Cluck-cluck!

Chicken is a staple in our home, and it's probably safe to say, that we consume it over any other meat. But I get annoyed with chicken, particularly boneless, skinless chicken breasts, because for the longest time, it was coming out dry! A lot of recipes that call for the chicken breast require that you either saute or poach (boil) the chicken, which lead the chicken to have the consistency of cardboard, with perhaps similar flavor. Now, a lot of this may have to do with the fact that I just don't have the skill, or patience to learn how to cook chicken this way succesfully, so for those of you like me, here is an alternative.

I've learned (thanks to Ina Garten, one of my Food Network faves!), is to drizzle your poultry with olive oil, sprinkle with S&P, and roast in the oven at 400, until cooked through. The time will completely depend on the cut of chicken you are cooking, but count on between 20-40 minutes. It will come out so juicy, tender, and best of all FLAVORFUL! You can either eat it right out of the oven, or cut it up and add to whatever dish you were making. The difference is amazing.

Chicken Style Rice

I cook with rice all the time, and I love it, but it tends to get pretty boring when cooked traditionally time and time again. So I've been playing with it a bit. Tonight I tried this to go with roasted chicken thighs and sauteed carrots. It was really good, and could really pair up well to any main dish. You'll find my measurements are

1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 palmful garlic salt
1/2 palmful poultry seasoning.

Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil. Simmer for twenty minutes, or until rice is soft and liquid is gone. Let me know if you like it, or of you don't :-)

Remembering Paul Newman

My whole life I watched Paul Newman films. His cool blue eyes and often nonchalant, cool, distinctly American persona is imprinted on my brain from watching films like Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,The Verdict,The Sting, The Hudsucker Proxy and Nobody's Fool. But more than that, I've long admired his charitable efforts.

While he could have kicked back, or used his fame for personal profit as so many stars do, he instead chose "shameless exploitation in the pursuit of the common good." The "common good" meant progressive social causes of all kinds--helping children, looking out for the well-being of animals, protecting First Amendment rights and more.

The Newman's Own product line started with salad dressing and every time you turned around it seemed there was another product--pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, salsa and more. Today there are over 150 different products offered by Newman's Own and according to the company, the profits from sales have raised over 250 million dollars for thousands of charities.

Not long ago I received some Newman's Own samples of organic products including pretzels and cookies. The one that impressed me the most were the Ginger-O's, spicy little sandwich cookies with a creamy filling. Crunchy and crisp and not too sweet, they are not only organic, but made without any artificial ingredients. For a store-bought cookie, they're pretty darn good.

More than just a handsome movie star, Paul Newman was a man who made a difference.

bbq bacon wrapped scallops... jumbo sea scallops nestled on a broccoli timbale with baby carrots...













i mean REALLY !!!!!!

white corn, fresh from the CDM farmer's market this morning...this was a fab combo !

Erawan Tea Room .................. Bangkok, Thailand

Pop by the Erawan Tea Room for Thai food after visiting the Erawan shrine. Erawan Tea Room is part of the Hyatt Erawan. The lunch time menu has many nice Thai food. My favourite is the grilled pork neck. Its lean mean from near the pig's neck. Marvelously prepared! High tea is served there in the afternoon.

Address : Erawan Bangkok494 Ploenchit Road,Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330

Tel : 02 250 7777

Webite : http://www.erawanbangkok.com/tearoom.php

Verve Bar & Bistro .................... Italian mafia in the menu

Gillman village was an old army barrack that dates back to the British colonial days. We can see some efforts to help develope this place into a F&B belt. Some friends told me that this place has the potential to become the next Dempsey Hill. At the moment, there are already several eateries but still not a crowd puller as Dempsey Hill. There are plenty of parking space here.

Verve, the new kids on the block here (opened about 7 weeks from the date of this write up), takes up the old British cinema building. So far it's the only Italian establishment in this area. There is a comfy lounge on the inside of the restaurant that extends out to the outside which is a popular section for people who wants to be near to the natural greenery while sipping their drinks. They have a small cellar for the wine enthusiast.

I was out here today as my two friends have cravings for pizza. We decide to try out pizza at Verve. The pizzas in the menu are all names of characters in "The Godfather"........Corleone, Vitto.....

We ordered;

1) Vitto Pizza, which is a classis magarita pizza that made Naples world famous. This is a basic tomato, basil and cheese pizza. My two friends who always ordered the magarita pizza at several other pizzarias (several times at Pepperoni at Greenwood, part of the Les Amis group) thinks that Verve actually made it good!

2) Ah Sao Pizza, a spicy chicken infused with lemon grass recipe that comes from a lady in Malacca. They've added the spicy chicken recipe into pizza. It taste good..........but only if you can agree with me on eating spicy food. My friends thought its a bit too spicy for them. But the menu did warned .........Not For the Faint Hearted

3) Duck confit Pasta, this one is not too bad.

4) Waffle with Belgian ice cream - The waffle is freshly made and they'll ask you to wait 20 minutes to get this prepared.

With the quality of food that they're serving, I was wondering where's the crowd on a Friday night! I think Verve deserves better. Maybe, the hipe of the F1 race have brought all people to the Marina Bay area.

Cost : about S$30 per person

Address : Blk. 7 Lock Road, Gillman Village

Tel : +65 6473 3655

Country : Singapore

Website : http://www.verve.sg/Site/About_Verve.html

FIBER-FULL BREAKFAST

homemade yogurt, TJ's fiber apple cranberry muffin, fresh fruit sprinkled with Psyillium husk makes for a filling fiber treat...

White Chili

Also from Cooking Light!

I HIGHLY recommend this recipe, even if you aren't a big fan of chili, or beans for that matter.

This was one of the best, and healthiest comfort dishes I have had in a long time. I think what made it so good was using green Tabasco sauce as the base of the broth. It's not near as hot as regular hot sauce, but has a deep, rich flavor. I put it on a lot of other things now, like eggs and sandwiches. I love recipes that lead me to discover other culinary gems!

2 tsp canola oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about one large)

2 cups chicken broth

5 teaspoons green hot pepper sauce

1/2 tsp kosher salt (regular salt works just fine)

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 TB ground cornmeal

1 19 oz can cannelli, or any white bean (I actually put in two 15 oz cans and it was great)

1/2 cup plain, fat free yogurt

2 TB thinly sliced green onions (fresh parsley or cilantro is also delicious)

lime wedges

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth, hot pepper sauce, salt, and chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth mixture, cool.

2. Add cornmeal and beans to broth mixture, stirring with a whisk; simmer 15 minutes. Mash about 1/4 cup beans against side of pan. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to pan; simmer five minutes, or until mixture thickens, stirring frequently. Top each serving with yogurt, onions and lime wedges.

6 Servings

Food Tip: This is when having frozen shredded chicken or turkey comes in really handy, rather then having to boil it then. Buy a few whole roaster chickens, or turkeys when on sale, cook them, pick them and you'll end up with 3-6 bags of shredded poultry meat. It comes in so handy when needing to cook a meal quick, and you can use it for SO many things.

Ziti with Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, and Gorganzola Sauce

This month's edition of Cooking Light was EXCELLENT. Of course, that magazine rarely disappoints. This recipe was so good that even my kids, and hubby liked, which made it even more of a winner. It has gorganzola, which is a type of bleu cheese, only I like it more because the flavor is richer and the cheese is creamier, mmmmm, mouth watering just thinking about it. And another bonus is you usually have a little cheese left over for salads and things.

(I doubled the recipe for my family of three and a half, and we ended up with one small serving left over).

4 ounces uncooked ziti

1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved (I used a regular vine ripened tomato, and it was a bit watery, so if you can't get cherry tomatoes, use a plum or roma tomato, they have a lot less juice)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (this is actually a pretty important ingredient, try not to skip it)

1 garlic clove minced

6 TB half and half (you can find it in fat free form)

3 TB gorganzola crumbled

1 cup fresh spinach

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

2. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes, salt, crushed red pepper, and minced garlic to pan; cook one minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in half-and-half and Gorganzola cheese; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in spinach and pasta; cook one minute or until spinach welts, tossing occasionally.

2 Servings

Meson de Candido ............... Spanish suckling pig, Sergovia, Spain

Meson de Candido is famous for their cochinillo (small pigs in Spanish). Cochinillo is actually like the Chinese roast suckling pig but done with different spices. The suckling pig is made so crispy that it can be cut up using plates in the restaurant. Yes plates. See it on youtube to believe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8rUZR1H5H4 Meson de Candido is located just beside the Sergovia aqueduct.

Address : Azoguejo 5, Sergovia, 40001 Espana

Tel : 921 425 911 / 921 428 102

Country : Spain

Website : http://www.mesondecandido.es/ingles.html

Ajisai Ramen ............... Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan

Ajisai Ramen is a popular ramen place near the Goryokaku Park. The 1 hour queue in the winter is worth the wait. I haven't seen ramen having so much creativity in it in Singapore.

Address : Goryokaku-cho 29-22, opposite the Goryokaku Park. Hakodate, Hokkaido.

Country : Japan

小笼包 Xiao Long Bao ............... best soup dumplings in Singapore

"Xiao Long Bao" 小笼包 (directly translated as - buns in a small basket), or soup dumpling is a Shanghainese dish that was originally or still steamed in small baskets. This is a common dish that is served in many Chinese restaurants especially during their dim sum hours. These little dumplings are typically filled with pork. The intricate skill of making the xiao long bao 小笼包 is to have them steamed and then resulting in a flavorful soup inside the skin. The minced meat is usually combined with the right proportion of gelatin and then wrapped into the skin (made of flour). When the dumplings are steamed, the gelatin melts to form the soup contained inside the skin. Nowadays, there are different variants of this soup dumpling by varying the different type of filling.

The photo above shows how the dumpling is typically picked up with the chopsticks. Looks easy but its a skill. In order to have the dumpling taste nice, the dumpling's skin should not be too thick but yet it needs to be thick enough to hold the meat and soup inside. The trick to pick up the dumpling without bursting the skin and spilling the "priced" soup is to hold the dumpling at the portion where the skin is the thickest. This is the tip of the dumpling where the folds on the skin converges. After you grab this tip firmly, but not too tightly, slowly lift the dumpling off the basket in a slow and controlled manner. Place it onto a spoon that is held by your other hand (always ready and near enough to dive in to salvage any spills from "accidents"), then into your mouth. Personally, I like to poke just a small hole and suck the soup dry before eating the rest. Toast to yourself with Chinese tea when you've completed this feat. Vinegar and sliced ginger are the common condiments that go with this dish. 

When I crave for this food I'll go to;

1) Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao 

The skin has a good thickness and texture. The soup and pork is made good. I'll come here for the original flavored dumpling (filled with pork). Some how the dumplings in the Ngee Ann City outlet is the best although there are several Crystal Jade's branches on the island.

Address : Ngee Ann City #04-27 

Tel : +65 6238 1661

Website : http://www.crystaljade.com/La_Mian_Xiao_Long_Bao.htm

2) Nanxiang Steam bun restaurant 南翔馒头小笼包

It is a franchise out from Shanghai. The original stall is in Shanghai Yu Yuan. (Comments on the taste, with reference to Crystal Jade) The soup is not as tasty and the skin just a bit thicker for my liking. However, when I'm here I'll like to have the soup dumpling that has its pork filling mixed with crab roe. This is premium good stuff. I'll definitely order the deep fried crab meat with crab roe (comes in the form of fried balls and contains soup in it). There's also the King sized soup dumpling that you just drink the soup from a straw.

Address : 200 Victoria Street, #02-53 Bugis Junction

Tel : +65 6835 7577 

http://www.yuyuantm.com.cn/yuyuan/cn/HotFood/Particular.aspx?StoreID=11

3) Qun Zhong Eating House 群众 / Jing Hua Xiao Ci 京华小吃 

The boss will not allow you in unless your party of people have all arrived and virtually has a "black" face every time I was there. (Comments on the taste, with reference to Crystal Jade). The soup is less salty but taste good. The skin is slightly thicker. When I'm here, I'll order the pot stickers 锅贴, (or gyoza in Japanese). The filling inside this fried dumpling is good. For desert, have the peanut and sesame filled balls in osmanthus soup 桂花汤丸. The osmanthus makes this desert extra fragrant. 

Address : 21 Neil Road

Tel : +65 6221 3060 

4) Din Tai Feng 鼎泰丰 

This is a franchise out of Taiwan. I'm reluctant to put this on the list but its many people's favourite. Personally, I think it does not taste as nice as the ones above EXCEPT FOR THE ORIGINAL STALL IN TAIPEI. 

Address : 290 Orchard Road, The Paragon #B1-03 

Tel : +65 6836 8336 

Cost : about S$20~30 per person.

Country : Singapore

chocolate chunk with pecan...

re-mixed with a touch more flour, more choc and more peacans

chocolate CHUNK cookies...like the devil in a little ball....

黑社会 Bosses ............... Service with the help of technology

黑社会, Bosses is a fusion Chinese restaurant in Vivo City that serves quite economically priced food. It has views facing Sentosa but all you see now are constructions going on for the Integrated Resort. What's most unique that makes the service in Bosses good is THE THREE BUTTONS. "CALL" "BILL" "BEV". Pressing one of the buttons will get the waiters and waitresses hurrying over for the bill and beverages. No hand waving, finger snapping, shouting needed to catch their attention. Wireless technology........I like their idea of improving service quality with the help of technology.

Bosses serves one of the better fried cuttle fish that I've eaten so far in Singapore. It's comparable to the best that I've eaten on the streets in Hong Kong. 

Like most Chinese restaurants, Bosses serves dim sum. The dim sum here is not bad at all.

If you have a sweet tooth try the fried custard bun. Its nice!

Cost : About S$20~30 per person.

Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk #02-156/157 Vivo City

Tel: +65 6376 9740

Miharu Ramen ............... Sapporo Nishiyama ramen

Tucked in one corner of Gallery Hotel, but facing the main road, is Miharu Ramen. Miharu serves Sapporo ramen. Like the restaurant, the menu is neat and simple.

The fresh Nishiyama ramen is imported from Sapporo and made from well water. After transporting to Singapore, the frozen ramen needs to be thawed for 3 days to perfection. A standard serving of ramen will come with seaweed, pork slice, corn and bean sprouts. Miharu ramen's speciality is in their ramen and they have a variety of soup bases to go along with the nicely textured ramen. The highight of Miharu is the ramen itself whereas, Marutama is known for the chicken soup base and Menya Shinchan is known for the pork bone soup base.

The following are what my wife and I ate last Friday evening.

Tokusen-Miso Ramen (S$13.00) - Special blended miso


Tokusen-Tonshio (S$12.50) : Special pork flavored blended with salt


Address : 1 Nanson Road Singapore 238909 @ Robertson Quay

Tel : +65 6849 8686

Country : Singapore

Website : http://www.galleryhotel.com.sg/html/indulge_sapporo.html

Shopping for the Hunger Challenge

I had a hard time deciding where to shop for a week of meals that were limited to $1 per person. I chose a big supermarket to try and buy a week's worth of food at one time. I don't know if someone on a budget would have the time and transportation resources to go from store to store for the best bargains.







Oatmeal
Barley
Pinto beans
Lentils
Macaroni
Spaghetti
Chicken bouillon
Organic raspberry jam
Organic peanut butter
Eggs
Cottage cheese
Mustard greens (frozen)
Organic green peas (frozen)
Smart Balance spread
Organic milk
High fiber bread
Cremini mushrooms
Organic celery
Raisins
Carrots
Organic romaine lettuce
Organic onions
Grated parmesan cheese

Total bill $55.02. Did I succeed or fail? Hard to say. A family on food stamps might not have $55 to spend at one time on food. But to get the best deals on products I usually had to buy in larger sizes. Some products were inexpensive but many really cost a lot.

Rude awakenings:
* Frozen vegetables are often a much better deal than fresh

* Bread is really expensive these days. I've gotten used to making my own and had no idea

* Some basic items like potatoes were very expensive and had to be left behind

* I tried to buy organic when I could, but it wasn't always feasible. Sometimes though, organic was cheaper than conventional

* The only meat I bought was bacon, which I will use as a flavoring, not a main dish

* Getting enough nutrients is hard! Some tasty foods are just not nutritious enough to make the cut

* Someone on a budget probably wouldn't have several types of olive oils, nut oils, and three kinds of butter. I chose Smart Balance because it is a healthier fat and can be used for cooking or on toast.

The Hunger Challenge kicks off on Monday I'll tell you more about it then, but for now, head to Blog Appetit and The Inadvertent Gardener to hear how my friends and fellow bloggers Genie and Faith are doing with the challenge.

GET INVOLVED!

♥ Join the Hunger Challenge

Pasteis de Belem--Lisbon, Portugal

"I just returned from Lisbon and only have one thing to say - Belem Pasteis de Nata"


Thanks to a reader for reminding me of what is the can't miss taste of Lisbon. While there are wonderful wines, tasty sausages, perfect cups of espresso and crispy salt cod fritters that all deserve your attention, you haven't truly experienced Lisbon until you have made it through the winding labyrinth of the cafe and bakery, Pasteis de Belem, in a pretty waterfront neighborhood of Lisbon and had a few fresh warm pastries.

Belem is a lovely area, right near the river Tagus, with views of the 25 de Abril bridge which looks amazingly similar to the Golden Gate bridge. It's green and spacious and filled with elegant architectural wonders; there are museums, monasteries, gardens and an outdoor market to explore. But one bite of the pastry, and all that is forgotten.

Known as Pastel de Belem, Pastel de Nata, (pasteis is plural of pastel) this little egg tart is the original version of the one you might find in a dim sum parlor. The crust is layers of crisp flaky pastry and the custard is eggy and sweet and melts in your mouth. Originally they were made by nuns with the eggs that were given to them as offerings. While the pastries can be found all over, I even had good ones at the airport, they are most famous here, the first place they were sold outside of the convent. The blue and white tiled cafe also serves excellent coffee, and other things to nibble, such as salt cod fritters, but the pastries are what have people lining up and jockeying for tables. Dust them with cinnamon and powdered sugar, check out the production behind a glass window and enjoy a treat loved by tourists and locals alike.

While I finish catching up, feel free to check out a few of my favorite photos from Portugal.

peach jello jiggler parfait...only 40 cals

black cherry jiggler parfait

BBQ scallop dinner monday night....

The Flavor Bible: Book review

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have done it again. They've written yet another book that is sure to be a classic kitchen reference guide for years to come. The Flavor Bible lists thousands of ingredients and what other ingredients complement them. A typical listing? Grits are compatible with cheese--cheddar and parmesan, corn, cream, garlic, mascarpone, nutmeg, black pepper, salt, andouille sausage, shrimp and Southern cuisine. These days I need ideas more than I need recipes so the format is perfect for me. The Flavor Bible helps solve the "what else can I do with brussels sprouts?" question and expands your culinary horizons with entries for unusual ingredients such as quince (which has an astounding 51 ingredients associated with it), or lavender.

The ingredient lists came about by reviewing menus, restaurant reviews and cookbooks from all across the country. Some ingredients also have a season, weight, volume, and technique(s) indicated. But there is more to the book than just that. Top chefs from Jose Andres to Vikram Vij share their philosophy about using specific ingredients and techniques and there are also lists of intriguing dishes and "flavor affinities" such as butternut squash, risotto and sage or mango, almonds and lime. The book is very similar in format to their earlier award-winning book, What to Drink with What you Eat.

My only nitpicks are that the list of chef experts are mostly from the East Coast and tend to be focused on European cuisines. There are no chef experts representing the cuisines of Asia (with the exception of India), South America or Africa, that said, the book does include quite a wide range of ingredients such as fish sauce, yuzu, plantain and achiote. Also, since even a book such as this cannot be comprehensive a little more room in the margins would have been nice so that notes could be added. Still I recommend this book wholeheartedly. I am already finding it an endless source of recipe inspiration and impossible to put back on the shelf.

haricot vert...baby green beans...whatever you call 'em...

sprinkle a little lemon zest to really bring alive the flavor

BLACK COD...


absoltely "melt in your mouth" good...

Oatmeal Sandwich Cremes

One thing that I really love about food is that there is food for every season. Fall and winter are especially fun because you really get to work your way into the wonderful comfort foods that warm our body and soul. So when looking for something to make for my daughter's preschool, I wanted to make something that would be appropriate for fall weather, but fun for kids as well.

Oatmeal Raisin cookies are so wonderful for the fall. They are earthy, dense and comforting with the rich flavor of cinnamon and brown sugar. And of course, you add filling and you have a kid pleaser on your hands. I will warn to you adults though, the cookies are very sweet by themselves, so if you are making them for yourselves, you may be completely satisfied subtracting the filling! Happy Fall!

3/4 cups shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cups raisins

FILLING
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3-3/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, water and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and raisins.
2. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a greased glass. Bake at 325 for 13-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
3. Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl; beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom of half of the cooled cookies; top with the remaining cookie.

Chocolate Cherry Bars

I'm sorry that the food blog has been a little slow lately, I've been in a bit of a food slump during all the transition we've been dealing with. Hopefully as time goes on, and life slows down a bit (does that really ever happen?), there will be a lot more food-alicious blogging amiss.

As I believe I've mentioned in the past, there aren't many recipes that I repeat over and over simply because I like to try new things as often as possible. However, when I need to put something together that I know will be a crowd pleaser, I have my few fail proof recipes that always manage to impress. These Chocolate Cherry bars are really easy to make, and have turned even the staunchest cherry loathers into believers. It's also got an icing that's TO DIE for!

Bars
1 pkg. pudding included devil's food cake mix
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
1 tsp almond extract
3 eggs beaten

Frosting
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
5 TB margarine or butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour 9x13 inch pan. In large bowl combine all bar ingredients, stir until well blended, pour and spred into pan.
2. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
3. In small saucepan, combine sugar, milk, and margarine. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour and spread over warm bars. Cool 1 1/4 hours or until completely cooled. Cut into bars and devour like a rabid animal!

BBQ'd fresh true Cod with black beluga lentils

Off to Portugal!

A few years ago I wrote WinePassport:Portugal. It was a great project, and I learned a lot about Portuguese wines, but there was no budget for a trip to Portugal. Ever since then I've been very eager to visit. I was in Portugal once, 20 years ago and now I am going back!

I will be in Lisbon, Porto and the Douro Valley for one week. I may or may not be posting from the road. I will have lots to share upon my return, I'm sure. I don't think I'll have much free time, but if you'd like to share your top tips for Portugal, please feel free to leave a comment.

finger drippin' good...whole wheat breakfast wrap with Tapatio, of course...

un-wrapped egg wrap....

Bedside Reading for the Culinarily Inclined

What do you consider a good beach read? Something entertaining? Light and fluffy? What about a bedside book? I like a vacation read that I can completely lose myself in, but next to my bed I need something I can pick up and put down endlessly. Right now I have a few of those books.

The first is How to Be a Better Foodie and it's subtitled "a bulging little book for the truly epicurious." Can I just say if there is anything more irritating than someone using the word foodie, it has to be someone using the brand name epicurious as if they made it up. It's a website, ok? Despite the annoying title, the book is a lot of fun. It's filled with little tidbits of information that you will either find essential or completely trivial but either way it is equal parts entertaining and informative. Do you know how mustard got its name? What to savor in Franche-Comte? What and who inspired the famous blue Le Creuset? What season to eat fresh lotus flower root? It's all in there and then some. It's not a book to read cover to cover but it it enjoyable nonetheless.


Another book I dare say you won't read cover to cover is A Food Lover's Treasury. The tidbits in this book are all literary. Browse through bon mots or longer passages. You might find the perfect tagline, I rather like "one can say everything best over a meal." The book is organized in a pleasantly idiosyncratic way, again, it's perfect for picking at, like a plate of tapas or mezze. The book favors authors from England and English speaking countries with a few exceptions. Authors from Jane Austen to Emile Zola are included in the book so you're sure to find something to enlighten, enchant or just to while away the time until you fall asleep.



My final pick is The Food Snob's Dictionary. It's the kind of book that can make you feel smug for knowing who Gilbert Le Coze is, the difference between Wagyu and Kobe and how to correctly pronounce Grant Achatz. Of course, my esteemed local bloggers may take great offense to the definition of the Ferry Plaza Marketplace as a "one-stop San Francisco mecca for Food Snobs" then again, maybe not. The recent popularity of the Omnivore's 100 is an indication that we like showing off what we know and what we've tasted. This book falls in that category and the definitions are sometimes witty, sometimes snide and sometimes up for debate.

a "DONUT" peach ???...you must try one if you haven't....

Fancy P's "country apple pie"...

ahhh...the cooling stage

mom's fresh baked banana bread..you can almost smell it...the recipe is from NANIE, my highschool boyfriends' grandmother...so you know it's good

three little loaves ready to go....

this summer's seedless grapes were sensational...they literally popped in your mouth...