, John tells Chef, “She collects you guys like trading cards.” At first I was mildly embarrassed, but then just sucked it up. It wouldn’t be so funny if it weren’t partially true. I am a Chef Junkie. I like to meet them, talk to them, find out what makes them excited about food and listen to their stories. John thinks I should find a way to market Chef Trading Cards. They could be sold like baseball cards (Go Yankees!) with a photo of the Chef and a couple of his/her recipes in each pack. Of course they would have to be in oversized 3×5 format to fit into traditional recipe card boxes…hmm. Check out my FB page “Good for Spooning” and see “The Collection” so far.

In addition to a fab dinner at Incanto, we had all sorts of adventures. My first trip to the Ferry Building (where oysters were eaten and salumi was purchased), a visit to John’s Aunt Cathy and her urban apiary, and family dinners of pizza and slow cooked brisket. (Moment of Truth – the brisket and potatoes were so good, I fell into a food coma at around 8:30 in the recliner.)

Charcuterie at Monk’s Kettle

Cathy’s urban apiary – she has several hives. That’s me in the yellow bee keeper hat.

Deviled Eggs at Hogs & Rocks, and yes, those are fried oysters on top!

Clams and oysters on the half shell at the Ferry Building. For the record I only had 1 cherry stone clam for breakfast.

The curing cabinet at Boccalone

We always create Food Memories with Bonnie & Gretchen, and this trip was no exception. In addition to everything above I loved watching nephew Colin chatting in fluent French with the wine purveyor at a wine tasting event.

This past week’s Food Memories included eating at my new dining room table (Another Moment of Truth – this is my first REAL dining room table – all my other tables have been “kitchen” tables), finding an eggplant recipe that I actually loved, Caesar’s Buffet (don’t judge) with High School Friend Suanne, and a surprise visit from my son including Ren Faire Food and Brazilian BBQ.

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

Dining Like a Rock Star

Posted on by RedFlair14

Two weeks ago I had the great good fortune of dining with food writer Al Mancini at B & B Ristorante and it was outstanding. Al’s lovely wife Sue was unable to join him for dinner that night, so darling Hubby loaned me to Al for the evening. Needless to say I was flattered and delighted to be able to join him.

For those of you who don’t know, B & B stands for Batali and Bastianich. While admittedly I would love to meet either, or both gents, Joe Bastianich scares the crap out of me. Have you seen Master Chef?! I know everyone is afraid of Gordon Ramsay and his yelling, but the cooler than a cucumber exterior of Chef Bastianich makes me quake. I saw him spit out someone’s food on that show! (Moment of truth – I would cry big wet girly tear drops if I saw someone spit my food out. Even Rick Moonen didn’t spit my food out!)

Back to the dinner…remember a while back I wrote about Secret Food Writers? Al and I discussed that (and lots of other stuff) over dinner. He says those days are long gone. As writers with followings, they are expected to go out on the town AS THEMSELVES to get publicity and a following for the paper with which they are associated. Makes sense from a publisher’s point of view. I have to say that while I understand it, I still KNOW that I don’t get treated the same way when I am out to dinner with John as I did at B & B with Al.

The service at better restos is always good, and you should expect that, and I do. We had a fab server. Knowledgeable and really friendly. We were tossed up on a few things and magically those items arrived on our table without us having ordered them, including the charcuterie selection (Have I mentioned I am a bit of a charcuterie slut?) and really amazing bone marrow ravioli that burst flavor all through your mouth when bitten. Afterward we were given a quick look at the charcuterie aging room. The smell alone was enough to cause my eyes to glaze over and for me to swoon. I can promise you that even with my growing readership, I am not even a blip on the radar of the management of most of the high end restos in town, and I know the little extras and perks were due to Al’s cache, not my sparkling personality. It was a treat to be pampered by the staff and to eat with Al. I would never have gotten a glimpse of the charcuterie room otherwise!

A few words about Al, the first few times I met him (mostly at fundraisers for Three Square), I was more than a little intimidated (I know, shocking that I am ever intimidated). I had read his stuff and liked it, and that made me want to like him and vice versa. If you don’t know him, he has a fantastic Mohawk, funky beard and doesn’t LOOK like what you expect when you think of FOOD WRITER. He looks more like a punk rocker. Thankfully my Mom told me “don’t judge a book by its cover” and I didn’t. After striking up conversations with Al, I found him to be incredibly smart, really funny, and not at all intimidating. Oddly enough, I wasn’t in the least intimidated to meet other food writers in town.

Dominic Scali (The Vegas Foodie), me and Al Mancini from last fall

Here’s to hoping that I soon will have my OWN cache to draw upon…

Until then, enjoy the pics from that meal and you can read Al’s comments here. Now, to be sure, I am not certain if Al’s opinion on the evening was as high as mine, but it’s not JUST the food that makes a great dining experience for me. The ambiance, people and conversation surrounding the meal are what make a good dinner and great dinner.

The Salumi/charcuterie plate. Those lovely little savory beignets in the center cone were perfect for the fatty lardo.

Octopus

Lamb’s Tongue with chanterelles and a poached egg (my fave dish of the night, next to the charcuterie).

Bone Marrow Ravioli

Crab Ravioli with Seppie (squid ink) sauce

Rabbit Porchetta

And a sneak peek into the salumi aging room…

Food Memories THIS week include a recipe tasting event, late night pizza with my main squeeze after seeing Wicked and of course the DISH fundraiser for Three Square (I didn’t take a single pic – I swear).

Next week? San Francisco treats! Go out and make your OWN Food Memories!

Bakers…Start Your Ovens! And yes, there is a recipe.

Posted on by RedFlair14

It all starts with the apples. As soon as the harvest begins, people (and I mean me) start thinking about baking. Why? Is it nostalgia since I grew up in the country near an orchard? Is it the cooler temps? Is it some primitive need making me feel like I have to warm the house with the oven running? I don’t know. All I know right now is that I am trying to drop a few pounds and all I want to do is bake. And after the apples will come the pumpkins and all the holiday baking to follow that. At least with the apples and pumpkins I can pretend it is healthy because there is fruit in it…yeah…riiiight!

As I have mentioned before growing up in the country was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing since we had plenty of fresh produce and I learned to do a lot of things I wouldn’t have had we lived in a city. However, for a person destined to live in a city, surrounded by concrete, it was a curse of boredom and ennui, poison ivy and bug bites, isolation from things I loved and desired. Being in the “wilds” is relaxing for some people (and you know who you are), but all I can think about when I am there is, “Why won’t my phone work?” “What is there to do?” “Is there any civilization?” “Is that another F-ing mosquito drinking my blood?!” I feel disconnected from myself. Isolated. I am happy for those folks who love the country and find it peaceful, but I am edgy and uncomfortable whenever I happen to end up there, unless I am cooking. Friends Bobby & Chris have a magnificent country retreat in upstate NY and when I visited they put me to work in the kitchen so I would feel more at home. That trip in 2010 was the first time I EVER felt sane in the country. (Moment of Truth – I miss October in NY for the leaves and the fall smells. It is the only time I really miss the east coast.) Perhaps it was the company. Perhaps the well mixed cocktails. Perhaps it was that I NEEDED to be disconnected. I don’t know, but I plan to go back there and figure it out, as soon as I can manage it. And of course I will cook with my friends.

In the meantime, I am preparing to bake. I think I will start with this coffee cake. It’s not REALLY a coffee cake (we all know those come from Entenmann’s in a white box with blue lettering and have delish brown sugar crumb on top), but it is a good substitute and it has fruit, so it is healthy…yeah…riiiight! I included the notes I plan to use whenever I get around to writing the dreaded cookbook.

Food Memories this week are a wild bunch – I was delighted to have my first ever dinner with food writer Al Mancini at B&B (delish and fun – more on that another time), cooking for charity, my semi-annual business (yes, I have a job) Open House, and a belated lunch for Friend Lynn’s birthday at Public House.

Lucy Zannon’s Apple Cake

As I’m sure you know, there are hundreds of ways to cook and serve apples, especially in baked goods. My Uncle Nick’s wife Lucy made this for my folks and then shared the recipe with my mom. During apple harvest time in upstate New York the air is scented with the aroma of everyone baking some kind of treat or other.

Mom shared this with me after I went apple picking and realized that I refused to make a dozen apple pies. Once again, my over zealous picking procedures left me with an overabundance of produce. While this is baking it makes the whole house smell great and it is a complete breeze to make.

3 eggs
1 c sugar
1 c oil
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
2 c sliced, peeled apples – about 2 or 3 medium apples (I like Granny Smith)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the first 3 ingredients and mix well. Stir together all your dry ingredients and mix into egg mixture. Beat until uniform in color. Stir in apples.

Spray a 13” x 9” baking pan with vegetable spray. Pour batter into pan and bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Baking time can vary depending on how juicy the apples are. Be sure when you test that you don’t hit the apples, or the pick will always come back wet (I did that the first time and over cooked the cake).

Served warm or at room temperature this is wonderful as an accompaniment for coffee, a breakfast treat or a snack. I don’t ice or frost it, but I have decorated it with 10X sugar with the following method. Take a pretty paper doily or paper snowflake, or silicone template you buy and lay it on top of the cake. Place 10X sugar in a sifter and gently sift over the top of the doily. Carefully remove the doily trying not to spill any extra sugar on the cake. The pattern of the doily looks like lace on the cake. You may notice that the sugar is absorbed into the cake after a few hours, so if you are planning to decorate this for a pot luck, do it right before you leave the house, or bring the doily and sugar with you and do the decorating at the party.

And for your viewing pleasure – baked goods

Xmas Cookies

Cinnamon Roll – and yes, there are chocolate chips in there

Uncle Phil’s Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pie

Friends, Old and New

Posted on by RedFlair14

Today I am remembering friends old and new. David Graifman was one of those old friends, lost in the WTC. The funniest thing I ever remember him saying was a comment in a heated family debate during the Subway Series of 2000, “Well, at least the Yankees’ fans [John and I] brought beer.” (David was a Mets fan, as is his wife, Cousin Christine, and that whole side of the family). It stopped the debate, we all laughed, and continued to watch the game and enjoy each others’ company. Sometimes that’s all it takes. One line to define a day, a moment, a remembrance.

This past weekend I made my second trip to Columbus, Ohio. Friend Van retired from the military. An old friend, with whom we have great memories, both happy and aggravating. It was our distinct pleasure to be there with Van and Danielle and their 5 kids to watch Van’s life change to civilian status. Of course there was more to it than that! There were plenty of laughs and stories told and things remembered and new friends met. I was charmed and humbled by his emotions following the “official” portion of the ceremony.
Danielle and Van with their twins and us, relaxed after the ceremony.

A total bonus for me was that I learned an old friend lived in Columbus and we were able to have brunch with her on Saturday. I shared with her my need to eat at a locally owned joint and she picked a winner, Explorers Club. Nice pick Lisa! House made sausage and chorizo? Yes please!
Lisa and I outside Explorers Club

House made chorizo gravy and biscuits.

Like most of the nation, today I am remembering the events of 9-11 and the way our world has changed since then. A condition of fearfulness and watchfulness has replaced blissful ignorance. In much the same way that everyone old enough remembers where they were and what they were doing on 11-22-63, my generation will always remember 9-11-01. It is a defining moment in our history as a nation. Take time to remember today. The good and the bad. The old and the new. And most of all remember your friends. As a military family we never know when or where we’ll run into old friends (like Lisa in Columbus), or if we’ll get to see them again. Your friends are your past and your present and your future. For a military family, they stand in for biological family in so many instances. And while you are remembering today, take a moment to thank a service member, a police officer or a fire fighter and remember those who served (like hubby John, and Friend Van) and continue to serve.

Here’s a partial list of old friends remembered today:
David Graifman
Steve Tate
Janet Salazar
The BC
Mary Gloster
David L Turner
Kim Keily
Tom & Sue Reynolds
And so many others…

As I think about my friends, I can’t help but sing the song I learned in Girl Scouts and from my Mom, “Make new friends, but keep the old…” We always sang it in “the round” and didn’t do all of the verses, but the point is, old friends started out as new friends. Keep them all.

My Food Memories this week are dining with old friends in new places, checking out the beer and cocktail culture in Columbus and just BEING with my main squeeze.

Until next time – go out and make your OWN Food Memories!

I Have a Dirty Little Secret

Posted on by RedFlair14

I hope you all had a Happy Labor Day weekend! Ours was spent with family and friends and the photos are below.

I have a crushingly embarrassing secret. I am a junk food junkie – don’t judge me! I can’t help it, but all the crappy food calls my name just as loudly, if not louder on some days, as fine food from great restaurants. If it is fried, greasy, loaded with chemicals and other crap, I WANT IT! Just think on this for a minute: Twinkies stay fresh for a long time because of all the preservatives and chemicals in them. Imagine how long I can remain fresh by consuming them…jk.

For me it is ridiculously difficult to drive by Popeye’s Chicken and NOT stop. It’s excruciating for me to order the side salad instead of the fries and the smell of tortilla chips frying will send me into a swoon. Fried foods – French Fries especially – are my particular personal demon. Dip almost anything in batter or breading and fry it and you have won me over (Moment of Truth – I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so things like fried Oreos, fried Twinkies, and the like are easy for me to pass up.).

It is a rare occasion to find an open bag of potato chips in my house. A closed one? Sure! But once that puppy is open, all bets are off. Those crispy little darlings sing to me with a siren’s song and I can’t stop until the bag is empty. The only sure fire way to make sure I don’t eat the chips is to buy BBQ flavor or something equally disgusting, but I can promise you that if they are Salt & Vinegar or any regular salted chip , you’d better keep an eye on them or they will be mine. Most of the time I don’t even realize I am hogging all the chips. It is just mindless eating to silence the siren’s song. Once they are gone, the song stops.

As an exercise in self control I have challenged myself to NOT eat anything fried for the entire month of September. Of course I forgot it was September this past Saturday and before I knew it, there was a piece of fried calamari in my mouth! It just jumped in there, right off the plate! And again on Sunday! I forgot it was already September and had to try Brother JJ’s fried quail. Honestly, I only had one bite because I remembered it was September as I broke through the crispy crunchy shell to get to the delicious meat, but I passed on the poutine with great difficulty. Yesterday at a friend’s house (just so you know, I am having a hard time typing FRIEND instead of FRIED) I immediately went for the chips and dip and I grabbed a chip. It never made it to my mouth because I FINALLY remembered it was September.

I am like an addict trying to wean myself off fried foods. With any luck I will succeed! And if the Waistline Goddess is kind, maybe I’ll drop a few pounds too? Please?

September is Hunger Action Month and last week was Restaurant Week here in Vegas to kick it off. Tons of restos pulled out all the stops to help raise money for our Three Square Food Bank. Of course I am a terrible food writer since I didn’t take pics of all my food (bad girl!!), but in my defense, it was so delicious I didn’t want to waste the time!

Girls’ Night Out at Comme Ca with Chef Brian Howard

Grilled Squid in ink sauce

Panna Cotta at Due Forni

Jenna’s salmon at RM Seafood

The gang at Public House

Jenna and Brother JJ

Food Memories this week include dining with Brother JJ and wife Jenna (a Happy Anniversary trip for them) for the first time in almost 2 years, Girls Night Out for Restaurant Week and dinner, and drinks and conversation with the folks at Marche Bacchus and the Mancinis.

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

I’m Gonna Hit You with a Frying Pan

Posted on by RedFlair14

Yesterday was the kick off to Las Vegas’ Restaurant Week and I was so excited I forgot to post this blog.

I have always loved to cook, and through time I have become better and more skilled. I took classes and learned what I had been doing wrong for years (Moment of Truth – the first day of holding a knife in class, Chef Jill Mora told me I wasn’t doing a single thing correctly. I ended up acing that class with the highest marks! Proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks). As my skills grew so did my desire for more and better equipment.

Growing up. my family owned a deli, and I know how to use all the pro tools there. We always had good knives in the store and in the house because my step father was a butcher (but according to Chef Jill I didn’t know how to use them). In our kitchen we had SOME really good stuff since my step father was a caterer, but mostly it was average, mid-line cookware and lots of Tupperware.

As some of you know, I have been selling cookware and kitchen tools for more than 14 years. Once I started getting knowledgeable about tools and cookware I started collecting them. I am pretty selective in what I choose and I will hold out for what I REALLY want as opposed to buying something just to have it. I have a severe dislike for most “uni-taskers”, although I do own a couple by virtue of receiving them for free. When it comes to cooking, whether you love it or hate it, the backbones of a good kitchen are knives and cookware (pots and pans).

We’ll talk about knives another day, but I want to share some things I have learned about cookware. This info is MY personal experience and there is NO science behind it. If you are in the market to purchase cookware and don’t know where to start, here are some questions to ask yourself:
1. What kind of cooking do I MOSTLY do? If you are doing daily cooking for a large family, your needs will be quite different from someone just starting out, or empty nesters. If you entertain often, your needs will be vastly different from someone who grabs the veggie tray at Costco for their get-togethers.
2. Do I use the stove top, oven or BBQ grill most often? In the Latino community, cooking on the stove top is primary, they almost never use their ovens, so their cookware needs may be different than yours if you are baking, roasting or oven braising frequently. If you are cooking outdoors mainly, your indoor cookware needs are much more simple.
3. How advanced a cook am I? If you are a “newbie” in the kitchen, you probably want to opt for less expensive items until you are comfy with what you can and cannot do well. If you are an experienced (or fearless) cook, you may opt for “investment” pieces – things that will serve you for years and take a beating.

I find that most people actually need a combination of different kinds of cookware, but they think (thru marketing ploys) that they must have a set. I personally am a cookware whore – I am not brand loyal. In my cabinets you will find the following brands in a variety of configurations:
• The Pampered Chef (Duh)
• LeCrueset
• Staub
• Revereware
• Lodge Cast Iron
• Calphalon
• All Clad

Here is a breakdown on cookware compositions (in no particular order of favoritism) so you can choose what YOU need, click on the ads to find out more, but they are there so you can get an idea of prices and appearance:
• Cast Iron – it is the granddaddy of basic cookware pieces. It can go on the stove, in the oven, broiler and even onto the grill! Perfect for camping since you can make just about anything in it on an open fire. Requires “seasoning” (follow mfr. directions) and is easy to maintain. Properly maintained, pieces last FOREVER and in some parts of the country are coveted family heirlooms. Available in a variety of shapes, sizes. Pluses – it’s heavy and can stand up to really high temps, generally inexpensive, many lines made in the USA. You can bake AND cook in it. Minus – it’s HEAVY!

• Ceramic Coated Cast Iron – (like LeCreuset & Staub, both made in France) – I wouldn’t put it on the grill personally, but I know people who do. Great for stove to oven recipes (like long oven braises). Always gorgeous, they are perfect for stove to table serving as well. Requires basic maintenance to keep it looking great. Pluses – good enough for Julia Child, makes it good enough for me! Beautiful, durable. Minuses – generally really expensive (consider this an investment piece) and it’s heavy. Look for ones NOT made in China.

• Stainless – There is a lot to be said for stainless! Can go from stove to oven, many brands are dishwasher safe and they can also go in the broiler. Today’s stainless with satin finishes are easier to clean up and maintain than your grandma’s stainless. Look for heavy gauge, 18-10 stainless construction and “tri ply” technology is great too (it means there is stainless inside and out with a core of either aluminum or copper to assist in even heat conductivity). If you have an induction stove top, look for one with an 18-0 exterior (it will be magnetic whereas the 18-10 will not). Pluses – can be used for almost any type of cooking with proper care. Quality product is priced in the “middle” range. Minuses – I hate cooking eggs in it. Can be an “investment” for newbies.

• Non- stick – there are so many out there and they are all basically the same to me. Look for ones with baked on finishes (like DuPont Autograph), if you scratch it, it will not peel. I love it for cooking eggs. Pluses – lower fat cooking, readily available from many mfrs, great for eggs and omelets, typically mid line or inexpensive. Minuses – you can’t SEAR meat in it. Nothing will BROWN. Use only non-stick safe tools and scrubbers. NOT dishwasher or broiler safe in most cases. If it peels or flakes, toss it out. Almost all of them are made in China.

• Nano-Ceramic coated cookware – typically with an aluminum core, making it light weight with excellent heat conductivity. This is the newest stuff out there. It is generally hand wash only and is incredibly SLICK! Reasonably priced and becoming available from a variety of sources. Pluses – you CAN sear and BROWN in a virtually non-stick pan, very light weight (perfect for seniors and anyone with arthritis), reduced fat cooking. Minuses – Light weight – can’t stand up to high temps. Treat it as you would traditional non-stick cookware. No dishwasher, no broiler, “safe” utensils only. Most brands made in China.

Well, there you have it. Do your own research. Borrow pieces from friends to see if you like the way they perform before investing in your own pieces. And don’t worry about getting a SET! Buy only the pieces you are going to use most frequently if you are a newbie. As for me, I am looking for the perfect terrine pan…

This week’s Food Memories are a surprise birthday party for Friend Sam, final summer meals at home with my college student, doing Restaurant Week briefings for participating restaurant staff, meals in Flagstaff while dropping Jack off to school and mentally pepping for “Cooking for Two”.

Sam’s lovely Tea Party inspired Birthday cake.

Smoked Salmon with fried capers and creme fraiche on flat bread at RM Seafood

Restaurant Week Thank You note

Eggs Florentine “Benedict” at Bellavia in Flagstaff.

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

All Access Passes

Posted on by RedFlair14

One of the things about living in a “food” town is that you have great food. EVERYWHERE! Each NYC neighborhood and borough has amazing ethnic cuisine and the same is true for LA and Chicago. What makes Vegas so different? Access to the Chefs of course!

As often as I have been to San Francisco, NYC, LA, and Chicago I have never seen any of the resident celeb chefs. And believe me, I look. (Moment of Truth – Some people are Rock Star Groupies, I am kinda a Chef Groupie. It’s a little embarrassing to admit it and it almost makes me sound stalkerish…but I really admire them and what they do.) I have even gone so far as to ask a few of them if I can cook in the kitchen with them and film it for this blog. More on that if it happens!

I know for a fact that it is common to see Emeril Lagasse enter Emeril’s in New Orleans. When we were visiting that city we saw him arrive to work and casually chat with folks walking by and even pose for a pic or two. That is not the case everywhere you go. Mostly you don’t see the celebrity Chefs in big food cities, unless you are in their resto when they are there and they tour the floor. Here in Vegas the Chefs are just regular people, with a fat dash of celebrity to be sure, but they are just regular people. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure that Chefs are just regular people in other cities too, but I don’t see it. Here the Chefs are out and about. Smiling and posing for pics and making themselves available to their fans. And not just at the BIG Foodie events.

One of the coolest things for me is to go to an event, no matter when or where it is and see local celeb (or soon to be celeb) Chefs just hanging out and being part of the scene. They chat up everyone, and not just about food and not just industry workers. For example, The Saturday Night truck Stop. And before you start in, I know I have written about this before. If you are ever in Vegas on a Saturday night, and it is late (after 11:30 pm), I encourage you to get your butt over to Tommy Rocker’s if you are a foodie. Especially if they are having a Back of the House Brawl (BOH Brawl). There you will find several fab food trucks circled up like wagons on a bygone wagon trail, ready to serve you some awesome food. On a BOH Brawl night, a couple of Strip Chefs will face off, Chopped style, and vie to win a PBR Trophy and raise money for Three Square Food Bank, my fave charity. What could be better? A bar to get frosty adult bevs, great food, fun people and fun people watching. PLUS, the chance to get to meet and talk with some really cool Chefs doing some amazing things here in Vegas.

To prove how much of a Chef Groupie I am, here are a few pics of some locals and not so locals that truly were fun to meet. I am hoping to add Chris Cosentino to this collection in late September when I go to San Francisco.
Goofing off in the kitchen with Rick Moonen for Friend Sam’s Bday party a couple of years ago.

With Kerry Simon at KGB at Harrah’s

Hubert Keller at Vegas Uncork’d last year.

This week’s Food Memories are cooking soft food for son Jack who had his wisdom teeth pulled, hanging out in bars with friends and further planning on my 25th Anniversary Party (can you believe someone quoted me $2000 for dessert?!)

And here is the Winner from this week’s BOH Brawl, with the coveted PBR Trophy, Chris Starkus!

Until next time, go out and make your OWN Food Memories!

Reading is FUNdamental

Posted on by RedFlair14

In the summer I find myself reading more than usual. Maybe it’s because all of my fave shows are on hiatus. Maybe it’s because summer reading is a routine I fell into as a young person, but whatever the reason I will typically finish 12 books or so across the length of the summer. I have passed that this summer. I am really enjoying reading outside on my deck in the super heated air, smelling the herbs in the garden and dipping into the pool when I get too warm.

First off I want you to know that I almost exclusively read from the same genres when I am not perusing cookbooks. I USUALLY read horror fiction, crime fiction or urban fantasy. I do have faves that are NOT in those categories (Moment of Truth – my fave books of all time are The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas). Yesterday I noticed something interesting about the characters, not necessarily the books or authors, that I like the best. The authors write them eating and/or cooking.

There are several series out there about chefs who solve crime or caterers who get into mishaps with the events. There is even one series out there where the author includes the recipes from the story as an addendum at the end. Almost all of the books in my genres have the leads drinking something (wine, booze, blood, etc.). But my faves are the characters who cook and eat because it is part of being human. And I love reading about WHAT they are eating or cooking. The food is rarely integral to the stories, but it makes a more round backdrop for me. A few of my faves:
• Lawrence Sanders’ “Archy Mc Nally” books – our intrepid protagonist regularly goes into a local dive and drinks and eats himself into oblivion
• Lawrence Sanders’ “Deadly Sins” books – Captain Ed Delaney makes a mean sandwich
• Jennifer Estep’s “Elemental Assassin” series – Gin Blanco is a lot like me (no, I am not an assassin) in that she takes college cooking classes for personal enjoyment, not to pursue a degree. She also runs a BBQ joint as her “cover”.

I get inspired to try new things by reading what fictional characters are making in their kitchens. Silly? Perhaps. But I can only read so many cooking mags and watch so much cooking TV before I start to feel inadequate, or jealous or both (jealous of the travel sections and the fact that I don’t have my own show). These characters are in the kitchen because it is part of normal life, not because their life revolves around food. Just like the rest of us. It makes them seem more true, more real, and just fuller.

Here is a partial list of what I have read so far this summer, but they don’t all have good food scenes:
• Jennifer Estep’s series above
• Chloe Neill – Biting Cold
• Laurell K Hamilton – Kiss the Dead
• Jaye Wells’ entire Sabina Kane series
• Vicki Pettersson’s newest book – The Taken (with a great shout out to Frankie’s Tiki Room)
• And 10 others…

My Food Memories this week include a birthday dinner for Friend Sami, a visit from High School Friend Dave and his LA Posse (so much fun in the pool!), and a spicy Chicken Paprikash with my 2 favorite guys.

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

Well Aren’t You a Peach?! And yes, there’s a recipe.

Posted on by RedFlair14

When you are a gardener, of any kind, you run the risk of everything becoming ripe at the same time. If you have ever grown zucchini you know what I mean. After a while you are trying ANYTHING to get rid of your crop before it rots. This is how I am with peaches.

For those of you who don’t know, there are two basic types of peaches – free stone and cling stone. Cling stone peaches are the ones where the flesh clings to the pit. Free stone peaches are the ones where the flesh breaks free of the stone easily. I prefer free stone peaches because the fibrous cling peach’s flesh gets stuck in my teeth. Free stone peaches tend to have more reddish tones close to the pit as well.

We have a lovely drought tolerant dwarf peach tree in our yard, and yes it is a free stone tree. Our whole family loves them and we especially love to eat them super ripe so the juice drips down your arm and off your elbow. I find myself standing over the sink to eat a peach from our tree. This is the third year of production. The first year I managed really well. The second year I canned (Moment of Truth: while I loved the procedure of canning, I didn’t like the results on the peaches, maybe because they get SO ripe SO quickly and they were a little mushy). This year, after deciding NOT to can the peaches I was left with a PILE of peaches. I had so many peaches that I wasn’t even pissed off at the birds for getting at some of them.

Anyone who knows me, knows when it comes to dessert, I am a chocoholic. I don’t really care for fruit desserts, unless it is ice cream. I love Cherry Vanilla, Raspberry Ripple and Peach. If you are not a fruit dessert person, there are only so many cobblers and pies one can make and enjoy. Only so many smoothies one can drink. So what to do with the rest of them?

Well, some peaches were frozen for use later in the year. I gave some away. We eat them. I recreated the long since discontinued Schwann’s Peach Ice Cream that I ate gallons of when I was pregnant. A pie was made with a screwed up crust – I never mess up pie crust, but this time I did. A cobbler was taken to a pot luck and yet I still have more. What to do?

Recipe hunt on the internet. Here are some tasty ideas I found:

Peach Cobbler by the Neelys – I cut the 2C (yes 2 CUPS) of Brown sugar out and I a sub raw sugar for the white
Stone Fruit Sangria
Peach Crisp
Individual Peach Upside Down cakes

And here is how to make Peach Ice Cream that tastes like Schwann’s used to make:

• 1 pt heavy whipping cream
• 1 C whole milk
• ¾ C sugar
• 1 t vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 C Pureed peaches
• ¾ C Diced peeled peaches – frozen

Combine cream, milk and sugar with a wire whip. Gradually add pureed peaches to the cream mixture and set into the fridge to cool for at least 1 hour. Put mixture into an ice cream machine, and according to MFR directions mix. Half way thru add the vanilla. When the mixture is almost ready, add in the frozen diced peaches. Continue with the mfr instructions for the ice cream machine. Place finished product in the freezer. Depending on the size of your machine, you may need to do this in 2 batches.

This is the model I use

This week’s Food Memories include meeting another food blogger at a pot luck (more on that soon), cooking for friends and family, making the deposit on our 25th Anniversary party and a dinner out with my main squeeze.

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

Hair of the Dog

Posted on by RedFlair14

It was suggested to me that I write about Bloody Marys so here you go.

All of us (over 21), at one time or another, have been in the need for some “hair of the dog”. A little worse for wear after a night on the town and for me the magical cure is a Bloody Mary. There is something alchemical about the tomato, spices and booze that just straightens me right out. (Moment of Truth – it probably has more to do with the tomato juice than the booze.)

There is some debate as to how, where and when the Mary was invented, and even some debate on whether the original spirit of choice is actually vodka. Some sources say the original spirit is gin – and the cocktail is good both ways. Here is what I DO know from research, the drink can be as individual as you are.

In an effort to learn as much as possible about this manna from heaven, I did a little research and invited some friends over to do a sampling and have a “round table” discussion about what makes a good cocktail, where to find it and what are the perfect garnishes. We did a blind (for them) tasting of Mr. & Mrs. T’s, Zing Zang, and Demitri’s Bloody Mary Seasoning, along with the classic Mr. Boston Bartender’s Guide version (although I DID add horseradish to the original). We tasted each base in its “virgin” state for comparison and then added vodka to our favorite. For all of the cocktails we used Ketel One Vodka. Here is what we learned:
• No one liked the “original”; it was too bland
• No one liked the smell of the Mr. & Mrs. T’s, although we did like the deep rich color
• Everyone liked Zing Zang, although I can’t drink it. It has MSG in it and I am allergic. It was, as advertised, zingy with a citrusy pucker to it.
• Demetri’s was the hands down winner; although we had to increase the ratio from 2 oz to 1 qt to 3 oz to 1 qt. (Demitri’s comes in a liquid form that you add to tomato juice.) We found the suggested blend too bland for us, but once it was increased we all agreed that was the winner and that was the only pitcher empty at the end of brunch.

Friend Dani suggested that the reason we didn’t like the original was that our tastes are more extreme than when the drink was first created. We enjoy more spice and seasoning now than we did in the early part of the 20th century, so what may have been a spicy sensation THEN is just boring now.

As for garnishes, the classic is a celery stalk, but we all agreed (except friend Lynn) that more is better! Friend Laurie loves olives with hers, and I tend to agree. Other options are large caper berries (my personal fave), pickled string beans, pickled okra, cornichons, pickled asparagus, pearl onions…basically make a salad out of it! While horseradish is NOT one of the original ingredients we all agreed that it is a requirement when mixing your own. Friend Lynn added it to all of the bases for consistency’s sake! The one thing I forgot on our “research” day was to rim the glasses – typically you use celery salt, but spicy salt or herb and spice blends are really popular and add a bit extra punch. Oh, and I also found pepperoni straws online – yes, really! They are like Slim Jims with a hole thru the center. Super good fun!

Once our drinks were assembled, we sat for brunch (a hash brown crusted scrambled egg pizza) and chatted about where to get a good Mary. Any good bartender or mixologist in Vegas can make you a decent Mary, but I was more interested in the off the wall places to get one. Friend Lill’s comments were added in abstentia since she couldn’t be there to aid in the research and she loves a good Mary.
• Rumor has it The Double Down makes them with bacon flavored vodka – no I am not kidding
• The Bunkhouse (one of the oldest free standing bars in Vegas) makes a respectable one on the cheap!
• While none of us like the food at Hash House A Go-Go, we all agreed the Mary there is a winner, and almost reason enough to go there just for that.
• Both Mon Ami Gabi and Simon at Palms Place have Bloody Mary Bars on Sunday brunch. They mix vodka and tomato juice for you and you season and garnish as you please. I prefer Simon’s because their variety of hot sauces is a vast array from mild to volcanic. The fact that it is all you can drink is a bonus. The only way Simon’s could be better is if they had caper berries in addition to the other garnishes.
• According to Seven Magazine (see page 36), the best Mary in Vegas is at Bar + Bistro (headed by friend Beni Velazquez). I can’t comment since I haven’t had it, but theirs is more of a Bloody Caesar. A Caesar is mixed with Clamato instead of tomato juice and apparently Beni’s has minced clams in it! (Tip from Sister Nancy – when making a Bloody Caesar rim the glass with Old Bay Seasoning.) More research? A resounding YES!
A Bloody Mary on board the Victoria Clipper – a traveling companion suggested this topic

Bloody Caesar and beer at Canoe brewing in Victoria

My esteemed panel – L- R Friends Lynn, Dani and Laurie (Dani is not a double fisted drinker – she is holding mine!)

Enjoy your week and remember to mix up a batch of these for your weekend. The web abounds with plenty of recipes, but if you find a premix you like, go with that. Feel free to leave comments with your fave ideas on Bloody Marys – where to get a good one, what you like to garnish with, etc. There may be more research needed 😉

Food Memories this week include recreating the fab fig and goat cheese flatbread pizza I enjoyed in Seattle, Friday brunch with friends for research, ripening peaches from my back yard and digging in the herb garden.
The fig and goat cheese pizza with prosciutto – delish!

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