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November 20, 2006

Who do you truss?

Now if this was the headline on tomorrow's Food section, I could die happy instead of bitter ...

In any event, if you're got a hand, or a whole stinkin' arm, in the Thanksgiving-preparation game, Natalie Haugton presents her annual Thanksgiving 101 course in how to make everything from cranberry relish to pumpkin pie, with everything -- and I do mean everything -- in between. First and foremost: the USDA has changed the guidelines on cooking the turkey. You don't have to blast the living daylights out of it quite as much.

So if you've never cooked your own bird before, or you just want to make sure you're doing it right, pick up the U section tomorrow -- don't handle your giblets without it.

Posted by Steven Rosenberg at 2:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

It's a vegan Thanksgiving

Ilene has been deep into the Real Food Daily Cookbook for some time, and she's tested all the Thanksgiving recipes in the past weeks. Here she blogs on the cornbread and stuffing. There will also be faux turkey cutlets and excellent golden gravy, in addition to a multitude of other items.

Posted by Steven Rosenberg at 2:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 15, 2006

'60 Minutes' and Yahoo! team up on Starbucks

Watch lots of little videos on everything from Starbucks boss Howard Schultz explaining why tall is small to insider secrets, the economics of S*Bucks and more with CBS correspondent Scott Pelley. So if you missed "60 Minutes" whenever this thing was originally broadcast (and hey, who doesn't miss it these days?), click on over and check out the mercifully short segments (1:30 each).

I tried to do a screen grab, but Yahoo! is too crafty to allow that sort of thing, so the art is ... generic S*Bucks.

Posted by Steven Rosenberg at 12:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 13, 2006

Bye bye Fatburger

I see that the only Fatburger in my 'hood has closed. Now I am left wondering where I can find a burger joint that puts fried eggs on its burgers.

There used to be a time when finding a really good hamburger in my 'hood, Santa Clarita, was not that hard. We had TimToms, Tommies, Jimmie Dean's, Cousins, Telly's, three In N Outs and Fatburger. Now we have lost another great burger joint.

I am not sure if I'm going to miss the fried egg cheeseburger or the fried egg sandwich more.
Without a doubt, the fried egg sandwich is one of the most underrated sandwiches ever created. Most sandwich places dismiss offering one altogether. And this is a mistake.

Fatburger remedied that mistake.

Not only did they offer a fried egg sandwich, but they offered it with options. I prefer my fried egg sandwiches with American cheese and bacon, a little ketchup, on sourdough bread. Fatburger offered theirs with the option for cheese and bacon and served it on a hamburger bun.

Quite ingenious. And probably done so because they were few other options, Fatburger being known for serving hamburgers.

Still, it was a fine combination and one that is no longer easily accesible to me. I have been told that that nearest Fatburgers to my 'hood are in Northridge and Burbank. Hardly within reason.

This is a sad day. First TimToms closes and a Burrito Factory pops up in its place.

Now my fried egg sandwich store has shut down.

At least I am grateful there is still a Fatburger around the block from where I work. Hopefully, the fried egg sandwich will remain in favor of those who put together the menus.

Posted by Tim Haddock at 9:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 9, 2006

Eat like Morgan Freeman

Did you know that Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, when he's not playing God or a boxing trainer in the movies, enjoys sailing, flying his own airplane ... and running restaurants and eating. Well, he does, as Natalie Haughton writes in her feature on the Caribbean-food-loving thespian. And he's got a new cookbook, even though he's not an expert chef himself, called "Morgan Freeman & Friends: Caribbean Cooking for a Cause," by Wendy Wilkinson and Donna Lee (Rodale; $35). And he's on a mission:

Prompted by a phone call for help from his Grenadian friend, Champie Evans, the inspiration for the book grew out of Freeman's desire to raise funds to help rebuild Grenada, ravaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Freeman jumped in and established the Grenada Relief Fund more than a year ago. Freeman will donate his portion of the proceeds from the book's sales to the fund, which will help rebuild houses, schools and churches.

To go along with the story, Natalie did a "spotlight" sidebar in which Freeman reveals his more personal side.

And if you want to cook something Caribbean:

Jerk Lamb Chops With Two Kinds Of Plantain, Red Beans And Coconut Rice, With Tamarind Glaze
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Rose's Cappuccino Cheesecake
Banana Beignets With Pineapple Carpaccio And Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Shrimp And Raw Green Mango Salad
Sunburst Mahi Mahi

Posted by Steven Rosenberg at 5:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Choosing sides

The week of an election is no time to get behind in blogging, but it is time to start getting your Thanksgiving side-dish act together. Enter Daily News Food Editor Natalie Haughton with suggestions to accompany that big bird in the middle:

There are many ways to give the classics — such as squash, sweet potatoes, green beans and cranberries — a different point of view. Add dried cherries or cranberries and red onions to cranberry relish; heat cooked fresh green beans with butter, fresh ginger and a little grated lemon zest; saute brussels sprouts with caraway seeds, bacon, onion and a splash of cider vinegar; serve green beans with kalamata olives and a creme fraiche dressing with a hint of lemon; or roast spears of sweet potatoes and top with a favorite bacon vinaigrette or aioli.

Here are the sides:

Holiday Mashed Potatoes
Pear And Blue Cheese Salad
Roasted Carrot And Herb Spread
Shrimp Bisque (pictured above)
Green Bean Salad With Black Olive And Crème Fraîche Dressing
Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
Beet Salad With Arugula, Feta Cheese, Toasted Pistachios And Orange/Tangerine Vinaigrette
Buttermilk Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Orange
Sicilian Sweet And Sour Butternut Squash

Posted by Steven Rosenberg at 5:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack