Carnival...and King Cake!

Unless you live near New Orleans, don't waste your money on a store-bought King Cake. More importantly, if you've ever had a "real" King Cake in NOLA, don't buy one - especially from someplace like Kroger in Central Ohio. The disappointment and angst will overtake your taste buds.

I'm foregoing the King Cake baking this year because my ass doesn't need it! This recipe makes TWO King Cakes and Harry won't eat enough of it to save me from myself. I'll just look back with fond memories...


While Mardi Gras isn't until March 8, we're officially into the Carnival season and it's time for King Cake. Well, apparently not in Central Ohio - 'round these parts they seem to think King Cakes are only to be displayed on one day of the year. Silly grocers...

Isn't it pretty?

Central Ohio - you can buy the King Cake babies at Cake Craft. It's on Cleveland Avenue just South of 161 on the east side across the side street from GFS Marketplace.

Mardi Gras King Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

A magic drawer filled with spices

Last week, I added a picture of our magic drawer to Harry's post about chili - here's a reminder:

Harry calls it our magic drawer for a reason!

Two important things about spices:

First, "normal" people don't buy their spices in containers this large. Harry & I never claimed to be normal! Every single one of these containers (except the Old Bay) is less than a year old. A large part of our product line with The Wright Taste was mixes and seasonings - we had 3 types of dip mix, our buffalo dust, cajun kick, chili powder, mulling spices and more. We developed everything in our kitchen and had to buy large-size packages of the spices. I also used the dried herbs in our artisan-style breads.

Second, yes a very discerning palate can taste the difference between grating your own cinnamon and nutmeg or buying it pre-ground, but in general spices are relatively the same. I will admit to being a vanilla snob to some extent. It must be pure vanilla extract - none of that imitation stuff in this kitchen.

Now that we are retiring from the farmers market business - at least for the time being! - we won't continue to buy spices in bulk.

It doesn't have to cost a fortune to stock your pantry with a variety of spices to make it easier to make your favorite cuisine from scratch. Add a few items to your grocery list at a time. Check the dollar store or Aldi's for sea salt, garlic powder and peppercorns. Take time to build up your collection - always buying small containers that you will use up! - and expand your kitchen collection.

I will admit to getting VERY excited to find small tins of ground chipotle and ancho chili peppers! More excitement came when the price was $1.99 at Kroger! For four summers, I had a couple of customers requesting that I create some sort of chipotle dip mix. I was all about it until I found the container at GFS - 18 ounces for around $28. My concerns were two-fold: what if we couldn't sell enough (a little chipotle goes a long way!) fast enough to make back the expense? and not selling enough fast enough could lead to the expensive ingredient losing its potency and not being acceptable to sell. So, we bypassed it. Now, I can play on our own stage!

I put together an article including some of the basic spices for various cuisines - Italian, Mexican and Asian plus a few other ideas.

Variety of Herbs and Spices Makes it Easy to Cook from Scratch

If you don't have a drawer to spare in your kitchen, I thought this was a pretty nifty spice rack. It mounts on the back of a cupboard door and you just clip the spice bottles into it.

New Year...new start

I hate to be such a cliche, but it's a common thing for people to resolve to lose weight at the beginning of the year. I have no choice. I can not continue on the path I am going or I will weigh more than Harry by the end of the year.

Harry and I cook - I mean "really" cook. Everything is from scratch except a couple of nasty concoctions that are more like guilty pleasures during football season. You won't find fake anything in the kitchen. Well, I do buy low-fat mayo because I got used to it years ago. Neither of us like the taste of whole milk, so we drink 2%. I do occasionally cook with heavy cream or half & half.

I hope to some of my kitchen time this year experimenting with our favorite recipes to see if I can find ways to cut the fat & calories and beef up the veggie content without freaking Harry out.

The first place to start is with the raw stuff - salads and veggies to munch on! Harry loves raw veggies, he's just not a fan of anything cooked - especially if it's "hillbilly" cooked meaning cooked to mush. I did get him to admit that he'd probably like mashed rutabaga. Of course for me that involves adding butter, sugar, salt and pepper!

When we had loads of fresh local veggies last summer and lots of salads, I did play around and develop a few fat-free salad dressings. For creamy dressings, I start with fat-free plain yogurt. I usually strain it for awhile to make it thicker.

Here's the link to those fat-free salad dressings:

Homemade Fat-Free Salad Dressings

I think every kitchen needs a digital scale but it's an even better tool for dieters!

Soups and Chilis and Stews...oh my!

The weather is turning cooler, the nights are frosty and the days have the chill of approaching winter months. For many that signals the end of grill season; the barbecue is stored, patio furniture covered and neatly stacked and the last vestiges of summer going into hibernation. It’s about time!

Four pounds of meat!

Now is when the kitchen really heats up. As the temperature drops day by day and the white crystallized water starts to accumulate, comfort food is needed to help sustain your sanity. This is the time to open your cookbook and let the winter Big Dogs out to play. I am talking about Soups and Chili and Stews oh my.

Some of the goodies that go into Harry's award-winning chili!

There are countless recipes for each easily accessible on the internet, ranging from the simple “Thirty Minute” variety to the more rewarding and tasting “Evening Event.” Or if you feel lucky “Well, do you, cook?” create your own to suit your particular tastes. The is a wide array of protein, produce, and spices to create a dish that will simply make you happy and content, at least until you have to go out and shovel snow.

Debbie and I started the season with Beef Stew, our own design of course, and now this night my never to be famous (because I will not give out the recipe) Chili with a bit of a Cajun twist. Debbie might give you a hint or two about the recipe if you ask nicely. This is one of those evening events. It takes about three hours from prep to table if you work fast but the result is worth every minute. We always try to make enough for a second meal (it is even better the second day) but alas it seems no matter how much we make someone sneaks in and eats it during the night.

The magic drawer is an absolute requirement to cooking from scratch!

I hope you experiment with your own recipes for the Big Dogs of winter and let us know how it turns out, if you have a question I am sure Debbie will be happy to help.

Good Cooking

P.S. Remember to always cook with wine, and sometimes use it in the food.