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reviews of dishes and restaurants by you and me
Dave Dash has created a site where users can post their thoughts on restuarant dishes they have eaten. Along with the requisite tags, there’s a rating and mapping feature.
The intent is, users will add their reviews and as the database builds, people can log on and find recommendations before heading out to eat.
Link from ReviewsBy.Us | Performancing.com
over at Slashfood.
With the good weather arriving (in the northern hemisphere), it’s time to start thinking about grilling and barbequing. From steak-related how-tos to great recipes, Slashfood has it all at Welcome to Steak Day!
Liven up your kitchen with these strange gadgets, from an interactive LED table to the Smart Oven, it’s all here. Which ones are your favorites?
- Salter Nutrition Scale
- Smart Oven Cooks for You
- GE’s All-in-One Kitchen Device
- LiteOn’s Smart Label
- Homepub
- The Toasterkettle
- Z.Island Kitchen
- Tetris Cooking Timer
- Interactive LED Dining Table
- Keyboard Tablecloth
This week has been raining and cool around here, but the hot weather is on the horizon. This Watermelon and Feta Salad from the Domestic Goddess is a simple and refreshing summer salad. It should go well with any number of BBQ meals this summer.
This resplendently pretty-in-pink salad is both beautiful and delicious – and it’s so easy to make you can whip it up in minutes. Just be certain to use the saltiest of feta cheeses or it won’t be enough of a contrary taste to the sticky sweet melon.
I could find a place for one of these in my backyard. Though, for $35K I could reno my kitchen, opening it onto a deck, for a similar effect.
An open-air, custom-made professional kitchen
Created to exceed the expectations of professional chefs, the Talos Outdoor Cooking Suite is a custom-designed grilling system built to your specific configuration. It blends a level of performance and power that rivals the kitchens in the finest restaurants. More than the grill of a lifetime, this is the grill for the ages.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Ingredients:
Biga:
Mix the yeast and water together, and then slowly start adding the flour, mixing well. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for up to 6 hours. Refrigerate overnight.
Bread:
Directions:
A light marinade and a backyard grill are all you need to appreciate this beefy cut.
Right Flank - The Boston Globe
Two recipes:
Pita Bread
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence and JoAnn Cianciulli
1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
11/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
31/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon olive oil
In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir to blend. Let the yeast stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the salt. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough gathers into a ball; this should take about 4 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it's smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it over to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
Place a large pizza stone on the lower oven rack, pre-heat the oven (and stone) to 500 degrees F.
Punch the dough down, divide it into 8 pieces, and gather each piece into a ball; keeping all of them lightly floured and covered while you work. Allow the balls of dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes so they will be easier to roll out.
Using a rolling pin, roll each dough ball into a circle that is about 8-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Make sure the circle is totally smooth, with no creases or seams in the dough, which can prevent the pitas from puffing up properly. Cover the disks as you roll them out, but do not stack them up. Put 2 pita rounds at a time on the hot pizza stone and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the bread puffs up like a balloon and is pale golden. Watch closely; they bake fast. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 5 minutes; they will naturally deflate, leaving a pocket in the centre. Wrap the pitas in a large kitchen towel to keep them soft.
Basil is an herb in the mint family. It is often regarded as the "king of herbs" due not only to the fact that its name comes from the Greek word for "king," but due to its versatility.
An new food website, Easy Crock Pot Recipes, has a page of helpful tips for crockpot cooking.
Serves 8
Ingredients:
Directions:
Kitchen Aid has put together a resource to enhance the experience of the home cook. While Kitchen Aid is trying to sell you their product, it is a soft, understated sell. For example, the page on selecting the right appliances does not mention any brands items, but has the Kitchen Aid web address and 800 number at the bottom of the page.
“Find out what great cooks need to know, as our experts provide key insights into:“
- Kitchen Design
"It's More Than A Kitchen" Design Tool
- Location is Everything
- The Classic Triangle
- Reclaim Your Kitchen Space
- Top 10 Kitchen Renovation Tips
- Kitchen Essentials
- Cooking & Entertaining
You'll find lots of helpful hints and tips at the Kitchens for Cooks Institute.
Technorati Tags: Kitchens, Design, Cooking, Entertaining
Ingredients:
Directions
| You Are a Creative Cook |
 You have the makings of a cult chef. You may not cook at the Four Seasons, but you could have your own little funky cafe in San Francisco! |
NGREDIENTS:
PREPARATION:
Cook tortellini as directed on package. Meanwhile, place peas in a colander. When the tortellini is cooked and al dente, pour the contents of the pot over the peas in the colander. Return to the pot. Add butter and stir over low heat until the butter is melted and pasta and peas are coated. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. 3 servingsPress Release:
Planet Organic Market's Eco Karma Committee Helps Our Environment
EDMONTON, May 16 /CNW/ - Planet Organic Health Corp. - (TSX Venture Exchange - POH), Canada's leading natural and organic supermarket chain, is helping the earth through its Eco Karma Committee, an employee-based committee dedicated to improving the environment and corporate citizenship. As part of Planet Organic's Good Works program, the Eco Karma Committee was formed to lead the way in creating a healthier, more earth-friendly Planet Organic Market. "Our purpose was to upgrade Planet Organic Market's eco- commitment," says Pat Tufts, chairperson of the committee and Store Manager in Calgary. "We've made a lot of progress over the past year and now we're making a positive difference."
Since the committee was developed, Planet Organic Markets has built partnerships with the Sierra Club of Canada, a grassroots non-profit agency dedicated to protecting the integrity of our global ecosystems. Planet Organic Markets now donates a portion of profits to The Sierra Club of Canada in an effort to expand environmental initiatives throughout the country.
"We also wanted to help children in third world countries," said Pat Tufts. "We chose the Foster Parents Plan of Canada because it's a child- centred development organization improving the lives of children, their families and communities in 45 developing countries since 1937." For each Planet Organic Market across Canada, three children from Foster Parents Plan are sponsored by the company. So far, there are 15 children sponsored, and with two more locations opening soon, six more children will join the list. Planet Organic Markets also encourages its customers to sponsor other children through Foster Parents Plan.
In addition, the Eco Karma Committee has teamed up with the Pembina Institute; harnessing the power of the wind into electricity. Planet Organic purchases wind power energy for more than 50 computers, including all cashiers' tills. "We know that clean, renewable sources of energy have direct health benefits and are worth investing in," says Pat Tufts. "That's why we buy electricity from the Pembina Institute, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to sustainable energy solutions." The bulk purchase for 24- Megawatt hours of wind energy is equivalent to 24 tonnes of CO2 emissions. This is equal to taking 20 average cars off the road for an entire year.
Another Eco Karma Committee goal is to find environmentally superior solutions in cleaning products used to clean the supermarkets, eco-friendly deli containers, recycling stations, in-house recycling, and food donations. "We're testing out new pagoda containers, which are made from managed trees and can be composted," claims Pat. "We're even using New Leaf Good newspaper for our newsletters made from 100% recycled, 40% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine-free."
Planet Organic Markets is in the process of creating an Eco Karma Booklet for each supermarket. The booklet will educate staff how they can create a healthier environment. Visit www.planetorganic.ca to learn more about Planet Organic Markets.
Heat grill. Combine cranberry sauce, cumin, lime peel, lime juice and jalapeno pepper in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking often until smooth. Set aside 1 cup (250 mL) to serve with chicken.
Sprinkle chicken breast halves or legs with salt and pepper; place skin side down on grill. Cover grill. Cook 20 to 30 minutes or until juices run clear when thickest part of chicken is pierced. Turn occasionally and brush with remaining glaze during last 10 minutes of cooking time. Heat reserved glaze; serve over chicken. If desired, garnish with cilantro. Makes 4 servings.
- News Canada
Ingredients:
2 large onions, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
150 ml (5 0z) olive oil
2 large white (starchy) potatoes, diced
2 bok choy, diced
3 l (6.5 p) chicken stock
parmesan crust
1 400 g (14 oz) tin canellini beans
1 400 g (14 oz) tin diced tomato
3/4 cup small pasta shapes
salt & pepper
Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute the onions, carrots and celery in the olive oil until bits of gold start to form. Add the potatoes and bok choy and saute 2 minutes longer. Add chicken stock, parmesan crust, canellini beans and tomatoes and cook for about 40 minutes. Season and add pasta and cook until pasta is cooked, stirring all the time. Serve. It also better reheated the next day. Some recipes will have you cook the soup for hours to get the vegetables to merge together, but I like to differentiate between them.
| You Are the Swedish Chef |
 You're happy and energetic - with borderline manic tendencies. No one really gets you. And frankly, you don't even get you. But, you sure can whip up a great chocolate mousse |
* 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
* 1-1/2 cups warm water (110-115F), divided
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Directions are for use with a stand mixer. By-hand instructions are included in parenthesis.
1. In mixing bowl of mixer (or large mixing bowl), drop yeast in 1/2 cup warm water, and mix in by hand with a wire whisk. As long as your water heater is set so that the hot water won't scald flesh, hot water straight from your tap should work. If it won't burn you, it won't kill yeast. Let the mixture sit in the bowl for 4 or 5 minutes, until yeast is dissolved.
2. Add sugar 1 cup water and 2 cups of flour to the bowl; mix with mixer (or with wooden spoon) until smooth. Let stand for 10 minutes or so, until mixture rises and bubbles a little in the bowl.
3. Measure in salt, oil, and 1/2 cup flour; mix. Continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time and mixing it in until it is all added. When the mixture gets thick, you'll need to switch to a dough hook before adding more flour. (If you are making this by hand, keep using your wooden spoon and bulging biceps.)
4. Dump the ball of dough on the countertop, but don't knead. Grease the mixing bowl with a little oil or shortening, going right over any flour or dough that is adhered to the side of the bowl. Return the ball of dough to the bowl and cover with a damp towel.
5. Put the bowl of dough in a warm place and let rise until double, about one hour. A sunny window, the top of a stove that is being used for other cooking projects, or by a radiant heat source are all good places to let the dough rise. If none of these are available, don't worry. The dough will rise in any temperature that isn't freezing; it'll just take longer.
6. Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll, push, and pull until you've shaped a 16 inch (or so) long loaf. Place the loaf on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. If your baking sheet is shorter than the loaf, you can place it diagonally to make it fit.
7. Cover the loaf with the still damp towel and let rise until double, about 45 minutes.
8. Make 6-8 diagonal slashes in the top of the loaf using a very sharp knife.
9. Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on wire rack.
10. If you want to make two loaves, mix them separately, one right after the other, rather than doubling the recipe.
Ingredients:
Garnish
Directions:
Yield: 4
Ingredients:
* 1 x loaf day old Tuscan or country bread, cut into small pieces
* 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
* 2 x celery stalks, finely chopped
* 2 x carrots, finely chopped
* 1 x onion, finely chopped
* 5 leaves of basil
* 28 oz can pealed plum tomatoes w/ juices
* 2 – 3 cups vegetable stock
* Salt and pepper to season
Directions:
In a large pot, heat olive oil and throw in celery, carrots, onions and basil. Fry up vegetables until soft and add bread. Stir thoroughly until bread has absorbed all the extra virgin olive oil. Add a few ladles of vegetable broth and continue to stir very well. The vegetable broth helps to break down the bread, turning it into a soft, porridge-like consistency. Add the remaining broth and let reduce.
Add pealed plum tomatoes including the juices and roughly break up tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook for an additional 10 minutes making sure the pappa is dense, not soupy. Serve at room temperature and drizzle with the best extra virgin olive oil you can find.
Add ingredients to blender and PULSE on low for 5-15 seconds.
For more summer party recipes you can make with a blender, visit www.hamiltonbeach.ca.
- News Canada
Yield: 2
Ingredients:
Directions: