Cincinnati...a destination for food?

If it's chili you've got a hankering for, then Cincinnati's your town. Their version has cocoa, allspice, cinnamon, and ground cloves along with tomato paste, kidney beans, and cheddar cheese topping all served over spaghetti. So satisfying on a frigid winter night. The house smells great, the belly is full, and there are leftovers that'll taste all that much better tomorrow night.

A Middle Eastern Outpost in Penn Station

Chickpea, a falafel franchise, has opened in Penn Station. I had the falafel platter: falafel over spicy red bulgher wheat with red pepper hummus, fresh vegetables, and warm pita bread: $8.81 for a lot of very filling food. The falafel because it's baked not fried, was dry, but the rest of the meal was delicious. I'd never had the red bulgher wheat, but I'll see if I can find that to make at home. Poor Chuck will pay tonight: garlic overload!

A Different Kind of Boston Brown Bread

From the baker's bible, THE KING ARTHUR FLOUR 200TH ANNIVERSARY COOKBOOK: a quick Spicy Applesauce bread made with white and whole wheat flours. Founded in 1790 in Boston, the King Arthur Flour company is still going strong. Whole wheat flour always seems to make the loaf dry, but I probably baked this about 5 minutes too long. I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins which added a little color and more Boston pedigree to it.

That's Amore!

A very satisfying fresh tomato soup with white beans called for tomato paste. Rather than the canned paste I would normally use, I tried Amore all-natural tomato paste in a tube. It made all the difference in the taste since I shouldn't have been making this in winter when the plum tomatoes I got at Food Emporium were just mealy little blobs of plastic. I look forward to making this again in the summer/fall when tomatoes are really worth eating.

Hello, 2011!

On January 1, I didn't try a new recipe, I tried a new tool--and I love it! I made a simple apple pie with pate brisee, but instead of the traditional, unwieldy rolling pin, I used a baton. The pastry rolled out without all the angst, it slipped into the pie pan perfectly, there was plenty to crimp around the edge.... I'll keep the rolling pin, in case Chuck needs disciplining, but I'll be buying a baton next weekend.