Month: September 2013
Boycott Barilla
Just passing this post along from fellow local blogger at Last One Eating. This story has been making the rounds for a bit and I see that the company is trying to do some damage control now. People are free to believe whatever they want, but people are also free to express their displeasure with a boycott. There are many alternatives to Barilla products out there, some of them are even local! Personally, I like what the Beekman Boys have put out since 25% of their profits will go back to help small farmers. Sure it’s not local (at least not in SE Michigan), but Josh Kilmer-Purcell is a Michigan State grad. Go Spartans!
Yet again there is another food related foot in mouth incident of bigotry. The food world had just been through the Paula Deen drama.
Now Guido Barilla, of Barilla Pasta has jumped on the anti-gay bandwagon .
You probably have a box of Barilla pasta in your home right now. I did.
From the Independent by Michael Day
Guido Barilla, whose firm has almost half the Italian pasta market and a quarter of that in the US, told Italy’s La Zanzara radio show last night: “I would never do an advert with a homosexual family…if the gays don’t like it they can go an eat another brand.
“For us the concept of the sacred family remains one of the fundamental values of the company.”
He added: “Everyone has the right to do what they want without disturbing those around them”. But then the pasta magnate upped the ante by attacking…
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Friday Foodie Funnies, ep. 5
Hey y’all! I’ve had a weird week, and not in a good way. I had a weird interview followed by back-to-back days of unrelated volleyball injuries. Huzzah! Well, watching this video made me feel better. It is fall and if you remember my post from a couple of weeks back, it is time for Pumpkin-Spice everything! This video shows how some people might feel about that. And yes, I did post this on Facebook yesterday, but I liked it so much I wanted to share it here.
Friday Foodie Funnies, ep. 4
Now it’s probably too late in the season for corn, but getting some fresh corn is absolutely amazing. If you’re still in season, head down to your farmer’s/farmers market and get yourself some. Here’s an old post of mine with a recipe for some corn on the grill.
And just a reminder for folks, these are just some images that I either find on the Interwebs or that have been sent to me. So I do not own them and will gladly take them down if it becomes problematic. Just don’t be jerks about it. You know who you are.
I’m on Facebook, too! Happy Friday, y’all!
Lemon Macarons
Now I’ve done a lot of research on macaroons. Alright, it’s not like I’ve done a dissertation on the topic but I’ve done comparisons on lots of different recipes. And what I’ve found is that all the recipes are pretty much exactly the same. Well, not exactly — they do differ on different flavorings and whatnot. But since the base recipe is pretty simple and standard, you can get a little creative with flavorings.
Of course, “lemon” isn’t exactly creative, but I had some lemons in the fridge already so that was an easy choice for me. Plus, the zest won’t really change the moisture content of the ingredients.
But let me backtrack a little bit. If you don’t know what macarons are, they are those really colorful, round, meringue-based, French cookies that looks so intimidating to make but really aren’t. They have some specific requirements though. Anyhoo, here’s what you’ll need. . .
For the cookies:
- 3/4 c. almond flour
- 1 c. powdered sugar
- 2 egg whites
- pinch of cream of tartar
- 1/4 c. superfine sugar
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- yellow food coloring (optional)
- lemon oil (optional)
1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat.Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar together twice. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, start to whip until foamy. Then add the cream of tartar and whip until soft peaks.
3. Once you get soft peaks, start gradually adding the superfine sugar with the mixer on low. Then continue to whip on high after all the sugar has been incorporated until you get stiff peaks. Add the food coloring and lemon oil (if using) and whip until combined.
4. Add the zest and flour mixture in three batches, folding well each time. Continue folding until the mixture is smooth and shiny.
5. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe into small circles, about 3/4 inches across. Rap the pan on the counter to release any bubbles (I don’t think I did that hard enough this time). Now let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 10 – 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned. Cool for about 10 minutes on the pan, then peel off parchment and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Set aside whilst you make the filling.
For the filling:
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 c. superfine sugar
- 1 t. vanilla
In the bowl of a mixer using the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
Assemble the cookies by matching up similarly sized cookies. Spread a small amount of the filling on one of the matching pair and sandwich them together. Serve immediately.
Notes — I could not find the piping tip that I needed so these didn’t exactly look the way I wanted. . . Try not to diddle with them too much after you pipe them. . . Now I made a lot of filling for this (again, I had a brick of cream cheese available) — just cut it in half, or just make a double batch of cookies, or just use it to make a cheesecake, or schmear it on a bagel. . . I have read that you should age your egg whites. Not sure why. Haven’t done it before. Maybe I’ll try that out just to see what differences there are. . . I’m also not sure you’ll need the cream of tartar, but whenever I make a meringue I always throw some in there. . .
Friday Foodie Funnies, ep. 3
Bonus post! Aren’t you excited? And you thought Friday the 13th is bad luck! Just saw this yesterday on the blog by Amy Blandes and just had to share. This is my favorite time of year. Check out this post from a couple of weeks ago which helps explain why. It just makes me think of cozying up with friends and family with a lot of food and booze. And it’s good to celebrate with your peeps!
But it’s not just the time for pumpkin this and pumpkin that. There’s pumpkin-pie-spice-flavored everything, too. Like those M&Ms that I’ve never seen before. Oh well, Happy Friday!
And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook here and here! Or don’t. But it will make me sad if you don’t.
Friday Foodie Funnies, ep. 2
Episode 2!!! So exciting!!! Now this is a dilemma that I always have. Is it just me?
A friend of mine did just recently let me know that there is a such thing as Pumpkin Spice M&Ms. Have not seen any around; I will still be hunting around for them. Anyone else try them before?
Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook!
“The Scarecrow”: the chipotle ad that will make you feel all of the feelings…
i’m not one for providing free advertising, but i saw this post and watched the commercial and loved it. and if you work for Chipotle, i’d like my free money now 🙂
Chocolate Caramel Bars
I love these cookies. Or bars. Or whatever. It’s not important what they are — I still love them. These are one of the cookies that I like to make for parties, then someone always remarks that these are essentially fancy Twix bars. I kinda get annoyed, until I taste one and remind myself that these really do taste like Twix, which isn’t a bad thing at all cuz Twix are awesome! And these are even better (in my opinion); just give me the pan and a fork and I’ll be happy.
Now these are relatively simple to make. There’s a shortbread base, a “caramel” filling, and a multi-chocolate topping. Easy-Peezy! Plus, this is easy to convert to a gluten-free recipe. I have done a switch out with some coconut flour and everything tasted great! Here’s what you need:
For the shortbread:
- 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c. superfine sugar
- 3/4 c. unsalted butter
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar to combine. Using a pastry knife, cut in the butter until the mixture looks like fine sand. Now work with your hands until the dough comes together.
3. Press the dough into the pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Dock the dough with a fork and bake for about 20 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges.
4. Cool in the pan and set aside.
For the “caramel”:
- 7 T. unsalted butter, diced
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
1. In a medium pan, place the butter, sugar, and condensed milk. Heat on low until the sugar has dissolved. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to simmer, again stirring constantly for another 5-10 minutes. The mixture is done when it has thickened and turned light brown in color. Be careful not to burn. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Pour the caramel over the shortbread base and smooth out with a spatula. Cool completely and set aside.
For the topping:
- 3 oz. dark chocolate
- 3 oz. milk chocolate
- 3 oz. white chocolate
1. Melt each chocolate in separate heat proof bowls. You can do this in a microwave or over a double boiler.
2. Spoon the chocolate in an alternating pattern. Using a toothpick or a skewer, swirl the chocolate to create a marbled pattern. Chill until set.
3. Slice and serve!
Notes — As you can see from the pictures, I did not take time to temper the chocolate. They still tasted fine. . . I have a tendency to add too much chocolate for these because I just can’t help myself. You could thin out and soften the chocolates by melting in a little bit of butter or shortening. In theory, that should help with keeping the sheen of the chocolate.
