running with tweezers

broadening horizons, expanding waistlines, and extending deadlines

I've almost gotten through enough of the holidays that I can get back to blogging at a serious clip. This year's merriment put a hurt on me. I can still fit in my jeans and my corduroy pants, so at least there's that. One more meal - a blowout New Years Eve meal - will be my last hurrah and then it's back on the straight and narrow. In the meantime, a few points of interest.

- Has anyone seen the latest issue of Gourmet Magazine? All I can say is...wow. What a thoughtful and interesting issue...and I'm not saying that because it has some of my peeps in it. This issue is all about The South. It's chock-full of wonderful narratives and history about the wide reaching influence of Southern cuisine. It also does a great job of showing that Southern cooking goes beyond fatback and sweet tea. It's also nice to see some local folks getting some much deserved press: Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Scott Peacock of Watershed (in a touching article about his relationship with Edna Lewis).

- I haven't been blogging much but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading blogs. I have a couple new favorites:

• DirtySouthWine - I love this blog. Hardy is from here in Atlanta. His blog is full of humor and great wine & food tips. His wine choices are unusual and not your chain store wine picks. It's fun and a good read.
• CurdNerds -  I came across this site when I was researching what to pair with Reblochon. It's a really cool, informative site.
• Smitten Kitchen - Yes. I am the last food blogger in the free world to find this blog. It's so good. Just go.

- One last thing: The deadline for the RWT Chili Cook-off has been extended to Sunday January 7th, 2008! I have gotten several entries...but this will give folks that were just too busy with the holidays a chance to get in on the challenge if they so choose. Check out all of the official details here.

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quick bite: Menu for Hope

There is a lot going on here at RWT. Unfortunately, it isn't blogging. The holidays are upon us and that means busy busy - you know how it is. Things will probably be a little quiet around here this week...I am up to my elbows in peppermint Oreo brownies (more on those when i have time to post) and a shoot this week. but I wanted to make sure I made mention of something.

It's Menu for Hope. It's going on right now and runs for a little less than a week now. It's an effort to raise money for the UN Food Programme. So far, over $36,000 has been raised...but we can do better than that. Get over to Chez Pim and purchase virtual raffle tickets to have a chance to win great prizes (cookbooks, gadgets, the ultimate in dining experiences). Your $10 donation goes to a great cause and gives you the opportunity to get something in return. There are also regional hosts for this event: you can see a list of prizes from the South/Central region over at Kalyn's Kitchen.

cheese and the cookbook bottleneck

Hi. My name is Tami...and I am a cookbook addict.

You think I'm kidding? Ask me how many I have coming to me from Amazon right now.
I need an intervention. Seriously.

I received a copy of Adventures of an Italian Food Lover by Faith Heller Willinger months ago. I got it right at the tail end of the blog event that Cath over at A Blithe Palate hosted. If you missed it, go check it out here...so many great entries.

Anyway.

I made a thing or two out of it after reading through the entire book. It's an interesting mix of travel guide/storytelling/recipes that was, at first, hard to get into. Once I got going, though, I couldn't help but keep reading. I love the rustic and charming illustrations throughout it, too...

...and then it sat...and sat. On top of it went Bittman (man he's heavy), Flay, Hay, and the 4 Ingredients and 10 Minutes cookbooks I found in the sale bin at TJ Maxx. Wait till you see what I cook in just 10 minutes with only those 4 ingredients. MacGuyver, look out.

Today...I re-visited Adventures of an Italian Food Lover and made something tasty and delicious: smoked mozzarella cutlets. How can fried, gooey squares of smoked cheese ever be bad? Grown up cheese sticks? Yes, please. The recipe was super easy, delicious, and worth my house smelling like fry oil for the time being.

To soften the blow of eating a block of fried cheese, I topped them with a quick salad of roasted red & yellow peppers, capers, good balsamic and extra virgin olive oil. It gave a little fresh zing to them, which was appreciated. I'll be working my way back through this book again to try out some of the seafood dishes, for sure.

Now where did I put Alice Waters...

The RWT Chili Cook-off!

Did you know this blog takes requests? I didn't really, either. However, I was asked by a friend of mine - and secret reader of this blog - if I had any great chili recipes. That made me think....did I?

I didn't, actually...until now.

In an effort to make a really hearty chili that wasn't loaded down with meat, I went hunting for vegetarian recipes. I found this recipe on Epicurious.com. However, it didn't seem very much like, well, chili. Where is all of the spicy stuff?!

I thought that the autumnal ingredients in the soup could handle some heat, so I've adapted it a bit. I added more chili powder and cumin, included some jalapeno, and threw in a bit of cayenne pepper. Also, for presentations sake, I swapped out part of the black beans for garbanzo beans - they keep their consistency when cooked and made the soup from looking so dark. I encourage you to serve this when you cook it so the greens still have their oomph.

This recipe is incredible. Trust me. You won't miss the meat.

Since we're all looking for hearty, heart-warming meals to make in these winter months, I am hosting a chili cook-off! This way, we can all exchange recipes and see all different varieties of this cold weather favorite. Here are all of the details:

• The RWT Chili Cook-Off will start on December 5th and go through December 31st. In that time, post your favorite chili recipe to your blog.
• There are no rules. I encourage all sorts of recipes and ingredients. They don't all have to have ground beef in it! Add pork, veggies, sausage, beans, chicken...let your imagination go wild.
• After the closure of the challenge, a winner will be chosen (i haven't decided if this is going to be a democracy or not) and awarded a food-related prize!
• Send your cook-off submissions to runningwithtweezers@gmail.com. Include in your email: your name, your blog name, your location, the permalink to your post, and your recipe name.
• Good luck!

Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard - adapted from the original recipe found here on epicurious.com - makes 4 main-course servings

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium jalapeno, seeded and diced into small pieces (include the seeds if you want to up the heat)
• 2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled butternut squash
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 3 cups (packed) coarsely chopped Swiss chard leaves or kale leaves (from 1 small bunch)

- Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; saute until tender and golden, about 9 minutes. Add jalapeno and squash; stir 2 minutes. Stir in cayenne pepper, chili powder and cumin. Stir in beans, broth, and tomatoes with juices; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in chard or kale; simmer until chard or kale is tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.

this cake isn't the only thing turned upside down

The other thing is, well, my entire schedule. Work has been beyond busy. Believe me, I'm not complaining. I like to work and I like to be busy. This all comes, however, at a price...which is that this blog gets put on the back burner, pardon the pun.

During the recent Thanksgiving, I was in charge of making a few dishes to bring to a communal dinner. In addition to the killer brussels sprouts recipe I made (more on that later), I wanted to make a low maintenance dessert to take that would be a bit of a showstopper.

I ran across this recipe in a recent issue of Everyday Food. It's a magazine that I've been a reader of since its inception. It usually has simple recipes that are almost always sure things. This cake mixed two of my favorite things: fresh cranberry taste and the notion of upside down cake - pineapple upside down cake is one of my favorites. It was one of the easiest desserts I've made in recent memory and made quite an impact at dinner. Guests raved about the sweet cake balanced with the tart cranberry flavors.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake - originally found here at Everyday Food magazine - serves 8

•     8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
•     1 cup sugar
•     1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•     1/4 teaspoon allspice
•     1 3/4 cups cranberries
•     1 large egg
•     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•     1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
•     1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•     1/4 teaspoon salt
•     1/2 cup milk

   -  Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon and allspice. Sprinkle mixture evenly over bottom of pan; arrange cranberries in a single layer on top.
   - With an electric mixer, cream remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.
   - Spoon batter over cranberries in pan, and smooth top. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert onto a rimmed platter.