KatieLoeb

Today I had the crazy idea to take the bag of green zucchini I'd bought at the market and turn it into "noodles", so I could still feel like I was eating pasta, but without the carbs. I rinsed off the zucchini, cut off the ends and sliced them longways on the coarse slicer of my mandoline, making long strips like perciatelli. I then blanched them in boiling salted water for two minutes and drained and cooled them with cold water. I sauteed a couple of cloves of garlic, a thinly sliced onion for a few minutes in olive oil and added back in the zucchini "noodles". Stir fried for a minute and added a jar of pepper and onion spaghetti sauce that was low in sugar. Added a heaping spoon of homemade pesto and stirred to combine. Served with a sprinkle of good grated cheese I was almost as happy as I would have been eating real pasta. All the flavor was there and the zucchini had retained a little bit of crunch. I don't know the actual calorie count on this, but I suspect you could easily eat a whole lot more than you could of pasta for the same calories. And it's quite filling.

I agree with Niki. Phrases such as "lowered food cost by X% in two months..." or "maintained labor costs at X%..." are very helpful. If you have facility with Excel, list that as a skill for providing solid numbers/graphs/reports to upper management on a weekly and/or monthly basis. How about supervisory experience?? "Managed a staff of thirty kitchen employees" sounds good too. How about inventory control? They expect you to be able to cook, even for a less lofty position. What makes you a leader are the other skills.

Even on the second day, the PA Dutch donuts were far better than commercially packaged donuts, and at least as good if not better than anything but a completely fresh Dunkin' or Krispy Kreme. I don't think they'd have been any good past today. And a week later? I shudder...

Not quite as transcendant the second day, but still a damned fine donut. The glazed held up better than the cinnamon-sugar coated one. Perhaps the glaze helps retain the moistness? Turns out my cat Turbo likes donuts too.

Mike: Not sure how close you need it to be, but the Ironbound in Newark isn't far and there's some awesome Portugese and Rodizio joints there. Shouldn't be more than a 20 minute drive and well worth it. And it's on the way home.

Bob: You might be right, but when I buy a pint of the donut peaches there's only about 5 or 6 in there. Seems I got as many or a few more for less at RTM. But I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. On the donut front, obviously I'd never had a fresh donut before (fresh bagels, all the time) and didn't know what to expect. Whatever it was fried in, it was damned good. The interior was spongey and fluffy and the same time, and the cream filling was just delicious. Am about to have the others as a mid-afternoon snack. Will report back if they kept for a day or not.

How much fish sauce do you have to use?? The shooter menu I created for Oyster House has several savory infusions that contain an oyster. Certainly a similar briny-ness level, if not as funky. You can borrow my "Bangkok" shooter recipe which is vodka infused with lemongrass, ginger and Thai basil and then put in a little fish sauce. Drop an oyster in the bottom instead of an olive and you're good to go. Or perhaps a different take on pho? Something with star anise infused boullion and fish sauce?

I'm soooo tired of listening to the judges and Food Network people keep hammering the contestants for their "Point of View". As evidenced by the past winners and runners up and the shows they've gotten, the contestant's POV is completely immaterial. Aaron McCargo certainly didn't do a show about institutional food, even though he was formerly a hospital cafeteria chef. My buddy Adam Gertler knows BBQ and smoking technique, yet that had nothing to do with "Will Work for Food", which I thought was a fun show but had absolutely nothing to do with any point of view he demonstrated during the show, or his areas of expertise in cooking. It's all marketing and what the producers at Food Network decide will be the next big thing. Why not just be honest about that and stop the crap about POV??? I'm not watching anymore because of this crap...

I got some of those delightful Beechwood Orchard Donut peaches at the Fair Food Farmstand today, saving myself a trip to the Headhouse market in the morning. I think they're way less expensive at RTM as well. $2/lb. vs. $6 for a quart container. Makes me think they're charging more just because they're in Society Hill/Queen Village. And speaking of donuts, I made the pilgrimage to RTM today specifically to try one of the hallowed donuts at the Pennsylvania Dutch Festival. I'd heard tell of these legendary pastries but hadn't actually ever had one myself. They're everything they're cracked up to be and more. And this is coming from someone that really doesn't usually love donuts. A large coffee from Old City Coffee Roasters and a cream filled donut, lovingly prepared and less than ten minutes old. The donut was practically still warm. Fluffy and delicious. OMG. The best snack ever. If all donuts tasted like that I'd love them and never be able to leave my house through the front door again... I have another donut for breakfast tomorrow, then I will swear them off until the next festival. Once you've had a fresh one, you just can't go back.

Dinner with a good friend at a lovely French BYO restaurant, followed by a showing of Julie & Julia was my entertainment this past Friday evening. Couldn't have been better! We snuck our leftover wine into the theater in my oversized handbag, bought an overpriced $3.50 bottled water with two plastic cups and enjoyed our wine as we laughed our way through the film. A tad naughty, very Ab Fab, but loads of fun. Meryl Streep was fabulous, as was Stanley Tucci as her husband Paul. What a great love they shared. And Amy Adams does a great job as Julie Powell. The parallels between the two women's lives are both poignant and unexpected, given the difference in the times in which they live(d). Yet, in the end, their love of food/cooking and it's enduring place in their lives is what binds them together. It's a shame Julie never met her object of adoration, and vice versa. I suspect they'd have gotten along famously despite the difference in their ages.

That's a really bad spot for an injury, as it's almost impossible not to keep tearing the wound open with virtually any movement of forefinger or thumb. I accidentally buzzsawed the webbing on my right hand there, just a few millimeters over from where your cut is, on a cat food can lid back in February. I needed four stitches and a temporary cast to help it heal. I was out of work for almost a week and it took two weeks before I had my strength back in that hand.

Is anyone else participating this year? The Philly division finals are next Wednesday evening. My entry is: Pink Sapphire Swizzle 2 oz. Bombay Sapphire gin .5 oz. Thai basil simple syrup .5 oz. Homemade Ginger Beer .75 oz. Taylor's Velvet Falernum .75 oz. fresh lime juice 2 dashes Orange bitters 2 dash Angostura bitters .5 oz. Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice Garnish: 4 dashes Angostura bitters, Sprig Thai Basil, disk Orange peel Pack a tall glass with crushed ice. Add Sapphire, Thai basil syrup, ginger beer, Falernum, lime juice, orange bitters, Angostura bitters and pomegranate juice. Swizzle with bar spoon or swizzle stick until outside of glass is frozen and frosty and drink is thoroughly combined. Top with more crushed ice. Garnish with a float of the Angostura bitters, a spanked sprig of Thai Basil and spray surface of the drink with orange oils from the orange zest. Drink with a straw. There's more information about the contest and recipes from last year's entries Bombay Sapphire GQ Most Inspired Bartender Search. If I win the Philly division I get to go on to Las Vegas for the national finals against all the other regional winners. The first place winner gets a full page ad for their cocktail and their place of employ in GQ Magazine. That would be a wonderful thing for a freshly minted restaurant to get that type of national coverage. I'm hoping to do my employers and my city proud. If anyone wants to vote for me and help me make it to Vegas for the finals (oh pretty please, I've never been!) you can vote by texting GQ 4014 to 88704. I'll take a picture of the drink at work so you can all see how pretty it looks in the glass. Tastes mighty yummy too - cool and refreshing for a hot August day. It seemed wise to make a cool drink for a contest at this hot and muggy time of year. I certainly hope the judges see it that way.

YAY! We got a really nice review from Trey Popp today in the City Paper. Mink Dynasty Even the Oyster House Punch got a mention. Awesome...

I agree that this is an excellent point I hadn't considered. Of course one could merely mix the vodka and Galliano and then pump it into iced cups and top with OJ. But I'd certainly consider the cleaning aspect. I'd probably want to fill it with warm, lightly soapy water and a Tablespoon of vinegar afterward, pump it out and then finish with hot water until no smell remained.

My first Roast Pork w/Broccoli Rabe and Sharp Provolone for lunch yesterday. To quote David Byrne, "Same as it ever was..."

Honestly, the easiest answer to this question is to make up a big batch of Harvey Wallbangers in advance and just keep filling up the fun decanter. In a perfect world you'd do the "float" of Galliano, but honestly it's easier to have one sober person do the batching ahead and make sure it tastes right, and damn the specifics of the recipe. All you need is one or two folks to overdo it on the freepour of the float of Galliano and now everyone hates the drink or is speaking ill of it, even if their shot glass was fine. Just make a big container of it and keep filling up the dispenser. It'll be fine and low maintenance so you can have some fun too...

Thanks Luigi! I hope to add the cocktail to the menu shortly. Meanwhile I'm amazed at how quickly news travels. Apparently, the results were Twittered shortly after the contest last night and I had a mountain of congratulatory emails and phone messages by the time I got home. Awesome!

While I love the Long Island Iced Tea idea, I think you need to serve Harvey Wallbangers out of this thing to really go all retro and kitschy. And it'll be easy to make new batches as there are only 3 ingredients. Nice score on the decanter, BTW! It's really cool! I love old barware and have a collection of stuff spilling out my cabinets already...

Had my first Sketch burger tonight on my way to the Root cocktail competition at Silk City. Turkey burger with cheddar. harissa aioli, pickles, lettuce and tomato. Awesome. And almost too big to eat. Can't wait to go back and try some of the specials that also look amazing...

David: I've got a short menu of savory oyster shots at my bar that are made with house infused spirits with an oyster at the bottom. Interesting to you? Drop me an email and I can 'splain better...

Second on those sliders. They're very tasty. Well chosen, albeit small wine by the glass list too. And I'm fussy about those things. I definitely need to get back and check this place out again soon. This seems a great alternative for the late night nibble and Big Girl Drink.

Made myself a Queen's Park Swizzle at the end of my shift tonight. Since I'd accidentally set off the dishwasher with the lid off and gotten completely showered in hot water () , it was particularly refreshing.

I'm working on a literal (as much as is possible) recreation of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for an article in a local publication. Not as easy as it would seem, but having a blast screwing around with the possibilities. It's almost done. When I have the proportions of the ingredients perfected, I'll report back. Meanwhile, I'll just fall into a crumpled heap on my bed.

Wow. Just wow. So sorry I couldn't make it to this. It's too close to Tales of the Cocktail to take that much time off from work in the same month. Make the next one in late August or early September and I'll be there with bells on. And I'll happliy bartend to earn my keep. Looks like a blast. Those heirloom tomato salads are so beautiful they took my breath away. Nothing more lovely than good summer tomatoes... Party on y'all. Let's see/hear some more!

Today at Headhouse Square: Candy sweet donut peaches. I wish I'd bought the bigger quart size. They're ridiculously good. And really juicy. Ended up wearing most of the first one. Tiny beautiful baby eggplants. They'll get a quick stir fry and coating in pesto sauce as a side dish for tonight's dinner.