I got inspired by my sister Melissa who made them in the most simple and delicate way for me over the weekend: steam, peel, and eat. She did whip up a delicious dipping sauce as well which was wonderful. 
 I attempted to recreate her method but was met with some difficulty pretty much immediately. Trader Joe’s had no artichokes. Acme had some, but they  were brown and nassstyyyyy looking. I will continue my hunt today, but my resources are limited (see: I’m on foot).

Maybe it should be noted that one of my favorite “I’m broke” meals is pasta with some garlic salt, butter, and marinated artichokes tossed in with some parm (or whatever Italian cheese is on hand) shredded on top. Not the most fancy, but damn good if you ask me.

They are one of my favorites for their versatility and obviously their yummy taste, so if you’ve got any recipes please share!

Some  Italian chefs have created an umami paste for people like you and I who might need a secret weapon in our cooking aresenol. Or, if you  are prone to keeping say, hot sauce packets from taco bell in your purse, this offers more classy alternative.

I am not a vegan, nor do I see myself ever becoming one. BUT that being said, I am interested in it, and respect it. Please don’t confuse me with those weird smelly activists that are judgmental and usually yelling- no one likes those guys.  The thing that interests me most about veganism is the way it forces one to be creative given the limitations while cooking. That part, to me, is fun.(though no cheeseburgers doesn’t sound very fun)

I am EXTREMELY BUTTHURT that I have not seen the episode(s) relating to this, but look forward to watching clips of it on her site.

I  immediately emailed my sisters & a select group of (non O hating) vegetarian friends to share the news with them, and my sister said something really well put and touching that I’m going to share with you all:

“Rachel, I know we have talked about this before, but something like this is really awesome for a number of reasons!! I love love love that Oprah has normalized vegetarianism and veganism for stay at home parents and millions of ‘worried and concerned moms’! I know all of us can remember bringing home vegan friends or telling mom you were vegetarian [DB and Laura i am looking at you two] and them thinking it was just a phase, or you or your friends were acting out/were freaks, or would ‘get over it’…and here is the most influential person in America not only making it seem like great idea health wise, but interesting, challenging, and FUN! Maybe the stigma that all vegans must be crazy [no offense behole] will begin to fade! And maybe Chilis/Fridays/Applebees will offer ONE item besides chips and salsa on their menu that you can eat, Josh.

Its also worth noting that Lynell and Fred have began to do “meatless mondays” for the past month- how fucking cute is that?!
Thanks for sharing rachie”

How good is that?
Anyway, intrigued by Oprah, her staff, and my sisters all “taking the plunge” or whatever  (note- my sisters did not go veg because of Oprah) I peeped O’s site for some ideas.  This  Vegan Starter Kit is filled with a ton of information, recipes, and even a  grocery shopping  list! It’s making me  consider eating less meat. Let me reiterate- I do not see me going full-on-vegan anytime soon. However, that does not mean I have to eat meat, seafood, or cheese with every single meal.

I appreciate Oprah helping people like me realize a vegan diet does not mean the end of the world, or boring food, or even that much extra time to make a great meal.

Now that THAT is outta the way:

Yo, seriously, congrats to Philly. There is a reason I love this awful, smelly city and call it my home, a large part of that being the availability of diverse foods and drink.  Oh, don’t believe me? Think we’re all pretzels and hoagies and arctic splash, or a delicious combo of the three??

Well suck it haters. Two reputable sources gave the city of brotherly love mad props for our thriving food “scene”, which I am really excited about.

First, Esquire magazine named us one of the  Best U.S. cities for beer, which is entirely true. There is so much beer snobbery happening throughout this city that sometimes even I find myself saying things like “the hops aren’t overwhelming, but I prefer hefeweizen”  like, on the reg. UGH. But hey, if I can get away with that and have 9 bartenders outta ten know what i’m talking about, I win.

And in even COOLER news- we have 16, that’s right, SIXTEEN nominations in the James Beard Foundations restaurant and Chef awards.  Garces, Vetri, & Starr are kind of a given as semi-finalists seeing as though they “changed the game” or whatever in making dining out in Philly not only delicious, but fun and interesting as well. Zahav, F0nd, Barbuzzo, and Tria all get props as well.
(Okay truth be told in the “rising star chef of the year” category I’m not rooting for Lee Styer of FOND but for Kevin Gillespie of the Woodfire grill in Atlanta Georgia because 1) he’s from Georgia and  2) he was so gosh-darn likable on Top Chef)

I am really happy for and excited by the recognition our city and our (bangin’)  food is getting, and have an overwhelming sense of pride.  It’s sort of like seeing your kid at a recital or something, but instead of saying “that’s my little one!”  I think ” I’ve eaten there! That pork was outstanding!”.  I mean, obviously a great pulled pork sandwich is way more important than some kids recital but you get the idea.

]]> http://rachelishungry.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/the-time-is-almost-upon-us/feed/ 0 rachelishungry pumking http://rachelishungry.wordpress.com/2010/07/22/apple-soda/ http://rachelishungry.wordpress.com/2010/07/22/apple-soda/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:46:41 +0000 rachelishungry http://rachelishungry.wordpress.com/?p=484 ]]> I have many indulgences,  but the one I’ve had the biggest vice for will always be soda. I have such a sweet tooth for it, always have and probably always will. The crazier the flavor, the better. I love champagne cola, all wild ass varieties of days cola, and especially the hard to find (unless your in a Spanish speaking country) and ever vague apple soda.

My number one is Brazil’s Guaranara, It is so damn refreshing and delicious. The only place that I’ve been able to find it at, and believe me I’ve scoured the entire tri-state area, is at two Brazilian steak houses: Picanha and Fogo De Chao.

I recently hit up my local grocery store’s dollar section (shut up, times are tough, etcetc) and uttered a disturbing squeal of delight upon finding a lone 2 liter of Manzanita Sol left on the shelf. I even creeped and peeped my way around the whole store trying to find another one- FOR ONLY A DOLLAR- but had to make do with just the one. I am currently sitting here enjoying the shit out of it on this oppressively hot day.

Mi encanta tu, Manzanita soda.

Though this has nothing to do with food, I recently played simpsons quizzo (or “bar trivia” for all you non-Philadelphians) and our team “The jerks from Tower One” got FIRST PLACE! I ate some cheese fries that night. There, I brought it back to food. I always bring it back to food. Anyway, Enjoy your weekends!

Speaking of my mom, she was kind enough to make and give me this garlic oil that I’ve been obsessivly using since I saw her last week. Its not as cloudy in real life as it looks in the photo, and those are hot pepper flakes & seeds at the bottom. It smells incredible and tastes great with everything I’ve used it on thus far, including chicken, mixed veggies, and over some pasta.