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Friday evening, youth development leaders and supporters gathered to celebrate the "Art of Youth" at MCCOY's annual fundraiser. The performances and featured visual arts were awesome - thanks to VSA Arts of Indiana, Young Audiences of Indiana, the Asante Children's Theatre and the SAYAW Phillipine Dance Troupe. David Hochoy, the artistic director of Dance Kaleidoscope, spoke eloquently about the influence of arts in his own life.
But, for the purposes of Middle West Meals, let's get down to the meat of the evening - the delightful meal by the Chef's Academy. Under the leadership of Jayson Boyers, Chef Tony Hanslits and Josh Horrigan, the students of the Chef's Academy prepared delicious food and provided impeccable service throughout the evening.
My favorite parts of the meal were the yummy vegetable caviar bruschetta and the lovely tomato-beet-orange stacked salad, pictured above. I'm not sure what the light, zingy dressing that coated the perfect little greens below the thick slices of tomato and just-cooked-enough beet, but it made the whole dish positively sing - an appropriate performance, given the theme of the evening.
Are you still buying tomato paste in a can? If so, let me offer you a new, improved way to deliver concentrated tomato flavor to your dishes. This improved way involves neither the eventual disposal of half a can of tomato paste nor the need to freeze left-over paste. Rather, this bold new way to purchase tomato paste will prevent both wasted product and wasted time.
Behold, tomato paste in a tube:
Though tomato paste in a tube is slightly more expensive than its canned counterpart, it is typically double-concentrated and can be stored in your refrigerator for some time after opening. Not every store has it, and prices can vary widely. Trader Joe's sold me my first tubed paste, but they don't seem to stock it anymore. These days, I buy my tubed paste, typically the Amore brand, at either Goose the Market or Meijer.
What's better than a choco-centric fundraiser to end a writing slump?
In case you hadn't noticed, I've been more than a little bit absent for the last little while. Life has gotten pretty busy and sometimes difficult, which tends to devour both my time to write about and my general enthusiasm for food. Despite a lovely visit to the expanded Best Chocolate in Town (where downtowners can now get some Rene's) and a few happy little meals, I just haven't been driven to write much.
The work that keeps me so busy also helped me remember a delicious event that benefits local youth (which is my focus each and every workday). Young Audiences of Indiana, a glorious organization that brings arts and education to more than 200,000 Hoosier children each year, hosts a Chocolate Fest each year, and tomorrow is this year's fest!
Between 10 am and 2pm tomorrow, downtown on the Indianapolis Circle, pick up a delicious dessert - or more if you're feeling free-spirited - made by some of the best chocolatiers, chefs and dining establishments in our community. Besides buying you a great dessert, your money will fund effective programming that brings arts education to young people each day!
Coasters are an essential element of any entertaining supply. If you have furniture that you regard as worth protecting in any manner, then you need an ample supply of coasters.
Over at String, there is a super adorable coaster craft that I absolutely had to share. Check it:
You can find out how to make them at String. And then you can protect all your surfaces from the dreaded drink ring.
In Indianapolis, Colts fans seem to dominate every room. And I am not one of them. Now, don't get me wrong, you won't hear Bears or Steelers cheers in my living room. I just don't like football all that much. Additionally, given my long-suffering love of the Indiana Pacers, Colts fans just seem to have it too easy these days (even if not this past weekend). I'm a teensy bit jealous of their success.
Regardless of my general disinterest in football, the new website, ColtTurkey.com is really kind of awesome. And - what's more - it's well-written and fun. I might not want to go to any games, but I can't wait to read their reports this season.
This is what the ColtTurkey.com writers subsist on, I think.
Hey guys - let me know if you need help celebrating any wins that might occur this season! I don't joke about tailgating, and I've got this recipe for delicious hand-pies...
Did you know that one in five adults in Indianapolis cannot read at a sixth-grade level? It's a surprising number, but our community can significantly reduce illiteracy by working together.
Making Indianapolis 100% Literate is working on it, and they'd like your help. You can begin to do your part by observing International Literacy Day and taking 5 minutes to read something today at noon. But you can do more by visiting their website and learning about their plans to defeat illiteracy and empower our community with knowledge! (Thanks to Renee at Feed Me/Drink Me for the reminder about this day.)
My recommendations of food-related reading, in addition to the big vegetarian cookbooks highlighted by me and you darling readers recently:
- The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie - a sweeping multi-generational story, set partially within a spice factory. Nobody talks about the smells of cooking like Rushdie (see also, Midnight's Children).
- Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl - fun, well-written reflections on Reichl's experience as a New York Times food reviewer. I've mentioned it before, but have no shame about recommending it again!
- Nora Ephron's Heartburn (the basis for the Mike Nichols film) - this book, like no other, sparked unavoidable food cravings for me. If you read it, get ready to devour rice pudding and pasta carbonara (or seek out a way to make it vegetarian, like I had to --- a tip: caramelizing onions and/or searing zucchini goes part of the way toward replacing guanciale - but just part of the way).
What about you, what's your favorite food read? Magazines, blogs, novels, memoirs - all media are welcome.
As Eating Local Week barrels forward, the time has come to celebrate local shops that market local food products. Look what local-shopping has done for me:
Indiana Eggplant, Poplar Bark Syrup (Hickory Works)
& Brendle Honey from Goose the Market
Tomato & Pear - both Indiana-grown - from Locally Grown Gardens
These are my three favorite local-owner/local-products stores, a group largely determined by my own geographic location (sort of Meridian-Kessler-ish):
- My husband's previous employer and the granddaddy of local health food stores, the Good Earth stocks a wide range of local products, including Traders Point Creamery products, bulk honey from Eisele's in Westfield , some of the most beautiful local heirloom tomatoes and greens you'll ever see, and breads from Rene's Bakery.
- Locally Grown Gardens is obviously a place I like a lot. Check out my previous Locally Grown Gardens review.
- Goose the Market is a lovely, special and perfectly curated food shop. Goose has something for each and every food lover. My coworker Jim adores their meat selection, I get all excited about their downstairs pantry section (go to the cellar!), and anyone who has taste buds would adore their gelato.
Please tell me what other stores are on your list!
aside from shopping: Preparations continue for tomorrow's locally focused First Friday party - I've got a jar of tomato jam, ever so slightly modified from Mark Bittman's jam recipe, in the refrigerator and local eggplant roasting in the oven!
Are you observing Going Local Week? I'm excitedly planning a First Friday gathering chock full of local ingredients. A must have for the party? Traders Point Creamery's Fromage Blanc.
If you are going local and you're looking for new products, Trader's Point is always a great pick. I love their pour-able yogurts and luscious milk, but I have a special place in my heart (and my belly) for their fromage blanc. While they make spicy and herb-blended versions of this creamy white cheese, the basic fromage blanc is my absolute favorite. I love it sprinkled with a spicy salt blend or paired with yuzu-infused honey (or just straight up honey). Of course, you can clip some herbs from your garden and herb it up yourself, too.
But definitely try it. I purchase mine at the Good Earth, but you can get it several other places, too. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be in many of the supermarkets (or the Fresh Market) that stock TP yogurt and milk.
