| New Orleans-style Gumbo A Go-Go
I don't know why it is that Cajun and Creole food so rarely translates well outside of Louisiana. Is it like San Francisco sourdough bread -- it needs something in the air? Maybe that's fair. I don't know that I'd care for a New Orleans version of Chicago-style pizza, either. While Gumbo A Go-Go, the newest local entry into the market, is no more authentic than most, this cute, little counter-service spot has several things going for it, such as a handy location near the Palatine train station; fast, friendly service; low prices; and great, homey desserts. Just north of the tracks in downtown Palatine, the 45-seat eatery opened in August. Owners Patrick and Suzanne Reardon gave up careers in the horse-racing business, selling their horse to launch the restaurant. Patrick, a native of Ireland, does the cooking; Suzanne, who grew up in England, handles buying the beer and wine.
Katrina-displaced cooks help spread love of Cajun, Creole fare across ...
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. -- It's midmorning at Bon Appetit, and the beignets are long gone. Behind a Plexiglas wall, a cook is chopping vegetables for lunch. Music heavy with brass is blaring, and Chef LeRoy Crump Jr. is rushing about with cell phone in hand, periodically stepping outdoors to greet a passer-by and tout the special, a Cajun shrimp cream pasta. The sign above his 2-week-old restaurant promises "Authentic New Orleans Cuisine and Spirits" -- in small-town West Virginia, 1,000 miles from the French Quarter. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed his New Orleans home and restaurant, Crump traveled to Atlanta, then Daytona Beach, Fla. A chance encounter with a hotel guest who smelled Crump's cooking lured him to Clarksburg, a town of 17,000 in a state he'd barely heard of.
2008 Bonnaroo lineup announced
The group's sound combines hip-hop, rock, funk and soul, and its self-titled debut album was released last year. Group 1 Crew will be part of the Winter Jam pre-jam party. Real Encounter. This BMX/skateboarding stunt team will be part of the Winter Jam pre-jam party. Tony Nolan. Nolan is an evangelist, author and speaker who was the tour pastor for Casting Crowns during the band's Lifesong tour. He will deliver a Christian message during Winter Jam. .
Chris Boskin's new mission: to boost public broadcasting
Fixing public television may not be the most difficult task Chris Boskin has tackled. In the '70s, she transformed a free grocery-store circular into Bon Appetit magazine, giving glossy Gourmet its first-ever competition. In the '80s, Advertising Age named her one of the nation's "100 Outstanding Media People." In the '90s, she invested in a little Berkeley magazine called Yoga Journal - it has 1.2 million readers today. And in 2000, she joined the board of KQED, part of a team that has pulled the San Francisco public station out of debt. Now, as the newly elected chair of the nonprofit Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Boskin ascends a powerful government perch at a critical moment. Public television is struggling to reinvent itself for a multi-channel world.
Liverpool 0 - 0 Internazionale
If not for the way he stained Zidane's legacy, then for the stupid who-me face he insults us with as he commits his fouls." Fair enough, but... staining Zidane's legacy? This the same Zizou who used to get himself sent off for murderous challenges every other match? And we're off again! No substitutions by either side. 47 min: A poor header from Hyypia eventually finds his way to Cambiasso, who tries to curl one into the top right corner with the outside of his right peg. It's a half-decent effort, and Inter's first serious attempt of the night. 49 min: Four minutes in and Liverpool have yet to start this half. Then suddenly Finnan breaks clear down the right and cuts a brilliant ball back which Chivu does well to hack clear for a corner. The set piece is taken quickly: Gerrard romps in from the right and unleashes a shot which hits Ibrahimovic on the top of the arm.
Many Cubans hope economic reforms coming
Cubans make their way through an avenue in Havana, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. After Cuban leader Fidel Castro announced Tuesday his intention to retire, many Cubans look to his brother Raul to succeed him, hoping he will let more people open businesses, own homes and even travel abroad. But since Raul Castro is already 76, they realize it will probably fall to his successor to ultimately fulfill or frustrate their dreams of prosperity. .
How Hungry Is Hillary Clinton?
The question, of course, is authenticity, as it seems always to be where Hillary Clinton is concerned. She wrestled with the issue as far back as 1967, when, as a student at Wellesley, she wrote to an old high-school pal, John Peavoy, "There is a smorgasbord of personalities spread before me." A smorgasbord, of course, is a diverse buffet from which one can pick and choose those foods that strike the fancy and suit the mood. So which personality has Hillary selected? Or, in correct Scandinavian tradition, is she still going back for seconds and thirds? That food preferences are clues to personality was the firm belief of French gourmand and essayist Jean Antheleme Brillat-Savarin, who in his 1825 work, The Physiology of Taste, wrote, "Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are." In the absence of an interview with the lady herself, I have pieced together clues to Hillary's eating habits from various reports, to try to determine whether she is tough and self-assured enough to function as president or is merely a food-fashion victim who opts for the flavor of the moment.
Newsmakers: Vermont's finest draws more raves
In the October issue of Bon Appetit, Williston resident, cooking teacher and award-winning cookbook author Molly Stevens was named cooking teacher of the year as part of the magazine's 10th Annual Awards. The magazine praised, "Molly Stevens has a knack for simplicity ... her simple, flavorful recipes guarantee success."
Although Stevens doesn't teach much in her home state, having one of her cookbooks, such as "All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking," will deliver her clear approach right into your home kitchen.
The October issue of Gourmet featured two Vermont venues among its 100 best farm-to-table restaurants in America: Waterbury's Hen of the Wood -- where "Chefs Eric Warnstedt and Craig Tresser seek out premium ingredients, both foraged and farmed, then prepare them in ways that coax out maximum flavor," and the seasonal Inn at Shelburne Farms restaurant -- where chef Rick Gencarelli "professes a fondness for buying whole animal carcasses, breaking them down himself, and using every part, saying it makes him a better cook."
Hen of the Wood received another highlight in the December issue of Food & Wine, earning a coveted spot in the magazine's feature on the 10 best restaurant dishes of 2007 for its duck with mustard spaetzle.
Experts tell you how to get started
It's kind of like cooking: You have to let everything kind of blend together. "You have to think of the forest floor in nature and how leaves and other vegetation drop, layer and decompose slowly in time. That's why the soil is usually quite fertile in areas with a lot of trees." Cotton burr compost, which is typically available at local farm supply stores and nurseries, is considered a good ready-to-use product. George also recommends obtaining an analysis of the soil before adding chemical fertilizers. "I think an important thing that people don't often think about is that you really do need to have your soil tested. You can get test kits at garden stores, but you can go over to the Extension office and they will give you a paper bag and a mailer so that you can mail that to Texas A&M." The cost can range from $10 to $25, depending on the extent of testing, and takes about two weeks for Texas A&M University.
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