Norwitz Notions

Quick, name some fermented foods.  What did you come up with?  Beer? wine? cheese? pickles?  Let’s not forget yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, kombucha, natto, tempeh, vinegar, and bread.  These and more were the focus of the second annual Freestone Fermentation Festival in Sonoma County, California, May 15, 2010. This was my first time at this […]

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Episode seven of the Next Food Network Star still takes place in Las Vegas and we’re down to 3 contestants: Aaron, Lisa, and Adam. Challenge #1: Prepare a 30 second promo for what could be their new show. Unlike in previous versions of this, each promo was carefully scripted (including wardrobe) by the Food Network […]

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Episode six of the Next Food Network Star takes place in Las Vegas and has each of the 4 remaining contestants doing a Throwdown, a la Bobby Flay.  Why is the show in Las Vegas?  Other than being able to cook outside in January, I haven’t the faintest idea.  The judges asked the contestants to […]

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Episode five of the Next Food Network Star is fun and is the first one really suited to figuring out if the contestant is someone who ought to have their own show. There was just a single challenge, but it was a long one.  Each contestant was paired with a Brownie (a girl about 8 […]

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Episode five of the Next Food Network Star had some challenges that finally seemed worthy of candidates for a cooking show. Challenge #1: Using a mystery basket with 6 ingredients, create a dish using them, and prepare to describe the dish on camera. The twist was that each contestant had to switch baskets with another, […]

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Episode four of the Next Food Network Star; more speed, quick thinking, and some camera work. Challenge #1: Demonstrate a “basic skill” to the camera in one minute. I remember a couple of seasons ago the contestants had to show they knew some basic cooking skills by performing tasks in front of a judge (without […]

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Episode three of the Next Food Network Star focused on presentation. Challenge #1: Feature one special ingredient (the potato) in a single dish (45 minutes to make it…if I remember correctly).  Full use of the pantry for other ingredients.  Then hold the dish, face the camera, and speak about it for exactly one minute, telling […]

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Episode two of the Next Food Network Star is all about speed. Which I suppose is this season’s theme. Not quick cooking (30 minute meals, etc) like in other seasons, but frantic decisions with no time to plan. Not realistic. This week there was one big challenge broken up into several parts.  The 9 contestants […]

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When I watch competition shows I do sometimes get caught up in rooting for the people I like but I usually end up wondering what I would do if it were me up there. The Next Food Network Star does include home cooks (though most are professional caterers, chefs, or restaurant owners, nearly all with […]

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Foodlab is an internet mailing list for sharing recipes, tips, support and more while discovering and living with food allergies/intolerances. Monica started the list a couple of years ago, after realizing that off-topic discussions of food allergies were starting to take over a parenting list. Most of the folks on Foodlab (the active posters anyway) […]

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I make a lot of my food from scratch, but some things are just too difficult. There is a small subset of irreplaceable products…and when they’re gone, I panic. French Meadow Bakery’s gluten-free tortillas are in that category. I eat them about 5 days a week for lunch (as wraps/burritos). They have two: Healthy Hemp […]

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So, Miriam and I are at Whole Foods shopping for supplies for her birthday party (3 years old!) and we stopped at a display with cut and wrapped pieces of watermelon, one of her favorite fruits. I asked her if she wanted some for her birthday party. She turned to me and asked: “Is it […]

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For dinner tonight I made a simple but elegant meal. Each item wasn’t hard to make, though having four of them took more time. The details make a difference too. Nicer plates, eating at the dining room table (something we should do every night, but don’t), using wine glasses. Miriam and I went to Whole […]

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A friend of mine asked me yesterday to please put up my vegan alfredo recipe next on my blog, so I did. I am slowly consolidating all my recipe sites, adding in recipes I published on mailing lists but never put on a website, and creating new ones. Are there any requests? For specific recipes? […]

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