To Thine Own Self, Be Food

In the words of Alice Cooper....school's out for summer. For my kids, that is.  Not for me.  I start a new term tomorrow, and most of my classes will be bakery-oriented.  I hope to learn a lot, but I expect to be outstripped by my more creative classmates.  I'm not one for elaborate cake decorating, mind. And with relatively young children in the house, the beginning of summer always involves a look-over of the kids' summer wardrobes...and of especial interest this year, our 12-year-old daughter's. This morning, I discarded three pairs of Peanut's shorts, because when she put them on and let her arms hang at the sides, her fingertips went past the hem.  Surprisingly, she didn't raise much fuss...probably because I let her keep two other pairs for "around the house" and "bedtime".  That puts me at +5 ranks in Parenting, useful for the next time I need to do a Teenage Diplomacy check(to all those non-D&Ders who don't get the refer

I left you all hanging, didn't I?  Ranted and raved about some great culinary book I've started, made promises to talk about it, and then I didn't. My apologies.  I had every intention of making remarks, but well, this book got in the way... Image courtesy of St. John's Source I'm at the library with the two younger Nelsons, and I have no intention of getting anything, except what my kids decide to check out. But, I pass by the New Non-Fiction! section, and I am drawn to this book.  And yeah, I hardly every turn down the pull when it comes to a certain book. So, now you know where I've been and what I've been up to.  Let's talk a little bit about the book I promised I would. As a reminder, the book I've started is titled Ruhlman's Twenty: 20 Techniques, 100 Recipes, A Cook's Manifesto.   I don't really know much about Michael Ruhlman, but that he's collaborated with chefs like Thomas Keller, done an extensive amount of

the feeling that I am reading a book SO all-absorbing that I am compelled to come right here and blog about it. And yet, here I am. I purchased Michael Ruhlman's Ruhlman's Twenty (and rest of title) about three weeks, and after a quick flip-through, I made his Mac and Cheese with Soubise (discussed here at Be Food on May 1) and Braised Fennel (OMG). But tonight, I forced myself to sit down and actually begin reading this book instead of referencing it.  The table of contents contains chapters titled 'Salt', 'Water', 'Vinaigrette', 'Poach' and 'Acid' (among others).  Because I'm reading it, I began with Chapter One - 'Think'. I cannot think of the last book I've read where a chapter has so ardently either A.) reiterated knowledge I already deem important or B.) introduced other key knowledge in an impactfully clear way. I am actually dying to tell you all about it, but alas, my brain is becoming fogged with the

I try not to play favorites.  I guess it comes from years and years of public education teaching and trying to keep things fair. And that's why today's post has the title it does.  Because honestly, how could I choose from these potential headings? Rubik's Cube Steaks Fingerling-a-Ding-Dong Potatoes Looking Dressed to Grill You see my dilemma. Anyway.  It's a lovely sunny Sunday here in the Midwest.  I don't have school tomorrow, but the kids do.  Severe storms are on their way.  My environs are lovingly arrang'd.  There's nothing left for me to do today except cook dinner.  And my heating method of choice - The Grill, because remember, fire and meat no longer daunt me. Fingerling potatoes here, soon to be halved, oiled, seasoned, and roasted on a Pampered Chef Veg Tray over the open flame for 25 minutes.  Purple potatoes?  PURPLE potatoes! Next up.  Ten cube steaks (minute steaks, blade steaks, etc.), prepared two different ways.  The fi

Good, happy Sunday morning! It has been the most beautifully cool weather as of late for sleeping.  Windows open, gentle breezes, the sounds of rustling trees to lull one to sleep, and upon awakening, the happy twittering of birds in their nests. And if I were Bob Ross, I would now paint happy little trees and such. But I'm not...so I will have to settle for having a lovely, quiet breakfast on my screened-in porch.  Which actually looks like a disaster, with my kids' soccer detritus, random gardening equipment, portable fire pit, winter leftovers, and a damned ficus tree that wants to shed strewn about the entire porch...one can hardly relax. But I'm trying.  And what I'm pondering on this beautiful Sunday morning is my utter befuddlement in attempting to pick out a breakfast cereal whilst grocery shopping last night.  I have a list of "to-go cereals": Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes - cereals that I know aren't totally *the best* for me, but

Okay, here's the original post that I will be referencing.  Back in Spring 2011, I'd begun keeping an inventory of my freezer, pantry, and refrigerator contents.  My intention was to update that inventory (done on Excel) every week, so that I'd know what was in my fridge...and thus, prevent overbuying of foodstuffs. However, you know how things go, one week became two...two became a month.  I updated the spreadsheet about once a month, until about nine months ago, when I took up the call again to regulate the frequency (look at me, Ma, sounding all scientific!)  With a renewed interest in being frugal and resourceful, and having some free time to consider matters such as these, I realize it is indeed time for another Refrigerator Purge.  After all, as of right now, there's roughly 50+ pounds of beef, pork, and chicken in my freezer that needs to get used...along with 30-some cups of cheddar and mozzarella cheese (a great deal at your local Costco). My goal in the

I try to refrain from hopping aboard the technology bandwagon most of the time, because I don't want to try to keep up with the Joneses.  I truly believe most good things can be done with our own hands and minds...rather than the gadgets, gizmos, and whatnots we put into our hands and in front of our eyes. So, when I take a moment here to wax adulatory about my Kindle...you should know the you-know-what is about to get real. I have not always loved my Kindle.  In fact, when I received it as a Christmas gift a few years ago, I regarded it quite tepidly.  I love books.  I love touching them, smelling them, pawing them, collecting them, organizing them...and a Kindle sort deprived me of that pleasure.  But, even I couldn't ignore the incredible amount of space the books took up, and the clutter they could trigger.  I mean, I was just running out of room to store them all, and many of them remained in the boxes they'd been packed in a few years before. And so, I began my

If peanut butter were a U.S. President, it would be John Adams. John Adams' unyielding, unwavering nature and work ethic made him at times an unpopular president and politician.  I would say the same is true for peanut butter...its obstinate denseness finds many of the same critics.  John Adams did a great deal of legwork in writing the Constitution, but we often overlook him in lieu of the giants Washington and Jefferson.  Peanut butter is often the neglected foodstuff, passed over for the sweet jams, Nutella, and "healthier" nut butters. Argument: John Adams should have been carved into Mount Rushmore.  So should peanut butter.  I think I've offered a pretty sturdy argument for this hypothesis, and I shall be soon writing my Congressman. Peanut butter is a pretty ubiquitous product here in the U.S.  Wikipedia refers to it as a "food paste", and perhaps that is why so many of us 30-somethings and beyond ate paste in school...we were looking for some a

You know, dear readers, that I am always a sucker for the clever, subtle rhyme...but the title of today's blog post might just bring me to tears. A comfort food near and dear to many of us Americans + A fancy French term for a white béchamel with onion infusions = Today's entry title The inspiration today comes from Michael Ruhlman's Ruhlman's Twenty: 20 Techniques, 100 Recipes, A Cook's Manifesto .  This book was added to my collection last weekend, and as I was flipping through it, the recipe for "Mac and Cheese with Soubise" jumped out at me.  In my Stocks, Soups, and Sauces class this term, I'd just been taking notes on Béchamel - one of the mother sauces, basically flour, butter, and added milk.  A Soubise is an offshoot of a Béchamel, with caramelized, pureéd onion.   Talk about a serendipitous dovetailing of school learning and real life.  I knew straight away that I'd need to make this dish.  And soon. But let

Had it not been for a faithful reader in Ohio, wondering where I was, I would not have realized that nearly a month had passed since my last post. I sure hope that this month-disappearing-in-the-blink-of-an-eye thing is a passing fad, and that time begins to slow down soon.  I have no coping mechanism available at this time if it doesn't. There's several things I suppose I could talk about here at Be Food.  I've just come home from working an event (part of a grade for a class...a.k.a Free Labor), and I've been treated to an evening of sloshy, sloppy, slothy, self-indulgents who want little more than their prime rib buffet and free Barefoot wine. But...I'm already a little bitter about that, so it's best for all parties involved if I don't go there right now.  I suppose I could talk about how my third term ends later on this month, and how excited I am to move into the baking side of Culinary Arts.  I also suppose I could go into detail about my upcomi