food tease

We are at the point in our marriage where the small gestures count more than extravagance in showing affection. Brewing coffee on Saturday morning, reading the paper together in our comfy kitchen chairs covered in terry robes, pointing out the stories that mean something to us, and occasionally reading them to each other. Dancing in the living room to a favorite song on iTunes, the comfortable and simple things. Cooking together in our kitchen, then sitting at the little square glass table with our simple meal and a glass of wine is another such experience. It often sets the stage for falling in love all over again and reminds us why we wanted to spend life together. On one of these occasions, we mused how eating and food have changed in the forty plus years that we have been married. Later on in the same week, I sat down for a dinner at home with the Good News Girlz. We talked about how food has become more seductive and entertaining. And the idea for food tease took flight.

Steph's Blog is now called food tease to encourage Good News Girlz readers to regard creating in the kitchen as art form, entertainment, and an enhancement of lifestyle. No longer a way just to meet our daily need for fuel, cooking with family and friends is a paradigm shift to a renewed interest in connection. The advent of the Cooking Channel and celebrity and non-celebrity focused television shows are evidence of what was already developing in our culture. The Slow Food Movement, Eating Locavore, Artisan Boutiques for cheeses, meats, and greens have been in Europe for decades. They are now appearing in our neighborhoods. It's a way to unplug from technology and reconnect with those about whom we care the most. In the most intimate of manners, we sit down, eat together, and converse about things that matter to us.

 

"Food porn" is a style of photography and food writing that presents food glamorously or provocatively, as in fashion or on film.  This provocative term is variously applied to visual presentations of cooking or eating in advertisements, cooking shows or other visual media, staging food as a spectacular event.  Closely photographed dishes of colorful food often arouse a desire to eat or create art with our food.

food tease is a hybrid of this renewed interest in creative activity and a wink to food as seduction. The blog offers our readers ways to entertain, amuse, and encourage creativity. Try it our way. You'll never go back to the fast food drive-through or grab a quick sandwich on the run. We encourage you to relax with cooking and savor these times of your life.

To get you in mood, we recommend these video snapshots of special food moments commemorated on film...and we invite you to suggest more to us:

Seinfeld: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHchl4AxsE0

Tom Jones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tezjznL9NzM

Five Easy Pieces: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wtfNE4z6a8&feature=related

When Harry Met Sally: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-bsf2x-aeE

Nine and a Half Weeks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vLBMEWexoI

Fellini: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSA51Cpc7wY

RECIPE: MEATBALLS

 

Ground lamb, chicken, pork, veal, or equal parts of all three.

(Hint: If only chicken or veal is used, double the olive oil)

 

1 lb. ground meat

½ cup chopped Italian parsley

Zest of one lemon, grated

½ teaspoon allspice

½ to 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

4 slices of stale French bread, cut into cubes and soaked in ½ cup milk for 10 minutes

1 large egg, beaten

4 green onions, chopped

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp. Worcestershire or Pickapeppa Sauce

 

Squeeze milk from soaked stale French bread and combine with all other ingredients. Pour a little olive oil into your palms and form meatballs, about 2-3" in diameter. Place in a baking dish oiled with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees until browned, about 20 minutes. Cover with your favorite Marinara, Sauce Espagnole (brown sauce), or cream gravy. Serve with pasta, rice, polenta, cous cous, or orzo. For a healthy variation, serve over cooked spinach, greens beans, eggplant, or other favorite vegetable. May also be formed into a meat loaf: cook for 45 minutes covered in sautéed tomatoes and ½ cup Heinz Chili Sauce. Poblano peppers or jalapenos and Mexican cheese may be added for South of the Border variations.