Hungry Times Two

T to the G to the I to the F. It's not only Friday, but the cusp of Halloween weekend! I just can't stand it, I'm so excited (but not in a bad Saved By The Bell kind of way). My workplace has a big cauldron of candy - I chose a big Lemonhead ball and a Fireball that I'm presently enjoying - and it's making me wonder - what's the best Halloween treat? Candy Corn? Er, no. Smarties? Those are always the cheap and popular option. How about Fun size Snickers? Now I can dig those. Personally, I was always a fan of the big red wax lips that occasionally some cool person might dole out to the kiddies now and then. Man, I wish I could find some. They are too fun! Whatever you wind up nibbling on - be it high fructose-laden or fair trade/organic or even boxes of Nature's Candy , I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween weekend. We're headed back to Nashville to visit friends, see an Avett Brothers show at the Ryman tomorrow night, and tonight - the party is...

Or is it just my warm Rosemary Walnut Loaves? Yep, I've tried my hand at baking bread, and it looks like I successfully completed my mission! Exhibit A: Before the oven Exhibit B: After the oven A recipe from Cooking Light , it's something one really should take the time to read the entire way through before one proceeds. I scanned the ingredients list and began at 2pm today, while had I read the recipe, I would have known I'd stand in my kitchen four hours later , slicing the bread. A couple of things: Bread takes time, effort, and patience. I know this now. The latter is always my downfall, so this was practice for me. BIG practice. There's the rising of the yeast. Then adding the flour and the rest of the ingredients and letting it rise more. Then kneading - despite the stickiness of the dough, you have to knead it for 10 minutes - that's forever in Erin Time, but just right in Bread Time. I punched it, I poked it, I wrangled with it, and scattered the stubborn ...

In marriage, you can be honest, yes? Scott's always loved minestrone soup, but in past experience the recipe he followed turned out have more of a thick, stew- ish consistency that I don't really care for. He never has a problem telling me when something I make just isn't quite right. I usually know when 1) there's remnants of food on his plate, and 2) no " Mmmms " ever escape his lips. If it's not " Mmmm " worthy, just stop right there, rip up that recipe, and file a mental note never to make that again. Therefore, we set out on Thursday eve to make a Minestrone with the Mmmm factor. I'm happy to report that we succeeded - we cooked up a brothy , vegetable-laden soup that included beans (of which I used to be a naysayer. Now I love most of them!), and it's perfect for these fall days. Hello fall, we thought you'd never make it. Welcome! We took our lead from David Rosengarten's It's All American Food , the hardcover editio...

As promised, Philadelphia. Two words: Cheese steaks. That's how our co-foodies on the trip prefaced our Philly trip. It was our ultimate goal, the Holy Grail of Good Eats, if you will. Drive an hour and a half for a sandwich? Oh hell, why not ? Turns out, there's MUCH more to the City of Brotherly Love than just tasty beef smothered in cheese. Let me just spell it out for you below. First, yes, the cheese steaks. Scott's dad, a fan of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives , found a place, Cosmi's , in South Philly on 8th that he thought we should try. It seemed like a great idea, as we'd heard the big boys of Pat's and Geno's on dueling corners at Ninth Street and Passyunk Avenue are overrated. Those joints are strictly for tourists. Just by looking at the Cosmi's exterior, it seemed like a solid choice. No fancy lights, signs, or huge crowds extending out the door - just two long tables with chairs for "dine-out" seating. We en...

Thanks to Grist.com for the "World's First Organic Dairy Rap Video" featuring cute fresh-faced, young Brits trying their best in hip-hop style to promote organic milk products. I'd buy them. And ignore the discussion in the Grist post where they get into the whole "real environmentalists" wouldn't eat dairy. Or the raw/pasteurized debate. I don't know about you, but nothing's going to come between me and my dairy. Word. TGIF!

Just the title of this alone has me humming some Destiny's Child (and how in the hell did I miss that Stevie Nicks totally cameo-ed the video ? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.) I have an exciting project for fall - Apple Chips ! I think I may tackle this tonight. I've never dried fruit in an over before, but I overcooked some meat one time that could have been mistaken for jerky. "Meat Chips" just don't have a swell ring to them, do they? I know, I've been all about the apples, but can you blame me - the apple is a wonderful fruit of this season we call fall. I also have several small cooking pumpkins I need to do something with - any suggestions? Happy Hump Day, y'all. Make it bootylicous. Or not. Totally your call.

"Uh, death please? No, cake, cake." If you haven't seen Eddie Izzard's Dressed to Kill, well, I'm kinda envious, because I'd like to go back to when I saw it for the first time. British male transvestite comedian = good times, I promise you. Sooooo ...tea and cake. It's about to happen here at our house because I have this baking in the oven at the moment. I have to use up my apples, though I know they last a while in cold storage, my Virgo OCD tendencies say food needs to be eaten when fresh. I wanted to make this apple loaf cake from Tennessee Locavore as it looked so healthy - applesauce, whole wheat pastry flour, less sugar, etc. - but I didn't have any nuts or cranberries and after my canning extravaganza last night, I was not about to make my applesauce from scratch. Thus the easy way out with the cooks.com recipe. Maybe for a lazy day when my pantry's fully stocked? I'm now officially out of canola oil and flour!