2009 May | The Food Spot

WE COOK TO EAT meat pies

Posted by Ryan on May 28th, 2009, at 7:05 am

I suppose I should start by introducing myself and explain what I’m doing here. My name is Ryan Littmann and I am not a cook. I can make spaghetti and frozen pizzas. Tera Buerkle, my partner in crime, is more skillful with a frying pan than I am, but that’s not saying much. Working together [...]

A Novel Concept, Cooking to Eat

Posted by William on May 26th, 2009, at 1:09 am

A few weeks ago Mark Bittman wrote an article about how celebrity chefs can actually deter people from entering the kitchen. If you think about it, almost nothing you see on TV happens in a real kitchen. Due to the short time frame of a thirty minute show, some things are obviously prepped ahead, and [...]

Grilling: Fire and Wood

Posted by William on May 21st, 2009, at 12:19 pm

About six months ago I spent a few weeks in Argentina eating some of the best beef ever. A recent article in the NYT reminded me of my friend’s large, open, wood-fired parrilla.
Since that trip to Argentina, I’ve learned to love wood as a cooking medium. In the US, wood is too often overlooked, though [...]

CCC: Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted by William on May 18th, 2009, at 10:52 am

I am not shy about my love of chocolate chip cookies. I love ‘em. I can’t get enough of that carby-chewy-chocolaty combo. I will try almost any kind of cookie—sugar, oatmeal, etc.—but my love affair begins and ends with chocolate chip cookies.
I have long been on the search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. It’s [...]

Penne w/salmon and vodka sauce

Posted by William on May 15th, 2009, at 7:12 am

Here’s a good use for that marinara sauce in an unusual but tasty dish. Adding cream and Parmesan thicken the sauce to help it stick to the penne. The creaminess also nicely complements the salmon. I used canned (gasp!) salmon because I was lazy, but I’m sure it would be better with fresh roasted salmon.
Why [...]

Basic Marinara Sauce

Posted by William on May 13th, 2009, at 7:10 am

Some nights even I can’t stand the thought of doing anything more complicated than boiling water or turning on the microwave. On those nights I reach for a portion of this marinara sauce that I keep in my freezer. I simply make a batch of pasta (boil water), warm up the sauce (microwave), and call [...]

Aviator Brewery

Posted by William on May 10th, 2009, at 10:23 pm

I recently made my way to Aviator Brewery, located in Fuquay-Varina, south of Raleigh, NC, for a brewery tour and a few pints. The brewery and tap house are located in an airport hanger. It shares the space with a kit plane built and flown by the owner, Mark Doble. Wooden casks, bags of grain, [...]

Simple Meal: Brown Rice, Asparagus and Chickpeas

Posted by William on May 6th, 2009, at 9:25 pm

I thought I’d share a dinner from the other night as it was a welcome change from all the meat heavy posts recently. I was getting tired of all those heavy meals and wanted something light and healthful (and vegetarian). I mixed some brown rice with asparagus, bell peppers, and canned chickpeas in a pot [...]

hip hop & eggs

Posted by William on May 4th, 2009, at 11:55 pm

The newest hip hop & eggs came out a few days ago and I have been slack about telling you about it. They talk hip hop and make some eggs, what’s not to like? Also, fans of Deep Blue Sea will be thrilled to hear that they asked LL Cool J when Deep Blue Sea 2 [...]