Fer Food

Daily Food

2008-10-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I miss you. I miss posting and I miss having free time to research and photograph food. My days are all running together as I am chasing after my baby.

Do you find that you eat the same food everyday? Or do you mix it up? Do you try to mix it up or do you just get bored eating the same food everyday?

I go through stages with food. There are moments (sometimes lasting for months) that all I want to do is have a certain food. I buy the food regularly and eat it almost daily but for sure weekly. Then for no reason at all I just stop buying it as I forget about it or I guess lose interest. It is fun to once again find those foods years later and remember how in to it I use to be. Sometimes it is a new love affair all over again and sometimes I wonder what the attraction was!

Here are a few new love and some old loves that have come back to me:

1. NEW- I am in love with vanilla yogurt. I have never given it a chance until recently. I am crazy for it and can't believe I haven't given it any screen time until now.
2. OLD-It may be because the weather is feeling more like Fall....I WISH! It was 87 degrees in Santa Monica today. I can dream I am feeling a crisp day and all I want to do is curl up with a book and a glass of milk with some graham crackers.
3.NEW-Freeze-dried fruit. I like peaches and apples.
4. OLD-Squash. I am REALLY into squash. I am sure it is the season but I eat it all week long and almost at every meal now. I went to the market today and bought three new varieties.
5. OLD-My biggest obsession since I last wrote.....BOBA. I have it everyday sometimes 2-3 times a day. I am going to become that bubblegum girl in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" except be a HUGE ball of boba. I love it in green iced tea.

My daily foods right now are: avocados, bananas, milk, limeade, bagels with cream cheese and strawberry jam. I eat more than these things but I honestly eat these items everyday right now. What do you eat everyday?

Good Food For All

2008-04-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

My heart is turned home these days. Having a baby does that to you. I find myself wondering where the money will come from to pay for my passion for good food. I love making food but I love the good ingredients that good food requires. I shop the farmer's markets for produce. This helps. We are lucky to live in a place that offers so many markets three times a week.

I recently read this article. This woman goes beyond having a passion for good food on a budget. She really makes every dollar work for her. Now I don't see myself dumpster diving anytime soon but I give her a HUGE amount of credit on making her budget work. It was an inspiring article. It touches on a topic that I wish I could change in this world. The notion that you have to be rich in this country to eat well. I think if you are rich eating well is easier and let's face it you do eat better quality food. You have access and money to do so. We have to remember(we=on a budget) to ignore the marketing that goes into food. Go for organic, go for no hormone meat but ignore the prepared foods and make it yourself. This alone will make your dollar go a long way.

If your money is tight, eating well has to take on a huge priority to make your budget work for your family. I think city dwellers have the worst time as we don't have the land to plant our own vegetables. That said-if your city dwelling offers you the space container gardening can be fruitful.

Any other ideas out there?

Not For Me

2008-04-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

These days my life is all about the feed. My husband affectionately calls me lunch wagon as he brings our son over to me for his next feeding. I am awed by the fact that my body can supply all the food and nourishment our son needs. It is truly amazing.

This week as I checked in with some of my foodie reads, I found this article. I don't think I could partake. As much as I am a pro-breast milk mom...

That's a Wrap!

2008-03-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have revisited the land of wraps. There is something delicious about this simple sandwich. I like the spinach flavor tortillas. I add vegetables, lunch meat (no nitrates!), salad dressings and cheese. It is fun to experiment. I don't think I have made the same wrap twice. A wrap is just so much more appealing to eat than an everyday plain sandwich!

Happy New Year!

2008-02-23T09:21:00.001-08:00

I thought I would give an update. I had my baby! He was born on December 22, 2007 at 1:30 pm. Hence-why there has not been a regular post for so long! He is a beautiful baby boy that we named Evan.

Food for 2008? Each new year I love to research what is being marketed as the food trends for the upcoming year. Here are some of my findings:

Local, fresh, natural, organic. All I can say is THANK GOD would we want it any other way? This has been an ongoing trend for the last few years. But now it is affecting every level and aspect of food, from farmers markets to convenience stores, even fast-food chains.

Probiotics. Have you seen those yogurt commercials about digestion? Geez. This friendly bacteria keeps us healthy is now moving beyond yogurt to a wider range of foods, even chocolate bars. While most aid digestion, one strain targets cold and flu symptoms.

Natural no-cal sweeteners. The introduction of erythritol (zero-calorie natural sugar) sweeteners and Coca-Cola's move toward gaining patents and FDA approval for the food use of stevia (up to 300 times sweeter than sugar) put that longtime industry goal within reach. And artificial sweeteners on the "out" list.

Umami. The satisfying but hard-to-describe taste sensation is linked to high levels of glutamate in foods like Parmesan cheese and mushrooms. As more foods are stripped of fat, sodium, sugar, calories - and with that, flavor - chefs are starting to use umami (oo-MA-mee)-rich ingredients to compensate and heighten remaining flavors naturally.

Eco-friendly. From individual foods and packaging to sustainable agriculture, wind- and solar-powered farming, fair-trade foods, it's the wave of the future. And to reinforce that. . . .

Farmers. These new food stars are moving into the high-profile territory ruled by celebrity chefs. Locally, that puts the spotlight on our own Farmer Glenn - Glenn Brendle, owner of Green Meadow Farm in Gap, which supplies produce to area restaurants, including the sweet berries used by chocolatiers John and Kira.

Food on speed dial. Quick cook, quick serve, it's all about convenience and saving time. Placing orders (and paying) by cell phone while en route to pick up food from a take-out, a supermarket or a neighborhood restaurant is about as quick as you can get.

Online groceries. A slow starter, but catching on as delivery service improves. I did this recently. I wasn't that all impressed. They brought to my door 20 boxes of Cheez-Its. Now I didn't order one box let alone 20! I looked at the delivery guy and said, "Are you serious?"

Niche restaurants. Coffee bars spawned chocolaterias. Sushi bars led to seviche bars. There are "restaurants" focused on mac-'n'-cheese, others dedicated to desserts. Restaurant consultants Joseph Baum and Michael Whiteman call then "slivers" in the market. Among the latest entries: shops for Korean frozen yogurt, the tart stuff, not imitation ice cream.

Gastro-pups. Coined by Rozanne Gold, author of Kids Cook 1-2-3, the term refers to the revival of serious kids' cooking. Kids' cooking classes are cropping up across the country, and we're seeing more prepacked kids' foods in stores. On the downside, that includes more beverages like Crayola-colored vitamin waters and bottles reusable as toys.

Bottled-water backlash. Still a huge chunk of the beverage market, bottled water is seen by activists as a major source of environmental overload, however recyclable. Why spend billions bottling and shipping water around the world when it comes free from a tap? It is all about the tap this year. Forget all of the water taste tests!

Yumberries. This subtropical fruit from China, with its cranberry-like taste, is the next hot "superfruit." It's already being teamed with familiar flavors in blended juice drinks.

Caffeine. Eggs are back in the good graces of the food police, and even some fats have their blessing. Now caffeine is being not deleted but added to foods from oatmeal to mints to potato chips.

Gastro-thrills. Talk of pork bellies these days is less about investments and more about menu additions, as less familiar cuts and animal parts, nose to tail, turn up on menus - making it all the more important to know and trust the chef.

Clean labels. Ingredient lists are getting easier to read, more consumer and eco-friendly, less like a chemistry experiment. About a quarter of new food products last year made claims of being additive- and preservative-free.

The bar chef. Gastro-bartenders are making creative, constructed cocktails, using more fresh and health-oriented (including organic) ingredients, from fresh herbs to superfruits, along with combination dessert-cocktails.

Food travel. Tours and trips planned around food experiences, a country's cuisine or cooking lessons - once just for dedicated foodies - are attracting ordinary vacationers.

Quoted Trend source

Fer Food Friday

2007-11-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

Don't put all of your eggs into one basket!

***Fer Food Friday is a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

To Give Thanks

2007-11-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

My friend Michelle listed 96 things she was thankful for this year. I wanted to share mine too (These are not in any specific order just how they came to mind). I like to think of this as a celebrate the world around you exercise.

96. Homemade pumpkin pie the day after Thanksgiving straight out of the fridge. (God I love it cold!)
95. Experiencing my first Hawaiian Lu'au
94. My weekly dinner of cheese tortellini with olive oil, fresh cracked pepper and parmesan cheese.
93. Living in California and the incredible source of foods we have here...
92. Working in an environment that I love.
91. Spending only two days in the hospital and then bedrest for only one week when we thought it might be 6-8 weeks.
90. Being pregnant! My new healthy, little friend who is kicking me all the time and reminding me my quiet times are soon to come to an end!
89. Pinkberry. Yes I still love it.
88. Laughs with my sister on the telephone. God-she is funny.
87. The nights of neighborhood walks to and from Houston's for a favorite meal.
86. My new kitchen arrangement.
85. The way Steven sings when he cleans.
84. Seeing a whale for the first time.
83. My mom's diagnosis. No chemo required!
82. A year would not be complete without Table 36. Especially this one...since there were "3" and "3".
81. My copies of Russian recipes from Anna.
80. Eating small foods in Neena's kicthen.
79. Weightless swimming with a prego belly.
78. Southern Cal weather.
77. The $200 cabinet that was the perfect size and the perfect look.
76. Orange juice.
75. Cold milk.
74. Vanilla ice cream with wheat germ.
73. The perfect pen and perfect pad of paper.
72. Seeing old friends and feeling like it had not been 10 years since I had seen them last.
71. Prenatal yoga and Jamba Juice with my friend Brandie.
70. My I-phone!
69. Surfas grilled cheese "to-go" box.
68. Shaved chocolate.
67. The farmer's market(s).
66. Drinking Gin and Juice with close friends in South Central....(BLUE gin and juice)!
65. Selling and giving away old stuff.
64. Funny food photos.
63. Reggie's deliveries of chocolate chip cookies.
62. Quiet Saturdays.
61. Lemonade. I cannot get enough of the stuff.
60. Eating tangerines by the bagful with my Father.
59. Finding the perfect highchair.
58. Gordy.
57. Neighborhood restaurants to walk to...
56. Mixed nuts but especially the almonds.
55. Finding my friend Mike again.
54. 13 years of marriage.
53. Cinnamon rolls.
52. My IM friends.
51. Healthy friends and family.
50. A full fridge. Nothing left on the shopping list!
49. My dinner at Greek Town in Chicago.
48. Flowers. Especially tuilps and peonies.
47. My laptop.
46. Cornbread.
45. Going to the beach.
44. Refinding favorite songs.
43. Passing on a "to-go" restaurant list to some friends that are going to Portland, Oregon for the first time.
42. The first hot chocolate with marshmellows of the season.
41. French Market lunch food delivery for a busy work day.
40. Finally buying the perfect coffee grinder!
39. Neighbors.
38. Laying by the pool and watching the Hawaiian clouds pass over my head.
37. Shoo's corner and all of her memories.
36. Friday night club dinners although few and far between...
35. Black boots with pointed tips.
34. Port.
33. My HUGE stainless steel bowl.
32. Putting up xmas lights early!
31. The find of the perfect hot fudge sundae and the perfect date to eat it.
30. The nightly ritual of hands on the tummy and our gasps of "wow" and "what is he doing in there?"
29. New cookbooks and ideas.
28. Knowledge.
27. Looking back at the last year of photos. Time goes so fast.
26. Fer Food.
25. Going to the movies on the scooter.
24. Balloons.
23. Kind words from strangers.
22. The ability to travel.
21. Cupcakes.
20. Quesadillas with chicken, cilantro and fresh salsa.
19. Sunsets.
18. Laughter.
17. Our new screen door.
16. People that actually use turn lanes and signal.
15. A little black cat named Jasper.
14. The ocean.
13. The perfect blue-grey paint color for the bedroom.
12. Bananas. They are the perfect food.
11. Making "pretty" meat trays with Duong.
10. Baby hiccups.
9. Getting gift packages in the mail!
8. Antique photos that make you want to know the people in them or atleast make up a story about them.
7. Color.
6. Big buttons on clothing.
5. Freedom.
4. Diversity.
3. Family visits and card games.
2. Carrots and Hummus
1. Quietly cooking at home for two.

Hawaii

2007-10-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

I took my own advice and went somewhere to rest. Hawaii! I had never been there and was not disappointed. So-beautiful and lush. I felt the difference of pace as soon as I exited the airport and smelled that Hawaii fresh air. I rested and I learned alot too.

I went to my first Luau. I tasted Poi for the first time.

Being pregnant, I drank alot of virgin smoothies and ate alot of fresh fruit. Ahhhh. If only I was still there.

Fer Food Friday!

2007-10-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

***Fer Food Friday is a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

Rest

2007-09-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have had some conversations with friends lately on the need for rest. We are all so busy that no one seems to make rest a priority. Have you noticed that even when you get that three day weekend that you have been looking forward to for months, you really don't find yourself resting...as you find yourself fixing, organizing and working to get all of the other things in your life done that you never have time to do!

Work seems to be the number one priority in everyone's life. I understand it. I love my work and it is also provides for me. I just wonder if we would all be just a little happier if we would just step back a step or two? What would your life be like if everyday you were told to leave work on time? If you actually took a lunch? If you picked up some food or brought it from home and just sat outside reading for an hour? I find I never find this freedom. I don't pause. I hurry to the next thing so that I can find some relief from the pressure of deadlines. But-what I find is I never win. There is always the next set of deadlines. So-week after week I push myself to find that the next week brings the same struggle and the same rush.

All of this effects what I eat and what food I supply myself for nuriousment. Now that I have a baby on the way, rushing and forgetting to eat isn't working well for me. Let's not even mention the guilt I have for not eating for baby...but it just isn't good for us not to eat or hurry to eat. But-we all do it. We get busy and forget to eat and elminate the energy we need to work more effectively and have the energy to keep going.

I challenge you this week to watch your daily eating patterns and how work effects you. What can you do to help yourself be better at taking care of yourself and simply eating when you need to eat? I think by taking the steps to getting in touch with our basic needs to eat, we may find that we acknowledge our need to find rest too.

-Fer

The Food Bowl

2007-09-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

My pets always find me. I have never bought one or looked for one. It was the same with "Shoo". She found us as a four month old stray. When she died this past Spring, I left her food bowl out. It was just something I wasn't ready to put away.

I knew that eventually I would need to put it away but in someway it has stayed in place as an homage to her. My cat loved to eat! We found that she loved lunch meat, tuna and she loved milk. She also had this liking to olive juice! She was insane for it. We wouldn't give her these goodies all of the time. On that special weekday lunch or that Tuesday night when no one else was looking...these were the times she would get rewarded for just being a great cat.

Recently, our next door neighbor got a new kitten. The kitten's name is "Sparks". He is hilarious, spunky and full of energy. Everything a little new kitten needs to be. We are the only neighbor that doesn't have a cat so Sparks has claimed our place for his afternoon naps. We keep the door cracked most weekend days. Sparks sneaks in and finds himself a spot under the coffee table or even recently curled up in a ball. After his nap, he will go into the kitchen and visit our cat's food bowl. Each visit this new kitten is gently removing a small amount of food from Shoo's bowl. I can't help but smile when I hear the "Crunch!" "Crunch!" coming from my kitchen corner. This little new visitor has not only given us new laughter and joy but is helping us with our healing process of cleaning out the cat bowl. I have always said that pets find us and they do!

-Fer

Your Last Meal...

2007-09-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

If you had to choose your very last meal-what would it be? Take a look at this.

Guacamole Wars!

2007-09-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

We had a Guacamole war! There were four of us and each made our own special recipe to share with the group. It was interesting because we each only used one avocado which for me made the recipe tougher as I am use to making a batch using 2-3 avocados. It was an interesting mix of recipes. All recipes were made by hand and used no "specific" measure. We made a guesstimate in the measurements below. One of the interesting things about making guac is how truly intuitive the recipes can be as all of these are really never made the same way twice! Even the variable of how fresh the avocado is really plays into the guacamole you will create. We voted only on the "Overall Best" but we listed all of the recipes below

The overall Best Winner:

Steven's Guacamole
2 avocados, room temperature
2-3 cloves super-finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped purple onion
1 tablespoon (approx) coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/6 ounces finely chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 to 1 full lemon (depending on size)
1 small red tomato

Always start with the garlic. You want to take your time with the chopping and make it as fine as possible. The best way to do this is to do it first when you have the most attention and energy. Peel and finely chop 2 or 3 cloves of garlic and place into mixing bowl. Repeat for the purple onion, but the onion may be a bit coarser for better texture. Add salt and pepper. It's best to use a peppercorn to provide the freshest grind of pepper. It should be sufficient to turn the peppercorn approximately 25 times per avocado used. Cut the lemon into 8 pieces. Use only half of the lemon first. Later perhaps use the other half depending on personal taste and variances of avocado and lemon sizes. Remove lemon seeds and use your thumb to plow as much juice and pith as possible from the hide. Pith is good. It will provide little pockets of brightness and variety to the dish. Next, pull the leaves from the cilantro plant and chop this into fine confetti. Add to mixing bowl.

Peel and cut the avocados to provide four quadrants per avocado. Take each quadrant and squeeze with your hands till the avocado meat is pushed through your fingers and into the mixing bowl right on top of the spice pile.

Now for the mixing. The right bowl and mixing tool is important, as you want control over the texture. It's best to use a high-walled metal bowl and a flat spatula to fold the ingredients together. You are not blending the avocado, you are combining the ingredients. Also note the tomato hasn't been added yet. Turn the mixture just till blended, as you would pancake batter to protect the texture. At this point, taste the guacamole for the noticeably present but subtle lemon. Add a few wedges of lemon if needed. Now for the tomato. Chop the tomato into 1/2 inch chunks which will likely become smaller during the mixing. Add chopped tomato to mixing bowl and turn 4-5 times simply to distribute the tomato.

The end result should have a texture more like thick mashed potatoes rather than yogurt. It should hit the palate sharp at first with the garlic and onion combination. The avocado should act as a vehicle for the queue of spices and allow them to take turns on your tongue. The lemon should be more of a scent rather than a real taste and should provide levity. The cilantro should be an afterthought component along with the lingering presence of the garlic. The salt should not be noticeable, but like a cookie, should offer its services as an incentive to take the next bite!

Enjoy!

Next in line for overall simplicity:

Ben's Guacamole:

1 Avocado
Fresh Ground Pepper
Sea Salt
1 Whole Lime (Juiced by Hand)
One Medium Tomato
1/3 Minced White Onion

Mince onion to 1/8" x 1/4" Wide place into bowl.

Add salt and pepper (About 1 tsp each)

1 Medium tomato quartered and squeezed into bowl-discard skin.
Cut avocado in half (longwise) and add to bowl. Press halves with fork and blend pieces with other ingredients. Add lime juice-hand squeeze each half by hand.

Whip ingredients until blended without making the mixture into a paste. The avocado needs to be kept into pieces. Result should be a non-homogeneous mixture.

Let stand one hour before serving. Room temperature.

Ena's Guacamole:
1 Avocado
1/2 of a Lemon
1 Lime
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
Dash of Sea Salt
Dash of Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Finely Chopped Garlic Clove
1/4 White Onion, Finely Chopped
1/2 Medium Tomato, Chopped Finely
10 Leaves of Cilantro, Chopped Finely

Mash avocado with whisk. Place in all of the other ingredients into bowl. Stir and mash mixture together until well blended. Place in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

Fer's Summer Guacamole(I like to make different guac recipes for the seasons!)
1 Avocado
1/4 of Sliced Lemon squeezed by hand
1/4 Cup White Onion, Finely Chopped
1 Tablespoon of Chopped Cilantro
2 Green onions (White to light green part only), finely chopped
1 Peeled Tomato, Medium
2 Pinches of Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper-per taste

Chop onions and cilantro finely. Blot items with paper towel to remove excess water. The citrus juice will provide enough moisture. Add all of the above ingredients except the avocado.

Pull the avocado away from its skin and coarsely mix it into the ingredients. Leave clumps as bites of avocado should be throughout the mixture. Refrigerate until needed.

Cheerios and New Discoveries

2007-08-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

Well...I have been gone haven't I?

I am finally ready to announce why I have been so lame in my posting...I'm pregnant! My energy level has been slim, hence why Fer Food has been nonexistent! Finally, in the last couple of weeks I have my energy back. So here I am!

My life will never be the same. My relationship to food right now has completely changed. It is difficult to eat right now. I have this consuming thought that plays over and over in my mind. Everything that enters my mouth is going directly to the new human being growing inside me. I have always been one of those people concerned with labels. I don't like to eat preservatives or any word I can't understand. But now I am even more of an avid reader and cannot believe what I am finding in some of our food.

I am so thankful of the way my mother fed me as a child. She was strict on sugar and preservatives. To this day I have never had a cavity and give her all the credit for my healthy mouth. I love that she took the hard way in ensuring her child's health rather than the whatever was easy to fix. I hope I can live up to this calling she has set before me as I bring my own child into the world. My mother also exposed me at a young age to a variety of foods. We would make homemade stir fry and egg rolls in our wok to always having me try everything on my plate. I always had to take at least one bite of everything. Our relationship to food starts right away and I am excited to pass my love for food to a new young eager mouth.

All this to say, I found a new love for an old time favorite. In my first month or two of pregnancy, Cheerios was my very best friend. I didn't have morning sickness. I had night sickness. I would get home and be so tired that I would want to pass out. I would also on occasion have a nauseous feeling in my stomach. I would read about morning sickness remedies and try to equate those to what I was going through. I read one remedy that made me laugh out loud. It said that if you would eat cereal or crackers in bed each morning, before you placed your feet on the floor-this would possibly take away the sickness. I thought that sounded ridiculous and even if it could help in some small way how could it help me as I didn't really feel sick in the morning but in the evening. A few weeks went by and I didn't feel any better. I decided to try the trick and bought myself a box of Cheerios. I tried it one morning and it completely took my funk away. Completely. I was amazed at this trick! I read more about it and it says that by eating before you get out of bed it stabilizes your blood sugar. The reason you feel nauseated is because your blood sugar dips down. Hence why they suggest new mothers eat every two hours or so. At night while you are sleeping, your blood sugar dips and if you eat right away it brings it back up. Amazing.

Fer Food had its one year anniversary recently. We are so excited that we have had a year of sharing food experiences with you. We will continue to offer a personal account of food findings and food interests. Thanks for reading!

-Fer

Fer Food Friday!

2007-08-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

We're Back! Stay tuned next week!

***Fer Food Friday is a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

5 Reasons To Eat Slower

2007-07-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

I found this article be be an interesting read.

Food Given and Food Taken

2007-07-20T17:36:00.001-07:00

I am always so amazed at the thoughtfulness there is in giving someone food. I think food is simply such a necessity of what we need as human beings, that when it is given to us, we automatically feel lighter and cared for.

I had a busy Friday. I ran into a vendor to return some light fixtures that were made wrong and drop off another one requiring a rewire (Don't you love design talk? Interior Designer by day-foodie by night...) As soon as I entered that warehouse, I was offered a quick hello and food & drink? For me that question, made the whole world stop and I quickly answered yes!

The "roach coach" was outside and Alex was quick on his feet to go grab me a Quesadilla with chicken. I wonder where the whole notion of "roach coach" started? I know why...but for some reason I wonder where. I beg to differ with this term, as all the food I have had from these kitchen on wheels is delicious. It has all been hot, freshly prepared food.

We addressed the issues I needed to discuss and then we all sat down for our meal. What a wonderful civilized thing to just eat with whomever happens to be there when the truck arrives. This experience wasn't just today-this vendor is like this everytime. If I drop by just before noon or before 9am there will be food involved! As I was leaving, we bid good bye and a quick offer was made to make sure next time I call first and they will make sure food is waiting for me.

I left with a smile on my face and a full tummy.

Fer Food Friday!

2007-07-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

Zuma Beach, California Summer 2007

It was a perfect day.

-Fer

***Fer Food Friday is a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

When do you know when you are full?

2007-07-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

I was eating my dinner tonight when it occured to me that no one has ever taught me to stop eating. I just stop when I am full. How do we know when we are full? Is it a tight feeling in the tummy or throat? Is it just a plain boredom of what is on your plate?

I think it differs for me. Sometimes I eat more than I should but generally I eat until my body tells me I am full. I think it happens in my throat and then I know it in my stomach. I just wondered what it was like for everyone else out there?

-Fer

Living an Animated Life

2007-07-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the new Simpsons movie coming out at the end of the month, Hollywood has remodeled twelve 7-Eleven Convenience stores into a caricatures of the Simpson's Kwik-E-Mart.

I was intrigued because the marts offer actual food items for sale that are on the Simpson's. There are boxes of KrustyO's cereal, Buzz Cola, pink doughnuts, special edition "Radioactive Man" comic books and the traditional "Slurpee" frozen drink is now the "Squishee". Well-I should say these items are offered but there is no guarantee the Kwik-E-Mart near you will still have the items in stock. The only items available on my visit was a "Squishee" and a doughnut. The doughnuts are hilarious with their bright pink icing and multi-colored sprinkles. My favorite thing was probably the Styro-Foam ice chest with Kwik-E-Mart logo.

What an excellent idea for a movie promotion. For product promotion, movie companies have started to do more than just add a new product into a movie or TV show. Harry Potter is another example of having a "movie food" (can I coin that phrase?) come into reality with the movie's "Bertie Bott's Beans" available from Jelly Belly. Have you seen these? Or better yet have you tasted them? The flavors include: snot, grass, rotten egg, vomit, earthworm...to only name a few!

Another example of real life movie food is "Bubba Gump Shrimp" restaurants opened after the 1994 Forest Gump movie. There are now 21 restaurants/outlets in the US and 7 abroad.

I think so far the best idea is the Kwik-E-Marts. People are really having fun with the idea and "eating" everything up! If you are a Simpson's fan you can't help but feel like you get the inside joke. The Kwik-E-Marts will be open through the month of July.

Find one by you.

-Fer

ABC article

Santa Monica's Farmer's Markets

2007-07-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

I love all of the farmer's markets I have access to living in SM. It is really amazing and not something I ever want to take for granted.

I left for the market late today. I closes at 1pm and I arrived at 1pm! Everyone was closing up "shop" as I arrived. It is amazing to see all the work that each vendor puts into the market each week. It comes across effortlessly but think about all the time involved each market day. The time involved in growing each selected fruit/vegetable, picking, packaging, hauling, setting up the booth/tent, Selling, rearranging, packing up just to turn around and do it all over again next week. I left the market today so thankful to all of my faithful market vendors. I wish I could tell them each what a difference they make in my community.

-Fer

Santa Monica Markets:
Wednesdays: 8:30am-1:30pm Arizona & 3rd Street
Saturdays: 8:30am-1:00pm Arizona & 3rd Street
Saturdays: 8:00am-1:00pm 2200 Virginia Avenue
Sunday: 9:30am-1:00pm 2640 Main Street (Pancakes!)

I encourage you to find the markets in your area and support them!!

July is Ice Cream Month

2007-07-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

One of my VERY favorite things is ice cream. I love it all year around but summer really does kick my love for the stuff into high gear. July is National ice cream month so if you need an excuse to eat more ice cream....

What is your favorite flavor? I am an absolute chocoholic but I think my favorite flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip. I like the mint ice cream to be the standard green in color, small bits of chocolate as the "chips" and have a rich, creamy texture. I also over the years have learned to love a good vanilla ice cream. Vanilla is great and if it is chocolate you crave add some chocolate syrup on top!

I remember when I was growing up in the Mid-West, there was this place we use to go for birthday parties that had the world's largest sundae. They didn't claim that it was, I just could of never fathomed there could be one larger than the one they offered. It was served in a gigantic silver bowl (like 30" in diameter) and had every topping imaginable. Now-I know that when you are a kid things appear larger than they really are...but no exaggeration, this sundae was HUGE. There was also a place in Chicago called "Ed Debevic's" that serves the "World's Smallest Sundae". The sundae is served in a tiny glass dish with a miniature spoon for $1.49.

The world's most expensive sundae is served at NYC's Serendipity 3 restaurant. For $1000, this restaurant apparently serves you five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla, covered in 23-carat edible gold leaf, rare Amedei Porceleana and Chuao chocolate, American Golden caviar, passion fruit, orange, Armagnac, candied fruits from Paris and Marzipan cherries with real gold dragees. The sundae is served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18-karat gold spoon.

What's your favorite flavor? What ice cream trivia do you know? Pass it on.

-Fer

"Mum's Ice Bowl"

2007-07-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

Check this out! It is so beautiful. I want to make one!

-Fer

Fer Food Friday

2007-06-29T16:17:00.001-07:00

Root Beer Taste Test-Third Installment

2007-06-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here it is! This has been a long time coming! We have been trying some more root beers to add to our collection of taste tests. Some of the brands were recommendations from you-our FF readers. Thank you for your recommendations. Keep them coming because all we want to do is try more root beer!

-Fer

Fitz's: We did it. We ordered this micro-brewed root beer from St. Louis MO. It might of been my expectations as I was greatly anticipating the delivery. The root beer was a bit of a disappointment. It quits early. Low carbonation, sugar cane sweetened but low on flavor. Not much to it really. Not a favorite.

Jones Pure Cane Soda Root Beer: It has a thin foundation. Very fizzy almost distracting. I had hope since it used pure cane sugar-which is great but when it came to a root beer flavor this one bottoms out. There just wasn't much to it. Very weak on the flavor. I kept taking drinks hoping to find it but it simply wasn't there.It is sharp and edgy but not any strong characteristics. This is one of our least favorites.

Sarsaparilla's (Health Valley): Nice taste. Strong mint flavor, more syrupy than others tasted due to the fructose content, tones of anise, not too sweet. It is bright and very fuzzy making it refreshing. The taste hangs on your palate doesn't leave quickly like Fitz's.

Boylan's Root Beer: Not too fizzy as not to distract from the other flavors; Heavy vanilla tones-reminded of Nilla Wafers, Soft and warm palette. I have been looking for this root beer for a while. It has been recommended to us from a few readers. I was anxious to try it. It is a solid root beer with a good overall Fer Food stamp of approval!

Sea Dog Root Beer (Portland, Maine): This one is a great surprise! It is now part of our inner circle of favorites (along side Virgil's and Gale's). This brand once again demonstartes how sweetening with pure cane sugar preserves character and taste without being syrupy! We feel one of the most important attributes of root beer is the after taste. Sea Dog has a nice, clean finish and leaves you with the goodness of sasperilla root and not the medicine taste of the lesser brands. It has a malty taste that doesn't hit you right away but gives the root beer more gravity. It's light and fresh with just the right fizz. It is a good solid root beer. A special thank you to Kellie and Michael for sharing it with us!

**If you want to check out our other root beer taste tests read the 1st installment here. Or the second installment here.

Wood in my Lemonade?

2007-06-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

"glycerol ester of wood rosin"....huh? What is that?

I have been into really meticulously reading labels lately. I love this sparkling pink lemonade from Trader Joe's. I had never read the ingredients until over the weekend. That is when I read "glycerol ester of wood rosin". I looked it up on the internet. I couldn't find much except this:

"The glycerol ester of wood rosin is used as a stabilizer for flavoring oils in selected fruit-flavored beverages. This stabilizer weighs down the oils and keeps them in solution. The actual content of the glycerol ester of wood oil in our finished product is at no more than 100 parts per million. This concentration meets FDA (Food & Drug Administration) regulations. According to our flavor supplier, glycerol ester of wood rosin is one of the most natural of the approved FDA ingredients to perform as stabilizers in fruit-flavored beverages".

Read directly from source here.

This concentration meets FDA regulations and it does say that it is the most natural (it's wood!) of the FDA ingredients to use as a stabilizer. But-what does any of this really tell me? I find it really frustrating when I am reading the ingredients in my food to find I have no idea what one is. I actually do my best to only eat what food I can read and understand all of its ingredients. It's interesting how I missed this and I am sure I won't be drinking my favorite pink lemonade anymore.

How many of you read the ingredients of the foods you buy? Are you surprised, shocked or do you not really consider it to be an issue?

-Fer

Fer Food Failure! (Smile)

2007-06-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Hi! Well-I have been pretty out of pocket lately. No excuses just work...and a lot of it.

The good news is....I am still eating! Hmmm. What have I been eating? I have really been into smoothies lately. I think because it is becoming so hot here that it is a nice refreshing treat. I also find that they are a good "inbetween". Something to eat when you aren't starving but you need a little something to get you through!

This weekend I am working on an update for the root beer taste test. Found a few more!

Happy Friday Everyone!

-Fer

p.s. I love this week's photo! (see below)

***Fer Food Friday is a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

Fer Food Friday!

2007-06-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Microwave Popcorn Can Stink...

2007-06-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

Seattle looks to possibly ban microwave popcorn.

Zakoosky

2007-06-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend with a Russian friend of mine named Anna. We went through some of her cook books after a discussion about how Russians like to prepare vegetables. Anna explained to me that "Zakoosky" (the Russian word for appetizers) are usually some style of vegetables preferrably root vegetables. Anna had made some delicious minced carrots and I wanted to learn more!

I spent a few minutes reading a cook book that she has had for over 40 years. You cannot read this book by its cover because the cover has long been gone. I loved turning the frayed pages of this old loved book. I read the Zakoosky section and found parts of it hilarious and wanted to share a portion of it with you.

"There is no definite rule as to what you may or may not serve as zakoosky You serve anything which tastes good, and the more of it the better...While partaking of zakoosky, Russians drink vodka. The correct way to drink Vodka is to gulp it down in one swallow; never sip it. Vodka is usually served in small tumble-type glasses and it tastes best when it is thoroughly chilled. Ladies hardly ever drink more than one or two glasses unless they like to lose control of their behavior. Men naturally drink much more, but either sex makes good use of zakoosky before and immediately after each swallow of vodka".

-Fer

Fer Food Friday

2007-06-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

Is this the happiest little food picture you have ever seen? Happy Friday!

***Fer Food Fridays are a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

My Collection

2007-06-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

I have never been much of a collector. Once I realized this, I decided I wanted to start collecting at least one thing. Over the past 10 years, I have been collecting single serving creamers. The moment I saw one for the first time I knew right away I wanted to start collecting them!

One thing I have found is they are hard to find! I have bought one off of Ebay but that just seemed too easy. I like the hunt. It has been fun over the years to find one a bit different from the next and add to the collection. I have about thirty now. Most of them were used to serve cream at diners. I actually haven't done much reserach on them. I just like the way they look. I do use them on occassion when a need a single serving of cream or I have found that they make a nice bud vase depending on the size of the bud.

I find it fascinating that someone decided that they would start to serve cream in an individual serving and designed a creamer for this purpose. I don't think I have ever seen anyone serve cream like this. I think we should go back to it. It was a lovely thing!

-Fer

Our 200th Post

2007-06-03T09:47:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it is June? I am one of those people that can never quite get a grip about time. Time moves so fast that often I just stand in amazement of it. I was just sitting down to organize and prep for our week here at Fer Food when I was reminded that this next post is number 200! I felt that a celebration needed to be called!

We are working towards making our own website. Our one year anniversary is coming in August-so stay tuned! We really appreciate all of your emails and comments. It has been so much fun this year getting to know all of you.

Is there a story you would like us to cover? Are there items on websites that you just die over? Is it important to you that we evetually offer a podcast? Videos? Tell us! We would love to know!

So-here is to #200! Thanks for reading!

-Fer

Fer Food Friday

2007-06-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Sorry-I have been absent this week. I will be back next week! Take a look at this package design that we found:

Is this for real?

-Fer

***Fer Food Fridays are a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

Chocolate Pearls

2007-05-28T16:51:00.001-07:00

I love sharing food with you. It can be a new recipe I just made or a brand new love of an old favorite. Sometimes, I find a food that is delicious, beautiful and is something I have never seen before. It is perhaps an idea I wish I would of thought of first!

I was wandering around one of my favorite home shops in NY a couple of weeks ago to find a chocolate shop that had beautiful chocolate. They not only had delicious tasting chocolates but the pieces were in beautiful and unique shapes. The chocolate was from Michel Cluizel. ABC is the only shop they have in the states. There other shop is in Paris. Check them out when you can in NY. Michel Cluizel features a range of high cocoa content milk chocolates to dark chocolates from 20 different countries. They offer perfectly crafted bonbons from pralines and ganaches to gianduja and fruit flavored chocolates. I couldn't wait to get the dark chocolate pearls back home to photograph them. They have a dusting of gold, bronze and copper coatings that give them the iridescent, pearl quality to them. I also picked up a few chocolate rocks with marblized coatings. I loved the idea of a chocolate rock! Those unfortunately didn't make it home to photograph. I ate them all.

-Fer

Michel Cluizel at
ABC Carpet & Home(1st Floor)
888 & 881 Broadway New York, NY 10003
646.602.3262

Fer Food Friday

2007-05-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

I would stand in amazement if as I was entering my workplace parking lot I found this!

-Fer

***Fer Food Fridays are a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

Life Is Just a Bowl...

2007-05-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well, if life is a bowl of cherries, I hope it always comes with frozen yogurt! I made homemade frozen yogurt over the weekend. The recipe I made was from David Lebovitz's new cookbook,"The Perfect Scoop". The recipe was noted as a rival to Pinkberry. I liked the recipe very much and will continue to make the yogurt at home but, I still love Pinkberry! The idea of making frozen yogurt at home is so fantastic. Why not? It is super easy to make and delicious! Thanks David!

Cherries were everywhere at the farmer's market. Cherries arriving is such a signal to us that summer is coming! I sliced them in quarter pieces and ate them with the yogurt. The tart taste of the yogurt was a perfect backdrop with the cherries. It was so refreshing.

-Fer

Mr. Sweet Pea

2007-05-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago and it was overwhelming the attention English sweet peas are gaining! Restaurants made salad, soups and inventive side dishes all with peas. It made my head turn and as soon as I could I made my own version of a pea dish I had at a small place in Nolita. The place was called Westville. They made fantastic vegetables.

At the farmer's market over the weekend, we were busy taking pictures when one of the vendors notice the attention we were giving to the peas. The vendor said, "What are you shooting?" "The peas" I replied. "Oh, well, I am sure they love all of the attention!"said the vendor. It is in moments like these, that I stop and realize, the rest of the world doesn't see food like I do!

Sweet Peas with Onion and Corn
Serves 4

1/2 lb of Sweet Peas (out of thir pods)
1 ear of corn (cooked and sliced off the cob)
1/2 of a Green Pepper (chopped)
1/2 of a Purple Onion (minced)
4 Leaves Fresh Basil (minced)
2 Cloves of Garlic
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper (as desired)

Take a large saute pan and add the oil and garlic cloves. Saute until the garlic is soft. Add all of the ingredients except the corn. Saute until the peas are browned. Add the corn and saute for 1-2 minutes more to warm. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a side dish. I used the left overs as lunch for 2 the next day. It was delicious as a cold side salad.

p.s. Westville 210 West 10th Street NYC

Hi Neighbor!

2007-05-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

"Hey Brad! Do you think I could borrow a 1/4 Cup of sugar?"

"Sure" he replied. "What are you making?"

"I am making frozen yogurt".

I couldn't believe that I actually asked my neighbor to borrow some sugar. It really does happen!

-Fer

Popcorn Tid-Bits

2007-05-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Recently, I read some interesting stories and tid-bits about popcorn:

During the late 1800's, popcorn was sold by street vendors outside movie theaters, in parks, at carnivals and fairs.

The vendors that sold the snack outside movie theatres were not welcome. The owners of the movie theatres thought that the popcorn vendors were a customer distraction. People would go and buy the popcorn to bring back with them into the theatre to watch a movie. Eventually-those theatre owners understood that their customers wanted popcorn. The owners asked vendors to come inside the theatre and sell it. The owners offered to split the profits with the vendors. One thing lead to another and the traditonal movie snack bar came to be.

Americans now consume over one billion pounds of popcorn every year... That's about 70 quarts a year for every American. Long Island produces more popcorn than any other region in the U.S.

The world's largest popcorn ball was unveiled in October 2006 in Lake Forest, Illinois. It weighed 3,415 pounds, measured 8 feet in diameter and had a circumference of 24.6 feet.

-Fer

Food Fanatics Tips

2007-05-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I attended a 2-day workshop for food stylists. If you haven't read about the program check out their website.

I took the class to learn some "tricks of the trade" to help make my photographs look better. We learned alot in only two days. Alot of what I learned I probably will never put into practice on Fer Food but there are a few things I which did take note. it was an eye-openning experience to have a behind the scenes look into the everyday life of a food stylist. Denise Vivaldo and Cindie Flannigan had many stories to share!

Anyway, here are a few things I want to mention:

1. Evian water spray is perfect for spraying on salads to make it look fresh for a photo.
2. Most of the food that stylists use for photo shoots isn't completely cooked. We made chickens that looked completely cooked by placing them in the oven for 10 minutes and then adding diluted food coloring in a spray, adding salt & pepper or additional herbs. The longer the chicken laid out the better the color of them became. We made hamburgers in the same fashion.
3. Fake ice cream that is used for photo shoots feels like silly putty. I know it is good to use for camera shoots as far as time limits are concerned but I couldn't separate how much better I like shooting the real thing. To make a nice scoop of the fake ice cream: the scoop is heated and pressed hard into the mixture. The perfect scoops of ice cream like that of a haagen dazs ad are made in pieces to achieve the look. First the stylist creates the "apron" or the pretty outmost circle. Then the actual scoop is made and placed inside the apron. They may do 100's to find and create the perfect scoop.
4. I think the most difficult assignment was the piece of pie. Just the simple task of cutting into the pie and pulling out a good looking piece with the tip and crust in good form is so hard. Food stylists use vasoline to patch the flakes of the crust. We were working on a cherry piece of pie. We were given a separate dish of cherry pie filling to adjust the filling or fruit as needed to achieve perfection. The pies we were working with were store bought so it was mentioned that it is important to buy different brands of the cherry pie filling as you don't know which one will match the existing pie filling. So-after a few manuvers with a tweezer I made mine look the best I could.
5. Fake ice cubes: What is the difference between a $8.00 ice cube and a $200.00 ice cube? The more expensive cube is clearer and heavier. I was amazed how good the fake cubes look.

Those were a few highlights. I also got to meet Matt from Matt Bites and L from Cook and Eat. How fun to meet fellow food bloggers who I read on a weekly basis!

-Fer

Food Fanatics

2007-05-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

I hope you emjoyed my week of NY! I love that city. If you have any recommendations for me for my next trip please let me know.

This weekend I am attending a Master Food Styling class that Food Fanatics offers. It is a two day workshop giving instruction on difficult styling techniques.

I was intrigued about learning the actual "tools of the trade" and science behind commercial food styling. Here on Fer Food, we make all of the food we represent and shoot. We always plan on eating it after we are finished with the story. Nothing is artifical and everything is real. We intend to keep it that way! But-in the commercial world of food, there are many behind-the-scene tricks that food stylists use to make food hold up, either under the use of the camera, or to get that perfect dalup of whipped cream. I am anxious to see what I will learn from attending this two-day workshop. Stay tuned next week.

Fer

Rice To Riches

2007-05-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

One thing, I love most about NYC is how specialized the shops are, so why not one for rice pudding?! Yep. Every kind of rice pudding you can think of, they have. The shop is called Rice To Riches.

You can sample as many flavors as you want. They have over 20 varieties. I tried every one...give or take two or three!

The pudding is delicious. I liked the "Chocolate Chip Flirt", "Man-made Mascarpone with Cherries" or the "Honey Graham for Mr. Smith". These are all part of the "all-year around" flavors. They also offer seasonal flavors and if that isn't enough, there are always toppings...

The shop is friendly, fun and has a funny sense of humor. They have funny sayings posted like: "Limit 500 rice puddings per customer" or "All calories consumed here are yours to keep". There are 5 different size servings: Diva (smallest), Solo, Epic, Sumo or Moby (the largest).

-Fer

37 Spring Street
(between Mott and Mulberry Street)
NY, NY 10012
212.274.0008

Yo... What?

2007-05-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

Yolato! The new Pinkberry alternative is in NYC. It is a yogurt gelato and it is delicious.

I am a huge Pinkberry fan but I have to say, this is more creamy and decadent. I loved it. It is like comparing regular ice cream with gelato. There is no comparison. Gelato always wins. If I had a Yolato in LA I would probably do the switch but since I don't, I am sticking with the Pink!

Recently, I read a post on 101cookbooks. Heidi gives an adaptation of David Lebovitz's frozen yogurt recipe in his new cookbook, "The Perfect Scoop". In this new book, David has made a frozen yogurt recipe similar, if not the same, as Pinkberry. I want to try it. Going to Yolato, also made me think I would like to try to make this new yogurt gelato. No toppings required. Plain is perfect.If you are in NYC give it a try and tell me what you think!

-Fer

p.s. Caitlin - Thanks for the whirlwind tour and your nice hand modeling!

Yolato
120 MacDougal Street (W 3rd St.)
New York, NY 10012
T: (212) 228-6303
F: (212) 228-6175

Magnolia Cupcakes

2007-05-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Waiting time per cupcake = 7.5 minutes (based on 4 cakes)

In LA, Sprinkles is the rage along with Hello Cupcake, Blue Bird, Yummy Cupcakes and last but not least, Joan's on Third. I was intrigued to finally go to the place that started the entire cupcake rage-Magnolia.

The chocolate and vanilla cupcakes were my favorite. The frosting is smooth and purely-all sugar. It was thew best part as the actual cake is pretty dry.

It is always so fun to go to a small shop that has a "cult-like following" to see what it is about it people love. I watched from the window a whipped cream and chocolate wafer cake being formed. The wafers were placed perfectly on a bed of whipped cream until those wafers were covered with whipped cream and the process started all over again.

There is no sign or person that helps you to identify which flavor is what. There is only a sign that reads "12 cupcakes per person". The cupcakes are self-serve. When it is your turn, you are allowed inside the shop and at the front window one or two trays of cupcakes are there. You fill your own box and pick and choose which ones you think look the best. Leave it all up to luck at what cupcake flavor you will receive. The truth is there is such an intensity about the place after standing in line that you feel lucky just standing there grabbing whatever cakes you can grab! (Oh! And forget trying to take a picture of them...I would of been killed!)

-Fer

Magnolia Bakery
401 Bleecker St
New York, NY
10014-2452
Phone: (212) 462-2572

I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps...

2007-05-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

I was in NYC for a long weekend. I am always amazed by the energy of this place.

There is truly not enough days to see and experience this city let alone, eat it! I kept making "2nd Dinner" reservations as I still wanted to get in all of the dining experiences I could during my trip. So-I had a 6pm reservation and then I had a 10pm reservation. It worked out well. I wasn't too full and still enjoyed the later of the two dinners. I guess it is all the walking I did.

This week I will share some of my NYC eating experiences. Till then-that 3 hour time change has got me beat.

-Fer

p.s. Here is a Mud Coffee truck...even the dogs need coffee in N.Y.
(Sheridan Square 7th Ave & West 4th Street)

DMBLGIT April 2007 Winners!

2007-05-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

The winners for the April installment of the DMBLGIT (a monthly photography contest for food bloggers)was announced today.

Fer Food won in two categories! We won 1st place as OVERALL WINNER and 1st place for aesthetics!! I am so happy!! Check out our post that won here. Check out all of the winners here.

Thank you so much to all of the judges and to Lara of Cook and Eat for hosting. I love how this event always brings all of us food bloggers together.

This is the way to start a weekend!

-Fer

Here is our photo:

Mr. Snickerdoodle

2007-05-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny when you get an idea, and act on it, sometimes you find the world got the same idea memo too?

Lately-I had the notion to make snickerdoodles. So I did. Now I find that I see them everywhere. The other day, I overheard a conversation discussing how they had just had the best snickerdoodle cookie!

What's up Mr. Snickerdoodle? Why are you so popular when I thought you were only for me??(smile)

-Fer

Snickerdoodle Snaps

2-1/4 Cup All-purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1-1/2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup Vegetable Shortening
1-1/2 Cups Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon(rolling cookies)
3 Tablespoons Sugar (rolling cookies)

Heat oven to 400 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer, cream butter and shortening and sugar together. Make sure you scrape the sides well to properly fold ingredients. Add eggs and mix until combined.

Add the set aside dry ingredients. Beat at low speed for about 30 seconds.

Roll dough into one inch balls and roll into a cinnamon and sugar mixture. Space the balls about two inches apart on cookie sheet. Freeze the cookies on the cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes.

Bake for cookies for 9 to 11 minutes until golden brown.

*This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. I call my version "snaps" because they are thinner and more crispy than other snickerdoodle versions I have had.

Cucumber Sesame Salad

2007-05-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

I love crisp, clean food. I have found that no food is more clean than eating a cucumber. I love them. There is a salad I have been obsessed with for years. It is a cucumber salad with red rice vinegar. Delicious. It makes a nice light meal on its own or is a nice side with fish. This salad is traditionally served with peanuts but I have found I like it with sesame seeds too. The sesame seed still gives it a nice nutty flavor.

Cucumbers are scientifically classified as a fruit and are part of the gourd family. I like the Japanesse variety and pickling cucumbers best. I find they have the most flavor. Japanesse are more mild and slender. They have a deeper green and less bumpy skin than the traditional waxed cucumber variety. I love the smaller pickling cucumber variety with their nubby skins. They are never waxed and have a great flavor. Ever wonder why the wax? Traditional cucumbers are waxed to extend their shelf life.

Cucumber Sesame Salad

1/2 of a head Purple Cabbage(Shredded)
2 Carrots (Shredded)
1/4 of a Purple Onion
1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro (Minced)
1 Tablespoon Fesh Mint (Minced)
1 Cucumber, Thinly sliced (or 3-4 Pickling Cucumbers, thinly sliced)
1/2 Cup Bean Sprouts
2 Grean Onions (Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 Cup Red Rice Vinegar
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger (Grated)
Sliced Lime

Shredded the half of the purple cabbage head in a food processor. Then, add the carrots to be shredded along with the 1/4 slice of purple onion. Place this mixture into a new large bowl and place aside. Change food processor attachment to slice the cucumbers. Add the sliced cucumbers into the bowl of cabbage mixture.

Chop the mint, cilantro and green onion. Place into the large bowl with the other ingredients. Working now with the bowl of ingredients, add the bean sprouts, sugar and sesame seeds over mixture. Pour the red rice vinegar, ginger and add sesame seeds. Add ground pepper to taste. Gently mix. Refridgerate for a couple of hours before eating. This will allow the vinegar to set into the ingredients. Before serving squeeze lime juice over individual servings. Use squeezed lime slice as garnish.

Serves 4.

-Fer

Margarine Memories

2007-05-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

I was walking through the butter section at the grocery store over the weekend and grabbed a box of unsalted Tillamook butter. My favorite. I stopped and looked as if it was the first time I had ever really looked at all of the butter products available. Some old and some new, it dawned on me how many commercials for margarine I saw growing up. I guess I don't watch that much TV anymore but I don't think there are that many margarine commercials anymore?

As a child of the 70s, I remember all of the marketing behind the margarine commercials. Then-as we went into the 80s and 90s margarine turned into commercials of "butter substitutes". These were suppose to taste even more like real butter. As for me butter has no substitute. Bring on the real stuff!

It is so interesting to stop once and while and realize how food marketing affects what we chose to eat. My memories of all of those old commercials helped me to see its impact on our food culture. Some of these brands still exist.

Here are some of the brands:

Parkay (We all have to remember this one!)
Fleischmann's
I Can't Believe its Not Butter! (Fabio)
Imperial
Blue Bonnet
Land O' Lakes (Who could forget that folding trick people use to do to that packaging!)
Country Crock
Promise
Nucoa (Here is a 1937 vintage poster urging readers to contact their Congressmen in opposition to the proposed margarine tax. It was proposed to protect the butter market. "Don't tax the spread on people's bread!")

Do you have any more of these margarine memories? Please tell.

-Fer

A Blue Gin Martini

2007-04-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had my family here for a visit and we picked up some cheese stuffed olives at the farmer's market. If you haven't tried these stuffed delights, go and get yourself a jar. They are delicious on their own and fantastic in a gin or vodka martini.

The first time I had a blue cheese stuffed olive was in a gin martini at Raw Bar and Grill in Wrigleyville(Chicago). Since then, I have been on the search to find these olives and/or make them for myself. The good news is, they are easy to make and you can also find them readily available now at most markets.

A Blue Gin Martini

2 1/2 ounces Bombay Sapphire Gin
1/2 ounce Dry Vermouth

Pour ingredients over ice into a shaker. Shake. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a blue cheese stuffed olive on a toothpick.

-Fer

It Was The Year 2000...

2007-04-27T07:21:00.001-07:00

Strawberries as large as Apples.

Americans will be taller by one to two inches.

Oranges will grow in Philadelphia.

Ready-cooked meals will be bought from establishments similar to our bakeries of today.

This is an interesting read: Predictions for the year 2000.

People Food Noises

2007-04-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

When I was little, my sister use to sing to her food. We called it singing. She would have food gripped in hand and would start singing as her hand was coming towards her mouth. It went something like this:

Yum, yum yum yum, (pause) YUM, yum, yummy, yum, yum....

I can still hear her doing it. It was hysterical. What a wonderful thing to be enjoying the pleasure of eating. Life moves so fast that I often wonder how many of us take time to enjoy our food. I like to think that I stop to enjoy my food but anyone that knows me will attest that I eat fast. I want to give food the attention that my sister did. I want to relax and focus on only what is in front of me and enjoy every bite.

People "food noises" are interesting things. They are so personal and wonderful to hear. I guess my sister tuned me into them as a child and now as an adult I find it humorous to hear people as they appreciate their food. I like to hear the different words people say to express appreciation: "Mmmmmm", "Wow...", "Oh my GOD" or maybe it isn't just a verbal expression. My husband wiggles when he is enjoying his first bites at the table.

What do you find yourself doing when you are happy with what was just placed inside your mouth? I usually find myself closing my eyes and slowly taking in each movement of my mouth as the food is slowly absorbed. Generally, I don't make many noises but I might offer a "Oh my God" once in a while!

-Fer

You Are What You Grow

2007-04-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting article in the New York Times today. The article starts with the question: "Why is it that today the people with the least amount of money to spend on food are the ones most likely to be overweight?". I thought I would touch on a few points.

The article describes eating on a budget is to eat badly and get fat. "Processed foods are more “energy dense” than fresh foods: they contain less water and fiber but more added fat and sugar, which makes them both less filling and more fattening".

These problems begin with agricultural policy.

There is a food bill that needs to be rewritten with the interests of eaters. For quality of food and not quantity of it. There are people who think that food should just be as cheap as possible, no matter how poor the food quality would be. This cheap food costs more than anyone can imagine. Artificially cheap food depletes our health, the land, animals and our economy. Don't you miss life when it was simple?

I encourage you to read the entire article.

-Fer

Over The Weekend: Kids for Kids Walk 2007

2007-04-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

I volunteer for a non-profit organization called Madisons Foundation. After I had the opportunity to meet Marcy Smith and her daughter Madison a few years ago, I knew I wanted to be part of this special cause. Today we had our Kids for Kids Walk. It is one of the fundraisers that we have during the year. It is a day of eating (hence why I have to share it!), laughing, balloons, face painting, playing with lizards, to celebrating the victory of the finish line. It's a day that will make a difference in the life of families across the country.

Madisons foundation is an anacronym for Moms And Dads In Search Of Needed Support. They are dedicated to improving the quality and quantity of information available to parents of children with rare, life-threatening diseases, and to facilitating effective communication amongst parents, physicians and medical experts.

Marcy Smith started this foundation when her daughter Madison was diagnosed with a tumor that was so rare that no information or support was available. The information out there was written for doctors and not parents. She needed help so she created a foundation that would help parents like herself facing these horrible challenges.

Their website is designed as an online community where parents have access to valuable data resources about rare, life-threatening diseases in children, as well as to other parents in similar straits. Their fundraisers keep this website up and running.

It was a good day. A day of hope and a day of fun!

-Fer

Fer Food Friday

2007-04-20T00:47:00.000-07:00

***Fer Food Fridays are a weekly post sharing an internet photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

Eat The Music

2007-04-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

There is a restaurant in Britain that is serving up an iPod with their food.

This article, I read this morning says that Chef Heston Blumenthal thinks that the Apple music players will help heighten the flavor of a new dish they have called "Sound of the Sea". To go along with the dish, the diner will listen to a recording of breaking waves. Blumenthal talks about a series of tests that he conducted, revealed how much sound enhances the sense of taste.

What an interesting time we live, where food isn't the only thing we eat. It seems that we continue to look at ways to enhance our eating experiences outside of creating better food!

-Fer

The Tale of the Giant Leek

2007-04-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

I am going to start a story and I thought it might be fun if everyone chimes in and adds to it. So-this is how we will make this work...I will start the first paragraph and then each of you should post a comment and keep the story moving along. Hopefully-as each comment is added, the story will grow, one comment at a time until someone gives it an ending or I do. We will have to see how it goes!

Ready? Go!

-Fer

The Tale of the Giant Leek

Once upon a time there was a leek named Len. Today, he had missed his school bus and was quite upset. You see, he isn’t just an ordinary leek. He is big. Some say even giant. This problem has followed him everyday of his life. If the bus is crowded, he is too embarrassed to duck and shift his way through to find a seat as everyone points and stares. One bully named Elephant Garlic always calls Len names like “Bulk Head” or “Leaky”.

Len tries to make himself appear smaller. He had horrible posture and makes himself slump in order not to tower over his friends.

Len finally arrived at school, placed his things in his locker and ran to his first class. The last thing he needed was to be late. He took his favorite seat in the back row and waited for his home room to begin. Ms. P had just arrived and was busy writing today’s assignments on the chalkboard.

Since My Last Confession...

2007-04-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have been working on salad dressings lately. I finally found one that can be one of my staples. It is this lemon juice vinaigrette. I made it over the weekend for a simple salad of red leaf, green onions and strawberries. It is easy and fresh!

Juice of Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves, Minced
1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
3/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Peppercorns

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Shake well when ready to serve. Serve at room temperature. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

-Fer

My jelly jars are so fantastic as my container of choice to make and store the dressings. The sealed cap makes it super easy to shake the mixture and be done!

An Asparagus Tart

2007-04-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

Asparagus is in season right now. It was everywhere at the market this weekend. This is an easy recipe that can be made in less than an hour. I made it for Sunday brunch but paired with a salad it would make a great light dinner. Pastry dough is a great back drop for creating your own masterpieces.

Asparagus and Cheese Tart

1 frozen, puff pastry
2 Cups Shredded Gruyere Cheese
1 Pound of Thin to Medium Asparagus
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (a drizzle)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Follow the instructions on the package to thaw out pastry sheet.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle flour down on work surface and roll out the pastry sheet to form a rectangle. (I made mine about 8" x 16". This size worked well with the size of asparagus I had).

Place the formed dough on a cookie sheet. With a knife score the edge of the rectangle about one inch from each side. This will form your outer crust. With a fork, poke inside the scored crust to allow the outer crust to puff in the oven but keeping the center a flat surface. Pre-cook the dough for 15 minutes. Pull out of oven to assembe the tart ingredients.

Wash and prepare the asparagus trimming the ends at least by an inch. Trim it to the proper length to fit within your designed rectangular shape. Place cheese at center of crust and along the rectangular length. Add salt and fresh ground peppercorns. Place each asparagus piece on top of cheese. You will need to alternate between the top and the bottoms of the piece of asparagus to allow the asparagus to better sit on top of the tart. After the tart is assembled, drizzle olive oil on top of the asparagus. Bake for 25 minutes.

The tart can be served immediately or is great served room temperature.

Serves 4.

-Fer

Stuffed French Toast

2007-04-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

I had leftover Easter day bread and decided to make stuffed French toast. When I lived in Chicago, there was a breakfast place called "Toast". They had the best mascarpone cheese-filled French toast. This was my inspiration.

I started with a banana in my food processor bowl. I pulsed it 2-3 times. Add 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla, 2 Tablespoons Cane Sugar, 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon, 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg and 16 ounces of Mascarpone Cheese. Pulse the mixture 5-6 Times.

Slice the Challah bread into one inch slices. Make a filling pocket by slicing a piece of bread at the center. Don't slice it all the way open-you just want to make a three inch slit at the center to slip the filling inside each piece of bread.

Take a small spatula or knife to spread the filling into each slice of bread. Don't make it too thick. Try to spread the filling as evenly as possible throughout the inside of the bread. Once the bread is filled, patch the slit by running the spatula/knife over the opening and scrapping of any remains of the filling. Repeat process to each slice of bread. The filled bread needs to be refrigerated for an hour or so to set. To make this process easy, stack the filled pieces back into the bread bag and seal it with the bag tie.

When you are ready to prepare the toast, crack three eggs into a bowl. Add about a 1/2 cup of milk. The quantities of milk and egg might differ depending on the amount of bread you are using. I made one loaf of bread. You want enough of the milk and egg mixture to completely coat the bread so much that it is dripping.

Pre-heat your griddle and at the same time, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place each piece of filled bread into the egg and milk mixture. Coat each side thoroughly. Grill each side to golden brown. After each piece is grilled, place slices into the oven on a cookie sheet. Bake the pieces for 15-20 minutes to allow filling to warm.

Add hot syrup and enjoy!

-Fer

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

Spring Break

2007-04-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Fer Food is on Spring Break this week! See you next Monday!!

-Fer

Fer Food Friday

2007-03-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Can someone say "jelly beans"?

La Tartine Gourmande

2007-03-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite food blog reads is La Tartine Gourmande. Bea always has such fabulous photographs-which to me is the heart of a blog.

Today she blew me away with a post about Australia's forgotten island Tasmania. Bea is from Boston and has recently been on vacation to New Zealand. Now-I have had New Zealand on my places to go list... but after reading her travels these last few weeks I need to buy my ticket immediately! On her way returning home she goes to Tasmania. All I can to say is "wow" what a place.

Check out her Tasmania post here. Thanks Bea!

-Fer

The Verdict is In....

2007-03-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

There is nary a phrase in the English lexicon more terrifying than "jury duty". Today I spent the day in LA's downtown courthouse. I wasn't sure what to expect. I left the house before sunup, drove 17 miles to reach the juror's parking garage. It was so early in the morning I didn't eat before I left the house. Once I was standing in line outside the courthouse I was wishing I had snatched a bite before sliding into the dark and early Monday morning.

Jury duty is one of those things that everyone dreads. I know I did. I hated getting up in the morning. But-the thing that really gets me, is how out of control you are. You are at the mercy of the court. There is no getting out of it. You must serve and you must starve while you do it.

Once I was inside the courthouse, I noticed a "snack shack" outside the juror's room. The coffee was nothing more than brown water. All of the buns or muffins looked like they had been popped out of a comic book. They were cartoons on a rack, in colors brighter than day and in forms that can never be equated to food unless Fred Flintstone is serving or maybe Scooby has offered you a snack. I knew then I was in trouble and dreaded the next course.... lunch.

I waited in the juror's room until I was called to be on a panel. The next two weeks of my life hung in the balance. I was stressed. I still had a glimmer of hope that lunch may be my golden ticket. A place to disappear for an hour, in hope of finding a new adventure... the 9th floor cafeteria.

Can you say prison food? I am one of those people that love "mom and pop" places. I love relaxed, home away from home atmospheres. Eating establishments don't need to be perfect. I have never minded a little rough around the edges. This place made me feel like I had just walked into the cafeteria on D-Block. It was that blue color that all governmental buildings have somewhere, painted down their long corridors or in this case, their cafeteria. I was surprised to see the long, galley style lines, full of yellow food. People lined up on two sides waiting their turn for the long stainless steel spoon to plop their yellow of choice down on their plate. As I was desiring something other than yellow today, I sought out a small romaine leaf salad in a Styrofoam bowl with slices of cucumber and a radish on top. There weren't many appetizing romaine leaves left so I picked out what looked best (see picture above).

What a day. I was starving once I arrived back home. I plan to make myself a delicious meal tonight and somehow recover from my day in court. If I had been chosen for the jury and had to give the food my verdict, the verdict would be death by firing squad.

-Fer

p.s. Forgive the horrible photography....I didn't have my camera with me as I didn't think I could take it into the courthouse! Photo via cell phone.

The Three Minute Smile

2007-03-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

Can I let you in on a little secret? I have something you can make in three minutes that will put a huge smile on your face. Three minutes that is all it will take. THREE minutes....T-H-R-E-E.

o.k. are you ready? (Click)"tick.tick.tick.tick...."

Take a stick of room temperature butter. I like to use Tillamook which comes in a 1/2 cup stick. Place the unwrapped butter in a bowl, add 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons honey. Hand whip the mixture until well blended. Spread honey butter on bread of choice. Eat.

(Click)

Can I Freeze That?

2007-03-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

Fresh food is what I like best. I often will freeze meat and forget that I even have it in the freezer! Recently I was reading a new blog called Cooking For One. What a great idea for a blog! Anyway-the blog had a post about what foods can be frozen and what foods cannot. Their post links you to the National Center For Home Food Preservation's website. They offer a food list that notes the best way to freeze items. There were food items listed that I have never thought to freeze. Check it out.

-Fer

The Confession of a Salad Maker

2007-03-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

The other day I realized that I buy one salad dressing and one salad dressing only. It is the Newman's Vinaigrette. It is pretty good but I always think to myself I should make my own dressing. There is just no comparison to a freshly dressed salad. The fresh herbs and ingredients gently tossed with the greens have your mouth watering before any food touches your lip.

I hate to admit it but I have thought about making my own dressings for years. I have dabbled here and there but I have never weaned myself completely off the store bought brands. I started my effort to try making different dressing varieties to find which one will become my own stand by. My thought is this: I will try many recipes, experiment with different ingredients and hopefully find one that I make part of my everyday salad life.

I confess (and find it pathetic) that I even thought of myself as a good salad maker. After all of these years of cooking, how can I claim this if I have yet to make my own dressing?!

I have started working on trying different dressing recipes. The first one I have been experimenting with is a cilantro and lime dressing. I wanted a chunkier, "thicker" dressing that I could use on a tomato and avocado salad. Sometimes I don't want a huge salad. I like to cut a few vegetables up I have on hand and toss them with a dressing. Avocados, tomatoes and purple onion seem to be one of my favorite "throw it together" combinations. So here it is:

Sliced Avocado and Cherry Tomatoes with a Cilantro,
Caper and Lime Dressing

1 Clove Garlic, Chopped
1 1/2 Teaspoons Whole Grain Mustard
1 Lime (grated rind and juice)
1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
4 Tablespoons olive Oil (extra virgin)
1 Teaspoon Capers
3 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 Large Avocado, Sliced
6-8 Large Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced
1 Small Purple Onion, Sliced

Place the chopped garlic, mustard, lime rind, lime juice and vinegar in a bowl. Combine the ingredients together with a large spoon. Whisk in the oil. Add in the capers and cilantro. Season with black pepper to taste. Toss in the sliced avocado, diced tomatoes and the sliced onion. It makes about two dinner servings. If you are using this salad as a side to another dish it may serve four. I like to eat this salad with a slice of crusty bread or a whole wheat cracker.

-Fer

The Nature of Pasta

2007-03-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought about all of the different pasta shapes there are in the world? There are hundreds! Here are just a few:

Penne, Orzo, Riccioli, Rigatoni, Cannelloni, Tortellini, Casarecce, Farfalle, Fusilli, Pappardelle, Reginette, Lumaconi, Orsetti, Ditaloni, Farfalline, Grattugiata, Midolline, Stelline, Ravioli, Lasagna, Tagliatelle, Tagliatelline or Fettuccine...

I have always chosen pasta according to the shape of it, the look I wanted or what the recipe requires. Here are some interesting findings in choosing the right shaped pasta for a sauce:

Ribbon Pastas:(fettuccine, linguine, tagliatelle, spaghetti) work well with thin sauces. If the sauce is chunky, it is more difficult to eat on a ribbon pasta due to the need to roll the pasta onto a fork.

Open,Flat shapes:(bowties, etc) are good for chunkier sauces.

Scoop Shapes:(shells, cavatelli, etc) are used where the sauce needs to get inside the shape in order to taste the pasta and sauce in one bite. Thicker sauces (but not chunky) or baked pastas work well.

Closed Shapes:(penne, trenne, macaroni, etc) are good to use with heavy sauces. Baked sauces that will thicken while cooking work well. As the mixture bakes, the sauce will seep into the pasta shape where it will thicken. The final result is a "stuffed" pasta full of the sauce.

Spirals:(fusillia, radiatore, etc) are the best pasta to hold their shape. They are also great to use with chunky sauces as their shape "hook" on to the sauce pieces.

Just some things to consider when you are working with the nature of pasta!

-Fer

Pasta Picture Participants:
DaVinci Angel Hair Nest; Barilla Fettuccine; Barilla Pappardelle, Whole Foods 365 Orzo

A Coffee for the Irish!

2007-03-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

It is almost St. Patrick's Day! One thing I like to make for this holiday is an Irish Coffee.

Whenever I am in San Francisco, I always try to go to Buena Vista Cafe. They make the best Irish Coffee. Each glass is made fresh on the spot. It is fun to watch the bartender create each one. The trick is to take the time and hand whip the cream to the perfect consistency with a spoon.

A Buena Vista Irish Coffee:

Pour hot coffee into a glass about 3/4 full.

Add two sugar cubes. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Add one shot of Irish whiskey

Finish with a layer of fresh whipping cream (lightly whipped). Pour the cream over a spoon to have it layer properly onto the coffee.

Drink!

-Fer

Food Fetching

2007-03-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Food fetching is so personal. I find it fascinating how different we can all be in how we fetch our food. This past weekend, I saw so many people walking towards the farmers market with carts in hand or a basket full of vegetables that were just hand selected from the various vendors at the market. It made me think about how different we all are, not only with what food we chose to prepare, but how we shop.

I shop for groceries three to four days a week. I like to have food on hand at my house, but I like my food to be fresh. I am also one of those people that get a fancy for a food item and want to make it right away! I enjoy food shopping so I like to go to a variety of shops for specific needs.

I like to walk to the grocery store but I don't walk every time. I have to drive to work so I often go to the store at the end of my workday and have my car with me. It has always been important to me to have a store within walking distance. Wherever I have lived I make that a priority.

I love farmers markets. In fact, one of my biggest inspirations for Fer Food is going to the farmers market each week. I find that not only do I receive the freshest produce, but a farmers market helps me to try new things that I wouldn't see at the everyday grocery store.

How do you shop for your groceries? All at once? Every day? Do you keep frozen items for future meals or do you buy things as you need them? Are you one to take the car to the store and pack it full of goodies or do you walk and carry a few bags? Where do you shop? Do you shop local or do you go out of your way to go to the best store you can find? How much do you shop at farmers markets? Do you use the plastic bags that the market offers or do you bring your own container via a basket, cart or tote?

-Fer

There is a Hummus Among Us!

2007-03-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

I can never say the word "Hummus" without thinking or saying, "There is a Hummus among us!" Hummus is such an easy recipe. Once you make it yourself and see how easy it is, you will never go back to store bought Hummus. If you have a food processor it takes about five minutes to make.

Hummus can look pretty plain but it doesn't have to! First, I place the finished hummus into a shallow bowl and use a small spoon to scoop out the center portion of hummus. Then, I pour to olive oil into this scooped out area. This allows the olive oil to form a pool. This makes for a nice presentation but also mixes the olive oil into the hummus just right as it is eaten. I also like to dash a bit of paprika and a few pine nuts as a garnish.

Easy Hummus
4 cloves Fresh Garlic—roughly chopped (I like tons of garlic-if you don't, use only two cloves)
1/3 Cup Lemon Juice
¼ Cup Water
14 oz Can of Chickpeas
½ cup Tahini
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

Place all of the ingredients into the food processor bowl. Press pulse 3-4 times until blended. You may need to scrape the bowl in between pulses to assure all of the ingredients are properly mixed. Garnish. Eat.

-Fer

Fer Food Friday

2007-03-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

Yes this chandelier made out of gummy bears! The chandelier artist is Ya Ya Chou. See full story here.

via Tastespotting

***Fer Food Fridays are a weekly post sharing a photo find or a special shot we recently created. We want you to share too! Please feel free to send in your funny food photos or internet finds!

I May Be Square But I'm Sweet!

2007-03-08T18:22:00.000-08:00

Why am I so in love with sugar cubes? I find them beautiful, sweet and very independent. There is such a unique pleasure in placing one into a hot beverage. I love that they are in their own self-contained package.

Cubes are never found in restaurants anymore-only grocery stores. I have often wondered where these lovely cubes come from and who invented them.

Cubes were the sugar industry's first effort at offering mess-free individual portions. Before cubes were offered everyone used the community sugar bowl. After World War II, bagging equipment was invented and sugar makers flooded the market with sugar packets. The cube sadly took a backseat.

Sugar cubes were first reported to have been made by a Belgian in 1890. He made the first cubes by spreading dampened sugar into a large slab and sawing it into individual squares.

Today, cubes are made by passing dry granulated sugar along a special conveyor as water is sprayed onto the sugar. It water and sugar are throughly mixed as it passes along the conveyor. At this stage, the wet sugar mixture contains about 1% water. It is quite sticky. To form the cubes, moist sugar is pressed into rows of moulds that are arranged around the outside of a circular drum. As a drum rotates the wet cubes are pushed out onto a moving conveyor belt. This then moves along under a series of infrared drying lamps where the sugar cubes are dried. This is all enclosed in a kind of tunnel often called the 'drying tunnel'. When the dry cubes emerge from the end of the drying tunnel they are picked up using matching rows of rubber suction cups, and placed into boxes and cartons. There is still a tiny amount of water left in the cubes so they are left for a few days to dry thoroughly before the final wrapping takes place.

Sugar cubes are not just cubes anymore. This cool company makes sugar cubes into different shapes such as: puzzle pieces; hearts with a cutout to stand on a rim of a cup; small spheres; rocks and beautiful large crystals. It is good to know that the cube is not forgotten only reinventing itself.

-Fer

Root Beer Taste Test Continues!

2007-03-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

Fer Food loves root beer. We started a taste test of various options last month and are still continuing to try what is out there! Here is a new update to our original root beer taste test:

Bull Dog: It reminds us of the Original Bubble Yum bubble gum. Now you might read this and say "bubble gum"?! Now it doesn't taste like actual bubble gum. The vanilla flavor is just so strong and unique in this root beer that it brought back memories of chewing bubble gum. It isn't too fizzy. It doesn't need to be.The larger root beer companies have cut corners by sweetening their root beer with corn syrup. So much so that I think we have all forgotten what actual sugar tastes like! In our adventures of taste testing, we have found that a mark of a good root beer is it being sweetened with cane sugar and not corn syrup. This being said, Bull Dog is sweetened with cane sugar and it leaves you with a nice clean finish. It is not too sweet and there are alot of nice layers in there to explore! There is a strong vanilla push. The honey is very sudtle and almost undetectable. We think the honey gives it some gravity without it being syrupy. We liked it. Thanks Todd for the suggestion!

Hank's Gourmet Root Beer: Sweetened with cane sugar, this root beer has a strong cherry flavor with woody overtones. It is slightly more fizzy than Bull Dog. It is unique and a nice option.

Sparky's Fresh Draft Root Beer: This is the only one of the root beers we have tried that we didn't finish. We found that it had a medicinal and almost brackish flavor. It is very herbal. Have you ever had any of the herbal tonics? This root beer remind me of a herbal-remedy tonic. It is sweetened with pure cane sugar. It was heavier on the fizz than the two options mentioned above. This only made me think of Alka-Seltzer Cold Medicine. We take a pass on this one. Poor Sparky.

**More root beer reviews to come: Fitz's, Dog N Suds, Barq's and Boylans. Any more suggestions? We would love to hear about them!

-Fer

I Yam What I Yam...

2007-03-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

When I was a child I thought the only way to eat a yam was with marshmallows and lots of brown sugar. I dreaded this dish passed at Thanksgiving. That casserole dish of orange whipped goo.

I love baked sweet potatoes and have often wondered about the different varieties. Is a yam different than a sweet potato?

There is no botanical difference between a "yam" and a "sweet potato". In fact, they are both sweet potatoes. "Yams" are simply a type of sweet potato and were given that name to distinguish them from other types of "sweet potatoes".

There are three features that distinguish "yams" from other sweet potatoes: its skin color, flesh color and moisture content of the potato.

Here are some general characteristics of each:

Sweet Potatoes

Skin: Sweet potatoes are usually lighter in color than yams. Color ranges from light yellow or tan. The exception to this rule is the Japanese sweet potato, which has a deep purple skin, but meets the other characteristics of sweet potatoes.

Flesh color: Light yellow to pale orange.

Moisture: Drier than a "yam" and somewhat sweeter.

Yams

Skin: Deep red, purplish or dark copper tone.

Flesh color: Deep or vivid orange.

Moisture: Quite moist; almost "mushy". Not as sweet as sweet potatoes.

For a taste test, I picked up three different varieties at the market(listed in photo order top to bottom): "Kotobuki" (or Japanese Sweet Potato), a Jersey (or plain sweet potato) and a Garnet (a "Sweet Yam").

I found the Japanese variety more dry than a traditional sweet potato. The flesh is a light colored and more dense than a traditional sweet potato.

The "Jersey" is my favorite variety and also the classic sweet yam everyone knows of as a sweet potato. This is the variety that is longer and skinner that the other varieties that have the same traditional orange on the inside. It is a moist and soft potato. I love this variety cooked as fries or plain. Delicious and nutritious.

The "Garnet" was good. It is more like a regular potato than a sweet one. It has a light skin with a light yellow inside. If you are craving a sweet potato than this one will disappoint. If you want to try a different variety, this one is delicious. I think it would be a great alternate to use for making mashed potatoes. The flavor reminds me of spaghetti squash. Not as sweet as the squash but similar nonetheless.

-Fer

All That and a Bag of Chips

2007-03-05T00:04:00.000-08:00

I was inspired when I read an easy, no deep-fry required potato chip recipe on Bakingsheet's blog. This chip recipe only requires a microwave. The chips are more healthy than the deep fried chips we all know and love. It sounded too good to be true but I found that this recipe works. Homemade potato chips in minutes.

The original recipe I was working off suggested using baking potatoes or russet potatoes. I thought I would change up the recipe a bit and use multi-colored heirloom potatoes. I liked the notion of using this type of potato due to its variation in color and their smaller scale.

I made some chips using the russet potatoes and some with the heirlooms just to see the differences in taste and textures. I found that I do like the taste of the heirloom potato chips over that of the russet potatoes. I love the small scale of the heirloom chips and the beauty of the color variations.

Next, I decided that I wanted to try to soak the potatoes in vinegar to make my own version of "sea salt and vinegar chips". I found that if I soaked sliced potatoes in vinegar and placed them in the fridge for at least an hour or two the chips had a nice vinegar taste. I tried to soak the sliced potato without refrigeration but the vinegar flavor was better with a longer soaking time and at a colder temperature.

There are a few tricks in making them crispy. The slices of potato need to be extra thin. Think paper!
Use a mandoline if you have one. The thicker the chips, the more likely they will be chewy and not the crispy texture that is desired. Also-the chips all need to be the same thickness. I noticed that when some of the chips were slightly thicker than others, it was more difficult to have the chips cook evenly. If some chips were thicker and required more cooking time, the thinner chips needed to be rescued early so they didn't burn.

I played with slicing the potatoes lengthwise and using the small rounds of their widths. It was fun to change it up and have the different shapes and sizes in the finished bag.

I went to the farmer's market over the weekend. Fresh dill was in abundance. I thought that it would make a nice addition for the chips. So-I added a few sprigs to the vinegar soak before I placed the mixture into the fridge.

Sea Salt with Fresh Dill and Vinegar Microwave Chips

Scrub potatoes. I prefer to leave the skins on. Slice potatoes paper thin trying to keep the slices even and consistent. Place the slices in a large bowl. Coat the slices with vinegar until all of the slices are covered. Add a few sprigs of fresh dill. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.

Use olive oil to coat a glass baking dish. Place potato slices in a single layer. Add sea salt evenly over the potatoes. Lightly sprinkle dill on top as the final seasoned layer. Place dish into microwave.

The chips will take between 4-7 minutes depending on the power of your microwave and the thickness of the chips. Watch the first batches closely to learn how your microwave responds. Remove the chips as soon as they are brown and crisp. Be careful as the glass pan does heat up. Repeat proceedure until you have the size bag of chips you desire.

I used about a dozen heirloom potatoes and about four cooking batches later I had enough chips for three people. The downside of using the small heirlooms is it will take alot more potatoes to get a good size bag of chips.

-Fer

New Fun Food Finds

2007-03-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some cool things I have found recently.

Chocolate bubble wrap?

Now we can literally eat, drink and sleep food!

Check out these cakes.

Pizza delivery in a whole new way.

Herb infused vodka? I have to try it.

Bacon. Sweet bacon. Check out this blog that has shows an alarm clock that will wake you up with the sweet smell of...you guessed it!

Your name on toast for charity. I wish I thought of this idea! Fer Food wants to be on toast!

3 on Fourth

2007-02-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

This intimate SM neighborhood place, offers many small plate options and an entrées. The menu is influenced by three regions: America, Europe and Japan. Hence the "3" on Fourth.

Daniel Snukal, a former private chef and caterer, along with his brother Joshua, have created 3 on Fourth in Santa Monica, CA. It is a gem waiting to be found.

It is encouraged to order your meal anyway you prefer. Do you only want a few small plates or a small plate for an appetizer and then a large plate for an entrée? Ordering small plates is such a great way to experiment with what a new restaurant has to offer.

We arrived on a Saturday night at 7:30pm and received a table right away. This won't happen for very much longer because as soon as this new spot is received you will need a reservation like everywhere else.

I loved the attention from the staff. It wasn't just a "Can I offer you what you need to make your visit special?". Each one of the staff we came in contact were excited about the food. They were each personally invested in what was being served and could not wait to share it with us.

We had three small plate options and one of the large plate entrees. We had the Crispy Coriander and Ginger Shrimp. This is the only item still on the menu from when the place originally opened seven months ago. It was simply delicious. We had the Green Pea Ravioli with Scallop, Mascarpone and Ricotta as our large plate. It was a filling of peas pureed with the sweet texture of the cheese and wrapped inside a perfect al dente pasta shell.

This small place has their own Sommelier. He had wonderful suggestions. We were quite pleased with his recommendations and are excited to try more options on our next visit. He suggested we try two half bottles of wine due to our small plate selections. If you are into wine, I recommend you give him a chance to offer you suggestions.

The only so-so thing about the place is their desserts. We tried the flourless chocolate Cake. It wasn't very good. It could be that the rest of the meal was so good that my expectations were too high. The cake was very dry and didn't have much flavor.

Next time for dinner, I plan to try their version of scrambled eggs. I am intrigued by all of the sake they have to offer and would like to try some of them.

3 on Fourth recently started a lunch menu. I am anxious to see what a noon time experience can offer!

-Fer

3 on Fourth
1432 A Fourth Street
Santa Monica, CA 9040
(310) 395-6765
www.3onfourth.com

Say "Cheese"!

2007-02-27T20:32:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered why or how Swiss cheese has holes?

Propionibacter shermani is one of the three types of bacteria used to make Swiss cheese. It is what is responsible for the cheese's distinctive holes. Once this bacteria is added to the warm cheese mixture, bubbles of carbon dioxide form and are what will eventually to become the holes or "eyes" in the cheese. Cheesemakers can control the size of the holes by changing the acidity, temperature, and curing time of the mixture.

The larger the eyes in a Swiss cheese the more pronounced its flavor. This is because the same conditions that lead to large holes (longer aging or higher temperatures) also give the acting bacteria and enzymes more time to produce flavor.

Larger holes do not slice well and come apart in mechanical slicers. Leave it to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create guidelines that regulate the hole size of domestically produced Swiss cheese! All of this to help the cheese have less problems in slicing.

The Color of Food

2007-02-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

The color of food has a huge impact on what we will percieve the taste to be. Recently, while I was making the Green Tea Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, I had a strong desire for the ice cream to be green. I struggled because adding food color isn't necessarily healthy. I love food to be simple and pure but I still struggled. Could the ice cream be good without being green? I have had mint ice cream without it being green and it was delicious. So-why am I so much more attracted to a green mint chocolate chip than a white, plain one? If the ice cream was green, it would look more minty and then maybe it would taste more minty.

I recently read an article about a new study. It is the first of its kind to examine how color, price or brand can impact consumer preferences.

The researchers manipulated the color of orange juice by adding food coloring and changed the the sweetness by adding an artificial sweetener. The results were calculated from the taste tests of 60 to 150 undergraduate students. The conclusion was that the color of the juice dominated the taste perception of the students.

This test also included a taste test with juice glasses labeled with a brand name vs. a generic name and how the taste would be percieved. For this test they also changed the color of the juice. The juice was exactly the same brand in each glass but the tasters identified the taste as different. The article states: "The findings revealed that people preferred the samples that had brand labels over those that had different colors. However, they noticed a bigger difference in taste when the samples had different colors rather than when they had different labels".

Fer Food Friday

2007-02-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

"Edible, adj.: Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man, and a man to a worm." Ambrose Bierce

Pretzel Croissant Madness!

2007-02-22T07:29:00.000-08:00

It blows me away how good the pretzel croissants are at City Bakery. Traditionally when I go to a bakery I go for the sweet stuff. A chocolate chip cookie, a chocolate croissant or a pastry of some sort. When I enter into City Bakery all I can think about is these pretzel croissants. What a great combination. The salt of a pretzel meets the sweet soft texture of a croissant.

-Fer

The City Bakery
Brentwood Country Mart
225 26th St. (San Vicente Blvd.)
Santa Monica, CA 90402
310-656-3040

Green Tea and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

2007-02-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

This is a flavor I made up one day. The tea ingredient was inspired from the truffles I made last week. The idea of infusing ice cream with tea sounded promising. I gave it a try.

Mint Chocolate Chip is one of my favorite ice cream flavors. I was excited to make this flavor but wanted a new twist on it. I love green tea and thought that it would be a great flavor combination with mint and chocolate. The combination was a success. I really like it.

I was concerned about the chocolate and how it would be added into the ice cream. I didn't want the chips too large to overpower the other delicate flavors. I wanted it to be in small pieces and to mix thoroughly into the ice cream. I tried traditional chips in different sizes. The chips all seemed to be too large so I tried to chop them by hand. I tried placing the chips thorough a food processor. Nothing turned out right. I wasn't satisfied until I bought a chocolate bar and shaved the chocolate with a knife. The shaved chocolate pieces are a perfect size once they are mixed through the ice cream maker.

There were some other questions I wanted to solve. How much mint is too much? Would the green tea make the ice cream green enough or did I need to add food color?

The green tea I had selected had mint in it. It was my thought that this would be my mint flavoring and maybe my food coloring. The tea added a nice mint flavor but not a strong enough mint flavor for the 2-Quart recipe. I needed to add a teaspoon of peppermint extract to enhance the flavor.

The green tea made the milk green but not green enough. I added two drops of green food color. I wanted the color to have a strong hint of green but not to be too GREEN. Two drops is the perfect amount for the color I wanted.

Green Tea and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream:

1 Cup Cold Whole Milk
1/4 Cup Mint Green Tea (loose tea leaves)
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Cold Heavy Cream
1 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract
4 Ounces Bittersweet Chocolate (shaved into pieces and slightly chopped)
2 Drops Green Food Coloring

Place milk into sauce pan and add the 1/4 Cup green tea leaves. Bring to simmer. Do not boil. Turn off heat and allow mixture to set for 2-3 minutes.

Put the sugar into a medium sized bowl. Strain the milk over the sugar removing the tea leaves from the milk.

Use a hand mixer and combine the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Place this mixture into a freezer bowl. Add cream. Turn machine on and add extract and 2 drops of coloring.

While ice cream is cooking, shave and chop chocolate into uneven pieces to add later to mixture. I prefer bittersweet chocolate but you may wish to try semi-sweet.

Cook until thickened, about 25-30 minutes. Add chocolate during the last 5 minutes of mixing. Scrape the final mixture in a closed, air tight container and freeze for atleast 3-4 hours before serving.

-Fer

Seafood Watch

2007-02-20T23:42:00.000-08:00

I think it is appalling that our fish supply is contaminated. Doesn't this bother anyone? Isn't there something we can do? When it comes to pollution and care of the earth I find myself feeling so inadequate in making a difference in the world. But, there are things we each can do to make a difference. Our world is just in such a sad shape it is going to take time to see any significant change happen.

The fish selections we chose to eat can make a difference. We should only buy sustainable seafood from fisheries and farms that care for the environment and ocean wildlife. Sustainable seafood is either fished or farmed, that can maintain or increase production into the long-term without jeopardizing the affected ecosystems.

When buying fish it is sometimes difficult to know where the seafood is coming from whether you are in a neighborhood grocery store or restaurant. If you aren't sure ask. If no one can answer your questions chose something else or somewhere else to shop. The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers a pocket guideline of the fish we should and should not eat. These pocket guides are updated twice per year. These guides are offered by US region. To download one for your area visit here.

A Sandwich is More Than Just a Sandwich

2007-02-19T06:12:00.000-08:00

There is so much written about fancy food or gourmet food. It seems that the simple comforts in life, our everyday foods, get lost in the mix.

Sandwiches. They are the simple everyday food. Sandwiches are not difficult to prepare. Everyone knows how to make them. The varieties of them are endless. Typically a sandwich is eaten with your hands, which makes it casual in nature so no one is intimidated about how to eat it. They can easily be brought with you everywhere and anywhere you go. Poor Mr. Sandwich so much to offer yet so forgotten.

The word sandwich is from the late 1700s, when at very late hours, an English nobleman named John Montagu (the Fourth Earl of Sandwich) was too busy gambling to stop for a meal even though he was hungry. The legend has it that he asked a waiter to bring him some roast beef between two slices of bread. He asked for the meat between the slices of bread so he wouldn’t get his fingers greasy while he was playing cards. The actual word “Sandwich” comes from Old English Sandwic, and literally means “sand village”, “Sandy Place”, or “Place on the Sand”.

I have found that my favorite sandwiches are about fresh ingredients and the style of bread. My three favorites are (from photo top to bottom):

1. Turkey Breast, mache, sliced purple onion, vine-ripe tomato and mayo on a pretzel roll.

2. Pastrami on dark rye with Dijon and Muenster cheese. This one is delicious hot too.

3. Cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, sprouts and mayo on mutli-grain or sour dough bread.

As I thought more about my favorites, I still need to mention two more: grilled cheese with tomato on sour dough or an egg salad sandwich on rye with a pickle spear on the side.

My first sandwich I ever had was a honey and peanut butter on thick wheat bread. I still like this sandwich. The peanut butter has to be thick and the bread fresh.

What are your favorite sandwich styles or recipes? Why do you like them? What was the first sandwich you ever remember eating?

-Fer

Girl Scout Cookies

2007-02-16T22:41:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. This is their 90th year for cookies! If you haven't seen a girl scout lately you soon will. They are $4.00 a box (I remember when they were $1.75 a box). My favorite flavor is the thin mints. I love them out of the freezer. The cookie season is from late Jan thru late March. If you can't find a scout, find one at girlscoutcookies.org

Lox and a Bagel

2007-02-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

A favorite lunch or even a quick weeknight dinner consists of lox, cream cheese, chopped onion, capers and a bagel. It is a simple delicious meal that is easy to make, fast to create and yet so rewarding to eat.

Make a platter of the ingredients. Slow it down. Take a seat. It is time to create your own bagel, your own way. Do you like your cream cheese thick or thin? Do you like your onions chopped or sliced paper thin? The trick is not to overpower the lox by adding too much of the extras. No matter how much fun it is to add them!

-Fer

Root Beer Taste Test

2007-02-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

We love root beer. We love taste tests. So why not do a taste test of root beers? We taste tested eight different root beers and documented our findings. It is amazing how each of them were so different from the others. We didn't do this as a blind test like we did our water test. We didn't feel that the branding of root beer had affected our judgement like bottled water. We found a huge difference between the root beers that used corn syrup to those that used natural cane sugar. We have noted that below. The natural cane sugar was far superior than those which used syrup. We also found it interesting that lower the carbonation the more distinctive the flavors. Less carbonation is a characteristic found in early root beer recipes. Root beer was first introduced to the public in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. For more history read here.

Here are our findings:

Briar's Premium Root Beer: Sweetened by corn syrup, this low carbonation variety left you well aware you were experiencing an old-fashioned style microbrew. What took us by surprise about this one was identfying a subtle but significant element of walnut. It has a nice clean finish.

Capt'n Eli's Root Beer: Flavored with pure cane sugar. The wintergreen oil in this one added a refreshing compliment to the anise . This would be great to enjoy during the summertime. It was light and refreshing.

Gale's Root Beer: Sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, this beer was an exception to the rule. Although sweetened with syrup, Gale's remained light and less syrupy than the others. It was the cinnamon that popped out from the first sip that earned our "most unique" distinction.

Henry Weinhard's Root Beer: This was more syrupy than the others likely due to it being sweetened with corn syrup. We also seem to think while it tasted good we were also aware that this seemed to be manufactured to taste like root beer. We placed this as the same category as Stewart's in that it tastes more like a traditional soft drink rather than good old-fashioned root beer.

IBC Root Beer: It was a favorite growing up. It has a distinctive malt taste which is a different direction than the others reviewed. It is one of the most carbonated options. We like it as our standby root beer.

Stewart's Original Root Beer: Easily our least favorite. This corn syrup sweetened brand seemed to have the least actual root beer taste and seemed to rely more on delivering its taste through smell than through the tongue. The closest approximation to another root beer taste would be what is provided by root beer flavored Dum Dums.

Thomas Kemper Soda Co. Root Beer: This was a fair and standard root beer. This was not so much bad as it didn't have a distinctive characteristic compared to the others. Given the choice between a Thomas Kemper and Stewart's, we'd grab this one every time.

Virgil's Micro Brewed Root Beer: Last but not at all least, Virgil's was our top favorite. This is truly a root beer lovers root beer. Virgil's is the most represenative of the quesential rootbeer taste. It has robust licorice tones, strong anise flavors and plenty of fizz. It would be the best for a root beer float! Virgil's was our top choice for root beer walking into this taste test and we are proud to say it remains one of our favorites.

Our recap: While Virgil's and IBC remain our standard favorites, if you're looking for something more distinctive, characteristic and unique, you should give Gale's or Capt'n Eli's a try. We will review more root beers as we find them so check back. If you don't see your favorite listed above, write and tell us about it. We would love to review it and add it to our list.

-Fer

2/13/07 Update: Check out the second installment of our root beer taste test here.
6/28/07 Update: Check out the third installment of our root beer taste test here.

Tea Infused Chocolate Truffles

2007-02-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day = Chocolate. Why don't we just call it "Chocolate Day"?
Being the chocoholic that I am, I decided to try and make my own. I have a friend that makes tea infused chocolate truffles. I thought I would give that recipe a try. I think his recipe tastes similar to one I found. The recipe I was given didn't offer many specific steps. I used the recipe for some of the ingredients and then decided for myself the steps to create the truffles.
The process is rather easy once you get the chocolate selected correctly. Have you ever been to a shop with 25+ varieties of chocolate to choose from? All of these options make it difficult to choose! The recipe called for both extra bittersweet chocolate and bittersweet chocolate. The "bitter" or "sweet" of the chocolate has to do with the cocoa percentage. The higher the percentage the more bitter and less sweet the chocolate. Bittersweet starts at 50% cocoa solids. Less than 50% cocoa solids is semi-sweet. 99% cocoa solids is an unsweeted baking chocolate the most bitter and least sweet. I decided for my recipe I would use a bittersweet chocolate in two varieties: 70% and 72%. I tend to be someone who loves a dark (more bitter) chocolate. Next time, I thought I would try something darker, but my choices ended up great in this recipe. I don't think I will change the percentages next time but maybe try different brands. To melt chocolate, it's best to buy it in bars and not chips. Chips contain less cocoa butter so that they can hold their shape in cookies, but this makes them harder to melt and less tasty.

There is a choice to be made regarding the type of cocoa that is used for your truffles. There is a difference between "regular cocoa" and "dutch processed". If the cocoa is dark almost black, it is of the "regular" or "natural" variety. If you are looking at a brick red colored cocoa, it is "dutch processed" or "European chocolate". Dutch processed cocoa powder has been treated with an alkali which neutralizes the powder’s natural acidity. The result is a smooth and milder flavor than natural cocoa powder. It's the preferred cocoa (depending on who you speak to). I read a lot about the different types of cocoa and I found many people also prefer the "natural" cocoa for drinking. Hershey's is a common regular or natural cocoa brand. Natural cocoa is also used for baking and the dust on candies and cakes.The package will not say "natural". It will just say cocoa. It is stronger, dark and more bitter compared to dutch processed.

Tea Infused Chocolate Truffles:

1-1/2 Cups of Heavy Cream
1/4 cup loose tea leaves, not bags. I used Earl Grey but I am excited at the thought of how different teas can be used to infuse different flavors into the truffles. I encourage you to experiment!
5 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate
(I used 72% Cocoa), finely chopped
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
(I used 70% Cocoa), coarsely chopped
1 cup unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder
(I used Valrhona, unsweetened, dutch processed).

In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream and tea leaves to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let the mixture infuse for 2 minutes. The tea leaves will become larger as they absorb the liquid of the cream.

Chop the extra-bittersweet chocolate (5 ounces)in a food processor for 5-6 pulses. Place this chopped chocolate in a bowl. Strain the hot cream over the chocolate, discarding the tea leaves. Depending on the size strainer, this may take a few times using the strainer and dumping out the tea leaves each time to allow the milk to strain properly onto the chocolate. I use a spoon in the strainer to push the tea leaves side to side to allow the cream to flow. The original recipe called out for only a 1-1/4 Cup of cream but I found I needed a little more to melt the chocolate properly. I use a total of 1-1/2 Cups of cream. After the cream is poured onto the chocolate, let the mixture rest for 1 minute, then whisk until the chooclate is melted and smooth. Cover the chocolate with plastic wrap and chill until the mixture is set. This will take about 4-6 hours.

After the chocolate has set, use a teaspoon to scoop out each truffle. You may wish to try a melon baller but I found a teaspoon worked just fine. Roll each piece of scooped chocolate in your hands to make rounded balls. This is very messy! Try to keep the balls consistent in size. The size should be about the size of a large gum ball or smaller. Refrigerate the truffles for 30 minutes to firm them.

Using a double boiler or a metal bowl suspended over a pot of simmering water, melt two thirds of the bittersweet chocolate. After the chocolate is melted, remove the boiler top or bowl from over the water and add the remaining chopped chocolate. (This time, I chopped the chocolate into larger pieces with a large knife). Stir continously until the chocolate is melted and smooth and feels room temperature. This tempers the chocolate (giving it a sheen and crispness).

Next, (This is the fun part!) place the cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Drop the chocolate balls one by one into the melted chocolate, turning them with a fork to coat them. Lift the truffle ball out of the chocolate and drop them into the cocoa powder. I found using a fork for the chocolate along with a wooden spoon helped to roll the chocolate over the ball more evenly. I also used a separate fork to roll the ball into the cocoa until they are completely coated.

The truffles keep for about five days. So, eat them while they are fresh! Depending on the size you make your chocolate ball, this recipe (large gumball size) will make about 20 truffles. The truffles are very rich so a smaller bite size ball is appropriate.

Food Photo(s) Friday!

2007-02-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

See more photos here.

Does My Blog Look Good In This? YES!

2007-02-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

The winners for the January installment of the DMBLGIT (a monthly photography contest for food bloggers) are in......

Fer Food won in two categories! We won 2nd place as overall winner and 2nd place for aesthetics!! We are thrilled! Check out our post that won here. Check out all of the winners here.

There was stiff competition and wonderful entries from food bloggers all over the globe. We are honored to be a part of this wonderful world of food bloggers!

Thanks to Annie of Bonappegeek for hosting and to all of the judges.

-Fer

Papa Beard's Cream Puffs

2007-02-07T00:29:00.000-08:00

Have you had a Papa Beard's cream puff? These Japanese cream puffs are made to order. They have two regular flavors: Vanilla and Chocolate and also offer a "flavor of the day". I can be a purist when it comes to flavors so I liked the Vanilla the best.

The cream puffs are baked, not fried, and after being filled with the cream, are sprinkled with powdered sugar. They are not like a traditional French Cream Puff. The cream is much more dense and rich. These puffs are as my friend Evelyn said, "Yummy"!

It is recommended that you eat them in the first 24 hours and refrigerate if you don't eat them immediately. Give them a try and tell me what you think!

-Fer

Papa Beard's Cream Puffs
2130 Sawtelle Blvd. Suite #110
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 479-6665

p.s. Their website offers this small movie telling the history of the company.

Roasting Tomatoes

2007-02-06T00:52:00.000-08:00

Recently, I read about a new way to roast tomatoes in Cooks Illustrated. I was curious to try their suggestions. The outcome was perfect.

Cooks suggests that only vine-ripened tomatoes be used. These tomatoes have the best texture and were most consistent in their testing.

The tomatoes are roasted on a cooling rack that sits on top of a foil wrapped baking sheet. The tomatoes are cut into half pieces and placed seed side down on the rack. The heat is then allowed to circle the underside of the tomatoes and the lift of the rack projects the tomato skins slightly higher towards the heat source. The outcome is a nice roasted skin. The article suggests that you roast onion and the garlic cloves at the same time as the tomatoes. This saves time than sauteing the items separately for a sauce.

Cooks suggests that you roast in a 465 degree oven at 45-50 minutes. I found it did take the full 50 minutes. I am going to try to roast peppers in this fashion and see how they do.

-Fer

Over The Weekend

2007-02-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

After the freeze, there was alot of concern about how it would affect the availability of citrus. I am relieved to see all the citrus still at the market. Tangerines are in full swing along with grapefruit, lemons, limes and oranges.

I tried some new grapefruit varieties this week. My favorite grapefruit now is called a "Oroblanco". It is delicious and sweet. It showed me how I can't always judge a fruit by its skin. The thick green tone makes you think your bite will be bitter. It isn't at all. It is sweet.

Meyer Lemons are something I know little about. I hear about them all the time. I have always wondered what makes them so special and what is all the fuss! These lemons are in season now and all over the market. The Meyer Lemon has the same tang as a regular lemon but not the pucker. This lemon is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. The exterior color of the fruit is a darker more orange-yellow in color. The skin is thinner and softer than a conventional lemon. Due to the sweeter taste, Meyer Lemons are great to use in lemonade and dessert recipes.

I can eat Tangerines by the bagful. Recently, I have been experimenting with making it into juice.I find that Tangerine juice is smoother and less tart than an orange jucie. The downside is it takes so many tangerines to make a small glass of juice. Five or six pieces of fruit should do. -Fer

Food Photo Friday!

2007-02-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

Tiny Kitchens

2007-02-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

A small kitchen can be a tough place to cook. I have a small kitchen and am always trying new ways to maximize my kitchen. Here are some new ideas that I have in utilizing my small kitchen:

De-Clutter.
Do you use all of your small appliances? If not, give them away to someone that will use them. Keeping appliances that you will "someday use" is taking up too much space in your kitchen.

You may think you should use all of the counter for storage but I disagree. There needs to be a place for everything in your kitchen and that means off the counter! That way it will enable you to have the space to just start cooking.

Think of ways to maximize the storage you do have. That doesn't always mean a "storage device". I have found that storage devices or bought kitchen "organizers" sometimes take up more space than what you are trying to store.

Think Double Duty.
Buy dishes or containers that you can use for more than one use. I have suggested using tops made for glassware as food storage. That way the storage required is not more than storing glasses away in their cabinet. If I had food storage containers it would require an entire additional cabinet I simply do not have.

Store Ingredients in Their Own Packaging.
I have noticed lately that sugars and flours come in a self-closing, "Zip-Loc" style bags. Instead of placing these ingredients into their own canister and stored them on the counter, I can easily stack these ingredients on top of one another inside a cabinet. It takes up so little space compared to the traditional flour, sugar, coffee canisters. There may be some that disagree with me in terms of coffee storage. I realize that there is a concern for coffee not staying fresh in its store bought packaging. So, if you do choose to keep one canister for coffee instead of the traditional three, it will still save you space. I find I drink my coffee so fast I don't need to worry about keeping it fresh by storing it into a different container.

Spread Out.
On big cooking days, I use my dining table as additional counter space. I roll out dough and bring out appliances. It works great in allowing me to maximize my space and help me be more efficient in my cooking.

Use wall space. Go up the walls with shelving if it allows you more storage opportunity.

Get a pot rack or put up open shelving to store the items you need regular access. No need digging into that bottom drawer looking for your measuring cup. Place it where it can be seen and can be used.

Placing a microwave or additional appliances on a cart works wonders in allowing more access to the tools you need. If you have deep drawers store your utensils in stacked trays. One on top of another. Use the depth of the drawer to maximize your storage potential.

There are many ideas that can help us all work better in our small kitchens. But it starts with first figuring out for yourself how you want to use your kitchen. When you figure that out, it will allow you to organize and store things appropriately. I think most of us just store things where they fit and not really think about how the area is used. Give it some thought and make yourself a plan. You might surprise yourself in how happy you can be in your tiny kitchen.

-Fer

Quiche Pots

2007-01-31T06:56:00.000-08:00

There is something tradition yet refined about a quiche. I like to take a more rustic approach and not have it be so perfect. I find in its unperfect state it becomes more real and edible. I also like to make a quiche in individual portions. I use a muffin or cupcake pan to make individual quiches. I like to call them "Quiche Pots".

I make a traditional pie crust. After the crust is rolled out, I cut the crust into 5 inch sqaures and place them each into their own cup of the muffin tin. I allow the crust to settle and then use my fingers to mould it into the cup. I like to leave the crust jagged at the ends. The crust needs to be pre-baked with either foil or parchment and pie weights. When the crust is out of the oven I like to add the cheese and the bacon into each individual cup (or pot) and pour the custard over it allowing the custard to not reach the top. There should be some space between the top edge of the crust and the custard to allow the custard to expand after cooking. When you pour the custard into each pot, carefully stir the cheese and bacon around a bit to allow the custard to reach the bottom of the pot.

The custard is a very traditional version with bacon and Gruyere cheese. I like to experiment with different cheese mixes as I find the Gruyere alone is too salty mixed with the bacon. I have found if I mix a half of cup cheddar and a half a cup of the Gruyere the quiche is less salty.

Quiche Pots
12 Servings

Basic Pie crust dough-pre-heated crusts
5 ounces of bacon (about 5 slices) broken into pieces
2 Large Eggs, plus 2 Large Egg Yolks
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt(Caution as the bacon and cheese all ready make this dish salty)
1/2 Teaspoon white Pepper
A Pinch of Nutmeg
1/2 Cup Gruyere Cheese (Grated)
1/2 Cup Mild Cheddar

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Have your partially baked pie shell ready. As soon as the crusts are partially baked the custard should be inserted inside and ready to be fully baked.

Fry the bacon until crispy and brown. Tear to pieces. Place to the side. Whisk all ingrediients except the cheeses into a medium bowl. Mix the cheeses together in a separate bowl.

Place the pieces of bacon, divided into the minature shells and add the cheese on top of each one. The cheese will be about 1 Tablespoon-depending on the size of your muffin tin.

Bake until lightly brown about 30 minutes. Serve warm or room tempature.

-Fer

A Cup of Tea

2007-01-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

It rained this weekend. I love it when it rains. There is nothing like a spot of tea on a rainy day. I like carrying the cup in my hand as it warms me up just holding it.

My favorite teas are oolong and chamomile. I usually drink my tea plain but if I am in a mood for sweet I add a small amount if honey. I like a strong black tea with a dash of milk. However, recently there are findings that by adding milk to tea the beneficial effects are completely prevented. Here are some of the health benefits of tea:

Tea suppresses the appetite and inhibits excess body fat. Oolong and Green teas help speed calorie burning.

Green teas has a high content of vitamins and minerals.

Black and green teas are full of antioxidants.

Tea helps fight cancer, heart disease and regulate cholesterol.

Tea boosts the immune system. It can help fight off infections, harmful bacteria and viruses.

Long term consumption of tea may help strengthen bones.

I find that there isn't much left in life that has a slow process. Everything and everyone moves so quickly. If the process is slow we find ways to speed it up. Making a cup of tea slows us down. This is such a good thing!

Here are a few suggestions for brewing tea:

Use fresh or bottled water whenever possible. Water quality is as important to the flavor of the tea as the tea itself. Bad water will create bad tea no matter how good the tea.

For black teas, bring the water to a full rolling boil, but do not over-boil the water.

For green teas, bring the water just to the boiling point (steaming, no bubbles)

Pre-warm your teapot with a some hot water. Pour the warming water out of the pot before adding the tea leaves and hot water.

Add one level teaspoon of tea for every cup of water. Tea strainers and infusing baskets may be used or the leaves can be added directly to the pot. I like an infusion spoon for loose tea leaves.

Steep full black leaves four to five minutes but experiment to find your perfect "brew". Steep delicate green teas and smaller leaf teas for less time. These teas should steep for about three minutes. Some of the finer teas may be infused several times.