A Scrumptious Year.

As we stand on the precipice between new year and old (how's that for an opener?) I need to stop and catch my breath. Take stock. Look around some before leaping into 2011 with both feet. What a year it's been! One of change, growth, discovery, and of course, food.

Personally:

• Finally learned how to "put up" food thanks to Leni Sorensen's class. Successfully put up 4 jars of tomatoes, and 8 jars of hot peppers. Could feel my grandmothers smiling down at me. Sure hope more classes of Leni's are in my future.
• Besides Leni, met some incredible "food people" for the first time, including Mollie Cox Bryan, Brian Geiger, the Mas to Millers team, and Rowena Morrel.
• Got to whet my appetite in the art of food critique by acting as a judge for the Best Barbecue at the Main Street Festival, and the Cville Pie Fest. YUM!
• Cooked *WAY* more than I ever have because I needed to for the blog. It was a real boot in the ass that I needed to move forward. Quit worrying if it will turn out, and JUST COOK.
• Finally learned to make bread. And pho. And pie. And green tomato pickles.
• I grew Swiss Chard for the first time. Turned out so well I'm going to plant Kale, Turnip Greens, AND Swiss Chard next year.
• Went to a gorgeous beer dinner at Horse and Hound Gastropub.
• Learned a bunch of new food photography skills, which is still an alien species to me.
• Had one helluva truffle lunch at Palladio.
• Ate Thomas Keller's signature chicken 'n waffles at Bouchon Bistro. Hint - he puts bacon in the waffle batter. *drool*
• Discovered Craig Hartman's pork belly barbecue *double drool*
• Had the best pizza of my LIFE at Nino's in Brooklyn, NY.
• Had some incredible meals at Zinc, Tavola, Brookville, Zynodoa, Ten, Camino, and Cassis (we still miss you!)

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Baked Alaska and Peanut Butter Cookies.

When I was little, my mother was Martha Stewart before one existed. She was Betty Crocker, Emily Post, Jackie Kennedy and Cher all rolled into one. She made Betty Draper look like a hillbilly. She had Williams-Sonoma kitchen gadgets while most people were mastering the can opener. She knew what a chinois was for. At Christmas she brought out her Christmas linen and a special "cookie tree" - a multi-tiered tree-shaped-platter-thingy meant to hold cookies. She would buy glass cookie jars and fill them with a dozen different homemade varieties. And she did it all with style, grace, and a lot of bitching.

This is why I write about food. Because when I stood in the lunch line in 5th grade talking about the Baked Alaska we had for dessert on Saturday night, my friends would give me blank stares as they chomped on their graham crackers. What? Didn't everyone dine by candlelight while listening to Sinatra's Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back on the turntable? Wasn't everyone eating sukiyaki with lemon raspberry tart for dessert on a Thursday night?

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Pumpkin-Sausage Empanadas.

I was eliminated from Project Food Blog back in October. No worries, and much love to Tiny Urban Kitchen who took home the big prize. Never one to let a learning opportunity pass by, I’ve tackled the challenges anyway. Challenge #8 asks you to create a baked good with pumpkin. Here’s mine. Thanks to all who voted – I know I wouldn’t have made it as far as I did without your support!

I cook the way I write. Put a blank sheet of paper in front of me and I'm lost. But show me a writing prompt, like, "Create a poem with the Eiffel Tower, a clock, and the color burgundy," and I'm fine. It might not be the greatest poem, but I can do it. Likewise, I'm not a pantry cook. I can't open the doors, take a looksie and come up with some miracle dinner. But give me a prompt, a challenge, like, "Create a sweet or savory baked good with pumpkin," and the cogs start whirring. Brainstorming begins.

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I'm "Back"

Back from Vegas and flat on my back. Because although I lost a little money, I gained a herniated disc. OUCH! What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay there, but this back pain remains my only souvenir. Followed me home like bedbugs in a Samsonite. That'll teach me to pack 6 pairs of heels for a 2-day trip. Sure sucks getting old. I've been playing the invalid game since we returned...like, TWO WEEKS AGO! Oops. Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, says a blog is like a plant. Water it frequently or it may die. We're not on death's door yet, but pretty withered nonetheless.

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Share Our Holiday Table - Oyster Stew.

Share Our Strength is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating childhood hunger in the US by 2015. The goal of their "No Kid Hungry Campaign" is to ensure no child ever goes hungry again. One dollar can help connect a child with up to 10 healthy meals.

To raise awareness, they've created "Share Our Holiday Table" a collaborative fundraising effort where more than 50 food bloggers will offer unique recipes for the holidays, everything from appetizers to dessert. Every day from 12/6 to 12/14 a different course will be highlighted.

I am honored to be participating in the Gourmet Soup Course, along with The Runaway Spoon, and A Girl, A Market, A Meal. And what could be more gourmet for the holidays than Edna Lewis's Oyster Stew?

For a complete list of participating bloggers, please visit the Share Our Holiday Table website, and make a donation. A donation of $25 can feed a child 3 meals a day for more than a month.

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Culinary Heirlooms.

One of the reasons I became a food writer, besides my passion for eating and baking, was to remember the art my mother and grandmothers practiced daily in their kitchens. As a child it had such an effect on who I would become that I wanted somehow to remember it, to record it. It felt important to do that. Particularly in this day of "Let's just stuff our faces as quickly as we can and move on to the next thing on our to do list."

Bill Buford, founder of Granta (I heart Granta) and the terrific book, "Heat" which chronicles his experiences as a "kitchen bitch" for Mario Batali, said something a few years ago that has always resonated. I've never forgotten it because it's so frightening:

"This is the first generation of people that won't have family recipes to pass on to their children." 

The plethora of pre-cooked convenience foods and the amount of restaurant traipsing has made extinct recipes for all-day cooked spaghetti sauce and things like homemade biscuits, pies, and cakes. People don't even roast chicken anymore but buy a rottiserie space-pod bird from their local superGiantEagleKrogerWegmans mart. Not that those aren't delicious (they are) but gone are the days when recipes were passed down like precious heirlooms.

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Friday Food News.

Every week, a listing of food-related news and events happening in and around Charlottesville, Virginia. This week? If you're nervous about holiday food preparation, there are TONS of classes this month! And there's moonshine! Do you have Cville Food News you’d like to share? Email me! Bon appétit y’all!

Edible News

Peter Chang is hiring..........in Atlanta. :D

The Downtown Hot Dog Company has announced they are now serving sweet potato tater tots! I mean, is there any better food news? Any better?! SWEET POTATO TATER TOTS!

Tavola now has gift baskets containing gift certificates, artisan meats and cheeses, wines, and their very own tee shirt. I can't think of a better holiday gift for your "tavola".

Ten has invited everyone to treat themselves this holiday season - they are offering a 3-course tasting menu for $30. What a bargain! Considering the 2nd course omikase sushi would probably run you $18 and the 3rd course Hawaiian Walu would run at least $22 someplace else, this is a steal!

Culpeper residents Chuck and Jeannette Miller are attempting to turn moonshine into a top-shelf spirit. They're working with celebrity chef Adam Perry Lang, had a huge launch party in New York, and they've even appeared on the Today Show!

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Sushi Upgrade!

Tuna and Salmon, lightly ceviched with lime.

If you've followed this blog for any length of time you well know my love for sushi and sashimi. In particular the wonderfully fresh and tasty offerings served up by Seafood at West Main. Chris and company not only roll up the BEST little rolls of goodness every day for lunch, but provide Charlottesville with the finest cuts of salmon, tuna, and yellowtail (among others) every other week for those adventurous enough to make sushi at home. They even have all the "fixins" so you can create a sushi bar right in your own kitchen.

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Cheese Balls and Christmas Cookies.

It's the holiday season, and with that comes holiday food. Some of the childhood memories most precious to me involve holiday food, in particular the dishes my Momma slaved away to create for us each year. One of those, oddly enough, is the humble cheese ball. And of course, Christmas cookies.

Momma worked 3 jobs at Christmas just so she could buy us extra presents to put under the tree. She had her regular job with Henrico County in Richmond – the Bulky Waste Department. That used to crack me up, my mother worked for the bulky waste department, snicker snicker. Then just after Thanksgiving she would go work second shift at Ukrop’s grocery in their bakery, icing cakes and making doughnuts I supposed. I was never sure exactly what she did only that she came home very late, looking tired.

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