tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59324752009-07-04T10:52:14.885-04:00<strong>Do not be afraid of cooking, as your ingredients will know and misbehave.</strong><br /> Fergus Henderson, <em>The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating</em>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.comBlogger696125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-82221566094679758162009-07-03T03:03:00.003-04:002009-07-03T03:03:01.148-04:00

Summer's GiftI bought a Grainger County tomato yesterday afternoon. Grainger County has a micro-climate that allows tomatoes to ripen about two weeks early and at one time we food freaks sought them out for our first taste of summer. Sadly, the secret got out and today Grainger County tomatoes are mass-produced and only slightly better (because they're harvested only a couple of days early

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-72312663361805183892009-07-02T03:00:00.001-04:002009-07-02T12:21:02.368-04:00

Retro ClassicWhen I was a kid (mumble) years ago my mother would sometimes take us to the S&W Cafeteria in downtown Knoxville. For a cafeteria, it was an elegant place dating to the Art Deco era and featuring a huge, sweeping, spiral staircase from the ground level to a mezzanine. The one thing I always got was the wedge of iceberg lettuce with their signature blue cheese dressing (my sister

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-84356498736279761492009-07-01T03:00:00.000-04:002009-07-01T03:00:21.961-04:00

Recipe here...Technorati: Food | photo | kevin d weeks | seriously good | wordless wednesday

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-65099872098830530922009-06-30T03:00:00.000-04:002009-06-30T03:00:49.045-04:00

When cooking with wine, chefs usually recommend that you use whatever wine you're planning to drink. Good advice and I generally adhere to it. But the advice presumes you're going to be drinking wine and that might not be the case on a weeknight or you may be planning on red wine with a steak but you need white wine in the appetizer. You can always re-cork the wine, but once exposed to oxygen

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-39341344875105633322009-06-29T03:00:00.002-04:002009-06-29T03:00:36.988-04:00

SG Archives: Horsing AroundSeveral years ago garlic mashed potatoes became popular. And almost inevitably that led to other variations on mashed potatoes like chipotle mashed potatoes, artichoke mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes with various kinds of cheese, and even Lipton Onion Soup mashed potatoes. But one variation I haven't seen anywhere was suggested to me by an English friend — horseradish

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-78379207821763614602009-06-26T03:00:00.004-04:002009-06-29T15:58:17.157-04:00

Nutella NoviceI always thought Nutella was just a fancy European chocolate sauce and as someone who's not passionate about chocolate I wasn't particularly interested. In fact, although it's frequently found on breakfast tables throughout Europe I was never even tempted to try it during my travels. Breakfast is bread, cheese, maybe some ham, coffee, and a cigarette. Breakfast is decidedly not

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-27779289261565636282009-06-25T12:45:00.001-04:002009-06-25T13:37:04.754-04:00

It was an offer I couldn't refuse: Cook a fundraising luncheon for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, highlighting fresh herbs — the kind of cooking I like — for a good cause. It didn't stop there. Kathy Mihalczo, who owns Erin's Meadow Herb Farm in Oak Ridge, Tenn., would pay for all the food. All I had to do was feature her herbs. I've been teaching classes on herb cookery at the herb farm for

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-62658406765112596702009-06-24T12:14:00.002-04:002009-06-24T12:23:27.992-04:00

Recipe here...Technorati: Food | Wordless wednesday | kevin d weeks | seriously good

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-76789079136095805252009-06-23T12:02:00.004-04:002009-06-23T12:11:11.235-04:00

If the last burger you ate was in a fast food joint, then you short-changed yourself. A well-made homemade burger is not only far superior to what you can buy, but it's a great choice when cooking for two. They're easy to make and, because burgers freeze well, you can make up half a dozen and freeze four for a later meal. Here are a few tips for creating better burgers. Read more...Technorati:

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-35259332301817328902009-06-22T10:08:00.005-04:002009-06-23T12:27:21.547-04:00

The Emulsion JinxI taught a class on fish and herbs a couple of weeks ago out at Erin's Meadow Herb Farm. I made a shrimp Ceviche, Trout Meuniere with Tarragon Sauce, and Grilled Salmon with Dill Mayonnaise. The Ceviche went off without a hitch, the trout was perfect, and the Dill Mayonnaise broke - twice.I'm not a stranger to mayonnaise, I make it two or three times a year without a problem, but

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-37838336268694927432009-06-21T10:56:00.002-04:002009-06-21T11:09:14.220-04:00

Edible FlowersThis recipe proved to be quite a challenge. I found a recipe (from a usually dependable source) that used honey as the sweetener, but two separate attempts failed - the ice cream simply wouldn't set so I ended up with two batches of lavender and honey flavored soup. Upon subsequent investigation I discovered that honey is only suitable as an addition, not as the primary source of

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-60868085630566993952009-06-19T11:07:00.003-04:002009-06-19T11:26:53.133-04:00

And All That JazzI've been trying, but for the life of me I can't remember when I first had Chicken Picata nor where. But it seems like it's been a standard in my recipe repertoire forever.And "repertoire" with its allusions to music strikes me as a particularly good choice of words in this case.Think jazz. Imagine a small combo: Bass, piano, guitar, drums, flute. Pick a simple tune — a lively

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-17332851602304871772009-06-17T10:52:00.002-04:002009-06-17T10:57:38.007-04:00

Recipe here...Technorati: Food | photo | kevin d weeks | seriously good | wordless wednesday

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-9320358969048346712009-06-16T12:32:00.004-04:002009-06-16T12:55:11.237-04:00

The Benefits of Doing BusinessThe last time I bought meat from my favorite farmer he tossed a couple of lamb leg steaks into my bag, "Because you're a good customer." This is yet another argument for buying local and direct. However nice the people are at Food City (and they are nice folks, I enjoy shopping there), they aren't permitted to give anything away — however good a customer I might

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-36778713267794187292009-06-13T13:53:00.003-04:002009-06-13T14:11:33.228-04:00

Baking Better Barbeque BunsWhen I was in the hospital last August with a staph infection the intravenous antibiotics I was getting knocked me for a complete loop. I don't know why a drug would have this side-effect but apparently it's not that uncommon. I do know that I barely made it home in one piece (the hospital had no business releasing me to drive myself home) and I realized a couple of

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-18311608111157429692009-06-11T14:52:00.003-04:002009-06-11T15:11:09.663-04:00

NPR's Weekend Edition is having a grilling contest. Sounds fairly unimaginative except the grilled course is dessert. They're looking for something really imaginative in a dessert cooked over fire. An intriguing challenge. I probably won't enter because I don't really do desserts (and thought my grilled peaches with chipotle were imaginative), but I sure like the concept. Here's the official

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-81950189248095449812009-06-09T15:47:00.002-04:002009-06-09T16:09:28.606-04:00

Being GrilledFather's Day is this coming weekend, followed two weeks later by the 4th of July - both are perfect excuses for grilling.I love grilled food - and I confess I'm an arch-conservative when it comes to the topic. I won't use anything but real charcoal in my grills, and, although I find charcoal burns too hot and fast for smoking, I insist on briquettes with no additives for that

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-38566710549503706102009-06-08T13:29:00.004-04:002009-06-08T13:45:33.112-04:00

A Taste of the IslandsNo, a Caribbean Jerk Burger isn't a burger for Caribbean jerks, it's a burger containing jerk seasoning. Jerk seasoning is a collection of spices popular on grilled meats (pork, beef, and chicken) in the Caribbean. In this recipe instead of sprinkling the seasoning on the surface of the burgers, it's mixed into the meat along with a bit of lime juice. I like serving them on

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-46417545620649643942009-06-06T09:21:00.005-04:002009-06-13T22:41:47.896-04:00

Harvesting IdeasSometimes an idea infiltrates your consciousness. Starting like an inconspicuous tuft of green in a stone wall it begins to climb spreading shoots and runners until one day you notice it as though it sprang overnight to cover the entire collection of stones. This is how braciole grew in my mind.I first heard of it on a cooking show but, involved with something else, I wasn't

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-1288826823033501072009-06-03T10:34:00.004-04:002009-06-03T11:36:07.467-04:00

Cook's Illustrated has been my favorite cooking magazine since issue 1 way back in 1993 — in fact I'm a charter subscriber. I own a few of their cookbooks but not many because I don't use cookbooks very often any more. Nevertheless, when I was sent a free review copy of the recently published Cooking for Two 2009: This Year's Best Recipes Cut Down to Size by the editors of Cook's Illustrated I

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-43470356592959067622009-06-01T09:38:00.003-04:002009-06-01T09:57:59.894-04:00

The ListFor the past couple of years my enthusiasm for cooking and creating new recipes has waned, and really waned. I hadn't realized just how apathetic I'd become (after all, it's my job and I've been meeting my obligations)until about two months ago when I started gearing up for a fund-raising luncheon for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and noticed how excited I was about the event — and

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-9909482272957057892009-05-31T11:16:00.002-04:002009-05-31T11:32:03.029-04:00

Damn! Why didn't this book exist five years ago - or ten? I used to travel a lot for both business and recreational reasons. Each trip, whether business or fun, was preceded by lengthy internet sessions as I attempted to decide where to eat and what (food-wise) to visit. A trip to New York required a stop at Zabars, Philadelphia meant Pat's King of Steaks, and London wouldn't be London without a

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-5227056031690233552009-05-30T13:51:00.002-04:002009-05-30T14:10:01.766-04:00

An Odd CombinationAbout four years ago I entered an online dessert cookng contest and came up with this Pineapple/Lime Tart.I decided almost immediately on a lemon or lime tart in order to keep the sweetness down, but traditionally tarts display fruit on top and I didn't want to take the time to candy slices of lemon or lime. That meant the citrus had to go in the filling. Which brought up

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-34813895697652816862009-05-27T11:38:00.003-04:002009-05-27T11:51:10.237-04:00

Chilling in the SpringThe idea of making Rhubarb Ice Cream occurred to me last summer — just after rhubarb season. And so I've had to wait an entire year to try it out. One word - Yum! Rhubarb and cream go together well and rhubarb has a lovely tartness. The ice cream was actually an extremely pale yellowish pink, so I added some red food coloring to make it darker. I based this recipe on my

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5932475.post-1939106401187361912009-05-25T10:14:00.001-04:002009-05-25T10:17:45.316-04:00

Technorati: Food | photo | kevin d weeks | seriously good | Artichoke

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