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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Can we declare 2008 over yet?
 Or in retrospect, will we look back on the year fondly?
The end 'o year shopping list of topics
is a mixed bag. A recent Chesapeake Bay Foundation report announced that the crab population has never been more endangered,
blaming nitrogen from farm runoff and sewage treatment plants.
Copia, the food and wine museum/tourist
spot in Napa Valley, begun by Robert Mondavi and Julia Child among others, has declared bankruptcy. Here at home, a friend
and neighbor who used to bring us geese and ducks for the pot, has passed on, a victim of raging cancer.
Other
good friends brought us eggnog made from their dairy cows' rich cream and enough alcohol to drown all of our sorrows.
And finally, a trip north to visit family. In the western hills of Pennsylvania, life is tough. People work hard,
the weather is unforgivingly cold and snowy. Jobs and people seem to move elsewhere. The ancient priest at the small country
church is barely able to lower himself into the chair to reflect after communion.
Still, "it could be worse."
And there, like everywhere else, some interesting souls pour everything they've got into producing something delicious
for the rest of us. Something a little better that will earn them a little more money for the effort.
We never
go there without making our runs — to the maple syrup shack, the egg farm for jumbo browns and double yolkers at the
self-serve window. We visited with the owner of Walter's Meat Market, who has his own hogs on the adjoining 200-acre farm,
so that he "can personally vouch for the taste of the pork." Picked up a fresh bag of #1 Whites at the potato farm.
And had a terrific time talking tomme with Rhonda, who's working to launch her artisan cheese business at their
dairy farm up the road.
Does this fall within Chesapeake Foodie's geographic footprint? No. On our trip, we
literally pass a sign on our way that says "Leaving the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region." But it very much fits
philosophically. Good people are doing everything they can in our own backyards to make good food. Let's support our troops.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
December Info, Ideas, a Recipe and a Belly Laugh
 The last farmer's market. The countdown begins. The year wraps up. Some last-minute treats to share:
1. Time Magazine has put out its "Top 10 Food Trends of 2008."
I am chagrined to report that I was acquainted with only one or two of them, and shocked to learn there's actually a backlash
to buying local. What the heck? If you'd like to see how you fared (pun intended), here's the link.
2. Still puzzled about what to buy your favorite foodie? Or yourself, when the wrapping's all undone? Craig
Sewell of A Cook's Café is starting up his cooking classes the second week in January. Two series:- Tuesday nights for Six Weeks: You Can Cook Anything – The Basics. For all levels. Everything from Pasta Puttanesca
to Cod en Papillote. $495.
- Thursday nights for Four Weeks: The Art of Simple Food – A
Four Week Series dedicated to Eating Locally and Sustainably. "We will be exploring the virtues of Slow Cooking of meats,
vegetables, desserts and salads. We will grill, braise, roast and sauté. From grass fed Beef hamburgers to stuffed
Braised Endive." $300.
Classes are limited and pre-paid. Gift certificates are available
(hint!). To make reservations, stop by the Café or call 410.266.1511. Ask to talk with Craig.
3. Cookie
recipe: How about classic butter cookies? We like Land O' Lakes, and not just because they buy the creamy milk from some
of our favorite Eastern Shore dairy farms. We'll be baking up a batch of this recipe tomorrow for the cookie party: Best Ever Butter Cookies
 4. We were totally dismayed to see this picture crop up on Flickr's food pix. But you have to admire the photographer's
gifted eye.
5. Finally, these happy holiday eating tips forwarded by FoodieFather. Life is short, people. Have
fun, love, eat good food:
- Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet
table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're
serving rum balls.
- Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You
can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's
not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have
two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
- Do not have a snack before
going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's
food for free. Lots of it. Hello!
- Under no circumstances should you exercise between
now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which
you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
- If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size
of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention.
They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
- Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples
and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
- One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't
been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
- Remember: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well
preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, glass of wine in the other, body thoroughly used up,
totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
Merry Christmas.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Pop-pop-pop-popcorn!
 Ever notice how there seems to be one gift that "everybody's doing this year"? Well, I officially
announce that popcorn is the poster child of the 2008 holiday season. Not the variety already popped and sent in tins, although
that'll do...No, popcorn now is retro-trendy-back-to-our-roots.
I think it has something to do with the convergence
of an economy that sends us scurrying to the sofa for a simple night in front of the tube, combined with a rededication to
real food. 'Problem is, can we handle it? Our local CSAs this year were selling and sending us popcorn still on the cob.
This created a flurry of emails, as in "What do we DO with this?"
Relax. It's easy. Some night (when
you're sitting in front of the tube, perhaps), just pick the corn off the cob. Rub your thumb around on the kernels, they'll
fall off. It's sort of like shelling peas, and very satisfying, especially if you've had a bad day at work.
Now, the popcorn part. It's easy to pop corn on the stove. Pour a little vegetable  oil in a deep sauce pan, enough to cover the bottom of the pan, 2-3 tablespoons perhaps, and get it hot. Add the popcorn kernels,
about a 1/4 cup, and continuously shake the pan over the heat, enough to keep the kernels moving so they don't stick.
In a couple of minutes, just about all your kernels will have popped. Remove from heat when the popping's almost stopped
(not all will pop).
I can hear our elders laughing at this, but yes, folks, young people today don't know how
to pop popcorn if it doesn't come in a bag and fit in a microwave.
Sur La Table, the kitchen store, has some great alternatives, including a stove-top popper that makes it easy to keep
the kernels moving, (see above right). They also have retro popcorn boxes, like you remember from the old movie days. And
shake-on flavorings, too.
Our friend Rachel Rappaport of Coconut and Lime has a blog entry all about popcorn flavorings, with many comments from her readers about their personal favorites. Can't muster up the effort to pop it yourself? Then
be sure to try Chesapeake Fields' (no relation) large kerneled, locally grown, pre-popped popcorn and support your local farmers.
What the
heck. Real popcorn's fun, inexpensive, and a yummy thrill on a cold winter night. And besides, would you really want to
miss this year's big culinary news?
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