Yesterday I spent most of the day making  more Whole Foods Vinyl Banner Totes. They have been going fast, but I think this crop will be picked faster than the last because the images are even better!

All the bags are $30.00 with free shipping. Just shoot me an email as to which bag you would like to buy and I will set you up with how to pay.

Thanks for supporting RTS and for helping to reduce waste in our landfills.

“Apple”

“Apple” (Back)

“Berries”

“Enchanted Berry Bucket”

“Enchanted Berry Bucket” (back)

“Retro Stars”

“Retro Stars”  (back)

“Mission Peach”

“Mission Peach”(back)

“Berry Bucket”

“Berry Bucket” (back)

“Collards” (same front and back)

2 comments

Why had I not done this review earlier? After all, Steven Gdula is an old friend of mine, back from the Baltimore days. I met Steven though the local Baltimore music scene, he was a music writer and publisher of a music fanzine called Ant. He had seen all three bands I had played in and through seeing him on a regular basis we became fast friends. His love of music was only rivaled by his love of good eats, and through food we became even better friends.

Whenever, and this is no lie, I use, smell, see or read the word “Paprika”, I think of Steven. He is the one who turned me on to this little used spice in my early cooking repertoire. His Hungarian background set the stage for his family to frequently use this spice and cooking, for him, was a family rite, his heritage, and in his blood. Whenever I would throw a dinner party Steven would never cease to amaze me (and usually one-up-me) with the dish he would bring. He is someone, who in the kitchen, means serious business.

When I had received an email from him letting me know his second book was to be published and that it was about the history of the kitchen I was somehow not surprised.  Besides being a fabulous cook, he is a very talented writer, being published in various publications such as Details, the Washington Post, and Cooking Light, as well as writing “Wearing History: T-Shirts From The Gay Rights Movement.” (Alyson Books.)

In “The Warmest Room In The House” Steven chronicles the kitchen from the turn of the 20th century to the present. It is a fun and informative read about the best room in any house, the American Kitchen. His research is concise, yet delivered with wit and wonder. This is not your typical “history…ZZZ….history” book. Beginning with the dark age of the American “kitchen” (and I put that in quotes because it was nothing like what we know the kitchen of today to be, and it was a dark, hot place-literally) Steven moves through time decade by decade. I had no idea of the hardship women (and I am sure, some men) endured under those circumstances starting with the 1900’s. By the time the 40’s rolled around life in the kitchen must have seemed “modern” as compared to the drudgery of the previous decades. Maybe this is why the 50’s were tagged as the “Space Age” for the American kitchen!

I am so proud of my friend for having written this book and can appreciate all the hard research he did, as well as admire him for his knowledge about this subject. My final comment is this: This is a must have book for any food lover, chef or history nerd (which I am) that wants to learn about the little known back story of our kitchen history. It was one of my favorite “Food Reads” of 2008 and I look forward to reading his blog, Warmest Room In The House.

3 comments

 

It’s late at night. You’re craving something crunchy to munch on while watching some bad TV. You don’t want to eat just any old junk food, you are health conscience and care about what you feed your body. I have been there, my friends, with nothing in the pantry that fits that bill. Usually, I have a stack of good corn tortillas in my fridge, which brings me to this post.

In my quest for healthy, yet decadent tasting snack foods, I have been experimenting with different ways of making home *fried* corn chips. The key was to have a chip that tasted like it had been put in a deep fryer, with crispy pockets of air and big flavor. After many tests, I arrived at this chip. Crispy and seasoned well, this chip is great with salsa, hummus or just eaten plain. Plus the calories are so much lower than anything you can buy in the store (that are made from natural ingredients, not chemicals). These chips are easy to make and can be baked in advance, although they are best eaten the fresh from the oven. So, the next time the chip munchies come along, try this recipe.

Start with a good corn tortilla. I like Pepitos brand because they don’t use lard and they are super low in calories. At 11 calories a chip they won’t blow your diet.

Make a stack of the tortillas and cut in half.

Now cut the stack in quarters.

Put the wedges in a good size bowl and add about 1 1/2 Tbs. of good oil. Canola is what I like to use.Peanut oil makes the crispiest chips, but the health benefits fly out the window, so I don’t recommend that oil.

Now add your spices. Here, I used a combo of onion and garlic powders, chili powders, seafood seasoning and a bit of salt.

Now toss really well. You need to make sure that all the chips have been fairly well coated to get the maximum crunch.

Lay them out on a non greased baking sheet.

Bake the chips at 425 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Make sure to watch them because they can literally become little coal chips if your oven runs hot.

Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!

22 comments

 

This is just a super quick post to let you all know that my blog , Rockin’ The Stove, has been nominated for Best Food Blog for the Blogger’s Choice ‘09 Awards.

If you believe RTS to be a fun, informative and worthy blog please vote here. You will need to sign up for an account, BUT it’s free and they won’t spam you.

Thanks so much!

5 comments

 

One day last year I was poking around in one of my favorite shops, The Scrap Exchange, here in Durham NC. I came across a barrel that had a bunch of rolled up vinyl banners that came from our local Whole Foods store. There were about 6 of them , all with different images on them. I bought them all and took them home not really knowing what I was to make from them.

A few days later while looking at one I thought , “these would make great bags!”. I commenced to drawing some sketches, cutting out templates and getting the Singer sewing machine sewing. Realizing that the chances of finding more banners at The Scrap Exchange seemed highly unlikely, I went to the source, Whole Foods. They are now giving me the banners, I am making bags like crazy and selling them not only at the monthly studio openings at my art space at Golden Belt, but Whole Foods as well! Way to Recycle, Whole Foods!

These bags are large enough to carry two plastic bags worth of groceries. They are super strong, with handles that are long enough for even a tall guy to put on his shoulder and carry comfortably and since they are vinyl they can be cleaned easily.

If you aren’t a local Durhamite you now have the chance to purchase these bags directly from me. Since all the bags are one -of-a-kind designs I will be selling them on a first come, first serve basis. They are $30 each for my RTS subscribers. Just send me an email and tell me which one you want. Shipping is free. And of course the real bonus for all of us is that they won’t end up in some landfill taking centuries to decompose.

“To Go Green” $30

“Local” $30

“Shrimpin’” $30

“Meat” $30

“Frosty Orange-White” $30

“Mission” $30

“Frosty Orange-Red” $30

2 comments

It’s amazing how much coffee we, as in David and I, drink on a monthy basis. Especially since we were not coffee drinkers up until a few years ago. Being a bit older, choosier and more eco-conscience than say, younger java joes, we search out coffee that is made from fair-trade, shade grown and organic beans. We have become fond of a brand of coffee from Trader Joe’s that fits all those criteria in one canister…which brings me to the canister.

We had tons of them because I could not bear to throw a single one out. I used some for Holiday cookies that we gave to friends. I used some to house my art supplies, but still, they lingered under a kitchen cabinet, growing in number. Then one day while David was pulling out a bottle of wine (our other favorite beverage of choice) from the hall closet it dawned on me that we didn’t have anything to keep our wine in. Storing our vintages on the top shelf of the hall closet for months I waited for the day when one of us would get bonked on the head by a bottle of Carménere. Some where between that thought and seeing one of the coffee bean canisters came the idea of a wine rack.

For all you MacGyver types, here’s a project for you.

Begin with 6 canisters, making sure your bottles will fit inside. Remove the lids and save (that’s for another recycled project that’s coming soon to this blog.)

In your choice of color (or colors) spray paint the outside of all six of the canisters. You will need to do 3 coats. Let them dry for at least 12 hours before going to the next step.

Use a small amount of tape to secure three of the canisters together. This will be the bottom tier. Do the same with two more canisters and set them aside. That will be your second tier.

Now run a bead of heavy duty glue (I used liquid nails) between the gaps in the front and back of each canister.

After the glue sets, place the second tier on top of the first and mark where they meet. Remove the second tier and set aside. Run a line of glue down the length of the canister from front to back where the markings were.

Now place the second tier on top of the fist.

Do the same with the last canister, placing it on top of the second tier, marking, then gluing. Let dry for at least 12 hours.

If the glue shows you can spray another coat of paint to cover the glue. Now fill the rack with your favorite vino from our favorite wine shop, The Wine Authorities…hey, they ship their chemical-free wines almost anywhere! Salut!

5 comments

 

A few weeks ago I got the January issue of Vegetarian Times in my mail box. There was a whole section about quick and easy soups, so I thought it would be fun to try one recipe a night. Well, I made it through four nights. Too much soup can be a bad thing when had over and over, but I wanted to give it a go, you know, for you guys.

Below, you will find the four soups with notes as to why I liked or didn’t like them. I will say that one soup completely surprised me with it’s simplicity and flavor. Over all, this was a fun experiment and I enjoyed the recipes.

Monday Night: Quinoa & Spinach Soup

This soup was very simple to make, only taking about 30 minutes. If it was my own recipe I would have added something more zesty to the mix, like a sprinkling of Parmesan as a finishing touch. White beans would have been good as well. It just needed a bit more depth. I served it with a crusty loaf of bread from Durham’s Guglhupf Bakery, some Goat Lady chevre’ and a bottle of Altosur Cab I bought from our friends at The Wine Authorities.

The actors in this recipe…diced red onion, diced tomatoes, veggie broth, spinach, quinoa…and a few extra spices.

Saute onion in a bit of olive oil on medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add broth and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.

When almost boiling reduce heat and add the quinoa. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Next, add the tomatoes and spinach, simmering about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, or add a few herbs as I did.

Tuesday Night: Curried Cauliflower Soup

Tuesday night’s soup was a creamed soup that didn’t require any cream. This one took about an hour from start to finish. I liked it but on a scale from 1 to 10 I would rate it at a 5. I thought it could have used less water or maybe to double the cauliflower required because it was too thin for me. I will say at 156 calories a serving (I made 4 servings) this would make a good lunch soup. I even added some roasted tofu strips. We had this with an Amstel Light and some more good Guglhupf bread.

The Players…cauliflower, red onion, apple, curry powder, garlic, veggie broth, agave nectar and rice wine vinegar.

In some oil saute onion, then add apple, curry and garlic.

Add cauliflower and broth and simmer 20 minutes.

With a stick mixer (or in a blender) puree until smooth.

Stir in agave and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pretty easy…

Wednesday Night: Cream of Turnip Soup

This soup completely surprised me. Number one, I didn’t think I was a fan of the lowly turnip, but turns out I am. Number two, with only four ingredients I didn’t think this would taste like much, but it did!  The flavors were rich and nutty. It was super easy to make and at 126 calories a serving (I made 4 servings) I decided to make some faux sausage biscuits to have with the soup. This was by far my favorite!

Turnips, onion, bay leaf and creamer…a little oil to saute and that was it….oh, and water or broth.

Cook the turnip and onion for about 15 minutes in a bit of oil.

Add bay leaves and 3 cups of water or broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to  med-low and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat, take out the bay leaves and add some of the creamer.

Puree until smooth.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Thursday Night: Carrot-Miso Soup

This soup would have been so much better had I not added the seaweed I had in my pantry. The recipe called for a piece of  kombu seaweed but all I had was some dried, unidentified seaweed stuff. It gave a strong fishy taste and smell that I couldn’t get past. I will try this again, but will not be using that sea stuff. As for making this soup, although not hard, there were more steps. I served it with some sesame crackers.

In this act we had carrots, leeks, rice, garlic, rice wine vinegar, broth,  miso, agave and seaweed.

Saute the leeks in a little oil.

Add vinegar to deglaze the pan.

Add carrots…

Rice…

Seaweed (but don’t use this kind!)

and 5 cups of water and/or broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

The recipe called for the removal of the kombu seaweed piece, but as you can see the seaweed I used completely unfurled into the soup and there was no getting it out. Puree the soup until smooth.

In a small bowl place about a cup of the pureed soup and mix into the miso…

then add the agave sweetener.

Add back into the soup pot and stir well. The recipe called for wasabi peas as a garnish, but I didn’t have any.

5 comments

On this RTS podcast I combined two cuisines, The Middle East and Latin America, to create this versatile hummus. Check it out!

RTS  is a Vegetarian and Vegan based podcast shot at my home in Durham NC. I will be hosting as well as having various bands show me (and all of you) a favorite veggie friendly recipe. The dream of being able to tie together two of my most loved things (music and food) has finally come true and I invite you to check it out. Let me know what you think. Hey, and if you are a local or touring band and coming to my neck of the woods and have a  recipe to share then please contact me. I would love to see how some musicians cook on the road. (I know we did it when I was in a band).

Also, you can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, YouTube & blip tv.

And if you want to embed this video on your blog, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or whatever else is out there nowadays please feel free.

EMBED CODE:

3 comments

When I first embarked on this food blog journey I envisioned a place where I could express any and all culinary thoughts that came to my mind. A place where people could see all the steps required to make a dish happen, recipes, tips, tricks, etc… which brings me to this post.

After months of planning and effort I would like to introduce you to the Rockin’ the Stove podcast. This is episode #1…there will be many more to follow.

RTS  is a Vegetarian and Vegan based podcast shot at my home in Durham NC. I will be hosting as well as having various bands show me (and all of you) a favorite veggie friendly recipe. The dream of being able to tie together two of my most loved things (music and food) has finally come true and I invite you to check it out. Let me know what you think. Hey, and if you are a local or touring band and coming to my neck of the woods and have a  recipe to share then please contact me. I would love to see how some musicians cook on the road. (I know we did it when I was in a band).

Also, you can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, YouTube & blip tv.

And if you want to embed this video on your blog, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or whatever else is out there nowadays please feel free.

EMBED CODE:

3 comments