Posts

Carrot & Daikon Refrigerator Pickle ♥

The traditional carrot and daikon salad that's used in the wonderful Vietnamese bahn mi sandwiches, just grated carrot and daikon in a "quick" pickle that's pickled without actually having to "can" the jar. Not just vegan, " Vegan Done Real ". ~recipe & photo updated 2015~ ~ more recently updated recipes ~ 2006: Refrigerator pickles, ya gotta love 'em. A few minutes of work, then wait a day or so: then there they are, ready to add piquancy to a plate, spark to a sandwich, specialness to a salad, for the next couple of weeks. This grated carrot and grated daikon combination is especially nice, color-wise, taste-wise, easy-wise. It's great also on a plate, also tucked into a sandwich, like a banh mi . 2015: This time I envisioned nice, even skinny bits of carrot and daikon so pulled out the mandoline for cutting the carrot and daikon. What a pain! Not hard, just time-consuming to do it carefully – safety is key, check out the safe

I ♥ Food Blogs: An Announcement

The December 2006 issue of Sauce, St. Louis' great food magazine, features a story -- yes, I'm the author! -- celebrating the world of food blogs. It features all the St. Louis food blogs and some nearby Missouri and Illinois food blogs too. (Where did we go to high school? Just ask! Here's the current list of St. Louis food bloggers.) Check out the brand-new list of some of my favorite food blogs from across the world too. Where's that story again? Here! SPECIAL OFFER: I'll send a box of Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolates to a commenter (selected at random from all the comments by December 15th) who identifies a particular sentence edited by Sauce. Hint: A real asset to St. Louis foodies, Sauce is also proudly MSM, main stream media. (Be nice, commenters, they really can't help it ... which makes it our job to help others understand by being both kind and generous. Plus Sauce has the greatest guide to St. Louis restaurants. And the hardest food q

St. Louis Food Blogs

UPDATE Please visit the brand-new home for St. Louis food bloggers, StlFoodBlogs.com . One of the great pleasures of food blogging is 'meeting' people from across the world. But it's even more fun meeting people whose kitchens you can come to know, first in the virtual world and then in the real world. Let me introduce you to some of the best foodies, some of the best foodie friends, ever. Here they are, the St. Louis food bloggers, plus some nearby food bloggers we love to see every chance possible! [Photo taken in 2006 at the first meeting of St. Louis food bloggers ] ST LOUIS FOOD BLOGS (1) A Veggie Venture ~ by Alanna, my own blog and St. Louis' first food blog, with vegetable recipes from Asparagus to Zucchini (2005) (2) FamilyStyle Food ~ Karen from Webster Groves cooks for husband, two kids and recipe contests and now for clients at DinnerStyle (2006) (3) One Hot Stove ~ Nupur moved to St. Louis in 2006 and cooks vegetarian home-style

Favorite Sources for St. Louis Foodies

From time to time, local readers ask, "Where do you get [insert: great tomatoes, perfect peaches, great Parmesan cheese]?" So here it is, my favorite sources here in St. Louis, many in the Kirkwood-Webster area. Check back often for updated sources. If you have a favorite that's not on the list, please leave a comment! St. Louis Vegetables, Fruits & Farm Foods & St. Louis Farmers Markets & St. Louis Cheese Sources & St. Louis Meat & St. Louis Sweets & Treats & St. Louis Kitchen Shops & St. Louis Grocery Stops & St. Louis Bread & Pastries & St. Louis - Worth a Stop! & St. Louis Food Media & Recipes with Special Missouri Products See also St. Louis Food Gift Ideas VEGETABLES, FRUITS & FARM FOODS CJ's Produce At the Kirkwood Farmers Market, fresh local produce FAVORITES: Eckert's peaches, Cascade tomatoes for slow-roasted tomatoes Centennial Farms Many local apple varieties,

Celebrate St. Louis

It was 1993 when I moved to St. Louis, a city at the confluence of two great rivers, a place where small neighborhoods are shaded by large trees, a spot where old brick and historic architecture abound. In the first month, the recognition hit: I already felt more at home in St. Louis, even while still living in a hotel, than in all eight years in Dallas. And as a long-time seasonal cook, it's only natural to seek out all-things-local. And so I do ... to celebrate St. Louis. St. Louis Food Blogs An introduction: St. Louis food bloggers plus some nearby food bloggers Local food bloggers are featured in my story in Sauce Magazine St. Louis: A Great Town for Foodies! My favorite bakers, butchers and candlestick-makers in the St. Louis metro area St. Louis Farmers Market News St. Louis Restaurant Reviews Occasional reviews (and rants!) by lifelong cook and restaurant goer, my friend the Foodie Patootie Sofia Bistro Brio's Tuscan Grille Mihalis Chop House Lilu

Lemony Creamy Brussels Sprouts & Celery ♥

Oh this is good, I even made it twice! Lemon and Brussels sprouts are a terrific combination. You could skip the celery but truly, celery and Brussels sprouts are brilliant together too. If you shy from creamed vegetables, don't worry, this sauce is light and bright, not heavy and floury. TIPS If you're buying celery for this, look for a stalk with nice celery leaves I accidentally made it with and without the celery seed, both are great Use plenty of salt in the cooking water (or if you prefer to steam the Brussels sprouts, try this technique ) To better soak up the lemony creaminess, cook the sprouts just past al dente, then cut in half For a gussied up version, I might stir in a small wad of Gorgonzola or a stinky blue cheese To make ahead: clean, trim and X the Brussels sprouts, keep cold and covered (if needed, a day before but better a few hours before) make the sauce but don't add the lemon juice and zest (a few hours ahead) before serving, cook the sprouts, rew

Kitchen Parade Extra: Butter Tart Bars ♥

Let the holiday baking commence! From now til Christmas, like many other cooks I'll be up to my elbows in flour and sugar and butter. And here's the first tray to emerge from my oven, butter tart bars, a bar version of traditional Canadian butter tarts. It's easy to make, perfect for cookie trays ... and utterly delicious. Along with memories of riding the bus to-from my Canadian grandmother's, the recipe is in this week's Kitchen Parade column . ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Looking for other Christmas ideas? Kitchen Parade has lots of holiday inspiration . If you're thinking about hosting a cookie swap, start here . If it's snowy and wintry, Kitchen Parade knows just what to cook . If you're watching Weight Watchers points and calories between holiday parties, Kitchen Parade can help . Counting carbs? Kitchen Parade has low-carb recipes too. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ What's this Kitchen Parade, you ask? It's the published newspaper column that my Mom started wh