Owner: The Skinny Gourmet URL:http://skinnygourmet.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:43:08 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: The Skinny Gourmet is a blog about healthy indulgences. Because eating well shouldn't be a crime and living well shouldn't be a punishment. Features original recipes, techniques, tips, and thoughts for cooking gorgeous and healthy food at home. Site statistics:Click here
Caramel Popcorn Balls 2008-01-30 12:27:00 As the holidays in Accra drew near, I found myself fixating on the idea of making popcorn balls. And so I began my nearly anthropological foray into the weird and wonderful world of strategically heating sugar. As a novice sugar-heater I learned to decode (perhaps a bit too late) the secret language of expert sugar-heaters. I develop techniques for shaping popcorn balls (again, perhaps a tad too Read more:Balls
Christmas Cinnamon Rolls 2008-01-23 07:49:00 Let’s just get one thing straight. Is there anything more delightfully, sinfully, homey than warm home-made cinnamon rolls? I think not. They are, perhaps, the perfect vehicle for food-induced nostalgia (and are my contribution to Food for Thought). In fact, I had been doing a lot of thinking about cinnamon rolls in the weeks leading up to Christmas
. Growing up, my mom often made cinnamon rolls Read more:Cinnamon
, Rolls
Soccer Fever Sweeps Ghana! 2008-01-20 05:42:00 There is a palpable energy on the streets of Ghana. I awoke on Friday morning not to the customary sounds of roosters and goats but to the trumpeting sounds of soccer fans blasting noisemakers. When I traveled down to the Ministries, where I was doing some interviews for my dissertation, every car seemed cloaked in Ghana's red, yellow, and green. Flags waved in the wind. In the downtown Read more:Soccer
, Fever
A Memorable Playlist 2008-01-14 17:01:00 My husband is a music fanatic. When we first started dating we would often wrap up dates sitting around while he played songs on his guitar. Sometimes, if I thought the neighbors couldn't hear, I might be brave enough to sing along. I always sing poorly but with gusto, so singing in front of others means I really like you. That was probably one of the early indicators that I was hopelessly in Read more:Playlist
Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies for My Father 2008-01-10 18:10:00 Yesterday I went to great lengths to bake peanut butter kiss cookies to reminisce. Sometimes the weight of what we remember seems to dictate and equally weighty act of commemoration. But memories don’t always conform to this neat little formula. More often than not the most absurdly mundane things get embodied with special significance in the stuff of memories. My father died two and a half years Read more:Peanut
, Butter
, Cookies
, Father
, Peanut Butter
Mango Salsa Sushi Fusion 2008-01-07 14:34:00 I recently agreed to participate in a food blogger exchange of sorts, called Taste and Create. You are paired with another blogger and then challenged to look through their site, pick a recipe, make it yourself, and blog about the experience. I have been impressed by all the high quality blogs out there, so the exchange sounded like a perfect way to get my feet wet. I hesitated, only for a moment Read more:Mango
, Sushi
Food for Thought: A Blog Event for Food Nostalgia 2008-01-03 06:59:00 The roundup has been posted here</ b>.
Proust had his madeleines, but we all have something. Food is evocative. It has the power to transport us, to connect us to times and places past. It has the ability to recall to us lost loved ones.
I have never been more aware of this than when I am living far from home. In particular, celebrating this past holiday season with my husband in Accra, Ghana
The Skinny Gourmet 2008 In-Out List 2008-01-02 08:44:00 It is that time of year. I have always been a sort of introspective person. Most birthdays I like to spend a little down time contemplating what the last year is like and what I want to work towards in the coming year. New Years always winds up being some sort of giant, often hectic, moment of introspection for us all. So this year I am turning my swami-like powers to the topic of food. I don't
Into the Wine "Way-Back" Machine 2008-01-01 16:34:00 The New Year is always a time of looking forward to upcoming trends. My husband and I have recently been having fun constructing and "in-and-out" list for Skinny Gourmet, which we will surely post soon. But sometimes we get so focused on being hip and trendy enough to predict the future, that few of us take time to look back on predictions past. My mother-in-law has a prodigious collection of Read more:Machine
Skinny Gourmet's Best of 2007 2007-12-27 05:02:00 I recently discovered that some bloggers are putting together a year’s end review of the best recipes, and are inviting bloggers to submit their best recipe from the past year. I thought this was a fun way to commemorate a year in food, so it got me thinking. I have different favorites for different reasons. Food can be a favorite because it is delicious, because it reminds you of a wonderful
Beans, beans the wonderful... 2008-03-15 09:21:00 Many cultures around the world use beans as part of their culinary repertoire. They are a wonderful vegetarian source of protein. In Ghanaian food beans are used in two very popular dishes: Red-Red (fried plantains with spicy bean stew) and Waakye (pronounced "waa-chay" a mixture of beans and rice).
I recently realized that I have taken beans for granted, more or less assuming that one bean was
Bucktown's Riverside Cafe: A neighborhood spot worth skipping 2008-03-28 17:25:00 Riverside Cafe Deli*
Bucktown
1656 W Cortland St
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 278-3354
*(not to be confused with the Riverside Cafe in downtown that serves low carb and is located in a hotel)Atmosphere: Adorable (perhaps a bit too adorable)
Service: Rude
Food: Mediocre
Okay, now that I've given away the punch line, let me tell you about the unfulfilled promise of an adorable little cafe discovery in Read more:Riverside
Basic Beans Recipe 2008-03-27 02:32:00 Beans are a bit of a quandary. They are an excellent source of fiber and protein, both of which are a powerful way to keep hunger at bay. But they can be sort of a pain to cook. I first learned to cook beans while living in rural Costa Rica. I lived in Manuel Antonio, and in that area "Gallo Pinto" is the national dish (rice and beans). Twice a week I made a huge batch of red beans. Although I Read more:Basic
, Beans
Five-Spice Sesame Crusted Pork Chops with Asparagus a l'Orange 2008-04-01 12:20:00 I recently discovered that the fun thing about having your friends randomly stock your kitchen is that it simulates a sort of Iron Chef competition: what delicious food can I make by combining what is on hand? Inspired by what we found, this afternoon for lunch my husband and I put together five-spice sesame crusted pork chops with asparagus in spicy orange sauce on the side. Not only was this a Read more:Spice
, Sesame
, Crusted
, Orange
Vietnamese Pho Soup 2008-04-04 09:20:00 In our household, we are on the constant hunt for foods that are delicious and healthy. If it is also easy to prepare, then it is more or less the perfect food. Such "trifectas" of taste, health and ease are likely to make it into frequent rotation in our home. This healthy and super flavorful broth-based soup has recently become one of our favorite evening meals, thanks to my husband's long-time Read more:Vietnamese
The Flavor Saver: Solving the Homemade Stock Problem 2008-04-07 15:02:00 No, it's not a moustache.
Many recipes, like my Pho soup, call for broth or stock. And in almost every cookbook you are likely to see a little note reminding you that home-made broth or stock is always superior to purchased broths or bullion. So I won't beat you over the head with that one again. I myself like to make it at home so I can control the flavors and make my own perfect balance of Read more:Flavor
, Stock
, Problem
"Proper" Chili: Shh, there's turkey and veg in it! 2008-04-10 12:54:00 If you are someplace cold and dreary, chances are that tasty bowl just got your attention. But it might surprise you to know that meaty bowl of chili is actually quite good for you. In general I am not a fan of "sneaking" things into food. I might even go so far as to say I am categorically opposed to it. But now that I have been so unequivocal about my objections to trying to sneak healthy Read more:Proper
, Chili
Lemon Tart for LiveSTRONG: A Taste of Yellow 2008-04-14 11:01:00 Finding out my mother had cancer was an experience that forever changed my life. Now as we gratefully count off the years of her survivorship, our always close relationship has grown even closer. Now I am filled with thankfulness, but I can still remember what it was like to first find out. For the first time in my life I understood what it meant to say that you literally could not stand up. My Read more:Lemon
, Yellow
How To Host a Wine Tasting Party 2008-04-18 11:58:00 I am a big fan of tasting parties. At the wine tasting party we hosted recently, I caught myself standing at the island in our kitchen just smiling and taking in the scene of our living room filled with people we love. The sound of that many people having fun is the greatest blessing on any home.
The world is too full of people telling you what you should like, giving you intimidating rating Read more:Party
, Wine Tasting
Jane's Restaurant: Adorable Decor, Mediocre Food 2008-04-20 08:04:00 Jane's Restaurant
1655 W Cortland St
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 862-5263Jane's Restaurant offers an intriguing decor that is both urban and cozy, making it a great place to take a date. This is a particularly good brunch spot if you like sweet brunches, with the banana bread French toast the star of the brunch menu. They make an effort to offer healthier brunch options and they keep the Read more:Adorable
, Decor
, Mediocre
Orange Fig Buttermilk Bran Muffins 2008-04-22 09:36:00 One of the things I love about bran muffins is that they are so choke-full of good things it almost seems disingenuous to call them "muffins." These muffins have a rustic, hearty taste that is a far cry from the sugary, buttery, over-sized muffins being pimped to us from every coffee counter. On the other hand, this version of my bran muffins has a subtle orange that plays off the chopped figs Read more:Orange
, Buttermilk
, Muffins
Balsamic Baked Apples 2008-04-23 22:25:00 I love balsamic with cherries, and balsamic with strawberries, so why not apples? This is a sort of deconstructed apple pie that gives the tartness of apples a little punch with some acidic, earthy yet sweet balsamic vinegar.
This all came about because I am participating in Taste and Create a wonderful food blogger exchange hosted by For the Love of Food. It is something like the food blogger Read more:Balsamic
, Baked
, Apples
Against Risotto 2008-05-05 20:20:00 For a while I've been carrying a guilty secret around with me: I don't like risotto. I mean, I would eat it if it were the only thing standing between me and starvation, but I would really never order it by choice. And with foodies all around talking up risotto, risotto appearing on all sorts of fine dining menus, I couldn't help but feel a bit, well, estranged. So I brought a little wisdom from Read more:Risotto
Food Blogger Event: Spring Tea Party! 2008-05-07 14:25:00 Gird your pinafores, artfully cuff your kimonos: you are cordially invited to a tea party.
Tea is a global industry with a thousand local faces. It is also a really tasty excuse to get together with some friends on a Saturday afternoon and have a good time. So I'm getting in the mood with an annual food blogger event: a spring tea party.
Eligible posts should fall into one of three categories: Read more:Blogger
, Spring
, Party
Pasta Alioli with Lobster 2008-05-10 06:28:00 To me, pasta alioli is like a more elegantly simple, and healthy, version of fettucini alfredo. People will go to great lengths to reduce the fat and calories in traditional fettucini alfredo, and along the way it becomes a sort of franken-sauce with all sorts of odds and ends and quirky substitutions. So before you reach for the partially hydrogenated defatted cream cheese for some franken-fredo Read more:Pasta
, Lobster
Ten Mistakes New Herb Gardeners Make (and How to Avoid Them!) 2008-05-13 13:43:00 So you're thinking of herb gardening, or maybe you tried it last year and it was an utter disaster? Have no fear. There are a few simple mistakes that many herb newbies make (and I know, because I made most of 'em myself). Master these simple and practical tips for herb gardening and you'll be using your own fresh herbs like Mario Batali in no time.
Fresh herbs are one of the greatest ways to Read more:Gardeners
, Avoid
Almond Crusted Shrimp Tacos with Raspberry Pico de Gallo and Spicy Lime Mayo 2008-05-15 14:54:00 This is a seafood taco that is dressy enough to impress guests, unique enough to dazzle your foodie friends, and still fast enough to whip up when pressed for time (20 minutes or less from start to finish). There is no other way to say it: this is is absolutely the best thing I have made in a long time. It was unexpected bursts of fruit dancing through crisp and crunch and tangy spice. It was Read more:Almond
, Crusted
, Shrimp
, Tacos
, Raspberry
, Spicy
Taste and Create: Old Fashioned Irish Raisin Spice Scones 2008-05-19 08:45:00 If you are looking for a healthy scone, it doesn't get much healthier than this. It isn't fancy, and if you are accustomed to those big butter, big calorie scones sold at American cafes, you may find this old fashioned scone a bit humble. This is the brawny, salt-of-the-earth peasant scone to Starbuck's high maintenance cosmopolitan diva. It is a dense scone when compared to its butter-rich Read more:Irish
, Raisin
, Spice
, Scones
, Old Fashioned
Five Quirky Food Facts About Me 2008-05-22 11:57:00 I wrestled with whether or not I wanted to do this for a while. I started this blog with a very "website" based mentality, in which the author isn't usually a presence. But over the last few months of experiencing the wide world of "blogging" I've come to appreciate that one of the wonderful things that separately this new media revolution from older journalistic media forms is
Souffle Confessions: How I lost my kitchen virginity to a French madame 2008-05-27 14:37:00 It all started with the sort of daring that borders on hubris: I've never made souffle, I've never even (gasp) had souffle, so probably a smart thing to do is to have a friend over on a Saturday morning and just try to make it, right? So there we were, two souffle virgins, two aprons, and a world of food blogs to fuel the fire. A little poking around lead me, like a lamb to the slaughter, Read more:Souffle
, virginity
, French
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