Cookbook Review: The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches

Another cute and interesting cookbook from Quirk Books. At first glance I thought "oh great - a sandwich cookbook. I can put anything between two slices of bread and call it a sandwich." But alas, the cynical voice inside my head was quickly brought to heel. And that was just because I read the introduction! Side note - I always read the introduction in a cookbook. It gives you insight you might not necessarily gleam (especially if the cookbook isn't organized properly). Susan Russo obviously loves sandwiches - but not just their construction, their history as well. Right away she tells you how this book is going to be different from the others you've seen - this will be the sandwich book to rule all other sandwich books.

What I found most fascinating about this book was that along with every recipe, the author gave us something juicy to read as well. From discussing the origins of the sandwich in question, or talking about the regional influences that helped bring about something as fascinatingly foreign to Americans as the Chip Butty (I'm not going to deny that I've secretly been craving the Chip Butty since I read about it...page 92 - bread, butter, and hot french fries - is that enough to get your mouth watering?), the book is filled with fascinating information about sandwiches. And why are you reading a cookbook about sandwiches if you don't desperately want to know more about them?

The recipes are to the point - it's hard to screw up a sandwich (I say that, and then watch me try to make the 1950's inspired Sandwich Loaf that resembles a layer cake in sandwich form). They're also approachable, and entertaining. This book delivers on it's promise - the sandwich is "among the most democratic of foods. They're perfect day or night." I can easily remember a time when I've had a sandwich for breakfast, lunch and dinner (not all in the same day, of course). And if you don't want to make a sandwich after flipping through this book, I'll be greatly surprised. Not just because of the read, and the recipes - but because of the drool-inspiring photos of each and every sandwich described in the book (photography by Matt Armendariz). The cookbook in all is lots of fun, and even inspirational - it's time I finally learned to make my own Oyster Po'Boy at home instead of waiting for those rare moments when I see it on a menu somewhere!

Scotch, frozen stones, & GT Magazine

This was my last Friday night after work. Lovely.

Cook Book Review: Little Old Lady Recipes

Recently I was contacted by someone at Quirk Books and asked if I would review a few of their cookbooks on this site. I was honored, excited, and I love getting free things - especially cookbooks (just ask my friend Larry back in New Jersey who sent me 2 boxes of cookbooks before we moved!). So this is the first review - and while it's technically not something I put in my mouth, it's something that would enable me to make something that I could put in my mouth. So it fits. :)

Little Old Lady Recipes, by Meg Favreau

The concept of this book is quite cute - recipes from Grandmas, basically. The cover suggests the recipes are made with love and lots of lard - fortunately that's a big misrepresentation since there's hardly a mention of lard in the book. Admittedly my favorite part of the book is the disclaimer that is printed right in the front: "...use your common sense when you're cooking recipes from this book (or any other). If you don't like it, don't eat it. And if it smells bad, it's probably rotten. These are rules that'll serve you well in life and in the kitchen." Such truth!

At first glance the book seems homey and cute - there are photos of little old ladies next to recipes, and some fiesty comments peppered throughout (such as this beauty from Gladys, an 84 year old bridge club hostess: "If you are working in the kitchen and someone asks if you want help, immediately remove your apron, hand it to them, and go in the living room to have a drink."). However I was a bit dismayed when I realized that the photos are not necessarily of the little old ladies who created the recipes. Seems like they could have done with at least one photo of food somewhere in the book, but perhaps that's just what I like to see when I'm reading recipes. Upon reading through the book, it all made sense when I realized the author was not some little old lady, but a rather sassy-looking young woman. This isn't a list of her own recipes, but a collection of recipes she pulled from the books created by women's clubs around the country. Actually a cool concept, since those books are not likely to be made available in large quantities - or more likely they cease to exist all together after a few years. So kudos to the author, Meg Favreau, for pulling these all together.

The recipes - they're cute. They do honestly represent a simpler time of life that you can generally count on hearing about from little old ladies. Familiar ingredients with easy instructions - these are the types of recipes many people might have learned from their mothers or grandmothers. I was expecting to see my Grandma's Potato Soup recipe in there someplace. And there's something for everyone - Hot Toddy (yes, that's a drink!), desserts, Bourbon Balls and Matzoth Balls. While none of the recipes are challenging, I imagine the results would invoke some wonderful feelings of comfort. It's likely a great cookbook for a beginner in the kitchen, or someone who prefers an easy time when throwing together a meal. And it would fit perfectly in a stocking hung by the hearth!

Food on Flickr

Here's a breakdown of food photography on Flickr - not surprising which "category" of food is represented the most:

Desserts 18.3%
Vegetables 17.8%
Poultry 13%
Meat 10.7%
Bread 8.8%
Drinks 7.8%
Dairy 7.1%
Pasta 7.1%
Other 9.4%

Guest Post by Max

In honor of my best buddy's 10th birthday today, I've let him take over the blog. Here are some things that Max has enjoyed putting in his mouth over the last 10 years. Happy Birthday, Max - both your daddies love you very much! So in no particular order, Things I Put In My Mouth: Max Edition!

water from a cup on a road trip

icing

stuffed toy

cow's ear

wax lips

dog food right from the bag

dog food right from the bag - again!

snow

soccer ball

peanut butter inside a toy

tennis ball

greenies

bone

another tennis ball

pig's ear

A Hike and a Beer

This past Saturday I again ventured up to the top of Saddle Mountain. This time I took keith so he could experience the gorgeous views as well. Armed with a new hiking backpack, and some new hiking poles for keith, we set out. Again, first stop was at Camp 18 - I had a luscious omelet filled with steak, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. keith had a lumberjack breakfast complete with one huge pancake, one piece of french toast, eggs, sausage and homefries. With our tanks full of fuel, we hit the hiking trail.

The beginning of the hike is "respectable" (as Kevin put it), and brings you out to an outcropping of stone that seems to float above everything. I made a point to walk out to the edge for a photo op - big deal to someone that is leery of heights, like me. And then the trail gets difficult going straight up to the summit. Wonderful day, gorgeous weather, and then we relaxed at home with a lovely local IPA - which hit the spot after a hike like that!

Comfort Food, a Hike, and some Beer

This past Tuesday my new friend Kevin took me hiking up to the top of Saddle Mountain - it's an hour west of the city off Route 26. Kevin is an AVID hiker - an outdoorsman for sure. I'm a recovering city boy, so I had no idea what to expect. Luckily he had planned the day to start with a big, hearty breakfast at Camp 18 - a rustic and stunning restaurant full of gorgeous wood & wood sculptures as well as huge plates of warm and delicious food. And naturally, I got a few photos from the inside of the restaurant but neglected to take a photo of the massive pile of biscuits and gravy that was delivered to my table. Kevin managed to put away most of three insanely huge blueberry pancakes and a plate of potatoes.

Fueled and ready to go, we made our way to the Saddle Mountain. Heck of a hike - and well worth it for the views. You get to the summit and you have a full 360 degree view - ocean to the west, and forest all around. And after a great hike there was only one thing left to do - get some beer.

Kevin took me to Lucky Labrador for a few pints. Great brewery with a lively back patio (dogs welcome...of course). I started with the Hellasourus Rex - a lighter German-style lager, and then moved on to the ESP. I got home and keith had ordered pizza for dinner - all in all a great day!

The Mistress

Last week I was watching old episodes of Oliver's Twist (Jamie Oliver cooking show) and one of the quick and easy recipes was a lime & basil sorbet. It looked VERY simple - and sounded delicious. So I figured I'd give it a go. I talked with Holly on the phone the next day and mentioned it to her, and her response was "just put in the blender with some tequila." Awww...Holly, you say the sweetest things. :) So I (basically) did just that. But here's why...

I actually DID attempt the sorbet, but I just couldn't get it to set. I think I didn't let it boil long enough (I'm still getting used to the electric range - it gets really, really, really, really, really, really hot really, really, really quickly). So it wasn't reduced enough to thicken up as it should in the freezer. But no loss, I pulled it out of the freezer and immediately poured some into a cocktail shaker with tequila. Thus The Mistress was born.

Why The Mistress? Well it fits the theme of our future endeavor. But more than that, it fits a certain Mistress we know and love. I'm speaking of the one and only Lana, of course. She's amazingly sweet, with a touch of earthy freshness. Yet she's damn powerful and can bring you to your knees. Such is the case with this drink. Be forewarned - The Mistress is strong and sweet and will own you.

The Mistress
1 part Lime-Basil simple syrup
3 parts white tequila
Lime wedge

Add the syrup & tequila to a cocktail shaker with ice, and shake vigorously. Pour into a martini glass and squeeze one wedge of lime overtop before serving.


Lime-Basil Simple Syrup
2 C water
1 C sugar
Zest of 5 limes
Juice of 5 limes
1 bunch of basil (handful)

In a pot, combine the sugar and the water. Stir and heat up. Add the zest, and bring to a slow boil.  For sorbet you would allow this to boil for 5 minutes or so. For simple syrup, don't do that. Simply take it off the heat and add the lime juice. Make sure your basil is clean, and pop it into a mortar & pestal. Bash it to death until it's all bruised and you've extracted some juice from the leaves. Add this entire basil mess to the pot and stir through. Let it sit for a couple of minutes so the flavors begin to come together. Then pour the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the basil leaves and pieces. Store in the refrigerator, and it should keep for up to a week.

If you wanted to make the sorbet (and boiled it for at least 5 minutes), at this point you could pour the contents into a metal bowl and pop it in the freezer. After 45 minutes, pull it out and whisk it good. Put it back in for 30 minutes. After that it should be ready for you to spoon out. It wasn't for me, and thus the drink was born.

Popeye's Fried Chicken

Last Friday we got drove out to the Columbia Gorge for some hiking. Bear in mind the only hiking we've done in YEARS has been from one subway platform to another. But lo and behold, we managed 10 miles. Still - we've walked the island of Manhattan a number of times and that's more than 10 miles. BUT we really didn't think about how 1/2 of the hike was vertical going up, the other vertical going down. Exhausting, and gorgeous views of the gorge.

And by the time we were headed home there was no way I was going to throw myself into the kitchen to prepare anything. So we made a stop and picked up some Popeye's Fried Chicken. I know, fast food. But it's spicy, crispy and delicious. Something tells me I don't want to have it more than once a year, but still we enjoyed it!

And here are a few pics from our hike, just to share. We hiked up to Angel's Rest on the Columbia River Gorge - and then up to Devil's Rest and back down to our car. Whew!

Steak Frites at Lucien

There are things I will miss about NYC. Namely, some of my favorite restaurants - more specifically, some of my favorite dishes at my favorite restaurants. Yesterday evening I went through all 1400 photos on my iPhone with keith and I was amazed at how many of them were of food (okay, not amazed...entertained). One specific dish kept popping up: Steak Frites at Lucien in the East Village. I worked about 2 blocks from this restaurant, and from the moment I found it, it became one of my favorite spots for lunch. Over the years we lived in NYC I took most everyone that visited us to Lucien for dinner. It's a quintessential New York restaurant - small, inviting, loud when it's busy. The dishes are glorious examples of great French cooking, including rabbit in mustard sauce, huge sardines on toast, and much more. Yet I always found myself going back to the Steak Frites. Sure, the steak was always cooked perfectly, and yes the french fries were crunchy, salty & delicious...but the star of the plate is the pepper sauce. I could drink it. I could rub it all over my body and have my husband lick it off. Seriously, it's amazing. I've tried and tried to make the exact version at home, but I can never get it just right. I shall endeavor, and one day I'll get it right.

Until then, as an homage to the restaurant and the man, Lucien, here are the photos of Steak Frites from my iPhone over the years. And if you're in NYC, stop in. Especially during lunch when the restaurant is quieter, they have leftover specials from the night before, and Lucien is likely holding court. Introduce yourself, ask how his family is, and he'll probably send over a glass of wine to your table.

Runner ups for the most photographed dish on my iPhone: Momofuku Ramen at Momofuku; Roasted Pork Buns at Momofuku; Dim Sum at Dim Sum Go-Go; and dishes at Prune.

First dish on the new grill: Pork Chops & Mushrooms

I have a new grill. You have no idea how exciting that is to me. It's been 7 years since I've had a grill - seriously, that was one of my biggest issues with living in NYC!! The grill was so big we had to take all of the components out of the box to fit it in the car. It took me an hour to put it together. And then I got to work - I bought extra thick pork chops and marinated them for 3 hours. And I desperately searched for some fresh rosemary...alas, none to be found. So I settled for Thyme and Lemongrass and used them both as skewers for the mushrooms (adds amazing flavor - rosemary is better, but thyme was good).

The grill is awesome - Char Broil, propane, 4 burners (12,000 btu each), and a side burner for pots. EEEEEEEEEE...giddy me!!

Chris' Grilled Pork Chops
2 Extra thick pork chops per person
Fresh Thyme
olive oil
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
salt
pepper

Place the pork chops in a big plastic bag. Separate your thyme (16 sprigs total) and garlic into two even piles - you want to make sure even amounts of each ingredient in the marinade are on both sides of the pork chops. Toss in the thyme, garlic, add salt & pepper to taste and a generous amount of olive oil into the first side of the bag. Turn the bag over and do the same with the remaining marinade ingredients. Put in the fridge for 3 hours. Remove from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.

Heat up the grill - get it nice and hot. Place the chops onto the hot grill and immediately lower the temp (around medium - it was about 250 degrees on my thermometer). Leave them alone - for god-sake don't move them! Let them cook for 5 - 7 minutes. Turn them over, and cook them the same on the other side. Just a reminder, the FDA (sham, joke, but whatever) recently lowered the "done" temperature of pork - it's now the same as beef. So it can be a little pink!! Now if you're like me, that's how you've always cooked your pork because it's best, juiciest and most delicious when it's medium. But if you followed the FDA and cooked until it was white, it's time to change your thinking. Come with me to the medium side, my friends. You'll love me for it. But I digress...remove the pork chops and let them sit for 5 minutes before eating.


Grilled Mushrooms
1 pound of baby bella mushrooms
Something to skewer them with: rosemary, thyme, lemongrass
Olive oil
Salt
pepper

Use an actual skewer (I used a metal one) to create a hole through each mushroom. Push the sprig of the herb of your choice through, and thread 2-3 mushrooms onto each sprig. Mix them up for fun and flavor. Pile them onto a plate and pour some olive oil over all of the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, and add to the grill over medium heat. Turn the mushrooms often, and as the smaller ones get soft, juicy and dark, move them to the upper rack to keep warm. Cook them until they're tender and delicious - it doesn't take a long time, just keep an eye on them. Eat whole!!

champagne toast in plastic cups

The glasses hadn't yet been unpacked. Boxes were everywhere. The dog was still trying to figure out where he could relax. But we still managed to chill a bottle of champagne and toast our new home in big, red, plastic cups.

Beaverton Farmers Market

We move into our new apartment on Saturday. We'll be living in Beaverton, Oregon. One of the ways I love to get a feel for a new area is by taking self-guided walking tours. I found a great book with 50 walking tours of Portland (and all the surrounding areas). So in anticipation of making Beaverton our home (we're on the outskirts of the city, but still...), we did the Beaverton walking tour. It started in the center of the town at a big park near the library where I learned something fantastic about Beaverton - there's a HUGE Beaverton Farmer's Market on Saturday's! I mean HUGE - something like 15,000 people come through on Saturday. I cannot wait to try it out!! More to come, I'm sure!

Cocktails are a necessity

We've been in hotel limbo for weeks now, and it's truly starting to get to me. I've gained weight because I can't cook for myself (and I have limited will power when I go out to eat). I haven't exercised (have you SEEN some of the hotel exercise facilities), and I'm seriously going crazy without my own kitchen. We move in on Saturday, so hopefully I'll be able to gain some sanity again (not to mention the 24 hour work out facility AND the pool...those will help tremendously!). So how have we been surviving thus far? Simple:

Cocktails, and more cocktails. :) Over the weekend we met a new friend (previously a digital/email friend), Kevin. We had some fantastic Gin & Tonics - the gin is from a local distillery and I may need to get that info from Kevin again. I haven't had a good gin & tonic in a while, and I want some more. After drinks, I took keith to a steakhouse for dinner (sorry Kevin, I know you're a vegetarian and it felt kind of wrong going from you to steak...but I go where my stomach demands). The food was great, but more to the point it was my first Scotch since St. Louis (and the incomparable Holly!). So I enjoyed my scotch & soda while keith imbibed on a cucumber martini. Delicious!

Holly - Niche - St. Louis - cigars & scotch

The first leg of our journey west was nothing all that special (I'm talking food here - obviously seeing our families was a highlight!). And then we arrived in St. Louis, MO. Having emailed back and forth with Holly for months, we decided it was the ideal opportunity for us all to meet and for her to show off her city! Side note about Holly - we met because of the blogs. She and I have had some fantastic and lengthy email exchanges, and covered a ton of various topics. However it always comes back to food. So I knew she would take us somewhere amazing. She showed up at the hotel with gift bags (for ALL - including Max), filled with local goodies (and in true Holly fashion, the gift bags were specialized - mine was much more savory, keith's was deliciously sweet).

We started with a quick walk over to Union Station for some Grey Goose martinis (with olives, mine dirty) before heading to dinner. Holly had mentioned the restaurant Niche, and I was sold from her description. She had been wanting to give it a try, and this was a perfect opportunity to share our love of great food. The restaurant had a great feeling as soon as we walked in - the atmosphere was inviting and relaxed. After ooo-ing and aah-ing over the menu for a few minutes, we decided that - as a table - we could not resist the Chef's Tasting Menu.

First course: Maple Custard. The custard was gently piled into the bottom of an egg shell. There were delicious morsels of roasted mushrooms on top, and the entire thing was topped with a generous pile of bonito caviar. Fantastic explosions of flavor throughout this tiny little dish. From the salty pop of the caviar to the creamy sweetness of the custard - these were definitely flavors I would never have been brave enough to put together on my own. Which is why I love experiencing the creativity of an excellent chef.

Second course: Lobster. The lobster was cooked perfectly, and all of the components of the dish meshed fantastically. However I have to give total props to the brown butter hollandaise. It was creamy and delicious and gave you the butter flavor you wanted for the lobster as well as the creamy texture that complimented the dish as a whole.

Third course: Pig Head Fagottini. This was one of the dishes that made us really excited about the menu - I was sold when the waitress said it was actually pig jowl meat. YES - bring it on! And I should say at this point that Holly and I have some fun things in common - one of which is how vocal we are when we eat. Not necessarily talking - but non-verbal appreciation of the food we're enjoying. Lots of moaning and sighing. Amazing food is definitely orally orgasmic. :) Back to the pig jowl - unfortunately it was the weakest part of the meal. The strawberry juice was hard to find in the flavor of the dish, and the meat was certainly not the star. The big flavor of the dish was the pasta cups - and unfortunately pasta just isn't a strong enough flavor to carry a dish. Instead it just created a bit of a bland note. However by the third bite I was tasting more of the components, and perhaps that was the chef's plan.

Fourth course: Sorbet. The sorbet was lemon & basil and was one of the most fantastic things I've put in my mouth in a while. Cold, tangy, herbacious and amazingly fragrant. The basil flavor was wonderfully strong and delicious, and the sorbet did exactly what it was supposed to do - it cleansed our taste buds to prepare us for what was to come.

Fifth course: Beef. This was, in my opinion, the best course of the meal. The tenderloin was cooked perfectly, and the mixture of fava beans, peas and mint was outstanding. Yet the stand out had to be the ramp hollandaise - I could have licked the plate clean (and nearly did).

Sixth course: Rhubarb Napoleon. Perfect and light ending to a gorgeous meal. The rhubarb was as it should be - tart and not too sweet. And while we did not follow the wine suggestions for the menu (we started with a bottle of Illumination - Sauvignon Blanc, and ended with a delicious Chardonnay), I don't think we needed them. This was an outstanding meal, and we got to share it with one of the most fantastic people in all of St. Louis. But the evening didn't end there!

Holly had one more surprise up her sleeve - the address of a cigar bar. SWOON! We hopped in a taxi and shuttled off to Charles P. Stanley. We piled right into the cigar room - keith and I both took suggestions and bought some cigars, while Holly went for something that could be inhaled. :) And with cigars & torch in hand, I finished the package with a glass of Macallan 12 year old scotch. We sat and talked about everything from friends to kids to relationships to sex. An amazing evening in St. Louis, all thanks to the amazing Holly. Thank you for such a fantastic evening - I can't wait to show you around my food favorites in Portland!