Blog on!

Here is the book that my friend had signed. Cool, huh?!? I've been overwhelmed with how thoughtful people have been this Christmas. Debbie (from this blog) had her hand in this too.

I flipped through it and saw a few recipes I'm willing to try. I like how this one is organized, it has a table of contents in front and an index in the back. The Express Lane Meals book I just got from the Nabisco promotion isn't as "put together" as far as being easy to use as a reference book.

The other cookbooks I got this Christmas were "French Women For All Seasons" and the King Arthur Flour's "Whole Grain Baking." I'm such a Francophile, even though I don't really speak French, all I had was one year when I was something like 6 years old. It has been pretty chilly this week so I'm hoping I'll have a chance to get started on reading all these books.

BTW, here's another photo that Sharon took at the VA booksigning.

Virginia Booksigning

My friend Sharon went to Rachael's booksigning in Vienna, VA, on Monday. She took this photo, and reported back that...

"In a nutshell ...She was 45 minutes late getting there -- traffic is awful here, and she got stuck in it. She looked sharp - black shirt, black skirt, black boots ... she didn't talk about the book - just signed and talked to people as they walked up. She was very pleasant, and nice. I told her that you have a blog for her, and gave her the site. Not sure she'll stop by, but she has the address. I told her you were in Texas, and she said 'oh, I was just there". I couldn't remember what part of Texas you were in (brain freeze!!) but I said I thought you were in some small town and couldn't make it to Dallas."

Anyway, I found an article online about the Dallas booksigning, and there were over 400 people there!

Thank you to Sharon for getting a book autographed for me. I wish I could have gone in person but this is the next best thing.

While on the subject of books, I got my "Express Lane Meals" from that Nabisco offer, in the mail yesterday. I feel like a "loser" in that I have most of the items on the pantry list, but there are many times when I feel like I have nothing to cook for dinner. I hope this book helps a little.

Now begins the holiday crunch...not sure how much I will be online in the next week...so Happy Holidays everyone!

Sister Act

My sister had a cookbook review published in her local paper! I'm so proud, her article is superb. I think it's weird (in a neat way) that we both write about recipes for fun, guess it is in the genes.

All-American Favorites

By Denise

The following review is by a reader who was given a cookbook from the Times. The included recipes were selected and prepared by the reader.

What intrigued me most about "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook" was the book's "promise of sorts" to deliver more than 1,200 recipes guaranteed to be a success in home kitchens. Operating out of a 2,500-square-foot test kitchen, recipes are developed by test chefs after conducting blind taste-tests of recipes culled from other cookbooks. Further testing and tasting is done, culminating in what the Test Kitchen believes to be the best version of that dish. As if this is not enough, each recipe is further tested up to 40 times with variations in equipment and ingredients to mimic what might be found in a typical home kitchen.

Recipes are formatted with easy-to-follow directions, including step-by-step pictures, as well as prep time and total cooking time. Ideas for variations and make-ahead directions are also provided. Recipes designed to be "30 minutes or less" are easily identified by a red icon. The book's 700-plus pages are contained in a binder, with dividers for easy reference to each section. There is even an entire section devoted to slow cooker and pressure cooker recipes, and another for light recipes.

Several features of the book help the cook to understand how and why recipes work. Throughout the pages are sidebars referencing Test Kitchen tips, test cook favorites, cooking 101s, menu planning, equipment testing and ratings of ingredients. I learned that Minute Maid Premium Frozen Concentrated Orange Juice was the top-rated supermarket OJ, beating out the chilled carton version. The double pasteurization used in carton juices heats the juice, which in turn destroys its fresh flavor, making canned frozen the fresher-tasting choice.

Choosing recipes to test was not an easy task, given that I had more than a thousand to choose from. I'm lucky that my family is always willing to be test subjects and are supportive of my efforts, providing feedback in terms of "keepers" or "don't make again."

Up first was the Best Spaghetti and Meatballs. I couldn't resist testing the theory that mixing sandwich bread with buttermilk would provide tender and moist meatballs. I followed the recipe as stated, choosing the recipe's option to use jarred pasta sauce over homemade. I also added diced homegrown tomatoes to the sauce. The results were a unanimous thumbs-up. The meatballs were tender, flavorful, moist, holding together with a great texture.

I proceeded to make Quiche Lorraine. The recipe had me partially bake the pie shell and then pour the egg batter into the warm pie shell in order to achieve a crisp bottom crust and to ensure even cooking of the batter. Since I did not have the time to make my own pie crust, I used ready-made pie crust from the refrigerated section at Trader Joe's. The end result was a nicely browned crust filled with a delicious egg custard that was silky and luscious, far from the tough and rubbery quiches I have produced in the past.

Next up, Beef Stew. The Test Kitchen states that contrary to popular belief, flouring chunks of beef before browning does not properly brown the meat. In addition, the flour hinders the flavor of the sauce because there are no browned bits (fond) in the pan to use as flavor for the sauce. I followed the recipe, using the picture of properly browned meat as my guide, and made the stew, finishing it in the oven. The end result was a rich, flavorful sauce with fork-tender pieces of meat.

I hit a bump in the road with Asian Spiced Chicken Wings. The recipe was time-consuming, as it required deep-frying the cornstarch-dredged chicken wings in batches. I used my deep fryer in order to monitor oil temperature, but the end result was disappointing, producing wings that were soggy and pallid. Although the sauce was tasty, my chicken looked nothing like the enticing picture in the book, which showcased dark, crispy chicken, bathed in sticky sauce.

For dessert, I made the Classic Apple Pie. Since I have an ample supply of Golden Delicious apples from the tree in my backyard, I used these apples instead of the combination of McIntosh and Granny Smith apples called for in the recipe. I found the visual instructions very helpful in making the crust and assembling the pie. The pie was delicious, with a tender and flaky crust. The only change I recommend is reducing the lemon zest, as its presence was a bit overwhelming in relation to the apples.

Because of numerous past failures with light recipes from other books, I am a bit reluctant to try any light recipes. However, bearing in mind that I was promised a foolproof recipe, I went ahead with the Light Fettuccine Alfredo. According to the Test Kitchen, cornstarch along with half-and-half is the key to achieving a creamy sauce comparable to the kind made with heavy cream. Other than substituting dry pasta instead of fresh, I followed the recipe as stated. As promised, the recipe delivered a rich, creamy sauce with 11 grams of fat versus 43 grams in the full-fat version in this same book. The pasta should be served and eaten immediately after it is prepared, as the sauce tends to congeal if left to sit. However, adding a little reserved pasta water to the sauce restores its creamy texture. I'll be making this dish again, next time adding green peas or chicken.

This is a great, basic, all-purpose cookbook perfect for both aspiring and experienced cooks looking to hone their skills. I definitely recommend this cookbook. With its tips, techniques and an endless supply of recipes, I'll never be at a loss for something to cook.

• BOOK: "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook" ($34.95, America's Test Kitchen, 726 pages), more than 1,200 recipes.
• AUTHORS: The editors at America's Test Kitchen, led by Christopher Kimball, host of the PBS series "America's Test Kitchen," editor of Cook's Illustrated magazine.
• REVIEWER: Denise will try almost any recipe once.

Risi e Bisi

I started out making Risi e Bisi (risotto with peas), then changed my mind at the last minute and substituted broccoli for the peas (since that’s what I had on hand). I also had some chicken leftover and threw that in as well. I’ve never had risotto before, much less cooked it. My usual recipe for rice is throw it in the rice cooker and hit the "on" switch…voila.

This was easy, though. The hardest part was trying to figure out how much salt to add. I was afraid to add too much, since there is chicken broth and parmesan cheese already in it. Anyway, it tasted good. (It needed salt but it’s so much easier to add it than to take it away.) One of my favorite dishes is Campbell Soup’s "Glorified Chicken" which is chicken cooked with cream of mushroom soup, served on rice. The risotto tasted like a glorified version of that. Now I want to try the risotto cacciatore that’s in the December issue of the magazine.

P.S. Half the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of arborio rice. It may not look like it will be enough, but it made plenty. I didn't think it was enough so I put in 3/4 cup. Of course, it soaks up all that liquid and expands, and it would have been fine with the original amount.

Chicken Francese with Lemon and Wine

I still have a bunch of lemons and have been looking at recipes to use them. I love chicken piccata but the last recipe I tried (from Penzey’s One) had a ton of butter in it. It tasted good, naturally, but I didn’t feel good eating it. This recipe from Rachael’s "365" cookbook sounded promising. It’s not exactly a piccata and not exactly francese, a little bit of both.

I used chicken thighs instead of breasts, and pounded them out thin. Then they are dredged in flour, dipped in egg, and then pan fried. I added a tiny minced clove of garlic and mushrooms to the sauce, and used chicken broth instead of wine. Everything went on top of some egg noodles.

The chicken was moist and the sauce had lots of flavor. The egg coating added a rich taste to the chicken. And even though it has butter in it, I felt good eating it, it was very light-tasting. As Rachael would say, "You could certainly entertain with this dish" - it was pretty on the plate, I thought.

It took me about 45 minutes to prepare. I did a mise en place this time, since everything comes together quickly in the end. It saved a lot of frantic scurrying to get ingredients ready while something was cooking. Everything was chopped, pounded, sliced, and ready to go. I think that’s why Rachael is able to do her 30 minute meals, so gets everything as prepared as possible beforehand.

She is coming to Dallas next week for a booksigning at Borders. I don’t think I will be able to attend. The tour schedule is online at http://www.rachaelray.com/bookTour.html. She’ll be in cities from Boston to Seattle, and every town in between. I wish she were signing books somewhere closer to me but she is only doing Dallas and Houston. I’d love to hear how it goes if anyone gets to attend in their area.

Baking with Rachael and Paula

I was disappointed that on Rachael’s "Thanksgiving in 60 II" she didn’t bake the pecan pie, since there was a recipe in the November magazine. But…she made up for it by baking last week on her talk show. Personally I have to measure ingredients because I tend to underestimate when I eyeball things.

Anyway, yesterday I baked a lemon meringue pie with lemons we brought back from CA. For the crust I followed Rachael’s recipe that went along with the pecan pie. It was easy to put together, no cutting in shortening with a pastry blender. Her recipe has 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 3 tablespoons of milk. I found a similar recipe in Joy of Cooking that recommends this sort of crust for pies that don’t require baking the filling in it for a long time, since the oil gives it a strong flavor. (I didn’t think it tasted bad, just different.) Joy also says you can pat the crust in the pan, which is even easier (I rolled mine out). I blind-baked it for about 14 minutes at 425° F.

For the pie, I used Paula’s recipe from Lady & Sons Too. It’s a typical lemon meringue pie, except for the order in which you mix together the filling. Her recipe calls for mixing in the lemon juice & rind at the very end. Most other recipes, you mix it in and cook it with the rest of the ingredients.

The lemons were not very tart so the filling didn’t have a strong lemon flavor. I like how the meringue topping came out. For the filling, I think next time I’ll add the lemon juice & zest earlier and cook it all together, maybe it won’t be as soggy that way. I was surprised Paula’s recipe only called for a tablespoon of butter, I think Joy’s recipe has four tablespoons. I felt like something was missing, I’m not sure if the butter made that much of a difference or if it needed more lemon zest. It tasted like lemon meringue pie! I guess what was disappointing was that it wasn’t anything outstanding, just OK.

Ravioli Lasagna

Last shopping trip, I had the ingredients for lasagna in my cart until I remembered Rachael’s Ravioli Lasagna, that was featured on the Rachael Ray Show. Anything that tastes like lasagna without the hassle sounds good to me, so I went around the store again and swapped a few things out (put back the ricotta and picked up cheese ravioli, etc.).

I substituted sweet Italian turkey sausage and a package of Boca crumbles for the mixture of beef, pork & veal (Don didn’t know until I told him). And I halved the recipe but still used a whole can of tomato sauce, and added extra cheeses (mozzarella and asiago). When I tasted the sauce it had that "missing something" taste so I added some fresh sage and Italian seasonings, in addition to the fresh basil.

I thought it tasted better this way, in a casserole, vs. cooking ravioli and spooning sauce on top. The flavors mixed together. I’m not very organized so it took me about an hour to throw this together. I think it would have taken me just as long to make a regular lasagna. On the other hand, there were fewer dishes to clean up.

One comment I have is that I used about 2/3 of a package of ravioli, for half the recipe (which calls for 3 family size packages). That was more than plenty. I'd go by eyeballing the amount rather than a particular quantity stated in the recipe.

Another keeper!

Pantry

Today's Sunday paper had a ton of coupons for Thanksgiving-related products, that are on Rachael's pantry list. Things like chicken stock, canned tomatoes, flour, sugar - real basic kitchen essentials. It inspired me to try to organize my pantry and stock it a little better. Right now quite a few of the items are on sale for the holidays too.

Rachael is everywhere! Her picture was also on the cover of the TV listings in the Dallas Morning News today. At the grocery store, there is a sort of "flag" with her picture in the cracker aisle, for Triscuits and Wheat Thins.

Oh, and in the coupon section, there's a coupon for those kinds of crackers, along with an offer for her "Express Lane" cookbook (only $4.99 plus product purchases).

I'm horrible at keeping a well-stocked pantry. There's lots of cans & boxes in there but I still have a hard time coming up with something to make for dinner on a whim. My other problem is that I'll buy something and not use it and by the time I think about it again, the expiration date has come and gone. I guess that'll be one of my New Year's Resolutions, to maintain a better pantry.

Fish Stick Po'Boys

The other day I made this sandwich from the MP of the October issue of "Every Day With Rachael Ray." I only had a few fishsticks left, not enough to serve for dinner, so it was a good way to use up a small bit. There were no surprises here, it tasted like what you would expect…I mean that in a good way. I put spicy mayo on it like the recipe said, but I like relish too so I added a small squirt of tartar sauce. That gave it more of a Filet-o-fish flavor. Tomatoes would have been good, as in the recipe, but they are out of season and they want a small fortune ($2.89 a pound!) for them right now.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow for Rachael’s "Thanksgiving in 60 II" on the Food Network. I just finished watching "Day to Day With Rachael Ray" - and thought what was that all about?!? While I enjoyed it, I kept wondering what does this have to do with food and cooking. There's also "Iron Chef" on Sunday with Ray vs. DeLaurentiis. Can't wait to see that!

Rachael’s new cookbook "2,4,6,8" is out now. I’m anxious to hear how others like it. We are not big eaters so even though I scale down her recipes, they still make a lot. This sounds like a cookbook more suited to my family’s eating habits.

Be Nice

This week Manilow fans have been treated to a MMF (Manilow Media Frenzy), with Barry doing the talk show circuit to promote his current release, "Greatest Songs of the Sixties." Rachael did a great job interviewing him, even admitting she was so excited she had to write down notes so she wouldn’t get flustered.

One of Barry’s mantras is "Be Nice." Unfortunately there were some not-so-nice comments made by Martha Stewart (directed towards Rachael ) when she had Barry on her own show. She was upset that Rachael’s show with Barry apparently was originally scheduled to air Friday, while Martha’s show (live) was on Thursday, but the schedule was changed such that they both aired at the same time in the New York area. I thought the whole thing made Martha come across as petty and mean. The shows are not on simultaneously everywhere!

There’s more about in some articles online:
Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray Feud...Over Barry Manilow!, Martha Bitchslaps Rachael Over Barry and Rachael, Martha Split Barry

Anyway, I loved seeing how much Rachael was enjoying Barry’s performance, especially when he was crooning directly to her. She looked like she was going to melt and explode all at the same time.

If you liked what you saw on Rachael’s show, and are even thinking of buying the album, think about buying it now! Barry’s fan club is trying to get this one to chart at #1 just as his "Greatest Songs of the Fifties" did earlier this year. We have until Saturday night (tomorrow) for our purchases to count. It’s on sale this week a stores such as Target (which has an exclusive Dual Disc version), and Walmart (which has an exclusive bonus download plus a free year’s membership to the fan club). Or if you don't have time to run to the store, you can get it for only $9.72 at Amazon.com.

By the way, I had wanted to be at the taping of this episode, and even got a phone call from the Rachael Ray Show, for a brief interview. I guess I didn’t come across as the fanilow they were looking for, but it was fun anyway.

Go buy the CD! "Greatest Songs of the Sixties" You won’t be disappointed.

Barry Manilow on the Rachael Ray Show today!

According to the Manilow Hotline...

..." see Barry perform "CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU" and "WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE" on THE RACHAEL RAY SHOW (ABC)!"

Check your local listings for air times!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cakes

Today I wanted to bake something but didn’t want to deal with cookies or pie, this was kind of in between. It’s from Paula Deen’s "Desserts" cookbook, one of the variations of Ooey Gooey Butter Cakes. I used spice cake mix, and followed the recipe for pumpkin. I read the reviews on FoodNetwork.com but I’ve become skeptical of the opinions. I do think it is a good place to get practical tips (learn "things to do next time" before you make the dish). Most of the positive reviews went along the lines of these cookies replacing pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. I thought the bars were good but I think I’d still want the "real thing." It’s kind of a cross between pie and a cookie and a cheesecake, all in one. The spice cake flavor was good but a little overpowering. (Paula mentioned using yellow cake mix too.) Next time I think I'll try adding less pumpkin too, so that the cream cheese flavor stands out more.

I was reading Rachael’s November magazine and saw that she has a "Thanksgiving in 60 II" coming up. I’m looking forward to that and seeing what some of the dishes look like on TV. I like her magazine, that it has lots of pictures. I’m one of those people that likes cookbooks that have photos of every dish.

Turkey Burgers

This was my version of the New England Turkey Burger with the Works, from the October 2006 issue of Every Day With Rachael Ray. Basically I tried to follow the recipe, using what I had on hand. For the burger, I had bought a box of Jenni-O turkey burger patties. Since they were pre-formed, I couldn’t add the apple but I sprinkled a little poultry seasoning on top. For the topping, I didn’t have green onions so I put some chopped regular onion on top along with some homemade cranberry sauce. I love Thanksgiving leftovers and this sort of reminded me of that. I’ll definitely be making this again, especially since I have 11 turkey burgers left in the freezer! It was one of those days when a bargain is not really a bargain if you are stuck with more than you want. I usually eat Boca Burgers but got tired of them, and was looking for a change. Next time I’ll try grilling or pan frying the burger. I had used the sizzle pan in the microwave and you can see that the patty turned out anemic-looking, even though it was cooked through. The apple part sounds good, I’ll probably mix some in with the cranberry sauce instead of with the meat.

There was another article about Paula Deen in the Wall Street Journal on Saturday! The topic was restaurants and celebrity chefs. The journalist was disappointed because after the long wait in line, he felt he could have gotten a better meal at another restaurant. Some of the charm had been lost when the restaurant was expanded from 85 seats to the bigger version (I can’t remember the exact figure, I want to think it is 350 seats). If/when I make a trip to Savannah, I still would like to try her restaurant, just to say I’ve been there.

Baked Potatoes

We’ve finally had some cooler weather, which for me, translates into baking. Last night I made a pork loin roast (in a Romertopf clay pot), and Guy Fieri’s (he won the Next Food Network Star and his show is called "Guy's Big Bite") "The Bomb Bakers" baked potatoes. His recipe calls for brining the potatoes for 2-8 hours in a 1:8 solution of salt water. It’s supposed to make the potatoes crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I’ve never been able to get baked potatoes to turn out like they do in a restaurant, so I wanted to give this a try. The recipe says not to puncture the potatoes but I read online that people had problems with their potatoes "bombing" (popping) in the oven. I pierced mine with a fork, which may be why they were a little dry inside. The skin did get crispy, but I think I’ll go back to my method of greasing the outside with a little butter, and add Guy’s touch of seasoning the outside as well.

For the pork roast, I followed the basics in "Joy of Cooking" and added the Rachael touch of a little Montreal grill seasoning, fresh sage and garlic. I normally have the world’s worst memory when it comes to remembering to put fresh herbs on things. Rachael repeats tips a lot, like using fresh herbs, microwaving a lemon for 10 seconds, and seasoning pasta water, and I think that’s what helped me to remember this time.

The other recipes I’ve tried lately include Rachael’s "Super Sloppy Joe’s" and Ellie Krieger’s ginger hot chocolate. Instead of tomato sauce for the sloppy joe’s, I used chili sauce (which was in the recipe on the package of ground turkey). It kind of turned out a little on the sweet side, maybe Rachael’s tomato sauce would have been better. It was still a lot better than Manwiches. I remember eating those when I was a kid and liking them, and awhile back we tried some but I guess over the years the taste memories change, and they were not as good as I remembered.

The ginger hot chocolate sounded good but I didn’t care for it. Some people probably love it, and even though I like ginger, I didn’t like the combination with chocolate. My own version that I make, which is not a healthy recipe, is to heat up some milk, stir in a spoonful of peanut butter and a packet of Nestle’s hot chocolate, then put some mini marshmallows on top. (I found that recipe on the packet of hot chocolate.)

I've been watching some of the new Food Network shows. I like "Nigella Feasts" a lot, especially the English words she uses that sound so charming compared to American English. My favorite part so far has been when she licks the spoon from chocolate pudding, and says, "Don't tell me you wouldn't." As for "Paula's Party," I like the girl-talk chat and the cooking, but find myself cringing when she overdoes the saucy part. Last week when she was licking the spoon with the audience member, well, I thought that was one of the most disgusting, low class things I've seen on the Food Network. My favorite new show is Bobby Flay's "Throwdown" - somewhere I read it was like "Three's Company" with the two test kitchen chefs, and that's a good description. Those two girls aren't afraid to say anything to keep him in line, it's cute!

Way to go, Rachael!

I kind of feel like I missed the opportunity to give my first impression of the "Rachael Ray Show." I was going to list the things that I like and the things I don’t like, but after reading some articles online, that has already been done. Rachael is everywhere!…on TV, in the paper, and of course, analyzed all over the place online. After watching the first episode, I almost felt speechless, there was so much going on. The new set, Rachael in front of an audience, the 60 second snack and 7 minute meal, the videos and testimonials, and of course, all the screaming. It seemed to slow down a little bit on the second day, when Oprah was there and Rachael was showing her around the set and explaining the different areas. I understand now the initial visual assault and fast & frenetic pace, I’m sure they wanted to hook viewers on the first day. I thought the garage where the bands will play was too cute. In the back of my mind, I was hoping that someday she’ll have Barry Manilow as a guest, but I just can’t picture him as the grunge singer in the garage.

After three episodes, Rachael seems to have adapted to interacting with and speaking in front of a crowd. The first day she was constantly shouting, and now she has "found her voice." The kids yesterday were so adorable, especially the little girl! I’m kind of disappointed that a lot of the recipes have already been in the magazine. The good part, though, is that I won’t have to go online to look them up. I guess that's the trend, to have online tie-ins. I noticed that with the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, there is a lot that they encourage viewers to pursue on the website, for more information and/or details. I live in the country where DSL is not available. Even though I have internet access, the bandwidth-heavy material is not anything I have the patience to wait for. I’ll have to look up the "pizz-o" recipe, that looked easy and delicious, and something different than regular pizza.

Anyway, I’m definitely on Rachael overload (that's good, not bad!). Part of me feels "possessive" of her, I felt like she was "ours" on the Food Network and now she has a whole new audience with her talk show. Of course I wish her all the success in the world, and this is such a great opportunity for her to get exposed to the mainstream public. Her down-to-earth personality comes through, for example, when she sat down in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. She’s everybody’s friend.

I hope she finds her own voice once she is more comfortable with her show. I recognized bits & pieces from other shows, like the phrase "in the house" from "Emeril Live," and her "favorite things" like Oprah does. By the way, this is the first talk show that I’ve watched regularly. I’ve seen a bunch of them but mostly in the context that Barry Manilow was doing some promotional appearance.

I’ve enjoyed seeing more of the personal side of Rachael, on her own promotional appearances, such as "Larry King Live." The segment where she took him shopping was adorable. Some of his questions were off-the-wall but I thought she handled them well, answered them intelligently vs. giving a beauty queen superficial and tangential answer.

Overall, I give the show a thumbs up. It’s such a pick-me-up and I catch myself smiling while I’m watching it. It seems the sort of show that if I’m feeling down, I know that after an hour I’ll be feeling better. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Food Network comes up with for Paula Deen's new show.

Reading List - Part Two

Today I got a bunch of magazines in the mail, now I have a big pile to read (I just love the anticipation of having that much to read!). On the other hand, there are many times when I don’t know what I want to have for dinner! "Gourmet" and "Penzey’s One" are both coming up for renewal. I’m probably not going to renew Penzey’s and am still thinking about "Gourmet." It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed Penzey’s, I just want to try something new. I’d previously subscribed to and enjoyed both "Cooking Light" and "Everyday Food" - but I never really cooked much from either of them. I asked Anna from Cookie Madness what magazines she likes, and she had positive things to say about "Eating Well," so that’s what I’m leaning towards.

These are the magazines that I currently subscribe to:

"Gourmet" - I consider almost the industry standard for food magazines. I loved their fiction supplement they had this summer, I wish more of their magazine was like that. Then the next issue was their 65th anniversary with a rehash of old stories, which was a letdown. I miss Laurie Colwin’s writing. I enjoy Jane & Michael Stern’s articles about "Roadfood" as well as anything Anthony Bourdain writes.

"Saveur" - what I like about it is that it is more of a travel magazine, like National Geographic for food. Lately some of the places they’ve written about are not really anywhere I want to visit so the interest was not there. I used to enjoy every issue but nowadays it is more hit or miss. I also used to try more of the recipes, like pecan pie and peach cobblers, now the foods are more exotic and nothing I would ever consider cooking (for example, water buffalo yogurt panna cotta).

"Every Day With Rachael Ray" - what I like about the magazine, more than the cookbooks, is that there are photos of lots of the dishes. It’s an entertaining magazine, more "fluff" than "Gourmet" but way fun to read. I especially enjoy the celebrity revelations that are different from the standard interviews - what’s in so-and-so’s refrigerator, and what people eat during the course of a day (and subsequently what their daily routine entails). What I don’t like is the "faves" items that are more expensive than anything I’d want to buy (boots for $375 and jeans for $210). I saw Rachael on Larry King Live last night, and she was talking about how none of her cookbooks cost more than $20 - less than a CD. I’d like to see more budget-minded things in the magazine like that. Her unpretentiousness is what drew me in to watch her shows in the early days. Don flipped through the latest issue and said they should call it "Rachael's Family and Friends" since that is mostly what it's about. I’m still thinking about what to say about her new TV show (which premiered yesterday). I enjoyed it but it's hard to think about saying either "love it" or "hate it" based on just one episode. The absolute worst part has nothing to do with the show, it’s the local TV station! Every single commercial break has a commercial for an ambulance-chasing attorney or big law firm. I’m not kidding, there were probably 10 commercials for law firms during the entire show. Thank goodness for DVR’s.

"Penzey’s One" - I don’t remember how I started getting their catalog (probably an article in the San Francisco Chronicle), back in the days when it was on newsprint with no photos. Their recipes and anecdotes make it as much fun to read as a magazine. So then they came out with a magazine, with photos and profiles of regular people. I like the magazine, the recipes seem down-to-earth and surprisingly I enjoy reading about people I don’t even know. What bothers me about this magazine is their political opinions. It’s not even so much the opinions either. I know everyone has a right to free speech and I respect the differing thoughts, and I read these types of things in the newspaper, it’s just that this is not what I want to read in a food magazine. (But that’s just my opinion, I’m sure there are folks out there who are looking for exactly that.) I love Penzey’s spices, the catalog is informative in regards to ideas on what to use them for.

"Kraft Food & Family" - this magazine is free! It’s pretty much all advertisement for Kraft food products, but it is full of ideas on how to use them, simple ideas for things like sandwiches, and mix-and-match charts for dishes like pasta & veggies, or grilled sandwiches, or even pudding pies. I did decide on what to have for dinner, I made the Country Salisbury Steak, that has hamburger and Stove Top stuffing instead of breadcrumbs, and a barbecue sauce gravy. The recipe seemed lacking a little in seasoning so I "Rachaelized" it by adding Worcestershire sauce and Grill Seasoning. Not exactly gourmet but it hit the spot. Yum-o.

Reading List

Sometimes you marvel at the thought of the people you know, because of a path you took sometime in your life. At least I do. I think about the people I more than likely, never would have met, if I’d never turned on the TV in 1977 and watched "The First Barry Manilow Special." I know it sounds kind of corny, but you'd be amazed at the places I've been, people I've met, etc. because of Barry Manilow.

One person in particular is Dylan Schaffer, who became initiated into the world of Manilow fans with his two critically acclaimed books, "Misdemeanor Man" and "I Right the Wrongs." He enlisted the help of other local Barry Manilow fan clubs, to help generate publicity for them. Many of us had the chance to meet him at his booksigning he had in Las Vegas in 2004, which coincided with Barry’s "One Night Live" performance.

Mr. Schaffer has a new book which will be in bookstores shortly and is available for pre-order online. It’s called "Life, Death & Bialys: A Father/Son Baking Story." He writes about the story of a week-long baking class he took with his dad, who was then terminally ill. Check out his website for more information about the book, appearances, a bialys recipe, and more.

When it gets cool enough to bake around here, I’ll definitely give the recipe a try.

I’m accumulating a list of books to read. Here’s what I have so far:

• Life, Death & Bialys: A Father/Son Baking Story by Dylan Schaffer
• Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford
• The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain
• Words in a French Life by Kristin Espinasse
• Two for the Road: Our Love Affair with American Food by Jane and Michael Stern
• My Life in France by Julia Child
• The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Towards Perfection by Michael Ruhlman
• The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute by Michael Ruhlman
• The Reach of a Chef: Beyond the Kitchen by Michael Ruhlman
  (I read "Soul" many years ago and want to read his new book, so I might as well start at the beginning again and read everything in chronological order.)
  

How cool is that?!

Last night at the 2006 Emmy Awards, Barry Manilow won Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program for his role on "Barry Manilow: Music and Passion."

Barry is what brought Debbie and me together, and we've been friends for something like 23 years. We were co-directors of the San Francisco Barry Manilow Fan Club, as well as running our own local chapters (when we weren't living in the same area).

To tie him in to the food theme, he recently did an interview on KMXB radio in Las Vegas, talking about his arthroscopic hip surgery he is having today. The DJ's were joking with him that "his people" would be doing everything for him, and Barry emphatically said, "I make my own breakfast!!". He said he has cereal (Raisin Bran), coffee and a bagel.

Congratulations, Barry, and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Awesome!

Congratulations to Rachael for her nomination in the cooking category, of the second annual Quill Awards.

Here's are the nominees in the Cooking category:

Heat, Bill Buford
Julie & Julia, Julie Powell
My Life in France, Julia Child
Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats, Rachael Ray
Silver Spoon, Phaidon Press Editors

You can vote online through September 30th.

Recipe #252 - Croque Monsieur

Tonight we had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner. I've been wanting to get more back on track with cooking Rachael's recipes, and I remembered her croque monsieur sandwiches from TV. The recipe is in her "365" book. I used some leftover mornay sauce from the Bobby Flay breakfast sandwiches, the sauce is very similar to the bechamel in Rachael’s recipe. I put marbled colby jack cheese on it instead of swiss/gruyere. So, the sandwich was pretty much sauce, cheese, ham, and the bread spread with butter and grated cheese on the outside. I love how the outside turned all crunchy from the cheese. It added lots of flavor. Next time I’ll add more sauce. I’d put on a thick schmear but when the sandwich heated up, it kind of melted into the bread. It made the sandwich moist without being greasy, very rich tasting. The recipe in the "Gourmet" cookbook is similar but they put more sauce on the outside of the sandwich and ran it under the broiler. I had a sandwich more like that, at La Madeleine in Dallas, and while it was good, it was almost too decadent and rich. I like Rachael’s cheese-crusted version better! Don just came in and asked me how many calories I thought the sandwich had. He put mayonnaise on his as well, so I told him his probably had at least 1000. I still feel that what we cook at home is better and better for you than what you would get at a restaurant.