Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat

Let the countdown begin!

No, we're not counting down 'til the Ann Arbor Art Fair.  Nope, not 'til the students return in the fall, and not even 'til the end of the Mayan calendar.  Uh uh.  But a festive occasion deserving of celebration is coming in 30 days, on August 15, 2012:

Julia Child's 100th birthday!

Julia Child was devoted to an appreciation of good food in an age when convenience items were all the rage.  She taught that cooking could be fun and even easy - yes, easy, although she was noted for complicated and lengthy recipes - because she provided such explicit instructions and sincere encouragement both in her cookbooks and in her visual demonstrations on television shows.  (And remember, this was decades before Emeril Lagasse said that cooking is "not rocket science" on a network that would not exist without Julia's having blazed the food t.v. trail).

Despite not having taken cooking seriously until she attended culinary school in her mid-30s, Julia became an exceptionally accomplished cook and instructor.  She showed us that we, too, could grow up to be anyone we chose to be, at whatever age we decided what that might be.

And so, the festivities in honor of this amazing and beloved woman - she who made such an impact upon us all - have been, and will be, numerous and varied.  But one tribute is particularly lovely.

A charming new children's book Minette's Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat, by award-winning author Susanna Reich - has recently been published, telling the story of Julia, her husband Paul, and "perhaps the luckiest cat in all of Paris" who lived with the couple. The book has been beautifully illustrated by Amy Bates, and shows clearly the love shared by Julia and Paul (a famous romance!), the beauty of Paris and the quaintness of its cafes and shops, and especially the grace and uniquely fluid movements of cats.

Minette Mimosa McWilliams Child was "a mischievous, energetic poussiequette with a lovely speckled coat" who enjoyed chasing birds and mice while "Julia spent mornings at the marketplace, buying meat from le boucher, bread from le boulanger, milk and cheese from la cremiere, and cake from le patissier."  As Julia develops a love for French food and begins to take cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, Minette still seems to prefer her own catches to the exceptional cuisine offered in the household.  The books asks: "Will Julia ever be able to whip up a meal that will entice Minette?"

It is great fun to follow along as Julia cooks and Minette hunts.  And the book even includes quotes taken directly from some of Julia's own letters, making her that much more real and human rather than the icon that we're all so familiar with.

Julia Child invited all of us into her kitchen, and we subsequently invited her into our hearts.  Please join me in celebrating her ... and Minette!  Truly, you will love this very sweet story.

(Note: I was sent a review copy of the book.  And as a fan of Julia's, of cats, of France, and of food, I couldn't help but smile as I read it.)

Man v. Food Happy Birthday Nachos

Happy birthday to Adam Richman!  He's the host of the Travel Channel's "Man v. Food" and upcoming "Best Sandwich in America" (which will premiere on June 6).

As the mother of a 21-year-old male who thinks that Adam and his Food Network counterpart, Guy Fieri of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," have the greatest jobs on Earth - getting paid to eat rich and delicious dishes all around the country - this occasion simply couldn't pass without notice.

So, what to serve in honor of a man whose fame comes not only from his genial disposition (he always seems like such a nice guy who's just there to have fun regardless of the cholesterol count), but also from eating gargantuan quantities of food - the richer, spicier, and more artery-clogging the better?  Jeremy suggested nachos, in honor of Adam having visited Ann Arbor in 2010 and conquered Mt. Nacheesmo - a 5-pound plate of nachos - at Tio's Mexican Cafe.

So we piled up the chips and loaded 'em with generous quantities of all the goodies: gooey cheese sauce, spicy chorizo, zesty salsa, vivid olives, crisp scallions and tomatoes, cool sour cream and luscious avocado.

And then we indulged.

Utterly, obscenely decadent, these nachos were great!  They have virtually no redeeming nutritional value (though I give credit where it's due to the vegetables!), but it was important to simply have fun during our celebration and honor the spirit of the birthday boy.

Nachos Grande

1 10-ounce bag tortilla chips
1 16-ounce container cheese sauce
1-1/4 pounds fresh chorizo, browned
1/2 cup salsa
1 medium tomato, chopped
4 large scallions, chopped
1 2.25-ounce can sliced olives, drained
guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, and banana peppers - optional for serving

Preheat oven to 400F.

Place half of the chips into a 9"x13" casserole dish.  Drizzle with half of the cheese sauce, then top with half of the chorizo.  Layer the chips, cheese, and chorizo again using the remaining quantities.

Top with the salsa, tomato, scallions and olives.  Bake for 30 minutes until heated through.

Serve with toppings as desired.

Serves either Adam or Jeremy, or 10-12 mere mortals.

My "Chopped" Challenge

My very sweet friend Maureen had once told me she wanted to host a party that featured a home version of the Food Network show "Chopped."  She invited me to judge the competition while other friends prepared the food to be tasted.  I was thrilled, as it sounded like so much fun!

Unfortunately, the entertainment has been postponed.  But I understand completely - this would have been difficult to coordinate.  And, of course, how many dirty dishes would there be to deal with by the end???  Spare the stress, grab some popcorn, and just watch the show!

But the notion of a personal spin on this game has rather struck my fancy, after finally watching a few episodes; I hadn't yet seen it when Maureen first discussed the plans with me.  I had to get a t.v. in order to watch baseball playoffs and football games this past fall, not to mention the upcoming Oscars - the only things I bother with besides royal weddings!  So then I gave "Chopped" a few viewings, since the opportunity was finally available.

For those who are unfamiliar with the premise, here 'tis: four chef contestants are given surprise baskets of goodies with which they have to prepare an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert in successive rounds.  They may use other ingredients available in the pantry, but they must use the required elements and, ideally, transform them somehow into something fabulously creative.  Oh, and by the way, they're given only 20-40 minutes to prepare their dishes, depending upon the round.  For each course, the chef who offers the least enticing creation is chopped - eliminated - until only one contestant is left to win the $10,000 prize at the end of the show.

Each time I've watched the host recite the required items - say, combine licorice, frogs' legs and popcorn to make an appetizer - I've tried to determine what I might do with them.  I'm tickled when one of the chefs makes my idea, though truly, in real life, I'd be there for the full 20 minutes trying to figure out my options before I could even start cooking!

"Chopped" reminds me of the suspense of receiving a weekly farm share, and never quite knowing what one might find in the bags each week - potatoes? leeks? basil? corn?  What's in season?  What's had a difficult time because of weather, vs. another item that thrived in those very same conditions and is in peak form?  You take the produce home and only then can try to decide what you'll have for dinner.

So I've been trying to figure out how to do my own version of "Chopped," but without terrible expense or having to fly to Mongolia to acquire a particularly unique ingredient like yak's milk.  (I would actually love to visit Mongolia, which strikes me as a fascinating place; but my passport has expired and I'm phobic of flying anyway.)  We've got good grocery stores and lots of ethnic markets - Middle Eastern, Indian, Brazilian, Polish, African, Latin, Asian -  in the Ann Arbor area, as well as lots of gourmet specialty shops.  I know I can't get everything here, though.

But I think I've come up with a basic premise, which is subject to my whimsical changes if I find there's something I should have considered but didn't.  So here's my "Chopped" challenge:

1. I'll take suggestions for ingredients to use in a dish - 3 items per round, please - for an appetizer, an entree or a dessert.  (You can comment below, on my Food Floozie Facebook page, on my personal Facebook page, or by email.)  I'll then rack my brain and test my skills by trying to create a fabulous and delicious offering with these items.

2. Let me know which course you're asking me to make with your suggested ingredients.  I would likely presume that hot dogs belong in an appetizer or an entree, but you might very well have wanted to laugh at me while I tried to incorporate them into a sorbet.

3. I'll take all of the suggestions and pick randomly to make 4 different dishes for Monday through Thursday posts.  (Friday, of course, is Frugal Floozie Friday!)  Today is Monday, February 6; I'll pick my challenges on Friday, February 10.  If only four people take me up on the challenge, then I've got my four dares already without having to risk anyone feeling left out.  I hope I get a better response than that, though!

4. I'll aim to get my posts about the dishes ready for the last week in February, depending upon how hard you make this for me and how many brain cells pop while I try to figure out how to make something edible with a bizarre set of foods.  I reserve the right to maybe post in March, though I'll try valiantly to stick to my schedule.

5. While still suggesting intriguing items, please don't demand anything terribly expensive or outrageously exotic; there are limits upon my time and funds when it comes to seeking out ingredients.

6. Although our recent weeks of 40-50 degree weather and utter lack of snow would tend to make me seem like a liar with this next statement, we actually do, theoretically, get a winter in Michigan.  Therefore, "fresh seasonal produce" essentially means "oranges flown up from Florida."  Grocery store basics - apples, bananas, citrus, lettuce, broccoli, onions, dried fruits, etc. - would be readily available.  Something like peaches, though, would be either non-existent or they would be rocks shipped in from South America ... or they would come in a can with heavy syrup.

7. Don't necessarily suggest the obvious - I'd like to be nudged into thinking outside the frying pan a bit with unusual combinations.

8. However, that having been said, I'm not interested in eating anything like crickets.  They may be an important source of protein in some places, and they may be readily available at pet supply stores, but ... ewwww!!!  Be nice.  You can make me think and you can make me work, but please don't make me gag.

9. I have no food allergies.  I'm neither a vegetarian nor a vegan, and I don't keep kosher.  There are no dietary restrictions to bother about.

I think that's it.  I'm excited!  I can't wait to see what you suggest, and then try to figure out what to do with it all!

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork with Shredded Cabbage

First things first -- gotta promote the locals!

Ann Arbor favorite Zingerman's will have its Zzang! Bars featured on the Food Network's "Kid in a Candy Store" TONIGHT at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. Buy a bar, watch the show!

The Zingerman's empire is also home to newly crowned 2011 James Beard Award-winning "Best Chef: Great Lakes" -- Alex Young of Zingerman's Roadhouse. Mazal Tov on the enormous honor!!! (In the food world, this is like winning an Oscar!)

Now, on to today's recipe ... :)


I hadn't had this dish in ages and ages ... I made it for Jeremy once, years ago, and he adored it. So now that my kitchen is my own, I thought it was time to make it again.

For those who haven't tried cooking with fish sauce yet or who are leery of it, let me assure you that this ingredient -- which is critical to Vietnamese cooking -- is not overpoweringly fishy. Just because it's fermented doesn't mean your food will smell pickled!

Just as the anchovies in my Pasta con Aglio e Olio don't do a little dance to draw attention to themselves, the fish sauce in this pork dish only serves to enhance rather than offend. As always, trust me.

After all, I don't ever want anyone trying one of my recipes and saying, "Ewwww!!! She's suffering from delusions, thinking she can cook! I'm never coming back here again!" Uh uh. Unless there's a saga to tell, as there was with my two failed attempts at making hamantaschen before the third time proved to be the charm, I will only give you recipes I can vouch for ... :)

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork with Shredded Cabbage

Cabbage:
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups cole slaw mix
generous sprinkling of freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat, then add the rest of the ingredients. Saute for 5 minutes or so, until just softened and starting to caramelize a bit.

Pork:
1 cup sugar
3/4 pound pork cubes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
generous sprinkling of freshly ground pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 small onion, halved, sliced

In a medium skillet, heat the sugar over medium heat until it melts and turns golden.




Add the pork and stir to coat. (If the sugar clumps up, don't worry; it should melt. And if it doesn't -- as happened when I was making this for the blog -- just scoop out any hard pieces.) Add the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, fish sauce, teriyaki sauce, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is no longer pink.

Add the onion, and continue cooking over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the pork is coated with the glaze.

Serve the pork and onions over the cabbage.

Serves 2.

I'm Thrilled to Announce That I'm a Versatile Blogger!!!

I am so, so flattered to have received another award this week, and from someone whose blog I absolutely love! Michelle at All Home Cooking. All Year Long. won this herself -- and most deservedly so!!!

Her mission, as she states it, is "... to feed her family outrageously delicious meals and snacks and eliminate processed foods from her kitchen, all on a very low budget." And she then shares her adventures with the rest of us, writing a fabulous blog about food, her family, simple and delicious recipes, and health. Michelle is wonderfully warm and friendly, and I always feel as though she's inviting me to dinner at her house when she posts. This is one blog I never miss, and cannot recommend highly enough to everyone!

Michelle then passed the award along to a phenomenal group of bloggers whom I am very proud -- and profoundly humble -- to say that I'm a part of ... :) It's wonderful to know that one's efforts are appreciated and valued!

Now I am given the task of passing this award along to deserving recipients, and my brain paralysis is kicking in again -- I am so, so bad at making decisions! Too many options, too many worthy candidates! I'd have shared this with Michelle if someone hadn't beaten me to it; so that's one down, and still 15 more to go ....

So, on to following the protocol! The guidelines for accepting this award are:

Thank the person/people who gave it to you.

Thank you so very much for choosing me, Michelle, and for believing that my work warrants the attention. And thank you, too, for the charming and lovely way you introduced me: "Yenta Mary at Food Floozie. She was on the Early Show for her award-winning cupcakes. Run. Go to her. Now." Truly, Michelle, you made my entire chaotic Friday!!!

Tell 7 things about yourself.

Hmmmmm .... How much do I feel like sharing??? Am I in a "Truth or Dare" mood or a "Stick to Food" disposition, or ...? Why don't we try a little of both, rather than playing favorites?

1. I have never cooked an artichoke. Why bother? Too much effort for too little food. And so many places make that fabulous spinach-artichoke dip that I love that it's just not worth my time. I could be here, typing out inane blather instead!

2. I can't skate, and I'm prissy, and I'm a klutz ... and I'm old, at 47. But I'm still a Member Volunteer of the Ann Arbor Derby Dimes roller derby team, working on fundraising and general cheerleading for this newly forming team -- YEAH!!! I spent 13 years in all-girl Catholic schools (Lady Gaga's alma mater, I might add!), and it was girls who led the student council and girls who won science fair awards and girls who were star athletes ... never underestimate us! So I am 100% supportive of this women's sport and the fabulous and amazing group of women building the team! And if anyone would like to help us in our fundraising efforts, I will let you know when our gear is ready for purchase ... :)

3. Through 6 proverbial degrees of separation, I possess a pasta sauce recipe passed along by a suspected Mafioso. Legend has it that his grandmother came to this country in the early 1900s with only a few possessions. The boat sank close to shore, and she was able to salvage only 2 things: a family heirloom ruby ring, and her Nonna's (grandmother's) pasta sauce recipe. There has been some updating and some modernization, but it is still essentially an Old World "gravy." It starts with the words "Take a 16-quart stockpot ...." Yeah, right! My spaghetti pot holds 8 quarts, so I make half-batches. Tomatoes, cheese, basil, meatballs (and there are instructions for forming them properly!), sausage, and pork. Wine, along with the admonition to never drink any while cooking because it will taint your tastebuds. Truly, this sauce is a thing of incomparable beauty ... I have never experienced anything like it, and it is a labor of love to spend a day making it. I would share the recipe with you, but I was told not to ... and I value my kneecaps too much to violate that dictum!

4. I adore lilacs, and wish their season lasted longer. The bushes I have in my backyard have already had their shining moment this year ... I wish they were still in bloom.

5. Although everyone presumes that I watch it, I can't stand the Food Network. It's all about overly bleached teeth and showing off cleavage -- it has virtually nothing to do with cooking anymore. Any time I happen to breeze on by, there's some stupid competition for building Disney-themed Rice Krispies Treats structures ... sheesh! What happened to Mario Batali and to Sara Moulton and the other real chefs who'd worked their way up to a spot in the pantheon, who actually instruct and inform???

6. I was a member of the "Jeopardy" contestant pool back in 2006. I'd always bemoaned not being in California to take the test, and then they started offering it online. I signed up immediately, felt I'd bombed it horribly (the pressure!!!) ... and then, awhile later, I received an email congratulating me on having passed! I went to Chicago for a try-out, and was my usual flaky and chatty self -- my personality is better suited to "The Price is Right," in all honesty. (And sadly, most of the women who appear on the show wear grey or black and virtually no make-up, regrettably reinforcing the "nerd" stereotype; Alex Trebek might've had a stroke if he'd seen me in my purple nail polish and sparkly lip gloss and vivid pink clothes!) Then I got a call inviting me to the show, but Jeremy was sick and I couldn't fly out there. (Severely phobic of flying, but it would have been the chance of a lifetime!) They called again months later, and I still couldn't go ... :( I like to think it was God's way of sparing me humiliation on a national scale -- wouldn't it be horrible to not even make it to "Final Jeopardy"??? But I often wonder about what might've been ....

7. I have a "thing" for Cheetos. I can't explain it -- they have no redeeming nutritional qualities whatsoever, and I'm a girl who buys brown rice and whole wheat pasta almost exclusively, who banned hydrogenated oils an eternity ago, who cooks and bakes rather than relying upon processed and bleached and preservative-laden foods ... and yet. I'm not too keen on the puffy ones, though I'm also not too proud to turn them down. But I can devour an entire bag of the crunchy ones, and simply don't buy them to avoid the temptation ... though sometimes Jeremy will indulge me, even though he knows he shouldn't!

Pass the award on to 15 bloggers whom you have recently discovered and think are fantastic.

Again, let me reiterate how difficult a choice this is! But in no particular order, here are the blogs I think everyone should have already found. I'll pretend to be the hostess of the speed dating session, facilitating the introductions and potential life-long relationships!

1. Dropped Stitches

2. Kuppy Kakes by Kristin

3. Housekeeping in Progress

4. Hauplight

5. Lucy's Soup Can

6. Table for Two

7. My Kind of Cooking

8. The Bipolar Diva

9. Single and Sane

10. Created by Diane

11. Life As a Cuban-American Mama

12. Worst Vegetarian Ever

13. Blackberry Cottage

14. I'm Still Standing

15. The Foodie Mommie

Again, I offer my most sincere gratitude for this award! And I happily bestow it upon others, sharing the joy ... :)