CHECK OUT MY ALASKA BLOG

http://danimariealaska.blogspot.com/

http://danimariealaska.blogspot.com/

http://danimariealaska.blogspot.com/

On a side note, I've been watching a special on kitchen gadgets all afternoon and I think I've fallen in love with the 1950s concepts of a futuristic kitchen...

I have four days left in Tuscaloosa, and seven days left in Alabama. Hello, Alaska...here I come...

Not food related

This is what I need to do today...



1. work work work
2. pack pack pack
3. buy some boxes
4. pay my rent
5. create a new blog for my alaska adventure

On a side note I've had a small infatuation with pork this week...pork fliets, pork chops...as well as Yazoo beer out of Nashville.

-Danielleism number 4356: "I'm only drinking beer from the region I'm currently in when I buy the beer. Also three cheers to homebrewing!"

Response: "Thats not true, you'll sit down and ask for a New Castle"

Cocktails anyone?

The best cocktails in town in my opinion are from Surin. Just be prepared to spend ten dollars a drink. Now, if I had decide on which bar offered the best drinks I would suggest Catch 22 - and this is mostly based on their infused vodkas, and well they by far make the best White Russians in town.

A Few Months Away

Due April I am moving across the country to Skagway, Alaska. There is a right way, a wrong way, and a Skagway. I wish had the precise dates so I could get my ducks in order, but that will come in suitable time. I am extremely nervous and sentimental. Everything I do in Tuscaloosa turns me into a sappy, emotional mess. I’m going to miss this place. I may return, I never know where this giant mysterious universe will take me. Anyways, I’m going to be working at The Red Onion Saloon, which used to be Skagway’s most exclusive bordello. Rumor has it that Jack London wrote several pages of his novels in the building. The building was built in 1897 by Captain William Moore, the founder of Skagway and opened for business in 1898. If anyone knows anything about me I am drawl to anything having to with gold and silver mining since I grew up near the ghost town Calico. I also have a fascination with sailors and the ports of call. So here goes nothing, I am looking forward to six months of adventure.



In the meantime Tuscaloosa will turn into my playground and I will enjoy the company of everything and everyone here. Man, I am sure going to miss a lot of things.

Local Business

I understand the economy and I see people spending less money, but over here at the Depalma's I still see us on a wait and having parties of 15 come in to eat on a regular basis. I stumbled upon this article concerning the financial future of The Globe, and Epiphany. Let me pull out a few quotes from owner and chef of Epiphany for you, Tres Jackson says:

"In December you kill yourself, and in January you kind of twiddle your thumbs," he said. "Football season sucked, probably the worst football season I've had in five and a half years".

-Now let me just say I would never use a quote in an article that said "sucked". That sounds horribly uneducated. I would have said something along the lines of "Though Alabama had a great football season this year, this was the worst business we've seen in awhile". Roll Tide, no? Show a little respect for the city you live in. Depalma's had a great football season, I almost think we were ten times busier than last season. Go figure. I credit this to a better football season, and a couple good home games.

This quote is from Wilson over at the Globe:

"Currently, we're hanging on, but we need people to stop being so scared. I know everybody's lost a bunch of money and are freaking out, but my menu's not so expensive it's going to break you," he said. "I think there's a misconception that there's nothing ordinary people can eat, that it's all weird, it's all theater-related."

-It is NOT a theater related, it is not a themed restaurant actually. Okay, a couple dishes use a play on words with Shakespeare plays, and you have some pictures hanging that relate to theater. I love the building at The Globe, but when I think of theater related restaurants I think of servers with tights and that is not what The Globe has.

"Tuscaloosa really needs to support its independent restaurants, its restaurants that are different, not the Outbacks and places like that," he said. "Those places are serving you food that comes in a bag, and they microwave it.

"Tuscaloosa is an odd place. It never really buys in and supports its local restaurants the way Birmingham does. I'm not sure Tuscaloosa people view it that way; they don't see the impact it has on us. If people come in town and want to do really good food, you've got to support 'em."

-OKAY, now this is important. I LOVE YOU TUSCALOOSA. I think you do support local restaurants. There is not ONE single mention in this article about "our food is great". It is NOT your obligation to eat somewhere because it is locally owned, it is your obligation to eat somewhere with amazing food and great atmosphere. Tuscaloosa will make that decision.

As far as Cafe Venice goes with new management, only time will tell. Also I am actually excited about
Wintzell's Oyster House opening, but horribly disappointed that I will no longer be living in town. Boy, will i miss my south.

You read the article, eat the food, and make your own decision:
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20090205/NEWS02/902050312/1009/archives

Taste the Colors of the Rainbow

So, I've been wanting to make rainbow cupcakes for a few weeks now. I was calling out the inner child. Every time I unwrap one of these bad boys I find myself yelling for my roommate to come look at the different color infusions. Pretty sure he's ready to kick me out.

B.A.N.A.N.A s

What do you do when your roommate has bananas that are about to go bad? Make banana bread. I always use this recipe because it is super easy and simple, you can even add in nuts, caramels, chocolates, or whatever your heart desires.





http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/bananabread

Playing With Fire

Quick story. Today I needed to make myself a speedy lunch before work. I had all the workings for stir fry, so I pulled out my wok. My plan was to first to start cooking my chicken and shrimp, throw in some snow peas, broccoli, carrots, and top it off with this new stir fry sauce I found by Seven Paths. Well, I had the oil heating up and turned away from the oven to peel the shrimp, when suddenly the entire wok caught on fire. I'd always considered myself a better worker under pressure, but I think all the cold medicine I've been taking counteracted my decision making process because I just stood there. After a few moments of shock watching my entire oven fill with flames I yelled for my roommate. Again, I AM JUST STANDING THERE. I remembered a sudden thought that if I tried to put it out I may catch my shawl on fire. Never once did I even consider taking the shawl off. Luckily, my roommate stepped into action and calmly poured baking soda over the flame. I ended up cooking my stir fry once the smoked settled, but the moral of the story is: DO NOT TAKE AMPLE AMOUNTS OF COLD MEDICINE AND THEN TRY TO COOK. Order take out.

On a side note, the stir fry sauce was pretty tasty, a little spicy with a sweet undertone.





This adventure also made me stick to my plan that I will only buy a house with a gas stove. I wish I could take my commercial stoves from work and put them into my apartment.

How to put out a grease fire!!

Where's the Cheese?

Do you have food allergies? Well, I don't, BUT while at the grocery I stumbled across this brand of products called Namaste Foods, LLC.. Their entire pitch is that they are meeting the needs of people with allergies more than any other brand with products that contain no wheat, gluten, corn, soy, potato, dairy, casein or nuts. They sell bread mixes, pizza crust, flour blends, pasta, and even cookie and cake mixes. So on a whim I decided to give their Say Cheez Pasta Meal a try. I must say it was actually fairly good, I'm going to say rather delicious actually, especially considering it was a non-dairy Mac 'n Cheese that only took a few minutes to wrap up. Now, with that said I love cheese. I could live off a diet of cheese alone, but if I had any food allergies or was a vegan I'd definitely stock my kitchen high with this product.



I'd give it: 4 stars!

The Perfect Sandwich

I love the idea of packed lunches. The main ingredient for packed lunch days is yes...the sandwich! This is my version of the perfect sandwich to make for a adored one to bring to work, school, or even a picnic. Yup, I've pulled this one out a few times, and always to high praises.

First make some bread.



Okay, you can buy yourself some nice bread if you don't feel up to the task of making bread. Though I'd urge anyone to give bread making a try.



There is something about the labor that goes into kneading and patiently waiting for the bread to proof that makes the sandwich extreme special.

The recipe I used for this bread can be found on the lovely site Smitten Kitchen. My favorite tips for bread making and many more recipes can be found in the book The Tassajara Bread Book



Next put together your sandwich. My favorite is black forest ham, pepper jack cheese, tomato, lettuce, and a sauce combining spicy mustard and a touch of honey. [if you are making this sandwich as a packed lunch put the sauce in a small separate container to protect the sandwich from becoming soggy - and don't forget a knife for spreading!]



And eat! Don't forget some sides items like chips, sliced fruits, apples and peanut butter dip, or whatever your heart desires. A picnic is also a great valentine's day gift if you don't feel like sitting in a stuffy restaurant. To cold outside you say? Make an indoor picnic. Enjoy~

Mi Piace il Gelato!

So, a little known - or should I say "really know" fact about me is: I love ice cream. I could eat pint upon pint of the stuff. My favorite the past month has been Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Honey Bee, but today I stumbled into this new tasty treat. Introducing Talenti Argentine Dulce de Leche Gelato. According to their website it's the best carmel gelato in existence. Straight from Buenos Aries, Argentine. I've never witness such a hypnotic website for...well anything, let alone gelato. I felt a little bad spending 6 dollars on it, but after tasting it there is no turning bad. Could this be love? (ALSO when I'm finished eating it I'm gonna make a carmel scented candle inside the container)



I give it: 5 stars!

Lets Mull Over This

A quick snack when you didn't plan on anyone coming over. Mary Barrett entertained me with some mulled spiced wine. Warmed my toes, now I just wish it had been snowing outside and my apartment was equipped with a fireplace. Did you know: In the old times, wine often went bad. By adding spices and honey, it could be made drinkable again. Nowadays, it is a traditional drink during winter, especially around Christmas. Glögg is the Nordic form of mulled wine, similar to Glühwein in German-speaking countries. Glühwein is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, citrus and sugar.









::Please excuse my mismatched dishes, I had a sink full of dirty ones::

The original recipe for mulled wine from Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management at paragraph 1961 on page 929 to 930 of the revised edition dated 1869

1961.-TO MULL WINE.

INGREDIENTS.- To every pint of wine allow 1 large cupful of water, sugar and spice to taste.
Mode.-In making preparations like the above, it is very difficult to give the exact proportions of ingredients like sugar and spice, as what quantity might suit one person would be to another quite distasteful. Boil the spice in the water until the flavour is extracted, then add the wine and sugar, and bring the whole to the boiling-point, when serve with strips of crisp dry toast, or with biscuits. The spices usually used for mulled wine are cloves, grated nutmeg, and cinnamon or mace. Any kind of wine may be mulled, but port and claret are those usually selected for the purpose; and the latter requires a very large proportion of sugar. The vessel that the wine is boiled in must be delicately clean, and should be kept exclusively for the purpose. Small tin warmers may be purchased for a trifle, which are more suitable than saucepans, as, if the latter are not scrupulously clean, they spoil the wine, by imparting to it a very disagreeable flavour. These warmers should be used for no other purpose.

35 Days to a Healthier You

In the Whole Living Body + Soul magazine there is an article entitled '35 Days to a Healthier You'. This bounced off the page as an answer to my seasonal depression I've had going on for the past week and a half. Now let me clarify. I don't think I really have seasonal depression, I love cold weather, but here in Tuscaloosa we haven't seen the sun in several days and its been a miserable, rainy ghost town. A long story short I've been in a rut. I could sleep endlessly for days, and I have trouble just pulling myself out of bed to do simple tasks such as cleaning, and changing. My dirty clothes pile consist of underwear and pajamas.

Glancing over the requirements for the first week being a cook, its going to be a huge challenge to maintain to the steamed vegetables and rice diet. But at the same time it gives me a chance to pull out my vegitarian/buddist cookbooks.

The first week starts as a kind of "out with the old, in with the new detox". So, I'm not making any promises, but I am going to attempt this from a food and lifestyle approach and see if I can do it.

Check it out: 35 Days to a Healthier You

Food Related Tattoos?

I've been considering a food related tattoo for a couple years now. I like to keep things simple, so I've always liked the idea of a knife and fork on the right side of my thigh. This morning I decided to see what tattoo tributes people had devoted to the culinary world.





Also, if you've ever visited Bread & Honey: a food blog then you've seen the wonderful baker tattoo. That has to be one of my favorites.

My New Favorite Restaurant

Every city I go to I adopt myself a favorite restaurant. This usually changes quite frequently. Huntsville, Alabama is where my parents live, and I called home for many years. I love a lot of food from Huntsville, but I have an extremely hard time pining down a "favorite restaurant". Not anymore.

Cotton Row

It's located downtown, the floor to ceiling windows open to the street making the small room feel extremely airy. Ask them to give you a tour of the wine cellar, and if you want to feel extra special rent out the wine cellar for a private party. I have never seen a restaurant staff more enthusiastic about a restaurant before in my life. For an appetizer I had the oysters, this dish was supposed to highlight their sou chief which is from New Orleans. My entree was a recommendation from the bar tender, which was the cider braised short ribs, and of course you can't skip dessert:


Peanut Butter and Jelly wrapped in Phyllo


The Chocolate Trio

The only thing that I would have changed, is that I wished the bar was slightly bigger. Small space, with lots of chairs and people. After the third grey goose and tonic I didn't seem to mind as much though...

http://www.cottonrowrestaurant.com/Home.html

Outdoor Cookies

Soup & Popovers

So if anyone knows anything about me I love soup.

According to FoodTimeline.org: Food historians tell us the history of soup is probably as old as the history of cooking. The act of combining various ingredients in a large pot to create a nutritious, filling, easily digested, simple to make/serve food was inevitable. "Our modern word "soup" derives from the Old French word sope and soupe. The French word was used in England in the in the form of sop at the end of the Middle Ages and, fortunately, has remained in the English language in its original form and with much its original sense. We say "fortunately" because it is clear that nowadays a "sop" is not a "soup." The distinction is important. When cooks in the Middle Ages spoke of "soup," what they and the people for whom they were cooking really understood was a dish comprising primarily a piece of bread or toast soaked in a liquid or over which a liquid had been poured. The bread or toast was an important, even vital, part of this dish. It was a means by which a diner could counsume the liquid efficiently by sopping it up. The bread or toast was, in effect, an alternative to using a spoon...Soups were important in the medieval diet, but the dish that the cook prepared was often a sop that consisted of both nutritious liquid and the means to eat it. The meal at the end of a normal day was always the lighter of the two meals of the day, and the sop appears to have had an important place in it. In fact it was precisely because of the normal inclusion of a sop in this end-of-the-day meal that it became called "souper" or "supper."




The general concensus among the food people is that Italian wedding soup (originally known as Minestra Maritata or Pignato Grasso) has nothing to do with wedding ceremonies. This particular "marriage" (maritata is the Italian word for marriage) is between vegetables...or...depending upon the region?...sometimes pork and vegetables, in soup.

Lord of the Pies

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie...