15 posts tagged “food”
After work Friday we went to the 25th Annual Greek Food Fest at Annunciation Greek Orthodox. Mr. Monkey and I try to go every year, barring horrid weather.
We've had about two weeks of rain here and, according to the weather channel, we are something like 6 inches above average rainfall for the year. Yesterday turned out sunny though. Driving home from work I was chagrined to see that wile I was nestled away in my office the temperature had risen to 96 degrees. Without looking, i would guess that the humidity was about 80%. We waited until after seven and it was still 89 degrees outside. But I checked my camera batteries, put some cash and a collapsible shopping bag in my pocket, and we took off.
I think there were thousands of people there when we finally it the pavement. The pavilliion area with the dancers was a sea of humanity. When I finally jockeyed for a position with a view the stage it was the portion of the show devoted to people who funky dance to sikh-hop in brightly colored pajamas. Oh, well. Enough of that so we trundled off to scope out the foods. I queued up for a pastitsio platter and Mr. Monkey went off to find where the baby sheeps were being roasted and served with pita.
After about five minutes I actually found the end of the line I was looking for and began my 15 minute relationship with the other ladies in the line. We discussed the weather-- which was pleasantly breezy and tolerable in the shade. We discussed how to pronounce pastitsio, what was in falafel, and exactly what makes that wilted lettuce and feta cheese salad so damn good when you know that it is just wilted iceburg lettuce with vinegar and feta cheese. When we were just about to join hand and sing cumbaya we got to the counter where I scored the pastitsio platter and extra spanikopita. Again I had a shot to see the stage and this time it was the Irish jug dancers. They all looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old. Pretty cute, but not exactly eastern.
Mr. Monkey had his sausage and his kebab and loed knows what else. When we met back up we actually found a couple of seats beneath the trees and plopped down to nosh for a bit.
Then some other stuff happened and more conversations were had with
more strangers. We noticecd that the lines were so long in all
directions that they actually formed a grid of perpendicular lines.
Note to planning committee: next year, stanchions and bendy lines.
We hit the shopping area in the fellowship area. It is huge but it was also packed with peoples. Mr. went to the cookie shop and I started looking at shinys pretties. With about a million other people. But I elbowed my way in and pawed at many shiny, beady things. I wanted to get something to match a bracelet from last year, but there were no black eyes. Instead I got a ring with some bright green eyes on it. I should have illustration. But, I forgot to tell, my camera has just enough battery to come on and tell me how screwed I am. Anyway, hence the cell phone photos. Sorry.
There were a couple of booths of
matrioshka dolls, lots and lots of matrioshka dolls. Jack Bauer, Barry
Obama, Bob Marley, John Lennon, Scoobie ad Shaggy, Homer Simpson,
Batman, Harry Potter, and some so bizarre that I have probably already
blocked from my memory.
The raid on the cookie concession was a success. Enough cookies and baklava to last us a couple of week... or a couple of days? Hmmm. We shall see.
I saw a few ladies walking through the crows in flowing, jingly, colorful native dress. I am sure they performed mesmerizing dances onstage. Just not while I was watching.
They also had a nice selection of the scarves with the coins around the edges. Yep. Just what I wanted to get Mr. Wonder Bra Mook for his birthday, which was yesterday. They are so Gogol Bordello. You know that he'd wear it around the house. When he shakes it for Bootsie.
James Lileks and the good folks at The Institute of Official Cheer have served up another congealed helping of the regrettable foods of your/my childhood.
Gastroanomalies devotes a whole chapter to the glory that is aspic.
I was excited to see that there is also a section on celebrity recipes.
Who knew that Joan Crawford shilled for Bisquick???
And nobody is immune to the Official Cheery ribbing-- not even the gingerbread man & Count Chocula.
Of course, Gastroanomalies contains more meat, grease, gristle, fat, and lard than you can shake a stick at. If you get confused while identifying the "variety meats" in your Fridigdaire (fridges get a section, too) then this is THE book to set you straight.
I'll close this little post with a couple of creations based on the all-American hotdog.
I spent a lot o time trying to format this all pretty. I am certain that Vox will jumble it all up.
My Poem
(with apologies to Louis and Martha Jordan)
the event was inspired by a boogie-woogie song
the caterer got lost and it took real long
the curtain was delayed by about an hour
because I heard they had brought the wrong flour
we were drinking and sweating and milling around
at the fancy art center they built in our town
for a good old Arkansas catfish fry
with coleslaw and collards and sweet potato pie
after the food we finally got the show
Kevin told us things that even *I* didn't know
those who stayed knew it was important
to turn out for the man named Louis Jordan
I had a great time but I shoulda been high
at this particular Saturday night fish fry
On a side note, I am thrilled that I got to express my appreciation to Martha Jordan for her late husband's contribution to the genre of songs about food.
What's your favorite kind of homemade cookie? Share the recipe if you have it.
Imagine the satisfying chewiness of an oatmeal cookie with the classic awesomeness of the Toll House cookie.
Best. Cookies. EVAR.
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups quick-cooking oats
* 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir into the creamed mixture. Do not over-mix! Add the oats, nuts, and chocolate chips. Drop great heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before consuming with gusto.
The trip yesterday was pleasant enough. Unfortunately most of the autumn color has passed here so it was a little bit gray. BUT the weather was clear and cool and all-together excellent for a drive in the country.
Jim put a ham and a turkey in his cajun smoker. The ham was so extraordinary that I barely felt bad at all about eating my swine brethren. They really are smart, you know.
I gotta admit that the high-concept Alton Brown turkey from the previous night was superior to the down-home cajun smoker turkey. I prefer roasted to smoked. And there was no contest in regards to presentation: science turkey offered up uniform, wafer-thin sheets of juicy white meat, so perfect I stared it for a while before I eated it.
On side dishes, I failed to get pix of the full salads & veggies zone, as I was transfixed by the TWO plates of deviled eggs that I did not have to make. Joy made God's own fruit salad and somebody made a broccoli salad that made me weep openly. There were Loeta's mashed potatoes, Ellen's sweet potatoes, am acre of cornbread dressing (aka stuffing), Vera's magnificent corn casserole, those brown sugar and garlic green beans that Carol makes.
YES! I am easy to please. I loves me some CRESCENT ROLLS with artery-clogging butta!
There are no words adequate to describe the embarrassment of riches that was the dessert table so I have included photo-documentation. Cakes: coincidentally both Italian cream, but one was bakery bought and the other an amazing 8 pounds of home-made delight purchased at a fund raiser of the UMC. Two pecan pies, two pumpkin pies and a pumpkin cheesecake, and a coconut pie, Baklava, chocolate dipped strawberries, cookies, and a giant praline thingie. Also, a shoo-fly pie, which I'd never had. The banana pudding and the "purple stuff" (similar to "pink stuff" but darker) are still in the refrigerator at the point this photo was made.
No goats, chickens, rabbits, dogs, or chil'ren were harmed in the production of this meal.
POST A SONG(s) FROM YOUR COLLECTION THAT REFERENCES ANY TYPE OF FOOD/DRINK
(Damn you, W B Mook!)
Barbequed Iguana, anyone?
Pigfoot?
Chicken tetrazini? (or is it chicken stew?)
Barbeque?
And then there's always fried chicken...
I've always been a little obsessed with the egg cream, which contains neither egg nor cream.
Please allow Lou to explain:
When I was a young man, no bigger than this
A chocolate egg cream was not to be missed
Some u bet’s chocolate syrup, seltzer water mixed with milk
You stir it up into a heady fro, tasted just like silk
You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream
You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream
Now you can go to junior’s, dave’s on canal street
And I think there’s ken’s in boston
There must be something in l.a.
But becky’s on kings highway, was the egg cream of choice
And if you don’t believe me, go ask any of the boys
You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream
You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream
The only good thing I have to say about p.s. 92
Was the egg cream served at becky’s, it was a fearsome brew
For 50 cents you got a shot, choco bubbles up your nose
That made it easier to deal with knife fights
And kids pissing in the street
You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream
You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream
So the next time you’re in brooklyn, please say hello for me
At totonno’s for pizza and ice cream at al and shirley’s
But mostly you go to becky’s, sit in a booth and say hello
And have two chocolate egg cream, one to stay and one to go
You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream, ah
You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream
You scream, I steam, we all want egg cream
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