Nov 2nd 2014

I know, I know, I've been a bad food blogger. Haven't been in to talk food for a year. I'm a horrible foodie...

But, here's some of what I've been up to lately.   Seen a bunch of food movies, (Chef, Hundred Foot Journey, Pieces of April, Food Guide to Love, Haute Cuisine, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, Flakes, Just Desserts) which I talked about over the course of the last year on my movie blog.

Started a Vegan/Vegetarian meet-up group (of which you can follow the craziness of also on the movie blog)

Learned how to make a vegetarian version of Stroganoff (hamburger helper style) which is one of my new go to recipe when I have like under a half hour to cook.

And...I moved.  I'm all about the comfort foods more and more, and anything I can make in under an hour is appealing to me lately.  That's about it for now...

Dinner, Friday the 13th

I have been wanting to do a themed dinner.  Tried it this week.  Based it on vampire movies.
It was a goal. I completed. 
Wasn't as fabulous as I was hoping. But that's okay. Posted about it on my movie blog.

till later

Dinner and a Movie

You might remember last year, I posted a note on here about a recipe I had done on my movie blog that had been inspired by a movie.
Well, few weeks ago I did another one. This time, inspired by the movie Lost Boys.   I was planning on waiting awhile before posting the note on here, because I have a list of movie inspired recipes I plan on doing over the next few months. But, after searching for a few recipes, I decided I just couldn't wait (the movies are picked, the menu is being researched, and until I get the recipes right, I'm not posting them)
So in the meantime, enjoy the show. 

Jan 1st 2013

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a safe and happening sail into 2013.

Nov 19th 2012

You know how certain foods are comfort foods because they are, and certain ones are because you grew up with them?
Well, I've been craving hamburger helper for months.  Wouldn't be too odd, except for the fact I've been a vegetarian now for around 12 years.

Last week, I decided to get a box of the mix, read all the ingredients, made sure I found a couple of mixes that were vegetarian and a can of kidney beans.

It worked.  Ended up more like a chili but it did the trick.

Sushi and Ramen

Been awhile.  I've been working on my movie a day blog and been a bit of a zombie lately.

I saw the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi  today.   I didn't care for it.  It's a documentary about this 3 Michelin star Sushi master and his son.
Besides the usual complaint I have of subtitles that are too tiny to read, it just sort of doesn't explain anything.  You go in circles with this guy and why he refuses to retire.

And I just read  The Ramen King and I   an autobiography about this guy who becomes obsessed with the creator of instant ramen, and how he becomes the model for how he ends up living his own life.
This I liked a lot.

Popcorn?

I was thinking about a few ideas for the movie challenge blog and recipes from movies.  And started to think about finger foods and eventually, popcorn.

I know that popcorn can be added to soups/stews and snacks you would maybe serve at kids parties.   Then I thought it would be interesting to see what other recipes people might have for using popcorn?

If you've got a popcorn related dish, leave a comment and link.

Food and Movies

Last week, after watching the movie Julie/Julia for the millionth time, I decided to challenge myself to watching one movie a day for a year.
I'm a week into the challenge. 

Two of the films I decided to watch have been  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs  and Tortilla Soup. 
Neither of which I had seen before. 

{Julie/Julia of course was day one, TSoup is day five and CWACOMeatballs is day seven.} 

bLOG Errors Run wild

Do not adjust your computer, there is something odd happening with the blog.

The last post was here few weeks ago then disappeared and reappeared and was not the edit that it was suppose to be.   Don't know what's going on, but ... hey that's life I suppose

XXXOOO My Newfie Kitchen

Fall Back Man

Wow!  Time flies Eh?

I picked up a few cookbooks in the last couple of months, { Chef Michael Smith's Kitchen, Joy of Cooking.}  and have been randomly trying things.  I find myself coming back to the Joy of Cooking book more and more.

Risotto.
Dude, it's kicking my ass.  I know it's like one of the easiest things to do right.  It would seem I'm getting stupider or something with my cooking ability.

I had gone on a short trip the other month, and was planning on blogging about the places I ate and and showing off the fabulous meals I had.   Only,  I took the photos with my cell phone and when I tried to transfer them to the computer... NOT COMPATIBLE ERROR
So, I suck with cameras and such.

With my cooking,  I try something and work on it for about four days till I either get it right or it gets the submission on me.  I'm giving the risotto another rematch but I've tapped out to the cell phone photos.
Which is a shame, because I wanted to share the size and fabulousness of the fettuccine and sauted mushrooms that I ate more then once when I was on my trip.

If you've been hanging out at all on my main blog lately, then you know I've been just soaking up the Free Preview of the Food Network Canada, and catching as many episodes of Worst Cooks in America   online.
Talked over on that blog a bit about what shows I'm digging, the conversations they've started, and some food fears.

But my version of risotto...I was trying a sweet version with apples and apple juice and screwed up.

A food thought

I'm reading  Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain and a thought came to me.   Why am I not doing this?
Food/Travel writing?

I put the book down, went made a cup of tea and played an entire conversation over in my mind while I did.  Telling myself on one hand that I've managed to write on so many other levels, then pointing out to myself on the other hand that I do not have a background in the culinary arts.  I don't even eat meat.  How could I possibly be a real food writer?  And where would I possibly get money to travel around eating my way through cities?

This was about three days ago I had this internal conversation.   I'm in the last chapter of the book right now, and something else sprang into my mind.
I went out for brunch with my sister and brother in law couple of days ago, and I got told to shut up about two hours afterwards.  I was still talking about the food. 
It wasn't even a fancy place, just the local family restaurant down the street.  A building that has seen more then it's fair share of owners, had it's name changed close to twelve times in under 25 years, has it's staff for only three months at a time during summers or the school year. 
The thought I had about the place was I did not even think to write about it.   Not when I was there.  Not for the few hours afterwards that my sister got tired of listening to me about the sea salt on the fries.  Did not even consider the idea about writing about it until now.  Three days later.

Just something to think about.

july 9th 2011

My Money In the Bank Mac Casserole

Didn't work.

I was sitting here watching wrestling, thinking about what to make for supper, if I should make my hashbrown casserole or one of my mac/cheese dishes?
And had the genuis idea to make a variation of the two.  The hasbrown casserole but with pasta instead of the diced hashbrowns.
Which, seemed like the most smashing idea while I was sitting here watching Smackdown, and the announcers were talking about the payperview next week -Money in the Bank- and it still seemed like a great idea when I was mixing it all up, smelled awesome as it cooked.
Then I took it out of the oven, and it looked good still.  But, it ended up being too mushy. Like falling off the ladder into the crowd.

Just a bad idea.

And now, I have half a dish of it still and will have to figure out something for it tomrrow, because it's just too much to toss out. 
So tomorrow, the rematch.  How will I fix the dish?

Love's Kitchen (2011)

Plot: A chef who's lost his desire to cook  is given a second chance to prove himself three years after his wife's death.  After a bad review that he becomes self aware and starts over in a little country Inn. Little does he know his new girlfriend is the critic who wrote the damaging review.

The selling point of this film was that Gordon Ramsey is in it.  For like three minutes bookending the story.
I'm guessing this was a made for tv movie? It sure had that feel to it.

It was a sweet film, with the food scenes done to make you melt. But the story itself was a little thin. I was reminded a lot of the film Rare Birds  which also had a small town chef starting over.

Rent this one,  do not buy.

Bitter Feast -dvd

Plot: A blogging food critic gives such a bad review that he puts a star chef out of work.  The chef who feels his life is over, kidnaps the blogger and forces him to make variations of the items he talked about in his blog. If he fails, he dies.

I am not sure how I feel about this movie.  
It is in the tradition of classic horror films, with a heavy set of plot and characters before the violence sets in.  Which is always a bonus in my book.  I had not heard anything about this film til I spotted it at the blockbuster few days ago.  I was flying blind on it and wasn't too sure I should even buy it. (yes it was for buy only)
Right off you get an understanding for the two leads, and find yourself for the first half cheering on the chef.  Around the turning point of the film (the last 40 minutes) it starts to resemble a higher class of slasher film.

Throughout the movie, there are these gorgeous shots of food being prepared that seem to be almost poetry on the screen; then are balanced out with the brutality of the horror elements.

Little hard to sit through, but worth it.  I have to say, for myself, one of the reasons it was difficult to sit through had to do with the fact the critic is a writer who has hit rock bottom; that for me hit little too close to home.

A Philly Moment

I know many of you have joined the race to be part of the Real Women of Philadelphia contest.  Good luck to each and all who have entered.
I'm kicking around over there on the community, but I can not enter. (If you wish to friend me on there, poke me in the tummy, or just share some links you can locate me under the name Domestic Damned)

So I thought I would share my favourite Philly cream cheese cheat.  Yes, I call it a cheat.   Why, because it's a too simple recipe for cucumber sandwiches.  

 I used Italian bread, and the Philadelphia Herb and Garlic cream cheese, sliced cucumbers. 
Honestly, it's the easiest thing to create.  Simple, fast, and a perfect for when you get company last minute. 

I'm sure some of you are more skilled at making things look pretty compared to me.  But if you like cucumber tea sandwiches, you have to try it.

Sidenote,   I just got my hands on a copy of As Always, Julia The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto Food Friendship and the Making of a Masterpiece  by Joan Reardon

You know the book that was inspired by all the letters in the movie Julie/Julia.

Though, I have no idea when I will have the chance to read it.  I might try sneaking in bits and pieces between the books I do for review.

The weekend update

Okay my Spudguns.  
You remember last week I mentioned having bought that package of tofu noodles.  Well, I finally had a chance to try them yesterday.   Here's the thing.  When I was at the grocery few days ago, I asked one of the staff if anyone had tried them.  He said he had and that they worked better with a broth and not a sauce.   So, going on his advice, I made a veggie broth for it.  And the second the noodles hit the broth, the broth turned green.   GREEN!  I don't know if you can see it proper in this photo, but there is a greenish-blue liquid in the bottom of the bowl.  GREEN!  

Another recipe I decided to pull out of retirement, was veggie burgers with eggplant.   I've made this before and it's been beauty.  If you slice the eggplant into thicker pieces, and then fry them up in oil with garlic, onion and mushrooms, they can take on a beefy taste.  I normally like this version of a burger better then the portabello tops one.  Normally.   When I remember to use the right oil which is olive oil - this time I screwed up and used canola oil- and I forgot the mushrooms.  So this time around they just ended up being bland eggplant. 

Splat!

I just posted this on my main blog {www.domesticanddamned.com} but since it's a kitchen thing...

As you can see, cream of mushroom soup went everywhere.   This is what I get for multitasking.
I was cooking, watching wrestling and this was on the weekend when I was distracted in general.

Oh and this is not my kitchen either.  It's mom's.  What you see is only part of the mess.   It was gross.  Took awhile to mop it all up too.

Note to self, when using heavy machinery such as a can opener, make sure that there are no tag team matches on tv.

New product

Tofu pasta.  I can't believe it either.  So I had to buy it.   I have not tried it yet, the package is still sitting in my mother's fridge where I stupidly forgot it. So it's on the menu for tomorrow. 
Seriously, I was in the grocery hanging around the produce area which has become like a bar to me.  I'll explain later.  And spotted this next to the veggie burgers.  I was strangely drawn to it.  Weirded out slightly but drawn to it none the less.

And get this,  this package was only $1.89 Canadian.  Beauty.  We'll find out tomorrow if it was worth all that. 

That's a Quiche?

Few days ago, I bumped into my sister's friend as I was going to the grocery. We started talking as we both went around the place getting our items.  This caused me to not pay attention to what I was picking up and I bought the wrong pie shell.  I picked up one with lard and not vegetable oil.
Never noticed what I had done till it was too late. 
Teach me to shop by myself won't it. 

So yesterday, I was thinking, if I replaced the pie crust with a breadcrumb base would it still be considered a Quiche?  I thought about this for a few hours, wondering if it would just be a casserole then, and decided I was going to try making a Quiche but with just a bread bottom.  Not even as crumbs but just cubed bread, almost like a baked bread pudding. 

It was tasty, looked like a Quiche, but can it still be classed as one?

Food Trends

I'm seeing almost every cooking/food show lately centering around food trucks.   It seems they are everywhere... but here. 
I've only seen street carts in my city outside of the bars in the summer at closing time and outside of Canadian Tire during the weekends. 

What is it about the whole idea that seems to have missed Thunder Bay?