Pull Up a Spoon

There are a lot of  books, magazines, websites, etc. dedicated to the kitchen. These publications are also dedicated to the woman’s kitchen.  Why can’t the man be the master of his domain kitchen?  (I dare to ask.)  I am in search of the equipment, tools, and gadgets that when put together make the Man’s Kitchen.

I don’t care who you are. There is nothing better than a sweet, baked treat, and it’s important to note that men can bake them, too. Having the right, or coolest, equipment helps with the cause. The stand mixer is that piece of equipment.

This isn’t your mom’s (or grandma’s) stand mixer. Nowadays, the KitchenAid Artisan Series and other mixers come in a variety of colors and finishes - like dark blue and stainless steel - that mix to the music of a masculine tune.  As a fan of bright colors, I have the orange (or tangerine) mixer which as a (reluctant) Bengals fan constitutes masculinity, to me.

Although mixers come in a boat load of colors, you don’t have to stop there. These days, celebrity and novice chefs alike are customizing their mixer with race car flames and World War II fighter plane imagery. You can add these embellishments yourself or outsource to a friendly artist as Guy Fieri of Food Network did for a pair of mixers he auctioned off at the 2011 South Beach Wine and Food Festival. Fieri’s mixers were tattooed (if only I could find the image!) with images of dragons. If flames and tattoos aren’t your thing, check out car decals. You never know what might find.

All of this talk about baking has reminded me - a stand mixer just isn’t for cakes and muffins. The KitchenAid mixer has a number of accessories - meat/food grinder, sausage stuffer, pasta makers. These few attachments take the stand mixer from your grandma’s kitchen and give it a whole new life in The Man’s Kitchen.

I’m growing a garden! There isn’t much to report on at this point (being it is March 8), but be on the look out for more as things start growing.

Last year, I grew a small container herb garden. Roughly around last April, I went to the Home Depot, grabbed some herbs I thought I would use and planted them in two different pots. This is the day I planted the young herbs:

It didn’t take long for the rosemary to take over the second pot. Which was okay. I didn’t really use the thyme or oregano often enough to need a lot. A similar situation occurred with the parsley, while the chives dried up rather quickly (although they have already sprouted) and there just never seemed to be enough basil.

In my effort to have a more substantial garden this season, I am taking on some real vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, pickles, and bell peppers.  I chose these crops because I eat and cook with them more than other.  Plus, I thought it’d be fun to make pickles.  I’m also going to grow some basil since I used it the most over the other herbs last year.

The most challenging thing (which I’m really excited about) is that I’m going to grow them all from seeds! I bought a seed greenhouse and I’m looking forward to starting the seeds and transferring the small veggies to bigger pots.  I’m really confident that I can do this, too. My great grandfather was a farmer (it’s in the blood) and I also took a college course called “The Science of Growing Plants.” No lie. I’ve got a green thumb

If ever I decide to change careers and become a farmer, I am very confident I will be able to do so (somewhat) successfully.

Fondue, huh?  I have to say I was hesitant. To me, fondue had (keyword had) a reputation of being a 1970’s fad that disappeared with bell bottoms and floral prints. When I thought about fondue, a picture similar to this came to mind:

This picture is enough for me to believe that fondue is a dated eating experience. Nonetheless, when my friends suggested we do make fondue, I at least had to give it the “old college try.” (Old college try, because I am no longer in college. Womp, womp.)

Friday night, after wine tasting of course, we scattered like birds through Whole Foods, on the hunt for the best cheese and dipping foods. I bought a warm, roasted chicken. Sounds a little odd to be dipping a roasted chicken in cheese, but haven’t you heard of chicken con queso? Hola? We also had cubes of apple, bread, tomato basil sausage, and kielbasa (by far the best dipped in cheese).

For the cheesy goodness that is fondue, we shredded gruyere and swiss cheeses, plus a splash of white wine, half-and-half, and lemon juice to really boost the flavors (a pinch of nutmeg was absentmindedly left out).

A little heat from the fondue pot, and we had melted, smooth, cheesy fondue fit for a 1970’s after-the-disco party. Seriously. Rocky would have chased after this fondue like it was Adrian after a big fight. Charlie would have actually shown up with the Angels to eat from this pot. Forget Watergate, Nixon would have resigned to eat more of this.

Okay, enough with the ‘70’s analogies. With help from the super cool Cuisinart Fondue pot, the average age of the crowd (25), and the music playlist (a mix of Lady Gaga and 90’s tunes), we made fondue fun - FUNdue, if you will - and current.

It wasn’t long before the cheese was gone - actually, that cheese had only 15 minutes of fame - but we soon filled the pot with something even more delicious than cheese. Chocolate. (Okay, my mouth just seriously filled with spit.)

A little dark and milk chocolate melted together and mixed with a little of that half-and-half really paired perfectly with our pound cake cubes, pineapple, strawberries, and sliced bananas. (Seriously, I’m going to need a bucket for all of this mouth-watering.)

After one night of fundue, I am a changed man. What was I thinking that fondue was a thing of the past? I don’t even know that guy. Who says people don’t change?

There are a lot of  books, magazines, websites, etc. dedicated to the kitchen. These publications are also dedicated to the woman’s kitchen.  Why can’t the man be the master of his domain kitchen?  (I dare to ask.)  I am in search of the equipment, tools, and gadgets that when put together make the Man’s Kitchen.

With the announcement of the iPad 2 on Wednesday, it seems only fitting to put it (both editions) on the list of equipment and gadgets for The Man’s Kitchen.

A cookbook, cooking school, and measurement converter (plus so much more) in one, it is a great companion while cooking in the kitchen.  There are hundreds of cooking apps, from Food Network’s In the Kitchen app to Epicurious, these apps will help find the best recipe for whatever meal or mood you’re cooking for.

Too broad?  Just download an Italian or Asian cuisine app and test your skills for authentic cooking.

Chef Gordon Ramsay, of Hell’s Kitchen fame, has recently launched an app (other chefs are sure to follow).  Ramsay’s app includes 56 recipes with high def videos that will give any novice the confidence to cook (hopefully keeping the h-e-l-l part out of the kitchen).

Apps aside, the iPad is perfect for any man’s cooking skills. For the organized man, the iPad will keep his kitchen organized while cooking. A little more disorganized? It’s sure to help ease the cooking stresses of a beginner or messy cook. Especially if mounted to a vertical surface with some of the cool gadgets that have appeared over the last year. You can magnetically attach your iPad to the fridge with the FridgePad or pick a convenient spot on a kitchen wall and mount it with the Wallee iPad Wall Mount. These mounting pieces are less mobile than some, but if you purchase the case, you can stand it on your counter or stick the cover in a cabinet and let it hang out will do the trick, too.

If you’re not sold yet (it is a pricey sum at $499), the chance to have recipes and cooking demos at your fingertips in the kitchen, plus your iPod or the Pandora app all on the same, simple, mobile device make cooking and being in The Man’s Kitchen more fun and exciting.  Plus, it will look really cool.

Yesterday I tried out two new snacks for my small group meeting from my church. I was looking for something different to make. Skyline chili dip and queso and chips (both delicious and two of my favorites) are over done, and I also wanted something healthier and more interesting. Food shouldn’t just taste good, it should also spark conversation:

“What did you make?” my friend said.

“I made this hummus dip,” I said.

“Oh, wow.  You made the hummus?  Impressive,” she returned. After a minute of zoning out, I quickly returned to reality and heard what my friend had said. ‘Wait, that’s not right. Tell her you didn’t make the hummus!’

“Oh, no. I didn’t make the hummus. But I did mix in some herbs!”

No kidding. I did have this conversation and although it was short lived, I was quite proud of myself for making the hummus from scratch in my absent-minded reality. (I’m not even sure how you make hummus from scratch. I assume it is more complicated than I think, but please prove me wrong.)

Back to the dips. For the record, I am not a throw-something-in-a-bowl-and-mix-it-together kind of cook, and, ta-da!, a tasty treat. So I paged through Food Network Magazine, FoodNetwork.com, and Epicurious to no avail. Finally, I went to Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine, and in this case “America’s Homemaking Queen” hit a home run. Inspired by an “Instant Party” menu, I tried out two easy-to-make dips: Herbed Hummus and Spiced Carrot Spread.

The Herbed Hummus was so easy (so easy that I had the conversation above). For the record, I did mix it together. Basically, just chop up some herbs (like dill, parsley, cilantro, and chives) and fold them in to a store-bought container of your favorite hummus. Done. And delicious.

To clarify, Spiced Carrot Spread (recipe at the bottom of this post) is a dip made of carrots, not for dipping carrots in. That said, this was a little more time and skill intensive. To start, I had to steam six chopped carrots. Once the carrots were soft, I moved them to a food processor and dumped in the spices (I omitted one ingredient. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find Tahini!). A few spins of the processor and I had a tasty, bright orange dip. Spread across a cracker or a chip, it’s a dip that would make Bugs Bunny yell, “What’s up, doc?”

As an added bonus, I roasted some peanuts coated in olive oil, the juice of two limes, a little cayenne pepper and paprika. These nuts were delicious with a kick and would pair perfectly with a beer!

The food I brought to the table was only the beginning. Once at my friend’s home, she added two delicious snacks: homemade potato chips with curry ketchup and Vidalia Onion Dip. Curry ketchup is simply a little curry added to ketchup and it is the best ketchup development since green ketchup (remember that stuff?)

The Vidalia Onion Dip was so good and addicting. It was sweet, tangy, and cheesy, and I am insisting that my friend share the recipe with me.

Spiced Carrot Spread (courtesy Martha Stewart Everyday Food)

Set a steamer basket in a saucepan with 2 inches simmering water. Add 6 medium carrots (3/4 pound), thinly sliced. Cover and steam until tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, along with 1/2 small garlic glove, chopped, 1/4 teaspoon each ground cumin and finely grated peeled fresh ginger (although I used ground ginger from the supermarket), 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon tahini (which I omitted), and 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper.  Process until smooth, about 1 minute, adding up to 2 tablespoons water if necessary. (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 3 days.) Serves 4

Living with my parents (and currently my younger brother home on spring break) brings a lot of great perks.  Free rent, free laundry, free food, etc.  The one problem is that more often than not, the free food is great take-out.  So, tonight I made dinner. 

I wasn’t planning to cook an entire meal for the family, it just happened.  Earlier today my mom and I were trying to think of something to cook (we could not stomach another phone call to a local eatery). What if we roasted a chicken.  Aha!  Sounds good to me and, better yet, I could do it.  In college, I roasted a chicken to test my cooking skills amid a culture of campus/cafeteria dining and late-night take-out.  Here I am, channeling my inner Julia Child:

“If no one’s in the kitchen, who’s to see?”  For the record, I did not take this picture fully aware of Julia Child’s.  I thought I was being unique - more like grotesque.)

Of course, a 3-4 pound chicken isn’t something we keep on hand in the refrigerator. So I made a trek to a local Kroger and picked up a 4.5 pound chicken, a head of broccoli, a sack of Yukon Gold potatoes and some dinner roles (because there aren’t enough carbs already).  Oh, and a can of pees that mom had to have that I forgot and made a second trip for.

I can’t forget the most important ingredient I picked up: a brown paper bag.  Before I dashed out the door, my mom said to make sure I get a brown paper bag.  What for? To roast the chicken in.  Oh, right; of course; how could I forget the paper bag?  Say, what?  Yet, in a never ending effort to please my parents, I made sure to ask the woman behind the check-out counter for one paper bag and not to put my groceries in it, rather put it in with them.  I’ll be honest, I was a little skeptical of this paper-bagged-roasted-chicken, but let’s give it a shot.

First things first, get a baking dish out (a roasting pan and a rack can be used, too, but it’s not necessary).  Place the chicken in the dish (make sure it’s not frozen) and remove the inners (you know that little paper bag of chicken organs, gonads, and do-dads they stuff in it).  Once that was done, I chopped up an onion, a celery stalk, and an orange (for a little citrus flavor) and stuffed the chicken good.  Rub with butter, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika, and that chick is ready to be cooked.

Then I broke open the paper bag, carefully put in the chicken-a-la-baking dish and sealed the bag.  Then it’s into the oven at 450 degrees for one hour, and another hour at 350 degrees. 

For the next two hours, I could smell a chicken, veggies, and an orange roasting away, and spiked with the aroma of a burning, brown paper bag.  At one point, I thought maybe it was actually on fire in the oven.  I was relieved to find out I was wrong, but word to the wise: make sure your bag isn’t touching any side, top, bottom, or angle of the oven.  Paper in an oven can be bad news bears.  Yikes!

Oh, but two hours later and a small kitchen fire scare was worth it.  Once I pulled out that paper bag, I ripped it open.  Okay, I carefully cut up the center with kitchen scissors, but I did have to rip open the end to get the scissors in.  Once open, a crispy (thanks to our friend the paper bag!), juicy, golden brown roasted chicken was taunting me with “Look at me.  I look good enough to eat.”

Matched with some mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli (that later came to a cold, room temperature - yuck!) and it was a somewhat warm, Monday night dinner.

There are a lot of  books, magazines, websites, etc. dedicated to the kitchen. These publications are also dedicated to the woman’s kitchen.  Why can’t the man be the master of his domain kitchen?  (I dare to ask.)  I am in search of the equipment, tools, and gadgets that when put together make the Man’s Kitchen.

With winter winding down (thank you Puxatony Phil), soon we’ll be cracking open the grills outside and layering in the charcoal (or refilling the propane tank).  But now a days you can grill inside during the cold, winter months.  Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats the flavor of a charcoaled grilled burger or hotdog, but a grill pan does help keeping the winter blues away.

Just right for the stove top, you can grill anything in this pan: burgers, hotdogs and brats, chicken, and shrimp; anything that can be grilled.  This particular grill pan comes with a panini press to make your favorite hot sandwich.  Just heat the press separately and lay on top of your sammy.  

The grill pan is available in enameled cast iron and a lot of different colors (like the green above) to meet the needs of your man kitchen.  A real masculine, rustic look can be achieved with a pan like this one.  There are a lot of different manufacturers who sell grill pans, but do your research.  Some are more expensive (like this one from Le Creuset) than others which do the job just as well.  Get one and get grilling - inside.

I had an adventure yesterday.  I made a visit to Jungle Jim’s International Market.  A bit of a drive to Fairfield, Ohio (about forty minutes from where I live), Jungle Jim’s is “a grocery store unlike any other supermarket you’ve ever experienced” and a food destination in Southwest Ohio.  Why did I visit the supermarket-of-all-supermarkets?  I was looking for something to do and a visit to “Foodieland” was the perfect cure for a case of the Mondays Wednesdays.

Upon entering the market, my first stop was at the aptly named “Olive Pit”.  Olives of all shapes, colors, and sizes were spread in front of me and the woman behind the counter played into my love of olives by encouraging me to taste them all.  

One kalamata lead to a Sicilian, and then a green olive marinated with fennel (my favorite of the buffet) and so on until I decided to call it a day after popping an olive filled with garlic (whoa).

Feeling as if I could pee olive oil, I ended up in the Big Cheesy (Ha! See what I did there, like the Big Easy, but the Big Cheesy) aisle.  

Cheeses from all over the world: Italy, France, Spain, Greece.  I couldn’t leave all of this cheese without a free sample - similar to a brie, but from California with a sweet and nutty flavor.

A brief visit through the wine and beer section, including an entire aisle of beer brewed in the Mid West and here in Cincinnati.  I had no idea there were so many still brewed right here in the Queen City.  I think a beer tasting might be in order.

Then the produce section (by way of the delectable dessert and bakery section; cue the mouth watering).  

This was not your grandma’s produce.  I forgot I was in a supermarket and not what seemed like an international farmer’s market. From beautifully green zucchini to Jamaican Ugli Fruit; celery root to red bananas.  I really wanted to snag a taste of a blood orange, but I think I would have been caught red-handed.  Yikes!

Thanks to the way-finding tree I found my way to the international aisles.  I first turned down the stretch of Indian products and instantly smelled the cumin, curry, and tumeric.  I was particularly fond of the products of England (Scot’s Oats cereal in particular), but the shelves of pasta sauces from local Ohio artisans to straight from San Pietro di Positano, Italy made my mouth water for some stellar pasta.

By this point (and an hour in to the visit) I was overwhelmed.  With a rather disappointingly empty basket in hand (due to my indecision) I decided it would be best to make a trip back when I had a specific meal or dish in mind (stay tuned!).  Until then, if you have never been to Jungle Jim’s - first of all, why not? - then GO!  Even if just to see what all the buzz is about.  And if you have been before, make an extra effort to cook an international meal and go back.  Of course, if you’re not from Southwest Ohio (you’re missing out), check out where you can get international food and products in your town.  It is a shopping experience that does not disappoint.

Coming up with the synonyms for the word “easy” was more difficult than making the bruschetta I ate for dinner last night (and I briefly questioned my ability to write this blog).

Inspired by my favorite appetizer from one of my favorite restaurants in Columbus, Ohio - Marcella’s Ristorante - I decided to make my own.  I know I’m not reinventing the wheel, this is not a new recipe.  In fact, in the words of someone else I am not sure of, it’s definitely “an oldie, but a goodie.”  As one of my favorite dishes, I will even eat it as an entire meal (hence the four hefty slices which I devoured without a second thought).  You just can’t beat the tomato and basil flavors marinated in olive oil atop a piece of toasted, buttery Italian bread.  Seriously.  My mouth just filled with spit.

More importantly, when I eat bruschetta I am rushed back to when I first ate it at Marcella’s with friends celebrating now-I-can’t-remember-what.  It’s also a time at the table when l feel like I am connecting with my Italian heritage.  Or perhaps playing through my mind what my date with Giada de Laurentiis might be like.  It’s incredible what good food does to a man’s mind.

Buon appetite!

Bruschetta al la the Spoon

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes on the vine, diced (I’m sure roma or heirloom tomatoes will taste just as great, but I think these are best for dicing.  You can also add a yellow or orange tomato for a bit of color.)
• A few leaves (3-4) of basil, chopped
• Loaf of Italian bread cut in 1 inch slices
• Good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• Seat salt and ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine the diced tomatoes and chopped basil in a small bowl.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. (I also remove the seeds from the tomatoes to ensure the mix isn’t too wet.)  Set aside and let those flavors get to know each other.
2. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, heat together about one tablespoon of olive oil with the tablespoon of butter.  Allow to heat and coat the pan.
3. Place the bread slices in the pan until golden brown (about 5 minutes depending on your stove).  Flip and repeat.
4. Once the bread slices are golden brown on each side, transfer to a personal serving plate and spoon the tomato-basil mixture on top. 
5. Indulge.

There are a lot of  books, magazines, websites, etc. dedicated to the kitchen. These publications are also dedicated to the woman’s kitchen.  Why can’t the man be the master of his domain kitchen?  (I dare to ask.)  I am in search of the equipment, tools, and gadgets that when put together make the Man’s Kitchen.

#1: Wall-Mounted Bottle Opener

I’ve been there.  You’ve been there.  You pull a bottled cold drink out of the refrigerator (soda or beer) and you discover it’s not a twist-off.  Then you’re scrambling to find the bottle opener you thought was in the bar drawer.  It’s not. Race to the kitchen to search the drawers or maybe it’s a refrigerator magnet.  No such luck.  And even if you did have these pieces of equipment at one time, they’re easy to misplace.

Enter the wall-mounted bottle opener.  It’s convenient, serves a purpose, and it’s masculine.  It can even be customized to represent your favorite beverage or your team’s logo.  Most importantly, just two screws can solve all of your “I-thought-this-was-a-twist-off” problems.

If you ask me, the bottle opener would be most convenient near the refrigerator. Or maybe next to the recycling or garbage cans. The most convenient spot for you, well, that’s a decision only you can make.  Your friends and family may not notice it, but that’s not the point. They will definitely appreciate its convenience in the moment between open refrigerator and open drink.  That alone is enough to stand out from the other man’s kitchen.