Hey, kids. Okay, so this week, democratic Assemblyman from Brooklyn (unfortunately), Felix Ortiz, proposed legislation that would ban salt in restaurant cooking in New York. Chefs are fighting this proposed legislation and calling it absurd. Full article HERE.
It is absurd. How dare the government tell restaurants what they can and can’t cook with? We’re talking salt here, not heroin. This is a matter of personal choice and personal resolution.
Oh, my god. March 5 is National Cheese Doodle Day! Can you believe that? Remember munching on an entire bag of cheese doodles and ending up with orange hands? Those were the days. For some of you, it was today. That’s okay, we all have our weaknesses.
Whether you prefer Wise’s Cheez Doodles or Frito Lay’s Cheetos, or those little, round orangy balls that they sell in those gigantic plastic tubs and try to pass off as cheese doodles, this is a snack food that seems to live on and on. It’s associated with kids’ parties and backyard barbecues, and if you serve it at a party, it’s considered (pardon the pun) cheesy. Yet, we can’t help ourselves, can we? I don’t know about you, but I find it impossible to control my hand when it reaches for the bowl of the bright orange oddities. No matter how good my intentions are when I go to a party, no matter how determined I am to stick to the crudites and fruit salad, my hand just moves away from my body and makes a beeline for those cheese doodles. Damn hand! It’s all your fault I have weight issues!
Hey, gang. Well, I’m still trying to get through the proof of my cookbook. At this point, it’s not just proofreading it and looking at layout, I’m actually making corrections myself in the InDesign file. I had such an incredibly long list of corrections to be made—both layout and editorial—that in the interest of making things easier for everyone, I offered to make the corrections.
Part of my problem is that I only know the basics of InDesign. When I was working at Travel Agent Magazine, I had to use it, but only for content edits and minor formatting changes. I learned as I went, and there wasn’t any time to learn more than I absolutely had to. Plus, it’s been over a year since I’ve done even that much in InDesign. I had to first re-acquaint myself with the program and figure other things out. Fortunately, I’m skilled in QuarkXPress, so it’s not like I don’t know anything about layout programs at all. But Quark is different from InDesign.
Anyway, it’s taking me forever because I’m doing everything–checking layout, proofing content, correcting layout, correcting content, then I have to redo the Index, table of contents, and check all cross-referenced material throughout the book. I’m totally experiencing deja vu because I already did all of this. But here I am, doing it all again. I’m so grateful that I have someone helping me proof the copy. That’s taking plenty off my plate.
In the meantime, everything else is on hold. Work on my second cookbook, work on my novel and short stories, and the floor needs a good sweeping. I did, however, manage to do a few loads of laundry. I had no choice. I’m going to be on the road starting Sunday and I need clean clothes.
So, I’m going back to the task at hand. I’m hoping that by next week, I’ll be able to tell you that everything went fabulously and my beautiful new cookbook will be available soon.
I’m sick of the snow, and I’m sure you are, too. So, I’m going to wish you all an end to winter, a quick leap into spring, and a wonderful week ahead.
Hang loose.
Hi, kids. I’m having a hectic week working on two different cookbooks at two different stages. First, let me talk about the 
first book. What, No Meat? is finally close to being finished. Not just yet, but close. My publisher, Rogue Books (an imprint of Bedazzled Ink) fell way behind schedule and even though I contracted with them last summer, I’m only now seeing the proof. The fact that it took so long in and of itself doesn’t upset me. What upsets me is that we missed the Christmas shopping season. Christmas is THE prime buying season for cookbooks because people buy them as gifts. I take partial responsibility for this because this is Bedazzled’s first cookbook and I knew about the Christmas season thing, yet didn’t say anything. Honestly, I didn’t think I needed to say anything because I kept thinking that it would be out by that time. By the time it dawned on me that it wouldn’t, it was too late to say anything. Don’t get me wrong, I did keep checking in from time to time, but I should have been more aggressive about it.
Hi, gang. Well, if you’ve been watching the Food Network this month at all, you may have picked up on a theme. Let’s see, there was Alton Brown doing multiple chocolate shows; Unwrapped discussed the history of chocolate treats; On Food Network Challenge, the challenges for this week are Chocolate Runway Challenge, Chocolate Masterpieces, Chocolate Wonders (you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen the Eiffel Towel done in chocolate latticework!), Chocolate Landmarks, and Chocolate Fantasy; and just last night, I watched two back-to-back episodes of Iron Chef, wherein the secret ingredients were chocolate and chocolate and chiles.
By: André Karwath aka Aka
Umm, have you guessed the theme yet? That’s right, you’ve won the prize. It’s chocolate! That’s because February is Celebration of Chocolate Month, all hinged on one day: St. Valentine’s Day, this Sunday. (Incidentally, February 14 is specifically National Creme-Filled Chocolates Day. Gee, I wonder why.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Hi, gang. I hear sales of big-screen TVs have gone up recently. Why? Because
it’s SUPERBOWL TIME! This Sunday, February 7 is Superbowl Sunday and people all over the country are gearing up with new sets, stocking up their refrigerators and coolers with beer, and planning their munchies spread.
This year, it’s the Indianapolis Colts vs. the New Orleans Saints. And since this is the first time in the team’s history that the Saints are going to the Superbowl, I’m sure many New Orleanians and Louisianans are going to party hardy this weekend.
Now, I won’t claim to know much about football, but if you’re having a Superbowl or tailgate party, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s see what’s on the menu…
Hi, all. I hope everyone’s sage and warm in the latest wave of winter wonderland-ness that’s hitting various parts of the country and the world. All I have to say is, “BRRRRRR.” This is the kind of weather that sends people running to comfort food, stuff that’s warming and that reminds us of our childhoods. Of course, comfort food means something different to everyone.
Which brings me to my topic for this week: February is National Snack Food 
Month! Now, snack food is not necessarily comfort food, but for some, it is. And it’s particularly appropriate that I’m writing about snack food today because I’m craving it for an entirely different reason, and it is a source of comfort for me during those times. I think you know what I mean. Moving on…
Hi, kids. It’s been a really rough week for me. I’ve had to deal with a broken sink, bad news from various friends and, worst of all, a malicious virus on my computer. It’s the Malware Defense, and if any of you have had to deal with it, you know how heinous it is. My entire week was taken up w
ith combating this vicious thing and in the end, I had to wipe out my computer and reload my OS. It’s going to take me days to reload all my programs. A couple of programs I lost altogether because I no longer have the installation disks. <huge sigh> The people who created this obviously have knowledge and skill—why can’t they use their powers for good? I hope the proper karma is in store for the people who sit around and come up with this stuff. People like that are a waste of humanity.
Anyway, on with the show.
Hi, kids. Before I get into this week’s topic, I just want to express my sympathy for all the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, and for all those here and around the world who lost loved ones. In thinking about what to write about this week, I remembered how lucky I am right now that I have the luxury of talking about food and that I don’t have to scrounge around a devastated countryside looking for food and water. When I’m feeling sorry for myself, I try to remind myself of these things. If you’d like to help with the relief effort in Haiti, visit the Red Cross.
Okay, let’s get into it.
Hi, all. I hope that the first week of the new year has been good to you. I know a couple of people who have lost people very close to them this week, so my heart goes out to them. It’s not an auspicious way to start the year, but one can hope that things can only get better from here.
Let’s get drinking…