cheese. a six letter word that makes me salivate. soft. semi-soft. hard. whether the originating milk is cow, sheep, goat or even buffalo, the end result is tasty. it can be buttery to nutty in flavor. it’s porous to smooth in texture and comes in many different shapes and sizes.
some of my favorites are port salut, maytag blue, and any goat cheese I can get my hands on—especially if it’s relatively local and fresh. but my biggest forays with cheese, unfortunately, are determined by what my kids want to eat. so i am doomed to revisit the same menu which usually consists of either macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese. these are not exactly the dishes i would consider the pinnacle of culinary excitement. but both dishes provide sustenance for little mouths that, as i’ve described in my earlier blog, are pretty discerning.
when it comes to grilled cheese sandwiches, you’ve got to have the right cheese with the right texture. the cheese has to ooze from crisp, buttery toast when you cut into it. the melting capacity of the cheese along with evenly dispersed heat is very key. otherwise, you end up with coagulated glop between two pieces of bread. some choose cheddar. others swiss or gouda. even, dare i say, velveeta. i’m always fond of american cheese as the main ingredient. the bread can’t be too thick or too slight and it should be white bread. if you’re trying to get healthy with your kids and sneak in some fiber, try it on a different dish. some things are just not meant to be messed with.
there are some classic additions to the standard grilled cheese that can't be beat on an empty stomach: add some tomato and some bacon and you've got a little party going on in your mouth. ham is always another great choice. that was actually a staple sandwich i made for myself in college. it got me through a number of all-nighters and a couple of times when the meal choice at the cafeteria was less than inspirational.
for a blog on food, this doesn’t seem like the ideal topic. although, i found the entry of "grilled cheese sandwich" on wikipedia. it was pictured with a nice bowl of tomato soup. so if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.
but shouldn’t I discuss the finer points of shitake mushrooms or something involving demi-glace or shaved parmesan? maybe so. but in the end, tasty food is tasty food. my own childhood memories include a steady diet of grilled cheese sandwiches. so perhaps that makes me a connoisseur of sorts. or maybe it just means i like cheese and bread. together. and hot.
what's for dinner, mom?
my children are picky eaters. whose kids aren’t? as one who enjoys cooking, getting healthy foods into small bellies can be a challenge. i have a good friend who found a solution for her finicky little one. she purees vegetables to thicken batter. “have one more bite of these yummy apple cauliflower muffins, sweetie!”
while that sounds like a great idea, it’s also extra work. i don’t think there are too many parents who would sign up for that. so how can you get your kids interested in good food? better yet, how can you get them to eat it?
a new york times article, dated october 10, 2007, discussed a recent study that showed a child’s finicky eating pattern may have more to do with his gene pool than anything else.
“researchers examined the eating habits of 5,390 pairs of twins between 8 and 11 years old and found children’s aversions to trying new foods are mostly inherited.” great, have a healthy serving of guilt. it’s all your fault, mom. you and your bad DNA.
(for the full article, go to www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/dining/10pick.html)
there are a number of web sites that give you tips and techniques. the majority give you a finite list. but the gist of it is, don’t get too discouraged, be patient, and, more to the point, don’t use dessert as a weapon.
too often i find myself doing that very thing. “if you have three more bites, you can have some oreos…” it works, but I am telling them that dessert is the best part of the meal and not what is actually on their plates.
there is one thing, however, that i insist on. i will NOT make separate meals. a neighbor of mine was lamenting how her kids had such varied schedules with after school activities that she ended up doing just that: making three separate dinners for three separate kids. when i make dinner, that’s all there is. you don’t want it, then i guess you’re goin’ hungry!
as a parent, you should not be your child’s short order cook. you are not mel shouting at flo and alice to pipe down or i’ll pop you one. (i realize there are only some who will get that obscure reference.) i enjoy cooking, but i don’t enjoy it when it’s less about the food and more about personal preferences from the seven and under crowd.
here are some links that give you tips on how to deal with those early high-maintenance diets:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/childrens-health/HQ01107
www.ucsfhealth.org/childrens/edu/pickyEaters/index.html
www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030800.asp
www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_kids/article/0,1904,FOOD_16382_3075893,00.html
happy cooking!
while that sounds like a great idea, it’s also extra work. i don’t think there are too many parents who would sign up for that. so how can you get your kids interested in good food? better yet, how can you get them to eat it?
a new york times article, dated october 10, 2007, discussed a recent study that showed a child’s finicky eating pattern may have more to do with his gene pool than anything else.
“researchers examined the eating habits of 5,390 pairs of twins between 8 and 11 years old and found children’s aversions to trying new foods are mostly inherited.” great, have a healthy serving of guilt. it’s all your fault, mom. you and your bad DNA.
(for the full article, go to www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/dining/10pick.html)
there are a number of web sites that give you tips and techniques. the majority give you a finite list. but the gist of it is, don’t get too discouraged, be patient, and, more to the point, don’t use dessert as a weapon.
too often i find myself doing that very thing. “if you have three more bites, you can have some oreos…” it works, but I am telling them that dessert is the best part of the meal and not what is actually on their plates.
there is one thing, however, that i insist on. i will NOT make separate meals. a neighbor of mine was lamenting how her kids had such varied schedules with after school activities that she ended up doing just that: making three separate dinners for three separate kids. when i make dinner, that’s all there is. you don’t want it, then i guess you’re goin’ hungry!
as a parent, you should not be your child’s short order cook. you are not mel shouting at flo and alice to pipe down or i’ll pop you one. (i realize there are only some who will get that obscure reference.) i enjoy cooking, but i don’t enjoy it when it’s less about the food and more about personal preferences from the seven and under crowd.
here are some links that give you tips on how to deal with those early high-maintenance diets:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/childrens-health/HQ01107
www.ucsfhealth.org/childrens/edu/pickyEaters/index.html
www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030800.asp
www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_kids/article/0,1904,FOOD_16382_3075893,00.html
happy cooking!
viognier
today is my birthday. so i think i’ll focus on wine. (wine not?) i’ve listed a few favorites in the sidebar. these are wines that i consistently buy and love to have on hand.
the wine i’ve recently gotten into is viognier. it’s a cranky wine and hard to grow. it apparently originates from the dalmatian region in croatia and was brought to italy and then on to condrieu in the northern rhone in france. while it also appears in the u.s. and parts of canada, australia is now one of the biggest producers of the grape.
it grows best in rocky soil. but in terms of yielding a good crop, it seems to be more like the high maintenance trophy wife than the practical librarian of the wine world. you have to pick it just right otherwise it craps out.
i won’t pretend to be a sommelier by any stretch of the imagination. i am no wine guru. but i can tell you what i like and why.
viognier is a fun wine to drink. it’s light. it’s fruity. it pairs well with light dishes but has enough backbone to stand up to spicy ones. it’s easy to drink. it’s not too heavy or overpowering but has a solid depth to it. it’s something a little bit different than your average over-marketed bland sauvignon blanc or a horribly over-oaked chardonnay. and it doesn’t need to be chilled beyond recognition to make it drinkable.
(on that note, i think it’s all too often that white wine is chilled to arctic blast and treated like lemonade. one good backyard barbecue after another and you’ll see your neighbors stumbling home from the 13% alcohol because the viognier was served as just another cold drink. the more the weather heats up, the colder the wine.)
enjoy trying these labels. they pair well with spicy dishes from chicken to fish to chinese take-out. some are pure viognier and others are blends with other varietals:
la campagne viognier/chardonnay 2006
yalumba botrytis viognier 2006
cantarelles viognier 2006
grange des rouquette marsanne viognier 2006
next time, we'll talk rosé.
the wine i’ve recently gotten into is viognier. it’s a cranky wine and hard to grow. it apparently originates from the dalmatian region in croatia and was brought to italy and then on to condrieu in the northern rhone in france. while it also appears in the u.s. and parts of canada, australia is now one of the biggest producers of the grape.
it grows best in rocky soil. but in terms of yielding a good crop, it seems to be more like the high maintenance trophy wife than the practical librarian of the wine world. you have to pick it just right otherwise it craps out.
i won’t pretend to be a sommelier by any stretch of the imagination. i am no wine guru. but i can tell you what i like and why.
viognier is a fun wine to drink. it’s light. it’s fruity. it pairs well with light dishes but has enough backbone to stand up to spicy ones. it’s easy to drink. it’s not too heavy or overpowering but has a solid depth to it. it’s something a little bit different than your average over-marketed bland sauvignon blanc or a horribly over-oaked chardonnay. and it doesn’t need to be chilled beyond recognition to make it drinkable.
(on that note, i think it’s all too often that white wine is chilled to arctic blast and treated like lemonade. one good backyard barbecue after another and you’ll see your neighbors stumbling home from the 13% alcohol because the viognier was served as just another cold drink. the more the weather heats up, the colder the wine.)
enjoy trying these labels. they pair well with spicy dishes from chicken to fish to chinese take-out. some are pure viognier and others are blends with other varietals:
la campagne viognier/chardonnay 2006
yalumba botrytis viognier 2006
cantarelles viognier 2006
grange des rouquette marsanne viognier 2006
next time, we'll talk rosé.
farmer's markets
farmer’s markets. long before there were gigantic supermarkets with ample parking and a starbucks inside, the little wooden stand with just-picked produce was a staple element in any tiny town. but today, there is a grassroots movement that has built into a total resurgence of locally grown and organic food.
but here’s the thing: it’s often more expensive. so why not continue to buy your food with high fructose corn syrup and polysorbate 80? when it’s only 38 cents per metric ton, it's hard to justify a pricey pomegranate.
you want it organic? you pay for it. milk alone is one good example. but people are paying for it more and more to avoid the bovine growth hormones and anything else that might surreptitiously get into your cow juice.
there have been numerous articles about the benefits of fresh food. the rate of obesity has grown steadily over the years, especially in our children. high fructose corn syrup is one of the main factors in the size of our ever-growing posteriors. and not surprisingly, the rate of diabetes has grown with it. isn’t this enough of a reason to buy fresh, local foods?
a new york times article dated january 15th of this year detailed a recent study done at UCLA for the federally-funded woman, infants and children program. they monitored over 600 women who were given weekly vouchers in the amount of $10 to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmer’s markets. the outcome was that “[a]fter six months, women who shopped at the farmers’ markets were eating about three additional servings of fruits and vegetables a day, compared to the control group. supermarket shoppers consumed 1.5 extra servings.”
the article went on to point out that the women liked the community experience of a farmer’s market and the produce appeared fresher than at the supermarkets.
so while it might take a few extra pennies, the farmer's market and the atmosphere it provides on a sunny weekend is probably worth your health in the long run.
but here’s the thing: it’s often more expensive. so why not continue to buy your food with high fructose corn syrup and polysorbate 80? when it’s only 38 cents per metric ton, it's hard to justify a pricey pomegranate.
you want it organic? you pay for it. milk alone is one good example. but people are paying for it more and more to avoid the bovine growth hormones and anything else that might surreptitiously get into your cow juice.
there have been numerous articles about the benefits of fresh food. the rate of obesity has grown steadily over the years, especially in our children. high fructose corn syrup is one of the main factors in the size of our ever-growing posteriors. and not surprisingly, the rate of diabetes has grown with it. isn’t this enough of a reason to buy fresh, local foods?
a new york times article dated january 15th of this year detailed a recent study done at UCLA for the federally-funded woman, infants and children program. they monitored over 600 women who were given weekly vouchers in the amount of $10 to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmer’s markets. the outcome was that “[a]fter six months, women who shopped at the farmers’ markets were eating about three additional servings of fruits and vegetables a day, compared to the control group. supermarket shoppers consumed 1.5 extra servings.”
the article went on to point out that the women liked the community experience of a farmer’s market and the produce appeared fresher than at the supermarkets.
so while it might take a few extra pennies, the farmer's market and the atmosphere it provides on a sunny weekend is probably worth your health in the long run.
an awakening
long thin strips of fresh pasta. tomatoes just picked off the vine and made into a sauce. fresh homemade cheese with truffles. the sweetest olive oil.
this was the best meal I’ve ever had. my husband and I took the kids to see my sister-in-law and her family who live in germany. a few years ago, we decided to meet them in italy. we had always wanted to go (really, who doesn’t?!?). the food. the wine. the art. the architecture. it goes without saying.
but it was on this trip that my own approach to food and cooking changed. i’ve always loved good food and wine. i’ve always loved to cook. but I became more aware of local and organic foods because of this trip. (yes, i know—not a new concept but still a good one.)
the country’s fresh food and simple style is what makes that one meal so memorable. there was no fuss, no muss. i didn’t need special equipment. i didn’t need to consult a cook book. i didn’t have to braise anything for more than 3 hours. (now, don’t get me wrong, braising has its merits. but it’s not something i need to do every day.)
while every meal we had in italy was a taste sensation, i vividly remember this one meal. it was the freshest. it was the simplest. that’s was so striking about it. it couldn’t be any easier.
it had been on a sunny day that we walked to the opposite hill from our villa. along a winding path among rows of grapevines, we bought all the key ingredients from a demeter. they sold everything they grew on the farm. we brought it home, put it in a pot, and ate only minutes later. beautiful!
so here’s to the enjoyment of the good life—here, there, and everywhere!
this was the best meal I’ve ever had. my husband and I took the kids to see my sister-in-law and her family who live in germany. a few years ago, we decided to meet them in italy. we had always wanted to go (really, who doesn’t?!?). the food. the wine. the art. the architecture. it goes without saying.
but it was on this trip that my own approach to food and cooking changed. i’ve always loved good food and wine. i’ve always loved to cook. but I became more aware of local and organic foods because of this trip. (yes, i know—not a new concept but still a good one.)
the country’s fresh food and simple style is what makes that one meal so memorable. there was no fuss, no muss. i didn’t need special equipment. i didn’t need to consult a cook book. i didn’t have to braise anything for more than 3 hours. (now, don’t get me wrong, braising has its merits. but it’s not something i need to do every day.)
while every meal we had in italy was a taste sensation, i vividly remember this one meal. it was the freshest. it was the simplest. that’s was so striking about it. it couldn’t be any easier.
it had been on a sunny day that we walked to the opposite hill from our villa. along a winding path among rows of grapevines, we bought all the key ingredients from a demeter. they sold everything they grew on the farm. we brought it home, put it in a pot, and ate only minutes later. beautiful!
so here’s to the enjoyment of the good life—here, there, and everywhere!
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