Reading List for September 6-10

1. "A Taste of Home in Foil Packets and Powders" from the NYTimes
An article and photo gallery on what (and how) troops eat when they're deployed:

"Each year, among the countries with troops in Afghanistan — the current number is 47 — tens of millions of dollars are spent researching how to fit the most calories, nutrition and either comfort or fun into a small, light package. The menus and accompaniments are intended not just to nourish but also to remind the soldier of home."

The Atlantic published an accompanying article, "Eating Alone: What Soldiers Eat in the Field."

2. "Reforming Meat," an editorial from the NYTimes

"New rules proposed by [Agriculture Secretary Tom] Vilsack aim to restore the balance between independent livestock producers and the industrial behemoths."

3. "Filmmaker Shines Spotlight on School Lunches" from the WSJ

"[A] documentary short called "Lunch" … examines what children are eating through the National School Lunch Program and advocates for healthier meals in schools."

4. "Is Organically Produced Food More Nutritious?" from NPR
TIME magazine published a similar article a couple of weeks ago: "Health Checkup: Who Needs Organic Food?"

5. "Who Put the Whiskey in My Milkshake?" from the NYTimes

"In a culinary landscape teeming with art-directed burger joints and endless fancied-up takes on mac and cheese, maybe it’s time to welcome a new kind of “fusion” cuisine: childhood fusion. … Ice cream. Plus liquor. Together. In a big glass. Could there be a better emblem of the sort of juvenilia-with-a-wink that defines the current food aesthetic?"

Have a great weekend!

Pork Belly and Bergman

This past weekend was my first experience with the films of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. On Friday night, Topher & I ordered pizza, drank Trader Joe's meritage, and watched "Wild Strawberries." It's about an elderly man who spends a day traveling through Sweden (from Stockholm to Lund, where he's being given an honorary degree), and along the way he revisits many of his memories and life's regrets.

Then on Sunday evening we had dinner with our good friends Randy & Kim and watched "The Virgin Spring," a story of tragedy, revenge, and atonement set in medieval Sweden. It was pretty intense but very good. To commemorate the occasion, the Raines served up a delicious, Asian-inspired feast.

What We Ate:

• appetizer: miso soup with dumplings and extra firm tofu - the "extra firm" is key here (at least for me), and I really liked the idea of putting the dumplings in the soup
• entree: seared scallops, sauteed bok choy, rice noodles, pickled daikon radishes, sauteed maitake mushrooms, and pork belly, all drizzled with gochujang sauce - honestly, I don't even know where to start ... this meal was amazing (and I learned quite a bit about Asian cuisine), but my favorite part was definitely the pork belly!
• dessert: lemon tart with homemade raspberry compote
• to drink: Marquis Philips Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (quite jam-my and not nearly as oaky as most cabs) and a few others

WRPC Community Garden Update: Fall Crops

It's after Labor Day, so I feel like it's okay to talk about fall ... although I don't want to rush summer away! But whether you're looking at a calendar or not, it's easy to tell the change of seasons by walking through a garden and looking at what's still producing and what's not.

The WRPC Community Garden was incredibly successful this summer, and for that I'm truly grateful. It's been an awesome ministry to be a part of: through it I've met so many neighbors, fellow church members, and long-time Suffolk locals.

A couple of weeks ago, our director wrote to us: "The Community Garden has thrived in its first year thanks to volunteers and community participants. ... The goal of the garden is to give people an opportunity to work and earn money to provide for their families. Thanks to all of you who have made that goal possible!"

With the change of seasons comes the change of crops, and our garden is no different. A few weeks ago we pulled up the yellow squash, zucchini, & cucumber plants - they just weren't producing any more in the late summer heat. Thankfully, the tomatoes and bell peppers are still going strong (we've got more bell peppers than we'll ever be able to use, so we're making pepper jelly!). But soon we'll need to make room in the garden for our fall crops.

What are we growing this fall, you ask? Well, we've already planted broccoli, onions, butternut squash, pole beans, and collard greens, and we're hoping to grow potatoes, kale, Swiss chard, cabbage, 2-3 kinds of lettuce, leeks, beets, and radishes. And we'll still be selling both on Saturdays (at the Suffolk Farmers' Market) and Sundays (at WRPC between services).

Let the bounty continue!

Note: The photo above was found here.

My Fall "To Dine" List

Here are a few places that I want to try this fall. Watch for reviews to come!

• The Chef's Kitchen - a restaurant in Williamsburg set up stadium-style, so you can watch the chefs prepare your meal and learn as you go; this one is leftover from my summer "to dine" list
• One Fish Two Fish - a seafood restaurant in northern Virginia Beach; also a leftover from my summer "to dine" list ... sort of ... to see what I mean, check out this post (it's a funny story)
• Boot - a "local kitchen & wine bar" in the Ghent area of Norfolk, specializing in locally grown foods
• Union Square Café - in NYC; uses meats & produce from the nearby Union Square Greenmarket; highly recommended by our good friend Jen

Actually, my "to dine" list is quite long, and it just keeps growing as I get recommendations from family & friends (which I love, by the way)!

Where are you dying to eat this fall? Do you have any suggestions for me?

Reading List for August 30 - September 2

1. "Is This the End of Cheap Food?" from The Atlantic
A round-up of recent articles concerning the modern food industry: "Now, then, seems like a good time to revisit that debate: do population growth, energy costs, and safety concerns really mean the end of 'cheap, abundant food'?"

2. New research: drinking water before meals helps with weight loss
"Want to lose weight? Drink water" from The Washington Post
"Obesity: Drink till you drop" from The Economist

3. "Overloaded from Your Garden? Just Can It" from NPR

"Canning — the source of jams, pickles and relishes that can seem tied to the last century — is on the upswing. There is a debate whether the trend stems from the tight economy or the local food movement, but its fans say the results are delicious."

4. New research: dark chocolate is heart-healthy
"Chocolate in Moderation May Help Heart" from NYTimes
"Dark chocolate can be good for the heart, study says" from BBC

5. Just for fun: "Baby carrots take on junk food with hip marketing campaign" from USA Today

"Just in time for the battle over what's gonna be in millions of back-to-school lunches, Bolthouse Farms and nearly 50 other carrot growers today will unveil plans for the industry's first-ever marketing campaign. The $25 million effort sets its sights on a giant, big-spending rival: junk food."

Happy reading, and I hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend!

Missing the Harms

The jury is still out on exactly what effects we're going to see from Hurricane Earl, but I can already say that it's messing up my weekend.

I was so excited that our friends Amy & Marty and their two kids were coming from Wisconsin to Hampton Roads this weekend for a visit. (When they lived here, we were in community group together, and Amy served as one of our wedding coordinators.) But Hurricane Earl has thwarted their travel plans, and they're not going to make it. Boo!

We haven't seen them since their visit to Hampton Roads last December, when we hosted a dinner party for them (Topher played chef again). A small group of us was planning to do dinner with them tonight, but since that won't be happening now, I'm revisiting last December's dinner in their honor.

What We Ate:

• Southwestern scallops with avocado puree and jalapeno pesto, served on blue corn chips - the two sauces on this were amazing!
• stuffed mushroom caps
• carnitas tacos with pineapple salsa
• salad with applewood smoked bacon and poached pears
• mini beef Wellingtons, served with three-cheese macaroni & cheese - hearty dishes for a cold winter night
• dessert: pumpkin pie bites and cheesecake
• sparkling red wine - such a fun beverage, but it'll rename nameless here so we can stay family-friendly

We miss y'all, but I hope you have a fun & relaxing Labor Day weekend at home in Wisconsin!

Headed to Market

While I was in DC last week, my husband Topher went to Columbus, OH for work, and he brought back pictures from North Market near Goodale Park and the Greater Columbus Convention Center. He went there for lunch one day and got a crepe with Balsamic, tons of fresh spinach, red peppers and goat cheese from Taste of Belgium - they make crepes to order, both savory and sweet. Sounds yummy to me!

He was also impressed with their poultry & game menu: whole fryer rabbits, and duck confit & foie gras! (I wish he'd had a cooler to bring some home, but I doubt it would have traveled well on the plane.)

Topher said it reminded him of Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia, a place I loved to visit when I lived in Philly. I would often meet friends there for lunch during the week, and we'd split two crepes from Profi's Creperie - one with chicken, spinach & tomato, and one with bananas, stawberries & nutella. For lunch they also offer mediterranean & Middle Eastern (at Mezze and Kamal's), Southern (at Delilah's and the Down Home Diner), Pennsylvania Dutch (at the Dutch Eating Place and the Grill at Smucker's), and of course hoagies & cheesesteaks.

Reading Terminal Market is also a great place to buy fresh flowers, produce, meats, seafood, and Italian breads & pastries. It can get a little crowded and crazy, but it's such a fun place to walk around, especially on weekends when farmers from Amish country come into the city to sell their stuff (especially cheese!). And if you want to learn even more, check out the Taste of Philly Food Tour.

North Market also reminded us of West Side Market in Cleveland, Oh - a place we visited while we were dating. (I lived and worked in downtown Cleveland for three months, and Topher came to visit me a couple of times.) One weekend we did a tour & tasting at Great Lakes Brewery, then stopped by West Side Market to get groceries for dinner (veal piccata!) at my studio apartment. While we were there, I got sidetracked at a candy shop: they were selling chocolate-covered jalapeno peppers!

The Scoop:

Reading Terminal Market (Philadelphia, PA) is on Yelp, Facebook, and Twitter.

North Market (Columbus, OH) is on Yelp, Facebook, and Twitter.

West Side Market (Cleveland, OH) is on Yelp.