News-Record.com

My day ... er, night ... job is working on the copy desk here at the paper, designing pages, editing stories and writing headlines. So why I am writing a blog about food?

Well, cooking has always been a big part of my life -- large family dinners on tables teeming with food were a holiday (and everyday) staple. Add a mom who catered for more than a decade, and it was natural that I would be pressed into service early on cooking for large groups of people -- something I love doing even now that I'm on my own.

That doesn't mean, however, that I always know what I'm doing. I'm always experimenting and learning what works and what doesn't. And this blog will basically be just that -- experimenting and sharing with you tips and tricks (and a few recipes) I've picked up along the way, along with my thoughts about what goes on in the kitchen.

Luckily, I work in a newsroom, so my husband won't have to be the only guinea pig trying my experiments. (Note to readers: People working in a newsroom will eat anything -- and they won't ask silly questions like, "Where did this come from?" If it shows up in the office, it will be eaten.)

I want to hear from you, too. Send me your tips, recipes and questions. So kick off your shoes, pull up a plate, and welcome to my kitchen!

This is one of my favorite fudge recipes, found in the pages of the Daily Press in Newport News, Va., a few years ago. (If anyone can give me the name of the person who submitted it, I would be more than happy to give them credit.) It's a fast microwave fudge recipe. (I know what you're thinking -- microwave fudge? But it's delicious, and no one has ever been able to tell the difference. And it takes no time!)

Working on the news copy desk, I am always in search of a good place to grab a snack or hang out after work. We usually don't get out of here until 12:30 or 1 a.m., so our choices are limited. But I see that Filet of Soul on Tate Street will be open 'til 1 a.m. -- so it becomes a new possibility on our earlier nights.

Also, today is National S'mores Day, so break out the graham crackers and marshmallows to celebrate. You don't need a campfire -- a microwave or oven will suffice. And for a variation on an old theme, check out these recipes.

Did you know that, unopened, marshmallows stay good for 40 months? That's more than three years, and that's disturbing. Even more disturbing to me? Worcestershire sauce is good for two years after you open it -- five to 10 years unopened.

Have a bunch of dusty items sitting in the back of your cupboard and you're not sure whether to pitch them? Check it out.

Apparently, everything is better when it has a Hemi in it. Chrysler is sponsoring a contest, "What Can You HEMI?" (Let me weigh in right now -- I am horrified that someone has decided that HEMI can be a verb.) To kick off the contest, Chrysler created a HEMI-Grille to show what can be done.

"The oversized barbeque is finished in stainless and diamond plate. The alternator and battery of the V8 is up front which drives an electric motor to warm powerful heating elements. There is enough power and space to cook up 240 hot dogs in less than three minutes."

Wonder if Takeru Kobayashi has one of these on order?

P.S. Thanks to Lex for the tip.

Who knew there were so many variations on the peanut butter and banana sandwich?

Sitting at dinner tonight with some of my fellow copy editors, I found that there are several ways to make a PB and banana sandwich. An appropriate topic, I suppose, given that we are coming up on the anniversary of the death of one of the biggest fans of the artery-hardening classic.

I have got to get me one of these.

"The George Foreman USB iGrill conveniently connects to your home or office PC using USB 2.0 technology, and provides a sophisticated web-based cooking interface."

Although, some features are kind of scary:

"Running late at work? Need to get dinner on the table? It is easy to warm up the iGrill from any internet connection. With a little advance planning, your meal can be ready when you get home!"

Am I supposed to leave the raw chicken on the grill before leaving for work? Um, ew.

Here on the copy desk, we don't need a reason to bring in food -- but we'll take one when it's offered. One of our copy editors turned 30 today, so I made Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert for his birthday. I stole the recipe from another copy editor on the desk, who made it for her own birthday last month.

It took me about ten minutes to make (overnight to freeze), and I only had to buy Cool Whip and Nutter Butters. Very easy to make, and you get comments like this:

"This rocks. Thanks so much for making it." -- Birthday boy

"Pardon my French, but your cake rules ...!!!" -- Anonymous copy editor

"yum,yum,yum, yum is all i can say." -- Second anonymous copy editor

Also, while you're at the Kraft site, you can sign up to have recipes e-mailed to you and get their free recipe magazine a few times a year. And I have to say, I've never made a bad recipe from this site.

Am I wrong to be a little bit leery of these flavor sprays?

"Burke, chef at the upscale Manhattan eatery davidburke & donatella, has come out with fat-, calorie- and carbohydrate-free "flavor sprays" for regular Joes who are watching their weight or are time-crunched in the kitchen."

"There are 18 savory and sweet sprays in the line, from smoked bacon to banana split. A dozen more flavors are planned, including wasabi, sausage and peppers, and birthday cake."

When boiling pasta or potatoes, a couple of drops of oil added to the water will usually keep it from boiling over. I prefer olive oil, but I'm sure any oil will work as a bubble breaker.

Have you always wanted a great recipe for German potato salad? (I'll post one soon.) Need a better way to cut up an onion? Have a question about why your cheesecake is lumpy? Send them my way, and I'll find an answer and/or post them for the other readers out there. I want this to be a two-way street -- I know there are readers out there who are just dying to share their recipes and tips with each other!

Send snail mail to:
Melissa Umbarger
Copy Desk
200 East Market Street
Greensboro, NC 27401

Have you planted a garden full of veggies, and you need a recipe to use them in now? Laurie over at ...slowly she turned has just the thing: Garden macaroni and cheese. Sounds good -- as soon as I get over to the farmer's market, I'm going to try it out.

If it were for sale, I bet this knife block would probably be murder on your budget.

The perfect gift for fans of fava beans and a nice chianti -- it's a knife block to die for.

It'll cut a fine figure in your kitchen. It's a cutting edge piece that could make your friends scream with laughter. It's a cut above the competition.

And it gives a visual warning to any would-be food critics.

I'm such a geek -- I'm having way too much fun with this. And I realize that I'm a sick, sick person.

ETA: You can soon own one of your own.

I don't know if I hope the site is kidding or not when they say their T-shirts smell like chocolate.

"Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies." -- John Q. Tullius

If you read the paper today, you know that men can cook, too. I found that out for myself when I started talking to Leger, one of our photo gurus, about the strawberry and peach pie I made today (pictured below).

Rob, one of our other photo gurus, wandered over and joined in, and before I knew it, I was embroiled in a discussion on how to make the best pie crusts.

A few days ago, I offered a tip for keeping your water from boiling over when cooking things such as pasta, potatoes and eggs.

One of our intrepid reporters commented that her mother always told her to salt the water:

"I forget why, but I know there was a reason!?"

"Can you tell I inherited neither my mom's good cooking genes, nor my dad's chef genes! :)

"BTW: What is the salt for, again?"

Good question -- my mom and grandma always salt the water, too. So, is there a reason for it?

... Til the one day when banana met papaya, And they knew that it was much more than a hunch, That this group must somehow form a fruit drink, That's the way that they became Hawaiian Punch.

- Mike Rayburn, The Hawaiian Punch song (to the tune of the Brady Bunch song), Postcards from the Road

The other night, a Mike Rayburn CD inspired me to write a post involving Hawaiian Punch. Then today, as I left for work, I got the mail in and found that the September issue of Gourmet was in my mailbox -- and it was "The Music Issue: When Music Meets Food." It must be karma, or something.

As I've gotten older -- I'm close to the ripe old age of 26 now -- I don't drink as much as alcohol as I used to in my college days. Most of the people I hang out with aren't the lush types anymore, either. (Notice I said most.) So when I plan a gathering, I need to have good nonalcoholic drinks available.

This is where Hawaiian Punch comes in.

My husband has been watching a lot of cooking shows with me lately. Today, as we were getting lunch together before I had to come in to work, we had the following conversation (paraphrased):

Him: "I need to get some tomatoes so I can learn to make some of this stuff."

Me: "What stuff?"

Him: "Some of this stuff (on the cooking shows)."

Me, confused: "Why tomatoes?"

Him: "Everything seems to have tomatoes in it."

I love my husband.

Yesterday, John Robinson told me the next time I bring in a peach strawberry pie, I should be mindful of giving advance warning to certain people before I set it out for mass consumption. I wonder who he was talking about? And why was he glaring? :-)

This will teach me to make a recipe for a bunch of people without testing it first.

I had a large group of people over on Saturday for lunch, which consisted of some appetizers, lasagna, bread sticks and salad, with a berry tiramisu for dessert.

I love Everyday Italian on the Food Network. I have a cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis that I adore as well, so I decided that making the classic lasagna recipe from it would be a safe bet.