Barbara's Kitchen

Barbara loves to cook and her passion for the subject has made her a very good cook. So good that she has the capability of opening her own restaurant and something that has been suggested many times by friends and family members who have experienced one or more of her great meals. For sure, the lady could have been a very successful chef. That being said, she never desired to be in the restaurant business.

Her love for cooking is basically reserved for family and friends, and this feature (Barbara’s Kitchen) will include information and recipes for the home cook (a segment that is growing at a record pace). Barbara keeps it simple, and also keeps it as healthy as possible. She knows what she is doing and we plan to present her thoughts and recipes on an ongoing basis.

Cooking is very subjective and like most creative cooks, Barbara has her own way of doing things. She freely admits that seafood is not something that she enjoys cooking, and yes, she uses real butter and never margarine; heavy cream and rarely milk; and she will never use an ingredient that has more than five grams of sugar. She shuns the use of rosemary and is always looking for more creative ways to use bacon, cheese, and definitely garlic.

Her food is not meant to be fancy - it ís meant to be good. We look forward to sharing her ideas and her many recipes with our audience. As she so often says to her husband, "I'm trying something different tonight, and if you don’t like it, we can always do pizza".

PASTA & BRIE

(Serves four)

• 1 Pound of Mini bow tie pasta

• 1Tbs. Olive Oil

• 2- Cloves garlic minced

• 2- 35 oz. cans imported Italian tomatoes (I prefer Cento)
(crush by hand)

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 1 cup of Fresh Basil

• 1 cup of Fresh Parsley

• 1 Tbs. Granulated garlic (garlic powder)

• 2 wedges Brie cheese

NOTE: At this time, I also include about a pound of sausage, chicken or whatever is your favorite meat. Start by cutting the white crust around the Brie and dish. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

In a large pan heat the oil and add the garlic (approximately 1 minute) until tender. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, parsley and garlic powder. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the Brie and do NOT stir. Let it simmer until the cheese melts into the sauce.

When the pasta is ready add a small amount of the sauce into the pasta. Put the remaining sauce into a gravy cup and serve with the meat as a side dish.

ENJOY!

It's Over Johnny!

I supported Starbucks for many years even while so many of my contacts told me my support was highly misplaced, and even embarrassing. There are tons of people in the restaurant business who see Starbucks as highly overrated and most certainly over-commercialized.

I was working in Washington, DC when they opened a branch in Georgetown. I went out of my way to purchase their coffee and bring it home to Philadelphia every weekend. All of a sudden, they opened in Philadelphia, and I have been a fan ever since.

Over the years, I graduated to their Sumatra brand that was bold and always great. I must admit that the over-commercialization bothered me, but for Ten dollars and ninety-five cents for a pound of coffee (plus tip), I remained a loyal customer.

Last week I walked into a local Starbucks with twelve dollars in my hand and was informed that the new cost is a staggering thirteen-dollars and ninety-five cents.
That would be a three-dollar price hike that I find totally unacceptable. I walked out without my pound of Sumatra, and I realized at that moment my love and respect for Starbucks was gone - possibly forever.

I hear what they say about the rise in costs of Arabica coffee beans, but I keep going back to the over-commercialization. Starbucks was everywhere including my local Acme and my local Target. They got greedy, and a three-dollar price increase is ridiculous.

Last night I picked-up a 14-Ounce package of French Roast at Trader Joe's ($4.99). It proved to be the best coffee I've ever tasted.

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere!

After years of being away from the Catholic Church a fellow goes into the confessional box. He is amazed at what he saw. There's a fully equipped bar with liquor and Guinness on tap. On the other wall is a dazzling array of the finest cigars and chocolates.

Then the priest comes in. “Father forgive me for it’s been many years since my last confession. I must admit that the confessional is much more inviting than it used to be.”

The priest replies “Get out. You’re on my side.”


Allow me to begin this journey with a drink that one can enjoy day or night - early morning, afternoon, or late evening. It's a Bloody Mary (and if you are drinking a
martini for breakfast, we have to talk about it. I do love my Bloody Marys' and herein is my "secret" recipe.

I use a 15-Oz Glass

1&1/2oz Vodka (You are permitted to use 2oz if necessary)

A Pinch of Ground Pepper

1 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce

Add my Concoction - See the ingredients for my secret concoction below.

Fill glass with Bloody Mary Mix (I prefer Tabasco (mildly seasoned) - Have Tabasco Hot available on the side for those who like it Hot).

Add one wedge of Lemon



My Concoction:

I use a 12oz Salad Dressing Container

Add 5 Beef Bouillon Cubes

1/2 tsp of Celery Seeds

Fill with water

Place in Micro-wave for 1 minute (in order to dissolve the beef cubes)

Let me know you think!
Jim Sanford - satinjim@gmail.com

Children & Restaurants

If you happen to have children under the age of six, and if you find yourself in Monroeville (PA)... you are not welcome at Michael Vuick's place (McDain's Restaurant). Actually, you and the wife are totally welcome, but you have to leave the kids (under the age of six) in the car. Needless to say, the car is not a good idea, and we suggest that you try another establishment.

Kids tend to make noise, and noise can be a bad thing while folks are dining, so it is what it is. It's certainly not a brilliant public relations decision to ban kids from your restaurant, but it's his place, and there are plenty of kid-friendly restaurants to choose from, so this situation is not exactly the most critical news story of the day.

It does remind me of a discussion I had with a chef in New York City. I was talking about the ongoing child obesity issues along with my disdain for the fast food industry and their role in the subject of unhealthy dining. I talked about the growth and influence of McDonald's, and I was somewhat stunned by his spin on children and dining.

The chef suggested that "most upscale restaurants dread the moment that children enter their restaurants, and their fear of children has been in place for years and years. In the meantime, McDonald's continues in the opposite direction. They market to the entire family, and even go so far as building playgrounds on their properties.

"Generations grow-up with McDonald's and we continue to discourage families with kids. The children eventually graduate to the chains at the expense of our so-called fine dining restaurants. After X amount of years, fine dining finds itself in some trouble".

It's only one chef talking about kids and restaurants, and I'm not so sure that fine dining is related to the issue in question. I am suggesting that a single restaurant is banning children under six, and I don't see this as the beginning of a movement to drive even more people to fast foods. It's really a non-story that is generating tons of unnecessary publicity.

BYOB in Ocean City - Part Two

"This is how it all starts, next there will be bars and soon OC will be crappy and dirty just like Wildwood".
— beans36

The above reader response is one of many in a Philadelphia Inquirer article on the BYOB debate in Ocean City. In our last issue, I suggested that BYOB was not the way to go in Ocean City. The response to my column was split right down the middle, but I admittedly feel guilty for not supporting the Ocean City chefs. The truth is that I have never seen anything like this. There are literally thousands of dry towns, but even the dry towns allow BYOB. Ocean City represents a very unique situation.

Rather than apologize to the chefs, I have no other choice than to get real. I have to report what I really think. I would never advise a serious chef to open a spot in a place that had a 134--year history of maintaining a law that prohibited BYOB. In point of fact, I believe that a restaurant needs a liquor license to survive, even though a BYOB establishment can certainly make it. Give me a situation that suggests that even BYOB is impossible, I would run (not walk) away. Operating a restaurant is as difficult as it gets - and very frankly, a chef-driven concept (at least in my mind)doesn't work in Ocean City

I have just succeeded in making the Ocean City chefs even more angry with me, but they all knew what they were getting into, and while a change in the law is possible, I would never bet on it. BYOB in Ocean City would absolutely be helpful to the local restaurant community, but the chances are that it's not going to happen. And I freely admit that maintaining the status-quo is not all that bad.