Because I Don't Make Food That Tastes Bad

What I Want to Cook

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:34:00 -0400

Carrots.

Running with Tweezers’ Zucchini Carpaccio

New York Times’ Roasted Carrots and Scallions with Thyme and Hazelnut

Edible Perspective’s Roasted Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame Dipping Sauce

Songs about drinking

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:08:00 -0400

Country singer George Jones died this past week. You’d be hard-pressed to find a singer today that, like George, actually lived the life they sang about. His hard living and tumultuous relationships with women permeated the songs throughout his long career. The headline on the New York Times obituary read, “His Life was a Country Song.” So true.

Two of my favorite touch on his love of the drink.

Songs about snack cakes

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 10:16:00 -0400

Strange - Galaxie 500

Name one other song where they sing about Twinkies and I’ll give you a Twinkie.

Death of a Pineapple Princess

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:55:00 -0400

I know the all the words to this song by heart.

We’ll settle down in a bamboo hut

And he will be my own little coconut

Then we’ll be beachcombin’ royalty

On wicky-wicky wacky Waikiki

RIP Annette Funicello.

What I Want to Cook

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:20:58 -0400

Gnocchi Board.

Mark Bitman’s Beet Gnocchi with Olive and Garlic

Martha Stewart’s Cheese, Leek and Herb Souffle Casserole

Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate-Hazelnut Macaroon Tart

Sinners Gonna Sin

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 07:43:36 -0500

American Spoon Sour Cherries.

The Lenten Fast begins and once again, the Widdis family will go 40 days without candy, but like all good sinners, we cheat*.

Food 52’s Chocolate-Orange Madeleine Cookies

Dessert for Breakfast’s Cafe au Lait Tart

Matt Bites’ Tart Cherry Hand Pies

*If it has milk, eggs, butter, flour and real sugar, it’s not candy…or that’s what I tell myself.

Songs about food (or drink)

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 10:09:00 -0500

I’m not a fan of rum and coke (or working for the Yankee dollar), but I do love the Andrews Sisters.

Patty Andrews, the last of the Andrews Sisters, died yesterday at 94.

I’ve always loved their harmonies and especially their collaborations with Bing Crosby on songs like “Pistol Packin’ Mama” and “Don’t Fence Me In”. I could take or leave “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Rum and Coca Cola” just seemed wrong.

Last night, I found myself humming “Rum and Coca Cola” as I mixed my rum drink of choice, a Dark and Stormy; a Gosling’s ginger beer with a squeeze of lime and a dash of Gosling’s Dark Rum. It is a such an infectious tune and the Andrews Sisters sing it with such a light-hearted tone that I thought, “Did they really know what they were singing about?”

The original version was by a Calypso singer named Lord Invader from Trinidad who was actually lamenting young Trinidadian women selling themselves to U.S. soldiers stationed there during World War II. The Andrews Sisters claim that the lyrics just went over their heads when they first recorded it. Uh-huh.

I found this blog, The Rum and Coca Cola Reader, that exhaustively explores the origins of the song. It was banned in a few states and embroiled in a copyright lawsuit among other interesting facts. In addition, the blog author embedded nearly 30 versions of the tune including a Coke-commissioned version by Golden Earrings of “Radar Love” fame and a version by ska legend Prince Buster.

After listening to this song a dozen or more times and me, always a prey to the power of suggestion, I’ll be fixing myself another Dark and Stormy soon. Sadly, “Drinkin’ Rum and Ginger Beer, Both mother and daugher, workin’ for the Yankee dollar”, just isn’t that catchy. So you can have your rum and coca cola (and your Yankee dollar), I’ll have my rum and ginger beer.

What we ate for dinner

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:53:05 -0500

Chicken Pot Pie | Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake.

Modified from Bon Appétit’s Skillet Chicken Pot Pie with Butternut Squash

Simply Scratch’s Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake

Noodles. I’ve been too busy to write, cook or even think some days. Here is a picture of...

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 10:57:42 -0500

Noodles.

I’ve been too busy to write, cook or even think some days. Here is a picture of some noodles.

What I want to cook

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:25:53 -0500

Beets.

Golubka’s Roasted Parsnip and Apple Soup with Radish Greens

Sprouted Kitchen’s Glazed Beet and Carrot Salad

Smitten Kitchen’s Carrot Soup with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas

Family recipes in the modern age

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:40:00 -0500

My mother (second from left) with her family - 1940s.

Every Christmas season, I make my great-great-grandma Fraley’s German pfeffernusse cookies. It just wouldn’t be the holiday without these spicy little gems. Evan and Owen hover in the kitchen waiting for batches to be cool enough to pop them into their mouths - even before they are coated in powdered sugar. Brian spends most of December with the white powder in his beard and down the front of his sweaters.

When I was young, I made these cookies with my mother, who first made them with her mother, who learned the recipe from her German mother-in-law. I remember standing in my mother’s kitchen shaking a paper bag full of cookies and powdered sugar. The recipe made so many that we’d store them in the big roasting pan we used to cook our Thanksgiving turkey. I now use that same pan to cook my turkey and store my cookies.

This year, my brother Tom decided to channel his inner German grandmother and make his own batch of pfeffernusse. He is big into genealogy and is now on a family recipe kick. When you think about recipes being passed down from generation to generation, you imagine daughters and mothers cooking alongside one another or tattered cookbooks or hand-written ingredients on butter-stained sheets of paper.

Not in the modern age.

Throughout Tom’s baking adventure, I received numerous text messages as he worked his way through the recipe. With each one, I’d laugh a little to myself and think about my mother and grandmothers making these cookies at Christmases long ago.

Christmas dinner

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:47:15 -0500

Chocolat.

Quiche au Fromage de Gruyère

Pointes D’Asperges Au Beurre

Suprêmes De Volaille À Blanc

Reine De Saba

Love notes

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 17:18:28 -0500

Our good boy

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:21:40 -0500

Sherman in his happy place.

Seventeen years ago, Sherman joined our family by way of a horse farm in Newaygo. He brought us great joy, gave us many laughs and elicited more than a few curse words.

Today, we said goodbye to him.

I’m a good boy. Now give me a treat.

He’s been a constant companion to us and touched many people’s lives - whether they liked it or not. So to our good boy, we say this farewell:

May you find many lakes to swim in

Tennis balls to chase

Sprinklers to attack

Sand dunes to run up, then down, then up again

Flies to chase

Spiders to torment

Stale Cheetos stuck under couches

Stale Cheez-its stuck under stoves

Stale pretzels stuck under refrigerators

Dishwashers full of dirty dishes to climb into

Linoleum floors to chew

Socks to steal

Bones to gnaw

Anything or nothing to bark at

Snow drifts to leap through

Blankets to burrow under

Couches, toes, floors and spoons full of peanut butter to lick

Stuffed animals to pilfer

Anything plastic to destroy

Squirrel poop to roll in

Bigger dogs to outrun

Rafts to jump off

and

Dirty tissues, superballs, pacifiers, leather collars, Miracle-Gro, baby suppositories, expensive chocolate bars, pillows and mint-flavored dental floss to eat

With love, your family.

Hungry Hungry Kathy

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 11:31:12 -0500

This is a not a buttermilk waffle.

This past weekend, I made a batch of buttermilk waffles. You know the kind where you fold fluffy egg whites into the batter making those waffles go from crispy to airy in one glorious bite.

I also stuffed pasta shells with fresh ricotta, mozzarella and herbs and soaked them in marinara then smothered them in more cheese.

And as good as these sound, I can tell you, they looked even better, but I ate none of it.

I am on a 10-day detox.

No meat, no bread, no alcohol!

I might as well be dead.

When a friend’s doctor suggested he try a detox, I decided to detox along in solidarity. I figured this could help me shed a few pounds before the holiday binge begins.

The diet seemed pretty simple:

All fruit in any quantity
All vegetables (no white potatoes, no avocado) in any quantity
Brown rice - 2 cups per day
2 cups of low-fat or skim milk per day
Oatmeal - 1 cup per day
All herbs and spices
6oz. low-fat yogurt per day
4 egg whites per day
2 cups of herbal tea per day
lentils
tofu
beans
chickpeas

Carrot and Apple juice - $7.95.

Each day before work, I pack a “feast” fit for ten rabbits. At Trader Joe’s, I bought $100 worth of kale, spinach and brown rice. I spent $30 on two vegan, organic juices and a bowl of soup for lunch at a raw food restaurant in Birmingham. One of the juices tasted like salad in a cup.

My friend dropped 13 lbs. in the first five days. I’m on day seven and my wallet is certainly lighter, but I am not.

Usually when I start one of these diets, I cheat. I tried Weight Watchers last year, but never really joined Weight Watchers. I guesstimated the points on my food and completely ignored the wine I drank. Brian called it the Polish Weight Watchers. This time, I’ve actively said no to birthday cake, walked past a tray full of cookies at work and ignored the half bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in the refrigerator. I’m being good for goodness sake.

“Do your clothes fit better?” a friend asked.

I’m not sure how that could be possible unless all my weight has shifted to say, my big toe.

“Yes, but weirdly, my shoes are tighter.”

My detoxing friend said he felt great. I just feel hungry. All the time. I’m eating non-stop; kale chips, banana, yogurt, more kale chips, edamame, apple. I feel like a grazing animal.

Last night I thought, “If I wake up at the same weight, I’m having a hamburger for breakfast.”

It’s the morning and I have not weighed myself, but I made my two eggs whites with salsa for breakfast. The lentil soup, yogurt, fruit, rice and edamame are packed for lunch. I figure I’ve come this far, I might as well see it to the end.

Thankfully, I made a double batch of waffles and if the boys don’t eat them all first, I know what I’m having for breakfast Sunday morning.

It is finished

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:26:00 -0500

The big thaw.

A turkey is just a big chicken.

At least that’s what I tell myself when I’m overwhelmed by the stress and hype surrounding the Thanksgiving dinner.

To brine or not to brine? Herb crusted or cider glazed? Flattened, fried or roasted?

Then there’s the question of how long you cook it. My mother says the legs should move easily and never trust that little pop up thing. The package instructions say 15-20 minutes for every pound which requires me to do actual math. Julia Child breaks down the turkey because the breasts need less time to cook than the legs and thighs. Jacques Pépin suggest steaming the turkey before roasting. Michael Symon drapes the turkey in a butter and herb soaked cheese cloth to lock in the moisture.

It only took about two weeks to decide on a turkey recipe. Could be a new record.

2012 Thanksgiving Day dinner menu

Michael Symon’s Juicy Turkey Cooked in Cheese Cloth

Eating Well’s Cider Gravy

David Lieberman’s Sourdough Bread Stuffing

Julia Child’s Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Serious Eats Flaky Herb Biscuits

Martha Stewart’s Baked Shells with Winter Squash

Real Simple’s Bourbon-Cranberry Compote

Chris Kimball’s Ultimate Pumpkin - Sweet Potato Pie

Smitten Kitchen’s Apple Sharlotka

What I want to cook

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:39:27 -0500

Jess Thomson’s Bourbon Sweet Potato Crisp

Simply Recipes’ Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

Epicurious’ Maple-Butter Pecan Ice Cream

What I want to cook

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 09:58:25 -0400

One is the loneliest zucchini you will ever know.

My vegetable garden exploded with tomatoes this summer, but the rest of the vegetables I planted were a bust. A very shady yard with one tiny, sunny spot just doesn’t seem to be enough. I watched the zucchini plant grow and blossom, grow and blossom, but never saw one zucchini - until this week. I wandered out to pick the last of the grape tomatoes and there it was, green and smooth, waiting to be picked. One little zucchini is enough to make Giada De Laurentiis Carrot and Zucchini Mini-Muffins.

Tell me about your mother....

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:45:00 -0400

CYO Cross Country Finals - Cass Benton Park, Northville.

Work, weddings, school, soccer, cross country. Work, weddings, school, soccer, cross country. Work, weddings, school, soccer, cross country. Welcome to my hamster wheel.

Cooking is not high on this hamster’s priority list. A frozen round roast sits in the freezer waiting for the crock pot and a bag of split peas may or may not be soup one day.

11 candles.

I did manage to cook Owen his birthday dinner - grilled barbecue ribs and winter squash baked shells, but I bought a Sander’s Bumpy Cake. If there is any lasting damage from a store-bought birthday cake, Owen knows where to send the therapy bills.

What I want to cook

doyouwanttoknowwhatihadtoeat — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:36:24 -0400

Everyday Food’s Split-Pea Soup

Martha Stewart’s Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

Everyday Food’s Crisp Candy-Corn Treats