Buying local shouldn’t lose its luster at Thanksgiving. Instead of that abominable casserole of canned green beans covered in yet more cans of mushroom soup and french-fried onions, why not choose a more healthful and environmentally friendly side dish? Transportation accounts for 11 percent of fruit and vegetables’ carbon emissions, compared with just 1 percent [...]
If a recent episode of Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods” didn’t convince viewers that steeping ground coffee beans yields a superior cup o’ joe, then the advice of experts should. “Bizarre Foods” host Andrew Zimmern likened the aroma of coffee prepared at a traditional ceremony in Ethiopia — the beverage’s birthplace — to someone shoving a [...]
Rebecca Hill’s GingerBread Jubilee submission certainly wasn’t “Almost Done” this year. In a little more than a week, the 39-year-old Eagle Point mom and former professional baker transformed a gingerbread skeleton into the most detailed domicile at this year’s event. Not surprisingly, Hill recaptured the “Best of Show” distinction and its $1,000 prize after a [...]
What happens when you get a bunch of pear-industry experts together to taste fruit varieties unknown in the Rogue Valley? They proclaim their undying loyalty to Comice, of course. At least that’s how most conversations were leaning at a Monday event organized by the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center to celebrate 50 years of [...]
After coming up short at last month’s Bite of the Rogue Valley “Iron Chef” competition, Omar’s James Williams will toss his toque into the ring again at this weekend’s Food and Wine Classic in Ashland. Placing second last year with son Skyler Golden in the Classic’s “Chef Showdown,” Williams faces stiff competition again this year, [...]
Never mind that there’s two weeks to go before Thanksgiving. Hearing strains of “Winter Wonderland” drowning out the din in a local coffee shop, I assumed the baristas were spreading holiday cheer. “It was that or jazz,” they shrugged. Yet there’s no mistaking the intent of a cashier who sarcastically snaps “Merry Christmas” as he [...]
The weekend’s perpetual drizzle and dip in temperatures made for perfect conditions to crank up the heat indoors. While my thermostat didn’t budge, my oven went into overdrive. I roasted a mess of chopped apples from the tree outside with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until they were almost a paste, a chunky, caramelized variation [...]
Crème fraîche: It’s one of those simple kitchen tricks that tried once, cooks wonder why they weren’t doing all along. When I mentioned to my husband that I was going to whip up a batch of the traditional French condiment shortly before bedtime on Monday, he looked at me with disbelief. He no doubt recalled [...]
When food metaphors fly around, I can’t help but prick up my ears. So I was thrown for a loop when last night’s ABC election coverage showed New York crowds cheering Barack Obama’s win under a huge banner that read “cassoulet” in blue letters. Huh? Was this a campaign buzzword that I somehow missed? Granted, [...]
