Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Words cannot express my happiness at seeing this...

After a long day and a week off that really was no vacation, I found the only copy of Jamie Oliver's new magazine (and food and cookware catalog) while browsing the magazine shelves at Barnes and Noble.  I actually squealed out loud with delight.

I love magazines--you all know that by now.  It is a tough time to be in the magazine business with even the venerable titles at risk (I won't name names lest it bring bad karma).  So to find a new entry in the food realm makes me glad and keeps me hopeful. 

Jamie Magazine seems like it has the legs to withstand this shaky market.  If you like Jamie Oliver and if you loved his book and television show, Jamie at Home, then you are going to flip over this magazine.  Sure, it's a vehicle for Jamie to put his growing empire of books, restaurants, and products out there--but it's also a great channel for him to get his message out about good, healthy, clean food.  It is 130 pages of luscious food and photography with very few ad pages (I don't know if British magazines are so advertising dependent as the ones in the States--let's hope not).  In addition to the recipes, Jamie even has some writing credits--love it!

To get a copy, look around on book store periodical racks (or ask them to get it in) or go here for a subscription.

What's Cookin'?

A friend just Facebooked me and asked, "What's cookin' Rev.?  Good question!

Actually, the question should be, "what's baking?" because that's what I've been doing lots of lately--well, except for that fried chicken dipped in home-made garlic breadcrumbs and four cheese mac and cheese from the other night.  Other than that, I've been all about the baking.  I was inspired by the February issue of Gourmet magazine which had the nerve to suggest that rolls might be a good, heart-warming choice for sharing the Valentines Day love.  Here's what I've been up to:

These buttermilk fantails are among our new favorites for catching up on carbs.

These parmesan pull-aparts were gone in 60 seconds--delicious!

These pecan-millet muffins from the Cheese Board Collective cookbook and a cup of coffee make for a comforting start to a snowy day.

What are YOU baking up these days?

Palate--Food, Wine and Art

Food, Wine, Art.  These are a few of my favorite things.  Next week Palate takes place in Corning, offering a true smorgasbord of wine tastings, special meals, art gallery openings, and more.   And how cool is it that they come together in a celebration of the best our area has to offer.  And it's in winter!  Just the thing to break the monotony of dull, gray days.

What's great about this week-long event is that once you get your Palate Pass you can attend just about all of the events throughout the day.  If I could attend the entire week I would.  As it is, I'll just be able to get a couple of jam-packed days in.  I'll be blogging about it so if you can't get there check back here for some coverage.

Check out the website here for more information.