FROMAGE ACCOUTREMENTS

My two favorite accessories for cutting le fromage are my Laguiole knives and my slate cheese board. Both were given to me by my very good friend Shannon. I never buy anything like this for myself. LAGUIOLE CHEESE KNIVES I emphasize and re-emphasize that I am not a crazy gadget or fancy accessory person, but I have a serious crush on these knives. I sometimes choose cheeses specifically so I can use each of one them. I would hate for any of them to feel neglected. (she's nuts) I was rounding up my lovely little set of three knives earlier [...]

By |2018-10-03T12:59:39-04:00February 16th, 2011|
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CHOCOLATE. OLD SCHOOL.

Do you remember the not-so-good old days when most "boxed chocolates" were heart-shaped and could be found at your local drug store? It is not that I miss those days because, frankly, the Whitman's sampler and Russel Stover boxes were really not that good. Nothing can be good that has a 5-year shelf life. Times have clearly changed. There is no longer such a thing as "just" milk or dark chocolate. People want to know what percentage of real cacao is in chocolate. Is it single origin? Is it organic and fairly traded? Today's Chocolate can wear anything from bacon [...]

By |2018-10-03T13:00:38-04:00February 10th, 2011|
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SWEET TO BE RECOGNIZED

As you all know, I taught a 6-week course for Cooking Matters last year and will be teaching a second course beginning mid February. I get a lot out of teaching this class and not just sharpened comedy skills, ba-dump, but the chance to give back and meet some cool people from all walks of life.  A short while ago, the person who runs Cooking Matters in the Bay area, Sarah Nelson, asked me if I would mind if C&H Sugar did a little story about me and Cooking Matters for their site and I responded with an enthusiastic, YES, [...]

By |2011-01-28T19:16:21-05:00January 20th, 2011|
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GIVE ME A DUTCH OVEN OR GIVE ME DEATH.

The title sounded good at the time... What is a Dutch oven? Besides being a form of juvenile torture, it is also a heavy enamel-coated, cast iron pot. I used to turn my nose up at these objects and the people who purchased them or pined after them, particularly the brand Le Creuset. I firmly believed that people only wanted them because they seemed cool, like one of those terrible brown Louis Vuitton bags. (sorry if I have offended anyone) Unlike purchasing a Louis Vuitton knock off on Canal street in NYC, buying a le Creuset look-alike actually identifies you [...]

By |2018-10-03T13:01:26-04:00January 14th, 2011|
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CLAUDIA’S THUMBS UP AND DOWN FOR 2010

Happy New Year everyone. Thanks so much for making the first year of RealFoodies TastyBits great. I believe February will be our official first birthday! I didn't write during the holidays. I figured we could all use a break or at least that is what I am going with. Here are my thumbs up and down of 2010. I would have to publish a book to include everything, so I wrote what came up for me first, which was a lot. I would love to hear your comments. Stay tuned for a lot more TastyBits fun in 2011, including MORE [...]

By |2018-10-03T13:02:07-04:00January 6th, 2011|
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