Februari 2012 ~ Super Food Notes

The Crispiest Apple Crisp, Ever? Ever!

By JOKO Februari 28, 2012

Here is the apple crisp recipe that I teased yesterday, with the outrageous claim that it’s the crispiest apple crisp topping ever. Can I prove that fact? No, and that’s the beauty of such culinary hyperbole, no one can prove otherwise.The secret ingredient, as identified by several astute observers yesterday, is Grape Nuts. This extremely crispy and crunchy breakfast cereal...

Oscar Party Snack Ideas! And the Winner is...

By JOKO Februari 25, 2012

I have no problem waiting a year to watch feature films via my overpriced cable provider, but the major drawback is that I never have any clue what's gong on during the Academy Awards show. I won't get any of Billy Crystal's inside jokes, and the video clip montages will only serve to confuse and annoy. So, for people like me, the highlight of any Oscar party is the food....

Oscar Party Snack Ideas! And the Winner is...

By JOKO Februari 25, 2012

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup – Thank Goodness We Had Roasted Chicken Broth Around!

By JOKO Februari 24, 2012

In case you haven’t been following along, let me catch you up. On Wednesday we made a gorgeous roasted chicken broth for the expressed purpose of making this soul-warming soup. Here, we used that wonderfully flavorful broth to complete the recipe, and let me tell you, it was incredible.You know how much I hate to complicate a recipe, and I'll always err on the side of too...

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup – Thank Goodness We Had Roasted Chicken Broth Around!

By JOKO Februari 24, 2012

Roasted Chicken Broth – Part 1 of The Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup!

By JOKO Februari 22, 2012

People throw around the word “ultimate” these days with total disregard for its actual meaning…and I’m no different. I was planning on posting my "ultimate" chicken noodle soup today, but then decided to show you a from-scratch roasted chicken broth first, which made the recipe too long for one single video. So, we’ll finish this schmaltzy mini-series on Friday, and with all...

Roasted Chicken Broth – Part 1 of The Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup!

By JOKO Februari 22, 2012

Creole Crab & Corn Chowder – Let the Good Clichés Roll!

By JOKO Februari 20, 2012

It’s so trite to say that something is only as good as the ingredients that go into it. Everyone knows that, right? It’s just common sense. Except, there I was, eating a very good bowl of crab and corn chowder that could have, should have, been very great; but it wasn’t because I didn’t remembered that old cliché.As I mention numerous times in the video, this would ideally...

Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip (Warning: Intended for Mature Audiences)

By JOKO Februari 19, 2012

Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip Photo (c) SmithBites.comMy friend, Linda from Salty Seattle, called this Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip video, “porn without people,” and I couldn’t agree more. The term “food porn” gets thrown around way too easily these days. Sorry, that picture of your red velvet cupcakes was nice, but it wasn’t really pornographic. This, however,...

Garlic Shrimp – Not Necessarily In That Order

By JOKO Februari 17, 2012

The great thing about posting a recipe as generic as “Garlic Shrimp,” is that nobody can complain it’s not authentic. If it has shrimp and enough garlic in it, it’s authentic. Above and beyond that, just about anything goes. The only real debate revolves around whether to cook shrimp first, and then add the garlic; or sauté the garlic first, and then cook the shrimp. I’ve...

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies – These are to Chocolate Chips as Turkeys are to Eagles

By JOKO Februari 15, 2012

This classic peanut butter cookie recipe has me thinking about something I saw on the history channel a few months ago, about how the bald eagle became our national bird, instead of the wild turkey.While the regal eagle was the popular choice, many, including Benjamin Franklin, argued that the lesser attractive turkey was more deserving. Not only was it truly indigenous, but...

Valentine’s Day Carpaccio – A Meat Heart for Your Sweetheart!

By JOKO Februari 13, 2012

I like carpaccio. My wife and Valentine, Michele, likes carpaccio. So for us, a heart-shaped version of this classic Italian beef salad seems nothing short of fabulous. Of course, I do understand that this isn’t for everyone. If you don’t like, or more likely, are afraid of rare meat, I don’t imagine you’ll be giving this a try.That’s perfectly fine, and we’re all too busy...

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Dried Cherries (Aphrodisiac-Amplifying Alcohol Sold Separately)

By JOKO Februari 10, 2012

As I mention in the opening of the video, this stuffed, prosciutto-wrapped chicken breast has everything you want in a Valentine’s Day entrée; it looks fancy, it tastes amazing, and contains dried cherries, a known aphrodisiac.Of course, the efficacy of aphrodisiacs has been hotly debated for centuries, and while I think that some foods can have this effect, it’s virtually...

Pizza Sauce – Let’s Play ‘Hide the Little Fish’

By JOKO Februari 08, 2012

I can assure you that the anchovies in this pizza sauce recipe are there for the subtle saltiness and unique savoriness they provide, and not just so you can tell your friend (the one who really hates anchovies) that they just ate some. Could it be for both? Sure.This pizza sauce recipe represents a new and improved version of the one we posted way back in 2007. We snuck in...

Pizza Sauce – Let’s Play ‘Hide the Little Fish’

By JOKO Februari 08, 2012

Tiramisu Chocolate Mousse – Pick’em Up and Lay’em Down

By JOKO Februari 06, 2012

Most foodies know that Tiramisu is a decadent dessert featuring coffee soaked ladyfingers layered with a zabaione and mascarpone, but what many people don’t know is that the recipe’s name is one of the best culinary double entendres ever.“Tiramisu” translates to "pick me up." Considering that this popular Italian dessert is spiked with proven mood-elevators such as coffee,...

Crab Masala

By JOKO Februari 04, 2012

Ingredients:Crabs - 2 big size (dungeness crabs)Vegetable oil - 1 cupMustard seeds - 1/2 tspTurmeric - 1/2 tspnRed chilly powder - 1 tspWater- 1 cupLemon juice- 2 tspSalt as per tasteFor the Dry Masala:Coriander seeds- 2 tbsCumin seeds - 1 1/2 tspFennel seeds-1tspnPoppy seeds(white) - 2 tspBlack pepper - 1tspCloves - 10Green cardamoms - 6 - 8Dark Cinnamon - 2 inch stickFor...

Super Bowls of Cabbage Rolls

By JOKO Februari 04, 2012

I wanted to wish you all a fun, festive, and very delicious Super Bowl Sunday! I’ll be watching the game with the in-laws, and if you’re wondering what we’re going to be eating, you may be surprised. There will be no Buffalo wings, no nacho cheese, and no baby back ribs.I’m so tired of football food, having produced all these recent Super Bowl-inspired videos, that I made...

Super Bowls of Cabbage Rolls

By JOKO Februari 04, 2012

Quick Pickled Jalapeno Rings – I Hear These are Great on Nachos!

By JOKO Februari 03, 2012

Unlike nacho cheese sauce, the nutritional label on a jar of pickled jalapenos isn’t very scary at all, so you can’t use that as an excuse when your non-foodie friends start making fun of you for having too much time on your hands. Nope, you’ll just have to fess up to making these pickled jalapeno rings for the simple reason that you knew how. While these are a no-brainer...