Category: Food/Drink

Shepherd’s Pie with Dawn Hunt

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink, Guest Authors, Magic/Occult, Wiccan/Pagan

By Dawn Hunt

Readers may remember that back in October I went to the wonderful Celebrate Samhain event in Peterborough, NH. While there I caught the end of Dawn Hunt’s presentation “Kitchen Witch Workshop”, and regretted not being there from the beginning. However, I started pondering what, if anything, I wanted to do to acknowledge the approaching Yule and Christmas season. Last year the totally awesome Alice Diehl wrote about holiday horror films, but sadly, I don’t think that niche has expanded enough in the passing year to address the subject matter again. Then I remembered Dawn Hunt, and the fact that I love food, and thus my cunning plan of obtaining a seasonal article and a new recipe came to fruition!

Winter. The cold nights keep us in our homes toasty warm on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate and as the wind howls on our window panes. A fire in the hearth and our favorite holiday music in the air reminds us of childhood traditions. Somehow we all have a calling to the Kitchen to stir, bake, melt, sauté and roast. We wait all year long for December; when we can indulge in sweets, savories and our “only-during-the-holiday’s” and “handed-down-for-generations” recipes. Even though seasonal cooking is a must in my sacred Kitchen it seems to hold a bit more magic during the dark time leading up to and through Yule.

So how does a Kitchen Witch celebrate the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”? Because Kitchen Witchery encompasses so many different forms of food magic there is no end to the wonders holiday cooking can bring to your home. Whether you want to tap into the innate magical properties of the food, use it as a symbol or just amp up the spiritual nutrition of your recipes with positive and joyful intentions, the possibilities are endless.

Family traditions play a huge roll during the holidays. So many of my family’s old Christmas traditions and recipes have made their way into my holiday season that the season would not feel complete without them. Think about your holiday traditions and your favorite childhood memories from this cold season of joy. What do you see in your mind’s eye? I see my family scrunch around my grandmother’s too-small dining room table. I am sitting at the card table that has been deemed “the Kids table” and the smell of fresh tomato sauce wafting through the air laced with the hint of roasted ham that will be the second course. I can remember how decorating the sugar cookies was my favorite part (and still is) of the cookie baking process no matter how much my hands hurt from squeezing the pastry bag full of colorful icing. The memory of my father-in-law smiling as he took a bite of the very first Christmas Eve dinner I made for the family sticks out in my mind as one of the happiest I have. All of these moments revolve around food, cooking and the dinner table.

The preparing and sharing of food is such a wonderful way to bring people together. By putting your intentions in the food, or using simple spell, or seasonal recipes you can share a bit of your craft with your loved ones. For someone like me, who was raised in a very traditional Italian Catholic family and now celebrates both the joyous celebration of the Winter Solstice as well as the Christmas holiday season, creating a meal or a dish to share I can bring a bit of my Yule celebration to Christmas dinner and enjoy the spirit of both holidays with my family. My mother always asks me to bring a salad for Christmas dinner. I know this does not sound very impressive. I mean really, who is thinking about salad when there are so many other decadent choices around the table. But my father, who is vehemently against anything green or healthy, gobbles up and goes back for seconds on my Winter Salad. Does he know that I am crumbling the gorgonzola cheese over the greens as a sympathetic magic spell to symbolize the blankets of snow that cover the green earth? Or that the cranberries hold protective powers to keep him safe through the winter months? No, but I do. And sharing a magical meal with the ones I love is the best gift I can give.

Holiday recipes range from cookies to pies to the secret herbs and spices that the turkey is cooked in. But what about all those meals leading up to the big feast of celebration. For me, the holiday food is not just for the one day but starting just after Thanksgiving. The air is cold and the need to make soups and roasts and sweet breads pretty much consumes me! This year, immediately following our first out of state Thanksgiving I just could not wait to begin the cozy nights of Winter. The tree went up and with it all the glitter, lights and ornaments that our kitties will spend the next month trying to bat off their branches. Pine scented candles were lit and I donned my ritual apron with a stag and a sun drawn on it as I prepared the first feast of the holiday season: Shepherd’s Pie.

Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional food that is great for many cold month celebrations; particularly during the festivities of Yule. This is my twist on it that will be featured in my upcoming compilation cookbook with Christopher Penczak and the Temple of Witchcraft: “Tastes of the Temple” published by Copper Cauldron Publishing. It serves 4-6 really nicely so it is ideal for gatherings and celebrations. Remember as you are cooking it that the potatoes have grounding and rooting energy. Envision being connected with the Earth and picture yourself fully grounded as you peel and mash the potatoes. Also, tap into the wisdom energy of the sage when you are putting it in the meat mixture. Sage will help you focus on answers to questions you might have. Share this hearty dish on a cold night or after a long day of hanging lights and shoveling snow. Let its warmth hug you, and your family, from the inside.

Filling
2 lbs lean ground beef/bison or lamb (or any combination of these)
1 large onion chopped fine
2 carrots diced
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (gluten free flour may be substituted)
1 cup beef broth
1 15oz can chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 table spoon chopped fresh sage (or 2 tsp dried)
1 table spoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)

Potato topping
4-5 large potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
2 (or to taste) table spoons butter or margarine
¼ cup milk (more if potatoes are too thick or lumpy)
2oz cream cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, boil the potatoes until tender. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400.

While potatoes are cooking place meat in a large sauce pan or very large skillet. Cook, stirring until meat has browned and is cooked though. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic. Continue cooking about 10 minutes or until onions have softened. Stir in flour, beef broth, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Simmer about 25- 30 minutes until thickened. By this time the potatoes should be ready to be mashed. Drain potatoes and add margarine, milk, cream cheese, sour cream, parsley salt and pepper. Mash until potatoes are creamy and smooth, add more milk as necessary. Set aside. When meat mixture is done cooking remove to oven safe baking pan. A large pan such as you might use for lasagna will do the trick. Spoon the mashed potatoes gently on top of the meat mixture and smooth with the back side of a large spoon. Be sure to spread the potatoes so that no meat mixture is visible from the top. Place pan on a cookie sheet or aluminum foil (to prevent spilling in the oven) in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown.

About Dawn:
Dawn Hunt is the owner/president of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery. Her products include everything from Herb and Energy infused olive oils to cooking tools. Her self-published cookbook has sold more than 250 copies in 6 months. She is currently working on a compilation Cookbook with Christopher Penczak and the Temple of Witchcraft called “Tastes of the Temple” due out in 2011. She teaches classes on Kitchen Witchery, Food Magic, and Seasonal Cooking on the East Coast. To find out more information, to purchase products, or for booking visit www.CucinaAurora.com.

Cruisin’ with Dr. Boozin’: Part Two

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

Welcome back to “Cruisin’ with Dr. Boozin'”! Last week we talked about Sparkling Mojitos and Caipirinhas. However this week is where all the action is, this week we dive into Rum Swizzle versus Dark and Stormy and at last reveal why these articles have been titled “Cruisin’ with Dr. Boozin'”! Let’s get to it, shall we?

First let me talk about the Rum Swizzle. It’s a sweet and tangy fruit punch with rum, essentially. Wikipedia lists the ingredients as dark rum, lime juice, pineapple juice, and Falernum. Remember Falernum from “Making Zombies“? I used Wikipedia’s listing because it’s as good as any. When dealing with fruit juice rum cocktails you’ll find dozens of different ratios using a variety of different ingredients and they will all be called Rum Swizzles. What you need to know is that they are darn tasty. It’s also worth mentioning that speaking with people in Bermuda about Rum Swizzles is a great way to get in good with the locals. The woman who sold me my box of Rum Swizzle mix and other assorted tourist sundries eyes lit up when discussing Rum Swizzles with me and my husband. To the point where a line formed behind us and she just didn’t care. Bermudans are a Rum Swizzle loving people my friend. God bless them all.

However, if you’re looking to be viewed as a certified bad ass, a 100% non-annoying tourist, by bartenders and locals alike, you’ve got to order yourself up a Dark and Stormy. You may recall that on this year’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day I shared with everyone my favorite Dark and Stormy recipe. The Dark and Stormy got a lot of love that day from readers. The comment that I truly love came from Katherine, who pointed out that technically you need to use Gosling’s Black Seal rum to make a legitimate Dark and Stormy. I loved that one of my readers knew that! Well I am here to tell you that the recipe I provided makes one tasty, tasty cocktail, but having had a chance to reacquaint myself with the drink as made by Caribbean bartenders I can tell you, I got it wrong.

How was it wrong? It is really about ratios. The bartenders I dealt with used Gosling’s Black Seal rum and Gosling’s Ginger beer to make Dark and Stormies. Upon returning home from Bermuda I experimented and yes, Gosling’s Black Seal rum and Gosling’s Ginger beer or Barritts Bermuda Stone Ginger beer make the “truest” Dark and Stormy, but I still got solid results using my original pairing of Reed’s Ginger beer and Castillo Spiced Puerto Rican rum. The difference is, get rid of the pint glass and get yourself a 10 ounce-ish “juice” glass or tumbler. Fill said tumbler with ice, fill with ginger beer until near the top, then slowly pour a shot of your favorite rum on top to make it pretty. Although pretty you’ll want to stir it before drinking. If you care less about pretty, pour the shot in first and top it off with ginger beer, then it mixes itself for you.

Here’s the deal though folks, according to many (like Wikipedia) there is a debate about what drink is the “official” drink of Bermuda. Is it the Rum Swizzle or the Dark and Stormy? I’m not an expert, but pound for pound, or more appropriately, glass for glass, the amount of respect bestowed upon yours truly for ordering up a Dark and Stormy far out weighed the affection I was shown for a Rum Swizzle. The first night that we all went to the jazz bar on the ship I sat down and ordered a Dark and Stormy. The bartender gave me an impressed nod. When my parents joined us I ordered another Dark and Stormy my father did as well. My second Dark and Stormy showed up two degrees darker than my father’s. The down side perhaps of getting a bartender’s respect. After they left and I ordered a third one when some friends of ours joined us, the bartender said we were “cruisin’ with doctor boozin'” now. Oddly enough, on a different night there, with a different bartender, we were told we were “cruisin’ with doctor boozin'”. I guess a lot of bartenders have PhDs. Who knew?

As far as I’m concerned, the Dark and Stormy will always be the big winner. Look at it here. That’s a sexy looking drink. No sissy looking umbrellas or fruit skewers. The Dark and Stormy, if not the “official” drink of Bermuda, it’s certainly the official drink of Rebecca.

A sexy, sexy Dark and Stormy

Cruisin’ with Dr. Boozin’: Part One

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

At the end of September I, with my husband and parents, took a cruise to Bermuda. It was on this exact same cruise, right down to the same ship, that I took, again with husband and parents, four years ago that introduced me to the joys of rum. As this latest cruise approached, I was a woman on a mission. I was going to dive down deep into the land of rum cocktails and chronicle my findings here, for all my readers. That’s right, if you’re reading this, you are totally my enabler. Thanks!

On our previous cruise we toasted each other at the champagne bar after dinner on the first night. It seemed like a fine tradition, so after our first dinner out at sea the four of us went to the aptly titled Champagne Bar to again toast to another wonderful cruise. Four years ago the Champagne Bar was a champagne bar. Let me explain. Four years ago the drink menu had only champagne and a handful of classic champagne cocktails, like Mimosas, to choose from. In fact, it was the only bar on the ship that wasn’t equipped to serve “the drink of the day”. When my husband ordered it, a bartender left to go to the next closest bar to pick one up for him while our champagne drinks were being prepared.

This time around the menu still had a variety champagnes but it also had an expanded champagne cocktail menu and a variety of other non-champagne cocktails. It was that evening that I witnessed my first bar fight. Yes, a bar fight at the Champagne Bar. I know! However, far more exciting than that was my husband’s drink choice, the Sparkling Mojito. What remarkable alchemy was this? A sparkling champagne flute, filled with bubbly that tasted faintly of mint with a tiny bit of lime floating in the glass. It was my husband’s drink of choice for the rest of the cruise. We would walk by the Champagne Bar and the bartenders would wave to us every time, occasionally even calling out our names. This is delicious we thought, but obviously too complicated to recreate at home. We were wrong.

One evening instead of having table service my husband ordered his Sparkling Mojito at the bar and was stunned to find out how stupidly simple it is. Okay kids, ready to learn how to make delicious and affordable Sparkling Mojitos at home? Here we go. Take a champagne flute and pour into it a shot glass worth of Mojito mix. Yes, I’m absolutely anti Mojito mix…..for Mojitos, but for this, it’s the way to go. We used Stirrings Simple Mojito that we bought at our local grocery store. Then pour in champagne until the flute is full. For champagne we went with a suggestion I got a few years back when looking for an affordable but tasty champagne, Cook’s California Champagne Brut. (As you may suspect, long time food and drink confidant Greg of What Greg Eats made the suggestion.) The bottle of Cook’s we bought cost $8.00. There you have it folks, a cheap ass champagne cocktail to amaze your friends. If you’re feeling fancy you can float a mint leaf and some small diced lime in it.

During our cruise my father mentioned that he had read online that the cruise line we were using is trying to break into the market in Brazil. Perhaps that’s why I saw Caipirinhas on one of the bar menus. The Caipirinha is very similar to the Mojito. In fact, if you want to learn more about them you can go to Google and type in “Brazilian Mojito” and you’ll be taken directly to Caipirinha. Mojitos tend to be sweet and refreshing. The Caipirinha had a touch of bitterness to it, you could taste some of the rind of the lime. I have no way of knowing if this is appropriate or traditional to the drink, but I enjoyed the slightly sour, slightly bitter version of the Mojito. It was refreshing in its own way.

Behold the Caipirinha! I'm sure it was the camera that was out of focus, not me.

Check back next week when I’ll be dishing a little more on my cruise ship drinking and will reveal where the title “Crusin’ with Dr. Boozin'” came from!

Making Zombies

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

In anticipation of Halloween my husband Jim announced he was going to start an “All Flesh Must Be Eaten” roleplaying campaign that would eventually lead up to the inevitable zombie apocalypse in 2012. (As an aside, in case you don’t know, as per Eden Studios website “All Flesh Must Be Eaten is a roleplaying game set in a world of survival horror. A world where the dead have come back from their graves.”) (As another aside, in case you don’t know, as per Steve Kenson, “A roleplaying game is something where you and some friends get together, create characters in an imaginary world, and play out their adventures using dice and a set of game rules to determine the outcomes, building the story as you go along.”) Are we all now on the same page? Good, because all of that is what you need to know to understand why in September I found myself wondering how to make a Zombie. Yes as you may now suspect, I won’t be telling you how to animate dead flesh to do your bidding, but if you heed my words you will have a bunch of living humans wishing they were dead!

What better idea than to make a pitcher of the tropical cocktail classic, the Zombie, for an afternoon/evening of playing ‘All Flesh Must Be Eaten”? Despite my endless and eternal love of rum, I was lacking any confirmed as awesome recipes for Zombies. As I do in most matters of food or drink, I consulted Greg Bullard of What Greg Eats who immediately emailed me his all time favorite recipe for the Zombie.

Greg’s Zombie Recipe

Ice
1 1/2 ounces amber rum
1/2 ounce dark rum
1/2 ounce 151 proof rum (you may remember this rum from my Flaming Mojito experiment)
3/4 ounce fresh pineapple juice
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce Velvet Falernum (has alcohol in it)
1/2 ounce brown sugar simple syrup
mint sprig for garnish

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all the liquids and stir well. Strain into ice filled tiki mug. Garnish with mint.

This looked daunting. Brown sugar simple syrup? What the heck is Falernum? But just like alchemists in the days of yore, I steeled myself for a complex chemical process that if executed correctly would surely yield enlightenment (and hopefully an amusing article). So with the support of my spouse, we started our journey.

We already had all the rum we needed on hand. You’re not surprised, are you? And I didn’t worry about the mint, because I was making a pitcher’s worth. Also, thanks to my friend Erin (who you may remember from the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear) who introduced my husband to the joys of a pineapple and Malibu (pineapple juice and Malibu rum), we always have cans of pineapple juice around the apartment. Yes, I used canned pineapple juice. Who do you think is writing this, Martha Stewart? Might as well also tell you we used the finest lime juice you could get in a bottle. We had brown sugar on hand from when we were planning on trying a new cookie recipe that we never made and we had water, so that was just a matter of dissolving it into some simmering water for the simple syrup. This just left the Falernum.

What the heck is Falernum? As with all questions that general answers will work for, I turned to Wikipedia. The random folks over there said, “Falernum (pronounced fah-learn-um) is a sweet syrup used in tropical and Caribbean drinks. It contains flavors of almond, ginger and/or cloves, and lime, and sometimes vanilla or allspice. It is used in cocktails in a manner similar to orgeat syrup or drunk on the rocks. The syrup form can be alcoholic or nonalcoholic. The consistency is thick, the color can be white to light amber, and it may be clear or translucent.” Armed with this knowledge we started checking our local liquor stores, who had no clue what we were talking about.

However, an incredibly enthusiastic man at one store decided to Google it. One of the first things he saw was this recipe for making your own Falernum. We explained we weren’t going to make our own Falernum, it was ridiculous, but he was so excited and confident we would do great that we ended up buying the overproof rum the recipe required and left to give it a try. (Can I just add that the website Kaiser Penguin is awesome? Now that I’ve tackled the Falernum issue I plan on becoming a regular reader!) I’m not going to copy and paste the recipe over here, this isn’t Cooks Source, so to see what’s involved just take a quick peak. The site is totally safe unless you’re a recovering alcoholic.

I accidentally deleted the photos from the soaking overnight phase, but I have a cute picture of our completed Falernum in it’s own little pitcher. Sigh….yes, that is supposed to be used for cream but our household is light on dairy and heavy on rum.

Our proud little pitcher of Falernum

With all the components ready to go, Jim and I tried out Greg’s Zombie Recipe. Delicious! Surprisingly smooth, but a little tangy with a nice spice. Oddly, the spiced flavor it had made me feel like it would probably also taste good warmed up like a deadly mulled cider. I’m not going to lie, it was a labor intensive process. I feel it was labor intensive and Jim did most of the labor, so definitely a bit laborious, but the result was a surprisingly good Zombie that ended up be a big hit with my fellow gamers.

It was a Dark and Stormy Talk Like a Pirate Day

by Administrator, posted in Events, Food/Drink, Religion

Avast Matey! Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAPD) is a parodic holiday created in 1996 by John Baur (Ol’ Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap’n Slappy), of Albany, Oregon who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate. For example, an observer of this holiday would greet friends not with “Hello,” but with “Ahoy, matey!” The holiday, and its observance, springs from a romanticized view of the Golden Age of Piracy. The holiday is a major observance in the religion of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. (Thank you Wikipedia!)

As a fan of ye olde Flying Spaghetti Monster and his salty Pastafarian followers, rougish rum drinking pirates, and well rum in general, I thought in honor of this high holy day I would share with you my personal thoughts, reflections, and recipe for the delightful rum cocktail, The Dark and Stormy.

I had my first Dark and Stormy on a Royal Carribean cruise to Bermuda, a trip I’m soon taking again I might add. In fact, it was that trip that really developed my interest in all things rum, and helped me become the rum swilling lass that I am today. Props to all the Jamaican bartenders that insisted on me trying every “drink of the day”!

A Dark and Stormy is an incredibly simple drink to make, so like all simple recipes it’s more about the quality of ingredients than anything else. All you need for a Dark and Stormy is a glass, a shot glass (if you’re prone to measuring like I am), ginger beer, and a spiced rum. That said, there are infinite variations and pairings that can be made.

For instance, you could go with ginger ale instead of ginger beer like these guys and get a servicable Dark and Stormy, but to get the best Dark and Stormy I heartily recommend Reed’s Ginger Beer. This gives your Dark and Stormy the tangy bite like the ones I had in Bermuda.

Reed's Ginger Beer's Lesser Cousins

Now it’s time to address the rum portion of this mix. In my opinion, if you enjoy rum you should have a bottle of Captain Morgan’s Private Stock on hand. It’s the go to workhorse rum for me and my borderline alcoholic friends. It makes a fine rum and coke, and when mixed with Reed’s Ginger Beer, a respectable Dark and Stormy.

Captain Morgan's Private Stock and Reed's Ginger Beer

I would be remiss in my duties as Dark and Stormy ambasador to International Talk Like a Pirate Day if I didn’t mention the existence of Kraken Black Spiced Rum. With it’s vintage appearing bottling and thematically kick ass name, it could easily be viewed as a must for those partaking in ITLAPD revelries. I’m not going to lie to you, tasted straight, Kraken can clean the barnacles off your poop deck if you get my meaning. However, when cut with, I mean when mixed with a nice cold Reed’s Ginger Beer, it makes a fine Dark and Stormy. No pirate would make you walk the plank for serving it this way.

Kraken Black Spiced Rum and Reed's Ginger Beer

Alas, it is time for the big reveal. How does Rebecca, fan of all things rum, make her personal Dark and Stormy? Behold!

Everything You Need for Rebecca's Dark and Stormy

Indeed, in a household containing no less than twelve different rums, some costing more than $50 a bottle, at the end of the day I choose the humble and inexpensive Castillo Spiced Puerto Rican rum for my Dark and Stormy. Above you’ll find everything you need for Rebecca’s Dark and Stormy.

Fill your pint glass with ice. Add a shot, and perhaps an extra splash, of Castillo Spiced Puerto Rican rum. Then fill the rest of the glass with Reed’s Ginger Beer. You’ll get a refreshing, tangy, rum drink with a little bit of bite. A Dark and Stormy is a great summer time cocktail, a refreshing alternative to the standard rum and coke, and the absolute best way I can think of to celebrate all things pirate.

If any of you guys give this a try, let me know how it goes! And if anyone has their own preferred recipe, definitely share it with us!

In It, To Win It: Cooking Well

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink, Messages from Rebecca

Frequent Buffet readers know that I am an Anthony Bourdain fan. Bourdain is best known for his book that put him on the map, “Kitchen Confidential” (which I’ve still never read!), and his television show “No Reservations” (which I watch all the time). Not too long ago I got to have a brief meeting with him at an event where I had him autograph the article I wrote about pho. I regularly read his blog on the Travel Channel website for further insights from his travels and for often comical posts about other odd occurrences in his life. He also wrote a fantastic post about the passing of Harvey Pekar that I can’t help but share.

A few weeks back I saw a post on Bourdain’s blog titled “In it, to Win It”, which brought to my attention that Bourdain’s publisher, HarperCollins, is holding a contest to be featured in the paperback edition of Bourdain’s book “Medium Raw” when it releases. (By the way, “Medium Raw” is my new favorite Bourdain book. I recommend it highly.) Not only will the winner get published, but they also win $10,000!

The first thing I did was email the link over to my friend Greg from What Greg Eats. Being a writer and a foodie, I knew he would have some thoughts on what to write to answer the contest question of, “What does it mean to cook food well?” And indeed he did, a few days later he submitted “Timeless – My Father’s Kitchen”. In an odd coincidence, although talking about entirely different ideas, my father also came into play when I set out to write my essay.

Whereas Greg’s essay is a sentimental tribute to his father’s cooking, mine focused on the myths and misconceptions on cooking well that I started to learn about when my father developed heart disease. I came up with something honest that I believe in greatly when it comes to food. Oddly, I guess my essay could also be considered a tribute to my father.

Here’s the deal folks, the preliminary round of the contest will be judged on the following criteria: creativity (30%), originality (30%), writing style (30%), and (10%) will be determined by the voting of visitors to the contest website. Based on these criteria, ten finalists will be selected. The ten finalist selections will be read by Anthony Bourdain, who will select one essay as the final contest winner. It seems highly unlikely that I’ll win, but I’m still excited to participate. It’s nice that voting has such a small percentage, so it doesn’t turn into a clicking contest as opposed to a writing contest. Of course, that said, I’d love it if you guys took a moment to read my essay here. If you like it, please take a moment to vote for it. You can vote once a day, so if you’re feeling charitable you can go back and vote for me again tomorrow, or you can vote for my friend Greg’s great essay, or a combination of both! Also, if any other Buffet readers enter the contest, definitely leave the link to your essay in the comments section! I’d love to support my readers!

Apple Kimchi Salad

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

I’ve been seeing someone who I lovingly, and sometimes not so lovingly, refer to as my “hippy nutritionist”. I’m not here to debate the validity of “hippy nutrition” verses anything else, it’s just a label I applied and I suspect it very rapidly gave you the gist of what kind of lady I’m talking about. It’s almost like I’m a writer. Almost.

Anyway, HN (hippy nutritionist) is all about the probiotics. Seriously, I think she’s getting kick backs from “big probiotics” or something. For those of you unfamiliar with probiotics, sit yourself down because you’re in for a queasy ride. Probiotics are live microorganisms that are considered to be beneficial for us. Now this didn’t concern or creep me out, but in case you weren’t aware, yes, your body is like a planet to all kinds of creepy crawlies living full and productive lives inside of you. The idea with probiotics is to actively seek out and consume foods that have some of these living microorganisms. You may be thinking, like WHAT? Well, person freaking out, that yogurt you’re eating for one. Yep, any woman who has been plagued by recurring yeast infections has been given the folksy wisdom to eat at least one serving of yogurt with active live cultures a day.

HN gave the big ol’ whatever to my Fage fat free Greek yogurt (which by the way is AWESOME, in all caps, with a little squirt of honey), and gushed lovingly about fermented vegetables. Personally, I tend to limit my gushing for fermented items to wine and beer. Come on, Rebecca’s only got so much love to give. However, HN seemed quite adamant that fermented vegetables were the way to go. She explained how my husband and I could take a short 45 minute drive to get to a grocer that sold them. At which point, mentally, I gave HN the big ol’ whatever.

That Saturday, while strolling through the “hippy” section of our grocery store, my husband and I saw jars of kimchi. (If you haven’t figured it out, I say “hippy” like it’s a bad thing, all the while essentially eating like a “hippy”. I’m a complex woman of mystery; don’t try to figure me out.) After reading the jar, lo and behold, this kimchi was fermented and not pasteurized. The label boasted how even now, as we were reading the label, that kimchi was still fermenting in the jar. They went so far as to warn us that it may spill out when we open the jar, that’s how brimming with exciting bacteria it is. And look, it was found 10 minutes away from my apartment. In your FACE, HN!

I’m no kimchi expert, but here’s the least you need to know about what we bought. It’s spicy pickled cabbage, carrot, and green onion. It is very spicy, and very good. My husband has now gotten into the habit of having “kimchi dogs” for snacks. This would be a Hebrew National 98% Fat Free Hot Dog with ketchup and kimchi in a whole wheat bun. I, on the other hand, had a revelation of epic proportions.

While reading about kimchi online I saw a website that talked about how the author’s mentor would include sliced up apples or pears in his kimchi to ferment. The idea intrigued me, and besides, I am supposed to be getting more probiotics, right HN? That evening, I took a red apple, chopped it up, and mixed it with the kimchi. Delicious! Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so when we picked up pickles that had the live bacteria, I chopped one of those up and added it to the recipe. I know it sounds odd, but it tastes great. I now whip this up for lunches, as a side dish, and snacks. It’s quick to make, tastes great, and is low in calories and high in dietary fiber. And don’t forget, it’s crawling with those supposedly helpful microorganisms. At this point, I don’t really care about the health benefits, it’s just good eating!

Submitted for your approval, Rebecca’s Apple Kimchi Salad

Ingredients for one serving:
One red apple
One half of large dill fermented pickle
Two or three heaping spoonfuls of kimchi

Directions:
Cube apple and put into a bowl
Cube up the pickle and put into same bowl
Put the kimchi in the bowl
Stir
Feel smug that you’re eating the coolest lunch in your break room.

If any of you try this, post in the comments how it went. If any of you want to be mean to me about alleged slams against “hippy” things, please know that I voluntarily use soymilk, shop local when possible, and eat very little meat. Do you really want to hurt me?

An Evening with Anthony Bourdain

by Administrator, posted in Books, Events, Food/Drink, Television

Those of you who are my friend on Facebook or follow The Magical Buffet on Twitter know that this past Sunday I got to see Anthony Bourdain from the television show “No Reservations” give a lecture and attend a meet and greet with the author/television personality. I wasn’t sure I was going to write about attending the event, but I’ve had so many people ask me what the event was like that I figured it would be easier to write about the whole experience here than to send out many, many emails. Seriously, you guys really want the Bourdain dish!

Firstly, the turn out was insane! I couldn’t believe how many people showed up for this, especially assuming that most were like myself, and had no clue as to what was in store. The stage was empty except for a podium. I joked to my husband that Bourdain wouldn’t take the stage until his “hype man” came out to get the crowd warmed up. (Come on folks, get those asses up out of those seats!) In actuality, with no fanfare other than a disembodied voice saying “Anthony Bourdain”, he took the stage.

And there he was. I paid a lot for our tickets, more than I have for any other tickets in my life. Part of the ticket price went towards getting to attend the meet and greet after the event (more on that later) but also for genuinely awesome seats. Best seats ever. Now I got to find out what the heck Bourdain does on stage.

He opened up with the funny. Bourdain explained that he was backing off on picking on Rachael Ray. He found out that Ray is a fan of the New York Dolls and that she said nice stuff about him on television. Follow that up with a fruit basket and Bourdain decided that he was ready to let it go. This was a story that those who read his blog were already familiar with. He followed it up with the story of him getting inappropriately touched by Sandra Lee, again, something from his blog.

The rest of the evening was a surprisingly honest and personal discussion.

Having found out that the network he despises, The Food Network, has purchased the channel his show is on, he finds himself in the awkward position of not knowing if he can work for his former masters. (Bourdain’s first television show, “A Cook’s Tour”, was on the Food Network.) Does he stay, does he go? Is he selling out? What is selling out? Should it be something he does? Is it something he’s already done?

The politics of eating. Organic, local, healthier, better. However, expensive, unattainable for many, guilt inspiring, and creator of fundamentalism.

Everyone in the crowd got to watch Bourdain have a lively debate with probably the only person who really challenges him, himself.

There was a question and answer at the end. Many of the questions are what you would expect. Where have you eaten in Albany? Answer, no where, although Chef Yono Purnomo of Yono’s fame provided food backstage. What places have you fallen in love with? Answer, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Colombia. Favorite NYC deli? Katz’s. What do you love to eat when you’re drunk? Followed by his guilt-ridden admission of loving Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Macaroni and Cheese. Advice to aspiring chefs, current chefs, home cooks. There were many people expressing gratitude for him visiting Albany, NY. Thanking him for inspiring them to cook, to travel, and to eat.

All in all, an interesting and entertaining time. Now that it’s over, we’re looking at the meet and greet.

I mentioned that our tickets were pricey. However, I felt better about the price of admission when I saw how great our seats were, knew that I was going to get to meet Anthony Bourdain, and when I saw what the meet and greet room was like. This wasn’t just a stand in line, get your book signed, and get out. There was coffee, desserts, beer, and wine. Tables were set up so you could mingle with other fans. It was a fantastic spread. Of course I couldn’t enjoy it until I faced my fear, speaking to Anthony Bourdain. So Jim and I got into line right away. While in line I glanced over and saw Chef Yono Purnomo standing to the side, unassuming and unnoticed. Although never having eaten at Yono’s, the reputation of the restaurant, and its Executive Chef, were enough to leave me star struck. Noticing my admiring gaze the Chef actually gave me a smile and a bow while I was in line.

Then the room broke out in applause, Bourdain was in the building. He looked at the crowd of us with a mix of, holy crap, you all paid just to see me, and holy crap, I’m going to be signing books forever. However, the line moved quickly and soon enough I was standing in front of Anthony Bourdain, a writer who I admire immensely and fear.

“This is a blog that I wrote for my website The Magical Buffet sir,” I started. Surprising myself that my voice was steady and calm. “Your love of pho inspired me to go out and find a place to try it. I liked it so much I wrote about it and dragged a bunch of friends out to try it.” He signed the print out I put in front of him, and said that was “Excellent.” I stood beside his chair for a photo, which unfortunately turned out blurry, and thanked him again. Then it was over.

The Magical Mofongo

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

Readers will remember that last month I had been anticipating trying mofongo, which had fallen through but introduced me to Goya Malta. Well folks, this little lady finally got herself some mofongo, and it was magical.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, mofongo is a popular Caribbean dish. It’s made from frying up plantains, smashing them, and frying them again. Yes, twice fried my friends! Then, while they’re still warm you mash them using a mortar and pestle, incorporating pork fat, broth, and whatever goodies the chef includes. As I was sitting with Jim in the restaurant we heard some loud banging. “That’s our lunch,” I told Jim.

Jim tried the mofongo de pollo, which is the dish with chicken. It came out as a dense ball surrounded by chunks of chicken and broth. I ordered the mofongo de queso, which is it with cheese. My logic being, fried starch and cheese must be good. I was right. We were given extra broth and homemade hot sauce to go with them.

If you haven’t tried plantains before, I should explain. Plantains, although looking just like a banana, are actually not very sweet. They are like a dense starchy thing. My dish was chunky, fried, mashed starch, mingling with a salty white cheese, molded into a ball. It was a dish made for having a beer with, so we each had a Presidente, which is the only beer brewed in the Dominican Republic. Since we were eating at a Dominican restaurant, it seemed appropriate. If you like a pilsner, give this one a try if you can find it.

It was a hearty delicious lunch. I think I summed it up when I told Jim, “Mofongo. It’s flavor may be Dominican, but it sits in your stomach like it’s German.”

Me Gusta Goya Malta

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

When I know in advance that there is a restaurant I’ll be going out to eat at, I generally look to see if they have a website with a menu. This is a good way for me to see if there is something that looks tasty that is low in calories and fat (Thank you restaurants that provide nutritional information!), or if it’s hopeless and I should just order whatever the heck I want. Well a while back, in anticipation of trying mofongo (which fell through), I was looking at an online menu for a Caribbean restaurant. Listed amongst their beverages was Goya Malta.

I’m never shy to admit to myself, or anyone else, that I certainly do not know everything about food and drink, and Goya Malta was a thing I had never encountered. Undaunted, I Googled it.

Of course there was an entry on Wikipedia all about it. It turns out that Goya is the brand name and that Malta is the beverage itself. According to the Wiki folks, “Malta is a type of soft drink. It is a carbonated malt beverage, meaning it is brewed from barley, hops, and water much like beer; corn and caramel color may also be added. However, malta is non-alcoholic. It is similar in color to stout (dark brown) but is very sweet, generally described as tasting like molasses. Unlike beer, ice is often added to malta when consumed. A popular way Latin Americans sometimes drink malta is by mixing it with condensed or evaporated milk.”

This sounded intriguing, and so when my plans to go to the Caribbean restaurant fell through, and I happened upon a six pack of Goya Matla in the horribly named “ethnic” food section of my grocery store, I decided the time to try it was now.

Never having tried it before, I took a few sips of it chilled straight out of the bottle. To be perfectly honest, it has a horrible aroma. I accidentally inhaled a nose full of it, which made my first few sips pretty weird. I then decided to pour it over ice. This time I was careful of my inhales and took a sip. Delicious! It’s a truly hard flavor to describe. It tastes like molasses, like a very strong, yet spiced root beer, and occasionally I thought it had a hint of coffee flavor about it. Soon I didn’t even notice the aroma. I could see why it’s frequently served with condensed milk, since I spent the rest of the glass thinking that Goya Malta would make an awesome beverage for an ice cream float.

So, I tried an odd soda, what’s with a whole blog post about it? Well, when trying to decide if I should share with everyone my Goya Malta adventure (Dude, I’m a boring person. Goya Malta IS an adventure for me.) I did another internet search about the beverage. What I found was a whole lot of passion for one little bottle of nonalcoholic beer.

UrbanDictionary.com proclaims Goya Malta to be “The most disgusting substance imaginable.” One angry individual felt so violated at how nasty he found Goya Malta, that he (or she) set up a website for people to share their personal stories of disgust about the drink. Then the Goya Malta fear hit a whole new level. “Can drinking warm malta goya and alka seltzer cause an abortion?” asks on_punishment_4_lyfe on Yahoo Answers. Holy cow, okay, my husband found it nasty tasting and refused to take a second sip, but abortion inducing?! And just when I thought this was an isolated incident, I find someone on WikiAnswers.com asking “Does drinking a hot Malta Goya kill the baby?” Holy cow, this definitely tops soda and pop rocks for sheer spooky bizarreness. It was then that I realized yes, I should tell the world:

I drank Goya Malta. I liked it. I suffered no ill effects (other than the increased calorie intake).

Normally I don’t show up in photos here on the website because I don’t feel I photograph well, but I feel so strongly about proving my point that I like Goya Malta and it didn’t kill me, or upset my stomach or anything, that I give you this compelling photographic evidence.













Me gusta Goya Malta.