mizchef

Archive for May, 2009

Hi, everyone. I spent the last few days in New Mexico and I had a great time. I’ve had New Mexico on my list of places I want to visit but I never quite made it there until now. It’s an incredible place—funky, beautiful, mystical, historic, educational, and awe-inspiring. And for foodies, it’s a place where cuisine is an experience unto itself.

Let’s have a taste of the Southwest…

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Hi, everyone. For those of you who listened in on my interview at KHEN, thanks so much.  Because it was at an awkward time (5 to 7 Eastern), I think most people I know were not able to listen in. But I was expecting that, and that’s okay.

What really sucked is that there were problems with the broadcast. It seems that someone (or some people) went up to the town’s tower and cut the cables. When I walked into the studio with my interviewer, DJ Andi, the station was off the air. It had been going on and off over the course of a couple of days while they were fixing the problem. So Andi kept announcing, “If you hear ‘ssssshhhhhh’, don’t panic, it’s temporary.” But on top of that, when we were on, the stream was really staticky and fuzzy. My friend Angela alerted me to this, so Andi knew to reboot the station’s server.

The broadcast was fine after that, but by this time, the first part of my interview was over. And I suspect that once people heard that the station was off the air and/or was staticky when it was on the air, they probably shut it off.

Ultimately, I don’t think too many people heard the show. Which sucks because I was hoping to get some decent promo from this. We were giving away a copy of my book to the first caller and no one was calling in. It struck me as odd because free stuff is free stuff, even if it is a crappy cookbook , and people will always make a call for something free. I was really getting bummed out that no one was calling in, but then I realized that the broadcast problems were probably to blame. Oh, well. Just my luck.

Finally, someone named Dominic called in for the book. So, Dominic, if you’re reading this, thanks for calling in and I hope you’re enjoying the book. And feel free to let me know how the recipes come out, if you make any.

Despite the technical difficulties, it was a fun interview. I was nervous and timid at first, but by the second part of the interview, I was getting into it. I really was worried that I’d say something stupid and make an ass out of myself, but I think I did pretty well.   Andi helped keep me on track, too. There was one moment when she was adjusting my levels (because I were speaking so softly) and I had finished answering her question, and there was a few seconds of silence, which even I know is bad. I almost started to panic then, but Andi jumped back in with another question and I breathed a big sigh of relief.

On the plus side, Andi taped the interview and we’re going to do a podcast, which I’ll link on my blog. She also may run the interview again on a future show. I’ve had numerous people ask me if they could listen to the interview on KHEN’s archives. They don’t currently have that capability (although, I understand they are working on it), so I will post the podcast as soon as I get that together and will keep you updated on when the interview might run again on the live KHEN stream.

Thanks for coming back this week. I’ll leave you with a recipe from my book. Even though it’s almost Memorial Day, everyone around the U.S. has been suffering with lingering winter. It doesn’t seem to want to let go this year and is hanging on with sharp claws. So, for those of you who have been enduring rain, cold, and even (gasp!) snow, here’s a recipe for Zucchini-Corn Soup with Tubettini. Enjoy, warm up, and have a great Memorial Day weekend!

[Radio tower photo:http://www.negrophonic.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/radio-tower-full.jpg]

You might think from the title of this blog that I’m some kind of lush. Far from it. I advocate safe, responsible drinking. I’m often the designated driver and I always check to make sure friends are in the proper condition to drive. I also respect recovering alcoholics’ need to stay away from the stuff.

Having said that, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying the occasional libation. And with the resurgance of cocktail culture and the emergence of the mixologist—which is basically a bartender schooled in chic and complex drink making, versus a bartender, who may not know what to do with Chartreuse (a liqueur made in France by Carthusian monks) but will make you a wicked dry martini—you can really have a lot of fun trying out all different kinds of concoctions, from wild and crazy to sophisticated and classy.

Join the party…
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Hi, all. Just wanted to make a mid-week announcement. Next Monday (May 18), I am going to be interviewed on KHEN (106.9 FM) radio station. That’s a community station based in Salida, Colorado, which is about 2 1/2 hours outside of Denver. It’s really a cool station. They play a mixed-bag of music and informative programs.

I’m going to be talking with DJ Andi about Italian cuisine, vegetarian cooking, and food and cooking in general. And we’re going to give away one copy of my book, What, No Meat? Traditional Italian Cooking the Vegetarian Way. I’m kinda nervous but excited about it, too. I think it’s going to be fun.

So, if you’d like to listen in, and maybe win the book, you can tune in by going to www.khen.org on Monday, May 18, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Central time (that’s 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for those of us on the East Coast).

Again, that’s KHEN—Free range radio!! Woohoo!!

 (T-Shirt for KHEN designed by Paulette Brodeur)

Hello, fellow foodies! This week I’d like to talk about something that has been plaguing me for the last several years. It’s an issue that’s been underground, but more and more people are coming out and talking about it. It’s a real mystery and one that requires attention. I’m talking about pink pastry boxes. I’ve yet to see one outside of a Chinese bakery, yet it’s the ONLY kind you see on TV shows and in movies. Why? Why is the entertainment industry trying to create an alternate reality where these simple matters are concerned?

But before I get into that, I wanted to just say that my kumquatcello and kumquat salsas have been a huge hit. Woohoo! I’ve had many (many) experiments go awry, but this batch of experiments have turned out pretty well. If you’re just tuning it and want to know what all this talk of kumquats is about, click here and here.

Also, some time in June, I’m going to have my first guest blogger. Her name is Debby Maugans and she’s been a food writer/stylist/recipe developer for 25 years. I don’t know what she will be blogging about but I’m sure it will be great. I’ll give you more details later on.

Now, about those pink pastry boxes…

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Hi, gang. Hope everyone’s doing well. We had some pretty kooky weather here in New York—92 degrees on Tuesday! In April? Crazy, man. Global warming is starting to freak me out.

Today, I’m going to talk about tempeh. People often ask me what it is and I tell them it’s a soy product. “Oh, like tofu?” they ask, understandably. Well, yes and no.  It is related to tofu in that is is made with soybeans but it differs completely in taste, texture, and production.

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