Calzones

Made calzones last night and was really blown out of the water with how great they turned out (if I don't say so myself).

I followed the NY Times' empanada dough recipe, mostly because I didn't want to waste time with waiting for yeast to rise. It creates a doughy/flaky, more biscuit-y taste than a pizza dough. Probably a preference choice, but since the Boy doesn't like doughy pizza dough, I thought this would bring the crispness he prefers. Or at least that was the ex post facto logic that made my laziness turn out for everyone's benefit.

Another way my laziness worked to my benefit: I had made pesto in the food processor the night before and had yet to clean it out. But hello, basil mixed in the crust! Yeah, the crust gets mixed in a food processor, which I highly prefer to my somewhat finicky (or abused) mixer. So that added a lot of flavor right into the crust.

For the filling, I just went with basic marinara, carmelized onions, and this really cool herb and garlic sausage I bought at Wegmans the night before. Folded over the crust, slapped on an egg wash, and baked it on high heat (450ish) until it looked done (technical as usual). Benissimo, bebe! No seriously, it was perfecto-- especially since I had no idea how to really make calzones and sort of made it up as I went along. I can see this in so many configurations (like more empanadas, obvis). But you could also do a tart, or a flatbread pizza... Just glorious!

Greener Carnivores

Which Meat Harms Our Planet the Least?

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Sweet Potato Cupcakes?

John's Tex Mex Eatery

John's Tex Mex Eatery (formerly and colloquially Taco John's) is at 489 South Avenue, intersecting with Alexander, in South Wedge.

Their whole approach is a very simple, healthy style of Tex Mex. They're incredibly cheap for the amount of food you get -- I always have the second half of my small burrito for lunch the next day. The menu offers tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, some salads, a few dinner plates, and the Mexican plate, which is an absolutely loaded plate of nachos that maxes out at $7.

John's doesn't do the whole aspartame soda industry thing. You can get Boylan's natural sodas, Nantucket Nectars, water, or choose from a substantial list of beers and a few wines. They also have mimosas by the glass and by the liter carafe.

The highlights are the choices of toppings you can get (roasted red peppers, spinach, jalapenos, etc.), multiple vegetarian options (I almost always go with unbeef), and the best guac you'll find this far north. The mexican mush is this bean/potato concoction that works great as a side and can be used for taco/burrito fillings too. I also just had the mashed potatoes and plantains for the first time, and those were amazing! Really smooth, mellow, and slightly sweet. They also have a couple of homemade hot sauces and a couple of less popular brands.

If you're looking for traditional Mexican or a nice place to entertain your parents, you're in the wrong place. The bright red walls are covered in a mural, and they have the most awesomely eclectic music selection I've ever witnessed beyond shuffling my iPod. The atmosphere, waitstaff, and prices cater more to a student crowd. A review of John's is long over-due here, because we eat there literally once a week. I'm just always too distracted by the food to remember to take a picture for the blog. Sorry for this one, it's of the leftovers!

Green Flash Tasting at Tap and Mallet

Tonight at 5pm, Tap and Mallet is hosting a happy hour with the people from Green Flash out of San Diego County.

No tickets necessary, and West Coast IPA (if you're into that) will be discounted!

Sidenote: Green Flash is named after an atmospheric phenomena at sunset, when the tippy-top of the sun shines green just before setting into the ocean. They are more common around San Diego because the air is clear and there are unobstructed views of the sun at eye level.

It's also the name of a bar in Pacific Beach in San Diego, apparently of no relation to the brewery, which is out in Vista.

Also: Tomorrow Tap and Mallet will have another monthly Beer Social featuring NY's own Sackets Harbor (of 1812 Ale and Thousand Island Pale Ale). Tickets are $12 and include finger foods and beer samples.

Cooks' World

Cooks' World isn't a restaurant, but it is a local kitchen supply store on Monroe Avenue. Although it's a relatively small converted house, they seem to have every gadget known to man housed within. Plus, they have a pretty impressive website to order online or keep track of sales and specials.

CW sells all the major high-end brands: Le Creuset, All-Clad, Kitchen Aid, Wustof, Cuisinart. They also have a decent selection of coffee beans, gourmet spreads and seasonings, aprons, and cookbooks (even a library where you can exchange). There are so many tools that it almost becomes a game of trying to identify their purposes.

It's a great place to keep in mind when you decide to cook at home more often (or decide to cook at home with something more reliable and longer-lasting than a George Foreman). Of course, it's also a great place to buy gifts. And if you're obsessed with buying an ice cream maker (as I am), it is the perfect place to find multiple options, all at discounted prices, to drool over.

Alfalfa Sprouts Salmonella Warning

Better to hold off on the veggie sandwiches for a while...

The FDA has issued a recommendation against the consumption of raw alfalfa sprouts which may have caused at least 31 cases of salmonella-related illness. Since the contamination may have occured at the seed level, it will be very difficult to track which brands or states are the riskiest.

Having just sat through a presentation on food-born illnesses, product recalls, and the FDA and CDC, I feel like all these salmonella outbreaks are eschatological (my new word from the weekend). In the past few years, we've had a perfect storm in a salad (spinach, tomatoes, peppers, and now sprouts), plus peanut butter and pisatchios. I don't know if bacon gives you swine flu, but one can never be sure. Actually, all this makes me want to create a death-defying tossed salad with peanut sauce dressing and bacon bits.

National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day

I'm not sure I mean this, but Happy Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day!

Apparently the American Farm Bureau Federation has given every day of the year some esoteric food product holiday. My general stance on this is whythehecknot. I embrace any and all reasons to celebrate; even if what we're celebrating in pork products wrapped in dough. Well, I can't really say I'm embracing this holiday. I most certainly will not be eating a PinaB today (or even this century). As a kid, I went along with hot dogs and cheese wrapped in crescent rolls, but I've always been pretty squeamish about hot dogs (and any other meat that either comes in a casing or is boiled). ::Shudder::

But whatever floats your boat or finds your lost remote. They're easy, they feel like summer time, and if they get their own day of the year, then surely someone's a fan.

Maybe we should just plow ahead to tomorrow: National Zucchini Bread Day!

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Ketchup macarons?

Restaurant Week

I spend a pretty stunningly high proportion of my day trolling the interweb for food-related news for the blog. So it shames me to say that K-ster (and Upstate NY Restaurant Examiner)scooped me with news about Restaurant Week in Rochester next week. We'll chalk it up to the fact that she is also a news junkie, I was out of town all week, and this appears to be rather unofficial (organized by the Local Food Service), so it's not covered in my typical media outlets.

And let us celebrate the utter big-city-ness of a group of restaurants all agreeing to charge $20.09 for a prix fixe dinner! For some that seems like a lot (Great Northern Pizza Kitchen?) but for others (Good Luck) that's a deal. Some restaurants feature lunch or dinner for two for $20.09! It's running April 27 - May 3.

The list includes:
Bazil
Black and Blue
Copper Grass
Crystal Barn
Good Luck
Horizons at Woodcliff
Lento
Mario's
all the MAXs
One
Pare
Peter Geyer
Red Osier
2Vine
Ristorante Lucano
Rocco
Rohrbach's
Rooney's
Sienna
Simply Crepes
Tavern 58
Tony D's
Virtu
Yianni's

and more. You can click through from their website to see what each will have on their fixed menu as well. Reservations recommended.

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Guacamole Ice Cream?

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Pineapple Bacon Pound Cake?

Joe's Brooklyn Pizza

One of Rochester's greatest culinary weaknesses is pizza. I thought I was strictly in the "even bad pizza is good pizza" school of thought until the last couple of places we've tried. And The Boy hails from the birthplace of "American" pizza and thus is impossible to please. So last week when I was craving a bacon and artichoke pizza, I knew I would have to do some research to try to find a place that would not disappoint for a change.

I turned to a fellow blogger, who seemed to rate Pizza Stop and the sibling-related Joe's Brooklyn Pizza as the tops in the Roch. We went with Joe's mostly because it's on Jefferson Road in Henrietta, so I figured I could find it and it would have more seating than the downtown Pizza Stop.

Expectations were not high, since this was in the same strip mall as Moe's and Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Perhaps a little too clean and well-lit to be authentic. However, they had the classic NYC set up with lots of different pizzas to order slices from and then a good list of toppings to create your own pie. I also personally think every great pizza place should have a smart-mouth working the register to bust your balls. The guy running the front was certainly a lot less surly than my favorite spot in the Bronx, but he was just as chatty and downright friendly and helpful.

Joe's has two different crusts: Brooklyn (which is thin but not as thin as The Boy would like) and Sicilian (which they say is thick, but typically just means square). It came out hot, with a little too much cheese, and an excellent bright sauce. I probably would have preferred a white for the pizza we ordered and may try that another day, but the sauce was good. The crust could have used a little more flavor or could have been thinner so as to be crispy. It was definitely foldable, and thus true to the Brooklyn style (if you disagree, they'll give you a full refund). As for toppings, we also got roasted sweet peppers, but those weren't quite roasted enough. The bacon was also a little under-represented, but when you get three toppings, you know they've got to scale back somewhere.

All in all, this is definitely my favorite pizza place in Rochester. Unassuming, buzzing in the evenings, and serving up simple, quality pies without the high prices or the attitude.

Jesus Toast

I'm considering making a label entitled "General Southern Craziness" for this post (and surely many more to follow).

This was an article in my hometown newspaper about a sane-looking woman who saw the face of Jesus in the cheese toast her husband made for her.

Now I agree that a great grilled cheese is out of this world, and worthy of adoration, but trying to see the Son of God in these burn marks is giving me flashbacks to the Magic Eye era. It's Jesus! No wait, it's a sailboat!

Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day (albeit belatedly, since I just got back into town)

Rock Brownies

Earth Day Cupcakes

The best way to be greener with food is to stop eating meat, short of that (and I am way short of that), eating locally and seasonally cuts down on pollution caused by transportation. For more environmental news related to Rochester, read this.

If you've been meaning to recycle your plastic grocery bags and get into the reusable bag clique, now's the time. Wegmans will give you a free reusable bag (in the new, colorful fruit and veggie designs) if you turn in a bag stuffed with other plastic bags for recycling at any store this Saturday. And for sustainable kitchen utensils and serveware, shop Branch.

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Cheez It Chicken?

Before I Die I Will Successfully Make

Macarons

Not to be confused with macaroons. I don't think I've ever had these things but they are the rage on all the food blogs. Looks like a coookie sandwich to me (or maybe an Oreo cakester), but I guess they're French and thus, tres hard. The cookie part is entirely ground almonds and my arch-nemesis: egg whites -- mon dieu!

This picture is of chocolate macarons with Nutella whipped creme. I also love these pink macarons with chocolate peanut butter filling-- and they're Gossip Girl-inspired (though the blogger mostly bashes GG, for shame!) And I guess this is the go-to site for all macaron novices.

Since my baking talents are somewhat limited by an inability to read the recipe all the way through, a faulty mixer, and a general lack of precision in measuring, these may be my final triumph in life. But, by god, they will be attempted!

Anson Mills in NYT

John T. Edge, the Southern food expert who writes the United Tastes section in the New York Times, has been taking questions, one of which caught my eye:

"Q: Hey John T! Now that Bob & I are in Columbia, SC, I’m wondering about distinctive South Carolina versions of Southern fare–ones that a pescatarian like myself might appreciate. Great to see you in the NYT! — Debra Rae Cohen

John T. Edge replies: In Columbia, I would go vegetarian. Seriously. I would head to Anson Mills, grinder of corn and other grains. They’re among the best in the country at what they do. Thomas Keller and other fancy-pants chefs buy their polenta. Very exacting standards. Very conducive to fat pats of butter. Last time I was in Columbia, Anson was doing their grinding in a dump of a building set behind a car wash on Gervais Street. Ask for Glenn Roberts, the proprietor."

What, no love for Adluh?

And if you're ever interested in plumming the depths of American cooking, John T is the man who wrote the book on hamburgers, apple pie, doughnuts, and fried chicken!

Pittsford Seafood Market

The Pittsford Seafood Market is mysteriously not in Pittsford, but on Monroe Ave., between Averill and Goodman (across from Acme). They used to have a more swank restaurant, but they've since sold it and it is now a bar called the Angry Duck (I have no idea).

We've been to the PSM many times to buy raw fish to take home and make ourselves. They have the standard shrimp, tilapia, haddock, salmon selections, plus live lobster year-round, and mussels and scallops. Each visit, I was always tempted by the fish fry smells twirling about inside (it sure beats the smell of raw fish that most fish markets have). So this time, we went for it. The prices are very reasonable -- $6 for fish and chips or a salmon burger. You can order by the pound, order something raw and they'll cook it for you however you like. You can order fried chicken (but why?), baked or fried items, or dinners that come with sides. Everything is packed to-go, but there are a few booths and tables to eat inside.

We got the seafood combination dinner for $11, probably the most expensive thing on the menu. However, it was so much food, it easily fed both of us. It had two pieces of haddock, two fried scallops, two butterflied shrimp, two onion rings, some clam strips, and three fried sardines. The batter on the fish and shrimp was amazing-- like the best I've ever had! Very peppery, and well-breaded. And the crinkle cut fries and cole slaw do not disappoint. I saw hushpuppies on a picture on the menu, so I'm going to have to investigate that further.

All in all, I was immensely impressed with the quality, the flavor, the freshness-- not to mention the ambience of a kind of run-down Greek market with various maritime accoutrements tacked up on the wall. Plus they have a decent beer selection (Amstel, Corona, Genny, and the like), with two Greek beers-- all for $2.50 a bottle. We'll certainly be back just for that.

They also carry many traditional Greek products -- definitely the place to go for fresh feta -- as well as Creole seasonings and hot sauces, in the center section "store" part of the market.

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Goji berry chai tea?

Hogan's Hideaway

Hogan's Hideaway is on Park Ave. at the corner of Goodman St. It has murals on the side and the decor inside is of a "funky antique-artsy" vibe. There's outdoor seating in warmer months, a very dark rear bar (that seems alluring and ever so slightly divey), and lots of seating in the front. There's a tiny parking lot behind the building.

HH has an extensive wine selection, two home brews from Custom BrewCrafters (Park Ave Ale and Hogan's Pale Ale), and a list of specials that rotates weekly. They have great homemade dressings, fresh bread made in house (a whole wheat loaf with thyme and other spices), and French Onion soup that tastes like the real thing and comes in a crock. There's a quiche of the day and a stir-fry of the day.

I love the transitory nature of it: HH can be dark, and crowded for a sophisticated, modern dinner with a glass of superb wine. Other times it's more like a lunch spot- light and airy in the front with all the soups, salads and sandwiches on the regular menu. And the dynamic changes again depending of if you're at the bar or eating on the back patio. Hogan's Hideaway can be whatever you need it to be-- like a prostitute. But one you can take out-of-town guests to.

Unfortunately, the shape-shifting nature of HH has an adverse effect on the food (and may explain why I can never remember exactly where it is on the corner-- it's a tear in the time-space continuum). I think the weekly specials are probably consistently great (though pricier). However, whenever I venture into the regular menu, the dishes are a little less so. The burgers were good, but the crabcake sandwich just so-so. The veggie melt lacks something to really pull it together, and the eggplant parmesan (even with marvelous homemade noodles) needed a little kick of garlic or salt and less mozzarella. And even that fabulous creamy honey dressing can't make up for plain old iceberg salad-out-of-a-bag.

Overall, I think there's enough variety to require multiple visits to suss out what is best on the menu. The pleasant surprises will probably outweigh the tiny disappointments. You'll probably be most satisfied if you check out as many online reviews as possible to find out what to avoid and what to steer towards.

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Blooming Tea?

Grits: Not Just for Breakfast

If there is one seminal Southern dish, it is shrimp and grits. This recipe is from Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, NC-- a for real Southern restaurant. My only complaint is that it calls for mushrooms, which seems a little strange to me.

Grits is the official state food of South Carolina, so we get a little proprietary about them. And shrimp and grits is the speciality of the Lowcountry, so we may want to defer to Crook's Corner's southern neighbors for another recipe: from acclaimed Chef Robert Stehling of Hominy Grill in Charleston. Heh, he calls for mushrooms too. Maybe Paula Deen and I are missing something.

And if this spurs you to feed your Southern side, you can always visit The Lee Brothers' website, or order Southern classics (like boiled peanuts and Cheerwine) from their online catalogue no matter far North or West you've strayed.

Mushrooms or no, I could stare at this photo all day.

Broccoli Rabe Pasta

Depending on the amount of wheat linguine we have left, I'm thinking this is what we're having for dinner tonight.

Pasta with broccoli rabe, toasted garlic, and bread crumbs.

Just in Time for the Warm Weather

We just got this grill!

Prepare to find yourself inundated with grilling tips and recipes.

We've already made kabobs, next stop: turkey burgers and grilled pizza.

Record-Setting Easter Egg

Europe's largest Easter egg was created in Rome over the holiday weekend, then smashed with a hammer so that the pieces could be sold to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Abruzzo last week.

The dark chocolate egg weighed 2500 kg, about 5,500 lbs.

Gluttony at Its Finest

A fellow blogger/Southerner/Rochester resident enlightened me with a link to ThisIsWhyYou'reFat.com. Being from the South, I'm pretty immune to the existence (and popularity) of things like deep-fried candy bars, and I can watch the Boy eat a garbage plate without wincing, but maybe all my Easter candy scarfing has made me sensitive to the glutton inside us all. Whether these pictures disgust, intrigue, tempt, or simply make you shake your head at the human race... well, you should at least look at them.

Many thanks, John. It made me want to puke up the chocolate bunny I had for lunch, then wax nostaglic over chicken and waffles from Mac's on Main.

Easter Brunch in Rochester

I can't seem to find much information on places hosting Easter brunches around town. The best options if you don't already have plans seem to be:

Mario's will have a champagne Easter brunch from 10 - 6:30 for $36.95 (but it does come with Upstate NY's only chocolate fountain!)
Horizons, at the Lodge at Woodcliff, serves brunch every Sunday from 11 - 2.
Palladio at the Hyatt downtown has a breakfast buffet every Sunday from 7 - 10:30, then regular breakfast service until noon.
Sanibel Cottage in Webster has a brunch every Sunday, with mixed reviews.

Places that fit an "Eastery" vibe:
La-Tea-Da tea parlor is open from 11-3.
Simply Crepes's downtown location serves brunch from 11 - 3, and the Canandaigua location serves from 9 - 3.

Or you could try the typical Sunday brunch places like Jine's, Charlie's Frog Pond, James Brown's, Charlie Brown's, Jay's Diner, Mt. Hope, Highland, or South Wedge diners.

Outside of the city:
The Avon Inn has an Easter dinner buffet from 11:30 - 5 for $14.95.
The Crescent Beach Inn has a Sunday champagne brunch from 10:30 - 2 for $18.99

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Easter Edition...

Serbian Magic Easter Eggs?

Easter Photo Gallery

HAPPY EASTER!

Bunny Brownie Pops

Chick-pops

Chick and Egg cupcakes

Smeeps

Pizza Delivery to the White House

People Magazine's website ran a story that Obama had the owner of a St. Louis pizzeria flown in with dough and sauce to make pizzas for the First Family and staff.

The pizzeria, Pi, specializes in "San Francisco style" pizza, according to the magazine. I'm at a loss for what SF style is exactly-- a gayer version of California Pizza Kitchen? [Ed. Note: actually it's deep-dish with a cornmeal crust]. At any rate, the menu on their website has both deep-dish and thin crust, and all the versions have names related to Chicago exurbs and neighborhoods, so all signs point to a Midwestern-roots-appropriate choice.

Hoping there'll be conservative backlash? You're welcome! Yes, it certainly isn't very "green" to have someone fly in from St. Louis just to make dinner. And of course, the owner of Pi was an Obama supporter (hence why Obama ate there while on the campaign trail in the first place). But seriously, this isn't exactly blasphemy, or a renunciation of his Chicago heritage and environmental policies. Security doesn't allow pizzas to be delivered, and it's not like DC has quality deep-dish anyway.

Paska

The Boy's parents are in town for Easter weekend and his mother brought us a Paska. [I know, I had to look it up on the internet first.] Apparently, it's a traditional Easter bread for Slovaks and other Eastern Europeans. (His maternal grandparents were Slovakian). The name comes from Pascha, which is Greek for Easter.

It looks like a sweet bread, with raisins. She said we should toast it with butter. It was cooked in a bundt cake pan and I always like toasted pound cake, so I'm curious to see the similarities. I'll post a picture soon. For now, here's a recipe.

I've Got Some Trix up My Sleeve

Last night's 30 Rock (with Liz Lemon's quote above) got me thinking about the oft-neglected cereal Trix. I don't think I've ever even tried it. And the Trix rabbit seems like he's just one step up from Sugar Bear or the Smacks Frog in terms of obsolescence. [Sidenote: what is this epidemic of animals stealing cereal from children?] Certainly Trix doesn't have the widespread empire of say, Rice Krispies. Even the General Mills website only has one recipe -- and it's Trix layered with yogurt and blueberries.

I had to check three different recipe sites before I found one that looked even moderately appealing. Apparently you can either roll ice cream balls in Trix or make a Rice Krispie treat variation. I'm including a version of the latter, mostly because it calls for lemonade, not fruit gelatin.

But there is certainly a void in the recipe world that needs to be filled here. If Cap'n Crunch can be used for chicken fingers, surely there's a role Trix can play outside of the bowl.

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Curried oatmeal with carmelized onions?

Heath Bar Trifle

The only thing The Boy wanted for his birthday was a Heath Bar Tifle, just like Mom used to make. My mom makes a brownie trifle with layers of brownie, caramel, and white chocolate pudding mixed with cool whip. But The Boy did not find this to be an acceptable alternative. So I approximated from his nostalgia. Good thing I made it super-easy.

Heath Bar Trifle:
1 box chocolate cake mix (I used dark chocolate)
1 container Cool Whip
2 boxes of Jello instant chocolate pudding (I used dark chocolate again)
3 king-sized Heath bars (can't seem to find minis)

Make the cake per the directions on the box (with water, oil and eggs). Let cake cool and cut/break into chunks.

Make the pudding according to the directions on the box (with milk), letting it sit until jello-jiggly. Then mix in the Cool Whip.

Smash Heath bars with a hammer while still in their wrappers (my favorite part!)

In a trifle bowl (which I had to go out and buy -- the most difficult part of this recipe), layer the cake first, then the pudding-whip, then sprinkle the chunks of a Heath bar. Repeat until you're out of a layer, ending with Heath sprinkles on the pudding-whip. Voila!

Hopefully yours turns out better looking than mine. If not, we've got plenty left over.

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Cajun Deep-Fried Ribs?

Chen Garden

The City Newspaper reviewed my favorite Chinese restaurant in Rochester today: Chen Garden.

My insider tip: When the wait looks long, just eat at the bar. You can get anything off the menu, plus Sam the owner and various other characters usually hang out there.

Another insider tip: A guy I work with is a devout weekly customer and swears Wednesday and Saturday nights are when the food is best.

Ode to the Cadbury Creme Egg

There's a website called Pimp that Snack where posters demonstrate how they made incredibly large versions of various snacks.

Behold: the Pimped out Cadbury Creme Egg. (Pictured next to a regular-sized egg, not a mini).

Cadbury eggs are my favorite Easter basket treat (and were even when I didn't like real eggs). And I love that they've expanded into the all-chocolate and caramel versions. And they're not as bad for you as Reese's eggs. However, I am in a jealous rage now that I've discovered that Great Britain (where Cadbury is based) and Canada have Cadbury McFlurries! McDonalds: you are nothing if not American, so please have pity! I'll have to plan a trip to Toronto next year around this time.

At least we can make our own Cadbury ice cream. And even all-natural homemade Cadbury eggs.

Also, does anyone else miss the ad?

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Tap a keg of wine?

Wild Turkey Sold to Campari

Campari announced today it plans to purchase Wild Turkey Bourbon from Pernod Ricard; the French liquer company was drowning in debt from the purchase of Absolut vodka. Pernod also distributes Beefeater gin, Malibu rum, Jameson whisky, Kahlua liquer, Chivas Regal cognac, and pretty much everything you've ever had at a bar. Campari will pay $575 million, in cash, for Wild Turkey.

Gruppo Campari makes the Campari apertif, which is a bitters. It was invented by Gaspare Campari in 1860 and still they still use the secret original recipe (like Jaegermeister, or KFC). I've only ever had Campari in a Negroni -- equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. It was a bartender's recommendation in Cinque Terre one summer. Other popular variations are the Americano and just Campari and club soda.

As for Wild Turkey, well, the proper environs for its consumption is definitely more American. Bourbon is great for mint juleps if you want an Old South vibe (the Kentucky Derby is less than a month away). Or in Manhattans -- which I guess is the Northerner alternative-- and gets a double bonus because it contains bitters. Not sure if Campari could be substituted for Angostura, though. Here's a list of cocktail recipes that call for Wild Turkey.

As for cooking, bourbon must fall a close-second behind wine for the number of recipes call for it. It works in a marinade or sauce for meats, and it plays well with dessert. It even works for breakfast. If you're looking to help boost Campari's profits (and horse-racing season is definitely the peak time for bourbon) but you're lacking inspiration, check here. I'm game to try to make chili chocolate truffles with Wild Turkey (pun very much intended).

April is National Grilled Cheese Month

My all-time favorite comfort food now has its own month! Though I still think my dad makes the best ones, there are a few places in Rochester where you can get close approximations. If only I could find pimento-cheese ones...

My favorite is the one at South Wedge Diner with white cheese. It's pretty traditional and goes well with a bowl of their chili.

The Corn Hill Grill, which opened not that long ago, also has grilled cheese on the menu. It's kind of an expensive/sophisticated visit on comfort foods of all kinds.

Open Face has havarti, brie, and goat cheese varieties for the more adventurous.

Culinarily challenged? Here are 10 tips to making a great grilled cheese.

And if you're wild for grilled cheese, consider a trip to LA for the Grilled Cheese Invitational on April 25th (I hear it's not snowing there!).

When It Snows in April...

I've never considered the possibility of a White Easter... although an Easter egg hunt becomes much more competitive when you can stuff the eggs under a mound of snow. And the competitors can only last outside for 10 minutes before the frostbite sets in.

So instead of my Easter favorite Grasshopper pie, I suppose a very Rochester Easter would require something a little less spring-green. This coconut cupcake recipe from Simply Recipes looks like the snow falling outside right now, but tastes like the spring you could be having if you lived in say, Hawaii.

Coconut macaroons are a traditional Passover dessert as well. Here's a recipe for those on Zoe Bakes.

Backwoods Birthday Party

We threw a backwoods-themed birthday party this past weekend. Had the weather cooperated, it would have been a flannel-filled gathering around a fire pit in the backyard. But we instead brought the PBR and Jack in from the rain. And thanks to a great crowd, a drum circle with pots, an old door turned into a beer pong table, balloons, noisemakers, and a pirate pinata, I think it was a hit.

I found absolutely no help online when looking for a backwoods party theme. I looked at camping, outdoor, survivalist, cabin, and lumberjack websites-- but ultimately I had to go it alone. We kept it simple with about a dozen pint-sized Mason jars, a checkered picnic tablecloth, and paper bags torn open to act as craft paper on which to serve the food.

The menu (some recipes to follow):

Pulled pork sliders with mustard-based barbeque sauce

Mini beef empanadas with roasted red pepper sauce

Chili in a bread bowl

Hilarie's famous crab dip

K-ster's white bean and arugula dip

Indoor S'mores

The pulled pork sliders were actually made with my dad's pulled pork that he had brought up to us on his last visit. So I can't take credit and I can't give the recipe. However, I did call him for his mustard-based barbeque sauce recipe, which is very easy to replicate.

Start with yellow mustard (gauge the amount to the approximate amount of sauce you'd like to make). Then add about 1/4 that amount of Worchestershire sauce to get it close to the color seen in this picture. Cooking on a low heat, stir in brown sugar slowly to allow it to dissolve. Keep adding sugar and sampling the sauce until you reach the desired flavor. Before the sugar is added it will be very, very sour, so it will take more brown sugar than you think.

After the sauce was ready, I let it sit on the heat for a bit while I toasted small rolls and defrosted my pulled pork. I put some sauce in with the meat, then used a barbeque brush to spread the rest on the toasted buns. Mustard-based barbeque sauce originates in the Midlands region of South Carolina and is an alternative for barbeque lovers or people who don't like the typical tomato-based sauces.

The mini-empanadas were the riskier party dish. I decided to make them from scratch, having before just bought some from Juan and Maria's and warmed them in the oven. I have little to no baking expertise, tools, or experience really. I just followed a recipe for a basic dough, then filled it with a filling of ground beef, cooked with onions and corn, spiced with garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, and garam masala.

The dough:

1 egg

1 egg white

1/2 cup cold water

1 tsp. vinegar. Mix all those in a small bowl.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

Mix these two in a large bowl. Then cut in 3 tablespoons of shortening (I replaced this with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, but the shortening will make the dough flakier).

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the liquid mixture in. Blend with a fork until it's stiff.

Remove the dough from the bowl, placing onto a clean, lightly floured surface (I ran out of flour and used corn starch to keep the dough from sticking to the counter). Knead until you form a ball. Wrap in Saran wrap. Refrigerate at least an hour. (Make your filling in the meantime).

Put dough back onto floured surface and roll out with rolling pin. You want to get the dough as thin as possible. Cut circles with a biscuit cutter (or rim of a glass) depending on what size you want your empanadas to be.

To bake, grease a cookie sheet. Put dough circles on and fill with filling, then fold over and crimp closed with a fork. You can brush the tops with an egg wash or melted butter if you'd like. Cook at 375 for about 30 minutes.

You could also deep-fry (the traditional route I may try another time). You want the oil to be heated to about the same temperature as the oven would be. Drop them in, flipping them over once, until golden brown.

The roasted red pepper sauce was extremely easy and I can see it making a great pasta sauce in the future. Slice 3 red peppers, place the strips on a pan with olive oil and garlic. Broil them until they start to turn black. Then dump them into a blender with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of both balsamic vinegar and lime juice (or more to taste). I added cayenne and black pepper for more zing at the end, then topped with some fresh chopped cilantro.

The indoor smores were a creation of necessity. Two days of raining = no fire for S'mores. So I mixed a jar of Fluff with a tub of Cool Whip and about 1/2 a jar of Nutella. Swirled some dark chocolate syrup on top of that and served with graham crackers for dipping. Not the prettiest dessert, but it got more positive reviews than I was expecting.

Happy Birthday Ice Cream Sundae!

The ice cream sundae was "born" April 3, 1892 at the Platt & Colt Pharmacy on State Street in Ithaca. Its creation is well-documented, though Two Rivers, Wisconsin also stakes a claim of being the birthplace of the sundae (this may well be based on a hoax circulated by H.L. Mencken). This has set-up a veritable sundae war.

But Rochtaster will throw its support behind our Upstate sister, and celebrate as an act of political allegiance!

Fellow truth-seekers and maraschino cherry-enthusiasts: I urge you to cast off the shackles of Wisconsin-dairy tyranny and arm yourselves with spoons and dreadlocks for dear old Ithaca -- to Read's!

Tigers Contribute to Science with Help from George Costanza

South Carolina's own Clemson University has funded an undergraduate research project inspired by Seinfeld. Finally some serious experts have taken it upon themselves to suss out the microbial toxicity of double-dipped dip.

"That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip."

Turns out Timmy was right. Led by "food microbiologist" (only at an ag school...) Dr. Paul L. Dawson (who also brought you the ground-breaking research on the "five second rule"), and run by 9 undergrads (I know two of them) volunteers dipped chips (actually Wheat Thins) in water at 3 different acidities, salsa, cheese dip, and chocolate syrup. On average, in three of the six dips, about 10,000 bacteria were transferred from the double-dipper into the dip. The report, published in the Journal of Food Safety, called the actual risks of double-dipping "debatable", but it did conclude with this little quip:

"Next time you take a bite of your chip, however, and are tempted to commit a second dip, keep in mind that the numbers have been calculated, and the bacteria are having just as much of a party as you are."

I especially liked the part of the NY Times article where the Seinfeld writer Peter Mehlman compared this to the inventors of seedless watermelon (an old Seinfeld routine).

G-20 Summit Dinner Created by Jamie Oliver

The Naked Chef posted the menu for dinner at 10 Downing Street for the G-20 Summit on his blog:

Baked Scottish Salmon with Seashore Vegetables, Broad Beans, Herb Garden Salad, Mayonnaise and Wild Garlic-scented Irish Soda bread

Vegetarian option is Childwickbury Goat’s Cheese with Roast Shallots, Seashore Vegetables, Herb Green Salad and Wild Garlic-scented Irish Soda Bread (no mayo)

Slow-Roasted Shoulder of Welsh Lamb, very first of the season Jersey Royals, first of the season Asparagus and Wild St George Mushrooms. Mint Sauce and Gravy

Vegetarian option is Lovage & Potato Dumplings with first of the season Asparagus and Wild St George Mushrooms

Hot Bakewell Tart with Home-made Custard

And it all came out to 11 pounds per person (a little over $16 bucks). With local ingredients and vegetarian options. Not that I'd really want to go out and recreate it myself. It all sounds so...Britishy.

And the thing I'm most curious about: why is it that it was served only to the "leaders," but their spouses ate next door (presumably from a different menu)?

Crazy or Crazy-Awesome?

Thin Mint Julep

Crazy or Crazy-Awesome?

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Cupcakes