(And how gorgeous is this quilt, a gift from my talented friend Leland Burnham? Very! It is named “Temptation,” and looks good enought to eat!) Now, for Valentine’s Day, or for a treat to enjoy later on, how about trying one of these: Dinner at Brother’s Moon in Hopewell, and/or a gift of cooking classes … Continue reading
JAVA@WEC
Java addicts – er, make that “fans” – are invited to attend a Coffee Basics workshop with Roastmaster Jon March from Small World Roasters this Sunday (February 8, 1:00-2:00pm) at the Whole Earth Center. Join him in the WEC café as he discusses proper cultivation, roasting, and brewing of premium coffee. He will then lead attendees … Continue reading
Ghee Whiz
I never know what I’m going to find at the Slow Food Winter Farmers Markets held at Tre Piani (see post of January 23). At the one I recently attended, I found organic ghee. Ghee is the clarified butter used in Indian cooking. It’s pretty cheap in the Indian or Asian supermarkets, but of provenance unknown. … Continue reading
Posole
Posole is a Mexican and Southewestern treat that I have neglected for far too long. I first had it at La Cocina restaurant (now closed) in Aspen many years ago, where it was served on the side of nearly every plate, instead of the more common beans. It is made from hominy, corn kernels that have … Continue reading
Pasta Night
I don’t eat that much pasta, considering I’m half Italian. I’m a bigger fan of risotto, but I do have my favorite pasta dishes, and one of them is a simple weeknight throw-together of shrimp, feta, and grape or cherry tomatoes (sort of Italian-Greek!). Firm fleshed fish would work well if you don’t have shrimp, … Continue reading
A VERY Happy Chinese New Year for First Wok
Sonya Ma has good reason to be extra excited during the Chinese New Year celebrations this year. Her First Wok restaurant in West Windsor (at the McCaffery’s Shopping Center on Rte. 571), has been named one of the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants for Overall Excellence in the country. She also made the Top 100 in … Continue reading
Xin Nian Kuai Le!
Happy Chinese New Year! I’ve written and blogged about my dear friend Angela Chang for years, most recently after the delicious New Year’s Eve dinner we shared just a few short weeks ago. Here’s your chance to meet her and discover her cookbook, The Intriguing World of Chinese Home Cooking. She’ll be at Chicklet Books in the … Continue reading
Be There or Be Square
I can’t recommend these Slow Food Central New Jersey winter markets highly enough. They are a bright spot in the dreary winter days, an opportunity to touch base with our local farmers and producers of other comestibles. Come out for the first one of the new year on Sunday at Tre Piani restaurant in Forrestal … Continue reading
Cozy Congee
The Chinese have a near lock on the perfect cold weather breakfast. It’s stick-to-your-ribs congee, or rice porridge, which is basically a small amount of rice cooked in a large amount of waer. The version pictured here is 8-Treasure Congee, in addition to rice, it contains other grains, red (adzuki) beans, peanuts, lotus seeds, jujubes (like … Continue reading
What Would Obama Eat?
What, I wondered, will our new President be eating on January 20? Well, ABC News Senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper reports that lunch will be modeled after foods enjoyed by Abraham Lincoln, whose 200th birthday will be celebrated on February 12. “The luncheon’s appetizer will be seafood stew in puff pastry — scallops, shrimp, lobster … Continue reading
NJ SPICE 