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This has to be my favorite time of the year. Summer’s oppressive heat and humidity isn’t here yet, so it’s enjoyable to spend time outside and can’t think of anything more fun to do than pick strawberries.  I can remember years back picking strawberries with my family where my motto was always “one for me, one for the basket”.  Luckily they never weighed me on the way out.

It’s impossible to beat the sweetness of a freshly picked strawberry, but you can preserve most of it with a bit of culinary magic by making strawberry jam.  In this tutorial I’ll not only provide you with an easy strawberry jam recipe, but also show you step by step how to can it so you can enjoy that strawberry flavor throughout the year.

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For those of you that may have forgotten, Father’s Day this year is this Sunday, June 21st.  I was looking online at different deals going on for Father’s Day and found the following deals at restaurants in our area.  So, if you are still undecided as on lunch/dinner plans on for Father’s Day, take your dad to one of the following places: 

Outback Steakhouse:
http://www.outback.com/foodandmenus/fathersday2009.aspx

I’ve always had a thing for old recipe collections where half of the recipes are illegibly written on 3×5 index cards and the other half are crude cutouts from magazines and newspapers.  They jam little recipe boxes so tight they are chore to get out. 

There is something nostalgic and sentimental about these collections that people took time to create, especially now when recipes are emailed off with the click of a mouse.  I’ve got an inbox full of recipes and while convenient, it’s also pretty vanilla. 

I was sent a link (by my favorite knitting/gardening blogger) recently for a website that combines these two worlds into one easy to use, but beautiful website: Recipe Curio

Recipe Curio has scans of old recipe index cards and cutouts, so you can enjoy the sights of those times now long gone.  Additionally, they type up the recipe for you so you can make some of these forgotten treasures.

Really a lovely site, I hope you check it out.

recipecurio.com

My passion for food is shown by what my daughter eats.  A lot of young kids and toddlers I know love chicken nuggets, pizza, mac and cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers…etc.  Though the little ones loves all of the above she also likes the following things that most people find a little odd:

Rice, Risotto , Lentils, Black Beans, Platanos (Plantaines, Yuca, a variety of fish (Salmon, Talapia, Shark), Avocado, Onions, Tomatoes.

Pretty much everything my hubbie and I have for dinner, is what she eats.  Even if she doesn’t quite like it the first time, I always have her try it again.

For those of you who are reading, here’s my advise to you when it comes to young children and food.

• The first initial “yuck” look on a babies face is normally just the reaction of something new, which is why a second round is always a good idea!
• If you child ask’s “Do I like this?”, always say yes.  When you tell a child they don’t like something they will automatically engrave in their mind just that.
• Even if it’s something you don’t like, or wouldn’t normally eat, let your child try it.  You might find that their taste buds are much different than yours.

As a recent convert to the world of Twitter, I’ve found a lot of great ways to use it as a tool for someone that is interested in food and cooking. I thought I would share some of those with you.

1. Learn from the Pros: One of the neat things about Twitter, is that you can follow anyone using the service. (Ok, some people have their updates blocked, but they are few and far between.) By following professional chefs, food writers and food bloggers you can find a lot of useful information about cooking and ingredients.

2. Find a good Restaurant: You’re followers are a great resource, so use them.  Ask your followers where you should eat, you’ll be sure to get a number of recommendations.

3. Get Food Deals: As Twitter has grown in popularity there are now tons of restaurants, both national chains and local mom and pop’s, with Twitter accounts.  Many of these restaurants use Twitter as a marketing tool offering discounts, coupons and even freebies to their followers. @Calaspizza is a great example of this locally.

4. Find local favorites when out of town: Going out of town?  Want to know where the locals eat?  Start following some of the locals using services like Nearby Tweets or use twitter search to cross reference the name of the city with words like “eat” and “food”.  You’ll have list in no time.

5. Find recipes that work: Looking for a good recipe?  Twitter search allows you to find out realtime if recipes are winners or losers, so you can pick the good ones from the start.

That’s what I’ve got.  How do you use Twitter to fill your tummy?

Have you ever been to a restaurant or even a friends house for a nice dinner, and part of the dinner included some sort of flower?  Yes!  There is such a thing as an edible flowers and they are wonderful ingredients to add as a garnish and added flavor.  So, what type of flowers can be served with your dinner? 

Here’s a link I found that has a nice long list and descriptions of flowers that can be eaten.  It’s on about.com, the Edible Flower Chart.  

Let me list a few examples of flowers that are edible are: Basil, Chamomile, Carnations, Chrysanthemum, Dandelion, Fuschia, Jasmine, Marigold, Rose, Sage, Squash Blossoms… Also the site gave a few tips on what do and not do with the edible flowers, which I’ve listed below.

Edible Flower Tips:
• Place a colorful gladiolus or hibiscus flower (remove the stamen and pistil) in a clear glass bowl and fill with your favorite dip.
• Sprinkle edible flowers in your green salads for a splash of color and taste.
• Freeze whole small flowers into ice rings or cubes for a pretty addition to punches and other beverages.
• Use in flavored oils, vinaigrettes, jellies, and marinades.
• One of the most popular uses is candied or crystalized flowers, used to decorate cakesand fine candies.
• Asthmatics or others who suffer allergic reactions to composite-type flowers (calendula, chicory, chrysanthemum, daisy, English daisy, and marigold) should be on alert for possible allergic reaction.
• Never use non-edible flowers as a garnish. You must assume that if guests find a flower on a plate of food, they will think it edible.
• Use flowers sparingly in your recipes, particularly if you are not accustomed to eating them. Too much of a pretty thing can lead to digestive problems

Do you have any recipes that include edible flowers?  Have they been a big hit at a family get together, a fancy dinner party, just a regular old family dinner?

Photo:  HarlanH

Yes…  Liver and Onions. Now, don’t knock till you try it.  Perhaps this isn’t normal dinner in your household,  but, it’s pretty common at my house.  At least once a month I make liver and onions served over rice.   Let me share with you how you can make it.

What you need:
1 container of chicken livers or 1 tray of beef livers (your choice, but they really taste same)
1 small yellow onion
soy sauce
cumin
salt
pepper
minced garlic

How to prepare:
1. Place the liver in a container.  Add the following  1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of cumin, 4 minced garlic cloves and mix so the liver is covered with the spices.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Let this sit in the fridge for about 1 hour to marinate.

2. While the liver is marinating in the fridge, take the yellow onion and cut it into little/thin slices.  I normally cut the onion in half and then slice it really thin. 

3.  Take the liver out of the fridge and place in a skillet.  The burner needs to be set on high heat.  Make sure you add a little bit of oil to the skillet.  Let the liver sear for about 5-7 minutes.  Make sure you stir it so it doesn’t burn or stick to your skillet.  Once the liver is seared, add the sliced onion and lower the burner to low heat.  You will need to cover the skillet now.  Let the liver & onions simmer for about 10 minutes. 

4. Serve the liver & onions over plain white or brown rice.  and.. Enjoy!

Photo: mhaithaca

Please take a moment today to remember the brave men & women who served and are serving our country.  

When was the last time you had a carrot?  What about a pea?  Sweet potato?

Now when was the last time you had any of those vegetables plain?  And I mean plain.  No salt.  No sugar.  No butter.  No garlic.  Just the vegetable itself.

My wife recently started making baby food for our son and each item is essentially a puree of the vegetable or fruit, but that alone.  Absolutely nothing added.

After feeding these to my son for a few weeks I noticed that he reacted very differently to every food.  Some, like carrots, he seemed to tolerate, but others like sweet potatoes he couldn’t get enough of them. 

How could this be, I thought?  I mean, they’re all pureed vegetables, how different could they taste from each other?

So I tried them for myself.

I was amazed.  I couldn’t believe how flavorful they were, each with different notes that I’d never tasted before.  The peas were grassy and floral.  Carrots were slightly sweet but bright.  And no wonder the kid loves sweet potatoes.  They were amazingly sweet with earthy undertones you’d expect from a potato. 

Luckily for me, as my son grows, I’ll be able to experience a number of foods in their purest forms.  But I’d like to challenge you to do the same.  The next time you’re at the grocery store, grab some produce and try it without any modification, maybe some cooking, but nothing else.

You probably won’t be able to make a meal out of it, but you will get to know your food a little bit better than before.  I think you’ll find that’s a good thing and who knows, it might change the way you eat.  It will certainly change the way you taste.

Photo: moria