Halleluja - A new site for Food and Wine Mag

I love reading Food and Wine Magazine (my recipe binder is stuffed with clippings from each issue) but hated the website which I found to be clunky and a bit disorganized. They have recently launched a redesign and at first glance, it's a massive improvement.

Check it!

A Thai Twist on boring old Chicken Soup

It is firmly winter in Minnesota which means lots of slush, bitter cold wind and on-again-off-again head colds. There's lots of evidence floating around that chicken soup helps with colds, but I've never been able to get excited about chicken soup. Childhood scars may also have something to do with it.

I was tainted against all forms of chicken soup/broth/stock as a 17 year-old kid when I came down with a violent case of mono that lasted for about 5 months. My throat swelled nearly shut at one point such that the only thing I could consume was chicken stock through a straw. My grandma literally kept a chicken boiling for days and would bring me a "sippy" bottle of clear warm poultry juice every 3 or 4 hours which would be my only sustenance. I couldn't stand the smell of chicken broth for most of my 20s.

16 years later, I believe in using lots of chicken stocks in my cooking (usually store bought boxed broths - Progresso and Kitchen Basics are my favorites). I also love making soup this time of year but that had not extended to making chicken soup until I discovered this version from the folks at Cooking Light. It's a Coconut Curry Chicken Soup that has a light coconut milk base loaded with gentle curry spice, hearty chunks of chicken, tender rice noodles and crunchy snow peas. It gives you a great warm feeling all over and does help fight back those ugly colds. I cut time by using a rotisserie chicken for the meat (I prefer the thigh/leg meat), but you could easily poach a couple of chicken breast fillets with some stock and a bay leaf if you must and shred/chop well before adding to the soup.

J the BF and his assistant loved the left-overs. Be warned - the noodles are slurp worthy and splatter a bit. Don't enjoy while wearing that new over-priced top or over your laptop.

Can you just start where you left off

I am clearly still biting, chewing, and slurping up stuff in places near and far, but have failed to keep my blog up to date. Instead, I've been taking the quick and lazy route of Tweets, foursquare check-ins and BookFace updates to share my passion for things that I can swallow. Can I just start posting to my blog again and keep my 2 - 3 readers even moderately satisfied? We will see - stay tuned!

Steakhouses - not a fan

I'm sitting in a hotel bar in New York City killing time with a glass of Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel and a bowl of snack mix trying to figure out why I don't like steak houses. I dined at one at the ungodly hour of 6pm this evening (due to the flight schedules of some of my work colleagues). I actually thought the food at Uncle Jack's was quite good. I had a delicious (if overly generous) salad of asperagus, beefsteak tomatoes, basil and roasted shallots that was quite satisfying. The bit of crab cake I sampled was of the highest quality. The 16oz roasted NY strip served perfectly cooked, sliced and along side its bone was among the best I've had. Nevertheless, I'm left with the nagging feeling that I always feel a bit disappointed with myself after a steakhouse meal.

I think the main underlying reason has to do with the situation. I never choose to eat at a steak house on my own. They are usually due to business outings (often while on travel) where I'm with people I need to be with rather than with the people I want to have with me as I'm enjoying great food. It may also be the formulaic nature of a great steakhouse: high grade meats simply prepared, creamed spinach and a hefty bill. You know, I'm just not a fan.

Tragedy - The closing of JP's Bistro and Wine Bar

I hate re-starting my blog with bad news, but I'm more than a bit distraught at this announcement.

I didn't want to believe it when we encountered a shuttered JP's American Bistro a couple of days ago, but alas, this fine jewel of our neighborhood that I've only begun to appreciate in the last couple of years has closed it's doors.

We'll mourn the loss of that fabulous open face ravioli with preserved lemon, the crack-laden pizza loaded with currants and bacon and the ever-approachable wine-by-the-glass list. My fall just got a little darker.

I can take the dow dropping 40% in a year - but this . . . ?