FriendFeed Eats

"Graham Crackers Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, and 101 Cookbooks, because for some absurd reason that will be immediately rectified, this book is not yet in my collection. If you’re new to graham crackers, do know that the word “cracker” is misleading. They’re moderately sweet, like a cookie or biscuit, but they do have the snap of a cracker. I can’t say that I’d serve them with cheese, but if you’ve never schmeared them with cream cheese frosting, you’re missing out." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Fresh mint--mmmmm--the fragrance is so uplifting. Over the years, we've loved it in all kinds of libations from Mint Juleps in frosted silver cups to the classic Mojito, currently enjoying a major resurgence. Nothing says refreshing like fresh mint--shaken, hand-pressed, or added in some way or another to a cocktail. Mojitos are the classic cocktail originating from Cuba and it is now one of the most ordered cocktails from restaurant and bar menus. Shake up one of these refreshing drinks for your next get-together…it could be with fresh cherries, peaches, or juicy berries--get creative and bring out your inner bar-chef!" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Birthday Trifle is My New Birthday Cake" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

Nom! Nom! Nom! :-) - Mathew A. Koeneker

"Today's vegetable recipe: An unusual and refreshing salad, a bright mix of chopped fruits and vegetables tossed with no more than salt and pepper and a little cinnamon. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 point. Vegan. No added fat." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Now, I’m going to have to insist that you make your own pesto. Okay, I can’t insist, but I do highly recommend it. Even the best store-bought stuff lacks the flavor wallop of making your own — they may look green, but turn out to be mostly oil — and with basil inching its way towards Greenmarkets, it’s more delicious than ever to make your own. Brightening the flavor with vinegar and a good helping of salt and pepper keep this from bland-dom (a critique of many pesto potato salads), and the green beans provide the perfect antidote to those carb-phobic types." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"I love frosty confections, and now that the weather has turned hot I've been on the look-out for all manners of shaved ice, especially the wonderful Asian variations, from Filipino halo-halo to Korean bingsu to Japanese kakigori." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

Miss that! - AJ Batac

"Pinto beans have been used in Mexico for a long, long time and now are also popular in the United States. The Southwestern United States is especially fond of pinto beans, using them in many popular dishes including chili, tostadas, burritos, dips, and soups. The taste of pinto beans is only appealing when prepared and seasoned correctly. Turning dry pinto beans into moist, tender, delicious pinto beans is not hard. A few simple techniques will help you." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"RED BEANS AND RICE The quintessential New Orleans dish, traditionally served on Mondays. A lot of this is going to be trial-and-error, and it's going to take a little practice before you get it right. Me, I got good at it by making it once a week for over two years, and putting out an open invitation to my friends that there'd be red beans 'n rice at Chuck's place every Sunday (well, it was tough to cook on Mondays back then). This dish holds a very special place in my heart. While I have many favorite dishes, and have had fabulous meals the likes of which come along very rarely ... this is tops. It's delicious, it's cheap, it's simple, and it makes me feel good. It's the number one comfort food in the world for me. You'll probably want to fiddle with it each time you make it, and arrive at the exact, instinctual combinations of seasonings that you like. Feel free to alter this recipe to your taste, but don't stray too far. You can make this dish completely vegetarian, and it's still really good; instructions are below." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"As happens on the first day the air conditioning gets turned on, it was just too hot to cook. So I scrapped the suddenly wintry-sounding supper plan and turned instead to a summery lentil salad. The inspiring recipe is one I've had my eye on during a three-year love affair with French Food at Home by Laura Calder, a seasonal, accessible and adaptable cookbook." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

Yep! :) Here: http://friendfeed.com/vegetar... - Rochelle

"Asparagus Salad A few notes - for fun I cut the asparagus into coin-shaped pieces here, so they'd match the radish slices. It's a bit of extra prep, but worth the effort. And then there's the dressing. The dressing is lemony and bright, and a bit like a coarsely chopped pesto minus the basil. You could certainly add chopped basil later in the season (or mint) for a variation. I have you make a bit extra with this recipe in case you need a bit extra for pasta, grains, or salad greens that you might serve over, under or around this. Vegans, you can make this by leaving out the Parmesan." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"No trip to New Orleans is complete for me without a trip to Central Grocery for a Muffuletta. Detractors can fill the comments section with why they dislike the Central Grocery Muffuletta and why their favorite is so much better, have at it, but for my money Central Grocery does everything right with the sandwich that is said to have been created here by Salvatore Lupo." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

I certainly miss it. - Mathew A. Koeneker

"Sometimes, just having a beer over the weekend is enough (even for a holiday weekend). But other times, you want to serve something a little more out-of-the-ordinary to celebrate, or because your holiday party is an evening affair, or because you want to up the party ante, or because you’re the kind that likes adventure. For those times, and for this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, let me introduce you to the Panther’s Paw." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Homemade Lärabars Homemade Chocolate Lärabars I have never been particularly drawn to energy bars and their spooky ingredients lists, but then I discovered the hugely popular Lärabars while in New York, and they won me over quickly. If you've yet to make their acquaintance, here's what you need to know: Lärabars (I just ignore the umlaut and say "larabar") are compact but tender energy bars made of ground dates mixed with nuts and other flavorings -- spices, dried fruits, coconut, cocoa powder... -- but no added sweetener. They come with a string of honor badges (non-gmo, gluten-free, raw, vegan, and the list goes on) and in many different flavors, each involving but a handful of ingredients, all from the normal world. It probably won't surprise you to learn that I am especially fond of the Jocalat line (the "o" wears an upturned little hat, but there is no html for that), which features chocolate prominently. The downside of such simplicity, for the company who sells them* at least, is tha" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

These just looked great and will fit in my kayak or backpack quite easily. - Mathew A. Koeneker

"Guacamole, a dip made from avocados, is originally from Mexico. The name is derived from two Aztec Nahuatl words - ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (sauce). The trick to perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

I think that I might have to walk over to the bodega and find some avocados. - Mathew A. Koeneker

"What many consider to be the most festive market–The Maplewood Farmers’ Market–begins it’s season today (Wednesday April, 1) and will run through the end of October. I think this is a little earlier than in the past because it actually caught me off guard. But it’s totally sweet news, right?" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"On the other hand though, sometimes New Orleans takes you where she wants to take you, or just gives you a nudge in the direction that you want to go. In my experience, this is not a town for itineraries, not if you want to do it right. Go with the wind, come back often, and eventually you will see everything that you want to see. Yesterday the wind finally took me to Casamento’s, and I have to say that it was well worth the wait. I now rank Casamento’s among the best places that I have eaten Oysters in the city, raw or cooked." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"This morning Michael Ruhlman posted about items he stocks in his freezer as a written response to Mark Bittman’s terrific article, Fresh Start for a New Year? Let’s Begin in the Kitchen. As previously mentioned, I am now a deep freeze advocate, and both articles are worthy of your time if you have not already read them. What particularly caught my eye, however, was one of the comments on Ruhlman’s post. He’d requested that people comment on items they stock in their own freezer pantry, and one college student had this to say:" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Winter is the season for tangerines and other mandarin oranges. There's something wonderfully comforting about enjoying a big bowl of ripe, juicy, sweet mandarins in the middle of dismal, dreary winter. Walking around the neighborhood, oranges stand out like light bulbs against their bushy green trees among most of the other trees, now skeletal from the cold. If you love the flavor of tangerines as much as I do, mandarins are available by the box load at most markets, and Odwalla makes an excellent fresh tangerine juice that you can only buy now, during winter." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"This soup is for the mushroom lovers out there." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"I don’t think it is a big deal if other people buy sandwich bread pre-sliced in a soft plastic bag from some factory bakery that specializes in long shelf lives. But I do think it’s a shame that someone like me who: a) enjoys, nay, loves baking bread, b) always remarks that if something has no flavor, it’s probably not worth the calories, c) works from home, meaning that the 15 minutes of labor and four hours of idle time that goes into making a delicious loaf of light whole wheat bread is more than doable, and d) owns two of the best bread-baking books out there still buys that pre-sliced stuff all of the time." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Raspberry Dacquoise" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Today's recipe comes with a lesson in Italian, compliments of the food dictionary at Epicurious, a quick source of information about culinary and ingredient terms. 'Minestra' [mih-NAYS-truh] means 'soup' in Italian, most often a soup of medium thickness, frequently with both meat and vegetables. 'Minestrina' means 'little soup,' a thin broth. 'Minestrone' means 'big soup,' a thick vegetable soup containing pasta and sometimes peas or beans, usually topped with grated Parmesan cheese and hearty enough for a complete meal." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Recipe: Apple berry cobbler" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"These days when I step outside, I just want to turn around and go back in the house. Sacramento makes up for its blazingly hot summers with foggy, gloomy, dark, dismal, chilly winters, perfect weather, come to think of it, for hearty stews such as this one. Root vegetables rule the season, sweet carrots and parsnips, turnips, and the happily named rutabaga. (Rutabaga. Rutabaga. Sounds like it could be the name of a latin dance, doesn't it?) This stew is loaded with flavor. Don't forget the gremolata (parsley, lemon zest, garlic garnish which I forgot to photograph in the stew); it gives the stew a great zip. For those of you lamb-non-eaters, if you try it with beef (use chuck), let us know how it goes. I imagine it will be just as good." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"I don't know when it took hold, it was well before I got here, but le Brunch is somewhat popular with a certain segment of the population in Paris. Unlike the Bloody Mary and Mimosa-fueled repasts I have fond memories of back in San Francisco, here, I don't know if the concept really works. For one thing, Sundays are blissfully "sacred" and no one seems to want to wake up and go anywhere until—well, Monday. And the places that do serve brunch are pretty crowded with misfits who probably didn't get to bed the previous evening, as well as the clad-in-black, chain-smoking bobo crowd." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Weekend Recipe: Roasted Squash Salad by AndreaLeigh on December 26, 2008 RoastedsquashsaladI don't know about you, but the day after Christmas has me craving veggies to compensate for the cookies, cakes, and giant meals from the day before. This recipe from Helen Rennie sounds like the perfect fix. Ingredients 2 medium Delicata Squash 1/3 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 2 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (optional) 3 Tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 8 cups mixed greens 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Every year, Food Bloggers from all over the world join together for a fundraising campaign. We call it 'Menu for Hope'. Last year, we raised over $90K for the UN World Food Program. This year Menu for Hope 5 again raises funds for the WFP's school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. This is the second year we are supporting this program, which assist the WFP's efforts to supply the program by buying directly from local farmers who practice conservation farming methods. With this program, we help feed the kids (which keep them in school) and support their parents and community farming. This sustainable approach to aid is something we believe in and strongly support." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Usually after Thanksgiving we have plenty of leftover turkey and enough turkey stock for several days of dishes. Today I whipped up some turkey white chili, based on our chicken white chili recipe, but made it with cooked turkey meat instead of chicken, and with the beans cooked in homemade turkey stock. I bumped up the heat a bit from the other recipe, feel free to dial it down if you don't like your foods spicy. Have you ever had white chili? I never heard of it until my friend Steve-Anna insisted I make some a few years ago. It's called white chili because instead of what you find in the usual chile con carne, it uses white beans, white meat, and mild green chiles. It's absolutely delicious with tortilla chips." - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Autumn has settled damply upon the Pacific Northwest like a damp towel of dampness with the perma-mist that isn't remotely rain and definitely isn't the temperateness of Summer that we jealously try to hide from the rest of the world. This can mean just one thing for food lovers: it's time for comfort food! And, what better comfort food than soup?" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet

"Peanut Butter Cookies with Salted Peanut Caramel" - Mathew A. Koeneker via Bookmarklet