Orangette's Book - To Be Released on Tuesday :)

If you are a fan of Orangette, and you haven't been keeping up, the book is out next Tuesday. There are also book signings if you so desire - and live in the neighborhood. Her book is also available for pre-order and you can take a peek inside.

Wish her all the best.

Clara Cannucciari - To Be on CBS Evening News tonight! (Thurs.)

Extra! Extra!
Read all about it!
Great Depression Cooking to be on TV tonight!

If you enjoyed yesterday's post about Great Depression cooking with Clara, It pays to be her friend on Facebook.

Here's today's update!

Clara Cannucciari is going to be on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric this evening (6:30 eastern).

Off to set my Tivo remotely via computer.
(Some days I love technology.)

Great Depression Cooking: Cooking with Clara

Wow, what a find!
At 93 years young, this grandma has her own little video series called "Depression Cooking with Clara." (Yeah, I know she says she's 91 in the early videos - but time flies.)

Clara Cannucciari takes you step by step through each meal and flavors it with little tidbits from her life. In episode 1, you'll hear about the whiskey bootleggers who rented the garage next door. In episode 3, The Poorman's Meal - not to be confused with episode 7, The Poorman's Feast - you get to meet Clara's nephew and his friends. You'll also hear the tale of how she had to quit school because she had no stockings. And, you'll find out what happened the day a neighbor tried to help herself to some of Clara's garden.

To find out more about Clara, head to her site, Great Depression Cooking. Looks like there is a forthcoming DVD which will compile the YouTube videos in one place and will contain an unreleased recipe and a few extra stories! Oh, I just noticed, looks like she's originally a Chicago gal.

To date, there are 8 short videos available HERE.
Episode 1 - Pasta with Peas
Episode 2 - Egg Drop Soup
Episode 3 - The Poorman's Meal
Episode 4 - Peppers and Eggs (part 1)
Episode 4.5 - Peppers and Eggs (part 2)
Episode 5 - Cooked Bread
Episode 6 - Depression Breakfast
Episode 7 - The Poorman's Feast

And, she has bonus videos showing how to make Sicilian Holiday cookies.
Extra bonus - She has a Facebook page!

Thank you Serious Eats for posting about this remarkable lady.

Michael Symon Book Now on Pre-Sale!-And, "Cooking with Michael" Series

(Michael's that Greek-Italian guy in the middle - with the great laugh.)
The book is scheduled to be released November 3rd, but you can pre-order now.

According to Michael's site Symon Says:
This book has been well over a year in the making and has been one of the toughest and most enjoyable projects of my life. It will have stories and recipes from my childhood until now and to say I am proud of it would be a vast understatement.

I really need to thank Michael and Donna Ruhlman for making the process enjoyable and Rica for pushing us to do such a great book...here is the link if you are interested in checking it out... here Michael Symon's Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen.

And, if you happen to live within reasonable driving distance to Cleveland (sadly, Chicago doesn't fit the bill) be sure to check out his Cooking With Michael series of classes. The website says they are all filled up. But, if I lived in the area, I'd be calling to see if I could get on a waiting list in case of cancellations. Or, for the next round in the series. But, yanno, that's just me.

*Fingers crossed*
Please let there be a book tour!

Pantry Raid - Rice pudding

I'm still doing my best to focus on eating out the pantry, fridge and freezer. Yep, the economy is affecting my budget as it is with so many people. And, this is a great way to clean out accumulated foodstuffs and get in touch with some good old fashioned home cooking - rustic even.

I'm enjoy the posts over at Choas in the Kitchen. Right now Katie is doing a series called Blogging the Recession that I highly recommend.

In the past few months I've noticed how much Chinese Take-out I order.
And, you know what comes with that.
Rice.
More rice than even I can eat.
(And,that's saying a lot.)

So, I decided to just keep the rice accumulating in the fridge - very cold fridge with a thermometer-thankyouverymuch. No, nothing grew on it.

Last night I dumped said stale hard rice in a pot, stirred up a milky custard mixture, poured it over the rice, and stirred on very low heat. The heat was low enough to prevent the eggs from curdling or cream from forming a scab. I stirred it a good amount - I wanted to thicken the pudding with whatever starch was still left on the rice.

It worked. It thickened nicely. And, I tossed in some dried raisins and figs to soak up just a bit more of the liquid. Oh, and cinnamon. (Might have used a bit too much of that. Tastes great, but it's a bit muddy looking.)

So, I'm now that happy owner of about 8-10 servings of homemade rice pudding. And, it cost me a couple of cups of milk,cream and a few eggs. Yum. Plus - I feel all...resourceful.

AND...Tomorrow I'm having rice pudding for breakfast.
Bill Cosby would understand. ;)

Valentine's Treat for your Cheating Sweety-Sugar Mice

Just found out your sweetheart is a rat?
Planning an Easter basket for the lab tech in your life?

Here's the answer! Sugar Mice!

Am I the only one who finds this BIZARRE?
Must be a back story.

According to Vermont Country Store:
Sugar Mice: a Sweet Tradition
Since Victorian times, British parents have made sure each child's Christmas stocking contained tiny pink and white sugar mice with string tails. They hid some away for children who might come to visit. Our handmade mice, in the traditional colors, have white lollipop sticks for tails and come in a box of 5. Imported from Great Britain.

So, if you are in need of some sugar mice with lollipop sticks up their bums, get them quick. They're on clearance at Vermont Country Store.
Two boxes of sugar mice were $11.99, now $5.99.

Eating From The Pantry. And, freezer. And, fridge.

*Pantry impersonation - but mine looks remarkably similar.

Last April I did a little personal experiment on How the Other Half Lives :Eating on $2 a Day or Less. I learned a lot.

For example, I discovered I like beans more than I thought, and that even if you LOVE white rice, it gets a little old after day 3 or 4. Mostly, my palate got a real taste - pardon the pun - of what bland is. And, I learned to appreciate choice, and spices. And, the fact that I am blessed to HAVE a choice of what I will eat everyday - unlike a large portion of the population, both here and in developing nations.

Today I'm starting a new challenge.

While I love bacon, I don't think I'll be doing the 30 Days of Only Bacon thing. Even if the guy *says* he successfully eats only bacon for 30 days, I won't believe him. He'll be blogging from a hospital bed while choking down lime jello in no time.

Instead, I'm challenging myself is to eat only from my pantry.
And, fridge.
And, freezer.
Really, that's no challenge at all...considering how much stuff is in there.

I'm blessed.
Full stop.

I have a pantry.
I have choices.
And, many folks living paycheck to paycheck don't have that luxury.

So, for the next 30 days I'll be eating what already I have in my home. The savings should help with a some bills I need to pay. And, I'll be eliminating what little fast-food there is in my diet.

Mostly, I'll be spending a little less money...
And, a little more time on being grateful for what I already have.

Tiny Kitchen Update: Jill Santopietro

If you missed my earlier post about Jill Santopietro, chef and recipe tester for NYTimes.com - now would good time to check it out.

And...
If you are a fan of Jill, be sure to check out her blog - part of the online New York Times Style Magazine.

The "World's Largest" Song

After seeing the video, I'd like to buy the big guy a "Big Buck" brew over in Gaylord, Michigan.

I'm as sick as a dog and heading back to bed.
So, I'll leave you with this.
The guys that made the video above, Rhett and Link have over 200 videos.
Enjoy.

Retail Pork Cuts -Cook's Thesaurus

According to the Cook's Thesaurus these are all the same cut of meat.
And, it looks like this.
You know, nomenclature is a funny thing. Seems every butcher, baker and candlestick maker...ok, maybe not the last two, call their cuts something different.

You can't tell the players without a scorecard.
Luckily, we have not one, but two!

First, you can head to the Cook's Thesaurus. Bring a copy of that page to the grocer and you can speak meat. Next, head to Burlington Meats and Catering and double click on the chart to get a HUGE Pork Cut Map. Or, click HERE for the humongo size.

Check the chart for the recommended methods for cooking each cut. Now, if you've been doing this a while, this may be old hat. But, if the "economic downturn" has you buying cuts of meat you have never chosen before, hopefully this will help.

Oh, and if you need a similar Retail Cut chart for beef, and lamb, and...other critters, simply type Beef Cuts into Google Images. And, the world will be your oyster...or at least, your critter.

Weigh In: Do you Aerogarden?

So, I'm thinking about getting an Aerogarden.
Truly, I've been longing for one for a couple of years now.

Surprisingly, I have a relatively green thumb.
That might be an understatement.

You see...
I still have the "Get Well" plant my sis sent me for having my tonsils removed. (In 1992.) And, I have still have a plant that a co-worker found dumped in the lunchroom trash. (Rescued that one in 2003.) And, my Mom's plants...survived her - so far by 10 years.

Given that, I have resisted buying a "fancy-pants machine" to grow herbs.
I tried the Chia herb garden. It grew ok. (To be honest, the growth was fairly lame.)

Every year I have at least a few pots of different varieties of spearmint.
Mojito, anyone?

I tried the Chia-style dried herb pots at Trader Joe's. The basil on that one turned out VERY nice. I had a hard time eating all that basil and I started drying it. (Then came the Winter of my discontent.)

Here's the rub.
I live in Chicago.
And, I just can't keep the herbage growing in the winter.

I've been looking at buying a grow light. (And, hoping that the neighborhood cops don't get suspicious.) But, if I'm going to go through the trouble of setting up a grow light, I feel like I might at well just buy the Aerogarden. Afterall, those varieties of plants have been tested to grown under those specific conditions. Maybe I'm ready for a turn-key solution.

I've been comparing the various sized machines over at the Aerogarden Store. And, while admiring the seed options, I noticed that they have a Full-sized Ruby Heirloom Tomato option. Hmm. Full-sized?

So, I have some questions.
If you have an Aerogarden or Prepara Powerplant:
Are you happy with your model?
Do you wish you purchased a different model?
Which herbs have you purchased?
How has the growth been?
How long have the herb pods lasted?
How fresh did the herbs/veggies taste?
Have you tried any "full-sized" veggies?
How "full-sized" were they?
Have you had to buy another bulb yet?

Whether you are please with your Aerogarden or displeased, what should I know before buying one? Let's hear from you.

I really can't stand paying $3 for a handful of limp pre-packaged herbs at the grocery store each time I want some fresh basil or chives. I'm inching closer to the Aerogarden each day. Should I full-sprint?

Meanwhile, I'll be reading the Aerogarden Chronicles over at Eat to Blog.

NYT's Jill Santopietro: Cooking in a Tiny Kitchen

Watch this New York Times Video--->HERE

The ragu contains various cuts of pork product, and Jill describes each cut...using herself as a model.

She cracks me up.
(It's so something I would do.)

Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself.
In the video you can watch Jill Santopietro, cook and recipe tester for The New York Times, make a Neapolitan ragu with chestnut polenta in her tiny New York City kitchen. The dish is called "Eggs in Purgatory."

To be sure you understand the cuts...

"The more fat , the merrier!"
Love her.

But, seriously, folks...this gal has it going on. (You can tell from her curled fingers while slicing that she's no stranger to a kitchen.) She gives details while explaining the recipe - including why she chose a tall pot rather than a wider pan.

I'm going to keep an eye out for other videos. Jill is cute, smart and witty - just the kind of person who can impart sage cooking advice while entertaining the viewer.

Be sure you catch her quip after the end credits.
*wink*
Ready for more? Click HERE for her recipe on Tangerine Sherbet.