eG Foodblog: CaliPoutine - Diversity and Deviled Eggs.

[CaliPoutine]

I just finished a late lunch. I was "out and about" taking pictures and talking to the local farmers/shopkeepers.

As I mentioned upthread, I eat a sandwich almost everyday. I had turkey on 12 grain with light mayo, sweet hot mustard, provolone, avocado and baby arugula. A half sour pickle accompanied it. I also drank a diet coke w/splenda. The sandwich was yummy, so much better on this

than commercially prepared bread.

I broke off a tiny piece of the halvah for a sweet treat.

I received this grilled cheese book a few weeks ago and I've been itching to make something out of it. Thanks Marlena for the great book!!

I found the perfect use for the fig jam I made a few days ago. Fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and fig jam panini. Robin and I are going to Angelo's in London tomorrow to buy the provisions. I also bought this press a few months ago and it works extremely well with my grill pan.

Edited May 13, 2005 by CaliPoutine (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Now, Im off to the turkey farm and to pick up some rhubarb at the berry farm down the road.  Anyone have any good cake recipes for rhubarb?  Preferably with no strawberries( Robin is allergic)

Here is a recipe for Rhubarb Cake

←

Thanks Michelle,

Before the Detroit station so rudely removed Martha from the morning lineup, I did see the author of that cake recipe on the show. She prepared the cake on the show and it looked good. Im not a huge fan of rhubarb, but anything for the blog ya know!!

[little ms foodie]

I don't know what Halva is??

I notice that although you both cook and bake you seem to be more excited by baking. Is this true? Those pinapple upsidedown cakes look awesome!!

When I have fig jam I like to make apps of crostini with fig jam and a dollop of fresh goat cheese on top. Then I put 2 or 3 little thyme leaves on top of the cheese. it is yummy!

[gaisorowski]

Another good use of the fig jam is to make brunch bruschetta. Top the grilled bread with mascarpone cheese and then spoon the jam over the cheese. My friends just love it!

Thank you, Giada DeLaurentis.

Edited May 13, 2005 by gaisorowski (log)

[Swisskaese]

Thanks Michelle,

Before the Detroit station so rudely removed Martha from the morning lineup, I did see the author of that cake recipe on the show.  She prepared the cake on the show and it looked good.  Im not a huge fan of rhubarb, but anything for the blog ya know!!

←

Pleasure.

David and I don't like Rhubarb either, but my great grandmother used to make rhubarb compote and put it over homemade vanilla custard. It was the only way I would eat rhubarb.

Edited May 13, 2005 by Swisskaese (log)

[CaliPoutine]

I don't know what Halva is??

I notice that although you both cook and bake you seem to be more excited by baking. Is this true? Those pinapple upsidedown cakes look awesome!!

When I have fig jam I like to make apps of crostini with fig jam and a dollop of fresh goat cheese on top. Then I put 2 or 3 little thyme leaves on top of the cheese. it is yummy!

←

I think they classify Halva as a candy. I know its made with sesame seeds, but other than that and sugar, Im not sure what the other ingredients are. I've been eating it since I was a kid( another nostagia thing maybe?)

I love to cook and bake. I honestly cant say that I love either one more than the other. I think I bake more now because Im trying to up my skill level. I had so little time when I was in law school, so I never baked anything. I've never cooked and baked more in my entire life than I have in the last 2 and a half years.

Oh and crostini sounds great. We we can get some local goat cheese and my thyme grows up( they are just little seedlings now), I'll try that.

Edited May 13, 2005 by CaliPoutine (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Another good use of the fig jam is to make brunch bruschetta.  Top the grilled bread with marscapone cheese and then spoon the jam over the cheese.  My friends just love it!

Thank you, Giada DeLaurentis.

←

Thanks gaisorowski.

Maybe one day you'd like to keep a food blog. I'm sure everyone would love to hear about all the wonderful, expensive, restaurants you and your partner enjoy in Ft. Lauderdale.

I love you Mikey!!

[CaliPoutine]

Dinner last night:

We went to the Albion Hotel in Bayfield. Bayfield is on the shores of Lake Huron.

The ground floor houses a restaurant and pub and the top floor has rooms for rent. The Albion is a hopping place on Thursday nights. Wings are 50 cents each.

The Albion is owned by Kim.

We saw one of our friends Barb dining that evening. She told us the sweet potato soup was fabulous so I ordered that and a turkey burger. Surprisingly, there are very few places around here that sell turkey burgers. I love the Albion for that reason alone.

Robin had wings. There are very few foods in life I refuse to eat and wings is one of them. To me, there is nothing even remotely appealing about wings.

The turkey burger was very good. It comes with guacamole( but they were out of it), salsa( which I declined), sprouts, lettuce, and pickle. I subbed Onion rings for the fries. While the turkey burger was spot on, I didnt like the rings at all. There was entirely too much breading and they were too greasy. I guess its a matter of personal preference. I prefer thin, lightly coated rings. I ate one and that was enough.

edited to add soup picture

Edited May 13, 2005 by CaliPoutine (log)

[TMus1111]

I received this grilled cheese book  a few weeks ago and I've been itching to make something out of it.  Thanks Marlena for the great book!!

I found the perfect use for the fig jam I made a few days ago.  Fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and fig jam panini.  Robin and I are going to Angelo's in London tomorrow to buy the provisions.    I also bought this press a few months ago and it works extremely well with my grill pan.

←

There is a thread in the New Jersey forum about a restaurant called "Melt" - all kinds of grilled cheese and interesting toppings and breads. The owner says one the best selling toppings is fig jam with a buffalo chedder.

P.S. Keep up the great work with the blog, and good luck with your interview.

[gaisorowski]

Thanks gaisorowski.

Maybe one day you'd like to keep a food blog. I'm sure everyone would love to hear about all the wonderful, expensive, restaurants you and your partner enjoy in Ft. Lauderdale.

I love you Mikey!!

←

[gaisorowski]

I subbed Onion rings for the fries. While the turkey burger was spot on, I didnt like the rings at all. There was entirely too much breading and they were too greasy. I guess its a matter of personal preference. I prefer thin, lightly coated rings. I ate one and that was enough.

Good God, Girl, I thought the onion rings were donuts! No wonder you could only eat one!

PS Alicia thought the onion rings were corn dogs (ie, pronto pups in the midwest).

Edited May 13, 2005 by gaisorowski (log)

[Jake]

Cali, been busy all week and just ran across your blog -- it's wonderful. I have been sitting here reading through it instead of the laundry, cleaning, dinner prep etc. I was planning! I have actually been through Exeter once, a long time ago. Congrats (belated) on your marriage, I followed the initial legislation closely as I was in the legal community at that time. Not to go off topic too far, would you and Robin have stayed in the US had the marriage option been available there? (feel free to PM if I'm too off topic, or ignore if it's none of my business)

Do you guys get to Toronto often, especially for the restaurant and food shopping options?

[mizducky]

I never knew that beef could cause inflammation.  On the flip side, did you know that lamb reduces inflammation?  Baaaaah!

←

Interesting. I was given the big trip about avoiding all sorts of animal protein when I was first diagnosed with gout, but that's a more specific issue about avoiding foods rich in the amino acid purine. Whereas I'd been bugging doctors and searching on the web off-and-on for years about more general info about foods that might precipitate inflammation associated with my osteoarthritis, and never found any hard info. Calipoutine, could you say a little more about the beef thang in that regard? And gaisorowski--are you serious about the lamb biz? (I would not mind at all doing a "lamb cure" for my aches and pains! )

Meanwhile--definitely enjoying your blog, Calipoutine--I just couldn't think of anything worthwhile to say until now.

[emmapeel]

Dinner last night:... There are very few foods in life I refuse to eat and wings is one of them. To me, there is nothing even remotely appealing about wings.

←

Oh boy, I agree with you. I'll never understand why they're are so popular. The burger looks really good, and so does that cheesy bread.

[Smithy]

Dinner last night:... There are very few foods in life I refuse to eat and wings is one of them. To me, there is nothing even remotely appealing about wings.

←

Oh boy, I agree with you. I'll never understand why they're are so popular. The burger looks really good, and so does that cheesy bread.

←

If you like that delectable crispy skin of a really properly fried (or broiled) chicken, then wings are the part for you. Backs are right up there too, but one doesn't find them as readily in the deli department and they seem a lot bigger, so they're a tougher sell as appetizers. Mmm. Nice crispy wings. Mmm. Mind you, the thigh is my favorite part - lots of good chicken grease and tender moist meat in there - but wings are a close second for me. Am I guessing correctly that you're not wild about chicken skin?

[Bennett]

Did I mention that Robin and I dont eat red meat?  I'll get into more of that later. 

←

OK, I think I might have missed it. I'd love to hear why.

←

Robin do you care to comment?

←

No real rhyme or reason for me. I didn't feel any pressure but I suppose in some ways my subconscious said you're a team now and I jumped on the Poutine No Red Meat Wagon. lol For the first year or so plenty of folk were stunned by the fact that we didn't eat red meat, many an awkward moment with the beef eaters in this area. It was like people were at a loss as to what to prepare and serve if we were invited to dinner. Weird. We were at a wedding this past summer where they only served prime rib. Needless to say we loaded up on salad. I feel horrible for the Canadian beef farmers though, and believe me there are plenty in our area. My cousin told me how bad she felt when she went to buy beef for her freezer from the same farmer she has bought from for years. The price on his meat was less than half of what he charged her the year before. Sad.

[Bennett]

I'm trusting you. Whats the technique? Do I swirl it in after it's cooked or put it in while cooking it? Plus the brown sugar or sans bs?

←

Swirl it in after it's cooked. I am always a little generous with it but only because I am a huge PB fan. If Poutine makes it she will add a little Splendia to sweeten it. I've never tried the brown sugar combination but ummmmmmm I can see that's going to happen. *smile*

[CaliPoutine]

Sorry this dinner post was so late, I had to rush out the door for a 9pm interview. Hopefully, I got the job

Tonight I made chicken slouvaki( although probably not authentic by any means). It was raining so I couldnt grill the chicken like I planned. I had to use my stovetop grill. I have a circulon, but I dont like it that much, it doesnt produce nice grill marks. I've been looking at the all-clad grill, however I wonder if its really worth the money.

First though, I made the kasha. Kasha is buckwheat groats. Kasha hasnt made it to the mainstream palate, but it should. I think its a really overlooked grain. I used a cup and a half of raw kasha. I coated the kasha with a beaten egg, then let the grains dry. I dry fried them in a hot pan with just a touch of oil, then added 3 cups of the chicken stock I had made the other day. Next came salt and pepper. I boiled up some bow-tie pasta and added that plus the carmelized onions after the kasha had absorbed all the liquid. Jewish comfort food at its finest.

Robin pronouced it too oniony and Chelsea didnt like it either, although she did really like "the chicken thingy" and she even tried some of the sauce. When I came home from the interview she told me she had some of my cake from the other day and she gave it 99,999 thumbs up. Wow, I was flattered.

The oven fries came out really well. I cut them in strips, rinsed them, then boiled them for 3 minutes. I let them dry, then placed them on a hot pan after I tossed them with olive oil. Lastly, I sprinkled them with kosher salt.

[purplewiz]

me, there is nothing even remotely appealing about wings.

←

Wings is wings, but what is that wonderful looking cheesey bready thing? It looks SO good!

Marcia.

[Pam R]

Robin pronouced it too oniony and Chelsea didnt like it either,

Send them over here! Too oniony?? Look darn good to me.

Cute kid

[CaliPoutine]

First stop today was Dougall's berry farm. They are known for their fantastic pick your own Ontario strawberries. I cant wait until those are in season in June.

I'm not a big fan of rhubarb, in fact the only thing I've ever tasted it in is jam. There is a pretty popular recipe round these parts that uses crushed pineapple, strawberry jello, tons of sugar, rhubarb and a small amount of strawberries. I think it was the first jam I ever made. I like it, but its really, really sweet. I prefer my jams to be made with minimal sugar.

Can you get any fresher than this? He asked me how much I wanted, I told him 1lb and he went and picked it. Even after 2 yrs this still amazes me.

The ruhbarb sells for 1.25lb. You can see from the sign that they also sell aspargus. I was upset that they were sold out. That goes for 2.50lb.

Deeper into the summer, we often go to the mennonite farms and get fresh vegetables. The taste is just unbelievable and so cheap. Too bad I cant take any pictures or I would. You have to see it to believe it, their gardens are amazing.

[gaisorowski]

And gaisorowski--are you serious about the lamb biz? (I would not mind at all doing a "lamb cure" for my aches and pains! )

←

Actually, MizDucky, I was told that lamb reduced inflammation by a person sitting next to me at a dinner party in San Francisco this past February. I had never heard that before, but I have read that grain fed livestock is much more inflammatory than grass fed livestock. In fact, there are proponents that advocate grass fed livestock as being very healthy and even anti-inflammatory due to the Omega ratios - Omega 3 to Omega 6. So if you're going to eat meat, make sure it's grass fed! Of course wild salmon, blueberries, almonds and brocolli are typically the superfoods that are heralded as anti-inflammatory. Grain products are big inflammers, and as for refined grains and sugar, don't even get me started! Why does the stuff we love have to be so bad for us? Moderation isn't always the key, especially since it's a subjective standard. Anyway, I think I've over-answered your question. Hey, ask me what time it is and I'll build you a Swiss village.

Edited May 14, 2005 by gaisorowski (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Wings is wings, but what is that wonderful looking cheesey bready thing? It looks SO good!

Marcia.

←

[CaliPoutine]

Dinner last night:... There are very few foods in life I refuse to eat and wings is one of them. To me, there is nothing even remotely appealing about wings.

←

Oh boy, I agree with you. I'll never understand why they're are so popular. The burger looks really good, and so does that cheesy bread.

←

If you like that delectable crispy skin of a really properly fried (or broiled) chicken, then wings are the part for you. Backs are right up there too, but one doesn't find them as readily in the deli department and they seem a lot bigger, so they're a tougher sell as appetizers. Mmm. Nice crispy wings. Mmm. Mind you, the thigh is my favorite part - lots of good chicken grease and tender moist meat in there - but wings are a close second for me. Am I guessing correctly that you're not wild about chicken skin?

←

I despise chicken skin. If I had my way, Id skin everything before I cooked it, but like the other day when I roasted the chicken, I couldnt skin that and that was almost the first thing Robin went for. She loves the skin. Chicken wings are the one thing I wish Robin would remove from her diet.

[purplewiz]

That is garlic bread with melted cheese on top.  I think its a giant piece of texas toast.  That doesnt appeal to me either, but Robin loves it.  I try to stay close to my California roots and eat pretty healthfully.

←

Thanks so much - your burger looked lovely, but the cheese and bread just set my mouth to watering . It's been years since I've had a properly gooey and cheesy garlic bread (I'm with you on the healthful thing), but that one....*sigh*....

Too bad the onion rings weren't as yummy as they looked!

Marcia.