Owner: The Chef From Hell Food Blog URL:http://www.hellchef.com/foodblog Join Date: Sun, 27 May 2007 23:05:39 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: American food recipes, commentary, news, facts and history. Site statistics:Click here
Food Blog Chatterbox 2007-09-22 05:38:01 Each week, we scan the cyber soup to find the top food related blog posts!Sept. 13thThe U.S. Food Food Policy blog had a post that was both laughable and thought provoking at the same time which describes how the Federal government Pork Board had a hand in developing -gasp!- McDonald's infamous McRib Sandwich! Hoo Hah! Read more:Food Blog
East Virginia Muddle 2007-09-21 06:02:22 While researching various American Regional dishes over the years, I've noticed not only their unique flavors and cooking techniques, but their similarities as well. Today's recipe, a fish stew from Virginia
called Muddle, is a good example of this. In South Carolina, the favorite stew (or soup) is Brunswick Stew, in Louisiana there's Gumbo, in Ketucky they favor their Burgoo; as the culinary diversity of these dishes celebrates these various regions, their similarities reveal that they also belong to the single entity known as American Regional cuisine.
Kentucky Burgoo 2007-09-20 08:03:07 Burgoo is a seasoned stew made with a variety of meats and vegetables. The origin of the term "burgoo" can be traced back to the 17th century. At that time, a main staple of a sailor's diet was a porridge made with bulgur wheat. It is believed that this dish was combined with a French style stew called "ragout" to produce a dish known as "burgout". By the time of the Civil War in America, cooks had begun to create mutton based stews that went by the name "burgoo". The principal region where burgoo was developed was Kentucky
. Today, Kentucky proudly lays claim to this American regional dish. Much like Louisiana gumbo, there is no standardized recipe for burgoo. Over the years, many cooks have tweaked this recipe to suit their own culinary preferences and you can too!
Beef & Beer Stew 2007-10-01 05:48:51 Ah me. The air is beginning to get a crisp chill at night now which means that it's time to make a hearty stew to fortify ourselves for the cold weather that's just around the corner! I love the way the malty flavor of the beer mingles with the thyme in this dish. Some folks prefer to serve this over noodles, but I think potatoes absorb the flavors better in this stew. Also, the slower you cook this, the better it is. My Gran'ma Dufek used to say, "Time is a stew's best friend!"Ingredients:1/4 lb Hickory Smoked Bacon, chopped coarse2 lb boneless Chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces 1 lb boneless Pork Shoulder, cut into 1 inch pieces1 TBS unsalted Butter2 Spanish Onions, chopped coarse4 stalks Celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces1 lb small Portabello Mushrooms, quartered1/2 cup White Flour1 bottle Dark Beer1 can Whole Peeled Tomatoes, 28 oz1 TBS Malt Vinegar2 TBS Light Brown Sugar2 cups Beef StockNote: For my stock recipe, g
Food Blog Chatterbox 9/29/07 2007-09-29 04:52:54 Each week, we scan the cyber soup to find the top food blog posts for your reading pleasure! Sept. 24thNight of the living Freegans? Ah yes, for those of you who don't kow about the cult of folks who dumpster dive and call themselves "Freegans", go to the Food Museum Blog where the folks there have a great post on this cultural pheomenon. Apparently this is a widespread movement and while it reminds me of my college days when we used to trash pick to furnish our respective homesteads, the thought of picking food out of the garbage and then eating it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end. Yes, I know the homeless are forced to do this, but the sites where these "non-homeless" folks go to pick edibles out of the trash are usually restaurants and markets. A better idea would be for these businesses to -gasp!- donate these foodstuffs to their local food banks and pantries in an effort to give the homeless a decent meal witho Read more:Food Blog
How To Make Your Own Ketchup 2007-09-28 07:20:02 Making your own ketchup isn't that hard a process and it will leave you feeling -ahem- empowered in a way. "Hah! I've made my own ketchup! To hell with Heinz!" or something along those lines. Before we get to the recipe...A Brief History of Ketchup
: In the 1600's, British seamen brought home a sauce from China which went by the name "ketsiap". This sauce had more in common with the traditional Chinese Oyster Sauce than what we've come to know and love as ketchup. Recipes for the sauce now called "catsup" began to appear in cookbooks in the early 1700's. By the late 1700's, the sauce was being made with tomatoes and mushrooms and was being called "ketchup". In 1837, ketchup began being sold across the United States by various small entrapaneurs and in 1872, HJ Heinz began bottling the condiment with much success. This version of ketchup is the one that became fixed in th
Crawfish Vichyssoise 2007-09-27 04:37:46 Sometimes I tend to fool around with classic dishes and see where they end up. This soup is a good example of that; I started out with the idea of making a vichyssoise and somewhere along the way the wheels came off the wagon and I ended up making something completely different. It happens! Anyhow, this is a vichyssoise variation with the smile of the cajuns upon it. Amen."Say, what the heck is vicyssoise and where did it come from?" Vicyssoise is a leek and potato soup that is served chilled. It was created in 1917 by Louis Diat, the head chef at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in New York city.
Food Blog Chatterbox 10/13/07 2007-10-13 05:03:54 Every week, we scan the cyber soup to find the top food blog posts for your reading pleasure! The Garden Of Eating blog has a timely post on the recent Olive Oil controversy--i.e. a product manipulation fraud that's being perpetuated on foodies everywhere! If you're particular about your ingredients, be sure to give Oy Vey, Evoo a read! From the Boston version of the Menu Pages blog comes a post called Are You A Food Snob? which celebrates food snobbery as a way of life. Like the "we-are-the-only-people-who-know-what-good-food-is" attitude of the Top Chef reality tv cooking show, this culture of food snobbery reminds me of a bunch of "art critics" who stroll around a museum commenting on the paintings in front of them without really seeing them. I personally find that this food establishment kind of crap reeks of craving membership in an exclusive clique, what do you think? Pertinent Reference Po Read more:Food Blog
Georgia Moon Chicken 2007-10-12 05:15:56 Perhaps the oddest thing I stocked behind the bar in my restaurants over the years was something called Georgia
Moon Corn Whiskey. I think one of our fast talking liquor salesman talked us into buying a couple of mason jars of this stuff. "You own a cajun restaurant! The customers will love it!" As I recall, Georgia Moon corn whiskey is a clear liquid and comes in a mason jar that proudly states "This product is less than 30 days old!"; it's obviously designed to look like authentic moonshire--which it ain't--I know because I've had real moonshine--this stuff is (ahem) smooth compared to the real thing. Anyhow, no matter how "authentic" this corn whiskey looked, nobody wanted to drink it (those damn yankees). What's a restaurant owner to do when they're stuck with booze that just won't sell? Read more:Chicken
Pumpkin Curry 2007-10-11 06:58:10 Ah, the lazy pleasures of the fall season are upon us. On Monday (Columbus Day), the family and I went pumpkin picking at one of the local farms here in Long Island. This is an annual rite which involves strolling about an open field strewn with pumpkins and entering into a lengthy debate on the merits of the many choice pumpkins we encounter: "Hmmm, this one's not round enough.." -- "This one is beginning to rot on the bottom..." -- "I like this one--I could hear it calling to me!" and so on. After the perfect pumpkin is taken home, it is then time to carve up this magnificent gourd and make a dandy jack-o-lantern for our Halloween display. What will I do with all that delicious pumpkin meat that is rendered from within this bulbous beast? Make some pumpkin curry of course! Here's the recipe... Read more:Pumpkin
, Curry
World Food News 10/10/07 2007-10-10 05:50:09 One remarkable thing about a global economy is that the only people who seem to benefit from it are the global corporations. Certainly not the consumers. It's a roll of the dice everytime you go to the grocery store. "Hey! Tomatoes are $3.99 a pound! They were 99 cents a pound yesterday!" From The Economic Times site: "Expensive Food Is The Mega Trend of 2007! More expensive food is the mega trend of 2007. There are six billion people on this earth. And it may be safe to say that this year there would be hardly any one who can claim to be unaffected by the rise in price of wheat, rice, corn, pulses, vegetables, milk, meat, eggs and cooking oil. This mega trend has already led to two tectonic shifts in global agricultural trade in the last few months. One, except for sugar, the days of dumping food on the world market are over. Two, governments of every political hue and religious colour are unapologetically making radical Read more:World
Gulf Coast Spaghetti Pie 2007-10-09 05:29:19 I first had a dish like this in a funky little cafe somewhere in St. Petersburg, Florida back in the late 70's. I remember three things about the cafe where I had my first taste of spaghetti pie -- 1) the Dean Martin song "Everybody Needs Somebody Sometime" kept playing over and over on the jukebox (somebody mourning a romantic break-up perhaps?) 2) My waitress (Sally was her name I think) wore an eyepatch over her left eye that had the following message imprinted on it: "What'll Ya Have?" 3 )The spaghetti pie had a wonderful intense flavor, the intensity of the fresh crabmeat playing nicely off of the smoked mozzarella flavors. Here's a recreation of that pie -- (this recipe goes out to Sally wherever she may be!) Read more:Coast
, Spaghetti
Video Sunday 10/7/07 2007-10-07 07:30:11 It's Video Sunday
!!!!Each week, we bring you a cooking video for your viewing pleasure!Howdy to you all on this lazy Sunday! Today, I want to share with you an interesting video on how to cook Asparagus. Some good thoughts & technique to be gleaned from this! (psss! turn out the lights & grab the popcorn!)
Food Blog Chatterbox 10/6/07 2007-10-06 06:41:41 Each week, our crack news staff scans the cyber soup to find the top food blog posts for your reading pleasure!Mae's Food Blog
had an entertaining post that presents the reader with some interesting details about cooking during the Renaissance which is titled What Did Mona Lisa Eat? If you're into food & cultural history, you should find this of some interest.The Habeas Brulee blog posted a killer recipe for a Sweet Potato, Chestnut and Bacon Soup that seems just right for the fall season. Lots of homey goodness abounds!
A Food Blogger's Daydream 2007-10-19 05:32:33 Today, as I was taking my morning walk around the neighborhood, my mind began to drift away into a fog of silly notions. Whistling under my breath as I walked along, I started to speculate as to what it would be like if some famous personalities from the past were part of today's food blogging community. Hmmmmm.....Jack Kerouac - Based in Lowell, MA, Kerouac's blog, On The Table, won the 2006 Blogger
's Choice Award in the socal activist food category. He blogs about current issues in the American food production system. Excerpt from most recent blog post: "The charging restless mute unvoiced bacon keening in a seizure of tarpaulin power."Mamie Eisenhower -- Mamie writes her blog, Cooking With Mamie, out of a small farmhouse in Gettysburg, PA and enjoys posting recipes that involve fudge. She was a big hit at this year's BlogHer convention where she dazzled Read more:Daydream
World Food News 2007-10-17 05:06:05 Here's an actual conversation I heard in the supermarket yesterday: "Say, is that frozen lasagna any good?" "I guess so--it hasn't been on the news so far as I know..." In what seems like a weekly litany of unregulated shenanigans in the food industry there is yet another food recall! From the Associated Press site: "ConAgra Foods Inc. and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are defending their decision not to recall pot pies linked to a salmonella outbreak, although two East Coast grocery chains made their own choice to pull the product from store shelves. The Banquet and generic brand chicken and turkey pot pies made by ConAgra have been linked to at least 139 cases of salmonella in 30 states. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at least 20 people have been hospitalized, but so far no deaths have been linked to the pot pies." The mind reels at what could be coming down the pike in 2008: "1 Read more:World
The Drunken Sweet Potatoes 2007-10-16 05:23:03 Sweet potatoes are a funny thing to some people. Many folks don't like them after having been tortured with badly prepared yams at Thanksgiving dinner over the years. Other people think they should only be served with certain entree items, all the while thinking, "No sweet potato can match the majesty, beauty and gosh darn goodness of a regular potato!" Me? I like 'em. They're pretty versatile and can be prepared to match almost entree you willing to cook up. Today's recipe is a simple twist on mashed sweet potatoes that involves some tequila. "Tequila?!" Yes indeed! Read more:Sweet
Pensylvania Dutch Red Cabbage 2007-10-15 05:27:00 When I was growing up, I lived in a small town in Pennsylvania for a few years. I can remember my Dad taking us all out to eat at a homestyle Amish restaurant on several occasions. Those meals linger in my memory as I recall such dishes as meatballs with gravy, apple dumplings, panfried scrapple with syrup, the homemade garlic laden pickles that came to the table as part of a relish tray, fresh bread smeared with apple butter, a thick juicy ham steak and a country red cabbage that just melted in my mouth. Ahhh! What I've always loved about this style of cooking is its simplicity. No, that does not mean it sports one dimensional flavor. Amish cooking has a basic "feel" to it that reflects the here and now of what many Pennsylvania Dutch
farmers have eaten over the years. Here is a recreation of that wonderful red cabbage...Ahh! Read more:Cabbage
Video Sunday 10/14/07 2007-10-14 06:06:02 It's Video Sunday
!!!!Every Sunday, we bring you a cooking video for your viewing pleasure! (Psst! Turn out the lights and hand me some popcorn!)Howdy everybody! If your week was filled with stress and tribulations, then watch this YouTube video for Traditional Southern Macaroni & Cheese-- it might be just what the doctor ordered!
Orlando BBQ Tilapia 2007-10-22 05:19:19 Ah me! We all have those days when we're pressed for time and it's hard to pull together a dinner that will please the whole gang at the dinner table. What to do? Here's a simple Floridian seafood recipe for just that type of day. Ingredients:1/4 stick unsalted Butter1 can Whole Peeled Tomatoes with juice (28 oz)1/4 cup Cider Vinegar1/4 cup Dark Brown Mustard2 TBS Dry Minced Onion1 TBS White Horseradish1/4 cup TBS Orange Juice1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce2 TBS Dark Brown Sugar4 large fresh Tilapia
FilletsOlive OilDry Spice Mix:1/4 tsp Kosher Salt1/4 tsp Dark Chili Powder1/4 tsp Ground Cumin1 pinch Ground ClovesCooking Procedure:Preheat your oven to 350 degreesFirst, we'll make a simple barbecue sauceIn a medium sized pot, melt the butter over medium high heatWhile the butter is melting, puree the canned tomatoes along with their juice in a food processorWhen the butter in the pot is melted, add the tomatoes, vinegar, mustard, dry minced onion, ho Read more:Orlando
, BBQ
Video Sunday 10/21/07 2007-10-21 06:49:18 It's Video Sunday
!!!!(Psst! Turn out the lights and pass me some popcorn!)If you've always wanted to learn how to handle a knife like a professional chef, then check out this great little instructional video!************************************************************Website Update: Our new weekly poll is up in the sidebar section---stop on over & cast your vote before we post a new poll next Wednesday!
A Guide To Pork 2007-10-20 05:00:19 In the past, pork has had a bad reputation due to the fact that it was often prepared incorrectly, resulting in a piece of meat that was tough, dry and flavorless. Due to fears of disease, the common practice was to cook pork to an interior temperature of 180 degrees. However, recent scientific research indicates that it is now acceptable to prepare pork to an interior temperature of 160 degrees. This change in cooking technique has helped pork experience increased popularity as a flavorful meat that contains great traditional value. If you're thinking of adding pork to your cooking repetoire, here's a list of the various cuts of pork and the different methods of cooking them. Read more:Guide
Ohio Ham Loaf 2007-10-19 05:21:20 I first discovered this interesting variation on the basic meatloaf recipe when I was going to college in Dayton, Ohio
back in the fabulous 70's, don'cha know. Not far from the school's campus, just down the street from a run-down burlesque theater, was an old cafeteria that had ham loaf on their menu every day. "Cafeteria?!" Yes, a cafeteria! For many folks, a cafeteria is a place where one eats while they're at school or work but in the Midwestern United States circa 1971, I discovered that there were cafeterias that functioned as (gasp!) restaurants. Most of these cafeterias were owned and operated by families who, over several generations, had served up menus of simple, hearty and delicous comfort food.As you passed down the line with your tray (which was made out of some heavy pressed board--not those flimsy plastic things they make you use nowadays), the bright and steaming array of food that lay before you
A Food Blogger's Daydream 2007-10-18 05:32:33 Today, as I was taking my morning walk around the neighborhood, my mind began to drift away into a fog of silly notions. Whistling under my breath as I walked along, I started to speculate as to what it would be like if some famous personalities from the past were part of today's food blogging community. Hmmmmm.....Jack Kerouac - Based in Lowell, MA, Kerouac's blog, On The Table, won the 2006 Blogger
's Choice Award in the socal activist food category. He blogs about current issues in the American food production system. Excerpt from most recent blog post: "The charging restless mute unvoiced bacon keening in a seizure of tarpaulin power." Read more:Daydream
World Food News 10/26/07 2007-10-26 07:30:35 This week we begin with a tidbit from FT.com: "Russia To Control Food Prices--Russia is introducing Soviet-style price controls on some basic foods in an effort to prevent spiralling prices from denting the Putin administration’s popularity ahead of parliamentary polls in December. The country’s biggest food retailers and producers have reached an agreement, expected to be signed with the Russian government on Wednesday, to freeze prices at October 15 levels on selected types of bread, cheese, milk, eggs and vegetable oil until the end of the year. Russia’s move is the latest sign of surging agricultural prices becoming an international political issue. Big retailers will limit their mark-up on those goods to 10 per cent. China has also agreed to food price controls; Egypt, Jordan, Bangladesh and Morocco are increasing subsidies or cutting import tariffs to lower domestic prices. Rich countries are not immune: Italian consumer gr Read more:World
Baby Snakes Gospel Hash 2007-10-25 05:16:11 Let me set the scene for you--- The year was 1986. The morning air was hot and humid. Drums, organ, voices and handclaps filled the air. A large heavy-set woman stood in front of me swaying to the music, a porkchop in one hand and a bible in the other. There I was-- standing in the Gospel
Tent at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival! The Baby Snakes
Gospel Quartet was onstage belting out another chorus of "I'm Gonna Have Breakfast With Jesus!" The spirit of the Holy Ghost was working its way through the sweaty crowd as a revelation was delivered unto me-- "Hey, I should name a dish after these guys!" Yes indeed. Let's make some Baby Snakes Gospel Hash!
Food Blog Chatterbox 10/24/07 2007-10-24 05:30:18 Every week, we skim the cyber soup to find the top food blog posts for your reading pleasure! If you're looking for a chuckle or two, the 7 Days Omnivore blog has posted a series of links to humorous articles from The Onion magazine titled Eating The Onion! From The Greasy Spoon blog comes a detailed post on Black Pudding. "What's Black Pudding?" It's a type of blood sausage! For those of you who are not squeamish about this type of culinary adventure, check out Black Pudding! Read more:Food Blog
Funky Chicken Cacciatore 2007-10-23 05:18:43 This is a simple chicken dish that was developed by Italian cooks during the Renaissance period and down through the ages, like many great recipes, it has taken many twists and turn as each generation of cooks has added their touches. I've only had two great versions of Chicken
Cacciatore over the years; one was in a quaint little restaurant in Chicago during the late 60's, the other was at a family style Italian restaurant in Brooklyn during the 70's. The names of these eateries are lost to me now but the robust flavors linger on in my memory and from time to time I just have to strap on an apron and make some chicken cacciatore in an effort to convince myself that I actually did eat at those two restaurants and that it wasn't a dream. Or was it?Ingredients: Read more:Funky
Amish Cheese Spread 2007-10-30 04:30:35 With the Holiday season right around the corner, it's time to start thinking about some easy-to-prepare snack food that's great to have on hand when company shows up at the house. Here's a dandy recipe for a cheese spread that sparks memories of an old Amish
restaurant my family used to go to in Pennsylvania when I was a kid. They would serve this up along with a relish tray that had corn relish, apple butter and a load of homemade crackers. As I recall, the restaurant's cheese spread was made with cheddar but somewhere along the line I started using gouda cheese and liked the flavor so much I stuck with it.Ingredients:2 lb grated Gouda cheese1/2 cup Mayonnaise1/4 cup Sour Cream1 TBS dry White Wine1 dash Worcestershire Sauce1/2 tsp Butcher Cracked Black Pepper1 tsp Dry Mustard 1 tsp Dry Minced OnionCooking Procedure:Place the grated gouda cheese in a food processorAdd the mayonnaisePulse four times (2 seconds each pulse)Add the Read more:Cheese
, Spread
Ozark Pumpkin Soup 2007-10-29 06:35:31 Halloween is nigh and after carving up a pumpkin, what's one to do with all that delicious pumpin meat? Here's a soup recipe that was inspired from a visit to a cafe in Arkansas years ago. Read more:Ozark
, Pumpkin
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