Cookin' in the 'Cuse

What I've Been Up To

My how the time can fly.  I've been running around attending to work, events, and friends.  I've got so much to post about but here's a sampling of what's to come and what I've been up to:

• Today's opening of the Syracuse Community Test Kitchen.  Ray Cross, the president of Morrisville State College says, "We want to put a product on store shelves where a neighbor could say 'I know the person who made that' made with ingredients grown in their neighborhood"  He's my new hero.
• A review of some fabulous lunches I've had at Sparkytown in Hawley-Green.
• Freshly roasted beans at Cafe Kubal in Eastwood.
• Browsing the cookbook and food literature section at Books End in Eastwood.
• The launch of Edible Finger Lakes--the first issue debuts next month.

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2006 I was catching up on the organic news of the day.

I'm not Irish but...

I do love that Irish Soda Bread.

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!

You can find the recipe for this version of Irish Soda Bread at Saveur.

Get Your Share

Never mind the snow that is falling right now--this is the time to secure your organic produce for the summer and fall.  If you haven't already gotten your share in a Community Supported Agriculture program, now is the time sign up.  The Syracuse area has more options than ever and there is sure to be a farm subscription program that meets your needs and budget.

Now, you might be asking the question, "Why should I bother with a CSA when I can just shop the farmers' market?"  Fair enough, I've asked that question myself.  If you are already committed to shopping the markets each week then you know how wonderful it is to have a personal relationship with the person who grows your food.  You already know that you can count on getting organic, local, produce that will taste great because it is so incredibly fresh.  And you have already figured out that the farmers at the market can introduce you to new fruits and vegetables and broaden your culinary experience.

Specific information about each farm's CSA program after the jump.

A little nip/tuck and other newness in the blogosphere

Blog designs aren't Twinkies--I think they do have a finite shelf life.  After about a year with the Swiss chard in the banner I decided we needed a little tweaking around here.  I have fantasies of one day doing an uber-cool redesign but for now, this will do. 

But this blog's template isn't the only thing that is new around here.  Check out the CNY food and wine blog list on the left--two new fabulous Syracuse food blogs have joined the scene.  If you haven't yet discovered Fresh Cracked Pepper and bitter, sweet, sour, salt, then please check them out. 

At Fresh Cracked Pepper Jennifer Ward Barber writes beautifully about her food adventures and has lots of great photos to inspire your own cooking--I can tell you she inspires me.  She has a love for local and sustainable food and is generous in sharing it.

bitter, sweet, sour, salt is a group blog written by Meredith, Dawn and Elizabeth.  They also have a love for local food--both cooking it and discovering the best the Syracuse area has to offer.

And despite the cold temps, my thoughts are beginning to turn to starting seeds, extra hours of daylight, and the newness that is waiting to spring forth from the earth.  What newness are you anticipating?

It really was inevitable...

Some of you know that I love the Bravo series, Top Chef.  Season Four, based in Chicago, kicks off next week and I can't wait.  You see, nothing gets in the way of my watching Top Chef and I'm not above admitting that I can quote dialogue from previous seasons. 

So you know I'm going to be excited to check out Top Chef:  The Cookbook being publshed by Chronicle Books.  It is scheduled for release on March 20th.  It captures some 100 recipes from the first three seasons--I'm assuming they're the tasty ones.  You can read more about it here.   

Ooh, gotta go, they're running Top Chef reruns right now!

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2006 I was reviewing wine, drinking coffee, and putting out a shameless plug.  On this date in 2007 I was talking about Dinosaur BBQ Big Apple style.

Okay--You gotta see this

Check out this link.  It's a spoof but it makes me think about why we need truth in labeling on our food.

Hat tip to Bob Carlton.

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2006 I was analyzing the Supermarket Shelf.