It’s starting to cool down a bit outside. Fall is the perfect smoking weather. The Complete Electric Smoker Cookbook
Homesick Texan’s Spinach Queso Blanco recipe and Cookbook Review: Queso by Lisa Fain
Texas is pretty awesome. We get maybe 5 days of snow a year. Just enough to be ridiculous. When it does, kids get sent out in redneck sleds (laundry baskets). I saw an excited dad hand his beer off to his friend, and then he took his kayak down a snowy hill. And we have smoked brisket, queso, kolache, and Mediterranean geckos. It’s a good place. About that queso…. Lisa Fain, author of Homesick Texan and Homesick Texan Family Table, just put out a book of nothing but queso, and it’s fantastic!
Here’s the recipe for her Spinach Queso Blanco, so that you can taste the book. A big thanks to Lisa Fain for letting me share it with you!
Veggiewise Floats
We read Stephen King’s It for bookclub, and I was inspired by Pennywise the Clown to make a nice little produce sculpture to take with. Veggiewise the Clown. I cracked up when my friends were really hesitant to sample my little crudite display. He is a little bit more off-putting than our treats of Halloweens past…..
Edit: September 2019. I’ve been getting a lot of emails asking for a little more detail about Veggiewise, so I thought I’d add it in here. 😀
Veggiewise’s components
Overall face – Cauliflower florets
Hair – Grape tomatoes and irregular slices of sweet red bell pepper
Framing the top of his head – Irregular slices of green bell pepper
Ruffled collar – Green zucchini and yellow squash ribbons create with a vegetable peeler.
His clown top – Yellow squash, halved the long way and then sliced into half moons
His clown top poofball – Baby carrots standing upright in a happy little bouquet
Eyebrows – Kalamata olives
Eyes – Radishes with green olive irises, and Kalamata olive trimmings and green pepper triangles
Nose – Radish and Kalamata olives
Mouth – The bottom of a sweet red bell pepper. It’s much easier to sculp if you choose a really fat-bottomed pepper. They make the produce world go round. The teeth are trimmed almond slivers over a Kalamata olive background.
For the dip, I made float out of Kalamata olive slices. They float really well. My dip is ranch, but since this is the old-school Pennywise, it would be heeelarious to make a Curry dip for Tim Curry. I really need to make the new Bill Skarsgård version. That would be some mighty terrifying produce.
Tools. I am a knife enthusiast. Here’s my collection. I have two very favorite knives for produce sculpture. They are wonderfully comfortable to work with for long periods of time and cut just so well. They are both full tang, which means that the blade runs the full length of the handle, so you don’t have to worry about it ever separating.
Wusthof Trident Classic Ikon 7” Santoku Knife
Wusthof Classic Ikon 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife
Okay, I am personally addicted to epic fails. Here’s one that someone sent me that cracked me up to no end.
And here’s a link to my own epic fail… and some flippin’ delicious popcorn if you need a treat right now. Jen’s defeated Santas. Happy Halloween, everybody!
Jen’s Tyrolean Omelet and Cookbook Review: The German Cookbook by Mimi Sheraton. Oktoberfest!
Glückliche Schildkröte! My dear friend and knower of big German words, Alvin Heitmann, gave me the title, explaining that it translates as lucky or happy turtles. Perfect. My husband and I put 5 miles on our sneakers every day, but we’re so slow that I call us the proud turtles. We just got back from the Read More
America’s Test Kitchen’s recipe for Crispy Orange Seitan and Cookbook Review: Vegan for Everybody by America’s Test Kitchen
Do you ever get back from a delicious vacation and need to atone for it? When I do, I like to grab vegan or paleo books off my shelf. I know! They’re totally different approaches, but we’re omnivores – foodivores… Anyway, I have good luck with both. When I’m in the mood for vegan, I love to grab this outstanding vegan foodie book,Vegan for Everybody: Foolproof Plant-Based Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and In-Between
I’m in love with their Crispy Orange Seitan! A big thanks to America’s Test Kitchen for letting me share the recipe with you so that you can taste the book! Read More
Shepherd’s Pie recipe and Cookbook Review: Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders
They have tshirts that say, “The book was better”, but never, “The cookbook was better”. Just kidding. Are you an Outlander fan? There’s a cookbook, and it’s just as wonderful as the books and show! I boughtthis kilt
Here’s the best Shepherd’s Pie for you to try! Thanks to Theresa Carle-Sanders for letting me share it with you! Read More
Tex-Mex Beef and Rice (Cauliflower) Casserole recipe and Cookbook Review: Ready or Not! by Michelle Tam and Henry Fong (Nom Nom Paleo)
Ever have one of those delicious vacations that you really need to atone for afterwards? I like to grab a paleo or vegan book then. I know! They’re opposite approaches, but I’ve had great luck with both, so I grab whichever I’m in the mood for. Here’s a paleo book that I love, Ready or Not!: 150+ Make-Ahead, Make-Over, and Make-Now Recipes by Nom Nom Paleo
Here’s a recipe from the book you can try! Thanks to Michelle Tam for letting me share it with you! Read More
Cook book club?! Jacques Pépin Heart & Soul in the Kitchen
Cook book clubs popped up in my feed. Cook book clubs?! I loved book club, and dinner club, so I was intrigued. The basic idea is that you get together with a group of friends each month. You all get the same cook book. You each pick a different recipe, and bring it to share. Everything is served at room temperature, and there’s no doubling of recipes, so it’s stress free. You rotate houses each month and the host gets to pick the title. Okay, that’s too awesome! The first month at my house. Jacques Pépin Heart & Soul in the Kitchen. I’ll make two recipes so my non-cooking foodie husband can join in on the fun. Read More
