This would’ve been really good if it had actual liquor in the soaking liquid, as traditional babas do. But of course you can’t do that at ShopRite, so no dice. But it still wasn’t bad, and an unusual item to find in a supermarket setting. Every now and then ShopRite surprises me. I fell for … Continue reading
Is it me or…?
What is it with TV shows about food? I recently got a digital converter from my cable company (so I could keep viewing a couple of the PBS stations I like on my ancient TV), and it seems I can now get a whole bunch of new channels, including the Food Network. After giving up on the … Continue reading
Taste of the Nation Princeton
Princeton’s Taste of the Nation (part of a nationwide series with the goal of eradicating childhood hunger) has become our area’s premier hunger-relief fundraiser since it’s inception here in 1992. I worked on the event myself for a number of years, even chairing it twice, and I think the world of the parent organization, Share Our Strength. … Continue reading
Arancini
Scrumptious! Here is a photo of one of the arancini (Italian rice balls) I made at home recently, when I was writing an “In The Kitchen” column for the Packet about them. They are starting to show up on menus more and more lately, often as a special. Instead of the usual knob of Fontina cheese (or ragu … Continue reading
I Confess
From jerky to a fast food burger at Wendy’s – what’s come over me? This is what sometimes happens when I’m out doing endless errands on the weekend and didn’t bring lunch with me. It was way past lunchtime and I had to have something and it had to be fast. I pulled into a Wendy’s drive … Continue reading
Perky Jerky
I had been dimly aware that jerky, that chewy mainstay of convenience store and truck stop counters, was having its moment. With all the foodie interest in cured and artisanal meat products, I guess it was inevitable that people, especially in the Western states, would start making better versions of jerky, with fewer chemicals, and truer meat taste. … Continue reading
Earthquake
A terrible start for the Chinese New Year, a year of the tiger, which is said to be an inauspicious year of natural disasters. First Haiti (right before the lunar new year), and now Chile. (Makes our blizzards pale in comparison, right?) People are already lining up for food, as in the Reuters photo of a line … Continue reading
Rock on Rocco
On March 3, 7:00pm, Barnes & Noble Princeton hosts chef Rocco DiSpirito in an author discussion & signing event with his new cookbook, “Now Eat This!: 150 of America’s Favorite Comfort Foods, All Under 350 Calories.” Already a highly-rated chef, DiSpirito catapulted to television fame in 2004 with his NBC reality television series “The Restaurant,” which followed … Continue reading
One 53 Cassoulet
My friends and I are on a cassoulet bender! The one here is from One 53 Restaurant in Rocky HIll (one of my favorite places), and was served in lovely crockery from JohnShedd Designs, just down the street from the restaurant. The cassoulet contains white beans, pork, smoked pork, pancetta, duck confit and sausages. It was a … Continue reading
Hail to the Chef!
My brother sent me this photo of a salmon salad he and his wife enjoyed at home recently. It looks spectacular, doesn’t it?! He marinated the fish while they were off at church, using low sodium teriyaki and Chef Paul’s Seafood Magic, and cooked it when they came home, plopping it right over the greens, blue cheese, … Continue reading
NJ SPICE 