Recently I was sent a little book called, Notes on Cooking. I could make this review really short and just say “go buy this book, immediately” but then you would think you were on someone else’s blog. So…grab your coffee and read on, MacDuff.

Notes on Cooking is just that.  It is like sitting at Julia Child’s kitchen table and fiercely scribbling away while she talks. I mean, stuff I didn’t know..not that that is SO surprising but …there was ALOT of stuff I didn’t know or hadn’t thought about. I think my cooking has taken on a different level since this book, and I am using more professional kitchen techniques which work great in home kitchens too!

I read it through once and now I find myself reading one small note a day to help me retain what I am reading. It really is that good. I think this is one of the most innovative, helpful, unique books to come out in a very long time.

I highly recommend it. It will be one you turn to again and again and again…..and…

Full Disclosure: I was sent this book to review. I didn’t pay anything for it, don’t have to send it back… I was not paid for the review.

image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

If you have been reading my blog for very long you probably know where I stand on that issue. I do it. If a manufacturer wants me to try something that I think might  be something you are interested in I will usually try it. I don’t accept everything. There was a first aide kit that was offered that I was like..thanks but no thanks. There have been some other things. Point is, not everything I get offered lands on these pages. I have to think that it is something that will be helpful or interesting.If I try something and I don’t like it I don’t feel compelled to be nice. If I think it is really awful I will say so. If I dislike it but think that other people would probably like it then I will say that, too. Accepting samples and review items from manufacturers allows me to try things and recommend them. I could not afford to do as much of that if I was having to buy everything I recommended. I would be reviewing boxed mac and cheese and hot dogs.

I love cooking and baking, and I love bl0gging but make no mistakes, this is a business for me not a hobby. When Marc became disabled blogging was the thing that the Lord used to provide for our needs. So while I am totally all about  trying to provide awesome recipes, awesome, images, and cool new trends…I am also about paying the electric bill and buying groceries.

I am writing this because I have read numerous statements of late knocking bloggers that accept review items. The funny thing is, I was an artist eons ago and you had the same mentality in “art-land”. Artists that make money are somehow not as pure as those who don’t. Maybe not but artists (and bloggers) that make money at it aren’t starving either. I know a number of bloggers that review…and I can’ t imagine any of them writing anything but the truth. For us, while food blogging may be our first love, the craft of writing is what keeps the food in the pantry ready to be blogged.

If you are a brand new food blogger and you are trying to decide whether or not to do reviews you should f0llow your heart on that. Of course you are always going to be honest. If you want to do reviews and try products that manufacturers offer you …well you should do so! Just always let people know.

And on that note..if there is any manufacturer reading this that is jonesing to do a complete kitchen restoration with their products..hey..I have just the kitchen for you. I am headed down to it right now to bake something to blog a little later…and MAYBE I will use a product that I was given to review…who knows.

I figure if Paula Deen can put her stamp of approval on something so can I….

What are your thoughts? Should bloggers review manufacturer’s products or not? Are you offended by it? If you are a blogger do you accept items for review? Why or why not?

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Rather than doing a separate review for each I am just going to say that all  four of these products are delicious. The corn and black bean salsa was not too spicy, but had a very fresh flavor. In fact, all of the sauces had a good, fresh tomato flavor.They are not overly salty and all of the ingredients are well balanced. I really liked this brand. Give it a try if it is available in your area.

images:marye audet

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A few weeks ago a representative of FarmRich emailed me to see if I would be interested in a cookbook and a sample of meatballs. Sure!

Meatballs are great homemade, but if you can get good ones that are frozen they can be a great last minute meal. I decided to make the Saucy Meatball Grinders from the cookbook, which is called 101 Things to Do with Meatballs. I did get permission to give the recipe in its’ entire form, so I made it exactly from the book

Saucy Meatball Grinders

First of all, since the meatballs were all ready done it was a simple and very fast meal.The meatballs were a nice size and they were pretty good. Not at all greasy and didn’t have that funny texture that some frozen meatballs do.

Still Frozen

The sandwiches were wonderful, and the entire meal, for 16 people by the way, was done in under 30 minutes. I loved it. Everyone loved these meatball sandwiches and thought the meatballs were good.

Saucy Meatball Grinders

• 14 oz pizza sauce (I used Newmans Own Sockarooni)
• 1/4 cup apple jelly
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I omitted)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 30 FarmRich frozen meatballs
• 6 hoagie rolls, split
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a pan. Warm up, stirring, until smooth and the sauce begins to simmer.
2. Carefully add meatballs.
3. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are heated through.
4. Preheat oven to 375F
5. Place 5 meatballs in each roll. Spoon sauce over and sprinkle on cheese.
6. Heat until the cheese is melted.

Serves 6

I tripled the recipe, obviously. Personally, I love homemade meatballs but I will keep a bag of these on hand for those times when I need an “instant” meal.

Image SXC

Images Marye Audet

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I was sent several coupons for Claim Jumper meals.  My problem was that the local grocers only carry about two varieties.  Claimjumper has numerous varieties of frozen meals but my grocer only carries the pot pies and the chicken broccoli alfredo.

Claimjumper is a restaurant chain that is known for their hearty portions.   They have attempted to translate this into easy to fix, frozen meals that are geared toward the diner who just is overbooked and needs a quality restaurant meal at home.  The question is whether or not advertising propaganda meets reality.

Yes and no.  The one I liked best of the two that I tried (so far) is the chicken pot pie.  The crust was flaky and crisp, not too salty and flavorful.  There was no cheap shortening residue in the mouth.

It was very large.  It was probably the equivalent of 3 meals for me  personally and Marc was full after he ate it.

The chicken and vegetable pieces were large and it was obvious what they were.  In other words these meals are made with real food, not what the manufacturer scrapes out of the vats when they make cat food.

The sauce was creamy, and flavorful.  There was lots of it, so you did have rather the effect of a chunky cream soup in a pie crust.

I was very impressed at the amount of flavor and the lack of over-saltiness. I give the pot pie a 4 out of 5 for flavor and texture.

On the other hand…

I really dislike that the instructions invariably say that you can microwave it…and when you do so the quality is just not as good as when it is warmed up in the oven.  This was passable microwaved it you are in a time crunch.

I also did not care for the broccoli fettucine.  The pasta was a texture that bothered me,  sort of gummy, and while  there was large pieces of broccoli, all in all it the ingredients were overwhelmed by the sauce.  On flavor and quality I have to give the fettuchine a 2.

If you use frozen dinners, Claimjumper is a step above the average frozen dinner.  On a frozen dinner scale of one to five I give it a five over all.  I have not had a better frozen meal.

Everyone has times when things are insanely busy.  Claimjumper is a great item to have on hand for those times.

Image:maryeaudet

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Short version- 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I have lived in the southwest Dallas County area for … umm.. a lot of years. When we moved here this part of North Texas was largely rolling pasture and cedar trees. Well times change and over the years the tiny towns became little cities, but for the most part it was a bedroom community. No shopping, no restaurants (besides Dairy Queen, burger places, and a few equivalents of a greasy diner), and when a good restaurant did open it generally closed for lack of interest.

In this area, even a few years ago, if it wasn’t chicken fried steak and turnip greens it wasn’t going to sell.
Well, that has changed over the past year. A new shopping mall opened in Cedar Hill, not too far from me, and I just love it. One of the things I love the most is that there are now restaurants. Real ones. You know, the kind where you don’t have to get a key to the bathroom from the server.

Yesterday Marc and I had some errands to run. Not expecting to go anywhere we were not dressed up and I did not have my camera. SIGH. Seriously, he had been working on chainsawing down a tree, and I was wearing farm clothes. For some odd reason I saw that the new Italian restaurant was open and I mentioned to Marc that we should go.
Why didn’t I look at the exterior and recognize the need for clean jeans at least?

Anyway, we walked in and, being architecture freaks, we were both bowled over by the decor. Very old world European with a Mediterranean twist. Warm, rich mahogany, dentil moldings, tabletops of natural granite….tapestry…fresh flowers..and a fireplace.
Since it was a lunch service, and somewhat new, it was not at all crowded. We were seated immediately and our drink orders were taken. With Marc’s medications we don’t order wine anymore but ordered coffee instead.

The service was fast, efficient, and friendly.Our server’s name was Christine, and she was training another server. She did a great job of finding the medium between ignoring us and smothering us. Efficient perfection, she answered questions, gave us input, and left us alone. Ahh….

Bathrooms, absolutely pristine with mouthwash available. Nice touch.

Marc and I ordered from the lunch specials menu. At a lunch service  I will generally do this because I have found that what comes off the lunch specials menu is usually the worst items that the restaurant makes. Why? Because it is the quickest menu, created for people on short lunches. The food is often hurried. So, when I am reviewing a restaurant at lunch I will see what their worst food is. You can tell a lot about a restaurant’s quality from their lunch specials.

I ordered the soup of the day, which was a bean and hot Italian sausage soup in a garlicky chicken broth, vegetable lasagna, and a baby-misu.

Marc ordered Minestrone, meat lasagna, and no dessert.

The soups were fabulous. The minestrone was flavorful and fresh with lots of body. Marc loved it. The white bean and hot Italian sausage soup was garlicky without being overly salty. They were served steaming hot and at the same time.

When the lasagnes came I was disappointed in the presentation. It was very average and I will admit to expecting a little more imagination when it came to the plating of the dish. They had been microwaved, as expected, and the edges had become dry and chewy from being in the microwave a bit too long. Too much sauce overwhelmed the delicate pasta.  The flavor was good, however; bright and fresh tasting, with a nice basil bite.  The pasta was fresh and thinly rolled.

The bread service was average in presentation but there were both rye raisin and plain baguette slices served. The rye raisin was sweet and an unusual addition to an Italian restaurant. I did not like the butter, it was overly salty, and I suspect, one of the butter/margarine fusions.

The coffee was not remarkable. Again, I was a bit disappointed because with the fantastic ambiance of the restaurant itself I was hoping for Lavazza or a Lavazza wanna-be. It had fruity, almost berry notes with an acidic aftertaste. Nice, but not exceptional.

The star of the whole show was the Baby-misu. A lunch sized portion of tiramisu dramatically served in a flute. Beautiful presentation with a mint leaf in the top. The cake was delicate, not at all soggy and very flavorful. The cream was rich and the flavor was perfect. The only flaw is that you can’t get to the bottom of the flute with the spoon. I got around this by using the spoon handle to get every molecule.

Lunch for two was a very reasonable $25.00.

I would definitely eat there again.  As I said, the lunch specials tend to be the most hurried of all the menu items and if this was their absolute worst I could die a happy woman.

If you live in the South Dallas area then by all means you need to check this restuarant out.  They  are also opening a steak house next door soon so you can be sure I will be heading up there as soon as they open the doors.

Let’s Recap:

Ambiance 5/5  I loved it

Food 4/5 good but on the average side

Coffee 2/5 for such an excellent restaurant they should really find a better coffee.  My suggestion would be to go with Lavazza or a custom house blend in espresso from a local roaster.

Service 5/5 No possible complaints

That gives my review a total of 3.5 out of a possible 5.  If you have read my reviews before you know I am tough.  With a few small adjustments Patrizio could be the star of the South Dallas landscape.   Check it out.

Patrizio

305 W. FM 1382 #316

Cedar Hill, Tx.  75104

972 291 2600

image: Patrizio

Post from: Baking Delights

This afternoon Marc and I went to The Melrose Hotel in Dallas for lunch.  One of the things I love about reviewing restaurants and interviewing chefs is …. I get to eat lots of really amazing food.  Really amazing.

We had the best time and the food was incredible.

I will be writing up a review, an interview, and a giveaway in conjunction with this..but for know check out these images!

images:marye audet (c) 2009 all rights reserved

Post from: Baking Delights

I got two pounds of bacon in the mail the other day.  Now, this isn’t a random happening as you may think.  I don’t just randomly get bacon in the mail.

No, this was planned bacon in the mail.

If you are a serious baconista then Bacon Freak is your website of choice.  Seriously, with a tagline that says “Bacon is meat candy” how can you go wrong?

I got two types.  The one that I tested today was the country style and it is amazing.  First of all the meat is marbled quite evenly, and cut not too thin or thick but just right for crispy meaty bacon.  The fat is beautiful and white, not greasy looking and it turns crisp and golden when it is fried.

You won’t believe how the house smelled this morning.

So, I figure that country style bacon should be served with a standard country breakfast.  I made scrambled eggs, bacon, and whole grain toast with butter and honey.  The bacon did not shrink away to a micro-size either.  It maintained nearly the same size as when raw.

Perfect.  Nice contrast between salty and sweet.  I can’t wait to try the next batch..Cajun style.  I will be making a special recipe with that and reviewing it in the next few days.

I have been having trouble getting the website today but the blog works great.  This bacon is definitely a keeper…and stay tuned because we will be doing a giveaway soon!

images: marye audet

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Ahh..guilty pleasures. Those little things we do that are totally out of our ordinary activities or mindset and yet….and yet they add a little Mona Lisa smile to our days.
Well, this post introduces a new feature here. Several companies have contacted me about reviewing their products. I was unsure about it because so much of what we do here is based on fresh and homemade. But in discussing this with a friend we decided that you deserve to know what is out there that can stand in once in awhile when you just don’t have time or even..hey, you just. don’t. feel. like. it.

So, once a week or so we will take a look at guilty pleasures.  The best quick, frozen, premade, heat and eat, and just add water items on the market.  Stuff that won’t embarrass you when you serve it.  The good, the bad, and the “Oh my gosh I can’t believe they call this edible”.

You know me.  If it is awful I will say so.  Promise.  So, don’t think I have lost my mind…’k? Because seriously? That happened a long, long time ago.

Next up? Guilty pleasures #1.

SXC

Post from: Baking Delights

A few weeks ago Alex from Isle de France contacted me to see if I was interested in reviewing a sample of one of their cheeses.  How fast can a person type, “YES!”?

Pretty stinkin’ fast…..

Anyway they allowed me to choose between Brie, Camembert, and Chevre.  I make my own chevre, and that was tempting to be able to compare the tastes between “real”  chevre, and what I make but..I have to say that one of my all time favorite cheeses is a really good Brie…and I am an unabashed Brie snob. ::Marye hands her head is pseudo-shame:::::::

So, the box comes by overnight.  The kids, HAVE I mentioned that my kids are vultures when it comes to boxes from food, book, and coffee companies? Theya re.  They were tearing into the box before I had gotten out of the computer chair in my office.

Mmmm…Double cream Brie.

Aroma was nice.   Very delicate, a little nutty.  I unwrapped it completely and looked at it.  The rind was uniform and beautiful.  Ahhh…My precious…

Glancing furtively around I closed it up and hid it in the back of the fridge, thinking that I would buy a couple of pears and Marc and I could have a bit of romance one evening.

About five minutes after  I put it in the back of the fridge I got it out.  That wasn’t a good enough spot…someone was surely going to find it.

As long as the Ile de France Brie was was out I decided I might as well have just a nibble…after all….a nibble wouldn’t hurt.  I would still have plenty for the romantic evening I had planned.  I carefully sequestered the cheese in yet another area of the fridge.

A little later I pulled out some eggs and the cheese came with them…Surely it was an ordained moment…I had another nibble.

Now that you know what happened to the cheese..let’s get on with the review…

Aroma: faintly nutty with a sharp note that was at the same time, delicate

Visual: Very uniform, white rind.  The cheese is a delicate ivory color with the occasional very tiny hole.  Firmly silky maturing to luxuriously runny.

Mouthfeel: Very buttery, almost juicy.  Incredible.

Taste-Delicate, with a nutty aftertaste followed by a lingering, pleasant astringency.

Would I buy it? You bet..and I would not share one bite!

O.k..that is not totally true.  I did share small crumbs with the family. Here was their reaction:

Chef Kyrie (5) It tastez like cream cheese but better

Nick(8):I like this. We should get more.

Sean (10):The rind is sort of waxy and buttery..are you sure it is mold?

Shiloh(12): It is soooo good.  MOLD? THIS is MOLD? Well..O.k..it is good mold.

Ethan:(14) You know, Mom, very few people are as cool as you.  Most adults would not waste this incredible stuff on kids.

Matt: (16)Yep.  Good. Is there more?

Marc (49). Oh. My. Gosh. MMMM!

So there you have it…It has totally passed the Audet team of critics and foodies and was a rousing success.

Here is a recipe I am copying from the website…I am going to make this soon because it sounds so perfect for fall…

Oh..and they have a recipe contest going..you could win 1000.00   I couldn’t win because there is no way the cheese will last long enough for me to make a recipe..but give it a shot.

Fig and Brie Appetizer Pizza (used with permission)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 whole wheat pita bread rounds (6 to 7 inches)
3/4 cup fig preserves
6 ounces Ile De France Le Brie Cheese, chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
* Blend together olive oil, chopped rosemary and ground red pepper; brush over the top side of the pita breads and place on a baking sheet.
* Divide fig preserves evenly among the pitas, spreading almost to the edges; sprinkle with Brie and walnuts, dividing equally.
* Place in preheated oven and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and fig preserves are heated through.
* Remove from oven; cut each pita into 4 squares and serve while warm.
* Makes about 8 appetizer servings.
* May be garnished with additional fresh rosemary, if desired.

Images:Marye Audet

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