this and that

This and That September 2008

My Dad is a meat and potatoes guy. So when he goes to an “Italian” restaurant, he orders spaghetti and meatballs—the kind most of us grew up on. He doesn’t care about its origins or if it’s really Italian. All he knows is that he likes it and it’s familiar, so he orders it.

Which brings me to our cover story on spaghetti and meatballs. While chefs Mark Strausman and Pino Luongo delight in sparring about Italian cooking and the right and wrong way to do it, their take home message is this: It’s all good because it’s about family and heritage and love—which is what all food should be about.

Speaking of love, you’ll love our Country Couture Cookout, a welcome change to burgers and dogs, which are “so yesterday,” as my daughter says. And surprisingly my son, Sam (above), loved the catfish and grilled corn with chipotle butter and Parmesan cheese. Guess he’s not going to take after his grandpa. Happy fall.
- Jill Melton, Editor

Things Cooks Love
One of the prettiest books we’ve seen and the most useful, this book is organized according to tool and includes techniques and more than 100 recipes made with each piece of equipment. From Sur La Table, one of the country’s premier cookware stores.

Thai Pantry
The key ingredients in Thai cooking can be found in most supermarkets. Keep these on hand to infuse foods with Thai flavor:

Brown sugar Rice
Cilantro
Limes
Peppers
Coconut milk
Fish sauce
Curry pastes

Sweets for Soldiers
Shashana Davis, owner of Spectacular Sweets, Inc., in Highland Falls, N.Y., sends celebrations of confection and affection almost anywhere via her new vacuum-sealed cakes. Her C.R.E.s, Cakes Ready To Eat (playing off military M.R.E.s—Meals Ready To Eat), are baked in pint-sized jars to drop readily into the hands of deployed soldiers, as far away as Iraq and Afghanistan. “As a former military spouse whose husband has been in Iraq,” she says, “I personally want the taste to be great.” To share something sweet with your soldier or sweetheart, go spectacularsweets.com
—Mary Ann Ebner

Whoopie!
You can toss them, launch them and play checkers with them, but the best thing to do with whoopie pies (although there’s nothing pie-like about them) is devour them. The Whoopie Pie Festival, held at the Hershey Farm Restaurant and Inn, Strasburg, Pa., Sept. 20, 2008, celebrates the Pennsylvania Dutch Country-favorite with games, races, a treasure hunt, an eating contest and at least 100 flavor combinations.
—Marilyn Odesser-Torpey