Honest Eating

Because of not having a kitchen for the last month, I find myself having somewhat less orchestrated and thought through meals.  On top of my lack of burners which causes me to think a little more about "cooking," I am in the throes of packing up an apartment and in the height of grading finals and posting grades.  All of this results in late errand running and strange dinners resulting from going to the grocery store hungry.    

For these reasons, last Friday’s meal consisted of grocery store boneless wings, green pepper slices, pickles, soft cheese, and a glass of bourbon.  

As I enjoyed a meal that would make my mom a little disappointed and watched old Julia Child episodes I got from Netflix, I thought about food, satisfaction, and being a foodie.  Julia spent 12 hours cooking tripe.   I walked through the store and allowed hunger pain to cloud my judgement.  Julia walked me through the art of making my own sausages.  I pealed the foil of my cheese wedges and contemplated the tang of Vlasic pickle brine. 

Although I wish I could solely blame my meal on the lack of a kitchen, the truth is, this was the meal I wanted.  Some days, I want my meal to reflect that joy I took in preparing it.  Others, I want to satisfy a craving. 

In reading other food blogs, I get embarrassed at times at my own claim to foodism and begin to question my hubris.  One blog I follow posts three times a day about the food she eats.  Although she is also a busy person, I am amazed at the thought she has behind each dish.  In looking through photos of many other food blogs, I am always reminded of the beauty of food as proven by the plethora of lush, crisp, tantalizing food pictures.  Then, I think back on my meal with its shades of green and the dried out look of mass made wings.

I regularly post to the food site, Honest Cooking.  The nature of the name implies a truth, sincerity, and lack of charade to cooking and food.   I wonder how we, food blog writers, really fit into our own testament to “honest cooking.”  Can we still be thought "honest" when the pictures are made with sculpted lighting and scaping, the recipes attempted multiple times, and the posts are shaped by what we choose to write about and not write about?  It makes me wonder if the amount of food blogging and food writing is slowly creating a myth surrounding cooking and eating.  Or, to ask more specifically, are we creating a "politically correct" food world in which we are loosing honest eating? 

I don’t know.  What I do know is that I really enjoyed my Friday night meal.  It may not be pretty and it was definitely not haute cuisine, but I enjoyed it anyway.  Honest eating.  

Cooking Efficiency: Coffee Maker Peanut Noodles

My go to quick food is a dish my friend Caroline refers to as “Peanut Noodles.”  Usually when I make it, it involves sautéing vegetables in ginger, marinating chicken, and making a big bowl of noodles smothered in peanut butter and soy sauce. It looks fancy enough that I have made it for small dinner parties, but is so easy I can leave off the chicken and make a single serving in under 15 minutes.  The most memorable prep was a batch I made for my friends as a late night drunk food to help balance a night of too much whiskey. 

I often bragged that I could make it entirely using nothing but a coffee maker.  That way, if I was staying in a hotel and wanted a home cooked meal, if there was at least a four-cup coffee maker I could make a gourmet meal. 

My boyfriend, who was a traveling actor and to whom I pitched this idea, didn’t believe me.  Till now, I’ve never had to try and so have never proven my claim.  Because I live in an efficiency without a kitchen, I figured now was a good time to test my hypothesis.  

When I make this as a meal, there are ingredient add-ons like grated ginger, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, rice wine vinegar, etc.  However, for this demonstration, I went with things that are easily procured and so could be made in a hotel room with a coffee pot:

• Vegetables = Grocery Store salad bar
• Soy Sauce Packets = from a dining hall, leftover Chinese food order, or snagged while walking through a food court
• Package of Ramen
• Lime juice = you could just buy one lime or a squeeze bottle, but you may be able to just pick up lemon juice packets that are in fast-food restaurants
• Peanut Butter which you could get from those single-serving containers used for putting in kids lunches

This would work much easier with a larger coffee maker, but still works in a small one.  Plus, while the water is running through the coffee maker, you can do prep work for other steps. 

Making Peanut Noodles in the Coffee Maker

Place vegetables in the coffee maker basket.  I put the vegetables that need more cook time (like broccoli and cauliflower) in the bottom and the ones that need less time (red peppers) on the top.  Put basket in coffee maker and then run four cups water through the coffee maker.  Once the water goes through, the vegetables will be steamed. Set aside.  

While the vegetables are “cooking,” mix 2 parts peanut butter to one part soy sauce in a bowl.  Add lime juice in a 1/2 portion.  In other words, the ratio is 2:1:½ of peanut butter, soy sauce, and acid.  Mix everything together with a fork, but sauce will be lumpy.  This will be smoothed out by adding the hot noodle water that comes out of the coffee pot after cooking the noodles.   

Put a new coffee filter in the basket and then empty the water that gathered in the coffee pot.  Rinse pot and fill with clean water.  In the coffee maker basket, add the ramen.  Again, if the basket is big, you will probably be able to place the ramen in whole.  If not, then break it up into smaller chunks.  Place basket in coffee maker.  You need to ultimately pass 6 cups of water over the noodles.  Since I have a 4 cup, I ran one batch of water through, got 2 cups clean water, and then ran that.  If you have to do two passes of water, then stir the ramen noodles in the coffee basket so the ones on the bottom that are more cooked can be at the top and the less cooked ones can be moved to the bottom.  

When the water is passed through the noodles, take a small splash of the hot noodle liquid and add a little to the peanut butter sauce.  The heat of the water will melt the peanut butter and help turn the mixture into a smoother sauce.  Add the vegetables and noodles, toss and enjoy. 

Your gourmet coffee maker isn’t just for gourmet coffee anymore.  Who knew.

Heifer Project Campaign

One of my mom and my dad’s favorite charity is the Heifer Project.  In Christmases past, instead of giving gifts my parents make charity donations in each other’s name.  Heifer Project is one they often choose. 

As contributing to charities goes, Heifer Project is probably one of the most satisfying.

For one, it is not a short-term fix, but is a long-term contribution to feeding a family by providing a sustainable food source.  As the website says, Heifer Project helps “families feed themselves.” When you donate money to the Heifer Project, your money helps donate an animal to a family.  This provides ongoing food, eggs, honey, milk, etc.

Two, you are not just helping one family, you help the community.  The first offspring of the animal donated will go to a neighboring family.  Then, the offspring of that animal will go to the next family.  From then on, each first offspring gets donated so that it keeps helping families around the community.  In that way, you aren’t just helping one family, you are helping several.

You don't have to just take my word for it.  To put it another way, here's Alton Brown . . .

What I love most about Heifer Project, as silly as it sounds, is I like getting to choose what animal I want to donate.   Heifer Project has a “Gift Catalogue” so that you can select the animal you want to give.  For $20, you can give a flock of chicks, ducks, or geese.  For $30, you can give a hive of bees.  $150 gets you a llama and $300 gets you fish fingerlings.  How fun to tell someone you bought a cute little flock of chicks in their name.

Of the Heifer Project donations options, my dad always loved the idea of the “Gift Arc,” which is for “changing the world, two by two.”  It is a larger gift and is around $5,000.  However, one “Gift Arc” provides fifteen pairs of animals.  Think of all the wool, transportation, farming assistance, and food that could provide.  And remember, those offspring will also be donated to help out even more families.

Because of leaving a somewhat meager, paycheck to paycheck existence, I don’t always get to contribute to charities like I wish I could.  Plus, at times it feels like what kind of difference is the little contribution I could give going to make.  So, for December I wanted to do something and have decided to use my blog to start a campaign.  But, I need your help.

 I am a small blog that only gets about around 4,500 views a month. What that means, though, is that if every person who views my blog gave a $1 for each post they looked at, then we could combine our donations together to donate a “Gift Arc.”   Hopefully, you will pitch in a little more and guarantee, but a $1 is a great start.

I’m promising to donate the last three months ad revenue which I earned from the ads on my blog.  Although not a lot (just about $10), I’m hoping that my little bits and all of your little bits will add up to one really big and important contribution.

This is the perfect charity for foodies who want to share the gift of food this December.  You get to help provide not just one family with a sustainable food source, but help an entire community!

If you’d like to help Team “Down Home Foodie” raise enough money to donate a “Gift Arc,” then click on the widget below, or visit my team page, "Team Down Home Foodie."

Want more information, check of the "Heifer Project Fact Sheet" or check-out this video from the Heifer Project CEO . . .

Down Home Foodie Archives: Waffle House

Sorry to say, but for once I've fallen a little behind on blogging.  The main reason is that I teach freshman composition at a university, and we are in the last two weeks of the semester.  So, with 640 pages of student work to read and grade, I wasn't able to get a new post together.  

I'll have something new for you on Thursday.  Promise.  

Until then, I went back in the vault and pulled out the first piece I ever wrote for the blog.  For those of you who have read it, I cleaned it up a bit to make it a little fresher.   For the rest of you, well it is already new to you.

The Hash Brown Rorschach Test

I read an article once called, “For the Love of Joe,” and it was about how Starbucks uses the idea of "love" to market themselves.  The article talks about how Starbucks sells love through not just philanthropic love or love for others, but self-love.  This self-love comes from being able to treat yourself by getting a cup of coffee made to order and customized just for you.    

This self-love gets mentioned in the movie, You've Got Mail.  In the film, the Tom Hanks character, Joe Fox, says, "The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino."  In this quote, ordering becomes more than just ordering coffee, it is an assertion of self and desire and individuality.  

However, Starbucks was merely copying this idea of self-love and individualization from Waffle House. Not only can you get eggs to order, pancakes in any number and of various topping (although once you go pecan you never go back), there is the Hash Brown Ritual. 

The hash brown ordering that takes place in Waffle House is a far better Rorschach Test than what kind of coffee you are.  You can be “smothered,” “covered,” “chunked,” “diced,” “peppered,” “capped,” “topped,” “country,” or “all the way.”  There is a much more open sense of eroticism and passion than to get a “tall skinny vanilla latte with no whip.”  The hash brown menu is a catalogue of the so wrong and so right.  One night over a dinner party, play the getting to know you game of what kind of Waffle House hash brown combination are you.  I like to be “peppered” and "covered."  What about you? 

Wine Tasting in NoVa: Lost Creek Winery

Within the last year, my friend Kathy has started exploring wine and trying to find wines she likes.  Luckily, she recently saw a great Google Deal offer to visit Lost Creek Winery.  New found wine interest plus  “Google Deals” incentive make for a fun, “bondiful” (Kathy’s created word from college) adventure. 

The deal Kathy found was even better than we thought.  At first, it seemed like for $10 you could get two tastings, souvenir wine glasses, and a $15 voucher to the gift shop, which came to a $34 value.  It ends up, that we had to spend $34.  When it was all said and done, we got two tastings, two souvenir wine glasses, a $15 bottle of wine, and some Boursin, all for $15.  Quite amazing. 

That was the Google Deals rave, now for the winery.  Lost Creek Winery is just outside of Leesburg, VA.  It shares a road with another winery and I believe there was also another along the way, meaning that if you are inclined you can make a day of it.  According to the young woman who greeted us, Lost Creek is a family run winery; the girl herself was the granddaughter of the founder.  She was too young to do the tasting, so it was led by another young woman.   Although maybe not as thoroughly trained and informed about the wines, she was absolutely lovely and the teacher part of me was happy to help someone practice. 

The tasting includes three whites, one apple and grape wine, a Rose, three reds, and two specialty wines.  According to Kathy who scoped the internet buzz out, the reviews online say that whites are better than the reds. I’d agree.  The three whites are a “Spring Time,” Chardonnay, and Vidal Blanc, plus the “Sweet Summer,” which is 75% grape and 25% apple.  The “Spring Time” and “Chardonnay” were both tasty; the “Spring Time” in particular was a little tangy, tart, and orangey.  My favorite of the whites was the Vidal Blanc, which had a very fresh finish.        

The reds were a Merlot, “Chambourcin Gold,” and a Reserve.  Both the Merlot and the Reserve (a Cab and Merlot blend), had a nose that reminded me a bit of butter and cheese, which kind of turned me off.  I overheard another one of the employees tell the people he was doing a tasting for that the Chambourcin has been described as a “Church Wine,” and I think that is a good description. 

Of all the wines, my favorite was the Rose.  Normally, I’m not a Rose girl; but, I really enjoyed Lost Creek’s mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot.   It wasn’t sweet, and had a great sipping quality. 

Lastly, the two Specialty Wines are “Courtney’s Christmas” and “Late Harvest Alyce.”   “Courtney’s Christmas” is a mix of Merlot, Cab Sauv, Chardonnay, and 

Chamrbourcin and is infused with cinnamon and cloves.  Lost Creek's suggestion for “Courtney’s Christmas” was to serve it poured over pound cake, and I think cooking with it would work. To drink it was a little too much like liquid potpourri.  I liked the “Late Harvest Alyce” more.  Normally, I don’t enjoy ice wines because they are just too sweet.  Lost Creek lets you taste it with chocolate and that creates a very unique tasting experience.  In pairing it with the chocolate, it doesn’t seem as sweet and notes of peer and spices come through. 

I’d recommend an outing to Lost Creek.  The Rose and whites are fantastic, and I like the intrigue of the Specialty Wines even if they didn’t win me over.  Plus, it has a lovely atmosphere.  All the people who worked there were happy and enthusiastic.  The tasting room itself has a beautiful fire place and options of interesting cheese, meat, and bread nibbles to go with the wine.  The outside has great trellises and wondering vines.   Overall, a good place to go, with or without an incentive from Google Deals.  

Food Photo Friday: Dec. 2

Today, I'm featuring a photo from the blog, The Ravenous Couple, by Hong and Kim.  As I've mentioned before, my best friend is Vietnamese and her mom spoils me with tasty meals every time I got to visit her.  When I move from Virginia to Nebraska in January, one of the many things I'm going to miss is Kathy's mom's cooking.  Luckily, there is a large Vietnamese population in Lincoln, NE, but I'm still going to have to learn a little more about doing it myself. 

Luckily, I found The Ravenous Couple to help me.  Not only do they have a recipe for my second favorite Vietnamese dish, Xoi Bap Sticky Rice, they also have really impressive photography.  The photo of theirs that I picked was from a post on "Vietnamese Blood Sausage."  I picked it because there are several times that with certain foods, I just am unable to figure out how to photograph them and make them look appetizing.  For my stuffing post, one of the pictures I took was of raw sausage meat and it took a while to make it not look like gross raw meat.  In Hong and Kim's post, they took something I imagine would be hard to photograph and made it look tasty and sheik.  I've had Korean blood sausage and rather liked it, so I may have to give this version a try sometime, too. 

 

Thank you to Hong and Kim for letting me feature their picture.  If you would like to nominate one for Dec. 16th's Food Photo Friday, please email me the link at downhomefoodie@gmail.com.  

Wine Tasting in NoVa: Barrel Oak Winery

Barrel Oak Winery

To get from Harrisonburg to Northern Virginia, I travel I-81 to I-66.  Every time I pass through the Front Royal/Delaplane area, I notice all the vineyards I could be stopping at.  One of the vineyards in particular, Barrel Oak Winery, has been mentioned by several friends as a must visit winery.  So, while driving home from NoVa  one Saturday afternoon, I took a detour on Exit 23 and stopped in. 

The place was bursting at the seems.  Although part of that was because of two events, it was also just people enjoying the wine and Barrel Oak's amazing outdoor seating areas.  You can snack, drink wine, and cozy up by one of the many portable fireplaces.  It was a yuppy haven. 

The tasting room was so crowded I worried about being able to sneak in.  So, I found a couple who was also waiting and stood near them.  Then, when it was their turn, I slid in and piggybacked as one of the group. 

Barrel Oak has a couple of tasting options. You can do three for free, the "Our BOW Tasting" or the "Our WOW Tasting" for $6, or the full tasting of ten wines for $10.  I meant business so I went with the full tasting. 

I wasn't a big fan of the whites.  The Montand Sparkling was great: little bit of pears, clean flavor, not too sweet, and very crisp and bright.  I also enjoyed the BOWHaus White, a mixture of Vidal Blanc and Savignon Blanc.  The rest of the whites, though, were just a little too buttery for my taste.  In talking to the women beside me about her impressions, she also felt the whites were a little underwhelming.

After trying the Rose, which is very popular, and being again disappointed, I began to feel a little sad that I had chosen poorly on a winery to try.  Luckily, the reds were more enjoyable.  They didn't blow me away, but they intrigued me.  Barrel Oak offers a BOWHaus Red, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  All of them had really great noses that were complex and exciting from scents like chocolate and white pepper.  Of the four, my favorite was the Cabernet Franc, which is fermented in French and American Oak.  I didn't get the caramelized sugar that the write-up mentions, but I enjoyed the white pepper and nuttiness. 

The last wine I tried was the Chocolate Lab, a Port style dessert wine.  For me, the problem I had with this was a somewhat silly one between expectation and delivery.  If it were not called a Chocolate Wine, I'd have really enjoyed it.  It is called "Chocolate Lab" because it is Chambourcin infused with cocoa nibs.  For me, though, my associations with chocolate wines are the richer, creamier styles.  From the Chocolate Lab I got cherry and coffee and almost a touch of maple, but not much chocolate.  I guess Shakespeare is wrong, there is something to a name. 

Overall, to me the appeal of Barrel Oak Winery is more in enjoying the atmosphere.  Packing a picnic, cozying up by one of the outdoor fire pits, and visiting with friends while taking pleasure in rolling hills and glasses of wine is why it is worth visiting Barrel Oak.