http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/index A blog from Alison and Shannon about making the most of cooking with your friends en ajbermack@msn.com Copyright 2010 2010-02-08T23:45:01-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/everything-is-pastable/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/everything-is-pastable/#When:23:45:01Z This quippy saying, coined this morning by Lou, couldn’t be truer and in fact, describes my Monday perfectly. 2010-02-08T23:45:01-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/incubator-kitchens/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/incubator-kitchens/#When:14:25:01Z I was fascinated to hear this week about six “Incubator Kitchens” launching in the Madison area. Like technology incubators, these kitchens will offer culinary start-ups support and a nurturing environment. The idea is that commercial kitchens will be offered to farmers and food entrepreneurs who don’t currently have the infrastructure or money to do what they want to do. The work in these kitchens will in turn help create great food, great companies and a stronger culinary network in Madison. It’s also a step forward in making more locally-produced food. 2010-02-04T14:25:01-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/a-little-gnocchi/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/a-little-gnocchi/#When:12:05:00Z 2010-02-01T12:05:00-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/blogging-it-forward-to-fight-hunger/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/blogging-it-forward-to-fight-hunger/#When:16:22:00Z Squint just the right way and you’ll see your friends Alison and Shannon on the back of this Honey Nut Cheerios box. But, this really isn’t about us. In August, many of you helped support the ShopRite Partners in Caring and General Mills campaign “Blog it Forward to Fight Hunger.” 2010-01-28T16:22:00-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/cooking-ahead-for-an-after-ski-feast/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/cooking-ahead-for-an-after-ski-feast/#When:02:45:00Z Nine of us sat around the table Sunday night, tired and hungry, as the husbands heaped generous portions of chicken parmesan and sausage lasagna onto their plates and thanked cooking with friends. It was two days of fantastic skiing in the Catskills, as we relaxed around the table, filling our bellies with a scrumptious homemade meal before our two and a half hour drive home. 2010-01-26T02:45:00-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/indian-cooking-lesson/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/indian-cooking-lesson/#When:13:33:03Z When my friend Preeti recently gave me a silver container full of cardamom pods, mustard seed, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and cumin, and an invitation to teach me Indian cooking, I was thrilled. This past weekend, the two of us planned a family dinner with our husbands and combined four kids. On the menu: Peanut Chicken, Eggplant and Mushroom Curry, Dal, Cardamom Infused Rice, and Rice Pudding. 2010-01-21T13:33:03-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/cooking-with-friends-in-rollers/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/cooking-with-friends-in-rollers/#When:15:30:00Z Yes, that’s me pictured in hot rollers by the stove with a friend. Looks like a snap shot from the 1950’s, right? Well, there’s actually a cute story behind it (at least I think so!). 2010-01-18T15:30:00-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/interview-with/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/interview-with/#When:18:34:01Z We are thrilled to share our conversation with Suzan Colón, author of Cherries in Winter. 2010-01-13T18:34:01-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/hop-on-the-bread-baking-wagon/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/hop-on-the-bread-baking-wagon/#When:13:14:00Z Mix three cups flour, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon active yeast and 1 and ½ cups cold water together in a bowl. Cover the bowl and forget about it for 12, 18 or even 24 hours. We’ll come back to it later. (Adapted from Jim Lahey’s book “My Bread.”) 2010-01-11T13:14:00-06:00 http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/finding-your-recipes/ http://www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com/index.php?/blog/detail/finding-your-recipes/#When:14:15:01Z A few days before a recent big holiday we’d be sharing with friends, we decided on the menu based on the collective traditions of two families. We brought to the table our various Jewish, Catholic, Quaker, Unitarian, East Coast, West Coast, Midwestern and New England sensibilities from growing up, plus our traditions we’d started with our own families. The recipes, mostly, were all in our heads. 2010-01-07T14:15:01-06:00