August 2009


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Sugar Tulies from the Kennedy Kitchen

kennedy-kitchen

The death of Senator Edward Kennedy was terrible news to wake up to, wasn’t it ESers? And while I don’t know much about Sen. Kennedy’s personal kitchen habits, I do hope to glean some information from the Kennedy clan original matriarch’s personal chef Neil Connolly.

In the Kennedy Kitchen is Connolly’s tribute to this most influential and iconic American family.  Rose Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s mom, hosted many a large family gathering in her time with the help of her—by all accounts—superlative chef Neil Connolly.  In honor of the family he served for so long, Neil Connolly’s book is filled with photos, memories and recipes.

Amazon.com Review
The famed compound at Hyannisport was the Kennedy family’s favorite place to relax, and Rose Kennedy’s kitchen was the central gathering place. Everyone—including Jackie Kennedy Onassis, JFK Jr., Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver, and Arnold Schwarzenegger—came wandering in the back door to visit Rose. Her chef, Neil Connolly, always made sure there was lobster salad, potato salad, and a platter of roast chicken in the fridge, and in this book, he brings these and other favorites to your home. Included in this cookbook are Kennedy family photos and anecdotes collected personally by Neil.

Here he shares an exclusive recipe from the Kennedy kitchen with us:

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in Desserts / Personal / Politics / Recipe 3 comments
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These Tacos Are Making Me Thirsty

yup, those taco shells are fried

So, I went to Mexico City.  And I survived.  And it all happened in Denver.  Allow me to explain:

Mexico City is a Mexican restaurant in downtown Denver.  They’re famous for their……FRIED TACOS.  Don’t believe me? Check out their aptly named website.

The tacos are fried with the cheese embedded in the fried taco shell.  In the taco: steak, lettuce, tomato and avocado (a nice touch).  The issue with melting the cheese to the fried taco shell is that the distribution of the cheese is somewhat uneven.

Some bites provide cheesy, delicious explosions, while others are dominated by the steak and other toppings.  This is why one member of our group exclaimed, “That’s why I order four—to maximize the amount of opportunities for a fried taco/cheese explosion party in my mouth.”

Touche.

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in Cheese / Restaurants / Trends 9 comments
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Hott Link: Happy Barfday to Rachael Ray

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If you’re wondering why everything seems to be closed and empty today, you must have forgotten that August 25 is a national holiday — the 41st anniversary of the birth of gourmet chef/frequent ES punching bag Rachael Ray.

To celebrate, YumSugar has put together a post on the Top 10 Wackiest Named Rachael Ray Recipes. But a fair warning: these super-groan-worthy puns make the folks over at Snickers look like literary geniuses (that’s shallota flavor spaghetti, anyone?) In fact, they’re so bad, you might need a stiff drink afterwards. Perhpas a strawberry marg-alrighta?

Rachael Ray’s Wackiest Named Recipes [YumSugar]

in Celebs / Lists / TV 1 comments
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Death to the Hoagie Man

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Maybe I’m watching more television these days (well, what else are you supposed to do after college anyway?) but commercials over the last year or two have gotten increasingly annoying. I know nobody can forget the Lenten McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish jingle (GIVE ME BACK THAT FILLET-O-FISH, GIVE ME THAT FISH…sorry), or the YouTube fan rap turned commercial advertising McNuggets (who ISN’T into McNuggets, y’all?). And you can’t tell me you haven’t been to Subway for a Five Doollllaaaa Footlong.

But this time, WaWa has crossed the line…

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in Restaurants / Sandwich / TV 7 comments
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The Many Ways of Purslane

purslane

The enlarged clover-like leaves, the purple tinged stems, the blaring Omega 3 endorsement. Purslane, a green I’ve yet to hear of, grabbed the five dollars right out of my worn wallet.

When I mentioned to some foodie friends that I bought this mysterious-to-me green, they dismissed it. It was too stemy. It was nothing special. I’m here to promote purslane, and not just because its name reminds me of my favorite accessory.

eggs with purslane

Purslane #1
I quickly cooked the chopped up green in butter, added in halved sungold tomatoes (My very favorite variety this year; as my friend Jeb noted: they’re so sweet it reminds you why a tomato is actually a fruit), shoved them to the side of the pan—added more butter!—and scrambled two farm fresh eggs. When the eggs were almost cooked, I stirred everything together and hit it with salt and pepper.

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in Eggs / Featured / Recipe / Veggie 12 comments
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The Swirling Start to a Summer Cocktail

Peaches, blackberries, vanilla Kefir, vodka…buzzed together in a mini-processor for a summer, slightly alcoholic, Sunday comfort.

How are you using those about-to-go bad peaches?

in Drinks 3 comments
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Top 10 Food Finds at the Iowa State Fair

Iowa State Fair

This Sunday marked the conclusion of the 157th annual Iowa State Fair, known to downscale gourmands far and wide as the annual pinnacle of American eating. From cupcakes to astronauts, if it exists, you can bet the folks at the Iowa State Fair can grow it to an obscene size, deep-fry it and eat it off a stick, or of course, sculpt it out of butter.

10. The Butter Cow

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A classic. Look at the detailed carving in that butter udder. Masterful work.

9. Frozen S’more on a Stick

frozen s'more on a stick

Mmmm…a new era for desserts on a stick. Genius.

8. Giant Gourds

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Anyone else think there’s something really creepy about this photo?

7. Rodent Cake

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Another creepy one! Who wants a rodent on top of their cake? And this was a blue ribbon winner! What did the losing cakes look like??

6. Mystery Cake

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Oh right. This is what the losing cakes looked like. Can anyone even begin to explain what is going on here??? Are those jalapenos? Chocolate covered hot dogs? Deep fried garbage?

Next: Top 5 Food Finds at the Iowa State Fair

in Desserts / Endless Cupcakes / Featured / Fowl / Lists / Pig / Top 10 Lists 22 comments
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