Old School Thursday: Chicken Dance to Foie Gras Edition

Today is National Buttermilk Biscuit Day and National Dance Like a Chicken Day. Somehow, they seem related to me. Probably because sometime around 1990, I was friends with this girl Melissa who loved a song called, “Buttermilk Biscuits.” I haven’t heard it since then and it might have been the single worst rap song ever recorded. But somehow it fits with the chicken dance.

But let me back up. The chicken dance has a day? Every week, I am surprised by who has a lobby. I’m just glad I’m not jaded.

In other news, today’s a sort of mix of anniversaries, mostly somehow celebrating processed or genetically modified food. Today in 1853, Gail Borden applied for a patent for condensed milk. For that I am thankful, because without it, there would be no tres leches cake.

Decades later, in 1919, Henry John Heinz, the founder of the HJ Heinz Company, died. His brand, obviously, lived on. And speaking of strong brands, today in 1985, the very first McDonald’s, located in Des Plains, Illinois, became a fast food museum, aka Morgan Spurlock’s own personal hell.

In more recent fast food news, today in 1991, the world’s largest burrito was created. Weighing in at 1,126 pounds, I’m sure it was nothing short of delicious. Not quite as delicious? Three years later, the FDA deemed the “Flavr Savr” tomato – a food developed through biotechnology – safe. Yes, I know this is a great advance in terms of solving hunger problems. But I also blame genetic modification on my years of disliking tomatoes. I had no idea.Finally, in a break from all that is processed, and an enormous gain for foodies everywhere (but a giant blow to PETA), one year ago today, the Chicago City Council repealed its ban on foie gras.

So today, as you do your chicken dance, you have your choice. McDonald’s (with ketchup and tomatoes) or foie. Hmm. Tough one.

Supporting Local Businesses: The 3/50 Project

Not to get mushy or political, but supporting small business is something that's near and dear to my heart. So I was very pleased to come across this initiative (via Mrs. Blandings, who found it on Miss Gracious Living).

If you're spending the money anyway, wouldn't you rather see it go to somebody local?

Artsy Wednesday: Pastry at Sotto Sopra

In several years of "artsy" posts, I've mostly written about the way food is injected into traditional art forms - music, paintings, books, architecture. Even movies. Sometimes I write about food as art in a literal sense, like in this Matisse poster. Once I wrote about food - fried eggplant, to be specific - as performance art.

It's rare, though, for me to write about food taking on the cultural characteristics we usually ascribe to art. But something I ate last night makes me want to do just that.

Let me back up a bit. Last week, Dining Dish Dara invited me, along with a handful of other foodie writer types, to dinner at Sotto Sopra. Our meal was prepared by native Sardinian chef Daniela Useli, who has the kind of cooking resume that makes me cry with jealousy (she learned to cook after being given a book of family recipes, by her grandmother, for her eighth birthday). Everything was wonderful, but my interest was most piqued by the final course, a dessert called sebadas.

Sebadas is a traditional Sardinian dessert, pecorino-filled dough lightly fried until it's crispy then drizzled with honey. At first scent, it's a little bit boardwalk (think funnel cake) plus a touch baklava (all that honey). But after a bite, it's clear that it's something else entirely. After hearing the description, I expected the dessert to taste something like a gussied-up cheese danish. I underestimated it (although, a gussied-up cheese danish doesn't sound so bad, either). The pecorino was rich and salty and a perfect counterpoint to the sweet stickiness of the honey. And the real key, I think, was that the pastry was so lightly fried, adding a little airiness to the whole dish. The taste was entirely new to me, and really exciting.

So the "artsy," then. Certainly anybody who can create something like this dessert is an artist. It takes creativity and skill and care. But my thinking goes a little beyond that. Despite assurances from Daniela and her husband that this dish is a traditional Sardinian dessert, it feels new and fresh to an American palate. We see that in the art world, too. Certain injections of even a familiar foreign culture - Slumdog Millionaire, anyone? - are irresistable to most US culture-seekers.

This dessert did that for me. Totally foreign, but just familiar enough, it hit that sweet spot between new and comfortable. Plus, cheese + honey + fried dough? That ALWAYS = amazing.

Ideabook Tuesday: Bubbles

Rooms that remind me of champagne. Celebratory, right?

Bubbly: Decorating with Fizz

more home design ideas on houzz

Now THIS Is Food Porn

Somebody really likes their cilantro.

(Thanks to Sarah for the link. Also, NSFW language. But with food!)

Trendy Monday: The Oak Backlash-Backlash

Not a long Trendy Monday post today, just a quick observation: I think (and don't ask me why I think this) oak is about to regain a little respect. For years, some winemakers overoaked their grapes, in an effort to "give the people what they want." They went too far, resulting in a lot of anti-chardonnay and anti-oak sentiment.

It's time, though, for the tables to turn. Though I can't actually find any of them, I think I've read a number of pro-oak statements lately, and I've definitely been privy to some pro-oak commentary (though at least some of that is from my parents, who have always been among the wood's biggest cheerleaders).

Hopefully this time around, both winemakers and wine drinkers will find oak's golden mean. Though, if not, I can think of worse pursuits.

Mother's Day Chez Pollard

Snacks:

And hard work:

This, BTW, is the "grownup swingset," where the swinging chairs hang. Cooper found some tin roofing on Craig's List, from a guy in Howard County who's dismantling an old barn and selling the pieces. He's almost finished putting it all on:

That's What She Said

In yesterday's Well's wine newsletter:

Michael-Scott Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2005 Reg. Price $29.99 Sale Price $22.99

There’s a new brand at Wells, Michael-Scott. And I’m not talking about the paper company. Rooted in Napa Valley, grapes for this Cabernet Sauvignon are sourced from vineyards between St. Helena and Calistoga. Showing a ruby/crimson color, the wine offers a bouquet of black cherry, blackberry, cassis, leather, spicy oak, and a touch of mineral. The palate is medium-full-bodied, elegant and complex offering blackberry, black cherry, oak spice, and earthy flavors. The tannins are well-integrated to allow the flavors to really shine through. Not flashy, but with excellent length on the finish, this offering is a very nice, elegant example of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Entertaining Friday: Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a big brunch holiday, but I prefer to keep it as quiet as possible. On most days, I'm as social as possible, but for some reason, on Mother's Day, all I want to do is to make dinner at home with Dixon and Cooper. And work. For whatever reason, I always find myself working on Mother's Day.

And without a better segue, go check out my Deep Glamour post on the evolution of the glamorous mom. I managed to incorporate Mad Men and India Hicks. If only I'd been able to wedge in pomegranate and prosecco cocktails, it would be the Kit Loves It trifecta.

Old School Thursday: Home Brewin', Lamb Roastin' Edition

Last week was an embarrassment of riches, food history-wise, with the Earl of Sandwich and ice cream cones and Mr. Potato Head. This week, not so much. Oh, today is National Roast Leg of Lamb Day and it’s also National Home Brewer’s Day, begging the natural question, what beer best pairs with lamb?

Plus, today in 1953, the largest swordfish ever caught was landed in Chile. It was 1,182 pounds. Which really is pretty large (says the girl who can barely reel in a line with nothing but a weight on it).

But…that’s it for today. No iconic food or iconic toys. But at least we have the beer and the lamb.

Artsy Wednesday: the Many Talents of Patrick Kelly

Let's talk, for a minute, about the Kelly family. I know them through Alicia, who's a Kelly by birth (and a Barger by choice). Alicia's mom is stylish and funny and her dad is, well, he's a lot of things, including a champion of air guitar. But this post, really, is about Alicia's brother, Patrick.

In his little studio in Mount Vernon, which is perpetually hidden by scaffolding and a not-so-fine layer of dust, Patrick paints crazy and fabulous comic-inspired women. He also paints awesome animals and other characters, several of which watch over Dixon while he sleeps. We've know for a while that Patrick's a talented artist. We've also known that he's got more patience than most, which is a good thing, since his day job is working with the kids at the Maryland School for the Blind (Alicia works there, too).

What I didn't know, though, until recently, is that not only is Patrick talented with a paintbrush, he's got skills with a microphone, as well.

This past weekend, though, we got a glimpse of the other Patrick, the one who's not afraid to sing a little Elvis, with his band, Sound Storm. The venue, the Parkville VFW, might not exactly be Wembly Stadium, but he and the band certainly did command the attention of the crowd. The set list was mostly oldies and Motown, and mid-set, the band called their moms up to the stage for a Mother's Day tribute (including corsages). It was sweet in the very best way, and so much fun. Especially, of course, since in addition to his other talents, Mr. Kelly is quite a dancer.

Plus, as the tickets clearly stated, the event was BYO Snacks. And everybody loves snacks, right?

Ideabook Tuesday: Gray

Last week it was the beach. But this week it is so not. All I can muster is...eh.

Rainy Day Gray

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Tiffin Tins

A few months ago - longer, maybe even - Anthony Bourdain visited India. One little corner of the episode touched on the lunchbox hardware used by people across the country - the tiffin tin. Often metal, these stackable tins are really pretty ideal for carrying a meal around. They're practical and environmentally concscious and cute in the very best way.

And while they're not new, even in America, they are having an awfully big week at my house. First, the June Bon Appetit arrived, with a lovely shot of stacked stainless tins. Not 24 hours later, a Crate and Barrel sale catalog showed up in my mailbox, including the bright yellow plastic tiffin box shown in the picture. While this one doesn't have the authentic vibe of battered steel, it is awfully sunny.

And two sightings in two days? I'm pretty sure that qualifies as trendy.

Entertaining Friday: Start 'Em Young

I woke up late today and I have a lot to do, so I will just leave you with this photo:


Tiny drink umbrellas in sippy cups. At 7 a.m. last Sunday morning. Because that's just how we roll.

Old School Thursday: Icons Edition

Today is National Oatmeal Cookie Day and, you know, that’s actually a food that I think deserves a day. I don’t eat enough oatmeal cookies, but I like them a lot. They’re iconic, yet understated. I like that in a cookie.

In other news, well, there is a lot of other news today. Today in 1792, John Montague, the fourth Earl of Sandwich died. As he gave his name to both the islands and the, well, sandwich, history remembers him fondly. He’s a bit of an icon-maker himself.

More than a century later, in 1904, the St. Louis World’s Fair (aka the Louisiana Purchase Exposition) opened in St. Louis. Not only did the fair produce the Gateway Arch, it is also the place where a) the ice cream cone was invented, b) the hot dog was popularized and c) iced tea also gained popularity. Talk about iconic American foods.

And finally, today in 1952, iconic and food-related toy Mr. Potato Head was introduced. Here’s some trivia, too: Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to be advertised on TV. But certainly not the last.

Artsy Wednesday: Life Magazine Photos

Kirk Douglas and Sophia Loren, eatin' some spaghetti in NYC (1958)

Life magazine, in its most recognizable form, was published from 1936 until 2000, with a six year hiatus between 1972 to 1978. First it was a weekly then, after 1978, a monthly, and it always had an emphasis on photojournalism. The actual title goes back to 1883, but it was originally more of a general interest and humor mag.

Many of the magazine's classic photos - along with new images - are now available for viewing (and purchase) on life.com.

Of course, there are zillions of photos available someplace or other online. But this archive is actually special, mostly thanks to its depth. Today's editor's picks, for example, include slideshows from JFK's first hundred days and from the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic.

But of course, it's the food and the entertaining shots that I love the most - like the one above, which shows Kirk Douglas dining with Sophia Loren and another lady (unnamed) in 1958. It's part of a slideshow all about spaghetti. Totally cool - this shot especially. I love the little details - the little details - Loren's necklace, the padded banquette, the pepper grinder, the white (!) wine - that point to the era. The rest of the slideshow is just as riveting.

A warning, though: don't visit the site unless you've got some time to kill. I could get lost there for hours.

So Much Awesome

Is Don Draper coming to Baltimore? Please?

Ideabook Tuesday: Harbour Island Here I Come

I kind of want to be India Hicks. And can you blame me? Look at her:

Photo courtesy of Habitually Chic

No matter how hard I try, I'm just not going to be able to rock my H&M maxidress that way. Plus, I don't have a ridiculous estate in the Bahamas. Oh yeah, and my dad's not David Hicks.

Anyway, my Hicks love is what inspired this ideabook...which seems awfully appropriate, considering the totally tropical weather we're dealing with right now:

Living the Island Life

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Secret Supper Clubs

I had a nice weekend - good weather, drinks on our brand new backyard swinging chairs (aka the "grownup swingset") and Alicia Barger's guacamole. I kicked it off, too, with a quiet Friday night that involved the new issue of Garden & Gun arriving in the mail. For a magazine with a name that's mostly a punch line (this far north, anyway), it is one nicely written and edited piece of work.

This month's issue includes a feature on some of the South's secret supper clubs - those really, really huge dinner parties often hosted by chefs or young, cool farmers. The kind that I'd love to attend and that I've also been thinking about trying to host (I'm not sure I've got the space, though).

Secret suppers aren't an entirely new phenomenon. In fact, they've been around forever, and I even wrote about Portland's Michael Hebberoy and his various adventures (including an underground supper club) back in January of 2006.

While secret suppers might not be trendy in the truest sense of the word, they are receiving some decent ink lately, including a whole book dedicated to shedding light on some of the country's more impressive suppers.

The question is, then, when does the backlash begin? After all, part of these meals' allure is that they are, you know, secret. But if everybody knows about them, and starts clamoring for invitations, won't the chefs just hang up their toques? Isn't part of the draw that you have insider knowledge?

Of course, as I say that, I'm also thinking: if you know of any in Baltimore, I know one blogger who wouldn't mind an invite...

Art Geek Cool

David Stork uses computers to create 3-D depictions of famous paintings.

I'll have more once I actually read the article, which will happen sometime between now and Monday. But for now, just: cool.

Entertaining Friday: Baby Showers

Despite the fact that babies are born year-round, it seems to me like most baby showers take place during the spring and summer. Maybe I'm just projecting, since that's when mine were.

At any rate, last weekend was my friend Mandy's baby shower, at my house, hosted by a kind of mish-mash of friends and relatives. Since it was at my house, though, I got to do the fun part - the menu planning (although Mandy's sister, Jennifer, insists that she got to do the fun part - the invitations).

Mandy has a special love for little things, so we decided that we'd focus on tiny food for the shower. Plus, it started at 2 p.m. - that post-lunch, pre-dinner time that's perfect for finger foods.

The menu included, among other things:

• Basil cups with goat cheese (a serious Kit's house staple)
• Mini-vegetable frittatas, courtesy of Ms. Martha Stewart
• Finger sandwiches (cucumber, radish and fig + blue cheese)
• Cupcakes (obviously)
• And a lot of other stuff

If you're having a

daytime party this summer, I can't recommend the basil cups highly enough. They are so cute.And now...pictures (some courtesy of Jennifer):

Tea Sandwiches

Basil Cups with Goat Cheese

Mandy and Dixon (who totally, unsurprisingly, thought it was his party)

My High School (Girl) Friends

Old School Thursday: High Culture Meets Low Edition

Today is huge – for real. Well, today does carry on the “random lobby gets its day” tradition - it’s National Cherry Cheesecake Day. But today is also St. George’s Day – he’s the patron saint of farmers. And that’s just getting things started.

Today Bermuda celebrates the Peppercorn Ceremony, a big pompy and circumstancey parade during which the Mayor and Governor of the island collect a symbolic rent of one peppercorn from the inhabitants of the Masonic Lodge. By all accounts, it’s a pretty entertaining exhibition.

In less symbolic news, today is Shakespeare’s birthday (1564) and the anniversary of his death (1616). I’ve written before about Shakespeare here.

Much, much later, and important in a different way, today in 1985, Coca-Cola announced that it was changing its secret formula (at the time, 99 years old). We all know how the New Coke experiment turned out.

More successfully on the big brand front, today in 1992, McDonald’s opened its first location in Beijing. Seventeen years later, China’s still not a democracy, but it is arguably more open than it used to be. Thanks, Ronald.So today, to celebrate? Shakespeare and pepper and Coke and Big Macs? That runs the gamut, huh?

Artsy Wednesday: Laura Letinsky

We have a lot of parties. Not surprisingly, then, I spend a lot of Saturday and Sunday mornings wading cleaning up the remnants of the night before, wishing I'd thought to put the cheese away earlier and wondering how, exactly, 10 people managed to use 30 glasses.

Those mornings must be why I'm so drawn to Laura Letinsky's still life photographs of post-meal, post-party tables. They beautifully capture that feeling of post-party stillness and muted sadness, of drama passed. But they're pretty, too, with careful color and delicate detail.

Though not really right for my house (and out of my price range anyway), I love the idea of hanging a Letinsky photograph in a highly trafficked spot in an open kitchen. Perfect party centerpiece.

Ideabook Tuesday: Intriguing Corners

Habitually Chic recently wrote an interesting post about staging a house for a photo shoot and how to look at and arrange a room to take cool shots. Right after reading it, I clicked over to The Selby and looked at some of his very tight photos that show the tiny vignettes that give a room its color. Looking at both blogs got me thinking about designing a room as a whole vs. designing individual corners of it.

At my house I definitely design for the whole - I'm sure everyone does, really - but when I look around, I can see some Selby-esque corners of the space I live in, and that makes me happy. It also inspired this:

The Intriguing Corner

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Charleston

I've never been to Charleston, South Carolina, but I've always wanted to go. In pictures and movies and books it looks beautiful and gracious and appropriately slow. Plus, the movie Shag was more than a small force in my adolescence (yes, I know it was set in Myrtle Beach, but still...SC).

So I've always sort of wanted to visit, but the need has never been pressing.

A couple of months ago, though, Mike took a business trip to Charleston and spent the day sending me texts about all the amazing food he was eating. I was jealous.

Then, a few weeks ago, Becky from Hatch took a Charleston trip of her own and when she came back she posted some of her photos on Houzz (including that one on the right). They're everything I'd imagine from what I've read of the city.

But now I'm worried that I waited too long and missed the window. Charleston has obviously been invaded by the great washed...the urban masses flocking from NYC and San Francisco and LA. Can the city's character withstand the flood? I don't know - since I've never been there. I do still want to visit, but sentences like these, from a recent Elle Decor article on the city, send chills down my spine:

“Seven years ago my husband, Jonathan, and I told our friends that we were moving to Charleston, and the reply was ‘Why the hell are you doing that?’” says Lulan’s owner, San Francisco transplant and ex-Hanoi resident Eve Blossom. “Now when I tell people in San Francisco where we live, they say, ‘My gosh, I was just there’ or ‘My friends recently moved there from L.A.’ West Coasters have taken notice.”

They say that like it's a good thing.

Entertaining Friday: Restaurant Review Roundup

I've been writing a lot of restaurant reviews lately...just not here. My Examiner column is bursting with them, though. So, to spread the wealth around, here's a quick roundup:

• Grapevine Cafe - Greek-American in Cockeysville. Great apps, not-so-great entrees. Learned the hard way that we should stop trying to go to restaurants that cater to the over-65 crowd.
• Hamilton Tavern - Local and American in Lauraville. Cool interior, great wine list, solid bar food.
• Saigon Remembered - Vietnamese by Belvedere Square. Some kitchen glitches, but good flavor and great rolls.
• Samos - Greek in Greektown. Seriously awesome.

So there you have it. The most legitimately "entertaining" spots are Hamilton Tavern (for the hipper and younger, or at least those who don't mind a little noise, especially on the weekends) and Samos (for everybody. Literally, everybody.) Although, with the right company, I'm sure anyplace could be entertaining...

Old School Thursday: Saints and Icons

Today is a big day for the saints. It’s the Feast of St. Drogo (patron of coffee house owners and keepers) and also the official day for both St. Magnus of Orkney (patron of fishmongers) and St. Bernadette (patron of shepherds). That’s a lot of lesser-known saints. And on top of all that, it’s National Eggs Benedict Day. I don’t think that has anything to do with the Pope, but it does keep it on theme.

Beyond the Church, today’s a big day for mid-twentieth century pop culture. Today in 1941, the original Elsie the Cow died. Elsie, originally a cartoon, got famous as the brand icon for Borden Milk. The “real” Elsie, who was really originally named “You’ll do Lobelia” (wordy?) was chosen to represent the brand at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

Fifteen years later, on April 16, 1956, the wine-making, grape-stomping episode of I Love Lucy aired for the first time. Footage from that episode is really, really famous – and makes me wonder if old Lucy episodes are still running on TV. If not, will classic episodes like that one and the candymaking ep be lost to future generations? That seems sad.

So that’s it. To celebrate? Milk, wine and eggs Benedict, of course.

Artsy Wednesday: Cocktail Attire

In case you missed it...on Friday's "Entertaining" post, commenter TheSlapster left a link to an awesome set of Mad Men illustrations on Flickr. Created by an illustrator named Dyna Moe, they've been used everywhere from newspapers ("Mix It Up" to the left illustrated a Minneapolis Star-Tribune feature on show-era cocktails) to Rich Sommer's Christmas card to the cast.

The illustrator originally created the drawings as screen savers - one for each episode. She also - very nicely - encourages downloads for personal use. Though if you wanted to actually, you know, patronize, she's got several things for sale.

You know what I don't like, though? The reminder that Don Draper is nearly as old as my Uncle Jack.

Ideabook Tuesday: Inspired by Painters

I'm almost just surprised that it took me as long as it did to create an ideabook of rooms inspired by specific artists. But here it is:

Artsy: Inspired by Great Painters

more home design ideas on houzz

Do You Know Your State Capitals?

I do (thanks, Mrs. Puckett, from all the Benfield Elementary 5th graders). But if you don't and/or if you like M&M animation and watching people's hands move really, really fast, check this out:

Trendy Monday: Recession Dining

At the end of last week, the NYT ran an article on how people are scaling back and turning thriftiness into the newest trendy obsession. Like many NYT trend pieces, it seems possible that the entire article is built around a couple of the author's more obnoxious friends, but unlike some of those articles, the overall point of this one is valid. The economy's tight and people are trying to make the best of it with some new habits.

The article, and the new appeal of the thrify lifestyle, reminded me of a conversation I had last Christmas. We were out with a bunch of my high school friends, doing our semi-annual "get together, drink and talk about the old days" thing on a random Sunday night at a bar in Fells Point. One story lead to another, but the theme of most of them "remember that time when we did that thing and we were so young and so loud and so annoying but it was SO funny? And how did we drink that much anyway?"

After the 10th or so story, my friend Mike, an environmental scientist who's kind of a hippie (more than the rest of us, anyway) and lives in Seattle with his awesome wife Polly, looked at everyone and started laughing. "Back in Seattle," he said, "when we get together with friends it's all 'what are you doing with your CSA' and 'we're thinking of growing flax so we can make our own clothes'." It's never about this stuff."

Which cracked all of us up. Obviously.

I can guarantee that things won't get so bad around here that I'll start weaving my own clothes. But I do have plans to, at the very least, be a little more efficient with my CSA vegetables this year. Thrift isn't a bad thing.

Fortunately, being thrifty doesn't always mean scaling back. This week, for example. On Wednesday, Sotto Sopra (410-625-0534, 405 North Charles Street, Mt. Vernon) is "celebrating" tax day with a Dollar Pasta Night. For a donation to either the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or Our Daily Bread, plus just one dollar, diners can choose from a menu of nine pastas. Choices range from spaghetti alla puttanesca to penne with salmon and Pernod.

Not exactly the dollar menu at McDonald's, but it'll do, right? It's definitely the kind of thrifty living I can get behind.

(I'd recommend calling to reserve a table in advance. Sotto Sopra will be taking reservations from 5 to 10 p.m. And really, I would recommend going, especially if you've never tried the restaurant before. The food is delicious and really, what a great deal.)

Yellowtail, Maipe and the Evolution of a Region

Last week, I had a conversation with my mom about how delicious and cheap Maipe malbec is, and how funny it is that it, and other Argentinian wines, are suddenly everywhere. She mentioned that she'd read something about Argentinian wine makers turning to the US market because domestic wine drinkers got bored with the very common, very cheap grape. Sales in Argentina started falling flat, so the industry looked a little to the north and next thing you know, every wine store around is sporting endcaps full of malbec.

When I hung up the phone, I started to worry, just a little, that Maipe has the potential to be Argentina's Yellowtail (minus the critter label). Just like the Australian wine, Maipe burst onto the scene and all of a sudden, all my wine-drinking friends are all over it. It's like 2001 all over again. (My first sip of Yellowtail was, BTW, at work. Our kickass PR guy, Tom, brought a bottle to the office one day and my department, good trendspotters that we were, shared it.)

I'm not feeling much better about Maipe's situation after reading this really good Mike Steinberger article on Yellowtail's role in the decline of the Australian wine market. The argument is, in a nutshell, that thanks to Yellowtail, Australia's brand as a wine-producing country is stuck firmly in the "cheap and fruity" space, so wine drinkers looking for more sophisticated products (either because they really like them better, or because they want to seem like they know what they're talking about) avoid Australia. The key sentence:

As a result, consumers came to equate Australia with wines that were flavorful but also cheap and frivolous, a perception that became a major liability when those same consumers got interested in more serious stuff; rather than looking to Oz, they turned to Spain, Italy, and France.

I am one of those consumers - somebody who, in 2001, was just starting to get into wine. And I drank a lot of Yellowtail. So much that at some point, I just couldn't take it anymore (Steinberger refers to this phenomenon, aptly, as "fruit-bomb fatigue"). When Cooper and I started getting serious about wine, we looked mainly to France, Spain, and Italy, with a touch of California thrown in. And recently, to Argentina.

What I wonder now is whether knowing why we've been avoiding Australia will make me give the country another chance? I'm not sure. And will I slow down on the Maipe, so I don't ruin it for myself. Unlikely, honestly.

But it doesn't seem fair, somehow, that wine makers should be subject to marketing-driven trends.

Then again, life's not fair. So I'm not sure why wine-making should be any different.

Entertaining Friday: Mad Men

Remember parties are fun, historically accurate themed parties are legendary.

It's a good thing I can laugh at myself, otherwise Stuff White People Like would make me cry. Believe me, I know I'm not the only person who likes the idea of Mad Men-themed party. God, I love the Drapers. Even if the food is hideous. The drinks, though. We'll always have the drinks.

Old School Thursday: Chickens and Other Proteins Edition

Happy Passover, happy Easter and happy National Chinese Almond Cookie Day. No, I don’t know what that means, either.

Today in food history: the deaths of the curious. Starting most recently, today in 1850, British chemist William Prout died. He was the first to classify foods into carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Dr. Atkins and the entire town of South Beach salute you, Dr. Prout.

Fortunately for Dr. Prout, his work didn’t actually kill him. Not so for our older member of the curious club. Today in 1626 Sir Francis Bacon died. Besides having a fabulously food-oriented name, Bacon was famous for all sorts of things, from philosophy and writing to diplomacy and even possibly writing some of Shakespeare’s plays (if you’re into that sort of conspiracy theory). It’s his cause of death, though, that gets him a mention here. Apparently he was doing an experiment with a chicken stuffed with snow, trying to see how long the animal would be preserved by the extreme cold (smart, really). Not so smart, though, that he didn’t catch a cold himself – one that he died from a month later.

Artsy Wednesday: Radical Cartography

Last week, Apartment Therapy linked to the kind of site where I can lose hours and hours of my day. Radical Cartography is the brainchild of Harvard grad student Bill Rankin. AT honed right in on some of the prettier, older maps, like these maps of the Mississippi River from 1944 - and they are definitely worth a look.

But from a research geek perspective, I was more interested in some of the maps that Rankin and his friends created themselves. I'm still batting around food mapping ideas, and I found a lot of inspiration here. For example...

The density of the Hispanic population throughout the US - this has surely impacted food choices and offerings, right?

Thinking historically, I wonder how the creation of the National Road influenced regional cuisine. The families that traveled the road, did they leave bits of their histories behind? Can we still see their influence today?

This little series of simple maps might have resonated the most with me. Rankin and two of his colleagues created their own "personal maps" of cities. This one, of Philadelphia, shows Rankin's movements around the city, how he gets around, and what he does. Overlay a bunch of additional people's maps on top of this one and you have a really interesting study of city use.

Artsy: Duchamp at the National Portrait Gallery

The Dada movement has always appealed to me. I'm into the humor, the nonsense, the vacillation between being intellectual/theoretical and not taking anything seriously at all. It's no surprise, then, that I'm a fan of the absurd work of Marcel Duchamp.

The double-exposed photo of the artist above, though, has always kind of creeped me out. I think it has something to do with whatever Nick Bantock book it's used to illustrate (I can't remember which). As much as I love Bantock books, they always leave me feeling a little unsettled. Which, I think, they're probably supposed to do.

All of this is a long way of saying that I enjoyed Blake Gopnik's article on the Duchamp show at the National Portrait Gallery. It's not long, but it's an interesting look at Duchamp's concept of identity, using the show's 100 portraits (and self-portraits) of the artist as a backdrop. The key quote, as I see it:

A portrait can't get at the essence of its sitter -- because such essences, Duchamp says, do not exist.

So, then, how is this about food? I'm not quite sure, but I've been trying to connect that last quote - about essences - to ingredients. Because I think that while Duchamp's point is partially valid - in today's parlance, every human can create his own brand - I also think it's impossible to completely erase the core self in favor of that brand. Duchamp may have created new identities for his portraits, but dada was such a part of his being that no matter how far he departed from his "usual self", the simple act of departure pulled him back.

Just like with food. You can dress up an ingredient, make it work a different or unusual way, but at its core, it is what it is. It'll do what it's made to do.

Too much of a stretch? Probably, right? But still, interesting article. And a show I wouldn't mind seeing.

Ideabook Tuesday: It's the Jetsons!

The real mid-century vision of the future...in all its animated glory:

The Modern Jetsons Pad

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Places to Watch

The May Food & Wine arrived the other day and, with it, a "go list" - the world's best food cities plus 20 "rising star" restaurants in the food world. For anybody paying close attention to global food trends, there aren't a ton of surprises, but it's interesting reading anyway.

The "best" food cities are mostly what you'd expect: Tokyo, Barcelona, New York, London and Copenhagen. The most interesting inclusion on that list is Copenhagen, which the magazine calls an "avant-garde stronghold." That's very F&W of them. I'm trying to imagine what #5 would be on, say, Bon Appetit's list. Something in Italy, maybe? Shanghai?

The rising star restaurant list provides a little more geographic diversity, with spots in Hong Kon, Lima, Dublin, Buenos Aires and Melbourne. Oddly enough, Momofuku Ko is included on that list. I guess I have a hard time thinking of a restaurant that's gotten that much ink as a "rising star."

But that also might just be because I read a lot about newish restaurants?

(As an aside, this is my 800th post on M&G. I've been writing for just over 3 1/2 years and writing every weekday (minus a couple of days last fall when I was in the Bahamas) for almost a year and a half. Wordy, huh?)

Entertaining Friday: DIFFA Tables

Becky from Hatch (who somehow only posts things that I like) shared some photos of David Stark's table at DIFFA Dining by Design in NYC last weekend. The photos, taken by Gustavo Campos, are awesome and the table is so cheeky and fun and deceptively simple looking. It makes me want to throw an indoor picnic:

An elaborate indoor picnic. Maybe with food that all looks like one thing, but really is something else - like eggplant tempura "soft crabs" with some kind of fresh corn salad that's molded into little "ears of corn." Something like that.

As a whole, the DIFFA tables are really inspiring (you can see some more here) and full of energy. A good reminder that dinner's not just about what's on the plate.

Old School Thursday: Wine and Letters (+ Cooper!)

Today is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. That’s an iconic sandwich, I can get behind it having it’s own day (I wonder, though, how grilled cheese feels about the PB&J’s day being in April which is, as everybody knows, Grilled Cheese Month).

Even more importantly, today is all about the vino. It’s the Feast of Acan, the Mayan god of wine and it’s St. Urban of Langres’ Day. He is the patron saint of barrel makers, coopers (also Coopers?) and, logically, vintners. After all, where would the vintner be without the cooper?

In other news, today is Big French Birthday day. On April 2, 742, Charlemagne was born and centuries later, in 1840, writer Emile Zola was born. Some sources say Charlemagne was a bit of a foodie, serving peacock and loving Roquefort and inventing sauerbraten and, possibly most importantly, introducing the knife as an alternative to eating with the hands.

Zola, who I mostly think of in conjunction with this Manet portrait, was something of a food-lover himself, throwing lavish dinner parties and including detailed descriptions of meals in his books.
So, then, wine and books to celebrate today?

Artsy Wednesday: Silhouette Masterpiece Theater

Wouldn't this look awesome in my living room? Or maybe this one. Or this one. One of these cheeky little monkeys is joining my collection, and soon.

Cornuts

Today's the 20th anniversary of the release of "Heathers" - aka the movie I was obsessed with when I was 13. And 14. And older.

This "where are they now" slideshow is interesting and enlightening. I'm surprised by how many of the actors are on shows I've watched recently (JAG, which I watched ALL of in the early mornings right after Dixon was born; The Suite Life on Deck, which proves how much Disney I accidentally watch; Charmed, which I don't feel like I have to explain because, hello, Aaron Spelling?). But most of them I didn't connect - at all - to their roles in the movie.

Twenty years. Wow. Does it make me sound crochety if I say "they just don't make them like that anymore"?

Ideabook Tuesday: Less vs. More

Minimalist vs. Maximalist - that is today's great design debate. I used to be planted firmly in the "minimal" column, but as time goes by I find myself more and more comfortable with "stuff." Not too much stuff, of course, but stuff, nonetheless.

Over at houzz, where I posted this ideabook last week, there's a little bit of a debate going on in the comments. Well, not exactly a debate, but everybody's weighing in with their own opinion. The question of the day is: if there's a line between less and more, where do you fall?

Less vs. More: The Great Design Debate

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Decent Hotel Restaurants

When I think "hotel restaurant," I usually don't think "good food." My impression of the average hotel eating space is a blandly decorated room with an overpriced, overcooked and uninspired menu. Fortunately for travelers, that might be changing.

Last week, commercial design mag, Conract, published an interesting article on the evolution of the hotel dining experience. The money quotes:

"If there is a trend in hotel design, it is toward a greater recognition of the importance of the restaurant and food and beverage experience in defining its competitive position. The restaurant needs to stand on its own as a real restaurant, and increasingly the hotel is highlighting the restaurant as a standard bearer for design, cuisine, and brand expression."

"It used to be conventional wisdom that hotels need a specialty restaurant for fine dining, a three-meal restaurant for basic all-day service and a lobby bar to activate the lobby," he says. "We're seeing a shift toward consolidation to create a more flexible food and beverage venue with greater draw."

Both quotes are from Patrick O'Hare, AIA, IIDA, a California-based interior architect.

While I'm sure this won't hit hotels at every part of the spectrum - it's doubtful that the low-to-mid-range hotels are about to say goodbye to their limp-bacon-and-gross-eggs buffets anytime son - but it's still encouraging. And certainly a reminder of just how much of a priority food has become.

Entertaining Friday: Birthdays

As much I love having parties, birthday parties have never been all that big of a deal for me. When I was little I'm sure they were, but I don't really remember. That's not to say that I don't celebrate my birthday - I do, always with a trip to McGarveys - but it's just not a big dramatic occasion. The same is true for the rest of the Waskoms - we recognize birthdays with phone calls and presents and Boston cream pie (except for me - I like angel food cake), but that's about it.

There are a few birthdays out there, though, that for one reason or another, we really did celebrate. The oyster roast at Ben Oaks beach for my dad's 50th. The surprise party at my parent's neighbor's house for my mom's 50th. Dinner and lots and lots of oyster shooters for my brother's 30th. Dinner and way too many drinks and possibly some sibling rivalry down in Lexington for my brother and sister and I for Erin's 21st.

Plus, one random birthday that sort of sums up how the Waskoms hang out. It was my dad's 45th - 18 years ago this Sunday. Instead of going out to dinner, we had the Waskom special - lots of hors d'oeuvres in the living room. We sat around eating cheese and more cheese and my dad opened a bottle of champagne that he'd gotten as a gift. My parents, I guess, were feeling Continental, so they poured me a glass (I was 15).

And that is how it came to be that the very first sip of champagne I ever tasted was Dom Perignon.

Unfortunately, at that time, my palate was, shall we say, unrefined. I didn't really like it much at all and I don't even think I finished the glass. That certainly wouldn't be the case today. What a waste.

This weekend, we'll actually be celebrating in similar style. Everybody's coming up to our house tomorrow afternoon for hors d'oeuvres and cake and drinks. No Dom, this time, though. And that really is a shame.

Per Se: Food vs. Experience

Cail just sent me this link with this question:

Would you even WANT Per Se a la carte, or is the whole Per Se cheapened or somehow not as great without the multiple course tasting menu?

Good question.

Old School Thursday: Stoves, Spinach and Snickers Edition

Happy National Nougat Day! Celebrate with a Snickers!

Today’s pretty random, and pretty sparse. It’s Benjamin Thompson’s birthday (1753). Who is Benjamin Thompson, you say? Also known as Count von Rumford? He was an American doctor who invented a bunch of stuff, including the percolator, pressure cooker and a kitchen stove. And Baked Alaska. From what I know of food history, it seems like he lived during a particularly interesting time of invention and growth – the first part of the American food renaissance, you could say (which happened to correspond to the American democratic explosion, too).

March 26th, more than 150 years later, something nearly as revolutionary happened when Crystal City, Texas – the self-proclaimed spinach capital of the world – erected a statue of Popeye.

And…that’s it. Inventions and spinach. Plus nougat. I hate it when everything doesn’t pull together into a nice theme. So I’ll leave you with this teaser for next Wednesday: it’s the Feast of Acan, the Mayan God of Wine. Possibilities there? You bet.

Artsy Wednesday: Spring Brings Green

Last week, while I was freaking out after finding out that a picture of our kitchen was used in a post on Apartment Therapy, Dara "Dining Dish" Bunjon sent me a photo she'd snapped at an Art Blooms event at The Walters.

As a part of Art Blooms this year, The Walters hired designers to create tables for an imaginary garden party. Knowing my love for all things green, Dara thought I'd appreciate the table in the photo at the left. She couldn't remember the name of the designer, but she definitely nailed my taste. I love the linens, the flowers, the dishes - everything. And I really love the little side table stacked with books. Great addition. I'd love to see this whole table stuck in the middle of a really bright, really colorful garden.

Of course, if I was setting this table, I'd also be thinking about the food going in the dishes. That's got to match, too. Fruit salad - with lots of oranges and pineapple and hot pink watermelon - would be pretty. Or maybe French toast covered in strawberries. Something to add a little contrast.

I'm sorry to say that Art Blooms is over - it was early this year - but fortunately, spring is really just starting.

Ideabook Tuesday: Fashion-Inspired

Despite the fact that I wear yoga pants and ratty t-shirts most of the time (yay work from home!), I have always really loved fashion. In fact, for a little while when I first started college, I thought I might want to get into buying as a career. One summer + one semester of working retail cured me of that, but I still love clothes.

That's why this ideabook - rooms that represent the styles of some of my favorite designers - was super fun to write. It's not all-inclusive, of course - there's no Michael Kors and I love Michael Kors - but it's pretty cool anyway. And also pretty inspiring, if I do say so myself.

Fashion Inspiration: Designing with Your Wardrobe in Mind

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: POM + Prosecco

Today's trendy Monday isn't actually all that trendy. Or, rather, it was trendy, just in 2005. But I'm still pretty taken with the pomegranate juice cocktail.

A couple of years ago, during a visit to Richmond to see Tom and Cail, I was introduced to the "Pom Fizz" - a cocktail of champagne, pomegranate liqueur and cranberry juice that's a specialty at Can Can (one of their favorite restaurant/bars). It was sparkly and a little tart and very delicious. At Can Can, the drink has since been renamed The Marcail, in honor of Cail (they spend a lot of time there) and in Baltimore, a simpler version has become a staple among my friends.

My version is even lighter and easier. Fill a champagne glass one-third full with pomegranate juice (preferably POM Wonderful - who also just sent me some free juice!) and fill the rest of the glass with prosecco. Voila! A light and tasty cocktail that is also enormously heart-healthy (as I am fond of reminding everyone when I'm on my 5th. But really, they are very light and easy to drink.)

Plus, what an excellent anytime drink. Light enough for brunch, perfect with a salad for lunch and fancy enough for dinner. The ideal cocktail? Yes, I think it just might be.

Hard Work in the Kitchen

I'm not really feeling the posting today. I don't have any sort of "entertaining" inspiration - for which I blame Dixon's pink eye - and I am tired. So, in lieu of an actual post, here's a picture of Dixon and his favorite new hobby: working on his knife skills with day-old Play-Doh and a complete set of Williams-Sonoma cheese knives:
He's really pretty good, too.

Old School Thursday: The Lobbyists Win (Plus, Beer!)

Only one major event of historical significance today, but that one is pretty important. If you’re British, anyway. Today in 1936, the British public was able to buy canned beer for the very first time. It was from Felinfoel Brewery in Wales (that, as it turns out, is still around. It’s got a pretty interesting history, too.)

Other than that, today belongs to the lobbyists. It’s Poultry Day and National Agriculture Day (pretty broad, right?) as well as National Chocolate Caramel Day (not so broad). The last actually is the most logical, as today is also the Feast of St. Joseph and he is the patron saint of confectioners.

Today’s celebration, then, really ought to include some chocolate caramels. And some canned beer (preferably from Felinfoel, but I’m not sure that you can buy any of the brewery’s beers in the US). Beyond that, you’ve got some wiggle room. Any sort of poultry and…anything else that involves agriculture. Take advantage. Celebrating food history is rarely so easy.

Artsy Wednesday (also Book Review): The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace

For my birthday (yes, last December) my brother gave me a book I'd been dying to read: The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine. The book, by super-smart Benjamin Wallace, begins with the 1985 Christie's auction that set a record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine. The auction winner was Kip Forbes and the bottle was touted as a newly discovered part of Thomas Jefferson's cellar (well, actually, a bottle that never quite made it to the cellar, but that belonged to TJ nonetheless).

The rest of the book zigzags between years, explaining the evolution of the wine market, the nearly-untouchable world of high-end, rare wine tastings, and the investigations and doubt surrounding the Jefferson bottles and the man who "discovered" them, German music producer-turned-collector, Hardy Rodenstock.

It's pretty amazing.

While it's clearly a history book, and the Tarantino-like chronology is a little confusing at times, TBV is a good read. Wallace is a compelling writer and, obviously, a pretty fantastic interviewer. He got cooperation from pretty much every major player in the rare and old wine world, and got them to say some stuff that's revealing. What's interesting, too, and that I didn't realize until I was nearing the end of the book, is that the whole Jefferson bottle affair wasn't 100% settled when he decided to write the book. His research ran in parallel to several other investigations and appears that the book itself contributes to the overall case. Cool.

So the book would be worth reading even if it was fiction. But it's not, and I'm also fascinated by what I learned about the wine industry - especially in the US. My parents have always drank wine with dinner. My grandparents drank cocktails, but my parents always drank wine, so I've always thought of wine as a normal part of a meal.

What I didn't realize was that my house was ahead of the curve. If Wallace's story is to be believed - and I think it is - wine wasn't mainstream in America until fairly recently. Really great wine glasses weren't even available in the US until the late 1980's - which is crazy when you consider that Reidel glasses are now available at Target. The article jibes with Robert Parker's look at the last 30 years in US wine history that ran in Food & Wine last September. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it still shocks me to read about wine and realize that I've been an active part of the awakening of the wine industry in the US (the later part of the awakening, of course, but part of it nonetheless).

But I digress. The Billionaire's Vinegar: if you're into wine, or drama, or history or forgery (according to Amazon, 13% of people who viewed the TBV page ended up buying The Man Who Made Vermeers, another book I really liked, even though it had nothing to do with food)...read it.

Ideabook Tuesday: Happy St. Patrick's Day

You can never have too much green at home. Not at my house, anyway...

It IS Easy Being Green

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: India & Wine

This is officially my first "trendy Monday" post inspired by a dream. Sometime very early this morning, I woke up thinking about the wine industry in India. I'd been dreaming about a grape called Sirjay (that does not actually exist). I can't decide if it was a totally interesting dream or completely dorky and boring. Probably the latter.

Either way, it got me thinking about the potential for Indian wine and I started doing some googling this morning, only to find out that today is the first day of the India International Wine Fair. Wine consumption (and production) is on the upswing in India, and recent classification shifts have removed some of the restrictions from selling wine in the still-partially teetotal country.

Not surprisingly, winemakers in the US and France are pretty interested in the Indian market. Like China, India represents a whole lot of people and a domestic industry that's not super sophisticated. Importing and investing aren't without hurdles, but the size of the potential market makes it worth it to navigate the country's system.

It's less certain that we'll hear a lot about Indian wine exports - at least not anytime soon. But I still wouldn't mind trying some.

Entertaining Friday: Match That Wine!

As longtime readers know, I'm a big fan of Canadian wine writer Natalie MacLean. For one thing, I like her recommendations (and that she makes a lot of them). For another, I like her. That's a bonus.

She's had a food and wine matcher on her site for some time now and she's just created a widget that allows you to transport the widget pretty much anywhere online. I've got it on my facebook page now, for example, and on the sidebar of this blog. Downloading it takes about 2 seconds, too. In fact, here it is now:

And in case you're wondering, Nat has more than a few recommendations for wine to drink with your corned beef and cabbage. If you're into reds, she suggests a nice Bordeaux, a New World Cab or a Cab-blend Meritage. If you prefer white, try a Sauvignon Blanc or a Gruner Veltliner. Either way, slainte!

Old School Thursday: Coke and Cookies Edition

I know I say this nearly every week, but I am continually surprised (and sort of delighted) by the industries that have enough of a lobby to end up with their own national day of recognition. Today, for instance, is National Baked Scallops Day. And, as usual, all I can say is this: of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be National Baked Scallops Day?

In other, more red, white and Atlanta news, today’s a big day for Coke. Today marks the 115th anniversary of the initial bottling of Coca-Cola – by Joseph Biedenham of Vicksburg, Mississippi. It’s also a sad day for Coke fans, though, as today is the 80th anniversary of the death of Asa Griggs Candler. While Candler didn’t create the formula for Coke – he bought it for $2300 from a pharmacist named John Pemberton in 1887 – he did build the brand as we know it. By the time Candler sold the company in 1919, it was worth $25 million. His name is still pretty revered in Atlanta.

And something to eat with your Coke? How about some cookies? Today in 1912, the Girl Scouts of America was founded by Juliette (Daisy) Gordon Low. Lucky it was, too, because can you imagine life without Girl Scout cookies?

On one more sad note, today is the 16th anniversary of the death of Christian Kent Nelson, inventor of the Eskimo Pie.

If nothing else, today’s an easy one to celebrate. Break out the Coke, an Eskimo Pie and any Thin Mints you’ve still got in your freezer (1/2 a box at our house). After your baked scallop dinner, of course. Only after.

Artsy Wednesday: Pantone Kitchen Canisters

On Monday, Libby sent me a link to these cute Pantone kitchen containers (via Apartment Therapy). Aren't they great? There's a bright blue one for tea that I really love - and that I think would look great in my kitchen.

These are a perfect gift, really, for anybody in graphic design or advertising. Back in my agency days, I would've wanted a whole set.

Ideabook Tuesday: Sitting on the Porch

Kind of an amazing weekend, right?

On Saturday afternoon, Cooper and I were sitting on our front porch, watching Dixon make a mess of himself in the yard (and use a file to try to cut through the side fence, which he's going to be able to actually do one day, way too soon). Cooper looked at me and said, "you know what would be good right now? Jen's summer drink."

Jen's summer drink is Firefly sweet tea vodka and lemonade, aka the "John Daly." She had the vodka on a trip to see her parents in Florida a couple of months ago and came home evangelizing. Cooper had tasted it, but I hadn't.

Even taste unknown, I was pretty sure Cooper was right, so Dixon and I sent him off to procure some of the vodka in question.

Twenty minutes later, we were sipping our drinks and, well, still watching Dixon file through the fence. It was a pretty perfect way to spend a warm, lazy late Saturday afternoon. And also the inspiration for this:

Sit a Spell: The Art of the Front Porch

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Ireland (Again)

As is usually the case around this time of year, my thoughts have turned to the cuisine of the great Emerald Isle, such as it is. Our annual St. Patrick's Day celebration kicked off yesterday with an afternoon (and evening) at Ryan's Daughter (more on that tomorrow on Examiner.com) and all week I'll be working on the menu and details for another get together on Saturday.

So of course I've got Irish food on the brain.

But the trend here, actually, is what I'm not seeing. Last year at this time, I couldn't open a magazine, or my email, without being hit over the head by some kind of "new Irish food rocks" article. Not so much this year. I'm guessing that's not because the new Irish food no longer rocks, but simply because it's not so new anymore.

Entertaining Friday: St. Patty's Kickoff

St. Patrick's Day is kind of a big deal around my house. Cooper and I are both mostly of Irish descent (we are also both English and Dutch, thus providing Dixon with some very pale skin). We both like celebratory holidays. We both love parades.

For years, we spent the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day at the Baltimore parade, standing right on Charles Street, in front of David and Dad's. Two years ago, though, when we first took Dixon to the parade, we realized that it wasn't quite as much fun as it used to be. It was crowded and loud and kind of annoying. Cooper blamed it on the parade changing. I blamed it on us growing up.

Last year, we decided to skip the parade - but not to skip the celebration altogether. Instead, on the parade day, our friends decided to get together at Ryan's Daughter. It's right around the corner from us, big enough for a group, full of friendly bartenders and after the parade it fills up just enough (but not too much) with elementary school-aged girls in Irish dancing costumes and their proud parents.

So that's why we found ourselves, on a Sunday in early March, filling up Ryan's Daughter's bar. We waited and waited for the parade overflow...but it never came. Because I had organized everything for the wrong day. As it turned out, the parade was the following week. But the thing is, it was a really fun Sunday. We had space, quick service and waitresses who weren't a little crazed by the crowds.

We decided, right off, to start celebrating "Fake St. Patrick's Day" every year. Because, well, why not? This year, the St. Patty's season starts for us on Sunday, again at Ryan's Daughter, with Guinness and Harp, fish and chips and a lot of green clothing.

It doesn't end there, of course. We've got a lot more lined up - which is why tonight and tomorrow night we'll be resting. It's a big week.

Slainte!

Foodie Kids

I apologize in advance for this weird half-ass cross posting, but if you don't already, please go read my Examiner article today. (Don't worry, I trust that you already do. Who can get enough of me?)

It's about the foodie kid trend and how completely insufferable it is. It was inspired by this fantastic article in Slate. Fantastic because a) I agree with it, and b) it starts with a dig at Rachael Ray.

And who doesn't like a little RR-mocking on a wintry morning?

Old School Thursday: Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman Edition

It’s National Cheese Doodle Day. Also, Britney is back on tour (tonight, Atlanta is like a circus). Coincidence? Not a chance.

More coincidental anniversaries:

Today in 1558 (maybe), a guy named Francisco Fernandes introduced smoking tobacco to Europe, or so the story goes. Britney…she also likes cigarettes.

Plus, today would be the 99th birthday of Momofuku Ando – the inventor of Instant Ramen noodles, that deceptively unhealthy college kid staple. And doesn’t it seem like Britney would love ramen, too?

So here’s the question: does this mean that the stars are somehow aligning for Miss Brit today? Or is it all a bad omen?

Artsy Wednesday: Maps are So Cool

Yesterday, Design*Sponge's Grace Bonney posted something so cool I felt compelled to immediately email my brother and sister. A woman named Jodie Silby, a recent grad of University of Portsmouth, created this map of Portsmouth that illustrates not only the city layout, but also the language of the place. The lines on the map are made of the words and phrases that create the local dialect, and its organized to show how that dialect shifts in terms of neighborhood.

This hits so many of my "this is cool" markers that I'm not sure where to start. Maps? Check. Art? Check. Language? Check. Cultural history and evolution? Check. Innovative and creative display of data? Check. I'm in love with it.

And as soon as I saw it, I started thinking about ways to steal this data presentation idea and make it my own. A food or recipe-related map of Maryland, maybe? A map of food language? Something that shows evolution over time?

The possibilities seem endless.

(Image from Design*Sponge)

Introducing Alltop

If you're really, really observant, you might have noticed that my sidebar changed. I've added a new banner and widget for Alltop, an aggregator site that's now listing M&G posts (that link just goes to the food section, but Alltop covers tons of subjects). It's a useful site and nicely organized...and fills a void that foodporn.com left a while ago.

Ideabook Tuesday: Decorating with a Sense of Humor

We have more than a few kind of ridiculous things in our house. I like art and accessories that are slightly absurd, and that make me laugh (like the toilet paper-storing tampon machine in the basement bathroom). In general, interiors that take themselves too seriously make me a little nervous. I have a tendency to spill things, and red wine stains don't look quite so jarring when they're in a room that's already got a sense of humor.

So that's the inspiration for this collection of photos:

Make Me Laugh: Decorating with a Sense of Humor

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: At-Home Molecular Gastronomy

Molecular gastronomy is not, on it's own, brand new. It's been around for over a decade now, most notably in Spain, thanks to MG champion Ferran Adria and his restaurant home, El Bulli.

Over the past year or two, though, it's been making it's way into the home. Blame it on Top Chef, maybe - as at-home viewers watched Marcel and Richard win challenges with creativity + science, ingredients like xanthan gum all of a sudden didn't sound so unfamiliar and, well, weird.

Just a week or so ago, via Facebook, Blais announced that he'll be launching a line of at-home molecular gastronomy products. A few months earlier, writer Sara Dickerman experimented in her own kitchen, wondering if the cool factor of molecular gastronomy would convince her picky four year old to eat his veggies. (Answer: no.) When French Laundry at Home blogger Carol Blymire finished with the FL book and moved on to Alinea, she added a spreadsheet to her blog, showing her readers exactly where she found all the crazy ingredients necessary to cook her way through that (gorgeous) book.

It was with all this in mind that I ventured on a little gastronomic experiment of my own last Saturday. Not even a big experiment. My plan was to make this Michael Bras recipe for slow-roasted onions with "licorice" powder. The powder in question is actually a combination of oil-cured olives that have been dehydrated in the microwave and blanched almonds that have been pulverized and roasted in the oven with demerara sugar. Not complicated, but kind of cool anyway.

Or maybe it would've been...if this hadn't happened:

That's right. Kitchen fire and a melted microwave.

Dehydrating the olives required removing the pits, chopping them up a bit and microwaving them - on high - for 12 minutes. I stuck them in the microwave (on a perfectly microwave-safe plate) and went about my business. With five minutes to go, I ran downstairs to get a diet coke (my 10th that day, but that's another story). By the time I got back into the kitchen - maybe a minute later - I could smell the burning plastic and looked over to see flames darting around the inside of the microwave. By the time I got to the microwave to push the "cancel" button, it shut itself off (never to revive).

I called Cooper upstairs and he got the plate out of the microwave, threw it in the sink, then smashed out the fire with a pot-holder-covered hand. It took a little longer than either one of us was comfortable with - it was a tense moment - but fortunately, since the fire was contained in the microwave, there wasn't any smoke damage on the walls or the ceiling.

But wow - the smell. After opening the doors and windows for about 45 minutes, the very cold kitchen smelled better. Then, I walked upstairs and realized that the rest of the house smelled, too. Fortunately, it dissipated after a couple of hours.

So, no licorice powder. And, of course, we don't have a microwave that you can just buy at Home Depot. I'm working on that today.

Oh, and how did the rest of the dish turn out? Actually, very well. The onions, which roasted at 325 for six hours, were soft and fantastically sweet. The vinaigrette, which I made with beef demiglace instead of veal or poultry (only because I had beef demiglace already) was intense, but a nice complement to the onion. It all looked kind of cool, too. Pretty and simple:

But was it worth it? Well, probably not. I'm just today realizing how much I use my microwave. I guess, though, at least I now have my really solid kitchen nightmare story.