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Banana Bread for Breast Cancer: #BakeItHappen

Posted in cooking, tagged #bakeithappen, Banana, Breast cancer, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Cancer, Facebook, Judy, Shari on October 23, 2013 | 2 Comments »

Last week, I got an email from a company that I’m sure was well intentioned. But boy, was it ill-conceived. For every pair of pink headphones sold during the month of October, it said, they would donate a portion of the proceeds to Breast Cancer research. Here was the pitch: “We here at (company) love boobies and we know you do too! Show your underlying support for all the joy “the ladies” bring the world” by buying our product. In the even more offensive video on their website, they try to be funny as they say they “really really love boobies” while staring exaggeratedly at a female employee’s breasts, but then only make things worse in the “serious” part of the video when they say they “If breasts go extinct, the world would be a very sad place.” So are they saving breasts? Are they worried about “the joy the ladies brings the world” or are they worried about the nearly 40,000 women who DIE each year from breast cancer?

Yup. 40,000 women die each year from breast cancer. It’s easy to forget that, amidst the pinkwashed cocktails, lipstick, sneakers, you name it, that come out in force during October – breast cancer awareness month. Can you think of another kind of cancer that has a slogan? Another cancer that could inspire a post called “71 Catchy Breast Cancer Slogans“? that lauds these slogans, including ones like “For Guys, every month is Breast Awareness Month,” and “Save Second Base”?

So I was happy when my friend Shari, from the food blog My Judy the Foodie, asked me to be a part of her Bake it Happen campaign against breast cancer. Shari’s mother, Judy, died of breast cancer. And Shari’s blog was started in her honor. What did I have to do? Bake Judy’s Banana Bread and share it with someone to spread awareness – and to raise money. And for every picture of Judy’s Banana bread tagged #BakeitHappen, a donation is made to breast cancer research. (more…)

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Samsung House, My House

Posted in cooking, tagged duo oven, New York City, Samsung, Samsung House, sparkling water fridge on July 8, 2013 | 1 Comment »

Samsung House. Last month in downtown NYC.

A few weeks back, my fridge died. It was old. It was battered. It was time.

My oven, too, had been acting up.

So after much deliberation and research, I bought a new fridge and range. Both, as it turns out, from Samsung.

One day later — really – the very next day – I was invited to Samsung House in NYC, Samsungs weeklong showcase for its new appliances and gadgets. Take a look at what is was like. In a word: awesome.

[View the story "It's a Samsung Life for Me" on Storify]

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Sbarro’s New 270 Calorie Skinny Slice

Posted in cooking, tagged Pizza, Pizza maing, Restaurant Chains, Sbarro, skinny Slice on March 5, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Sbarro (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

True confession: Sbarro has always seemed to me to be kinda…well, kinda NOT the kind of place I’d like to eat. Here in NY, the Sbarros are mostly in super-high-traffic areas, like Times Square and Penn Station. Not places I hang out, and certainly not places I’d go to eat. Plus, this is NYC. If I want pizza, a chain store is not my first choice.

But that was before I went to Sbarros to make some pizza.

Take a look:
[View the story "Sbarro's 270 Calorie Skinny Slice" on Storify]

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Blogging Angels Banana Bread

Posted in cooking, tagged Baking, Banana bread, Blogging Angels, Jennifer Perillo on November 5, 2011 | 4 Comments »

At a recent Blogging Angels podcast, we talked to Jennifer Perillo, she of In Jennie’s Kitchen fame. And sadly, made even more well-known, by the sudden death of her husband (and, in a weird coincidence my longtime co-worker/editor at Lifetime) Michael.

The night before Jennifer arrived for the record (which we do at my dining room table), in a crazy moment of not wanting to waste food, I baked banana bread using the overripe bananas that were otherwise destined for the garbage. I say crazy because – I do NOT bake. Not ever. Well, once a year, for my husband’s birthday. If you’re ever invited to my house for dinner, you may get Pear and Leek Soup, followed by Lemon Sole stuffed with Shrimp Mousse, or if I’m feeling homey, and not worrying about heart attacks, The World’s Best Brisket. And then you’ll get a purchased desert.

I don’t do desert.

Except the night before a well-known very accomplished baker/cook/food blogger arrives? Like I said, crazy.

What’s even more crazy, is that the recipe impressed ‘em all. Even though Jennifer at first balked at my “and there isn’t any butter in the recipe” announcement.

So here it is: Blogging Angels Banana Bread – A recipe for non-baking bakers everywhere

(Adapted from 1,000 Lowfat Recipes by Terry Golson)

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (from about 3 bananas)

1 egg

1 egg white

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/2 c plain non-fat yogurt (I used the Greek kind)

2 1/4 cups unbleached, all purpose white flour

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1. Pre heat oven to 375. Coat a loaf pan with non-stick spary.

2. With an electric mixer, beat together the first six ingredients at medium speed.

3. Sift Flour,, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl. Stir to mix.

4. Beating at slow speed, at dry ingredients to wet, in three additions. Do not over mix. Stop as soon as the dry ingredients are all mixed in.

5. Pour into loaf pan and bake 50-60 minutes. Cool for ten minutes before completing the cooling on a wire rack.

Of course you could add chocolate chips or chopped walnuts before you pop it all into the loaf pan. But this was pretty good just plain as plain could be.

And just so you know, the 1,000 Lowfat Recipe book is a winner. I’ve never made a recipe from there I didn’t like. And the Honey Mustard Chicken Nuggets in there are a family fave!

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Me, Bobby Flay and Marcella Valladolid eat and get drunk

Posted in cooking, Food, tagged Bobby Flay, Cooking with Tequila, Hellmann's, Ladies Night In, Marcella Valladolid, Margarita recipe, Sauza Tequila on September 29, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Well, that’s not entirely true. I mean, I did meet Bobby Flay and Marcella Valladolid — both of them real honest-to-goodness Food Network Stars – but I’m pretty certain that the preternaturally fit and handsome Bobby Flay didn’t eat ANY of the food he had us try at the Hellmann’s/Share Our Strength event, and I’m just as certain that the gorgeous, perfect-bodied Marcella Valladolid, while she mixed up a bunch of killer cocktails (at a Sauza Tequila Ladies Night In event) didn’t get even the teeniest bit tipsy. (more…)

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My Dog Has Gone Punk Rock on Me

Posted in cooking, Dogs, Family, pets, tagged dog with dyed hair, moroccan meatlball recipe on April 20, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

So I made this really really good meatball dish for dinner. Not that labor intensive (despite the long ingredient list). Needless to say – the hubby forgot to tell me he had a business dinner, my son took one look at it and said he didn’t like it, and my daughter and I were left with two dozen meatballs.

Thank goodness there’s room in the freezer.

My dog, however, loved the meatballs, and, while I got the kids started on their homework, he wasted no time licking the plates I had put in the dishwasher. Did I mention the meatballs had a lot of turmeric in them?

Now, my dog has a yellow face. Truly yellow. Bright, looks like I dyed his hair like the people in this New York Times article yellow.

The picture doesn’t really do the color change justice. But trust me: it looks like I he’s in the middle of his adolescent rebellion.

I’m just hoping that next time, he doesn’t come home with a tattoo.

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DSi XL: Bigger really is better

Posted in cooking, Family, Reviews, tagged America's Test Kitchen Let's Get Cooking, Big Screen DSi, DSi XL, Nintendo DSi on March 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Seems like we like everything big in this country. Big cars, big hair, big portions in big fast food restaurant chains. And now, big handheld games. With a screen that’s 93% bigger than a DSLite, the new DSiXL, releasing today, is poised to be the – if you’ll excuse the expression - next big thing from Nintendo, the Japanese handheld electronics giant.

What I want to know, is why aren’t certain other things considered better when they’re bigger? Like my waistline. Or the average dress size of a supermodel. Or the number I say when someone asks me my age.

Sadly, those things aren’t considered better when they’re bigger. The Nintendo DSi XL, however, is.

The DSi XL comes in snazzy new colors. The one that (full disclosure) Nintendo sent me for my review is Burgundy. SO much more sophisticated than plain old black or white. It’s got a camera, a slot for an SD card, internet access — all the same stuff as it’s predecessor, the DSi. But this one is big. My first thought was – this will be harder to carry around. But then I realized — the primary audience for DSi’s isn’t carrying them in their purse or suit jacket. This thing is for the backpack crowd. And if my kids are any indication, they backpack set is going to love it.

It’s huge! Said my daughter when we opened the box.

It’s so cool. My son (who recently announced that he’s no longer “into” DS chimed in.

See? Bigger. Better. Case closed.

But there are other things about the new DSiXL that I like even more.

First, it comes preloaded with three games. I hate that you can buy your kid a DS and still it isn’t really a present until you shell out even more money for a game or two. This baby came ready to play right out of the box. Second: it comes with a full sized stylus (as well as the regular puny always getting lost one.) So even if you lose (if!! ha!) you’ve got the pen sized one as a back up — much harder to lose (and according to Nintendo, more precise.)

But most important, you can see it. I don’t know about you, but I cannot count the number of times my kids have said “look at this, ,mommy” while showing me their DS, and all I see is screen. The new XL has “enhanced side-viewing angles that make it easier for everyone” to see what’s happening.

That helped a lot when I tried the XL with the new America’s Test Kitchen: Let’s get Cooking game. It’s a nifty new cooking program based on the PBS Series. (More full disclosure) Nintendo sent me that, too. But here’s the thing: I really like it. And lest you think it’s just because it’s free, you might be interested to know that Nintendo also sent me Personal Trainer: Cooking, not too long ago, and you know what I wrote about that? Nothing. If you don’t have anything nice to say…

ANYWAY – this one has real recipes from a reputable source, videos showing clearly how to do things like dice an onion, carve a turkey, or mince herbs, and even little tutorials on knife skills and sauteing. Tonight for dinner, my kids and I made maple mustard chicken from the program and some garlic bread, also from the program. It was great.

First of all, the program tells each cook what to do. “Nancy, turn the oven to 450.” “Daughter, mix together the garlic and butter with the back of a wooden spoon.” Each person is assigned a task, and those tasks are appropriate to their skill. So you can sign in your eight year old as not being allowed to use knives or go near the stove. The program will still find something for him or her to do. And if you have raw chicken on your hand and don’t want to touch the XL? No problem, just tell it you’re ready to move on (yes, voice commands) and it tells you (yes, audio) the next step. Cool. It even has a built in timer, so it doesn’t just say “Put the garlic bread in the oven for 15 minutes” it tells you when the fifteen minutes are up.

Speaking of 15 minutes….do I think that the XL will have more than it’s 15 minutes of fame? Maybe not. But it has just enough improvements over the original DSi to make that one seem quaint in comparison.

And it actually got me and my two kids in the kitchen, cooking dinner together.

Now that was big.

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Me and Rachael Ray

Posted in cooking, Family on January 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

I have 67 cookbooks. 67! Julia Child, James Beard, Jim Fobel, Patricia Wells, Barbara Kafka, The Silver Palate gals…to name a few. And those are only the ones in active rotation. There are other “collectible” cookbooks around the house too – my 1950′s Happy Housewife book, for instance. . I also have countless back issues of Bon Appetit, Gourmet, and my new favorite, Fine Cooking. Not to mention the literally THOUSANDS of recipes I’ve cut out from newspapers and magazines over the years. Those fill another four notebooks and a little index card file. There are the recipes I keep in my online Epicurious folder, the ones I’ve saved to my hard drive, and all those recipes that are just stuck in my head. No paper necessary.

I’ve made my own pastry for Beef Wellington (an oldie, but a goodie). I made most of my kids’ baby food from scratch. I’ve cooked squid and duck and venison. I’ve flambeed cognac, and made my own fish stock. I even have a kick-ass (secret) recipe for Pear and Leek soup. Sounds weird, but man, is it good.

Why, then, do I find myself turning, more and more, to Rachael Ray? (more…)

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Best Brisket EVER

Posted in cooking, Family, tagged best brisket, Brisket, Hannukah, Pot Roast, Recipes on December 21, 2008 | 4 Comments »

Like the most beautiful baby in the world, the greatest Brisket Recipe is something everyone thinks they have. Only I really do. Really.

This is Brisket that’ll have you speaking Yiddish even if you were raised my nuns. This is Brisket that would give a vegetarian pause, would get Sarah Palin to give up Moose. This is Brisket that makes up for the fact that the entire world is celebrating Christmas with twinkly lights, and cute little elves, and a fat guy in a red suit (hey, maybe he ate too much Brisket!) and endless Christmas songs looping so long it makes you loopy – while all you get to do is light your lone menorah and spin a piece of plastic. (Really, when did you last see a dreidel made of clay?)

This is BRISKET with all capitals, not just the capital B. No packets of onion soup here – this is the real deal, just like Grandma Ruchel used to make.

Whether you call it Brisket, Pot Roast, Flanken or Ashkenazy Beef Stew – this is the quintessential Hannukah food, and the kind of winter weather warm-up meal even a gentile could love!

Happy Hannukah.

Granna’s Brisket

Prep time: 45 Minutes

Cook Time 3-5 hours. Plus it’ll be better if you let it sit overnight.

Servings: 6

5 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons Kosher Salt (or 1 1/2 table salt)

1 tablespoon paprika

Dribble of Olive Oil (optional – enough to make a paste)

Ground pepper to taste

1 beef brisket (3-4 pounds), trimmed with some fat left on

1 pound onions, sliced

4-6 carrots, slice on the diagonal

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, or whole peeled tomatoes.

1 bottle (about 8 oz) Heinz Chilli sauce

1 bottle dark beer

With the back of a wooden spoon, mash the garlic, salt, paprika, and a generous pinch of pepper into a paste. Add a little Olive Oil if needed to get a good paste-like consistency. Rub it all over the meat, and let the meat sit for at least one hour, or overnight. If you feel like expending the extra effort, score the meat a little (make very shallow cuts in it) to allow the paste to penetrate the meat a bit better.

Pre-heat the broiler. Place meat in a roasting pan and brown under broiler until nicely charred, but not cooked, on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. (But check – every broiler is different!) Remove pan with meat and change over temp. to 350 F.

Remove meat from pan and set aside. Place half of the sliced onions and half of the carrots in the bottom of the same roasting pan (do not clean pan). Return the meat to the pan and cover with the remaining carrots and onions. Pour the tomatoes and chilli sauce over the meat, stirring to blend. (If you use whole peeled tomatoes, use your hands to break them into bit sized pieces, letting the juice fall into the pan.) Cover with foil and place in the oven for 2 to 3 hours.

Remove meat from pan, let sit for a few minutes (so that it is easier to handle) and slice into 1/2-inch think slices, making sure to cut against the grain. This is important: the meat will be tough if you cut it the wrong way.

Return meat to the pan and stir to coat it with the sauce. Add beer to pan and return to the oven, uncovered, for another hour or until the meat is fork tender. (Or, move on to the next step, freeze, then thaw and finish cooking the meat just before serving.)

There will be A LOT of fat. Skim it off as best you can, or better yet, once the meat has cooled, put it, covered, in the refrigerator overnight. Before reheating, remove the fat, now congealed on top and easy to separate. Then reheat to serve, adjusting seasonings as necessary.

If you make this and like it — let me know! If you make it and don’t like it…well, keep it to yourself!!!!!