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
My "Must Eat" Countdown 2007-09-13 15:42:00 I love Ghanaian food. But in the final week before departing I can't help but kick into "deadman walking" mode, where I begin mentally listing (and craving) the foods that I won't be able to get when I'm there. Today, on the way back down from visiting my native Wisconsin, we stopped at Borzynski's Farm to get the best caramel apples on Earth (check). This afternoon I had a gourmet pizza at Read more:Countdown
Skinny Gourmet Celebrates its 1000th visitor! 2007-09-12 07:25:00 Last night the Skinny Gourmet was visited by its 1000th unique visitor. I have been watching this count-up to 1000 like a kid waiting for Christmas. So this morning I did a little happy dance around the kitchen. As a new blogger myself, I have often looked around for thoughts on more established food blogs about what they did when they were new. Things they found out the hard way. So although I
Recipe Review: Chicken with Balsamic BBQ & Tri Colore Orzo 2007-09-11 08:43:00 My mother-in-law is an incredible cook. She is responsible for my husband's culinary ability, and for that I am eternally grateful to her. That means that visiting my husband's parents in Wilmington, NC always means a ton of delicious food. One night she decided to do a meal based on the recipes of Giada De Laurentiis from Everyday Italian. She selected a delightful, sophisticated take on BBQ Read more:Chicken
, Balsamic
Is Coffee the new Wine? 2007-09-10 10:00:00 As I promised last week in my rant about airport "gourmet" I'm back with another installment of my investigation into all things gourmet (or not).
Like so many fashionistas regularly announcing blue (or brown or red) is the new black, the high-end coffee industry is now emulating the well established snobbery of the wine industry. As I sit in Starbucks, gleefully sipping my mocha cappuccino Read more:Coffee
Is Your Olive Oil a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing? 2007-09-07 16:35:00 Olive oil is fabulous. Let's just get that fundamental truth out there. Good quality olive oil is a delight for the palate. But it is also gaining fame as a "good" oil for your body. A pharmacist friend of mine once told me in no uncertain terms that we would all be healthier if we used olive oil in place of the other common oils in the American diet. The monounsaturated fats that predominate in Read more:Sheep
, Clothing
, Olive
Mother's Zucchini Bread 2007-09-06 12:43:00 Zucchini bread is powerfully associated with feelings of warmth and home. In late summer when the zucchini crop was particularly plentiful and the air was just starting to show some signs of coolness, my mother would pick up zucchini from the local farmer's stands and make zucchini bread. We once shared a warm slice with a young neighborhood boy who eagerly ate the entire piece and then Read more:Bread
, Zucchini
Et tu Wolfgang? 2007-09-04 10:50:00 I have been doing a lot of thinking, writing, and research lately on the concept of gourmet. A lot of what I'm finding out there is interesting, sometimes provocative, but often unsatisfying on the whole. Over the next few weeks, the cumulative efforts of all this thinking and writing will come out on the blog. I have a little rant on Starbucks, and the budding idea for a foodie event (does the Read more:Wolfgang
Frontera Grill 2007-09-03 10:41:00 Preparing to leave on a long sojourn to another continent has all the disadvantages of moving and spending time away from loved ones. But it also has the advantages of causing one to really spend quality time with loved ones before departure. On this note, this past Saturday our wonderful friends Chris and Gabrielle Ferrales invited us out to Rick Bayless' FronteraGrill
, sister restaurant to
Artichoke Dip a la Natalya 2007-08-31 12:14:00 Many things can be sources of inspiration, but nothing occasions accidental brilliance like necessity. That is how a "Eat Us Out of House and Home" party to consume perishables before my husband and I move to Africa became the inspiration for an outstanding artichoke dip. This dip features many of the traditional elements of classic artichoke dip, but with a few modifications that really elevate
A twist on a classic salad 2007-08-29 18:03:00 There are some salads that are classics: they are always delicious, but rarely surprise. On Sunday my husband and I were invited over to have dinner at our friends' house. Since she quit smoking five months ago, Berit has taken up cooking, and with impressive results. Dinner was delightful. They started us off with a bruschetta appetizer similar to my bruschetta essenziale. Our main course was a Read more:twist
Bruschetta Essential 2007-08-25 09:27:00 Bruschetta is, in essence, the simple rubbing of garlic cloves onto toasted peasant bread, drizzled with olive oil so fresh and unadulterated that it still has delectable fruitiness. In the United States however, the basic image of bruschetta is the combination of tomatoes, basil, and garlic. This recipe also makes use of some thyme, which is one of my favorite spices. Thyme has a long and Read more:Essential
Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Bruschetta 2007-08-21 17:36:00 Roasted beets pair exquisitely with the subtle tang of goat cheese. I first fell in love with this combination while dining al fresco in Napa Valley, but have since tried it just about anywhere they serve it, including at Crofton on Wells in Chicago and Quince in Evanston. So I decided to prepare some version of this favorite and submit it as my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging #97, hosted this Read more:Cheese
, Roasted
Developments for the Skinny Gourmet 2007-08-21 14:31:00 With any luck at all it will not rain tonight in northern Illinois. Altruistically, this will help the many people in the Midwest who are facing potentially horrible flooding. On a much more petty level, this will also mean I get to see the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, live in concert. This is a woman whose music I have sung along to with reckless abandon for years. I can't carry a tune, but
Ravinia Picnic Table 2007-08-20 12:36:00 One of my favorite picnic items is the Crate and Barrel "Table
in a Bag". This is a great inexpensive wooden table that packs easily into a canvas carrying bag, and assembles quickly into a gorgeous, low table. It is easy to eat around this low table, whether in lawn chairs or on the ground. Several people have emailed to ask about where to find these classic tables, which are favorites for Read more:Picnic
Asparagus and Blue Cheese Bruschetta 2007-08-18 14:30:00 This unconventional bruschetta puts big flavors together in an unusual combination that somehow just works. The gourmet combination of blue cheese, lemon, and asparagus, in just the right proportions, delights the palate while being very low in fat and calories. I served this as part of the trio of bruschettas for a picnic at Ravinia last friday night. I also brought some to a friend's house for Read more:Cheese
Crostini or Bruschetta? 2007-08-18 14:07:00 Are you looking for bruschetta recipes? I offer a good recipe for classic bruschetta, but you may also enjoy the more innovative beet and goat cheese bruschetta, or asparagus and blue cheese bruschetta.There is often some disagreement as to whether a particular dish, consisting of some kind of bread and topped with some kind of topping, is bruschetta, or crostini. In my experience, food purists
Skinny Gourmet in New York 2007-08-17 10:11:00 Traveling is always a great chance to check out food trends in new places, and find inspiration in different traditions. For the past five days I have been in New York
, which is as good a place to seek inspiration as any. I was there for a professional conference of sociologists, but managed to get some good food experiences in on the side. Along the way I learned the value of trusting your food
Ripe Melon with Mint 2007-08-11 07:12:00 This dish relies solely on elevating the natural sweetness of summer melon. When paired with this subtle variety of mint, both tastes find a unique balance. This dish is perfect served as a side salad at a picnic, or dressed up as a cold summer soup for a dinner party.This is the second of a two part entry this week for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Cooking Diva.
About Mint…
In
Curry & Thyme Chicken Salad 2007-08-10 08:25:00 This is the first of a two part entry this week for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Cooking Diva. This recipe is a favorite in our household, and really highlights the flavor of thyme. I love the way the crisp and subtle tartness of the apples stands up against the creamy, spiced curry base. The fresh thyme is really the star of this dish, bringing the rest of the tastes together. If Read more:Chicken
, Salad
, Curry
Blueberry Kuchen 2007-08-09 09:50:00 At the Farmers Market in Evanston, IL nearly every booth from Michigan featured some variety of plump, sweet blueberry. My husband, who loves blueberries, simply could not resist. With our newly acquired blueberries in hand, I decided to try to update my husband's favorite dish from his mother's kitchen: blueberry kuchen. The resulting recipe heightens the natural taste of the blueberries, with Read more:Blueberry
, Kuchen
Ravinia Picnic 2007-08-08 10:26:00 Are you looking for Gourmet Picnic
Recipes? Or an elegant portable picnic table?This is another installment of the Skinny Gourmet packs a picnic. On Sunday the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony at the Ravinia festival grounds. My husband and I went with three other friends (Sian and Ian are pictured at right).Much of the menu is inspired by my trip on Saturday to
Rustic Plum Tart 2007-08-06 09:17:00 Make use of summer’s bounty. The natural sweetness of dark, ripe plums means no need for added sugar. The succulent ripe plums pair nicely with the sweetness of the dried plums and the heartiness of the wheat crust. This is a simple and quick dessert that gives a rustic European presentation to traditional fruit pie. Better still, using one crust halves the fat and calories found in traditional
Artichoke and Purple Basil Pizza 2007-08-03 10:11:00 For my first foray into Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Kalyn's Kitchen I knew I wanted to put together an interesting pizza. Putting together pizza toppings can be a really fun inventive process. My husband and I went over to visit our friends Kelly and Rachel with nothing but a rising bowl of whole wheat pizza crust and a plan. The four of us raided their kitchen and garden to come Read more:Pizza
, Purple
, Basil
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust 2007-08-01 10:58:00 Everyone should master one recipe for pizza crust. I think many people avoid this divine experience because they are intimidated by the apparent time involved. Yet with this simple, easy to master skill you can make healthy, delicious pizza with whatever you have in your home. Improvising topping ingredients turns the making of pizza into a collaborative event. The active time in making pizza Read more:Whole
, Pizza
Aebleskivers (Danish Pancakes) 2007-07-30 19:34:00 Sometimes being in a new place, really being there, means experiencing some part of its unique food heritage. This is true even if it doesn't fit into the diet plan. And so it was that while visiting Seattle I was introduced to Aebleskivers for the first time. My host Nick, at left working his magic, grew up in a home where his mother made these spherical pancakes to celebrate their Danish Read more:Pancakes
The Caper Continues: Why the Rolled Angel Food Didn't Rock 2007-09-27 12:13:00 So our hard boiled detective has already investigated the mystery of the disappointing zabaglione. Although the case isn't definitively closed, there are some good suspects. Now for the rest of the mystery. Why was this apparently innocent attempt to make a high-brow version of rolled angel food cake a disaster? Rolled angel food cake with macerated Bing cherries and brandy zabaglione...it sounds Read more:Caper
The Great Zabaglione Caper 2007-09-24 15:49:00 It’s late, a little after eleven in the evening. The alleyway is soaked in shadows as I move in. My trench coat rustles against my feet. I have my collar turned up against the drizzle. The film noir scene is complete. “Is that the victim?” I gruffly ask an officer. “Yes, ma’am.” I click my tongue. What a sad sad way to end up. I lean in closer, too hard-boiled a detective to be shocked by the Read more:Caper
, Great
To Err is Human, To Post It...Divine? 2007-09-20 17:44:00 I'm stuck in an internet cafe waiting out a torrential downpour, so it seemed like an ideal time to blog. I've long spouted philosophically to my friends that the world was made up of two kinds of people: those who have their kitchen garbage cans out for the world to see, and those who keep them discretely hidden beneath the sink. I've recently realized that this division runs deeper than I Read more:Divine
How to accidentally give someone a wedding present 2007-09-19 17:44:00 We've arrived safe and sound in Ghana. We're still searching out accommodation, but we are temporarily lodging with my friend Victor "the maven." To disabuse any of you out there of your National Geographic ideas of Africa, the Maven is addicted to cutting edge technologies and fashions. He had an iPhone two weeks after they came out in the US and was one of the first who had it "cracked" to work Read more:wedding
A Kitchen on the Move 2007-09-16 19:24:00 I am now less than 24 hours from the plane ride that will take me to Ghana for the next six months. Moving for a moderate amount of time to Africa is a challenge few people experience. I have done it now four times. The first time I went, as an eager 20 year old on a college exchange program, I was shockingly unprepared. That lack of preparation, however, encouraged me to live much as an average Read more:Kitchen
Recommend Site To A Friend
