http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog Musings of a food and travel writer Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:10:29 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Over the weekend, while everyone else was off enjoying a few snow-free days, I sat in my office, struggling over an assignment on sardines. Whenever I became convinced that I had captured the delights of these small, iridescent fish, my husband would read a few lines and announce that ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2010/03/04/the-smart-choice/ When I'm hungry and in a rush, I reach for my curvy, tropical friend, the banana. This potassium- and Vitamin C-rich fruit has filled the bellies of the ravenous since ancient times. No wonder. Whether you pluck it off a tree or buy it from a fruit ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2010/02/25/go-bananas/ “Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the cornmeal thickens, about 30 to 45 minutes.” Those instructions have daunted countless would-be polenta makers, including me. Who wants to stand over a steaming pot for 45 minutes, stirring cornmeal non-stop? No doubt anyone who has discovered the ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2010/02/11/stir-the-pot/ This past fall a series of house guests prompted me to re-think what I consume at the start of each and every day. While I may love to greet the morn with a slice of double fiber wheat toast with organic peanut butter and Le Pain Quotidien four-berry preserves ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2010/02/04/simple-ways-to-start-the-day/ Americans seem to be mad about mushrooms. Walk into any grocery store and you'll spy bins of plump white button, umbrella-shaped shiitake, sprout-like enokitake and big, brown portobello mushrooms, all commercially grown and ready for consumption. No wonder we see so many mushrooms. Our cultivated crops bring ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2010/01/25/mushroom-madness/ When life gets tough and leaves me longing for a sense of security, I escape to my kitchen and cook one of my favorite comfort foods: creamy macaroni and cheese. Long considered a Depression era food, macaroni and cheese actually dates back to the late 18th century. Our third president, Thomas ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2010/01/14/ultimate-comfort-and-cold-weather-food/ After a long season of munching on buttery cakes, iced cookies, and gooey candy the last thing that I want to bake, or eat, is dessert. I do, however, make an exception for meringues. Take one bite of an ethereally light meringue and you'll understand why this confection ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2010/01/07/mmmm-meringue/ As I try to recover from this year's holiday cooking frenzy and also rush to meet deadlines, I offer a photo from my chaotic Christmastime kitchen as well as an excerpt from and link to a syndicated article on New Year's foods from around the world. This piece appeared ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2009/12/31/feasting-for-the-new-year/ As soon as Thanksgiving breezes by, I start obsessing about Christmas and all the celebrations -- and preparations -- that the holiday season brings. Each year I vow to make my life easier by hosting smaller parties and concocting simpler menus. Yet, each year I invariably end up ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2009/12/16/holiday-noshing-made-easy/ Whether sweet, sour, spicy or a tad salty, condiments have added flavor and flare to food for countless centuries. While the most familiar – ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise – still bring pleasure to the palate, something more unusual, such as chutney, can add much needed excitement to your ... http://www.kathylhunt.com/blog/2009/12/10/make-a-change-with-chutneys/