Hobbies
Leisure activities and interests, including gardening, cooking and collecting
Five Ways to Eat Fresh Figs
I hope I didn't freak you out too much last week by pointing out that most figs have bugs in them—tiny wasps that basically dissolve within the fruit as it ripens—because fresh figs are wonderful! They're in season in many places right now, so enjoy them while you can.Due to a vacationing neighbor'...
August 27, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Cooking with the Season
As I explained a few months ago, my husband and I have been participating in a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program for the first time this year.I can't recommend the experience strongly enough; if you have the chance to sign up for one in your area next year, do it! Our half-share worked ...
August 24, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Cooking With Breadfruit
The tropical fruit is a daily food staple in cultures where the tree grows, including Hawaii, the Caribbean and Central America
August 21, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Five Ways to Eat Tomatoes
If you have a garden, a seasonal CSA share, or a generous friend with either of those things—and if your region escaped the blight—then I bet you've got a lot of tomatoes on your hands right now. (Maybe they're even heirloom tomatoes, which some swear are superior, though others disagree.) Here are...
August 17, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Mad About Seashells
Collectors have long prized mollusks for their beautiful exteriors, but for scientists, it’s what inside that matters
August 2009 |
By Richard Conniff
The Chef who Cooked for Julie & Julia
New York City-based food stylist Colin Flynn, 36, was the executive chef for the new movie Julie & Julia. He told Food & Think blogger Amanda Bensen what it was like cooking for Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and the lingering legend of Julia Child
Amanda Bensen: What’s your background, and why ...
August 12, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Getting to Know Julia Child, Finally
I made some new friends at the American History museum last week: a few fellow bloggers and food lovers, as well as a famous professional chef who has written or inspired more than a dozen books. She's technically dead, but you can hardly tell; there's so much life in the words, images and objects ...
August 07, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Old Bay Spices Up My Life
This summer marks the 70th anniversary of the best spice blend ever known to humankind: Old Bay Seasoning. Mrs. Dash may have low sodium and Emeril may be bam-tastic, but no other spice has the kick and the nostalgia of summers past like Old Bay. According to the Maryland-based company, the history...
August 04, 2009 |
By Brian Wolly
Food of the Moment: Squash Blossoms
I'm used to being invaded by squash at this time of year, as many of you probably are too—paper sacks full of zucchini left on the front porch by neighbors were a common perk (or hazard) of small-town Vermont summers.This summer, I'm noticing squash all over the place again, but in a less familiar ...
July 30, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
The Best Fish and Chips in Ireland
After a wonderful wedding and vacation, I'm back, and hugely grateful to Lisa and guest bloggers Abigail Tucker and Ashley Luthern for feeding the blog so richly in my absence!Our honeymoon took us to Ireland and northern Wales, destinations which I confess attracted me in part because they aren't ...
July 16, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Piranha Recipes From an Extreme Angler
During 25 years exploring the world’s most remote and treacherous rivers, extreme angler Jeremy Wade—the star of River Monsters, Animal Planet’s hit fishing show—has contracted malaria, survived a plane crash and narrowly escaped drowning. He’s also eaten some pretty funky fish.“I’ve been known to ...
July 06, 2009 |
By admin
Did Cooking Make Us Human?
The 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth has prompted a lot of reflection this year on how our understanding of evolution has progressed since the introduction of his theory. One persistent question has been how, and why, humans came to be so different from our primate ancestors. What is it ...
June 22, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
Swiss Chard Pizza
As I mentioned earlier, Mr. FaT and I are buying most of our fruits and veggies through a CSA share program for the first time. A month in, I'm totally hooked, and the produce section at my local supermarket seems almost like a different planet—what are those rock-hard things masquerading as tomato...
June 15, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
A Shocking Ingredient: Sechuan Buttons
Imagine eating Pop Rocks—no, peppercorn-flavored Pop Rocks—along with the fizziest, tartest lemon soda you've ever tasted. At the same time you are chewing some minty gum, and maybe have had a mild shot of Novocaine, producing not only numbness but a rush of salivation. That would come close to des...
June 12, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
Upcoming Culinary Lectures and Tastings
The Smithsonian Resident Associates program offers lectures and educational events on a range of topics, but for obvious reasons, I find their culinary arts programs the most interesting.Here's a peek at what's coming up this summer, for those of you who live in the DC area or are planning a visit:...
June 10, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Setting Sail on the Hudson River 400 Years Later
Using 17th century techniques, volunteers built a replica of Henry Hudson's vessel in honor of the anniversary of his exploration
June 08, 2009 |
By Wayne A. Hall
Foodjects: Art on the Table
There's a stylish home goods store in downtown DC called Apartment Zero, the kind of place where I like to window-shop and dream of purposefully chosen domestic decor. (My current stuff is quite eclectic, but not in the stylish sense—more like an unfortunate yard sale.)This week I noticed something...
June 04, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
Asparagus Fries
Hi, my name is Amanda, and I'm addicted to asparagus. In all forms, really, but my latest obsession is a little embarrassing, since I like to think of myself as a healthy eater: Asparagus Fries. Or in other words...Fried Asparagus.I blame an old friend for getting me hooked. A few months ago, she t...
May 28, 2009 |
By Amanda Bensen
This Week in Food: Twitter, Trader Joe's Wine, and the Secret Behind Sriracha
As Smithsonian staffers rush to close our July issue, here are a few helpful links to get you through your day:– The Internet Food Association, written by a coterie of D.C. think tank policy nerds who moonlight as foodies, directs us to a great new blog, Trader Joe's Wine Compendium, which I highly...
May 21, 2009 |
By Brian Wolly
The White House Cookbook
The other day at the library I came across a copy of The White House Cookbook by Janet Halliday Ervin, from 1964. This is not to be confused with the 1987 version, a revised and updated centennial edition of the original White House Cookbook, by Mrs. F. L. Gillette and Hugo Ziemann, which came out ...
May 20, 2009 |
By Lisa Bramen
