The Barefoot Kitchen Witch

Food 2.0 - Another Cookbook to Give Away!

DK Publishing sent me an advance copy of this book several weeks ago, and I've been reading and re-reading the recipes ever since.

I've got about 20 pages marked with mini post-it note things, and I think I put off writing about it because I couldn't narrow down the recipes to one or two to focus on.

The official background of the book is here, on the DK Publishing website.  To be honest, I had vaguely heard of Charlie Ayers, but didn't know anything about him.  Turns out he cooked for The Greatful Dead before he was hired to feed the growing number of Google employees. 

I know now that food-wise, we'd get along pretty well.  His emphasis is on locally produced, organic ingredients and lively, intense flavors from a wide variety of cuisines.

The one and only recipe that I was actually puzzled by was his recipe for fish tacos.  He calls for fish sticks.    Now, I have used fish sticks in fish tacos, but it just seemed really odd, in a book espousing the virtues of local, fresh foods, that rather than suggesting some possible kinds of fish to use, depending on what part of the country you're in, he suggests fish sticks.  Maybe it's because not everyone has access to fresh caught local fish...but still. 

I've decided, since I couldn't narrow the recipes down, I figure over the next week, while the giveaway is running, I'll try out a variety of recipes and post about them, so you can sort of peek at the food before entering the contest, if you want.

Oh - and I should also mention - in addition to a copy of the book (hardcover and in color, not a paperback advance copy in black and white), the publisher is also giving the winner a handy dandy lunch bag, so you can tote your healthy, locally grown lunch with you to work every day.

So, to get things started, and to give you an idea of the sort of thing Food 2.0 has to offer, I'll be posting (separately) the recipe for "Google Hot Sauce."  It's got heat, and layers and layers of flavor.  It packs a punch, but does so with style.

In the meantime, to enter this giveaway, here are the rules:

First, to enter, I'd like to hear from you in the comments section of THIS post, do you shop at farm stands or farmers markets on a regular basis?  What's available in your part of the world?

Second, the contest will end in one week - Wednesday, May 28th, at midnight, eastern standard time.  Any entries posted after that time - or anywhere other than in the comments section of THIS post - will not be considered.

Third, this will be a random drawing - I'll have the old faithful Random Integer thingy pick the lucky winner.

Any questions?  Okay, then - let the contest begin!  Oh - and I'll be posting the "Google Hot Sauce" in a bit later this evening.

Browsing

I want to make these cupcakes for dinner.  Maybe tonight.

And Me Without A Speech Prepared

A week ago, Donna, of Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases, sent me an email to let me know she'd given me (and 4 other bloggers) the "You Make My Day Award." 

Now, I'm really not someone who does well with praise, positive feedback, kudos, applause, or friendly smiles.  So I sort of gaped at the email and then quickly closed it and pretended it hadn't really happened.  Help!  What am I supposed to do with THIS?? 

So I emailed Donna and asked.  She likened it to girl scout badges, kind of.  It was longer than that, but I'm getting tired and it's late.  But clearly, it's a NICE THING, and I am kind of expected to continue along this PATH OF KINDNESS and pass this award along to some bloggers who - as suggested - MAKE MY DAY.  Oh, and by the way, I think I only made it through one year as a girl scout.  So I think I lack famililarity with badges as well.

Anyway. 

True to form, I stalled and procrastinated and "forgot" all about it because not only do I feel majorly uncomfortable with kind words and smiles and all directed at me, but I'm equally lacking in adeptness (is that a word?) in passing such things along to others - no matter how much they are deserving of kind words and smiles.  And chocolate.

I always figure either a) when I say it (the NICE THING), it will come out sounding stupid, or schmoozy, or stupid.  Or stupid.  Or, b) the person will scoff at my piddly gesture and I won't officially know about it because I can't see them, but I'll just assume that this is the case and so I will automatically cringe and wish I could hide somewhere.  Like Antarctica.  And c) the person will notice my eyebrows need waxing.  (Stop staring.)

Armed with this confidence, I now bravely step up to the mike and name my awardees.  (Is that a word?  I just keep making them up.  I'm going to need to write my own dictionary now.)

Oh - and I should say this - I was going to give the award to my sister and her blog, but she is a black belt in karate, and when I casually mentioned it, she threatened to hurt me.  And I sort of believed her.  She only has nine and a half toes, you know.  That's a person you don't mess with.  (Hi Mere!)

Okay, so here I go.

OH - wait - the rules.  (Donna?  I just copied them from your blog.  That's okay, right?  They won't revoke my award, will they?) 

The award rules are: give the award to people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. So I am passing the award on to:

Jen of Alien Spouse - because she cracks me up in just about every post, and because I have just learned that she, too, suffers from HORRIBLE HANDWRITING, which makes me feel just a little less alone in the world. 

KT of Zenslaw because she IS inspiring.  And a marvelous photographer.

Tracey of Beyond the Pale because she is capable of shooting red lasers out of her eyes.  And that impresses the hell out of me.   And she's marvelously creative and talented and funny.

Rebekka of Maple Sugar - for the beauty and elegance of her blog - and the gorgeous baking, too. 

Now I am going to email these folk and let them know about the award.  I hope they don't point and laugh at me.  But they probably will.

And all sarcasm aside - Thank you, Donna, for the award - I sincerely appreciate it.  :) 

 

Jumping on the Meme Bandwagon

I blame Tracey for this whole invasion of my privacy, but in a nice way, of course.

Okay, ready for trivia and perhaps a touch of whimsy and a smidge of sarcasm?  Read on:

~~~~~

1.ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?  Just below my left knee.  It was a bicycle accident involvoing colliding wire baskets and a newly tarred road.  I had 6 stitches!  And I watched!  (Twelve when it happened, and still twelve now, at least mentally.) 

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM? Which room?  In general, photos and drawings by the kids.  And about 3 feet up from the floor, probably plenty of fingerprints.  I try not to look down, because if I can't see them, I don't have to clean them. 

3. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? Yep.  2:40 in the ay-em.

4. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?  Fame.  The unbridled adoration of millions of total strangers.  And tons of cash.  Please.

5. WHAT DO YOU MISS? Sometimes?  When I'm too lazy to walk across the kitchen?  And I throw the egg shells at the garbage can?  Sometimes I miss it. 

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION?  Like, as in, what would I grab if the house was burning down and we'd already managed to get the kids and pets outside, what would I run back in for and collapse from smoke inhalation and have to be rescued by a fireman?  I have no idea.  I'd collapse from smoke inhalation because I'd be standing there trying to decide what my most prized possession might be.  And I wouldn't be able to do it.  Because it's all just things.  Yeah, a lot of things have important memories attached to them, but in the grand scheme of things?  I don't prize possessions.  ...................That wasn't the answer you wanted?  Oh.  Okay.  Well then, most prized possession would beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee......................... my brain.  No, really.  I've been sitting here trying and trying to come up with a single possession that is most prized, and I can't.  Because if I think of one thing, then I think, well what about that?  Do I prize this over that?  Or that over this?  And then there are collections of things that are precious - like notes and letters my husband wrote to me when we were first together - but they are not one single thing.  However, all of these things are triggers for my brain, which releases a whole slideshow of memories...and if I didn't have that going on in my head, then the possessions would merely be...possessions.  Just things.  So there's my long and far-too-thought-out answer to THAT question. 

7. HOW TALL ARE YOU? Five feet, five and a half inches.

8. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DAY?  Um...I guess if a car almost slams into my car in the day, I'd get scared, but I don't spend a whole lot of time being scared in the day, so no.

9. WHAT’S YOUR WORST FEAR?  That studies will show that too much consumption of real butter on white bread is bad for you.  What?  They have?  Well, damn. 

10. WHAT KIND OF HAIR COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?  Pretty much any color as long as it's not also involved in a comb-over.

11. WHAT ABOUT EYE COLOR?  Anything other than pink.

12. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?  Coffee.

13. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?  Anchovies.  No, really. 

14. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?  Anything?  Crumpets.  I'm all out.  If some could magically appear on the counter, I'd be grateful. 

15. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME?  Of all time???  I don't have one.  Of all time?  What does that mean, anyway?  I haven't lived long enough for that.  For now...I'll say green.  And soft shades of pink.  And bright red.  And brick red, too.  And gray, lots of shades of gray.  And off-white.  And blue.  Dark blues.  And very light blues.  And black.  Oh, and dark brown.       

16. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH?  Eew.  That would be a no.

17. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU EVER RECEIVED?  Well, I received my life a whole bunch of years ago.  I'd say that was the first.

18. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?  Yes.  Jacoby Ellsbury.  There.  I said it.

19. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?  Hahahahahahaha.  Yeah, right.

20. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU WANT?  The one I have.  I love my Subaru Outback.  I'd wanted one for years, and in 2004 I bought one.  Ta-da!

21. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING?  I'd try not to, hypothetically, but it's not like you can always control your heart.

22. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?  Yes.

23. YOUR WEAKNESSES?  Just one?  Good lord, I have thousands from which to choose. 

24. MET ANYONE FAMOUS?  Yes.

25. FIRST JOB?  Paper route.   

26. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?  Actually, no.  I'm really boring that way.

27. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOUL MATE?  Gak.  I wouldn't know. 

29. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?  Yes.

30. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?  My Barbie-like appearance.

31. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?  A new lens for my camera.  (See Amazon wish list.)  Besides that?  Oh...world peace.

32. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?  Well, I have two.  I don't really want any more, thanks. 

33. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?  Yes - my two grandmothers.

34. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST TURN OFF WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?  Ignorance.   

35. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU MISS ABOUT GRADE SCHOOL?  Recess.

36. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?  Suave.  The flavor varies.

37. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?  No.  I have horrible handwriting.  Since the third grade.  It's gotten especially worse because I type more than I write now.

38. ANY BAD HABITS?  Zillions.

39. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON?  On occasion.

40. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?  I don't know.  Depends on what the other me was like. 

41. DO YOU AGREE WITH FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS?  Oh I don't care.  I really don't.

42. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?  I become sarcastic.  And I mutter.  Both of those could be included in question number 38.

43. WHAT’S YOUR MAIN GOAL IN LIFE?  To not screw up my children.

44. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?  We didn't have toys.  We just had corn husks.  And dirt.

45. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?  Ten.  Those would be "one" through "zero."  Check your cell phone - I bet you have the same numbers as I do. 

46. WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID?  Barney was a little kid?  Well, I haven't been a fan of him as an adult, so I'm sure I wouldn't have liked the little kid version either.  Heh. Heh.  Sorry - I was a grown up WAAAAAAAAAAAAY before Barney burst onto the scene in all his scary purpleness.  I grew up with Oscar the Grouch.  Now HE was an interesting guy.

47. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?  Or?  Can't you pile one on the other?  No?  Okay.  Mashed potatoes. 

48. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?  Yes.

49. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM?  My room?  I have one - my laptop - in the kitchen, which, I suppose, is my room.  Our desktop computer is in the office/music room/only room still gated because we don't want Julia messing with stuff.  So actually we have computers in TWO of our rooms!  Woo-hoo! 

50. PLANS FOR TONIGHT?  I hope not.

51. WHAT’S THE FASTEST YOU’VE EVER GONE IN A CAR? I don't know.  Once I make the jump to hyperdrive, it's hard to keep track, since I'm too busy dodging asteroids. 

52. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?  My husband and my daughter watching "Empire Strikes Back" downstairs.  Julia:  "Is that a tauntaun?"  Bill "Yes."  Julia:  "COOL!"

53. LAST THING YOU DRANK?  Coffee. 

54. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?  Costa Rican.  The coffee, I mean.

55. DO YOU HAVE A LOW SELF ESTEEM OR A HIGH SELF ESTEEM?  My self esteem has won many limbo competitions, it's so low.

56. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?  An advance copy of "Meat:  A Love Story," by Susan Bourette.

~~~~~

And there you have it!  A good long peek into the depths of my soul.  Happy now?

And we have a winner!

Okay, the contest ended at midnight last night, and I ran the numbers through the Random Integer generator, and here's the result:

True Random Number Service

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

10

Timestamp: 2008-05-10 11:23:12 UTC

So the winner is number 10, and number 10 is...

Denise Graziano!  Congratulations, Denise!  Just shoot me an email (barefootkitchenwitch at yahoo dot com) with your shipping address and your new "Spain and the World Table" cookbook will be on its way!

Thanks to all who participated! 

 

Just a Quick Reminder...

The Spain Cookbook Giveaway ends tonight!  So if you're interested, and you haven't entered yet, you've got until midnight tonight, eastern standard time, to leave a comment in this post!

Random winner will be chosen Saturday morning!  Good luck!

2nd Cookbook Giveaway! - "Spain and the World Table"

    Okay!  Here's the next cookbook giveaway.

This time, the cookbook is the gorgeous Spain and the World Table, published by DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley), a division of Penguin.

Honestly, I still haven't cooked anything from this book - I've been pulled away by other things.  But what my husband and I are hoping to do is have a Spanish-themed dinner party within the next month or two, and THAT will give me an opportunity to cook a whole bunch of dishes from this beautiful cookbook.

The recipes in this book were created or inspired by or adapted from the Culinary Institute of America's annual Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival.  In 2006, Spain was the featured cuisine, with both traditional and contemporary offerings.

The chefs involved were from all over the world, and there are blended dishes, like the Tuna Tartare and the Sushi Paella, both created by Japanese chef Kiyomi Mikuni, in among the more traditional fare such as Piperada, Paella Valenciana, and Tortilla Espanola.

Here are the contest details:

*  Once again, this will be a random drawing.

*  This time around, I'm going to let the contest run for a longer period of time, so that people who only come here once or twice a week will have a chance to enter before the deadline.

*  Deadline for entries will be NEXT FRIDAY - yes, a week from today - at midnight, eastern standard time.

And how to enter?

*  Tell me, in the comments section of this post, of any Spanish influences or inspirations or observations or intrusions in your life.  Or - if there absolutely aren't any - tell me that, too.  Have you had Sangria?  That counts.  My husband is a classical guitarist and has performed "Leyenda" (later called "Asturias" by a German publisher) - one of many pieces by Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz.  The piece was originally written for piano and later transcribed for guitar by Francisco Tarrega.  That's an example from my little world.  I also like Manchego cheese.  So that's another example.  Silly, maybe, but sometimes we need to be silly.  Oh, and (Spanish-born) Placido Domingo's rendition of "E lucevan le stelle" (from Tosca) as performed at the Three Tenors concert (the first one, in Rome) was absolutely heart-wrenching.

I'll shut up now.

Anyway - ready, get set, go!  And speak to me of Spain. 

And the Winner Is...

First off, I used random.org's Integer Generator to pick the winner - you just plug in a lowest number (1) and highest (9, in this case) and hit a button and it will pick a random number for you.

True Random Number Service

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

3

Timestamp: 2008-04-20 11:56:54 UTC

And the random number it picked, as you can see (if you squint) was 3.

So that means the winner of the cookbook is Anastasia, who was the third person to join in with a pizza story.

Congratulations, Anastasia!  Please email me at barefootkitchenwitch at yahoo dot com with your shipping address and I'll have DK Publishing send you your copy of "Grilling Pizzas and Piadinas."

Thanks for participating! 

P.S.  I'll be setting up the other giveaway within the next couple of days.

Cookbook Giveaway - Time's Up!

If you haven't entered the Cookbook giveaway in the previous post yet, well, I hate to tell you, but you've missed that boat.  It's midnight, and the contest is now closed.

If you'd still like to share a story, I'd love to hear it, but unfortunately you won't be in the running for a cookbook.

I'll be back in the morning (I mean, the morning that comes after I get some sleep) to announce the winner.

Thanks to all of you who participated!  This was fun!

Cookbook Giveaway Number One! - "Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas"

Okay, I couldn't even wait.

I have the two books on my little work table in the kitchen (where my laptop sits, and permission slips for the kids' field trips, and little scribbled notes to myself, and the cable that connects my camera to my laptop.  And sometimes my camera, if I'm shooting food pictures.  And a stack of other cookbooks.  And mail.  And drawings the kids did in school.  And a couple of pens.  The usual stuff.

Anyway.  In an effort to avoid doing the dishes in the sink, I started reading through this first book.  It's a beautiful day today - a good day to maybe, oh, GRILL something for dinner instead of cooking inside.  And also, we have asparagus coming up like they're on one of those speeded up films of a flower blooming on a nature program - from bud to full flower in a minute.  These asparagus grow an inch or more every day.  Bill already harvested one, sauteed it in butter and salt and pepper the other night, and graciously shared it with me.  It was delicious. 

So I thought, hey, maybe we can put some asparagus on our grilled pizzas!

And as I'm flipping through the different pizza recipes, lookie what I found:

 

The Asparago.  It's made with asparagus (of course), pesto, pine nuts, and brie. 

Some of my favorite things in food.  It must be a sign of some sort.

So then I went back to the beginning and read about how Chef Priebe and his wife, Karla, achieved their success with the relatively novel idea of grilling pizzas.  And I headed into the first chapter.

Grills & Gadgets.

The Grown-Up Toy section!  Be still my heart.

First off, he recommends a charcoal grill for grilling pizza "because nothing beats the flavor of cooking over a natural fire."  Amen to that.  Pictured in that chapter is a Weber grill - JUST LIKE THE ONE WE HAVE! 

I look through the next few pages...the indoor grills (we have a reversable one - ridges on one side, flat on the other...the tools (rolling pins, pastry brushes, knives, bench scraper or dough blade, mezzaluna (which I don't have but wish I did)...woo hoo - we're all set in those departments.

And next chapter - Pizza Dough.

Loaded with step-by-step photos and accompanying text, this chapter makes you want to dust your hands with flour and start kneading.  Or at least that's the effect it has on me.  Pizza Dough - like any basic bread dough - is not hard to make, it just requires a little patience and love and a few pantry items like flour and yeast and salt... And learn to knead by hand.  It's theraputic.  Meditative.  Hands-on.  Get in touch (pun INTENDED) with your food.  It's good for you.

Anyway.  Next chapter addresses Sauces and Toppings - - or as this chapter is subtitled - "The Building Blocks."  Things like "Herbed Grill Oil,"  "Chunky Tomato Basil Sauce,"  "Roasted Red Pepper Strips" and on and on.  Remember, when you're grilling a pizza, you're cooking it pretty fast, so you don't have time to cook uncooked ingredients once they top the pizza.  So to make things work better, and to develop and enhance the natural flavors of these simple ingredients, cook them first and then just warm them back up on the grill.  The chapter finishes up with a guide to constructing your own pizza.  You want a nice balance of flavors and textures, and you don't want to pile it high - this isn't the Glutton Special at your local pizza delivery joint.  "Go for a mosaic pattern rather than a big pile,"  Chef Priebe advises.  Food appeals first to the eyes - so you want to make your pizza to look good as well as taste good.

Next chapter is about how to grill your pizza - trust me, it can be tricky, and that grill is hot, so you may have some less-than-successful adventures at first.  But.  Chef Priebe, again with all the step-by-step photos and directions, practically takes you by the hand and helps you through your first grilled pizza experience.  I wish I'd had this book at my disposal the first time I grilled some pizzas.  I don't think I would have had to call so many of my early attempts "blackened...Cajun style."

From that point on, the book explodes with one mouth-watering recipe after another.  If we didn't have asparagus waving at us in the back yard, I think I'd still be sitting here, book in hand, drooling, and undecided. 

Oh - and those piadinas.  Nice little grilled, folded flatbread sandwiches.  They look really good, too.  Have to try them soon as well. 

Also included are recipes for salads, which go so nicely with a warm and toasty pizza. 

And the dessert chapter!   Just listen to these -  "The Apple Tart"  "Grilled Banana Split" "Grilled Pears Saint Andre" - and, in keeping with the TWD theme this week - "The S'more."  But the one that really caught my eye was this one - "Grasshopper Pie" - He writes "Before I was old enough to drink, I watched my dad mix up a green concoction in a blender and pour it into highball glasses.  I begged him for a taste, only because I loved its emerald color.  he said it was a Grasshopper.  It was cool and minty with a hint of white chocolate and cream.  Grasshoppers get their color from Creme de Menthe.  I've used it in this dessert pizza, combined with marshmallow and an Oreo crumb crust, for a minty chocolate flavor." 

Wow.  My childhood is calling.  My mother used to make a Grasshopper Pie...it wasn't an ice cream pie, either, which I've seen in more recent years.  No, it was creamy and minty and that stunning bright green color.  I loved it as a child.  Hmmm...there's another idea.

Okay, enough of the talk. 

Here's the deal:

1.  Starting NOW, in the COMMENTS, I want to hear about the very best pizza you ever ate.   And if there's a story behind it, so much the better, because I like food stories.  So tell me - what was on the pizza, and/or what was going on AROUND the pizza that makes it so memorable. 

2.  The contest will END tomorrow night at midnight, Eastern Standard Time.  If you want to share a story after that point, that's more than fine with me, but you won't be eligible for the contest.

3.  This will be a random drawing, because try as I might, I couldn't figure out how I would pick the "best" pizza story.  Every person's story is the best to them, right?  So - a-random we will go.

And that's IT.  Winner will receive, direct from the publisher, a brand new copy of Chef Criag Priebe's "Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas."  Trust me - it's a lovely book and if you like to grill (indoors OR out) and like pizza - you want this book.

Okay, people, tell me your Very Best Pizza stories!!!  GO!