All posts by Stephanie

Valentine’s Day Giveaway

As a thank you for reading my blog, I’d like to give away this necklace I made.

Valentine’s Necklace Giveaway
Valentine’s Day choker, about 17 1/2 inches long

You can enter by making a comment on this entry (it can be about anything…for example, what has been making you happy lately?)

I’ll draw a name at random on Monday February 18th and contact the winner by email for an address. Of course, this contest is for both the ladies and the gentlemen out there.

By the way, if you read blogs in an aggregator like Google Reader, I’d be so happy if you would subscribe to my blog!

Local “Bug Man” on Colbert Report

Just wanted to forward this on to you all. If only I had cable, I’d love to see this!

Bugs not Drugs
I’ve had the pleasure of tasting David’s grasshoppers (or crickets?), which as you can see above, we passed around in a ziploc bag. It’s hard not to caption this photo “Bugs, not Drugs”. I also got to try a very exotic – and surprisingly delicious – water bug at last year’s Food for Thought.

David Gracer of Providence-based, Sunrise Land Shrimp (SLS), will be a featured guest on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report at 11:30 P.M. EST on February 13, 2008. This appearance follows a whole-page write-up on the company in New York Times Magazine on Sunday, February 10, 2008.

Gracer is looking forward to talking with Colbert, though he’s also expecting lots of curve-balls, and some of the things spoken in humor may not necessarily represent SLS’s official positions.

About Sunrise Land Shrimp
Continue reading Local “Bug Man” on Colbert Report

Bringing Lunch

We all know that bringing a lunch to work is less expensive and usually healthier. But it can be a hard task to keep up with if you aren’t prepared. Here are some tips that have helped me bring my lunch at least 95% of the time.

My Work Lunches
A few of my past lunches. Want to see the details? All these lunches are on Flickr.

First, develop a system for carrying your lunch. It could be a fancy lunch container, but it could just as well be a nice bag to hold your ancient mismatched containers. The key is to give yourself an option that makes you look forward to bringing your lunch so you’ll do it more often. Make sure it fits your lifestyle – if you don’t do dishes daily, you might be better off with a few identical containers.

I own a Mr. Bento and Mr. Bento and use them often, but if I hadn’t had an amazon.com gift certificate to spend, I would have been perfectly happy bringing reusable tupperware-style containers. My current favorites are Ziploc Twist & Loc, and I also love reusing glass jam jars like the beautiful ones from Bonne Maman.

Second, narrow your food options. What type of lunch food satisfies you? Not just your hunger, but your senses? You might like biting into a sandwich, or you might prefer something that requires a knife and fork (I do – it makes me feel like I’m eating something substantial). Do you have a microwave at work? Is messy or fragrant food going to be a problem? These questions will give you a place to start.

Third, develop a formula. Preparing lunch is a lot easier if you don’t have to think about it too much. Usually I’ll prepare a main dish and a side. I don’t mind leftovers and don’t require variety, so I usually make a large quantity of something on the weekend and eat it for several days. If you do crave change, think about freezing a portion of each dinner you make for later lunches.

Here’s my basic formula:

Continue reading Bringing Lunch

Hobbit Meals

A year ago yesterday, a crazy event took place: a Lord of the Rings day. My boyfriend and I, along with another couple, watched all three Lord of the Rings movies. This wouldn’t be much of a challenge, except these were the extended versions – a total playing time of about 11 hours.

To pass the day in style, we prepared and ate food for all 7 Hobbit meals, including “coney stew” (rabbit), which we cooked over a wood fire. Of course, this was accompanied by a decent amount of ale and mead.

Lord of the Rings: Hobbit Meals

Here was our menu:

First Breakfast – omelette, mushrooms, bacon (cooked in the fireplace), coffee – which, fortunately for us, they did actually drink in the books

Second Breakfast – whipped cream and berries, seedcakes

Elevensies – bread, cheese, fruits. This is when the ale started.

Luncheon – leek and mushroom-stuffed puff pastry boxes, cold chicken

Afternoon Tea – seedcakes, banana bread and Keemun tea

Dinner – coney (rabbit) stew with red wine, onions, garlic, carrots and herbs, cooked in the fireplace for about 6 hours

Supper – we were going to have a selection green salads, but could only muster up enough hunger for a few sprigs of watercress

By the time next February comes around, we might actually be ready to do it again.

Sources:

  • Rabbit: Antonelli’s Poultry, 62 De Pasquale Ave., Providence RI
  • Keemun Tea: Basically British, 16 Cutler St., Warren RI
  • Cheese: Farmstead, 186 Wayland Ave., Providence RI

Valentine’s Day

I wonder if I’m making a mistake by letting you all in on my Valentine’s Day plans. But this is too good not to share: El Rancho Grande is dressing up for a special 4-course chocolate dinner…

Providence has a few good Valentine’s options, but this is one of the more affordable at $65 per couple including a bottle of wine. I’ve heard rumors that Julian’s is great as well.   What are your plans and recommendations?

Here’s the full menu for the El Rancho Grande dinner:

Continue reading Valentine’s Day

Mike’s Kitchen

Common wisdom proclaims that good things can be found in unexpected places. That’s why I had to check out Mike’s Kitchen, the restaurant hidden behind the facade of a Cranston veteran’s hall.

One fact was immediately obvious – Mike’s might be hidden, but it’s no secret. Even though restaurant’s existence is hardly advertised, the dining room was bustling, even at 6pm on a Monday night. As I peered through the door into the brightly-lit large room, I had this sudden fear that everyone would look up from their food and spot me as a stranger. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into a restaurant full with happy diners of all ages immersed in the buzz of excited conversation.

The decor is just as much veteran’s hall as it is restaurant, but don’t let it fool you – at Mike’s, they are serious about their food. This was immediately evident from the giant specials board full of enticing dishes: an artichoke appetizer, roasted peppers stuffed with goat cheese, and a few unusual chicken and veal dishes. Once we sat down, the waitress also brought over a standard menu.

We ordered a bottle of Chianti and started with fried mozzarella and antipasto. The mozzarella was three palm-sized triangular pieces with marinara sauce, still sizzling from the fryer. I especially liked one of the meats on the antipasto platter which seemed to be spiced with star anise.

For an entree my boyfriend chose the combination plate, a sampler of eggplant parmesan, meatballs, sausage and roasted peppers. This is a great dish to order if you’re having trouble making up your mind and want to experience several dishes on one plate. I was especially impressed by the eggplant parmesan; I’ve had a lot of bland versions around Rhode Island lately, but this one was perfectly flavored with herbs and spices.

Seafood Diablo at Mike’s Kitchen in Cranston
Seafood Diablo at Mike’s Kitchen – doesn’t it look amazing?

I decided on one of their more elaborate dishes, seafood diablo. Out came an impressively large plate of spaghetti topped with scallops, shrimp and lobster (2 claws and half a tail). The lobster was perfectly cooked and the scallops were gigantic and fresh. I enjoyed it immensely, but would have loved a bit more spiciness. Also, I do recommend the dish, but beware that it’s a bit messy to shell lobster claws in red sauce. In other words, this might be a good occasion to leave your white shirt at home.

One aspect of my experience at Mike’s that really stood out was the service. The restaurant’s tables were mostly filled, but our waitress was very attentive and the food arrived so speedily, I had to wonder whether the kitchen was staffed with magicians. It was evident that other diners were having the same positive experience, and their interaction with the wait staff suggested that many were regulars.

If you’re going to Mike’s, there are a few things you should know. First, they don’t accept credit cards, so bring cash. Second, drinks are not ordered with food, but separately from the bar. When we were there, a bartender conveniently made the rounds to take drink orders, and customers paid for the drinks on delivery. Third, the portions are large, so come with an appetite or room for a to-go box in your fridge. Last, they do have limited hours, so call ahead.

Mike’s Kitchen
Map Marker 170 Randall Street, Cranston
(401) 946-5320

P.S. Thanks to Mike O. (no association with “the kitchen”) for recommending this one!

Working with Yeast Dough

A lot of people find working with yeast dough intimidating. While it does take a bit more time than picking up a loaf at the store, it’s really not all that hard. I’m going to share some tips and my favorite recipes for bread and pizza dough.

The Easiest Loaf of Bread You’ll Ever Bake
The Easiest Loaf of Bread You’ll Ever Bake – this is mine!

I was lucky – when I was young, my mother let me bake bread with her.  Now, I love the almost flesh-like feeling of dough as I knead it. But I’m far from an expert, and you definitely don’t have to be to turn out some great bread or pizza.

If you’ve never baked bread before, I have two recommendations. One is to buy yeast at Costco or Sam’s Club, where a giant 2 pound package cost me $3.87…22 times less than those puny envelopes at the grocery store! Buying a package not only saves you money, it gives you the flexibility to use a larger or smaller amount than is in the envelope, and you can experiment without feeling wasteful.

Continue reading Working with Yeast Dough

Cooking Offline

I didn’t realize how much I relied on the internet for cooking ideas and recipes. Of course, my collection of cookbooks is vast and I love to consult them, even as bedtime reading. But often, especially when I’m stuck with ingredients that need to be used up, I head for the world wide web. Usually, I find several recipes and mix techniques and ingredients based on what I have at hand.

In the process of moving, I lost my internet connection for a couple of weeks. On top of that, my laptop is still in the shop, so going online isn’t very convenient. In these tough times (maybe I’m being a bit dramatic) I’ve called upon an old friend – The Joy of Cooking.

The Joy of Cooking has always been my go-to cookbook. I would take it with me to the proverbial deserted island: if nothing else, its directions for prepping raccoons and possums might come in handy. In more mundane situations, the recipes are relatively simple and often are accompanied by tidbits of wit and wisdom.

Cinnamon Buns and Pizza Crust from the Joy of Cooking
Cinnamon Buns and Pizza Dough from the Joy of Cooking

Last week, unable to access my favorite bookmarked pizza recipe, I used its recipe for pizza dough on page 610 and it was perfect.

This week, I baked cinnamon buns based on their recipe for Cinnamon Snails (p. 614), leaving in the cardamom because it’s one of my favorite flavors. The recipe for Chicken Marengo seemed like the perfect way to use some of the chicken leg quarters in the freezer, especially after I was seduced by the description of how Napoleon had it prepared after his battles. To soak up its delicious wine and brandy-flavored broth, I whipped up a batch of Cheese Muffins (p. 631) in minutes and simply baked them in the oven with the chicken.

The Joy of Cooking was first published by Irma Rombauer as a way to support her family after her husband’s suicide during the depression. At the time, many families were struggling with very little, and the recipes and techniques in the book were both practical and economical.

I recommend the 1975 version (or earlier), which can often be found at used book stores. The 1997 version lacks many of the classic recipes. The latest 75th anniversary edition returns to the book’s original spirit, but I still prefer the older copies.

In Search of the Holey Grail

Millions of ex-New Yorkers are scattered across the globe. It seems that there is one thing they miss most about the city. It’s not the constant activity or multiculturalism, it’s not the skyscrapers or the theater. It’s the perfect bagel.

Growing up a short drive from “the city” in northern New Jersey, I mistakenly thought bagels were a luxury that everyone enjoyed. My trips elsewhere in the country were short enough that I didn’t notice their absence; during my college years in the central part of the state they were readily available. But when I moved up the coast to Rhode Island, I started missing my weekend ritual of driving home from the bagel store with a fresh bag, still hot from the oven, in my lap. I eventually found some stores that claimed to have bagels, but they were actually day-old, chalky and the consistency of sandwich bread.

A Bagel from Bagels4u in Short Hills, NJ
A delicious bagel from Bagels4u in Short Hills, NJ

Rhode Island’s lack of good bagels led me to wonder why they were so easy to find in the New York area.

Continue reading In Search of the Holey Grail

The First Meal of 2008

On New Year’s Eve, I don’t like to travel. I don’t like to party hard or go to bed late into the new year’s first morning. What I like is to wake up in my own bed the next morning, sans hangover, and go for the first walk of the year in the crisp morning air.

The first morning of 2008 was an especially exciting one because we were walking out the door of our new home. It was kind of early and a bit cold; we were hungry. Lucky for us, Julian’s was open.

A Mimosa at Julians in Providence
A mimosa at Julians in Providence. A bargain at $3!

I’ve always loved Julian’s, but now that it’s down the street from me, I love it even more. It’s one of those rare places that can be everything to everyone without compromising its individuality. For some, it’s a weekend refuge to brunch so late it’s probably no longer called brunch, nursing a hangover with eggs benedict and a mimosa. For hip college students, it’s where to get wined and dined on parents’ weekend. And for for Providence’s west siders, it’s a damn good neighborhood bar and restaurant.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, it was around 10 am on New Year’s day, and we got to sit in our favorite booth (the one by the window, you know, with tabletop made of antique matchbooks) and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. I had pancakes with apples, cranberries and white chocolate (a special so special it was wiped off the board a second after I ordered it) and Jeremy ordered cheddar chipotle grits, which came with two eggs and toast.

It’s going to be a good year.

Julian’s
Map Marker 318 Broadway, Providence
www.juliansprovidence.com