In Good Taste

Ingredient Spotlight: Six Uses for Chives

I've never been particularly interested in cream cheese (with the exception of pumpkin cream cheese) but lately, I've been all about eating half of a whole-wheat bagel with chive cream cheese in the morning. Fine, sometimes I'm all about eating an entire whole-wheat bagel but you know what? There's no one keeping score here.

This morning I was waiting for my bagel to take a spin through the toaster at the Dunkin Donuts in my building and when the barely-English-speaking toaster attendant who handed me a freshly creased paper bag asked me what chives were.

I mean, I know what chives are. Dana knows what chives are. The delightfully oblivious toaster master? Did not know what chives were and despite the fact that I eat them, cook with them and most recently, spread them on my bagel, I was stumped at how to answer his question.

In my pre-caffeinated state I should have just suggested that he go home and Google it but instead I think I confused him even more and it's entirely possible that I turned him off chives for life. So, I did what any self-respecting food writer would do: I got back to my desk and immediately looked up the definition of chives so that next time I'll be better prepared to answer tough questions.

Everywhere but Here

Things have been a little quiet on the In Good Taste front this week but rest assured, it isn't because I've been sitting around eating margarita cheesecake and drinking strawberry sangria.

This week, in addition to being a little under the weather (apparently, four to five hours of sleep per night is not enough sleep per night) I've been busy writing elsewhere.  So if you need a quick fix before the weekend (or some inspiration as to how to spend your weekend), you've come to the right place.

National Food Blogger Bake Sale Is Here!

Chocolate Turtle Bars...Mexican Chocolate Brownies...Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes...Peanut Butter-Coconut Oatmeal Cookies...Cherry Lime Scones...White Chocolate Chip Key Lime Bars... Focaccia Bread...Sugar Cookies...Homemade Chewy Granola Bars...Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies...Gooey Butter Cake Cookies...

Shall I go on? 

As many of you know, food bloggers across the country have formed a team for the Great American Bake Sale to help Share Our Strength raise funds to help eliminate childhood hunger in the US.

Who: Some of Chicago's finest food blogs and bakeries will be there, including Kudos Kookies & Foiled Cupcakes. , today is the First Annual National Food Blogger Bake Sale. 

What: Remember your childhood bake sales? This one will be even better! After months of planning, hours of baking...and, fine, yes, even some taste tasting, food bloggers and baking aficionados are teaming up to give readers the opportunity to sample some of their favorite baked goods and treats. Proceeds from the sale benefit Share Our Strength. 

When: Saturday, April 17 from 12pm - 3pm (CST)

Where: Smash Cake Bakery, 2961 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago IL 60657 (at Wellington) Get a sneak peek at its BRAND NEW location!

Why: Food bloggers from across the country will unite to support the Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America by holding bake sales in their states. Proceeds from the sale will support the 17 million children who face hunger in America. More information on SOS can be found at www.strength.org. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Make a donation the National Food Blogger Bake Sale - Illinois page to help Chicago area foodies raise money for Share Our Strength.

National Food Blogger Bake Sale: Saturday, April 17, 2010

Mark your calendars for April 17th 2010! This is the big day! We are kicking off the Share Our Strength fundraising season with the first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale!!

Love to bake? Love to eat? Then, you might want to read on. Earlier this year, my friend Gaby Dalkin contacted me about helping plan the Chicago leg of the first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale, part of the Great American Bake Sale. 

Who: Some of Chicago's finest food blogs and bakeries will be there, including Kudos Kookies & Foiled Cupcakes.

What: Remember your childhood bake sales? This one will be even better! Food bloggers and baking aficionados are teaming up to give readers the opportunity to sample some of their favorite baked goods and treats. Proceeds from the sale benefit Share Our Strength. 

When: Saturday, April 17 from 12pm - 3pm (CST)

Where: Smash Cake Bakery, 2961 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago IL 60657 (at Wellington) Get a sneak peek at its BRAND NEW location!

Why: Food bloggers from across the country will unite to support the Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America by holding bake sales in their states. Proceeds from the sale will support the 17 million children (almost one in four) who face hunger in America. More information on SOS can be found at www.strength.org.

I'm leading up efforts here in Chicago and if you are interested in baking, volunteering your time on site at the event or helping to promote the event to your friends, readers, fans or followers, please send me an email at maris.callahan@gmail.com.

What is the rest of the country doing? Read on, after the jump.

Where Does My Food Come From? Thoughts on Food Inc.

 

As I write this post I've just finished watching Food Inc. The documentary is somewhat of an expose on the underbelly of the food industry, a modern day The Jungle. As food is something that is important to me I took the movie seriously but even the scenes of chickens being mass-slaughtered in factories didn't drive me to the edge of vegetarianism.

What did shock me? Veggie Libel Laws. In some US states, you can be convicted on felony charges for criticizing certain food industries. 

Legalese aside, the film primarily discusses how the government has become dominated by industries (ie: the corn industry) that it's meant to be regulated. Scenes depict ethical and unethical farming practices and liken the food supply chain to factory-line production. 

After watching the movie, which tends to blame large corporations for some of the widespread crises in food production today, such as food borne illness and obesity, my takeaway was how important to pay attention not only to what you're eating, but where it comes from.