so what have i been up to

Hibernating with this blog, for one?

Cooking? Yes, to an extent.

The winter, you might ask? What's been on my fork? Jambalaya with shrimp, pork, beef, and andouille. Twice. Rich crab gumbo served piping hot. T-bone steaks bought on sale, thick-cut, seared on a new cast-iron grill pan. Vegetable de-tox soup, with homemade veg. stock, which needs a little work, but is basically vegetable tea, superfood. Spinach omelettes, heavy on the spinach, binded by a single egg. Whole braized branzino cooked summer style in lemon and herbs (possibly the most enjoyable meal of all). Lots of roasted roots. Couple of tempeh meals (yes, I can eat that stuff, but lately have not been enjoying it much). Slow-cooked pork shoulder bought real cheap, cooked all day, so good you could have cried.

Drink-wise? Two major beer, um, tasting sessions, fridges stocked with serious brews - the Harboon Leviathan collection, home-brewed coffee stout, Bitches Brew from Dogfish, rubbing elbows (and ice fishing) with a national award-winning IPA home brewer, a brewery trip to Brooklyn Brewery.

In the meanwhile, what else, as homework?

Just about finished digesting the food edition of The New Yorker, which came out in November. Brushed up a little more on Euell Gibbons and his foraging genius.

Made plans to plant potatoes at the lake next month (they'll be ready in time for the fall - cut up a potato, put one "eye" in the ground, and wait six months, that's it).

Made further plans to be at said lake in mid-July, knowing that raspberries surrounding the entire place will not be there two weeks later.

Considering purchasing an outdoor food smoker "for my Dad."

Signed on to cook Easter meal for parents, because they'll be traveling and arriving back in NY that Sunday.

Ate at a trendy Korean food truck on a cold day and was disappointed. Ate at a Bistro Truck, well.. the "Bistro Truck," and loved it.

Took my parents to Gino's Italian pasta place in Bay Ridge, swearing that it was awesome, and it held true to my swears. They loved it.

For food safety reasons, held true to only ordering burgers in restaurants medium-well, even though I'd love them medium or medium-rare. Also, held out on calling anyone out or mentioning said rule.

Been a year-plus of eating no chicken. OK, ate chicken once, but it had to be "air-chilled."

Progress -- what have YOU done?

on chili appreciation

So, why should you love chili?

First, let me admit that, at first, I did not even like chili. I thought it was strictly dude food, along with hot dogs, mac-and-cheese-in-a-box, and more. Then, I made a batch or two and set out to find a good, all-around chili recipe, which I did find and have been using for the past two or three winters (recipe below).

Chili grew on me for a few reasons. First, it takes all of about 20 minutes and under $10 to get a good batch going. Once you've got it up and simmering, lower the heat, throw the lid on and do something else. As I write this right now, my apartment is full of the comforting scents of chili. I managed to skip all of last winter, so this is the first batch in a long time. Secondly, when it's cold out, a bowl of something warm - like pho, like chowder, like bisque - is righteous. Lastly, you get to use things that might otherwise just sit on your spice rack. That alone is satisfying.

The chili I chose to make today put to use some Hunter's Blend ground meat I picked up from D'Angelo Bros. Meats in Philadelphia and had kept in my freezer. It's a mixture of whatever Sonny D. has at hand, and this particular batch is six types of meat - pheasant, wild boar, venison, antelope, beef and one other kind I cannot recall. At the suggestion of a good friend and his smart girlfriend, I went easy on the spices so as not to overpower the meat mixture that was made with such consideration. If you've ever met Sonny D'Angelo, witnessed his butcher shop antics or seen him harass anyone, you'll feel good in knowing that he stands by all his products with a lot of pride. As mean and misunderstood as he might be, I can picture him sitting somewhere, inside from the cold, making a chili much like the one on my own stove right now.

So, whatever it is that you get out of chili, even if it's just a good food to throw into a crockpot and serve while watching the football game, what I want to do is encourage you to realize that it's a food that shouldn't be taken for granted. Find your own thing or two to appreciate about it, whether it's for being the rustic, simple food that it can be, or because it came from the hand of an angry Italian guy in South Philly.

"Good Chili," originally from www.chilicooks.com

1 lb. ground meat
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. water
2 tbs. chili powder
1 tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/3 tsp. ground allspice (my own addition)

Brown the ground meat, onion and garlic. Drain out all the liquid. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for an hour. Makes 4 servings. Done.

today i discovered the andi system and almost cried

Today, on a quick stroll through Whole Foods, a small sign caught my eye going down the escalator. "What is the ANDI system?"

I spotted another sign down in the produce section and what I read almost brought me tears of joy. If this has been going on all year, it's the first time I noticed it - the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index, a numerical system on in-store grocery items and produce that rates them based on their vitamin/nutrient density per calorie. Kale and Collards, dark, leafy vegetables you've been hearing and reading were so good for you for years now - 1000 points, a perfect score. Soda, the sugary, colored, liquid corn - go home, 1 point.

Sure, I had to seek out the card that explained the scale, but this kind of marketing is exactly what this country needs - an easy-to-read, clear graphic with a number that straight-up tells you which foods are best for you, and which filled with filler or even empty, addicting calories like the ones you read about in Fast Food Nation. The ANDI system was adopted from a book written by Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book, Eat For Health, which proposes that a formula exists for healthy food: H=N/C. Health equals nutrients divided by calories.

What does that tell you? Well, nothing that you don't already know if you've listened to any of the books that have hit mainstream in the last few years. Whole foods and, generally, a plant-based diet will fortify you with vitamins and nutrients. Nothing processed, nothing with preservatives. And, if you look at it this way, nothing too white.


I thought of Jamie Oliver. I thought of Huntington, West Virginia. I thought of how much far away things still are from being perfect, how it's cheaper to go across Union Square to the McDonald's for two Big Macs for $4 than it is to buy a pound of grapes right here in this Whole Foods. But, this is a great start, and what's more, I think it's a system that even our parents might buy into. Many younger folks might easily, but, if they do, as a group, then we're onto good things.

predictions for 2011: the caffeine crunch

The Four Loko alcohol/energy drink controversy put it over the top for me.

I predict that in 2011, America will be more conscious of caffeine intake, and that caffeine will be the next "cigarette," "carb," "trans fat" - the next demonized commodity. Caffeine-induced health problems will saturate the news, despite what probably is a strong Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts lobby, and soon enough, people will understand that... well, you got jacked.

Ever-increasing coffee sizes. The DD "Great One." Kids drinking Monster Energy drink for breakfast - the caffeine rush will come to and end and we'll remind ourselves 1) that sometimes it's best to treat yourself to good coffee, rather than the corner deli nonsense, and 2) that the normal size isn't a venti, or a Great One, but an eight-ounce cup.

How did we ever function with such high levels of caffeine surging through our systems? How did we not know better up until this point? We'll all be asking ourselves these questions during 2011, when we realize that we've been walking around over-caffeinated and dehydrated for as long as we can remember.

In college, sometimes I'd make coffee too strong, and you'd feel your heart racing in your chest as you tried to sit down at a desk and read or write. Nothing you could do but ride it out. After school, while working as a reporter, I found that the afternoon coffee became a regular occurence. It was easier to write while awake, but more difficult to focus. Caffeine triggers a gland that secretes a hormone that triggers a gland to produce adrenaline - you know, the stuff that allows boxers to stay in the ring, taking hits without feeling pain, or allows little old ladies to lift cars to free trapped children.

Recently, if you're like me, you limit your coffee intake to before noon, unless there's a specific reason not to - an evening work event or a date.

But I genuinely feel like we're ready to make this happen, that we're advanced enough to see this from a higher perspective and be conscious of our health, particularly the deleterious effects of caffeine.

So, want to see how much caffeine will kill 'ya? Check out Death by Caffeine, where you can enter your weight and see how much Pepsi, Monster, Starbucks and Snapple it'll take to take you down.

Chart courtesy of the I-guess-now-defunct Theory World.

Photo: Bob's Diner on a Saturday Morning

Bob's Diner, Roxborough, November 20th, 11:55am

Good and bad news for dogfish 120-min IPA

So, is a 3-hour drive (or a 2-hour drive...) worth it for a little Dogfish 120?

It should be.

This week, Sam and company down there at Dogfish said that after dumping an earlier bad batch of their famed high-octane 120-minute IPA, things are looking up for batches currently being brewed.

"If the next test batch of 120 goes well at the R&D brewery in our Rehoboth pub and you happen to be in the area you might want to swing by and try it," said an official Dogfish blog post.

There's still no definite time frame on a national release, but want to know when it'll be on tap down in De.?

You can find out by checking here.

Food and Politics

Election day usually means that I treat myself to some sort of politically themed alcoholic beverage.  I try to drink a few of them while I am ranting about the election returns and how this time I am serious about moving outside the United States.  This beverage of choice this year is the Dark and Stormy.  There is no shortage of symbolism in the drink's name, but I am drinking it out of desire and convenience.  I will also decide on a food option over the next few hours.  Either way, I think that the first Tuesday in November is always a fine excuse for something tasty.

I also wanted to use this post as an excuse to link up a post from the weekend.  Obama was in Philly on Saturday giving a speech to volunteers at Temple University.  On his way back from the speech he stopped by Famous Deli on 4th and Bainbridge.  The deli is widely known for its massive sandwiches that you end up eating for three days after.  It is also an essential stop on a Philly politics reality tour because of the many local officials that go there on a regular basis.  If you were to goto Famous Deli right now you would see a lot of politicians and poll workers stopping for an election day meal.  I had dinner there on Thursday night when Bill Clinton was here campaigning.  I thought there would be an off chance that he might stop by the deli after his appearance, but he did not.  Instead of Clinton I was able to see retired District Attorney Lynne Abraham chowing down in her stonewashed jeans.  Sort of a humorous consolation.

I am certainly not the first to mention the food and politics of Famous Deli, but in the spirit of election day it is a nice reminder.

link: Philadelphia Lunch Stop: President Obama Visits "Famous 4th Street Delicatessen" [Obama Foodorama]