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Archives for Jul 2008

From Your Good 'Ole Bodega

Anyone else have a bodega store near them? I know what the word bodega illicits. It usually goes hand in hand with imagery of dusty everyday goods like toilet paper, soap and sponges that seem like they've been there for 3 decades. You can tell by the outdated packaging and faded branding. Actually, you might not even recognize some of the brands until you do a double take and realize that yes, it is Tide, it's just Tide from the 70's.

Why did I want to bring up the subject of bodegas? Well, I actually really like the bodega around my corner. Actually, I like both bodegas around my corner. I buy some of my produce from there like bananas, lemons, and peppers. I think I also like to just say the word bodega. Anyway, as I was setting up my Twitter account for Yummr and starting to find some of you fine Yummr contributors on there, I came across ErinCooks' neat tweets and saw that she had recently purchased a Bodega Party in a Box. Now, when you really look into it, this $25 kit is just a cookbook with a compilation of recipes, advice and shopping tips from "corner store cooking experts". I really loved the gimmicky title that the Neighbors Project chose to give this call for donations. I also like what they are about:

"Neighbors Project is a growing movement of a generation of people living in cities who want to connect with their diverse neighbors to improve the neighborhood for everyone."

I will try not to stray too far off track here and just say that I've always liked shopping at bodegas. Let me be more specific, I like to pick up fresh produce from my bodega on the way back from work. It's nice getting to know your local neighborhood shop owners. I think this book implies that it might be a bit of a challenge for some people to go into a bodega and realize that it has more to offer than chips, booze and soda but I know the one around me offers more than that. This reminds me of an activity that I had put up a few months back challenging members of Yummr to go to their 99 cents stores to see if they would be able to produce a full yummy meal. Both bodegas and 99 cents stores tend to have some sort of negative connotation to them when it comes to foodie terms which is why I suspect not too many people were up to take that challenge.

Anyone else have a favorite local bodega that they go to regularly or any other local stores in their nieghborhood that they like to support? You know, not C-Town or Super Stop 'N' Shop.

Posted Jul 30, 2008 by SuDoughName | 2 Comments | Share It

Filed under: bodega party in a box bodegas Neighbors Project

Air-mail Meat

I don't know about you, but when I buy my meats I usually go directly to a grocer or market and hand select my cut. If you told me five or so years ago that the internet would one day also be a viable place to go food shopping, I would not have believed you. My friend is reliant on Fresh Direct for all his food consumption needs but I'm not completely keen with that idea yet. Don't get me wrong, I would love for someone else to carry my bottles of seltzer water and cans of chick peas the few blocks and up a flight of stairs to my apt for me but there is something about holding and selecting your own produe that I don't think I can let go of. Of course, I know my friend's diet consists of things that only needs a microwave for preparation. My point is, I'm starting to see more and more air-mailed meats commercialized and that baffles me even more. I mean, it's raw flesh be flown overhead straight to your door and onto your plates. One wrong step of packaging or timing can completely obliterate your meal. Ok, it's really just my paranoia kicking in right now. I would totally eat meat air-mailed to my door but I just haven't gotten around to it. "Eat air-mailed meat" is going on my list of things to do in life. If that is on your list of things to do, here are some places that I have come across while browsing the aisles of the internet:

• Omaha Steaks - not only do they have meats but they also have a variety of other packaged food goods (like dessert). They're headquartered in, surprise surprise, Omaha, Nebraska.
• Lobel's - they apparently have the best dry aged steaks and are located in New York City. This might be convenient for me. Oh right, if I can walk into the shop, it kind of defeats the purpose of trying meat delivered to my door.
• U.S. Wellness Meats Online - grass-fed meats. This actually gives a good reason to be ordering meat online.

Those are only a few places that I came across. Anyone else ever try air-mailed meats or have been coming across any good reason to?

Posted Jul 15, 2008 by SuDoughName | 3 Comments | Share It

Filed under: airmail meat

Hot Summer Foodie Reads Giveaway!

We're supplying you with foodie goodness once again! It was so much fun having all of you join us back in May for our first cookbook giveaway, courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, that we wanted to give out a new batch of books to you this month.

The heat may be sweltering but we're sure you've got the right ingredients to keep you cool and relaxed. Just look at the no-churn ice-cream that Ldylvbgr whipped up - it's so scrumptious looking! I've never made my own ice-cream before but a no-churn recipe sounds like something I can handle without breaking a sweat and that's always a plus.

I break a sweat far too often nowadays when I walk out the door and step into the heat and gross humidity but unfortunately, this barrier has to be crossed before I reach a better destination. Good summer destinations in my mind are shady areas in a quiet park or hanging out underneath a patio umbrella... well, on my patio. These are the types of places where I can get lost in a good book. I'm currently reading several things at once (ranging from a classic to a young adults sci-fi romance story) but am always willing to add one more to my list. If you're anything like me, you crave both good eats and good reads. Our new batch of books is packed with just this. Take a look at the hot July books that we have to giveaway:

Fish Without a Doubt: The Cook's Essential Companion by: Rick Moonen & Roy Finamore Comprehensive. Friendly. Indispensable. With more than 250 simple and delicious recipes. No doubt about it, fish is a cook's dream. Fast. Low in fat, versatile, and healthful, it's even brain food. No other fish cookbook contains such a comprehensive selection of approachable, contemporary recipes. It's written by a pair of experts: a nationally known three-star seafood chef whose true passion is teaching home cooks, and an award-winning writer and sought-after food authority. Arranged for the cook's complete convenience, Fish without a Doubt encompasses chapters on all the techniques of fish cookery—from poaching to grilling to sautéing—as well as on all the most popular seafood dishes—from appetizers, to soups and salads, to burgers and pasta. The recipes range from updated versions of classics (Trout Almondine, Linguine with Clams, Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes) to the latest favorites (Steamed Black Bass with Sizzling Ginger,Tuna Burgers with Cucumber Relish, Thai-Style Mussels). It includes slews of quickies for weeknight specials (Broiled Fillets with Butter and Herbs) and centerpieces for splashier occasions (A Big Poached Char). Featuring only seafood that is not overfished, Fish without a Doubt provides the latest information for the eco-conscious cook about our last wild frontier.

Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China by: Jen Lin-Liu As a freelance journalist and food writer living in Beijing, Jen Lin-Liu already had a ringside seat for China’s exploding food scene. When she decided to enroll in a local cooking school—held in an unheated classroom with nary a measuring cup in sight—she jumped into the ring herself. In Serve the People, Lin-Liu gives a memorable and mouthwatering cook’s tour of today’s China as she progresses from cooking student to noodle-stall and dumpling-house apprentice to intern at a chic Shanghai restaurant. The characters she meets along the way include poor young men and women streaming in from the provinces in search of a “rice bowl” (living wage), a burgeoning urban middle class hungry for luxury after decades of turmoil and privation, and the mentors who take her in hand in the kitchen and beyond. Together they present an unforgettable slice of contemporary China in the full swing of social and economic transformation.

A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France by: Georgeanne Brennan Georgeanne Brennan moved to Provence in 1970, seeking a simpler life. She set off on her many adventures in Provençale cuisine by tracking down a herd of goats, a cool workshop, some rennet, and the lost art of making fresh goat cheese. From this first effort throughout her time in Provence, Brennan transformed from novice fromagère to renowned, James Beard Foundation Award–winning cookbook author and food writer. A Pig in Provence is the story of how Georgeanne Brennan fell in love with Provence. But it’s also the story of making a life beyond the well-trodden path and the story of how food can unite a community. In loving detail, Brennan tells of the herders who maintain a centuries-old grazing route, of the community feast that brings a town to one table, and of the daily rhythms and joys of living by the cycles of food and nature. prinkled with recipes that offer samples of Brennan’s Provençale cooking, A Pig in Provence is a food memoir that urges you to savor every morsel.

The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World from Parkerization by: Alice Feiring In this entertaining oenological salvo, wine blogger and journalist Feiring makes an argument for wine authenticity through adherence to old techniques. She's against what she calls Big Wine—viticulture as business and technology—and blames the shrinking appreciation for hand-vinified, long-aged Old World wines (like the Barolo that eventually led to her career) on, among other things, the UC–Davis School of Enology and Viticulture and the wine writings of critic Robert M. Parker Jr. (of the book's title). But what sets her sprightly polemic apart is that her argument is pinned to a personal narrative of wine tours through Europe and California. Rounding out the Syrah-and-the-City parallels are several female characters who receive noms de vin like Honey-Sugar and the air-kissing Skinny, and most entertainingly of all, the author's Carrie-like relationships. Parker looms like Mr. Big over all Feiring's oenological relationships; they finally have a couple of phone dates that distill the differences between them down to quantifying (Parker) versus qualifying (Feiring). The author, who already has fans through her blog and other journalism, can count on new ones with this publication.

Would you like to be a winner of one of these wonderful foodie titles? It's quite easy to win one! Just make sure you come back each and every day this month to enter our Hot July Foodie Reads Giveaway! To qualify for the Hot July Foodie Reads Giveaway, all you simply have to do is participate any way you please:

• Join one of the discussions on the forum (or start a new one!)
  
• Participate in one of our activities
• Submit a recipe
• Share your photos
• Document your meals
• Take our quizzes and polls

Go ahead, start exploring Yummr, participate each day this month and you may very well be a winner of one of the great books we are giving away!

Hot July Foodie Reads Giveaway Winners!
Giveaway Day	Winner	Book
July 1st	fsutrill	A Pig in Provence
July 2nd	Cupcakenerd	Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China
July 3rd	Misschef	Fish Without a Doubt
July 4th	David	The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization
July 5th	Amicus-Cupcake	A Pig in Provence
July 6th	Ldylvbgr	Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China
July 7th	KitchenGirl	Fish Without a Doubt
July 8th	gezellig_girl	The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization
July 9th	allknames	A Pig in Provence
July 10th	TOMMY_T	Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China
July 11th	Amicus-Cupcake	Fish Without a Doubt
July 12th	Misschef	The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization
July 13th	shanshea	A Pig in Provence
July 14th	kaitsplate	Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China
July 15th	lordofthefoodies	Fish Without a Doubt
July 16th	poolej2	The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization
July 17th	Ldylvbgr	A Pig in Provence
July 18th	Misschef	Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China
July 19th	kaitsplate	Fish Without a Doubt
July 20th	magumbo	The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization
July 21st	spidermom84	A Pig in Provence
July 22nd	mom2ross	Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China
July 23rd	gezellig_girl	Fish Without a Doubt
July 24th	KitchenGirl	The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization
July 25th	madball911	Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China
July 26th	alicerose58	Fish Without a Doubt
July 27th	juststudying	The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization
July 28th	Feistyfoodie	Fish Without a Doubt
July 29th	HKFanatic	A Pig in Provence
July 30th	HKFanatic	The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization
July 31st	allknames	The Battle for Wine and Love or How I Saved the World from Parkerization

Posted Jul 1, 2008 by SuDoughName | 13 Comments | Share It

Filed under: Alice Feiring giveaway Houghton Mifflin Harcourt