The Bitten Word

Overnight Oatmeal: Steel-Cut Oats in 10 Minutes

Food & Wine (December 2008)

Since we started eating steel-cut oatmeal a few years ago, quick-cooking oats just don't hold the same place in our hearts.  Sure, they still make for a nice -- and most importantly quick -- weekday breakfast.

But they just don't have the flavor and substance of steel-cut.  Steel-cut oatmeal is so substantial, with a fuller flavor and texture that makes quick-cook seem as if it's merely masquerading as oatmeal.

When you eat steel-cut, you think, "Oh!  So this is what oatmeal is supposed to taste like!"

But there's always that issue of time. 

Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate-Peanut Butter Frosting and Peanut Butter Brittle

Bon Appétit (January 2009)

Last Sunday morning, Clay woke up, took one look at the dreary, cold clouds outside and said, "Let's make a big ol' nasty chocolate cake today!"

We'd been wanting an excuse to bake this chocolate cake ever since the January Bon Appétit arrived. Seriously, this is one of those recipes whose name just gets more mouthwatering the longer you read:  chocolate cake...[mmm]...with chocolate-peanut butter frosting...[yes!]...and peanut butter brittle...[ding!ding!ding!ding!].

It seemed like the perfect day for a big ol' nasty chocolate cake.

We were right -- but things were about to get nastier than we'd bargained for.

Reader Question: What's Our Favorite Food Magazine?

We love hearing from readers, whether it's a comment on something we've made or a question.  Recently, David wrote in a with a question:

Clay and Zach --

I have followed your blog and I have to say that I really enjoy it.  Thank you for  taking the time to put up such great images and recommendations.  I was curious to know, of all the magazines you get and read, which magazine do you use most often and would you recommend for someone looking to start a subscription???   

Cheers,
David

This is such a great question, and it's a hard one for us to answer. Before we do, here are a few thoughts on all the magazines to which we subscribe:

Ultimate Super Bowl Meatfest Menu: Buffalo Chicken Dip, Simple Ribs & Cheater BBQ Pork

This may not come as a total surprise, but we're not exactly sporty.  But just because we can't tell you who's in this year's Super Bowl, doesn't mean we don't have some great ideas for food this Super Bowl Sunday.

KICK OFF: BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

In case you haven't heard, there's a chicken wing shortage right now. 

Even if you can get your hands on some wings, we suggest you skip them and kick off your Super Bowl festivities with some Buffalo Chicken Dip.  We've raved about this dip before.  It's different, easy to make, and a sure-fire crowd pleaser. 

Just check out our friend the last time we served this dip. By the end of the party, she was eating the stuff by the forkful:

Get the recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip here.

More recipes after the jump!

Fajita Sweet Potatoes

A Bitten Word Recipe

 

We have a couple rules of thumb when it comes to keeping dinner parties simple -- especially when they occur during the middle of the week.

-- Work ahead. We try to do as much of the cooking ahead of the guests arriving as possible. No one likes to be stuck in the kitchen while friends are having fun in the next room. 

-- Have some snacks.  Though we love to work ahead, we've also been known on occasion to be delayed in serving dinner due to hiccups in our planning.  Be sure to have something for your guests to enjoy while you're putting on the finishing touches.  Crostini are always an easy possibility. 

-- Make one large entree.  Grilling steaks can be nice, and individual fish filets are lovely. But when it comes to feeding a tableful, roasting a whole chicken or a pork tenderloin is so much simpler.

-- No-fuss desserts.  When we're having a larger number of guests for dinner, we keep the desserts very simple.  A crumble using seasonal fruit is our go-to, whether it be Basil-Blackberry in the spring or more recently delicious Asian pears.

-- Have a cheat-dish.

Which brings us to these sweet potatoes. They are the very definition of a cheat-dish. They're embarrassingly easy to prepare, but they're frequently the most popular thing on the menu.

Beet Salad with Cornbread Croutons and Country Ham

Bon Appétit (January 2009)

We've said this before, but we just love cooking with beets. Their deep, sweet, almost earthy taste is unique and delicious. And they're versatile, too. They pair perfectly with tangy citrus flavors, but they're also a great match for sharp contrasts, such as goat cheese.

But we hadn't ever thought of the possibility of pairing beets with country ham and cornbread. For us, the notion was completely out of left-field.

It also sounded too delicious not to try immediately.

Vote for The Bitten Word in the 2008 Food Blog Awards

We were excited to learn this morning (thanks Scott!) that we've been nominated for "Best Food Blog -- New" in the 2008 Food Blog Awards sponsored by the Well Fed Network.  It's an honor for us to be included with so many excellent blogs. 

You can vote for The Bitten Word here and be sure to check out the other nominees. Voting goes through Saturday, January 24th at 8P ET.  The winners will be announced on Monday, January 26th. 

All the nominees and categories can be found here.  This is a great way to discover new blogs.  

Latin-Style Chicken and Rice

Gourmet (December 2008)

Food magazines right now are chock-full of recipes that play on classic combinations and dishes: spaghetti & meatballs, steak and potatoes, mac-n-cheese.

In the case of Latin-Style Chicken and Rice, Gourmet has succeeded in creating a new take on chicken and rice that's not only easy but also "wows" with its delicious flavors.

Pork Loin with Fig and Port Sauce

Everyday Food (September 2008)

We've certainly extolled the virtues of pork loin before. It's delicious, quick, simple and, above all, versatile.

While we love a savory pork loin, there's something about pairing pork with something sweet that is just so comforting and, to us, so deliciously wintry. (Which is why we waited until now to try this recipe from the September 2008 issue of Everyday Food.)

And on a recent chilly night, this Pork Loin with Figs and Port Sauce proved to be a tasty midweek dinner. But more than that, this recipe let us in on a great little cooking secret that we're definitely going to return to again and again.

The End of Gourmet? Say It Ain't So!

The downturn in the economy has already claimed more than a few victims. But we just heard saddening news about one potential addition to that list: Gourmet magazine.

According to analysis from the financial web site 247WallSt.com, the writing may already be on the wall:

Gourmet will probably not see the end of the year. Its parent company, Conde Nast, can no longer rely on the huge profits of the newspaper portion of the Newhouse family business. The magazine operation needs to go on a diet.  Conde Nast reaches the "food" market several ways. It owns Gourmet, Bon Appetite [sic], and epicurious.com.  Conde Nast simply owns too many titles in this category.

While we get why it's tricky to juggle both Gourmet and Bon Appétit, we would hate to lose Gourmet for one major reason: Editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl.

As we've mentioned before, Reichl's food prose is so fantastic it almost hurts. Her books are just brilliant. And her column in Gourmet is one of the absolute best parts of the magazine.

We know Ruth Reichl would land on her feet -- someone with such a deep love of food and cooking and such a great talent for sharing that love will certainly no go silent.

But her column is like an ongoing dinner-table conversation with the coolest friend of your family's, the one who can tell you where to find the best mussels in Paris as well as the best hot dog on your block.

Missing out on her voice would be a big loss, indeed. 

Not already getting Gourmet?  Do your part and subscribe.  You won't be sorry.