Some explaining to do

posted in: Ruminations, Video | 10

If you’ve been watching the Food Network lately, you may have seen a teaser for a new series called Ask Aida. Its premise is that home cooks pose a question to culinary expert Aida Mollenkamp — how do you make a roux? Quick weeknight supper? That sort of thing. Then Aida goes on to reveal her secrets to making the dish/technique a success. Word on the street has it that my likeness appears briefly in a commercial for the show … Read More

Peach Watermelon Sangria Sorbet

Some people like to do a lot of canning, jamming and pickling this time of year, to preserve summer’s harvest of ripe fruits and vegetables. Others simply chop them up and throw them in the freezer. In something of a cross between jamming and throwing in the freezer, I decided to take up the age-old tradition of boozy sorbet-making.

Reason for Not Eating Out #24: No shirt. No shoes.

This twenty-fourth Reason of the Month for Not Eating Out marks a milestone: Whoa, it’s been two whole years. That’s 187 recipes, 89 ruminations, 10 foodie profiles, several cooking events, a couple videos and whatever other crap I fill these pages of not eating out with later. What better way to celebrate this special eve than by cooking in my blog-birthday suit? (Oh, you were hoping for a photo at the top of this post, too? Well, sorry… )

Vegetarian Jamaican Patties

Happy Labor Day. In my neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, this holiday doesn’t just signal the end of half-day Fridays and seersucker; it ushers in the beginning of the new season with a two-mile long parade of elaborate floats, costumes and music, a street-wide carnival, and several performances at the Brooklyn Museum, all in celebration of West Indian American pride. And all along the way, lots and lots of authentic West Indian food.

How the Highbrow BBQ Cook-Off Was Won

Some of you may have heard certain stories about New York magazine’s Highbrow BBQ last weekend. You may have seen a video about it on Grub Street, and if so, caught an unsightly glimpse of me chewing, or something. You may have even been there yourself, under the clear, blue sky at Solar One’s East River waterfront playground. But in any of these cases, what you probably haven’t seen is an up-close account of the cook-off that took place toward … Read More

CJ’s BBQ Menu, and Cook-Off Co-Judges

posted in: Cook-Offs, NYC Events | 3

New York magazine’s Highbrow BBQ has sold out, and those who snagged tickets are in for a treat. As for the rest, I can only promise more tales of barbecue bliss, and hopefully a recipe from the winner of the amateur grilling cook-off. Let’s hope he or she isn’t one of those “it’s a secret” types.

Vote for “The Secrets of Successful Food Blogging” SXSW panel

posted in: Ruminations | 4

Do you like food blogs? Maybe have thought about starting one yourself? Do you wish someone could tell you everything you always wanted to know about food blogging (but were afraid to ask)? Well, cupcake hero Rachel Kramer Bussel (of Cupcakes Take the Cake) has decided to round up a variety of bloggers to address these questions as a fun, free food-filled panel presentation at the 2009 South by Southwest Interactive Festival. But it can’t happen unless the proposal gets … Read More

Curried Beet Greens Brunch Platter

I didn’t really know what to expect when I lopped these greens off at the rubber band-tied stems, gave them a rough chop, and tossed them in a pan popping with garlic, shallots and olive oil. I didn’t expect that their juicy stems would bleed all over the place, staining the aromatics hot pink with every turn of the spatula. I didn’t expect the leaves to be as tender as they felt when the knife went through them, since they … Read More

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