Dave Zatz is well known for his gadget posts over at his own site, ZatzNotFunny.com. Writing and coffee shops go hand-in-hand, so he’s guest clacking for us today about something new (and possibly better?) coming to a Starbucks near you.

As a child raised on the Slurpee, it’s probably no surprise I grew up to become a Starbucks Frappuccino connoisseur. My love for addiction to the frozen, blended coffee beverage began in San Diego the summer of 1997. I’ve been a regular ever since. I’ve mostly kept it simple, going with a plain coffee frappe and always double-blended. Although there was that one spring of the decadent Dulce de Leche blend…. And these days, I get them with a shot of espresso and a dollop of whipped cream.

Basically, I take my frappes seriously. And was absolutely astonished yesterday when my wife, also a SBUX regular, informed me that all the baristas in our suburban DC region were undergoing training to prepare NEW frappes. I assumed she meant there was a new flavor on the horizon. But this is big. Bigger than free WiFi, even. We’re talking a whole new Frappuccino formulation and a whole new method of Frappucino preparation. Unfortunately, my first thought was “New Coke” .… So, this morning, I set out on a mission to discover the truth.

Currently, Starbucks’ secret frappe mixture is prepared in batches, with the liquid generally dispensed on demand via pitcher and blended with ice, along with whatever syrups you need to doctor it up. The new method will have the barista custom blending some sort of coffee or base powder, Frappuccino syrup (coffee flavor, and there’s also a cream version), ice, and your choice of milk – like any other non-blended beverage. Whole, 2%, skim, or soy.

I convinced my local SBUX outpost to prepare me a (2%) sample this AM. After a single grande, I’m not quite ready to declare a verdict. But I was pleasantly surprised … if not necessarily relieved. The taste is most definitely different, but in the same family, and good. Although it is not as good as the frappe it’s replacing. It seems a bit more like some of the competition and may even be a bit sweeter in a caramel sort of way. As in I’ll definitely need a shot of espresso to bolden that coffee flavor. I’d also really like to try it blended with the soy milk, which may be creamier than my 2% sample and the vanilla flavor could add something interesting to the mix.

In our region, Starbucks will be soft launching the new Frappuccinos starting this upcoming Monday. My wife was told the official launch and associated marketing would follow 6/1, while the local manager I spoke with implied it’d happen in just a few weeks. Not sure if this is a regional versus national thing, or if someone doesn’t yet have all the answers. Regardless, I’m both somewhat excited and somewhat nervous with Starbucks’ imminent, dramatic change up. Wish me luck.

Sometime late last year, as I was following the Twitter feed for Tim Ferris, he mentioned a post where he listed “13 X-Mas Gifts That Can Change (or Save) Your Life.” In that post, he mentioned something called a “SousVide Supreme,” (SVS) which he said cooked “the single best chicken and steak of my life.” For someone who’s traveled the world as much as Mr. Ferriss, that was quite a claim. And yet, I had never heard of this thing … but I had to find out.

As it turns out, cooking via “sous-vide” — or “under vacuum” — isn’t all that new. In fact, a few popular cooking shows feature sous-vide cooking on a regular basis, including Bravo’s Top Chef. There’s only one company that makes the SousVide Supreme unit, but the method of cooking sous-vide can be done by anyone with a little know-how and patience. The SVS, however, takes all that needed patience and know-how and takes care of everything for you. OK, maybe not the patience part, but we’ll get to that.

Sous-vide cooking is a rather simple process, and the end result is so obvious that you’ve got to wonder why you hadn’t thought of it before. Essentially all you’re doing is taking some meat (or even vegetables), sealing it in a food-safe plastic bag, vacuuming all the air out from the bag, and submersing it in water that is the temperature of what you want your food to be at when you eat it. Cooking the food this way does two things that make sous-vide cooking stand out:

1. The food is cooked up to the temperature of the surrounding water and does not go any higher. This means you simply can’t overcook the meat. It’s obviously possible to undercook the food, but by following a basic guide, you can easily avoid that. If you set the water temperature to, say, 130-degrees F or so, you’ll get meat that’s 130-degrees, or medium-rare (if you call 130 medium-rare, which seems to be the popular case). In some cases you can leave the meat in the SVS for 48 hours and it will still not be overcooked (but there’s a gotcha to that, which I’ll explain later).

2. The meats stay in their juices. Since it’s tightly sealed in a bag, all of those natural juices of the meat stay within and around the meat. The end result is never dried out and is exceptionally succulent.

The trick to sous-vide cooking is of course making sure the water surrounding the food stays absolutely constant. Anyone with that previously-noted know-how and patience might be able to do this on a stove with a pot and thermometer, but when you’re trying to cook a leg of lamb in this thing, you’ll go bonkers. That’s where the SousVide Supreme unit comes in, as it perfectly retains that temperature for you … and that’s all it does, really; there’s no other magic necessary.

So, since the SVS is basically just a very easy way to go about cooking a-la sous-vide, this series of reviews is going to center mostly on the sous-vide method of cooking and how it compares to cooking via other methods. Ultimately, the decision to purchase the pricey SousVide Supreme comes down to your budget, patience and desire to cook via this method on a regular basis.

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Kelly’s back Guest-clacking for us again, after sharing her recipe for spicy pork and black bean chili that she made from leftovers.

If you’re a foodie like I am, you look for special recipes that impress family and friends. There are a few upcoming holiday events that we’ll be attending, and I will need to bring an impressive side dish. For me, especially during the month of December, I am a big believer in the K.I.S.S. method. Yes, the food I bring to a get-together or party must be delicious, but it also must be fairly simple to do.

After a quick search of my cookbooks, I knew that I needed to find a new recipe. I like to find recipes that are not too heavy on the fat, but will appeal to a wide variety of palates. I confess I like to eat lighter side dishes because it makes me feel better about indulging my sweet tooth occasionally.

Trolling my favorite recipe sites, I pause. Ina Garten’s Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette sounds divine, but since it has warm vinaigrette on the salad, which must be served immediately, I sigh and move on. Perhaps I’ll serve that salad on Christmas, when I’ll be hosting dinner.

I meander over to Cooking Light, hoping for at least a little inspiration. Looking for a good recipe is a lot like wardrobe shopping; it’s easy to get distracted by the dramatic evening dresses and sexy high heels. The beautiful photos of food make me salivate, but I remind myself to not get distracted. Typing in ‘side dishes,’ and then clicking on Holiday Side Dishes, I come across Roasted Cauliflower with Fresh Herbs and Parmesan. Roasted cauliflower sounds delicious. I peruse the recipe, and though it suggests that it be served warm, I think that this could be it. I read the last 10 or so reviews. A few cooks didn’t care for the recipe, another wrote that she liked the roasted cauliflower but would put less lemon juice on the next time, and still more raved about it. Hmmm. Rated by 27 cooks, it had a four out of five star rating, which I think is none too shabby!

A test run of the recipe revealed that the only drawback is that you must turn the cauliflower every 5 minutes, for about 20 minutes. However, that chore is a small price to pay for the absolutely delicious flavor of the roasted cauliflower paired with the fresh parsley, thyme, tarragon, and garlic. I added the full amount of lemon juice called for in the recipe, and it added just the right amount of zip for me. A few tips: Be sure to get all the chopping of herbs done before you put the cauliflower in the oven, or things will get way too hectic in your kitchen! I will also note that I bought a small container of already shredded fresh Parmesan from the grocery store. I simply don’t have time to shred fresh Parmesan right now.

I brought this beautiful side dish to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving, and everyone exclaimed over it. After about 10 minutes in the ‘warming oven,’ the cauliflower was set out with the rest of the feast. My Aunt Beth said, “I don’t even like cauliflower, but this is delicious! I guess you can’t go wrong with garlic and parmesan!”

So, Roasted Cauliflower with Fresh Herbs and Parmesan is my new little black dress for the holidays (although Debbie’s recipe for roasted broccoli just might find its way to my table!). The fresh parsley, thyme, tarragon, and minced garlic will certainly spice things up at any table. The grated fresh Parmesan will serve to step up the ordinarily plain cauliflower to a level of grandness. And since it serves eight and takes less than 30 minutes to cook, it’s a winner!

How do you pick out a dish to bring to a holiday shindig, and what is the hardest part about picking a dish for you?

If you enjoy finding new recipes, trying them, and tweaking them, you’ve got something in common with today’s Guest Clacker, Kelly Estes. She loves the aromas and unbeatable taste of homemade food, (as does her family). A former newspaper journalist, she’s now a freelancer who writes about food and politics, although not together! (Twitter: kellyestes)

Making tasty leftovers is one of my regular challenges. With a 3-year-old boy who frowns on anything remotely spicy, and a 7-year-old girl who has an adult’s palate, except when it comes to beans, the chef part of my job is always interesting.

Last week, after sauteing four pork rib chops for dinner, I had two left over for another meal. The next day, around 5:00 pm, I realized creative cooking was called for to avoid having tough, leftover pork chops. I quickly decided on a pork chili. Setting my pot on low heat, I diced about ¼ of a large onion and half a green bell pepper, and threw the diced vegetables in after pouring in about 1 tablespoon of EVOO. Looking in my pantry, I took out a 10 oz. can of mild Rotel and a 15.5 oz. can of black beans. After the onion and bell peppers had sauteed for about 10 minutes, I poured in the Rotel and rinsed black beans. Since the mixture looked a little thick, I also added about ¼ cup of water.

A perusal of my spice cabinet turned up one problem: I had run out of regular chile powder. I did have chipotle chili powder, which I had bought before I realized how spicy it was, and how much my son disliked it (way too spicy for him). Another check in my refrigerator uncovered leftover chicken from a roasted chicken, enough for my two children to eat. Whew! That meant that even if the pork chili was a little spicy, I still had (non-spicy) chicken for my kids to eat.

I added 1/8 teaspoon of the chipotle chili powder (my major error), ¼ tsp. of cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. of allspice, and 3/4 tsp. of cumin. I then let the chili simmer on low while I chopped up the two leftover pork chops into bite-size pieces. Once the chili had simmered about 10 minutes, I threw in the chopped pork and stirred the mixture together. I set the timer for 10 minutes, and took out the leftover rice, putting it in a bowl with a lid, along with a little water. It would take about 2 ½ minutes to microwave the rice, so I just needed to remember to do that at the last minute. While waiting for the chili to come together, I put the roasted chicken on a platter with a little water at the bottom of the platter. I’ve found the water helps the meat not get tough when it is microwaved. I chopped up a zucchini and microwaved it.

Bzzzzz. As the timer buzzed, I hurried over to taste the concoction. Whew! The spiciness rocked my taste buds. It was waaaay too spicy. Trying not to panic, I looked around for something to cool the chili down a little. Spying a 15.25 oz. can of creamed corn, I opened it and threw that in the pot, and let it simmer for about 5 more minutes.

Another taste test of the chili, and I declared it spicy and good. The creamed corn blunted the overwhelming heat from the chipotle chili powder in the pork chili. What a relief, considering that my husband and I had nothing else to eat if the chili was not edible.

I served the chili in a bowl, with white rice on the bottom, and a dollop of fat-free sour cream to my husband and myself. My kids enjoyed leftover roast chicken with rice and zucchini. I silently declared dinner another success.

Though the chili was still quite spicy, I found it to be very addictive, and ate the entire bowlful in front of me. The spicy pork chili certainly cleared out my sinuses and left my mouth tingling a bit. One thing is for sure: I need to purchase regular chili powder for my pantry!

I know that I am not the only one with a leftover story to tell. What is yours?

A. Camille Nicholson is a graduate student in Cultural Studies and English Literature. Although she worked as an E-Commerce Developer during the .com’s height, she attributes her burgeoning interest in the culinary/baking arts to her volunteer duties at a local non-profit bakery and the past two years teaching cooking classes for kids.

I have loved the Twinkie since the dawn of my birth. As a child of suburban New Jersey in the 1980s, my fuschia green lunchbox frequently entertained the usual elementary lineup: Watermelon Ssips, a bologna or peanut butter sandwich, chocolate milk (which inexplicably required school permission), and a member of the Hostess snack cake family — typically, its irascible younger sibling, the Twinkie.

I have consistently defended the Twinkie against verbal assaults from more nutritionally minded acquaintances. However, the Twinkie’s reputation is slightly better than what they assert, although, admittedly, by a small margin. Surprisingly, one Twinkie provides only 150 calories and 4.5 grams of fat. Although it contains corn derivatives and two types of glycerides, the only preservative embodied within its banana yellow sheath is absorbic acid. When introduced in 1933 during the Great Depression, its offering of two cakes for five cents assisted those enduring financial deficit.

Additionally, the Twinkie participated in the war effort. During the 1940s, the Allies wove banana peels into mats to prevent German troops from landing along Britain’s shores. The Continental Baking Company, at the behest of the National Board of Strategic Banana Reserves and Rationing, ceased to make banana flavored Twinkies. And, in the 1960s, the rumor of long-lasting Twinkies made the snack cake a favorite for bomb shelters.

Considering the childhood memories nestled within the oblong shape, I was unsurprisingly overjoyed to discover my ability to create them from scratch without undergoing the shame of purchasing a family-pack in-store, as a non-family person.

So, if you want to create your own ‘Twinkies’ or cream-filled cakes, feel free to follow the instructions below. I particularly owe gratitude to the site that reprinted the Vegan Lunchbox’s recipe.

Homemade Twinkies

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

- Get a normal cupcake/muffin tin. If you want the oblong shape, Hostess sells its own Twinkies Bake Set, but you can purchase a ‘petite loaf pan’ for around $10-12 from any bake or craft shop such as Michael’s.

- If you’re feeling lazy, use a box of yellow cake mix and follow the directions. However, if you’re feeling more adventurous, make your own batter from scratch. However, I suggest using cake flour (which is lighter) and omitting the peaches.

- As usual, Pam the pan, preheat at 350, cook for about 15 min, and cool.

- To make the cream filling, use the typical buttercream frosting recipe . If you have a pastry bag injector (or a quart-sized Ziploc bag with a pastry tip), fill the bag with the frosting until partially full. Now, here comes the magic which made me enamored with Twinkies from childhood on. Stick the pastry bag into the center of the muffin and squeeze until the cream enters the cake and a bit of overflow appears at the cake’s top. If you used the canoe or petite loaf pans, insert three holes into each snack cake. Feel free to fill some with strawberry jam for a healthier and adult treat.

- If you want, stop there and enjoy your moist, buttery snack. However, if you secretly desire to seep those lovely lasso cakes in a vat of hot boiling liquid, continue on your quest.

- A nice offset of creating homemade Twinkies is that they feature half the fat (and half the cost, as one box of cake mix yields almost 20-25 cakes).

Deep Fried Twinkies

- Freeze or refrigerate the cakes for 2-4 hours (to prevent disintegration and oil absorption).

- Once thoroughly chilled, roll the Twinkie in flour, dip into an egg beater batter, and roll in flour again.

- In the meanwhile, heat four cups of vegetable oil in a large, covered soup pot until it reaches a boiling point. Once it is hot enough, reduce the heat to a simmer. When you sense the oil will no longer rebel against you, uncover the pot, and insert your cake into the oil. Allow it to remain for 30 seconds (but no more than 90-120 seconds) and use metal tongs or a fork to submerge and rotate the Twinkie. Leave it in for the full time limit if you want a crispier snack cake.

- Fry 1-2 cakes at a time until complete.

- Enjoy with whipped cream and a glass of milk.

On a side note, because the homemade snack cakes lack cellulose gum they will absorb less oil and might not require the glass of antacid that I will still suggest you keep on standby.

Our (apparently coerced) Guest-clacker today is Stephen Degon, a retired manufacturing and engineering executive whose hobbies include food and wine. That means he loves to cook, eat, and drink, but not write about it.

Well, it’s that time of year again, when we all start to think about the perfect Thanksgiving feast. Thanksgiving is such a special holiday because it reminds us of how fortunate we are, even if we are in the throws of a financial downturn. It means family and friends without the need for gifts. This should lead to a no stress holiday right?…WRONG! Everyone feels enormous pressure to make the perfect meal, accompanied by the perfect sides, and served alongside a perfect wine.

Which brings us to what we really want to talk about…wine. Turkey is a fowl, so it should have white wine, right? How about the dressing? Does it contain lots of meats? How are the veggies prepared? All of these questions should factor into your wine selection, but most important is “what kind of wine do you really like?”

Here are some suggestions, depending on your particular leanings.

Cote du Rhone is a lighter red from France that provides an excellent alternative to the full bodied reds you might normally love to have with a good steak. Made up of granache, petit syrah, and mouvedre varietals, it has a peppery finish, which pairs well with a meat dressing, and goes great with turkey and gravy. You can find these for $15 to $20 in most wine stores.

If you really don’t like reds, but prefer whites (maybe reds give you a headache), then think about a sauvignon blanc varietal from New Zealand. These highly acidic whites have a flowery nose and a grassy taste which is clean and fresh, and will cut through the sweetness of those yams and squashes which are usually spiked with too much sugar. You can find an abundance of these wines for $10 to $15 a bottle.

Of course, for those who really love red wine, any food provides an excuse to imbibe. A Bordeaux varietal mixture goes great with turkey and all the fixin’s. These wines will contain cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, malbec, and cabernet franc. Lighter than a California cab, they will bring some compromise between the wine and the food for the palate to concentrate on. $15 to $30 will be needed for these.

A good California cabernet sauvignon will command your attention more than the food will. You can spend anywhere from $10 to $100+ for these, depending on your budget and taste. Some suggestions are:

• Lower Budget: Sabastiani cabernet sauvignon from the north coast…around $15
• Coppolla Claret for about $18
• Beringer Knight’s Valley for about $22
• Ferrari-Carano cab for about $30

You almost can’t go wrong serving wine with turkey dinner…just try to stay away from anything sweet like a white zin, reisling, or gewurtztraminer, and you’ll do fine.

a retired manufacturing and engineering executive
whose hobbies include food and wine.  That means he loves to cook, eat, and
drink, but not write about it.

Lauren’s back Guest-clacking for us again, after last sharing with us her diatribe on the atrocity that is mayonnaise.

I wouldn’t want anyone to think from my last post that I am a picky eater. I am, but I don’t want you to think that because I hate mayonnaise. Indeed, there are foods out there that other people looooooooathe — like I loathe the dreaded mayonnaise — that I just love.

My love of the fungus took a long time to procure. One of my first memories is sitting in preschool, in a big circle, and our teacher asked us to tell the class what our favorite food was. To say I was painfully shy when I was a kid is like saying Waterworld was a little bit terrible — a vast understatement. I was nearing the point of hyperventilation by the time the circle got around to me, and the only word I could manage to spit out was “mushrooms.” I had never eaten them, never even seen them outside of that one (kinda racist) scene in Fantasia, never had the desire to eat them at all. Yeah, I don’t know.

Well, somehow word got back to my parents that mushrooms were my favorite food and instead of rolling their eyes and going on about their day since kids lie all the time about random crap, WE WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE TO BUY MUSHROOMS. OMGWTFNOOOOO. The rest of the day is pretty hazy for me, but I probably cried a lot. And it took me years to finally give ‘em a whirl.

You have to start small when it comes to new foods, so I think the mushrooms started in good ol’ Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, probably in a casserole at a friend’s house. The trick is to not tell me what I’m eating until well after the fact. It worked out, because casseroles featuring cream of mushroom soup are delicious. From the casserole came soup, still cream of mushroom but in bread bowls at sandwich places.

Then my dad started making the Holy Grail of mushrooms: marinated portobellos on the grill. OH. MAH. GAH. It’s like steak. STEAK. But it’s a MUSHROOM. A giant, delicious mushroom with a texture like meat. I am not a vegetarian, nor have I ever entertained the idea, but man … if you said to me I could never eat steak again, but rather these delectable fungal steak substitutes instead, I would probably be less inclined to beat you upside the head.

While I get that the idea of eating a fungus is not so appealing to some people, those people just need to get over themselves. I have some good friends, some of whom are even vegetarian, who won’t eat mushrooms. And frankly, it makes-a no sense to me. There are so many different types of mushrooms to try! Spinach and porcini mushroom quiche? YUM. The portobello mushroom sandwich with spinach, goat cheese, and roasted red peppers at Caliente here in Richmond? DEAR GOD, YES PLEASE MORE OF THAT. Spinach, mushroom, and Vidalia onion pizza with feta? IN MAH BELLY! Mushrooms on salad, mushrooms in dips, mushrooms in lasagna, mushrooms atop a hamburger with onions! Truffles! More mushrooms! All the time! The flavor and the texture just meld together to form a perfect union, and their uses are plenty! Hooray!

Look, all I’m saying is that I gave mayonnaise a chance — over and over. And it did nothing but disappoint, enrage, and sicken me. But you mushrooms haters who have never had mushrooms because you can find them growing on a rotted out log? MISSING. OUT. So go on, give mushrooms a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised. Or maybe you’ll want to throw up. But at least you’ll know, and I’ll still think you’re wrong.

Today’s Guest-clacker, Lauren Delaney, works an incredibly exciting day job at a box factory, like John Locke from Lost. Unlike John Locke from Lost, she has a kid, loves to bake and drink (sometimes together, sometimes separate), and possesses no knowledge of how to slaughter a wild boar.

I am a woman of strong opinions. From politics to food to worthless reality celebutards, I have something to say about any and all of it. But nothing, and I mean NOTHING, not even Michael McDonald, arouses my ire more than mayonnaise. I will not call it “mayo,” because giving it a nickname somehow humanizes its putrid existence, like it’s trying to be beloved by all.

Well I for one will not stand for it! Mayonnaise is, quite frankly, The Devil. It is the most vile of all condiments. Sandwiches worldwide have been ruined by its wan pallor and sickly thick consistency (thinking about it now is making me mildly nauseous). The British and Dutch ruin their delicious chips and frites with mayonnaise.How can two seemingly innocent ingredients of eggs and oil come together and make such a nefarious concoction? The black magic of science, probably. (I’m not a food scientist, so the details aren’t very clear to me, but I think something called emulsion happens, which just sounds awful.)

The fact is, I don’t understand mayonnaise. The flavor is mild, though disgusting. It brings nothing to a sandwich. Now mustard? Mustard has flavor! A bright pop for your turkey and cheese! Be fancy — get some spicy brown or go all out and get the Grey Poupon! How delicious!

Also, the texture of mayonnaise is just… disgusting. It’s thick and creamy, but in the same way as old dairy products, not in a good, custard-y way. Mustard has no such texture! It is light and undetectable! A perfect complement to a BLT.

Mayonnaise is, in short, the worst thing to happen to the world. Oh, it has its place. Like if I want a tuna fish sandwich, a teaspoon of mayonnaise can go in, but only if I hold my breath so I can’t smell the rancid stench wafting through my kitchen while dropping it into the bowl. Occasionally a remoloude will be able to pass my lips, but only if heavy on the other ingredients and topping the greatest crab cake ever made. Only a smidge, though. And of course there are various dips and dressings, but, let’s be real people. They’re made so much better when you up the sour cream (mmm… sour cream) and downsize the mayonnaise.

You can flap your yap all you want about Hellman’s vs. Duke’s or how wonderful homemade is, but you’ll never sway me from my stance that mayonnaise is the worst thing in the world. Mustard wins all the time. I’ve sent sandwiches back before because they’ve had mayonnaise on them. Don’t think I won’t do the same in your house. Because I totally will.

Today’s Guest-clacker, Andrea, is a food enthusiast and all around geek with an interest in where her food comes from. Her interest in healthy eating comes from growing up in a household where processed food was limited, and a family that practices nutrition as preventative medicine. Her blog, Andrea the Gastronaut (a reference to a children’s song by a Canadian duo from the ’80s) can be found at https://www.canadianfoodiegirl.com.

Food Inc. begins with a stroll through the supermarket from the point of view of a grocery cart.  The camera cuts between a supermarket tour and individual price signs and food labels superimposed with opening credits a la Weeds. The accompanying music is reminiscent of the score from a Tim Burton film as if to forewarn ominous or frightening events to come.

The film ends with a call to action, a list of steps that one can take to affect change.

In between the film is shot like a book. The opening credits serve as the introduction, or the prologue.  Each titled section – or chapter – of the movie discusses a different food issue. Each chapter is a commentary on how big corporations are affecting our food with help from the U.S. government. The story becomes somewhat of a horror movie. The impact that big corporations have on farmers is frightening. Decisions affecting farmers are being made by company executives miles away far removed from the consequences.

Scarier are the revelations about Monsanto and how far they’ll go to protect the patent on their genetically modified seeds. One can almost imagine that Monsanto has hitmen working for them and that anyone caught saving Monsanto’s seeds could meet violent consequences. This isn’t far from the truth. Monsanto is a litigious company when it comes to protecting their patent.

Food Inc. introduces some of America’s farmers who are working under the food processors. It shows the illegal immigrant workers, arrested and deported at night as to not disrupt the food production during the day.

And the consumer? No one is safe from the affects “big food.” Not meat eaters, not vegetarians. Filmmaker Robert Kenner states that we’re creating foods that are making lower income people sick because we’re subsidizing certain foods that are not healthy. 90% of supermarket food has corn or soy in it because these crops are government subsidized. These products cost less than fruits and vegetables.

There’s a poignant scene in the film in which a low income family visits the supermarket. Dad is diabetic and spends much of his truck driver’s salary on medication. The mother and the younger of the two girls are obese. Dad laments that broccoli, at $1.29 per pound, is too expensive. The younger daughter asks for pears but at 99 cents per pound the family can only afford two or three. Her request is denied. Mom looks on, appearing despondent. In an interview she expresses sorrow: “Sometimes you look at a vegetable and say, ‘okay, well we can get two hamburgers over here for the same amount of price.'”

Not surprisingly, the big food corporations all refused to be interviewed for the film.

What can we do about this? Vote at the cash register, with our wallets. Demand change. Walmart started carrying organic products because there was customer demand for it. Gary Hirshberg of Stoneyfield Farms justifies his association with Walmart by saying that the more space that his products take up on shelves, the less space there is for non-organic products.

Hirshberg appeared on an expert panel for a Q&A that took place following the preview screening that I attended.

The irony of people eating popcorn and soda while watching the film was not lost. At one point during the screening a woman in the audience shouted out acknowledgment of that fact. It’s an issue that one of the panelists raised as well.

Food Inc. is difficult to watch. Some images are gruesome; so much so that you might shield your eyes. Animals were harmed during filming. The film is a wake up call, a depiction of ideas brought forth in books such as Fast Food Nation and Omnivore’s Dilemma. It is a call to action. If you’ve read books about the food industry you might not learn much, but the images are extremely powerful. It’s like watching the film version of a book, with less left to the imagination. The issues aren’t new but the stories are.

Food Inc. opened in LA. and New York last Friday and opened YESTERDAY in Toronto and many other cities. Check Food Inc.’s website to find out when it’s playing in your city.

View the trailer:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2sgaO44_1c

Annie Boyd, today’s Guest-clacker, is a freelance photographer (and part-time blogger) in Fairfax, Virginia who has spent the last six months devoid of all things fast and most things boxed/canned. She is free to eat whatever she wants to now. And she will!

Six months ago, I took a TB skin test. Six months ago, it came back positive. Now, I’ve lived in five different countries, and visited god knows how many others. It took a meeting at work for me finally come in contact with a TB germ-filled sack of ass. Six months ago, my doctor handed me a few pieces of paper which detailed the foods I could no longer eat due to their tyramine and histamine content. No alcohol, because these meds destroy your liver. I also couldn’t eat anything pickled or smoked. No chocolate or caffeine, either. And, as I would soon come to learn, I could eat nothing with soy.

Most of these things were a “try it and see what happens” kind of thing. Everyone’s bodies react differently to meds. I managed to put some things back into my diet (tomatoes and mushrooms), but soy remained the one thing that my body, now with veins pulsing full of Isoniazid antibiotic, would freak the fuck out over. The headaches were unbearable. I tried to go back to my doctor and ask for some migraine pills, and she said no. My headaches were being caused by my blood pressure spiking. She said to quit messing with the soy, unless I really wanted to have a stroke.

Poo.

Have any of you guys out there taken a look at what you’re eating? Have you read the list of ingredients? I developed a major respect for people with allergies and intolerances. Soy is in everything. Everything. Soy lecithin, soy flour, soybean oil.

I lost 50 pounds.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I didn’t eat. I created my own delicious dishes. I made my own stews, soups, fries (those didn’t turn out too well), Chinese food, pancakes and bread (that turned out fantastic). But I still craved. Oh, did I crave. I went from picking up McD’s breakfast every other weekend to not being able to eat a simple waffle.

Tomorrow I take my last dose of Isoniazid. Tomorrow is my last day of being a slave to ingredient lists, or asking what something is fried in. Tomorrow is my last day of being forced to stay away from coffee and tea. Tomorrow…. *sigh*

My friends have asked me what my first meal will be. What will be the first thing that I put between my lips and suckle with fervent bliss?

Holy crap … what will it be?

I can’t really go apeshit on Saturday. As much as I want to. The meds will still be in my chemistry, and it’ll take about a month before my body is really free to enjoy whatever it wants to. My family and friends are planning a big 4th of July party … full of booze and cheese and strawberries and chocolate. We’re gonna call it, “Annie Can Eat Again!”

So, here’s to the past six months of living in a strange and foreign world. Here’s to the future of trying new things, and rediscovering awesome (and not so awesome) foods.

Now, where’s my margarita?

Scott Shulman’s back Guest-clacking for us again, after sharing his thoughts about just how super Ina Garten is in his last post….

I was sitting at my go-to sushi place the other night and noticed a man and woman having what can only be described as an awkward first date. The guy (Guy) had rigid lines in his hair creating the tell-tale ‘fresh-haircut-box’ in the back of his head which showed off the noticeable white skin that used to be covered by his unkempt hair. The girl (Gal) wasn’t much better. You could tell she either spent a lot of time shopping for her outfit, or a lot of time making the outfit, because everything matched perfectly.

Honestly, it was probably one of the sweetest moments I’ve witnessed in recent memory. Guy’s trying to schmooze up Gal with the menu, even though he unknowingly has remnants of shaving cream on the side of his neck. Gal struggles with the chop sticks, inadvertently exploding soy sauce and wasabi across the table. All the while everything is sweetly being anesthetized with the combination of Asahi and sake, as it should be. It was all so cute and innocent … until they started bringing out the food.

It looked as though Guy took to the menu a bit too zealously, because when the uni shooters came out, my innate sushi sense started tingling, and I could tell it wasn’t going to go over well with Gal. (Very seldom do you see an apparent sushi novice jump into the deep end with uni let alone uni shooters.)

I saw her lean into Guy, undoubtedly asking what it was, to which he replied, “It’s really good,” (Good job Guy, brace her for the bad news) “It’s a shot glass with some sake,” (Not bad) “some green onions,” (The fuse is lit) “Tobasco,” (Tic) “smelt roe,” (Tic) “uni, which is sea urchin roe,” (Tic) “and a raw quail egg.” (BOOM!) Gal seemed more like Mariah Carey in a diva tantrum than the sweet girl from moments earlier, as she literally convulsed in her seat. (I’ve had a few uni shooters in my day and they really aren’t that bad … utterly uncalled for, but doable.)

Guy was faced with a debilitating conundrum. Do I take two uni shooters and utterly shatter any chance of hooking up with Gal? Or waste roughly thirty dollars on the ovum version of Surf and Turf and order chicken teriyaki? Needless to say, with the current state of the economy, Guy pounded his uni shooters in front of a thoroughly disgusted Gal, and the rest of their dinner ended as awkwardly as it began.

After dinner, the two uncomfortable twenty-somethings walked into the San Fernando Valley night, disappearing back into the depths of eHarmony. I leaned back in my chair and chuckled at the thought of how brash Guy was with his culinary mandates. I mean, you gotta crawl before you can walk, and he should have known better. (But I can’t really talk, considering I was eating dinner alone.) But that’s when I realized I too faced a daunting query. One that has plagued man since the beginning of time…

What’s the best first-date food to eat?

Stay tuned as I investigate.

Kymberly Pye, today’s Guest-clacker, lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four-legged children. When she’s not in the kitchen, she’s knitting or crocheting or hiking in the desert. Her favorite food is ketchup. www.kimberlypye.blogspot.com

Often the victim of making rash purchases based on the weirdness of a vegetable, I bought an acorn squash the other day with absolutely no idea what to do with it. I could cook it and mash it up Thanksgiving-style, but that’s hardly a meal for couple like us.

I scoured the Web for recipes, and like that one, everything seemed so Thanksgiving-y. Baked squash. Grilled squash. Stuffed squash. Squash as a centerpiece. But squash soup sounded great! The only problem was that every recipe called for fatty creams, chicken stock (we’re vegetarians), and loads of sugar.

I wanted something healthy and filling, so I studied a few different theories on squash soup and made up my own recipe.

For dinner we had Vindaloo Squash Soup with flat bread. There was just enough left over the next day for lunch. I mixed in some leftover rice from a couple days before, and the hearty meal was still free of sugar and excessive fat.

Feel free to leave out the Vindaloo seasoning if you’re not into that kind of thing. I tasted it before adding it, and the soup was just as delicious without it.

Vindaloo Squash Soup for Two

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 small head of garlic (about 10 cloves)
• 3 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons Vindaloo seasoning (My favorite is from Penzeys Spices, www.penzeys.com.)
• 1 bay leaf

Super easy directions:

1. Roast the vegetables: Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. (Clean them off and later on you can put them in a frying pan with some olive oil and salt. I dare say they’re even better than pumpkin seeds, as are Debbie’s roasted butternut squash seeds.) Place the cut sides down on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Peel and quarter the onion and wrap the whole head of garlic in tin foil, flaky wrapping and all. Place the onion and garlic on the pan and bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes, until the squash is nice and soft. Set aside to cool.
2. While the vegetables are cooling, you can toast those seeds if you want. You can also prepare the broth if you need to. I used one Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon with Sea Salt dissolved in 3 cups of water (even though the RVVB directions call for 2 cups of water).
3. When the vegetables are cool enough to touch, scoop the squash out of the skin and into a food processor. (I used my Magic Bullet a few loads at a time. Don’t worry about getting everything mixed together in even proportions. It’s all going to the same pot in the end.) Add the onions. Squeeze the garlic out of their skins. You may want to remove the little green sprout in the center. Add those to the processor and mash it all up until it’s smooth. You may need to add some of your broth to achieve this.
4. Put your soup goop in a saucepan over medium to high heat. Add the broth, Vindaloo seasoning, and bay leaf. Cook just until the edges start to bubble, stirring constantly.
5. Reduce to low heat and cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove the bay leaf, serve, and enjoy!

Darlene’s back Guest-clacking again, after sharing her recipe for chicken two ways….

First of all, I don’t intend to title every guest post with multiple variations on a single theme, but two important events happened this week in the Wilson household and both involved asparagus.

When I think about it, I would probably be a very content vegetarian except for the fact that I also love meat, fish, pork and poultry. Still, my favorite part of every meal is often the vegetables and, since I’m not a traditional breakfast food person, the first thing I go digging for amongst the leftovers the next day after I’ve made a fabulous meal is the veggies. They’re sort of like leftover Chinese takeout — they only seem to improve in flavor and they taste good at any temperature.

My kids, on the other hand, are not quite as enthusiastic. Rachel likes carrot sticks, Sabrina likes celery and they’ll both eat corn and broccoli. Anything else has been strictly off limits. Until this week, that is.

On Monday, I made steak with twice baked potatoes and blanched asparagus with lemon vinaigrette. Yes, I knew my kids wouldn’t eat it, but as is my custom, I planned to make them try it before giving my “You don’t know what you’re missing” speech and tossing some carrot and celery sticks at them. But something amazing happened instead — they tried the asparagus. Then they took another bite without prodding. Soon they were reaching for another spear.

After experimenting, Rachel decided she preferred the asparagus with the parsley sauce I had made for the steak rather than the lemon vinaigrette and after trying it, Sabrina and I agreed with her. My daughters continued to discuss what other dishes might be enhanced by the parsley sauce as I sat back and basked in the glow of my asparagus success.

Important event number two came later in the week. I’d had a busy day and just didn’t feel like cooking. “What do you guys want?” I asked my girls, “Mac & cheese or soup?” (or, in other words, “Dinner from a box or dinner from a can?”). That’s when Sabrina turned to me and said, “Can’t you cook something Mom? I mean, can’t you make something of your own?” — i.e., “I prefer your cooking Mom to anything that comes out of a box or a can.” Now what mother wouldn’t absolutely melt to hear her child utter those words? And without any bribery whatsoever!

But I still didn’t feel like a big production so I scanned the fridge and pantry, grabbed a few items and came up with “Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta and Walnuts.” I figured they’d pick out the pasta and pancetta and leave the rest, but to my delight, they both practically licked their bowls clean. From a culinary perspective, it was a wonderful week!

Blanched Asparagus with Parsley Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Blanch trimmed asparagus spears. I did this by placing the spears in a steamer basket set in a large pot with about an inch of water. Bring water to a boil, cover and steam spears for about 4-5 minutes. You want the asparagus to have that perfect combination of tender, yet still crisp. Remove to an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Drain, pat dry and arrange on a platter.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Either drizzle spears with the parsley sauce, or, if you have picky eaters at the table, serve the sauce separately and let everyone dress their own spears.

Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta and Walnuts

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pasta (medium shells work very well for this recipe)
• 2 TBS butter
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 5 oz. chopped pancetta
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, cut at a diagonal slant into 1″ pieces
• Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Set up pot of salted water over medium heat. Many pasta recipes tell you to set the water to boil and then start the sauce, but I’ve never been coordinated enough to get my sauce and pasta timing in perfect synch. Getting the water heated to a pre-boil temp allows you to control your timing better.

Meanwhile, place asparagus in a large measuring cup or bowl filled about ¾ full with water and parboil in the microwave for about 4 minutes. While the asparagus in parboiling, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Smash the garlic cloves with the back of a large knife; add the smashed cloves to the pan and cook, swirling frequently, until garlic turns lightly golden. Remove garlic from the pan and set aside. By this time, the asparagus should be done. Drain and immediately rinse the asparagus in cold water to stop the cooking. Pat asparagus dry.

Turn the pasta water to high. While waiting for water to boil, add pancetta and walnuts to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions. While pasta cooks, continue to brown pancetta until it begins to crisp (about 5-7 minutes). Coarsely chop the cooked garlic and add it, along with the asparagus, to the browned pancetta. Cover pan and cook 2-3 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Before draining the cooked pasta, remove ½ cup of the pasta water and reserve. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the pancetta sauce and reserved pasta water to the pasta and toss gently to mix. Serve with grated Romano cheese and enjoy!

Today’s Guest-clacker is Nicole Yates, who’s clacked for us on CliqueClack TV, most recently about Better Off Ted….

The Travel Channel has a bunch of great shows these days, but the one I love (besides No Reservations with Tony Bourdain) is Man v. Food with Adam Richman. The premise of the show is simple, he travels around and visits eateries in one town each week, but the best part is that at the end of each episode, he takes on a food challenge. It could be 30 dozen oysters, a seven pound burrito, an 80 ounce steak or a whole giant pizza. Sometimes he makes it and sometimes he does not, which I think is one of the best parts of the show. His voice-overs are hilarious and the crowd participation will make you cheer him on at home!

What really makes the show is the host Adam Richman, who, out of terms of full disclosure, I must admit, I have a ridiculous crush on (right up there with Jason Segel). I have watched, for years and years (because I have no life), a ton of Food Network shows where they take a chef, throw them on the road and they feign interest in whatever roadhouse/shack/restaurant/diner/grandmom’s house they happen to end up. Adam, while not actually a chef (or a competitive eater), actually seems to not only be genuinely excited about trying new foods and meeting people, but loves to goof around with them, and that all comes out in the show. It’s almost like hanging out with your best friend from grade school while he tries to eat the most of whatever you’ve got laying around!

They tend to definitely find some interesting places and to mix it up. In Denver, they hit a place that sells all sorts of big game meat that has been there since Teddy Roosevelt was president, in Minneapolis they hit 2 places that have competing Juicy Lucy burgers (burgers with cheese in the middle), and in NYC they find a place that has the hottest curry in the world (which, of course, was his challenge that week!). Even the city-specific little interstitials that he does to get ready for the challenge are funny: running with Vikings in Minneapolis and Eating burritos in the middle of the Broncos field are two great examples. It might be a little hammy, but it works!

The Travel Channel seems to have done it right with this traveling show of goofball-ness, food challenges and colorful eateries. Bourdain is great, but he is also kind of a too-cool-for-school guy at times, which works for him, but Adam is the flip side of the coin: wanting to see what’s out there, not taking it super seriously and working to get his picture on as many walls as possible! I just wish the show would come to Philly, I have a ton of places I could take him to, but oddly enough, nowhere that has a food challenge.

For another view on Man v. Food, head over to CliqueClack TV and read Bill White’s version, complete with original artwork….

Darlene Wilson, today’s Guest-clacker, grew up as a very picky eater (and she hopes her mom forgives her for that!). She started developing an interest in cooking after working at several top NYC restaurants. As a mom, she loves introducing her children to new foods and flavors, but she is not above nuking frozen chicken nuggets when the need arises.

What is your favorite part of the chicken? A cooked chicken, that is (for anyone inclined to respond with, “Its lovely tail feathers”). Growing up, my father always reached for the back. Odd choice, but as the youngest child of a large and very poor family, that was probably all that was left for him by the time the platter made its way around the table and he stuck with that choice for life. My mother always chose the thigh, a sensible choice, and my younger sister got the wings, but I was always a drumstick girl and since no one else wanted them, I always got them both to myself.

Flash forward and now I’m a single mom with seven-year-old twin girls. I remember the first time I decided to make roast chicken for my family. It seemed like such a traditional “Mom” thing to do. I tried a recipe that was very good (but which I’ve now tweaked to perfection) and proudly brought the platter to the table. And that’s when it happened — three hands reached out to select one of two drumsticks. That was one hand too many and one drumstick too few so I did what any mom would do — I let each of my daughters have a drumstick and I smiled with pride as they enjoyed my lovingly prepared meal. But internally, I sulked and pouted and wondered what ever possessed me to have children in the first place. And I was reminded of those heroic words of Charles Chicken’s: “I regret that I have but two legs to give to those who adore me.”

The solution going forward, of course, was quite simple. Now, I only buy drumsticks — well, for this recipe anyway. Since my recipe has two variations, I usually buy a big package of a dozen drumsticks and cook half the first way and a couple days later, I cook the other half the alternate way.

This recipe takes about an hour to cook, but there’s virtually no prep time and it’s hands off from the time you put it in the oven. Since the oven time and temp works equally well for potatoes, I put a separate pan of quartered new potatoes tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme leaves into the oven about 10-15 minutes after the chicken so they’re both done at the same time. Add a green veggie — I usually parboil broccoli for a few minutes in the microwave, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, drain well and then sauté with a little olive oil and garlic — and you’ve got a quick and delicious meal.

You can do a whole roast chicken if you want to stuff (the cavity, that is, with rosemary or thyme sprigs and a whole lemon) and truss, or just choose your favorite part of the chicken as we do. Just make sure it’s not skinless. The high temperature of this recipe insures a crispy crust that crackles like paper as you bite into it and juicy, tender meat underneath, but it’s the skin that seals in the moistness. Without it, I suspect you’d end up with something akin to a dried out chew toy that perhaps your dog might enjoy. Leave the skinless chicken for another recipe. This one is all about the luscious, crispy skin.

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

• One whole chicken (or drumsticks or whatever part of the chicken you prefer)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Variation One: Garlic salt
• Variation Two: Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

If you’re a chicken rinser (as I am), rinse the chicken and pat it dry — thoroughly. If you’re not a rinser, make sure you still pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Place a rack over a foil-lined pan. Lightly grease the rack with Crisco. I’ve tried olive oil, but Crisco seems to work best — just use it sparingly.

Liberally sprinkle both sides of the chicken with either garlic salt and pepper (for Variation One) or cinnamon and pepper (for Variation Two). Most people think of cinnamon in association with sweets and desserts, but on its own, it’s a savory spice and it adds a unique flavor to the chicken.

Roast chicken for 50-60 minutes until skin is nicely browned.

Enjoy — and no fighting over who gets which piece!

Pia’s back Guest-clacking for us again, after sharing her recipe for Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce last time….

My comfort food of choice is, without question, pasta. Growing up in a half-Italian household, we ate pasta about three or four times a week. And while my interest in cooking did not bloom until my mid- twenties, I managed to make half-decent pasta dishes (with a little help from the jar). Yes, I shamefully admit that my early cooking years included bottled tomato sauce.

My skills did eventually improve, and I began to make sauces from scratch. And now that I’m at ease in the kitchen, I’ve found that I most enjoy cooking with simple, fresh, high quality ingredients. I actually like being able to taste the individual flavors in a dish, rather than the overly sweetened Prego that I once doused all over my rigatoni.

In addition to loving all things pasta, I also adore seafood. So, one of my favorite things to make is seafood pasta dishes. Sometimes they’re creamy and robust, other times they are light and fragrant. I find both are comforting, depending on my mood. And so, here is my super-simple and light recipe for Linguine with Shrimp and Garlic:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of fresh raw shrimp, (peeled and deveined)
• half a pound of linguine pasta, cooked al dente (don’t forget to salt the water)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• juice of one lemon
• 3 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (add more or less to taste)
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by adding the olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, making sure not to let it brown. At this point, you can also add the red pepper flakes. Also add about 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and cook for 2-3 minutes until the garlic has softened.

Now you can add the shrimp to the pan. The shrimp will cook very quickly — about 3-5 minutes. Season the shrimp with a bit of salt and pepper. I find that a half teaspoon of salt is fine, because the pasta has been cooking in salted water. Start with a little and then see if you need more.

Remove the linguine from the boiling water and add it to the sauce. Add the parsley and remaining lemon juice and give it a quick toss. Allow the pasta to cook for a minute or two in the pan so it can absorb the lovely lemon juice and spicy olive oil. Serve immediately. And for heaven’s sake, PLEASE do not put cheese on this dish. You will destroy it. Eat and enjoy!!

I dreamt of bread pudding last night. I call these dreams foodmares because when I realize that my food fantasy is not greeting me when I wake up at 3:00 a.m., I’m completely out of sorts. They’re cruel, these foodmares. But in my dream state, it’s utter bliss. My sweet tooth should really be called a sweet jaw. I’m certain I could subsist on sugar alone, though my growing mid-section is a clear indication I should probably incorporate some veggies into the high glycemic regime I call a diet.

When I’m entertaining at home, I love serving wonderful desserts. It seems that no matter how elaborate or elegant the main dish was, my guests inevitably remember dessert. And so I do my best not to disappoint them. I have several tricks up my sleeve. But the crowd favorite on a chilly evening, is Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce:

Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of whole milk
• ¾ cup of raisins ( I like using golden raisins, but any variety will do)
• ¼ cup of good quality dark rum
• 1 ½ loaves of stale French bread (sometimes I use croissants) torn into bite size pieces
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of evaporated milk
• 1 ½ cups of brown sugar
• ½ cup of melted butter
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons of good vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Rum Sauce:

• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons dark rum

Place the raisins in a bowl with the rum and let them soak for a few hours until they’ve plumped up and absorbed the liquid. Remove the raisins, but reserve the remaining rum for later. Put the bread in a large baking or casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine the milk, evaporated milk, eggs, butter, vanilla, cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well with the reserved rum from the raisins and pour over the bread. Sprinkle the raisins on top and toss the mixture with your hands making sure all parts of the bread are covered by the liquid and the raisins are evenly distributed. Let it sit for about an hour until the liquid has been absorbed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Create a water bath by placing the baking dish with the bread pudding into a larger baking dish. Add water to the larger dish, about halfway up the sides. You will bake the pudding for about an hour. Sometimes a little more time is needed. You will have to see if the pudding has set. Use a toothpick and prick the pudding. If it comes out clean, it has set. Remove it from the oven and let it cool about 10 minutes before serving.

For the rum sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch, and stir into the butter. Pour in the cream, and cook stirring frequently until the mixture is just short of boiling. Continue cooking until it’s thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and whisk in the rum. Serve it warm over the bread pudding. Eat your heart out!

Jeff’s back Guest-clacking for us again, after sharing his Ultimate Burger recipe with us last week….

How many times have you gotten home after a long hard day of work, exhausted and to tired to cook? I have here some of my favorite and fast dinner recipes that are guaranteed to fill you up and stick to your ribs.
Manwich Spaghetti

Prep time: About 20 minutes
Servings: How many of you are there, and how hungry are you? This makes enough for me and Bo for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 13.5 ounce can Hunt’s Manwich sauce
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 medium size onion
• 1 pound spaghetti noodles
• Johnny’s seasoning salt
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper

Start a large pan of water boiling for the noodles.  Now, I was raised to add a little vegetable oil to the water to keep the noodles from sticking together during cooking, so I put just a splash of oil in the water and a dash of salt. I have seen some chefs say not to add oil because it prevents the noodles from absorbing the flavor of the sauce.  You decide which way is best for you.

In a medium frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine, whichever you prefer, and dice up the onion. When the butter is melted, add the diced onion and saute the onion until it start to turn translucent. Add the ground beef to the onions, and season to taste with the Johnny’s seasoning salt.

When the water in the large pan for the noodles is at a good rolling boil, add in the noodles and let them boil for 10 minutes. Stir the noodles occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the pan. Depending on how firm you like your noodles cooked you may want to boil them for more or less time.

Stir the ground beef frequently while it is browning. Once the beef is completely browned add the can of Hunt’s Manwich sauce and 1/3 can of water to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the noodles are done.

When the noodles are done, drain them and return them to the pan. Add the sauce and mix. let the noodles and sauce simmer for a few minutes and it will be ready to eat. Serve with a sprinkling of your favorite grated cheese and some French or garlic bread and you have a good meal that is filling and tasty.

Chili rice

How many of you read Ms. Molly’s post about brown rice in the oven?  I did. It sounded good so on my last trip to the Walmart I picked up some brown rice and tried it. I never tried making brown rice on the stove so I don’t know if this is easier or not, but it worked pretty good and the rice was good too.  Now, with the leftover rice in the fridge what do you do with it?

Bo was in favor of just setting the pan on the floor where he could clean it up for me, but I don’t think that crazy dog needed that much brown rice.  I decided to add the rice to a can of chili. Later I will give you my chili recipe that will make your mouth water like a baby cutting teeth, but for now any can of store-bought chili you have will do. Heat up the chili, mix in the rice and simmer it until it is hot and you have dinner.  Add some seasoned fries, grated cheese, and it’s a gourmet meal.

Refrigerator Goulash

This is really one of my favorites.  Get out a large pan, throw in a can of baked beans, and whatever leftovers  are in the refrigerator. Slice up some hot dogs, or that can of Spam you have been saving for a special occasion, some onion, a few slices of sandwich cheese and you are set.  The leftover brown rice would be good for this one too.

All three of these are tasty and easy to make, and they do not take much longer than heating up a can of Spaghetti O’s, but they sure taste a lot better.

Our Guest Clacker today is Jeff Love: Oudoorsman, Chef, Engineer, and all around great guy. To hell with the Rabbit food — I want to eat the Rabbit. https://jeffsshack.blogspot.com/

What is your favorite food? Mine is a cheeseburger. Where do you get your favorite burger? I prefer to make my own. I have yet to find any restaurant that can make a burger as good as mine. A lot of people think that a burger is the easiest thing to cook — just grab a handful of hamburger, smash it into a flat disk and fry it in a skillet. If you want a meal that will satisfy your hunger but leave your taste buds wanting more then this is fine, but if you want to experience the ultimate in taste and satisfaction, the burger is the most difficult meal to prepare. To start with, do not use cheap ground beef to make your burgers.

The Ultimate Burger

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground steak
• 1 pound pork sausage
• 1 pound thick sliced bacon
• 1 medium to large onion
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• thick sliced cheese of your favorite type

I prefer to use ground back strap from an elk. The smell of elk cooking makes my mouth water like nothing else can.  If you do not have elk or deer back strap, you can grind up some beef steak or just buy a couple pounds of ground chuck.

Start by chopping the onions; then in a large bowl, mix the ground steak and pork sausage. Mix them thoroughly then add the onion and mix that in. Mix in 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and a teaspoon of liquid smoke. Go easy on the liquid smoke. Too much and your burgers taste like they were slow cooked in a forest fire and people will question what you are feeding them.You are, after all, feeding them elk.

Next, form the mixed meat into 8 patties and place them on wax paper so they don’t stick together and place them in the fridge while you cook the bacon. Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. I like to use cast iron because it heats more evenly than those aluminum pans. My wife prefers them because they keep me in line without denting.  Fry the bacon to your desired crispness, and set aside to drain on a paper towel. If you are concerned about your cholesterol level, drain all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease out of the pan before you cook the burgers. Otherwise just cook them in all that hot grease.

If you are planning on grilling these burgers, you can cook the bacon before you mix the burgers and after the grease cools enough to not burn your hands, mix it into the burgers. After cooking the burgers, add a slice of cheese and two or three strips of bacon. Leave them in the skillet until the cheese melts.  While the cheese is melting, lightly toast the buns so they are ready.  Add your favorite toppings and enjoy.