Homemade Waffles=Happy Husband

Let me tell you something about my husband.  He loves waffles.  I don't mean he likes waffles.  He loves them.  When we were dating, we went through a period where we went to the Waffle House on Shallowford Road every Saturday.  He orders the same thing every time: waffle, 2 eggs (over light), bacon, and grits with coffee.  One Christmas, my mom bought him a waffle iron/sandwich maker that we faithfully used until I found a great deal on a Belgian waffle iron at Bed, Bath, and Beyond a few months back.  Sunday night, we visited a local restaurant (which shall remain unnamed) that serves waffles with a group of friends from church, and Philip's waffle was pretty deformed (although he said it tasted good).  A friend took a picture, and I knew I had to do a waffle post.  This recipe is from Alton Brown's book, Good Eats: The Middle Years, but you can also find it here.

[caption id="attachment_724" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kyle's a photographer. He's the only person I know who could make a picture taken with his iPhone look this good...."][/caption]

So, for my waffles....start with 9 1/2 ounces of flour.  I used 3 oz. of all-purpose flour and 6 1/2 oz. of white whole wheat (I am trying to make a change over to using almost 100% whole wheat.  Add one teaspoon of baking powder, one teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and three tablespoons of sugar (I use evaporated cane juice).

[caption id="attachment_707" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="All-purpose flour....just a little bit!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_708" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="White-whole wheat flour is the best. I use it for almost everything now. The texture is so much lighter than regular whole wheat, but it's just as nutritious!"][/caption]

Melt three tablespoons of butter and pour it into a larger container.  Add three eggs and whisk them together, then whisk in two cups (yes, two cups) of buttermilk.  The recipe that I was using said to use room-temperature buttermilk, but mine was right out of the fridge, and it was fine.

[caption id="attachment_710" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Melted butter..."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_711" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Eggs from the Farmers Market-I think they're so much prettier than grocery store eggs!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_712" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="After the whisking"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_713" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pour the buttermilk and whisk again"][/caption]

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk again.  The recipe says to let the batter rest for five minutes, but I always lid up and let it rest in the fridge overnight.

[caption id="attachment_714" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pouring the buttermilk mixture into the flour."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_715" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This makes a pretty thick batter."][/caption]

I always get the batter out in the morning and let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes.  You will, of course, want to follow the directions for your waffle iron, but here's how mine works: preheat the iron; spray lightly with cooking spray; spread the batter into the iron; close the lid, and let it go till it beeps!

[caption id="attachment_716" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="I got a great deal on this Villa Ware waffle iron!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_717" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Spray lightly with cooking spray."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_718" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ladle in the batter...."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_719" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Before....."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_720" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="...and after!"][/caption]

I always preheat my oven to 200 degrees and keep the waffles warm on a cookie sheet until we are ready to eat.  I always serve waffles and pancakes with pure maple syrup, and I encourage you to do the same.  Note: Mrs. Butterworth's is not pure maple syrup!  Yes, it's more expensive, but trust me, it's worth it.  We buy ours in "bulk" at Earth Fare, and the price is better than buying a bottle at the grocery store.

[caption id="attachment_724" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Which one's prettier: this one...."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_721" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="...or this one?"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_722" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Pure maple syrup is the only way to go!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_723" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="And this is the hand of a happy husband, pouring syrup on his waffle!"][/caption]

By the way, waffles (and pancakes!) freeze great.  Just wrap them in wax paper then put them in a freezer bag.  When you are ready to eat them, you can put them in the toaster, if they'll fit, or heat in a 350 over until heated through!

Crock-Pot Chicken Stock (Couldn't Be Easier!)

I think I mentioned in my roast chicken post that I like to freeze the bones and make stock.  Now, usually my freezer is in one of two conditions: ten bags filled with frozen chicken carcasses waiting to be "stockified", or no chickens.  Luckily, there was one in there when I realized that I was completely out of chicken stock, homemade or storebought.

Now, why would I make my own stock?  Well, for a few reasons.  Number one, it tastes good!  Number two, it's extremely economical.  I mean, if you are using whole chickens (and we already established that I am), why not add a couple more ingredients that you are more than likely going to have hanging around to make something that you would otherwise have to purchase?  Good stock is about $3.00-$4.00 for a 32-oz container.  I made out with 80 oz. on this batch!  Number three, even "reduced-sodium" storebought stock is rarely low-sodium.  It's like 30% reduced...so if you look at the numbers, it doesn't look much better than regular, really.  And regular stock has a ton of sodium.  I've only found one brand (Pacific) that makes a truly low-sodium stock.  That's what I buy in a pinch...but mine is much less expensive, and I have complete control over the sodium.  And it's easy!

Start with your frozen chicken carcass.  I save everything-the skin, the bones, and all of the meat that stuck to them.  Use the chicken for all it's worth!  Next, I put my frost-bitten friend into the Crock-Pot.  By the way, this one is five quarts.  Anywhere from four to six quarts would work, though if you have a four-quart Crock-Pot you may need to reduce your water by a bit.

[caption id="attachment_698" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I just dump everything in a freezer bag and throw it into my deep-freeze...."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_699" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I promise that the frostiness is not going to affect the taste!"][/caption]

Now, assemble your vegetation.  I was in a hurry, so I just did a quartered onion, two celery ribs, and two carrots.  I just scrubbed the celery and carrots and chunked them up; I didn't even bother to peel my carrots (I rarely do).  You could also add a bay leaf, some parsley, peppercorns...like I said, I was in a hurry!

[caption id="attachment_686" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The secondary players...."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_687" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="No need to do too much chopping."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_688" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I actually stood on the counter to get this shot!"][/caption]

Now, pour over the water.  I used twelve cups.  A little bit will evaporate during the cooking process.  Lid up and cook over low for eight hours.  Actually, what I did was cook it on low for six hours, then turned it up to high for the final two.  You don't have to do this, though....it's just what I did!

[caption id="attachment_689" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Twelve cups of water go in...."][/caption]

When the stock is finished cooking, set a colander over a pot that is large enough to hold it all.  Pour everything into the colander and then press the chicken and vegetables down with a spoon to get out as much extra liquid as possible.  Set aside the colander.  You don't want to leave the stock sitting like this for long; it's an open invitation for bacteria to come to the party.  I pretty much immediately ladle the stock into these little plastic containers.  I got six 1-cup containers and two 2-cup containers.  I did let these sit on the counter for just a few minutes to cool.  If you put a lot of hot stuff in your fridge, you will bring up the temperature of everything in there, and that's not a good thing.  Overnight in the fridge, then these go to the freezer to await their use in some cooking project.  You could also freeze your stock in freezer bags-cool it in the fridge then ladle into bags, press out the air, and freeze flat.  Let me also point out that stock purists will tell you that this is not the final step, that you are supposed to skim the fat off the stock and strain it to get out the impurities.  You know what?  I'm not worried about it.  But if you want to, that's totally up to you.  It's just not important to me!



[caption id="attachment_692" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="They've given up all the goods...."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_693" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I've heard this called "Jewish penicillin...""][/caption]



[caption id="attachment_695" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="These storage containers are super inexpensive and make storage a snap."][/caption]

When you are ready to use, just run hot water over the outside of the container until the stock pops out like an ice cube.  Heat it up (boil it briefly; it's an insurance policy against any bacteria that may have snuck in there!) and use it in whatever applications call for chicken stock!

Food in My World, Part I

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?" This is the philosophy by which I try to live, and something of which I remind myself when I am overindulging a little bit. Whether you try to live by Scripture or not, it is difficult to argue with the idea of the body being a "temple." Take care of it, and you will be rewarded with health and longevity. Abuse it, and you will reap sickness and shortened life. Now, I have heard a million stories about people's uncles who drank a bottle of Jack Daniels and ate a pound of bacon and smoked three packs a day and still managed to live to be a hundred and six years old. There are exceptions to every rule, no doubt. Still, I try to have some virtue to my diet...and I've been thinking a lot about the way I eat and why.  I could never fit it all into a post of a reasonable length that anyone would actually read, so it's going to take a few....so here's number one.  It's just a general outline of my "journey," how I got here.

Over the past six years, I have really tried to hone my philosophy regarding food and eating. It's changed me a lot in more ways than I ever could have imagined the first time I watched Supersize Me in 2005.  That's where it all began.  Now, I try to watch documentaries with both sides of the coin in mind, and I completely disagree with "cheeseburger suits" where people sue fast-food companies, blaming them for their own weight and health problems.  We are responsible for ourselves, or if we are parents, we are responsible for our children, at least to the degree that we can exert our will upon them (certainly most teenagers are not under their parents' dietary control).  But I'm not here to talk about cheeseburger suits; I'm here to talk about me, and how my approach to food has changed over the years.

With Supersize Me, Philip and I really started thinking about how much fast-food we were eating.  At the time, it was a lot, at least compared to how much we eat now...although when compared to the "average American," it was probably not that much, mostly because even in 2005 I loved to cook and did so most nights of the week.  We could count on two hands the number of times the two of us combined have eaten at McDonald's in the last six years.  We have other establishments we visit slightly more regularly (Chick-fil-A gets the bulk of our fast-food business, and we still L-O-V-E Krystal) but it's still a rarity.  Sometimes I feel guilty for heaping the blame on McDonald's, but it's kind of hard not to, right?  Anyway, they are all in pursuit of the almighty dollar.  One on hand, who can blame them?  If we want healthy food, local food, good food, we gotta ask for it.  It's become a lot easier for me to turn down fast-food lately.  All that salt gives me an earache, probably because I'm not used to it anymore.

In 2006, Philip had surgery.  If you've ever been put under general anesthesia, you know that they encourage you to drink a ton of water beforehand.  As a little experiment, I decided to match him glass for glass that weekend, and probably drank two hundred ounces of water in a two-day period.  Funny thing was, I could immediately tell a huge difference in the way that I felt, and realized that I had been walking around dehydrated for pretty much my entire life.  Philip had a similar revelation.  Now, we're both obsessed, and if you come to our house, you should not expect to get offered anything other than water to drink.  Well, we usually have milk or orange juice too...but that's about it.  It's all water, all the time.

In 2008, I really got on the workout bandwagon (after buying a treadmill in 2007) and also started really keeping up with everything I ate.  I dropped ten pounds without even really planning to, just by being conscious of what I was putting into my body and how I was burning it off.  I am not workout obsessed, and I don't count every calorie (I don't even really keep up with it any more).  My weight fluctuates, but the minute my clothes feel tight, I remember that I need to watch my portions a little more closely and that I can't eat as much as my husband, who is eight inches taller than I am...and a man.

In 2009...oh, 2009.  First, I got on the coupon craze.  I had been couponing casually for a while, and occasionally would have a super-successful trip to CVS or Bi-lo, but it wasn't that big of a deal.  Then, I got caught up in it all and created an email address just for coupons and went to three different workshops and pretty much lost my head over it all.  Then, Food, Inc. landed in my mailbox from Netflix and brought my entire food world to a screeching halt.  Now, I'll say it again: I realize that when you watch a documentary, you have to look at both sides of the coin.  Still, to me, the ideas from Food, Inc. make so much sense.  Our great-grandparents didn't have all this processed food or fast-food.  Their food wasn't riddled with chemicals.  Read the side of a cereal box lately?  If you aren't a scientist you may not recognize half the words.  There's just something inherently wrong about that, and about the fact that you can buy a 2-liter soda for around $1.00 but you can't buy broccoli for that price.  That's called subsidy, my friends.  You're paying for that soda twice.  But anyway....

I dove into the world of tree-hugging headfirst...and then in 2010 Philip quit his corporate job to pursue his career in music.  I had to really think about my food budget and my purchases, and about leading a balanced life.  He has a non-music job, and I have a good job, and financially we're fine-in fact, we're just as fine as we were on April 30, 2010, his last day at Unum...probably because we've learned the art of belt-tightening and delayed gratification.  I don't want to dry up my savings, but I don't want to eat food that messes with my health (or my conscience!)....and I don't want to be unbalanced or obsessive.  It's a delicate process, definitely a learning process, and trust me, I'm still learning....still changing.

Like my food journey, laying it all out here is going to be a process.  Consider this the "abstract" to the article.  I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts....but it may take me a while!

Riverside Food Works-July 14, 2011

July 14 was mine and Philip's 10th wedding anniversary!  To celebrate, we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants, Food Works.  It crossed my mind that maybe we should try a restaurant we hadn't been to, but then there's always the chance that you're going to get a dud and be disappointed.  Stick with what you know for special occasions!  Here's a picture that our server took of us:Anyway...enough with the shameless celebrating our 10 years of marital bliss!  Let's get down to business.

Food Works is a restaurant that many love, and some loathe.  As for the loathers, I don't really understand.  I will say that I have ordered a couple of dishes that I did not like, but the ones that I did overshadowed those that I didn't.  Perhaps if my first experience had been a bad one, I would feel differently.  I, for example, would not recommend the roasted red pepper alfredo with chicken added....but I have learned that I never like pasta dishes in restaurants that have chicken added.  The chicken always tastes to me like it just came out of the freezer, so I just avoid them.  I have, however, heard others say they like this dish, so to each his own.  So, now that I've gotten that out of the way, on to the experience of the night.

Food Works takes reservations as well as walk-ups.  We always make reservations just in case we happen to go on a night that the city decided to come out in droves before 7 p.m.  You never know.  For this night, we decided to go at 5:30.  I guess we were feeling particularly elderly (remember that commercial a few years ago-it's fun to eat at 4:30 p.m.!  Anyway....).  Lucky we did!  From 4-6 p.m., an early bird special is available.  With the early bird, each diner gets a starter, entree, and dessert for $20 per person.  Not all menu items are included on the early bird menu, but there was a good selection, and we both found what we had in mind.

Philip ordered the Caesar salad (which is his standard salad order, except at Food Works-more on that in a minute) and shrimp and grits.  While I generally try to change up my order when we come here, Philip ordered shrimp and grits on our first visit, and he loved it so much he has never ordered anything else.  And he won't order shrimp and grits anywhere else, for fear of being disappointed if/when they do not measure up.  The shrimp and grits is sauced with a creamy, slightly spicy sauce that contains small bits of Tasso ham, and rather than spoonable grits, the grits are a cheesy, fried grit cake.  I have tasted it, and it is wonderful.  I won't even attempt this at home, because I know I'll never make the cut.  The Caesar salad is good-very peppery, with ciabatta croutons cooked in butter (!) over whole leaves from romaine hearts.  Once our salads came, though, Philip remembered that he usually orders the house salad, because even though the Caesar is good, the house is better.

[caption id="attachment_666" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hearts of Romaine, House Caesar Dressing, Parmesan, Cracked Pepper, and House-Made Croutons"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_667" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sauteed Gulf Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Green Onions over a Smoked Cheddar Grit Cake served with a Tasso Scampi Cream Sauce"][/caption]

So, now, let me tell you about my order.  I ordered the house salad and the Food Works burger, medium, with cheddar cheese (if I trust my source, I always order my burgers medium.  Steaks medium-rare.  Mmmmmm.).  The house salad here is to die for, and I always order it, even though it's pretty expensive at $6 and I would never pay that price anywhere else.  It's mixed greens, sliced Roma tomatoes, candied pecans, and bacon with a honey-balsamic vinaigrette, and it is so good.  That's all I can say about it.  I've never had a salad this good anywhere else.  Their burger is fantastic as well, one of my favorites in town, although I was slightly disappointed that mine was more medium-well than medium, but it still tasted great, and the sky was looking pretty ominous so I wasn't going to hang out to wait on another one.  I was still happy.  The bun was grilled, slightly charred even, and I thought that really added to the flavor and texture of the burger.  The onions were grilled as well, or else they would have been instantly removed from my burger.  The fries were nothing special-skin-on, seasoned-but very good all the same.

[caption id="attachment_665" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Fresh Greens, Tomatoes, Smoked Bacon, and Candied Pecans Tossed in a House Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_668" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="8 Oz Angus Burger Grilled to Order with Green Leaf Lettuce, Grilled Red Onions, Tomatoes, Kosher Pickles, & Aioli on a Kaiser Roll with Fries"][/caption]

For dessert, Philip was torn between the creme brulee (he loves creme brulee) and the coffee bread pudding, but chose the bread pudding after (a) I reminded him that I would be making it in a couple of weeks when my aunt visits; and (b) our server recommended it over everything else on the menu.  He was not disappointed.  It was a GIGANTIC hunk of "Heath Bar" bread pudding (he actually brought about half of it home), warm with coffee-flavored creme anglaise (basically a custard sauce).  I tasted it, and it really was delicious.

[caption id="attachment_669" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="House made Heath Bar Bread Pudding with Coffee Creme Anglaise"][/caption]

I decided on the strawberry shortcake.  It was decidedly simple, basically just a biscuit with strawberries and whipped cream.  The strawberries were macerated (a fancy word for marinated, maceration kind of breaks the strawberries down a little, softens them, draws out some of the juice and creates a syrup) in Grand Marnier (an orange-flavored liqueur).  I could taste the orange; it wasn't overpowering but added to the overall flavor.  The biscuit was warm, which added a nice temperature contrast to the cold strawberries.  The biscuits tasted good, but I'm gonna toot my own horn here for just a second and tell you that my homemade biscuits are better.

[caption id="attachment_670" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The strawberry shortcake is not listed in the current online menu, so unfortunately, I have no "menu description" to provide here! See the preceding paragraph for details."][/caption]

With our early bird special, we got two (usually very expensive) salads, two entrees, and two desserts (we almost always drink water wherever we go) for $40+tax+a 15% tip that was automatically added, presumably because it was the early bird special.  That's never happened before, and we did find that a little bizarre, especially since there was no line for an additional tip when the server brought the ticket back for Philip to sign.  Luckily, we had some cash (a rare occurrence) so we were able to leave an appropriate tip for our server, Geoff, who did an excellent job.  He was friendly and attentive without being overbearing, and he was very knowledgeable about the food.  I was very impressed at the questions that he asked about specific components of each item that we ordered.  Plus, he took our picture!  I feel very strongly that great servers should get a tip that matches their level of service.

I meant to take some pictures of the interior.  Food Works is located in the old knitting mill on Manufacturer's Road, and I really love the atmosphere.  If no one in your party has trouble with stairs, I recommend that you ask to be seated upstairs; it really does make a difference in the ambiance.

Riverside Food Works is located in the Signal Knitting Mill at 205 Manufacturer's Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405.  For reservations, call 423-752-7487.  They open at 11 a.m. daily, serving lunch and dinner, as well as brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.  You can read about them and view their menu on their website; they also have a Facebook page.

Homemade Mayo. No, Seriously.

I know it sounds crazy, I know it sounds old-fashioned, I know it sounds pointless.....and to some, yes, I know it sounds downright dangerous.  But someday, everyone should try to make homemade mayonnaise.  I mean, there was a point in time where the only way to get mayo was to make it yourself, right?  Now, it just seems so complicated.  I wonder if that's a plot on behalf of Kraft and Hellmans/Best Foods to keep their loyal following.....now, I'm not saying that my mayo doesn't usually come from a jar.  I'm not really brand loyal (although I do refuse to eat generic mayo after bad childhood experiences with JFG) and really like Kraft and Hellman's (these days I buy the olive oil varieties....they're very good, lower in fat, and good for your heart).  Sometimes, however, I just really like a good homemade mayonnaise, one where I can control the variables.  Plus, when it's not on sale, it's just downright expensive to buy it at the grocery store....so in rides homemade, on its white horse (unfortunately, I do not possess the ability to make lowfat homemade mayonnaise at this juncture in time).  I promise, it's not as complicated as it sounds!

This recipe makes about 3/4 cup of mayonnaise.

Start by separating one egg and placing the yolk in a bowl.  I'm going to stop right here.  This is the first point at which some of you may be freaking out.  Yes, there is a raw egg yolk.  However, I buy my eggs from a trusted source, and no one in my house is a child, elderly, pregnant, or immune-compromised.  We're good.  If you have someone in your household that fits any of the aforementioned descriptions, or you don't know where to get eggs you trust, or you'd just die before you'd ingest a raw yolk, you can also buy pasteurized eggs.  They are available at Publix now and are considered safe for raw consumption.

Moving on.....add to the yolk 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard, a pinch of sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or a combination of the two, and whisk together completely.

[caption id="attachment_648" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Salt"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_649" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Dry Mustard"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_651" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Whisk those together...."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_652" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="White wine vinegar (I didn't have a lemon)"][/caption]

Now, this next step can be done in two ways.  You can pour the oil from the measuring cup, or you can pour it into a squeeze bottle (like you'd use for ketchup or mustard-thanks Alton!) and put the lid on tightly.  I like a combination of olive oil and canola oil, which gives a pretty strong olive oil flavor.  You can use olive, canola, corn, or safflower oil.  I use 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup canola, and pour them into my mustard bottle.

Now, begin squeezing the oil into the bowl drop by drop, whisking all the while.  If you pour it in too quickly, it WILL NOT emulsify.  This is a great activity to do with another person, as the simultaneous pouring and whisking is easier if two people are involved.  Once you get about half of the oil in, whisk in another 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice, vinegar, or a combination.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Add the oil DROP by DROP at first!"][/caption]

Once the mayo has started to emulsify (thicken and form a homogenous mixture) you can add the oil a little more quickly, but don't go too fast.  Once you've finished making the mayonnaise, conventional wisdom would tell you to put it in the fridge, but based on Alton Brown's recommendation (here's the second point at which I am going to freak you out) I leave mine tightly closed on the counter for an hour or two.  This way, the acid in the vinegar or lemon juice has time to kill off any bacteria that could have been in the yolk before entering a state of suspended animation in the fridge.  No one in my house has had food poisoning yet.  I am very aware of the risks that come along with certain food choices, and I am very careful to buy quality products from trusted sources, store them carefully, and keep my work area clean.  I'm probably more likely to get food poisoning from storebought peanut butter than my homemade mayo!  By the way, homemade mayo doesn't look like storebought....obviously!

[caption id="attachment_654" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This is what the mayonnaise looks like once it starts to emulsify..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_655" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Add the rest of the vinegar"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_656" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Now whisk in the rest of the oil."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_657" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The finished product. I think the yellow color comes mainly from the brightness of the olive oil I used."][/caption]

Now, one of the disadvantages of homemade mayo is that it will eventually separate, and, to be perfectly honest with you, the first time or two you make it, it's likely to separate too.  It's okay.  It happens to everyone.  Just put a teaspoon of prepared mustard in a bowl and whisk it with a tablespoon of the turned mayonnaise, then keep adding mayonnaise a little at a time and whisking until it's all incorporated.  This works most of the time....but I can't make any promises.  Last week I threw out a whole batch that just couldn't be salvaged.

Can't win 'em all.

(My) Life is All About (Food) Choices

I'm going to make a wager.  I'll bet you that I spend more time thinking about food than just about anyone you know.  I'll tell you, it occupies my thoughts pretty much all the time when I am not at work.

Keepin' It Light, People

I had someone make a nasty comment about one of the restaurants that I blogged about today.  I deleted it, which is my prerogative.  While everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions, my aim with this blog as far as restaurants is to share my positive experiences.  For that reason, if I don't like a restaurant, I won't blog about it.  I have no interest in venting my displeasure about anyone's establishment, and I kindly request that my readers refrain from that on my blog.  Let people make their own decisions.  We all have differing tastes and opinions.  Keep your negativity to yourself, and if you need to share it....write your own blog.  Thanks!

The Honest Pint-July 9, 2011

A few weeks ago, I purchased a "deal" from Living Social that gave me $30 worth of food at The Honest Pint for $15. I have been itching to try The Pint for several months now, especially since I learned that it is owned by the same people who own The Terminal Brewhouse, one of my absolute favorite restaurants on the planet (and one that I must review ASAP!).  This deal gave me the perfect excuse.

When we walked in, we were greeted by a sign telling us that we would have to present our IDs, possibly multiple times, as this was an over-21 establishment.  Crap.  Bet it smells like smoke in there....well, it wasn't too bad, but when Marcus, who was tending bar (and who happens to be my brother's roommate) greeted us, he pointed out the nonsmoking section, which is separated from the smoking section by glass doors.  Yea!  Separate but equal.  Sometimes it can be positive.  The smoking section is much, much larger than nonsmoking, but hey, technically it's a pub, or a bar, or whatever you want to call it.  I'm not offended.  The decor in this place is just great.  I think a lot of it is left over from the previous establishment, Parkway Billiards, but they have definitely added their own flair.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The ceiling. Yes, I took a picture of the ceiling. Someday I want tiles like this on my ceiling."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_623" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A quick view of part of the nonsmoking section....."][/caption]

The server, Juliana, quickly greeted us and pointed out their Saturday and Sunday specials menu, which included a selection of Bloody Marys, several cocktails, and some special entrees (I'll get to those in a moment) as well as a beer menu (extensive, as would be expected, and their beer focus is on Irish beers and American craft beers, although I assure you that there are beers for the Bud lover too), plus the regular food menu, which contains several traditional Irish dishes with an Honest Pint twist ("herder's" pie, colcannon, boxty), as well as the things you would expect in any restaurant (sandwiches, salads, etc.) but nothing that was just average.  Everything has a twist!   They describe their style as a "fusion of American and Irish cooking that will both surprise and impress you."  The entrees on the specials menu included corned beef hash, which meant that there was no choice involved for Philip, a quiche whose name  I can't put my finger on, but that contained pimento cheese (yowza!) and came with a side of breakfast potatoes and bacon jam (more on that later), crepes filled with chicken in an apricot mustard sauce, and an "Honest Happy Meal", which was corned beef hash, a 20 oz. Guinness, and a toy.  I got a good laugh out of that.  As much as the quiche appealed, my brother (who is a regular) had recommended the BELT sandwich (which I heard the server call a belt, not a B-E-L-T).  Since we had $30 to spend, we also decided to get pommes tots, tater tots fried in duck fat and served with curry ketchup, smoked aioli, and sriracha mayo.

That turned out to be a fantastic decision.  I can't even describe to you how good these things are.  I am not a fan of duck as a meat, but duck fat is a wonderful deep-frying medium.  So good.  So very, very good.  The sriracha mayo had a good flavor but was a little spicy for my wimpy tastebuds.  The smoked aioli was delicious, and the curry ketchup....well, there are no words.  Philip and I were both speechless.  It was amazing, and we will be attempting to duplicate that flavor at home.  I asked the server, who confirmed that the sauces were, indeed, house made.  Score.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Smoked aioli on the left, curry ketchup in the middle, and sriracha mayo on the right. I should have REALLY gotten in there and taken a picture of the tots!"][/caption]

One thing that you should know about Philip is that he truly, truly loves corned beef, and loving corned beef hash is a natural extension of that.  I make it once a year, as corned beef is expensive and it generally only goes on sale at St. Patrick's Day.  The hash at The Honest Pint consists of shredded corned beef, cubed potatoes, scrambled eggs, and cheddar cheese.  Philip died and went to heaven.  He was so happy, in fact, that he tried to convince the chef, Philippe, to come out and accept a hug as a token of Philip's appreciation, but no dice.  He even made a remark to Marcus on the way out somewhere along the lines of "it was the best he'd had," to which, I, of course bristled.  He contended that it was "different" from mine.  Perhaps because I leave out the cheese?  Or I top mine with a fried egg?  Oh well.  You win some, you lose some.

[caption id="attachment_629" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Corned beef seems to be a much disputed subject. I don't understand this. It tastes GOOOOOOD."][/caption]

The menu description of the BELT sandwich asserts that "the BLT is the BELT's girlfriend."  Hahahahahahahaha.  The BELT is a standard BLT made with applewood smoked bacon, with the addition of an over-medium fried egg and sriracha mayo, on a pretzel bun (rye is also an option). Again, I ordered this on my brother's recommendation and also followed his advice and subbed rashers (Irish bacon, which is more like Canadian bacon than what we know as bacon) for the applewood.  Good choice-although I am sure that the applewood bacon would have been fantastic too.  The sandwiches come with house-made chips, but you can sub in tots or smashed potatoes for a small charge.  I went with the chips, though, as I'm a sucker for a good homemade chip, and I was not disappointed.  By the way, the chips are delicious dipped in the pommes tots sauces!  Now, let me say, this was not lowfat food, as evidenced by the grease on my napkin....but I did not go there looking for lowfat food, so no matter.  The sriracha mayo was not overpowering in the least.  This is just a great sandwich.

[caption id="attachment_627" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bacon in all of its forms is good for the soul."][/caption]

The pièce de résistance of our meal, however,  came in the form of a tiny little condiment cup of bacon jam, with a spoon, complements of the chef.  Maybe it was a consolation prize for not accepting Philip's hug?  If so....we were consoled.  Recently, I saw a show on Cooking Channel highlighting food trucks around the country.  A burger truck was putting something called bacon jam on its burgers...and also selling it by the jar.  On the internet.  I almost bought some, but then I looked up the recipe and decided I could make a lot more for a lot less than I'd pay for that jar, so needless to say, when I saw the words bacon jam with the quiche, my heart started beating just a little faster...and I'll definitely be ordering that quiche if it's available the next time I go.  Bacon jam is a revelation, my friends.  Think of the best things about barbecue-the sweet, the smoke, the salt, the spice-then combine those with bacon, and you have bacon jam.  I am glad we complimented the chef!

By the way, The Honest Pint is also a music venue, spotlighting local artists.  Philip is hoping to line up a show there soon!

This was one of the best restaurant experiences we have had.  Ever.  The service was great, the atmosphere was great, and the food was beyond great.  The prices also made me happy, since only a very few items topped $10, and we had trouble spending $30...our total was $27 and some change.  We will definitely go back-many times.

The Honest Pint is located at 35 Patten Parkway, Chattanooga, TN 37402.  They can be reached at 423-468-4192.  Check out their website and like them on Facebook.  And if you go, be sure to tell them that Chattavore sent you-we gotta spread the word!