| Thanksgiving S.O.S.: Hot lines at the ready for holiday cooking ...
No matter how dreadful your holiday dinner disaster story is, chances are Mary Clingman can top it.
After 27 years as one of the reassuring voices on the other end of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, she has heard just about everything - including when things go bad in a big way.
"One of the first calls was a lady who called and said her kitchen was on fire," Clingman recalls. "I told her to hang up and call the fire department."
The operators who staff the cooking hot lines help numerous cooks navigate the mishaps, blunders and outright silliness sometimes involved in preparing holiday feasts.
And thanks to all those blunders, people like Robyn Sargent have great stories to tell.
Sargent is a baking instructor at the King Arthur Flour Co.
Sidestep the bland when preparing holiday side dishes
Sometime between now and New Year's Day, a lot of us will hear the familiar phrase: ''Oh, just bring a side dish.'' We're embarking on the season of family dinners, holiday buffets and potluck parties. But before you reach for the cream of mushroom soup and the French-fried onions, consider trying something different this year. Most home cooks tend to rely on the few tried and true recipes they've been making for years. And while tradition is a good thing at the holidays, boring is not. Missy Salmon, chef and market manager for Totally Cooked Catering in Cuyahoga Falls, said tradition doesn't have to mean same-old same-old. ''People need to play off of the favorites, maybe adding different flavors. Change it up a bit, or even substitute a vegetable that's similar,'' she said.
Bill would end Virginia's sangria ban
RICHMOND, Va.—If you're served a pitcher of authentic sangria in a Virginia restaurant, someone's breaking the law. Since 1934, the state has prohibited mixing wine or beer with spirits. Frances McDonald, vice president of La Tasca Spanish Tapas Bar and Restaurants, found that out the hard way when his Alexandria location was cited for violating the sangria ban in 2006 and fined $2,000. McDonald and managing partner Shana McKillop appealed their case to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board on Thursday before going to the Capitol to urge legislators to pass a bill legalizing the red wine, liqueur and fruit concoction. McDonald said his business received no warning about the ban. He said he was unaware of the prohibition and had he known about it would not have located any of his five restaurants in Virginia.
Cro Cro cries foul
Rawlins said Michael "Sugar Aloes" Osuna, who topped the finalists in Saturday's Calypso Fiesta, was singing a song that has a melody from one of Sparrow's old songs and also from a song called "Ish" which Osuna sang years ago. He said this is the situation this year while last year Osuna claimed he (Rawlins) sang a song from an old melody. Rawlins said he also had a problem that the judges were trained by Dr Hollis "Chalkdust" Liverpool and Chalkdust is one of the contestants in the finals of the competition. He wants the judges changed by Wednesday. He said he did not want to feel uncomfortable with the competition but wanted it to feel fair. .
Filed under: CollegeBasketball
They'll open the season at home against the rival Pittsburg Steelers. How does 0-1 to start the season sound, fellow Browns fans? Drew Bledsoe has decided to retire. Solid Quarterback for a long time, but I think he'll fall short of HOF consideration. How do you folks feel about his chances? The Buckeye basketball duo of Greg Oden and Mike Conley have stated that, as of now, they are undecided on wether or not they'll turn pro. Good news for Buckeye fans...for now! Let me give you a quick thought on Don Imus's comments about the Rutgers Womens College Basketball Team.....THE GUY IS AN IDIOT!!!! The sad thing about it is that his lame radio talk show will more than likely receive a ratings boost once he returns from his meger two week suspension. Well, it's time for another addition of Sing-A-Long with PapaBear: "Oh, Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'round the old Oak Tree...It's been three looong years...Do you still want me?...If I don't see a ribbon 'round that old Oak Tree....I'll get on a bus - forget about us - and put the blame on me-eee....If I don't see a Yellow Ribbon 'round the Ooo-old Oak Treeee." - Tony Orlando & Dawn.
Blueberries rate low on pesticide
Concerns about pesticides can make the ''eat more fruit'' recommendation hard to swallow. I learned this from a reader who stopped eating blueberries when told they were high in pesticides. Here are the facts. In 2003 the Environmental Working Group tested and ranked 46 common fruits and vegetables for pesticide contamination. According to their findings, the produce with the highest amount of contamination, coined the dirty dozen, are peaches, strawberries, apples, spinach, nectarines, celery, pears, cherries, potatoes, bell peppers, raspberries and imported grapes. These would be the best choices for organic. Blueberries ranked No. 31. Fruits and vegetables are great sources of naturally occurring disease-fighting compounds. They are low in fat and high in fiber. There might be small amounts of residue on produce but the benefits outweigh the risk and I encourage all to bring back the berries and at least four other servings of fruits and veggies daily.
Rockfish Grill offers lunch, retail deli
I've spent many a Sunday night enjoying jazz and dinner at Rockfish. I'm not sure which I enjoy more. Rockfish briefly entertained the idea of opening for lunch on Fridays and then thought better of it. Restaurant owner/operators quickly find themselves overextended in trying to do both. They've recently taken over the space next to them (a long-time popular movie rental store) and have expanded their offerings and their hours. Sunday brunch, offering a host of favorites, including all kinds of Benedicts, breakfast plates (eggs, meat, home fries, grits) omelettes and frittatas, sandwiches, and shrimp and grits, began only recently and is already packing them in. The deli/lunch side was supposed to handle Sunday brunches, but now they're having to open the main dining room as well, with the deli/lunch side taking care of overflow.
Inland businessman has a passion for chile pepper
Chuck Machado has more than one passion in his life: There's writing. And real estate. Of course, it goes without saying, there's also his wife, Jennie, and his children. He also has a thing about chile. It's a spice in his life that burns like no other, so much so that he founded his New Mexico Chile Co. to share his passion with others: chiles bursting with flavor and often with a fiery temperament. The company, which he started in 2000, makes Machado's award-winning red and green Coyote Trail sauces, salsas and marinades, using New Mexico chiles grown in the legendary Hatch Valley area there. The chile products are sold on the company's Web site -- www.coyotechile.com -- and in retail shops throughout New Mexico, as well as in Riverside's The Cooking Store, the only place in California that carries them.
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