The Great Schlep

Shana Tova

Too all my friends celebrating Rosh Hashanah…

May all your dishes tonight contain honey that is as sweet as your new year!

And if you are still looking for something to bring to your Bubbie’s house:

Orange Hazelnut Honey Cake

Special tools: Mixer, 8 x 4-inch loaf pan
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Keeping kosher: Pareve

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/3 cup hot water
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Small pinch of ground cloves
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest, orange part only
1/2 cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan, line it with parchment paper or waxed paper, and grease paper.

2. In a cup, dissolve instant coffee in hot water. Let cool. Sift flour with baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves.

3. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl of mixer. Add sugar and honey and beat until mixture is very smooth and lightened in color. Gradually add oil and beat until blended. Add orange zest.

4. Stir in flour mixture alternately with coffee, each in two batches. Stir in hazelnuts.

5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack and carefully peel off paper.

6. When cake is completely cool, wrap it tightly in foil and keep it at room temperature. Serve in thin slices.

PS — Don’t forget about The Great Schlep!!!

Holy Crap! Tastespotting is Back!

In addition to Food Gawker, mentioned below… I used to be addicted to TasteSpotting — until the website got pulled that is — b/c of copyright issues. Well, I happened to be on a fellow food blogger’s site today and noticed that she still had a link to TS up. For the heck of it I clicked on it and low and behold… Taste Spotter is back!!!

How am I possibly going to split my time between these two sites??? Such a conundrum…

Speaking of Conundrum — if you haven’t tried this wine, it’s my favorite white and worth a taste!

UPDATE: I just did a quick comparison of the two sites and there is a LOT of overlap. Not sure how it works, if one site pulls from another or if posters upload their pics to both sites, but we warned that they are not mutually exclusive to one another. That’s okay though…

Fall recipes I’m craving right now…

As posted on ParkwayBoston.com… though, there are many, many, more. I get every food magazine conceivable to man… so I am never at a loss for food cravings or recipes to try! What some of you might not know, is that I quit my job (in Marketing) earlier this month and my last day is Tuesday. Woo Hoo!! I mean, uh… is anyone hiring?

While I’m not working, my goal is to focus on my food writing and even more so, on my cooking. So dear readers, if I am as inspired as a I hope to be, keep an eye out for some new recipes and some (hopefully successful) attempts at cooking.

Food Gawker… here I come!

PS – DO NOT click on the link above unless you are committed to becoming obsessed with a website. I advise against visiting this site during working hours. It is addictive. I’m not joking. Yes, I mean YOU.

What the Fluff???

Is rescheduled for today — due to yesterday’s weather forecast. Click here for all the details.

Palin vs. Couric

Thank you to my friend, Karl over at Listed as Questionable for posting this originally. If you still vote for McCain after this, you deserve her as your VP. Pathetic, appalling and downright scary….

The Wicked Witch of the North

Every day, this woman’s life get’s loonier and loonier. She really is a nut case. Please people… don’t fall under her spell! (couldn’t resist)

Mmmm… Breakfast

Fluff -n- Stuff

In case you hadn’t heard…

The “What the Fluff?” Festival takes place this Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 4 to 7 pm (Raindate September 28) — in Union Square.

From the official press release:

It’s the third annual Fluff festival in Somerville! What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Invention honors Fluff creator, Archibald Query who invented the gooey sticky stuff right here in Union Square in 1917. On Saturday, September 27, celebrate the creation of this great American foodstuff with a madcap tribute. Join artists, musical and theatrical performers, inventors and humorists to pay homage. This year the festival is even bigger with both a performance and a games stages, even activities for all ages, and lots more Fluff food to try.

You can join in the festivities by creating a mallowey concoction for the cooking contest or participating in a range of Fluff shennanigans and field games — all with fab prizes. Get your tongues ready for the Fluff lick-off, your coordination on track for the Fluffernutter relay, and your taste buds ready for Fluff coin toss. Play culinary roulette and dare to eat the Fluffed-up results. Sample the taste of Fluff including whoopie pies from Petsi Pies, treats from Kick Ass Cupcakes, s’more from Taza Chocolate and the Girl Scouts, and fluffernutters and rice krispie treats. There’s Fluff-inspired cocktails at local watering holes throughout Union Square. A range of performers will entertain the fluff-infused crowd: Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band with 11-pieces combines the sounds of the circus, eastern Europe, avant garde jazz and modern vaudeville, Shrinking Islands will play rollicking pop for all ages and Pasty Hamel Band gets us started with some blues. No fluff festival would be complete without the fabulous Flufferettes (aka the cuties of Thru the Keyhole Burlesque). They’ll entertain between band sets in the style of 30s pin-up girls and 60s go-go dancers.

Date: Saturday, September 27, 4 – 7 pm (Raindate Sunday, September 28)
Where: Union Square Plaza in Somerville. Where Prospect Street, Washington Street and Somerville Avenue meet.
Activities erformance Stage – Performances by Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band, Shrinking Islands, Patsy Hamel Band. Special guests Flufferettes (Thru the Keyhole Burlesque).

Cooking Contest – Whip up an original recipe with Fluff or present your best interpretation of a classic. This year’s judges are: Robin Young, host of WBUR’s Here and Now, Will Gilson, award-winning chef of The Garden at the Cellar; Alex Whitmore, co-owner of Taza Chocolate; and a lucky Somerville youth selected from our Fluff-themed contest. Cooking Contest Winner gets a tour of the Durkee Mower Fluff factory, a one-of-a-kind trophy and gift certificates to local businesses.

Fabulous Pharaoh of Fluff – It’s an election year so campaign to be our leader and pledge to stick to your campaign promises. Silly speeches throughout the festival and the winner will be crowned with a special creation by CostumeWorks, the Union Square folks who do the wacky outfits for the Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

Fluff Boy Comic Book – Five Somerville artists tell the story Jimmy, a sweet youth in Union Square, who is transformed into a Fluff-filled super hero and through struggles comes to terms with his new sticky super powers. Book also as a second story and advertising the reflects the oddball nature of comic books. Original art is on display during the festival at SCAT (Somerville Community Access Television) and the comic books will be on sale. Work is by Matt Reidsma (High Maintenance Machine), Liz Prince (Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?), Joe Quinones (freelancer to DC Comics, Mad Magazine, Devil’s Due Publishing), Maris Wicks (Dots for Eyes), and George Pfromm II (animator and illustrator for print, TV and web including Fox Sports Northwest, New York Times, and Nickelodeon Magazine)

Shenanigans Stage – All the big, messy Fluff games have their own stage this year. MCs are Ed, Fletcher and Charlie, the DJs from WFNX’s morning show The Sandbox.

Fluff Games for All Ages – Including Fluff Lick-Off, Blind Man’s Fluff, Pin the F on Fluff Boy, and the game of culinary roulette we call Fluff Fear Factor. Win prizes!

Vendors – Buy Fluff treats and Fluff inspired items from whoopie pies to Fluffernutters. We’ve got special guests including Yelp.com hosting a photo booth, Neighborhood Health Plan offering diabetes screenings, and Groundworks teaching us how to recycle all those leftover Fluff containers!

Very sad news on the Boston locavore front…

Verrill Farm, a mainstay in Concord, MA and a supplier of produce to many Boston restuarants, burnt to the ground yesterday. How awful…