Good. Food. Stories.

Ask Casey: Hanger, Skirt, Flank, and Flatiron Steaks

Casey Barber — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:27:41 +0000

What’s the difference between skirt steak, flank steak, and hanger steak?

First, I’ll be contrary and say these pieces of beef are all alike in one way: they’ve made their way up the steak food chain in recent years. Formerly tossed aside, bound for ground beef, or reserved for butchers themselves to eat, these under-appreciated cuts have been sneaking their way onto restaurant menus as chefs and customers alike see the value in using the whole beast and look for less expensive ways to get their steak fix.

If you’re used to picking your meat out of a shrink-wrapped array in a cooler case, go ahead and ask questions of the guy (or sometimes a girl!) behind the counter. Butchers are more than happy to explain what’s in their case—and offer recommendations on the right cut for your cravings and intended recipes.
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Post tags: beef, flank, flatiron, grilling, hanger, marinade, skirt, steak

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To Dream of Caramel

C.C. — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:18:58 +0000

What could be more seductive than chocolate? GFS Contributor C.C. confesses her polyamorous ways…

One day, C.C. had an inescapable urge, an unquenchable desire to start humming a pretty Suzanne Vega song and warble the words:

It won’t do
to dream of caramel,
to think of cinnamon
and long for you.

Now, C.C. never sings, so right away it was clear something was amiss. Something so shocking, so unexpected, that like all juicy secrets, it must be shared.
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Post tags: bequet, caramel, fran's, happy goat, recchiuti, sea salt

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Parents Need to Eat Too!

Casey Barber — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:47:50 +0000

I don’t have kids. I’m not really sure how to deal with them, and I find them a little confusing, unless they’re the two tutu-wearing, pop culture-loving British kids who (rightfully) get lots of screen time from Ellen DeGeneres. However, I know a few moms-to-be, new moms, and moms who are on their way to their second or third little munchkin while their toddler(s) grow bigger and more rambunctious every day—and when they ask me about strategies for feeding themselves and their kids without losing it on a daily basis, I don’t have the answers.
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Post tags: book, giveaway, meatloaf, parents need to eat too, peanut butter cookie

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Eating My Words: Dracula’s Chicken Paprikash for Two

Rebecca Peters-Golden — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:50:19 +0000

In our latest installment of Eating My Words, contributor Rebecca Peters-Golden gets the blood flowing with a passionate recipe�in fact, you could say it’s got some bite. And if Rebecca’s columns stoke your fires for more literary-related discussion, I heartily recommend Crunchings and Munchings, a new young adult literature blog co-founded by Rebecca and fellow GFS contributor Tessa Barber.

I think Valentine’s Day gets a bad rap: candy, hearts, flowers�I mean, it would turn anybody’s stomach. More of a traditionalist, myself, I prefer to meditate on Saints Valentine of Terni and Valentine of Rome, martyred in the second century, or the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, a mob murder in Prohibition-era Chicago. Good times. And, of course, it’s a quick hop from martyrs and massacres to . . . you guessed it: Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula, when he’s at home. You want romance? That’s romance. And it all starts over a modest bowl of thick, velvety Chicken Paprikash, a traditional Hungarian stew.
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Post tags: chicken paprikash, paprika, stew, Valentine's Day

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Unfolding the Story of the Heart-Shaped Box

Casey Barber — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:52:39 +0000

The heart-shaped box borders on clich� as a symbol of Valentine’s Day. Whether you deride it, secretly pine for it, or outright request it, I’ll bet even money you’ve unwrapped the ribbon and slid the lid off a satiny coeur de chocolat at least once in your life. But in your eagerness to gobble the chocolates inside, have you ever paused to think about the package itself?

For almost half a century, Joe Ehrenfeld certainly did. To him, the box wasn’t a clich�, it was a cash cow, the guaranteed moneymaker for the business he ran, A. Klein & Co. in New York City.
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Post tags: a. klein and co., chocolate, heart-shaped boxes, new york, Valentine's Day

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Cracker-Thin Pizzas at Pete and Elda’s

Good. Food. Stories. Contributor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:48:46 +0000

Who better to write the companion installment of New Jersey Pizza Week than the man who introduced me to the wide variety and excellence of New Jersey pies, Dan Cichalski? They always say to write about what you know�.

Back when I was a young newspaperman on the Jersey Shore, my co-workers and I would often put the Monday sports section to bed on Sunday night and find that we still had time to zoom over to Neptune. There, in the little town south of Asbury Park (where did you think it was?), we would walk into Pete & Elda’s with just enough time before the kitchen closed at 1:00 a.m. to grab seats at the bar and place our orders for their renowned thin-crust pizza. It was the perfect way to cap a weekend and finish off the work “day” following Sunday Night Football.
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Post tags: new jersey, pete and elda's, pizza, thin crust

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Trenton’s Tomato Pies

Casey Barber — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:50:14 +0000

Welcome to New Jersey Pizza Week on Good. Food. Stories., where we’ll cover two of the many regional styles that sauce up the state. New Jersey’s got a few surprises up its sleeve when it comes to food, from being the second-largest blueberry producer in the country or the lauded inventor of salt water taffy (read more about the state’s quirky culinary charms in my latest iVillage piece on classic New Jersey foods.) But today we’re talking pizza, and we’re taking it to Trenton.

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Post tags: new jersey, pizza, tomato pie, tomato sauce, trenton

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Hot and Sexy Italian Fish Stew

Christine Galanti — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:45:10 +0000

When the urge for a bowl of clam chowdah strikes, take a cue from the Italians and fire up a pot of cioppino instead. Contributor and soup lover Christine Galanti chips in with a fishy tale.

Who but the Italians�creators of scooters cooler than motorcycles and coffee machines sleek as sports cars�could make fish stew sexy?
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Post tags: cioppino, fish, italian, seafood, soup

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Sports Illustrated’s Best Kept Secret: Hot Corn Dip

Casey Barber — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:19:33 +0000

“You are not cooking from a Sports Illustrated recipe.”

Busted. The crinkled and yellowing page stuck on the fridge for reference wasn’t from Gourmet or Saveur, nor even a printout from Epicurious, but an Emeril Lagasse story on his Super Bowl prep after the New Orleans Saints’ 2006 comeback run. Hey, when you live with a sports nut, these unexpected rarities find their way onto your desk. And they must be tested to see what kind of goodies make the grade for a mention in SI.
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© Casey for Good. Food. Stories., 2012. | Permalink | 14 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: appetizer, cheese, corn, dip, hot peppers, Super Bowl

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Take a Taste of Dragon’s Breath

Good. Food. Stories. Contributor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:32:31 +0000

Today’s guest post comes from Lora Krulak, a dietary problem solver, nutritional coach, and author of the upcoming Veggies for Carnivores. Lora uses her background in the culinary world, yoga, herbology, and design to help clients revamp their eating habits. (Don’t worry, she won’t make you give up chocolate!) Based in Miami, she’s traveled the world and brings her fresh take on juicing to Good. Food. Stories.

Able to fight colds and viruses, ward off hangovers, and induce a hit of energy more powerful than a double espresso, one 4-ounce shot of ginger, lemon, and cayenne pepper is as close to the elixir of life as it gets. This is the concoction I give to clients, friends and to myself on a regular basis, and I’ve been both praised�and cursed�for it.
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Post tags: cayenne, ginger, juicing, lemon, new york, organic avenue

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