Cookin' in the 'Cuse

2008 Eat Local Challenge Begins....

Eek!  in just a few minutes!

It's just before midnight as I type this but come morning I'll have more information on my plan to participate in this year's Eat Local Challenge and how you can too.  For all the details on the Challenge click here.

Till the morning...

It's finally here!

Am I only the one to have fallen in love with Jamie Oliver since he's come out as a locavore?  It's been fun to watch him change the school lunch programs in England where he's having a great impact but his latest program, Jamie at Home, has given me a genuine and total crush on the Brit.

I LOVE this show.  It is no longer running in its Saturday morning slot on the Food Network but that's okay now that the American version of his cookbook has come out.  I've resisted buying the English version for months and months simply because I didn't want to play around with metric conversions (I gotta save time somewhere, right?)  But if any of you want that one--the Indigo Bookstore in Kingston, Ontario has a bunch of them or you get it from links from Jamie's website.

Anyway, this book is all about the way I love to cook--seasonal, fresh, somewhat traditional, and easy.  He has wonderful narrative on why and how he grows his food and the recipes are fantastic.  With all of my work and travel as of late, I can't tell you the last time I really tore it up in the kitchen--well the drought is over--I can't wait to cook!

I ordered my copy from Amazon but you should be able to find it soon at local bookstores.  Check out a few page shots below--click on any photo to enlarge.  Be inspired.

Decision '08

As much as I'm into politics this is not a post about the presidential race.  This is a post--the first of more to come--about the future of Cookin' in the 'Cuse.  I have some decisions to make and instead of making them alone, I'd like to solicit YOUR help.

First thing:  the decision will not be to end this blog.  Despite my infrequent postings as of late I still have a desire to continue this forum for sharing my love of food in Central New York.  But the next few months will be even busier than the last few (I can hardly imagine it but its true) and I feel the need to check in with those who read this blog for some direction.

Cookin' in the 'Cuse has a good-sized  geographical area that it attempts to cover and my interests are many.  Over the past three and a quarter years this blog has covered food politics, the locavore movement, product reviews, local and regional farms and products, restaurant reviews, organic gardening, restaurant and event news, and recipes.  During this time, the awareness of eating locally and sustainably has grown exponentially and there is even more to cover and keep up with--frankly, it can be a bit overwhelming. 

So here's how you can help.  Over the next couple of weeks I hope to post a survey to get your feedback about what you like about Cookin' in the 'Cuse, what you'd like to see more of, what you might be interested in that I haven't ever covered.  In the meantime, I'd appreciate any initial feedback you have to offer so please post a comment and tell me what you think--I'd love to hear from you!