Confession time

Remember that part in Fight Club when the yet unnamed main character confronts Marla in his head? He berates her by calling her a "faker" and "tourist" and admonished her to leave.

Well my friends, in this world of cooking, baking, and all things culinary, I am Marla.

Maybe I'm being a little harsh on myself, but I feel that I am still only a novice in the kitchen. I can follow a recipe, sure, but can I riff off of it and make something that I feel is truly my own? No. Can I look in the cupboards, see what we have available, and create a meal from scratch? Nope. Can I keep my cool when something seems to be going wrong while I am cooking. Not even close.

Is it because I lack confidence in this part of my life? Abso-feaking-lutely. But I really think the answer lies in my main culinary fault...my lack of knowledge of technique. Sure I can follow that recipe, but if I actually was knowledgeable of cooking techniques I wouldn't even need it, right?

Enter Alton Brown.

I bought Alton's book I'm Just Here for the Food years ago with full intentions of, you know, actually reading it. I figure now is the time. It's a great little book that blends both technique and recipes in a way that is fun and scientific. I feel that reading this book cover-to-cover will better me in so many ways and help me with my confidence in the kitchen.

It'll be like a poor man's Julie and Julia.

It turns out that Chris Rock was right.

I put a call out to my friends through my personal fb page, asking for suggestions for recipes to make in my new (old) cast iron skillet. The overwhelming majority of folks responded with much enthusiasm "CORNBREAD!" And so it came to be.
Aaron Piotro had this to say:

"You're from the south, but live in the north. I'm from the north, but live in the south. Why am I giving you this recipe?


1 cup of cornmeal

1 cup of reg. flour

1 cup of milk

1 egg (beaten)

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup oil or butter

couple pinches of salt, pepper (optional) and sugar to taste with a heavy hand.

Grease that pan, bake for 15-20 min at 450.

As usual, I read the recipe a few times, found a few more online to compare, and riffed in my own way. I used the measurements from above BUT I:

Heated the skillet with 2 tablespoons of veg oil in the oven while it was preheating

Soaked the cornmeal in the milk that was called for in the recipe, but used Buttermilk instead of regular milk AND let it sit for about 15 minutes while things preheated and I measured the dry ingredients.
 
I used about 1/4 cup sugar instead of pinches to taste (but I would cut back on this in the future--maybe use 1/8 cup instead so the corny goodness can shine through).
 
I mixed the wet ingredients into the cornmeal and milk mixture, and then added the dry, along with a small can of corn which I drained.
 
I mixed and then poured the batter into the hot cast iron pan and baked for about 15 minutes. So light, tender, and delicate...
 
Cornbread...ain't nothing wrong with that!

No Reservations with Reservations

Anthony Bourdain. Callous, crass, kinda looks like a burnout. However, somehow he's, I don't know, is "likable" a word you would use for Bourdain? Well, there it is.

I actually like the guy (despite the Cleveland episode of "No Reservations" that made us Clevelanders looks like a bunch of pork-obsessed crazies). He takes a mature and seasoned view of food that his status and celebrity allows him, which I think is pretty cool. There is no doubt that he is honest or at least speaks his mind (I mean, come on, the dude doesn't seem to have a filter at all) and I for one would love to sit and have a beer with the guy, though he undoubtedly would drink me under the table.

So I see his face staring right back at mine at a recent visit to Whistlestop Bookshop and decide to take our relationship to a whole new level; I'm going to buy his book. I only started diving in to Medium Raw a few days ago, but I find myself at odds with the author on one thing that he is so passionate about, namely his hatred of everything Food Network.

He refers to the shows as "dumbed down" and "ridiculous" (admittedly there are some ridiculous shows...don't even get me started on Semi Homemade). He actually seems to detest that these shows are actually entertaining and the chefs and/or cooks are friendly and relatable.

While I did laugh (out loud) as I was reading those pages, I just had so much trouble with Bourdain's point of view. Why is it so bad to have "dumbed down" shows about food if it makes people actually get off their asses and cook? Why is it bad that people get excited about food that is readily available in their neighborhood grocery stores? I mean, I love watching him go all over the world and eat some pretty incredible foods, but I'm not rushing out to get some cow brains any time soon.

I guess what I am trying to say is that there is a place in this world for both points of view - neither of which are mutually exclusive. I'm entertained by both. I learn from both. And I genuinely like both.

There is something about Food Network that Tony and I do agree on, though.

That Sandra Lee is a freaking train wreck.

There's almost too much going on...kinda like Ikea.

There's really no better thing for a foodie to do on a Saturday morning than going to a good farmers market. The vibrant colors. The smells of fresh produce. And the people watching (oh the people watching!).

All the things I love about farmers markets are also what are ultimately my downfall. The sights, smells, & people all give me a very specific type of ADD (FMADD?) that all drive me just a little crazy. I never know where to start or what I should be looking for and Kelly and I are never on the same page. She's always looking for fresh, beautiful produce, and, being the carnivore that I am, I want nothing more than some good farm-raised, grass-fed beef/pork/buffalo/meat-type-product. Oh, and cheese. I'm a sucker for cheese.

{side note: Kelly likes to joke that we are the only 2 people in world who can go to a farmer's market and not buy any vegetables. It's true. It happens on many occasions}

This past weekend we went to the North Union Farmers Market (in it's 16th year! way to go!) and we got some really great stuff. I picked up some grass-fed beef and some homemade pork brats and Kel got some really beautiful peppers (which I then grilled and put over the brats). All in all it was a successful outing (much more successful than our subsequent garage sale-ing- which is probably a different topic for a different blog) that ended up providing us with wonderfully delicious dinners (the burgers I made with the beef tonight were A-MAY-ZING).

There I go again. Ramble, ramble, ramble. I guess when I catch myself rambling it's a good time to sign off. Kelly and I are off to Pennsylvania for Labor Day (Memorial Day? I always get those confused) to spend time with the Patten-Alwine clan and I am sure that more food adventures await.

Until then...Buon appetito!