To ring in the new year properly (that is, to share something with you, my readers), I’m having a web raffle. The prize is a two piece J.A. Henckels hollow-edge santoku knife set, which includes both a 7″ and 5″ knife. These pieces of cutlery will make great additions to your kitchen, especially since you don’t have to pay for them!

These knives are cut from one piece of high quality German steel. The full tang means a good, balanced weight in your hand, and the hollow edge will help these knives glide right though tomatoes, carrots, meat, or anything else you’re making for dinner without sticking. These hearty critters are break-proof - I’ve dropped mine a few times and there’s nary a chip or fracture. And even if the unthinkable happens, they come complete with the J.A. Henckels full warranty.

Here they are:

J.A. Henckels Santoku Knife Giveaway Rules

There are a couple of ways to enter the raffle:

Bookmark this post on Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Facebook, Delicious, or any other social bookmarking site, and then leave a comment here with a link to your bookmark. I’ve even made it easier for you by including handy-dandy little links at the bottom of every post. You’ll get one entry for every time you bookmark this post, and five entries if you post to three or more bookmarking sites such as .

Digg this post by clicking here!
Stumble this post by clicking here!
Reddit this post by clicking here!
Post to Facebook by clicking here!
Bookmark on Delicious by clicking here!

Bonus round: Twitter this post, and then comment here with a link back to your tweet. You’ll get three entries if you refer back to me in your tweet, @sstiavetti. Note: you have to use the word ‘wasabimon’ somewhere in your post, other than the URL, so that it shows up on Twitter search. If you don’t know what to post, just click this link and enter this in the text box:

@sstiavetti says that you win a set of J.A.Henckels santoku knives at Wasabimon! http://tinyurl.com/8m8fqy

***You MUST comment on this post with a list of where you bookmarked the site in order to complete your entry!!***

That’s it. A random entry will be pulled from the salad bowl on Monday, January 19, 2009. Check back here to see if you won!

This year will be magical and see your dreams come true. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

Yesterday I posted some recipes for New Years Eve champagne cocktails, and if you’re taking advantage of them (or anything else, for that matter), you’re probably going to be hurting a little tomorrow.

While I love writing about food, my income-earning alter ego is a health and nutrition writer, so take advantage of my medical background and save yourself a potential roadkill New Years Day.

If this is your coffee table the morning after, what do you look like?
(Photo credit: HB)

An ounce of prevention…

Yeah yeah yeah, we’ve all heard it before. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” While no one’s expecting you to cut out the drinking altogether (except maybe your AA sponsor), there are a few ways to lessen the explosive physical load of a morning after drinking.

For the love of god, eat before hand!

It’s a busy party night, and I know it’s tough to make time to eat when you’ve got a lot planned. Try to take the time to eat before you go out, though, as your body will use up a lot of its nutrient reserves once the liquor starts flowing. Once you’ve started drinking all of that alcohol will need to be processed, and you’ll probably be running amuck like a crazy person. What do these two things have in common? They all require energy. You know, that stuff you get from food?

Try to stay away from foods that are high in sugar or sodium, as these will dehydrate you and you’ll feel worse tomorrow. Also, alcohol converts to sugar in your system, so stay away from the fat if you’re concerned about your waistline. Eat a hearty, nutrient-rich dinner like a chicken caesar salad or something with a good balance of grains and vegetables.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Probably the easiest and most effective thing you can do to prevent a monumental hangover is to keep hydrated the night before. This means two things:

• If you’re going to be drinking in the evening, drink a lot of water earlier in the day.
• For every alcoholic beverage you drink, have a full 8oz glass of water. Come on, that’s less than the size of a can of Coke.

This will help flush your liver and kidneys of toxic compounds, as well as keep your tissues and membranes happy and lubed up. Seriously: if you do one thing for your physical health tonight, drink as much water as you can.

Pre-Bedtime Refuel

It’s not generally a good idea to eat right before you go to bed, but if you’ve been drinking, considering throwing your body a bone and give it a quick calorie injection before you turn in.

• Eat a banana, an apple, or other piece of fruit before you pass out. Fruit is high in nutritional content and easy to digest - which means you won’t wake up feeling like someone socked you in the gut.
• Take a fast-absorbing vitamin supplement, such as Airborne or Emergen-c. Your body will use it while rebuilding in the night.
• Drink 16oz, or two cups, of water. Keep a glass of water by the bed in case you wake up dying of thirst.
• I swear Zod, drinking Perrier or other fizzy mineral water will save you a ton of pain in the morning. The minerals will replenish your electrolytes and the carbonation will help settle an upset stomach. This stuff really is gold in a bottle - drink one right before bed, and another first thing in the morning. Just make sure it’s sweetener-free.

Once the glasses are empty, take care of yourself.
(Photo credit: Lovehannahan)

Post New Years Eve Hangover Cures

So you didn’t pay attention to the hangover prevention guidelines, and now you feel like ass. Or, you did indeed follow my advice but drank so much that you’ve pickled your liver anyways. Once you’re able to peel yourself off the porcelain throne, here’s what can you do for damage control.

Tried and true hangover cures for the morning after

• Drink some water, preferably Perrier or other mineral water. Don’t chug it, lest you upset your stomach further. Sip slowly.
• Eat something mellow. The BRAT diet goes a long way here - bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast will get something in your stomach without making you puke all over the place. Again.
• Once you’ve eaten something, take an Airborne or Emergen-c to help restock your lost stores.
• Try not to drink coffee. It may temporarily ease your headache, but it will upset the lining of your stomach and fry your kidneys.
• If all else fails, have another cocktail. Sure it’s just feeding your detox symptoms and delaying the inevitable, but the hair of the dog that bit you will ease your suffering for the moment. You may regret it tomorrow, though, so I recommend you just suck it up and take care of yourself.

A few ideas for morning-after fare:

• A green smoothie will help restore your body to working order. If you can’t handle the sound of the blender, ask mommy to make it for you.
• A light veggie hummus will give your body a nutrient shot without explosive digestive upset (easy on the garlic, yo!).

Regardless of how you feel the morning after, I hope you have a fabulous New Years Eve. Try to make it home in one piece, ok?

<3

Some of us out there in alkie-land are champagne purists. I personally prefer mine straight and unadulterated, but recently my friend Josh introduced me to a champagne cocktail that made me realize that I might have been kidding myself all these years. Done well, champagne mixers can be a transcendent experience.

(Photo credit: 1854lighthouse)

New Years Eve Champagne Cocktails Are Your Friend

Here are a few champagne cocktails that rock my socks, and I’ll bet my bebida you’ll love them too. If you’ve got a favorite that’s not listed here, please leave a comment telling me how to make it!

Death at Dusk

This is the drink that Josh used to turn me to the ways of the dark side. I enjoyed it a great deal, even though I’m not generally a fan of absinthe - the subtle flavor is far from overkill if played correctly. This drink also has a lovely lavender color that I found charming. Apparently I’m a sucker for a pretty drink.

If you like a stronger tasting cocktail, feel free to add another teaspoon each of the mixers.

2 teaspoons (or 1/3oz) Creme de Violette
5oz chilled champagne (or one glass)
2 teaspoons (or 1/3oz) absinthe

Pour in Creme de Violette first, then gently pour champagne down the side of the glass to let the violet liquor rest at the bottom. Float the absinthe along the top for a great presentation, but mix before drinking for full taste effect.

French 75

I love a good gin cocktail above all else, so this recipe was destined to win my heart. Whoever thought of mixing gin with champagne was a smart man or woman, and I am forever in their debt.

1 tablespoon (1/2oz) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar, finely textured or powdered for easy mixing
2oz iced gin
4oz chilled champagne
lemon peel for garnish

Rim champagne flute with sugar, if you like that sort of thing. In a shaker half filled with ice, combine gin, sugar, and lemon juice, shaking well. Pour into a flute (or a collins glass, which I’ve read is also somewhat traditional) and top with champagne. Garnish with curly lemon peel.

La Vie en Rose

Pink champagne is the perfect indulgence for any lady who enjoys reveling in her estrogen levels, and this cocktail is nothing if not girlie. The faint scent of roses will linger on your senses until you pass out. Win-win, in my opinion.

You can buy rose water at fine liquor stores, herbal shops, posh groceries, or you can make it yourself: boil a handful of washed rose petals in two cups of water for about ten minutes. Let it cool before using.

I like this drink less on the sweet side, so I add half the amount of sugar. Sometimes I leave it out altogether.

1 teaspoon sugar, or one sugar cube
4oz champagne (pink, if you’ve got it)
2 tablespoons (1oz) rose water
Strawberry slices

Dissolve sugar in a flute with champagne, then pour in rose water. Drop in a slice of strawberry for that extra girlie touch.

The Pomosa

Anyone who’s courted champagne heavily knows that she can be a fickle mistress - sweet and sultry for a few hours, but leaving you the recipient of a coyote ugly the following AM. The only times I’ve woken up still drunk the next morning were all champagne-related incidents, and I can tell you from personal experience that it’s not pretty, either figuratively and literally.

For just such a spinny-room, puffy-eyed, smeared mascara occasion, only one thing will suffice: hair of the dog.

Pom iced tea (or any other brand of pomegranate tea for that matter) makes an amazing mimosa. How did we figure this out? A few summers ago, while hanging out on a certain infamous back deck, we ran out of orange juice for our morning concoctions. I had brought a lychee-flavored Pom iced tea, which we figured would make a great cocktail in a pinch. What resulted was a light, yet still intense, morning beverage that made everyone around the table go, “oooooooooooh.” In the interest of paying forward good alcohol karma, here’s the recipe:

3 parts champagne
1 part pomegranate iced tea
1 appropriately ironic morning cocktail cup, such as a plastic Spiderman tumbler or 7-11 coffee mug

Pour and sip. You don’t need to be hung over to appreciate this bad boy - it makes a great addition to any alkie-breakfast table.

Happy New Year Everyone!

If you make any of these New Years Eve champagne cocktail recipes, have one for me! And please, be safe out there - have your designated driver, cab fare, or walking shoes ready when you need them. My next post will be about hangover cures, so check it out.

I hope your holiday season has been joyful, and that the new year bring you lots of wonderful things.

Mazel tov!

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One thing I have to say about Hugh - he certainly talks a good game. The man runs the gamut of meat-related knowledge, and addresses the subject in moral, culinary, and academic terms. The first thirty or so pages on The River Cottage Meat Book discuss the morality of eating meat, and how he came to his own ethical conclusion. While I’m not one to yeigh or neigh anyone else’s moral character, I have to say that Hugh’s certainly given this a lot of though, and his argument is one I’d not really heard before.

The information provided in this book is extensive. While I was looking for butchering information, that’s really only a tiny portion of what’s here. This isn’t a journey - rather, Hugh takes you on an entire meat pilgrimage, covering exhaustively a series of topics from animal husbandry to proper storing and cooking. He discusses exactly what good meat is: how to find it, recognize it, appreciate it, and honor it. His philosophy that preparing a weak meat dish is completely disrespectful to the animal that gave its life for your dinner is spot on, and the recipes he includes will most definitely raise any flesh you’re cooking to a level of near enlightenment.

After doing a bit of research, I ended up perusing the River Cottage website and found not only an awesome forum that addresses all levels of farming, but also a series of internet e-classes that will train you on anything from mushroom hunting to big game preparation. Classes aren’t cheap (£20.00) and honestly, taking an online mushroom identification class seems a little - um, unnerving? - but I really like the idea of online cooking lessons. While I wouldn’t necessarily pay for instruction that I can find on Youtube for free, Hugh’s got to pay for that cute little cottage somehow, right?

I hit up the local bookstore to check out Hugh’s other River Cottage cookbooks, and I’d like to buy a few of them if the economy ever picks up and decides to grace my bank account with a paycheck again. I’ve recently developed this strange and wonderful urge to make jam, so I put in an order for the River Cottage Preserves Handbook. I’m still trying to find a way to make jam without the use of refined sugar, so if you’ve got a suggestion, I’m all ears.

The River Cottage seems to be quite prolific in the video arena as well, boasting several TV shows and a plethora of instructional DVDs. I’ve been watching what appears to be his original show, Escape to River Cottage, and Hugh’s nearly got me on the next flight to Dorset. I’ve been feeling the itch to jump ship from this urban setting for a while now, and it’s taking everything I’ve got to keep from packing it all up and starting my own escape from city life.

The final word: I’m intrigued. Had I the money, I would start up my own River Cottage in a heartbeat. But until then I’m left to live vicariously though our friend Mr. Fearnley-Whittingstall, and for that I’m thankful.

Here she is, talking about a lovely dessert that I’m going to try as soon as I can get my hands on some kiwifruit. It occasionally pops up at California farmer’s markets in the winter time, and now I have a reason to keep an eye out for it.

What do egg whites, a Russian ballerina, and an 80 year old feud between New Zealand and Australia have in common? They are all part of the traditional summery Christmas dessert, the pavlova. This delicious dish is a light and airy meringue cake that is crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. Topped with whipped cream and seasonal fresh fruit, this gluten-free dessert is perfect for a hot Down Under Christmas day.

The saga started in 1926 when the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova performed in New Zealand. According to Pavlova’s biographer Keith Money in Anna Pavlova: Life and Art, a chef at a hotel in Wellington was inspired by her tutu covered in netting and green silk cabbage roses and created a meringue dessert in her honor. He covered a large meringue cake with cream “netting” and kiwifruit* slices to suggest her cabbage roses. To the frustration of New Zealanders, there is no documentation to support this claim.

The records are clear, despite typical Aussie howling to the contrary, that a dessert including gelatin called a Pavlova was printed in New Zealand in 1927 and a “Meringue with Fruit Filling” recipe that perfectly describes the modern pav was published in Home Cookery for New Zealand in 1929. The first Aussie mention of a pavlova-style dessert isn’t until 1935 and even that was adapted from a woman’s magazine recipe submitted by a New Zealand woman!

The Australia/New Zealand pavlova rivalry is alluded to in the funny “Everyone’s Always Stealing Your Stuff” ad for insurance company NZI. Made even more amusing if you know that NZI is an Australian owned company…

Ready to try the dessert that is the center of international rivalry? Throw on your apron and grab some eggs. This recipe is reposted from Allison Gofton, the best known face in New Zealand cookery and author of 15 cookbooks from her eCook website. Here is the original link to the recipe.

(Photo credit)

Down Under Pavlova Recipe

Ingredients

4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
4 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Seasonal fruits for topping
Whipped cream for topping

1. Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean bowl and beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks but is not dry.

2. Gradually beat in three quarters of the sugar, about 2 tablespoonfuls at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the remaining sugar. The mixture should be thick and glossy.

3. Sift in the cornflour (cornstarch) and add the vinegar and vanilla. Beat on a low speed only to combine.

4. Pile the mixture on to a baking paper-lined tray and mould into a 16 cm (6 inch) circle, smoothing the top off.

5. Place in a 120 degree C (250 degree F) oven for 90 minutes and then turn off the oven and allow the pavlova to cool completely with the door closed.

6. Serve piled with whipped cream and seasonal fruits.

Kiwifruit*, strawberries, passionfruit and raspberries are common fruits for topping your pav.

Serves 6-8.

This recipe is best eaten when you are slathered with sunscreen and sitting in the hot sun after eating some prawns from the barbie. Also a great 4th of July dish, it is easily made into a “red, white and blue” dessert when covered in strawberries and blueberries while letting some of the cream show through. Or spare your Northern Hemisphere guests a heavy traditional dessert and serve this airy confection at meal’s end.

*If you are in New Zealand, you should never say that you are eating “kiwi,” unless you mean you are having a nibble on the endangered national bird. Probably a bad idea to mention it even if it is true.

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So here she is!

———————————

Having company for the holidays? The crockpot is your best friend during the hectic hustle and bustle of the holiday season. You can entertain with ease because the crockpot does the hard work while you quickly tidy up or tend to last minute errands.

This lasagna meal can easily be thrown together in the very early morning while you are still heavily caffeinated and can feed up to 6 adults. The warm brie with cranberries and candied pecans is a family-favorite, and something we’ve proudly served at many get-togethers.

xoxo
steph

CrockPot Lasagna

Don’t freak out. I got all Deceptively Delicious and snuck in a bunch of veggies. You can be as plain as you’d like; there are no rules here.

The Ingredients:

Optional Meat:
1/2 pound of hamburger meat.
1/2 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper

1 box of regular lasagna noodles (gluten free!)
3 cups your choice of pasta sauce
1 package of ricotta cheese
1 package of shredded Italian cheese
2 cups chopped mushrooms
3 cups chopped veggies (I used broccoli and cauliflower)
1 bag of spinach

1/4 cup water

The Directions:

Brown meat with salt and pepper in large skillet and pour in pasta sauce. Simmer on low for a few minutes, then put a ladle-full of sauce mixture into the bottom of your crockpot. Top with a layer of dried lasagna noodles. You’ll have to break them to fit, and little pieces will fly all over the place, much to the delight of small children and pets.

Smear ricotta cheese on top of lasagna noodles, then layer veggies, mushrooms, and spinach on top of the ricotta cheese. Add a handful of the shredded cheese and ladle on some more of the meat sauce, reserving 1/4 cup of sauce. Top with more dry noodles and repeat layers until crock is to desired capacity.

Mix reserved sauce with 1/4 cup of water, and pour over the top of your lasagna. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, high for 4.

Check noodles an hour before serving, and push the top ones down into the liquid if they are getting too hard or are curling up.

Warm Brie with Pecans and Cranberries

Mmmmmm, brie. My favorite Friday-night plans involve putting the kids to bed early and curling up with a yummy snack, a glass of wine and The Office reruns.

This crockpotted brie definitely counts as a yummy snack.

If only the kids would stay in bed rather than pop up every few minutes and force me to hide my snack under a couch cushion.

The Ingredients:

1 package of brie (a round would fit in the crock much better than the triangle. I realized that a bit too late.)
1/3 cup candied pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries

The Directions:

I used my little 1.5 quart crockpot. If you don’t have one, you can insert a corning ware or other high-heat resistant dish into your large stoneware. It will take longer to heat through and melt, but will work just fine.

Place brie in bottom of stoneware (or in my case with the triangle, squish to fit). Chop up candied pecans and cranberries and dump on top of brie. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2.

Serve with sliced apples and/or your favorite crackers.

Seriously good.

Jeannette has been kind enough to send me a short blurb about her most recent book, Out of the Kitchen: Adventures of a Food Writer. This memoir follows Jeanette through her life as it relates to food, complete with recipes and superstar chef appearances. I’m really looking forward to reading it, and I think you will enjoy it as well.

So without further ado, here’s Jeannette discussing her book Out of the Kitchen: Adventures of a Food Writer:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you’re a food writer, or even a food reader, you might enjoy this culinary memoir (gosh, I certainly hope so)! It begins with a fascination with food accompanied by a sneaking suspicion that all interest in cooking must be avoided by any woman with aspirations for a real career. Stories about the neighborhood candy store and the ice cream man are really about how such encounters represent the child’s first sense of independence and control over the food supply. The book has something to say about the strong pull of food as heritage and legacy, about the power of food with its myriad levels of meaning. The “adventures” of the title encompass experiences like Simone Beck’s cooking class in the south of France, totally unexpected introductions to many food world “rock stars” several of whom appear in the book, and a 14 year personal friendship with M. F. K. Fisher (about whom I wrote a biography/memoir). Eventually all this rather unfocused activity led to a career as a writer contributing regular monthly food columns for The New York Times and for dozens of publications, writing eight full-length books, and teaching food-writing courses at Stanford and UC Berkeley extension. What the book is basically about, really, is following one’s dream and having a whole lot of fun doing it.

The Library Journal wrote of it: “Though to read her recounting, you might just believe that Ferrary accidentally stumbled into food writing and acquaintance with such culinary greats as M. F. K. Fisher, Craig Claiborne, Julia Child and Alice Waters, her deft touch proves that this was no mere coincidence. Enthusiastically and frankly written, yet with a knowing wink and wry smile, this memoir is delightfully executed, presenting course by course the recollections of a one time precocious child, “home maker of tomorrow,” faculty wife, poet, entrepreneur, activist, and gourmand — as well as the accomplished author of numerous articles appearing in such publications as the New York Times, six cookbooks with Louise Fiszer (e.g. Sweet Onions and Sour Cherries), and the memoir
M. F. K. Fisher and Me. Recipes follow many of the vignettes.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Click here if you would like to buy Out of the Kitchen: Adventures of a Food Writer, or visit Daniel & Daniel Publishing for more information. Jeannette has also written a book about her close friendship with M.F.K. Fisher, entitled M.F.K. Fisher and Me: A Memoir of Food and Friendship.