Ouch!

Ouch!
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

And you thought gas prices were just killing you at the pump!

Today, Kraft, and other food companies, are announcing increased prices due to high packaging costs. Plastic packaging is made from petroleum products. Ugh! Kraft's increase will be 3.9% Other food companies are following suit, they have no choice.

So when the oil execs jump and shout for joy at record profits, at least one group of people are happy. The rest of us just continue to pay, pay, pay!

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SHF/IMBB November Event!!!

Oooo! I just read over at Jennifer's place about this month's IMBB/SHF event! It is a combined event once again the brain child of Alberto and Jennifer. They're always coming up with these great cooking ideas! It is a cookie swap! Go read all about the rules at Jennifer's.

I love cookie swaps! It is one activity I try to participate in every year. There are endless possibilities of sugary treats, confections and the occasional sugar free treat or savory! Remember - not all treats have to be sweet! A contest is included wherein 12 participants will win a great cookbook "The Cookie Sutra". I can hardly wait to see the entries! Hmmm, now what are my entries going to be? Mmmmm. endless, I say, endless! Oh, and before I forget, ANYONE can enter this event. Even if you're not a regular food blog. Go read the rules, and jump right in! Mark your calendar for November 25th! It will be a sweet day!

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Bakeshop

Bakeshop
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

This is a shot of one of the cases at the bakery. It is owned and operated by a Mother /Daughter-in-law team. Both of them or so very creative and have a determination to give the area the best cakes at reasonable prices. The cakes and other pastries are first quality!

I love that you can get a very formal cake or a bit of whimsy. My favorite is the Lemon Coconut pictured at the bottom left. Ah, lemon coconut. I have seen a few of the wedding cakes, prior to delivery and only wish they had been around for the first two weddings we hosted.

If you are in Temecula/Murrieta area and need something nice for a party or special occasion drop by Sweet Layers! You never know, I might be in and get to say hi!

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Black Beans and Rice

Beans and Rice
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

This is one very simple meal to make in a time crunch. Dice a small onion. Mince some garlic. Add it to a skillet with some olive oil. Cook a couple of minutes until tender. Add two or three cans of black beans, two of which have been drained. (if you're using two cans, just drain one of them)

Add the beans to the onions and garlic, stir. With your potato masher, mash up half of the skillet of beans. This will provide a "gravy" for the meal. Let it cook for a couple of minutes to blend together.

Serve over rice with salsa. Simple, easy, and a complete protein.

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Perfect Rice

Perfect Rice
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

I gets calls all the time from different people. How do you make rice? It is very simple. I use the same method with Jasmin, Basmati, or long grain white rice. It is a bit different with brown rices, takes a bit more time but not much.

Always use a 2 to 1 ratio. 2 cups of rice. 4 cups of water. Cold water. Place on the stove and let it come to a boil. When it begins to boil, turn it way down, put a lid on it and set your timer to 14 minutes. Voila! You have perfectly filled rice. As you can see by the side of my pan, it usually boil over a bit, but it's not a problem, just wipe it up when you're done.

Once the timer goes off , take the lid off and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Eat however you wish.

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Recipe for Success

Last night while working on my other blog I was watching TV. FoodTV is usually a good source for entertainment or BBC America. FoodTV it was. I watched Recipe for Success. It resonated in me like nothing else! A woman (younger than me for certain!) decided to chuck it all and go for her dream. She quit her job, went to culinary school and then began working at a Bakery/Cafe. She was working 50 hours a week and decided to start her own catering company. After struggling to be everything to everyone, she decided it would be best to focus on one product and do it well. She chooses decorated sugar cookies. On the heals of Eleni's! She is based in Boston and does a darling Bean Town Tin. Her husband was able to set up a website and she has kept working hard to make her dreams come true. She will be featured in the Valentine 2006 Dean and DeLuca catalog and has a couple of retailers currently carrying her cookies. Soooo, if you are in the Boston area, look her up and buy a few of her cookies! We can all use some support when we're trying to fulfill our dreams!

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Life is short...

Pumkin Pie
Originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

Eat dessert first! I was thinking about the big meal at the end of the month. As you know from a previous post, I've already baked a trial turkey. Now I must do trial desserts!

Pumpkin pie is one of my signature dishes. I began as a wee child back in the 70s learning to bake these wonderful pies. There is a specific order in which the ingredients are added to the bowl. It's almost like being the anal retentive baker I guess. First the eggs go in the bowl. Then you add sugar and mix in well. Then you can add your vanilla. A teaspoon for each pie you're making. Mmmmm. Now you add the pumpkin. Then begin adding your spices one at a time, mixing it in completely, before adding the next. I have developed my own spice blend. It of course has all the typical pumpkin pie spices. Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves. But I have altered the amounts of each. I experiment with them to get just the right amount of each. After years of practice I think I finally have a blend I like. Not too much ginger. A littl emore cinnamon, but not too much. Very little cloves. Nutmeg about half as much as cinnamon. oooo and please forgive my use of the frozen crust, it's what I had on hand. :-(

I remember a pie I saw at a bizarre once. There were so many cloves in it the pie was actually green! Ack!

The most important thing I would say about pumpkin pie is: Make it the day before you want to eat it. The flavors must marry and give a full bloom. If you eat the pie the same day, they're barely acquainted! Let it sit over-night and get very acquainted and enjoy it like an old friend. Let it waft over you, a heady mixture of smell and flavors that take you back. Old friends are there, family, that silly brother of yours extolling the virtue of a sage dressing versus a fruited one. A feeling of closeness and home; crunchy leaves, cold air that freezes as you take it in; a feeling of gratitude, so real that it brings tears to your eyes as you think of it.

Wow. Didn't know pumpkin pie could do so much, did ya? Well, years of baking and good memories are in every one of my pies.

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