To Thine Own Self, Be Food

Oh man. I learn something new everyday.  For sure. A dear reader submitted a gluten-free recipe for cheese buns, or cheese puffs, or gluten-free Red Lobster garlic-cheese biscuit knock offs.  2 cups tapioca flour 2 teaspoons of baking soda 4 eggs 4 cups shredded cheese (I used a simple straight-up sharp cheddar) I also added 2 teaspoons of garlic salt to the other dry ingredients.  I added and incorporated the eggs, then the cheese.  Then I "rolled" in into 15 balls, which I baked at 350 for about 18 minutes. Before today's adventure, what I knew about tapioca was limited to a pudding that not many people like.  What I gathered from my dear reader, however, was that tapioca flour had nothing to do with pudding (unless you use it to thicken tapioca pudding...whoa), and everything to do with being gluten-free. Upon further research, tapioca flour also happens to be a very efficient thickener.  Depending on the website, tapioca flour is actua...

So, a new term began this week, and now that the accursed (but highly enjoyable) wine class is finito, I seem to have some extra time on my hands. For how long that extra time will be available, I really cannot say.  Perhaps once the trimester is in full swing, I may have none.  But for now, I've renewed my vow to read more (and stuff that is not textbook).  I started this morning with a quick perusal of Marion Nestle's Food Politics website (the FDA is taking action! Egads!), moved on to a quick Kindle sample download of Chicken: The Dangerous Transformation of America's Favorite Food , and ended this evening in a family read-aloud of Chapter 3 of this book:     Yeah.  I know.   One of my most favoritely provocative books...in a young readers' edition.  Even Elliot (the 9-year-old) has no problem with the words when he read his bit.  I will say, while there has not been an AHA moment yet for my kids, they've achieved these objectiv...

You get your arse in the kitchen and do something with them! This weekend caps a week-long break from classes, and I have mostly spent it working at the Winery.  And if I wasn't working there, then I was testing recipes...and well, maybe someday when I don't need a break from such kitchen activities, I'll post about it here. Until then... Late August in the Midwest means the first (maybe even second) fruit of the garden harvest.  And my experience has been that the best, most prolific gardeners are retired men...who have the time to water and care for a garden...and who like to give stuff away!  Lucky me has been on the receiving end of a couple of boxes of tomatoes and cucumbers recently, and when it rains, it pours.  We've received more than we can possibly eat before it all spoils, but that doesn't mean we won't die trying.  Today, in particular, with the exception of a Harry Potter movie break and a bike ride to the grocery store, I spent the hours b...