Wine Beneath the PalmsFred Tasker blogs wine and spirits
Food Q & AYour cooking questions answered
RestaurantsReviews, wine, drinks and more
These days, it's almost as scary to fill your grocery cart as your gas tank. A gallon of unleaded costs Floridians 20 percent more than it did a year ago. Food costs have zoomed up 6 percent in that time, with double-digit increases for staples like milk and bread.
Q: In the '60s I believe there was a recipe on the back of the Lipton onion soup package for short ribs. I am not sure if it was barbecue.
I saw double at Tarragon Middle Eastern Market when the shop owners, identical twins from Lebanon, smiled in unison, making this an especially welcoming place to grab a falafel or stock up on fig jam, olive oil and fresh pita. Hussein and Hassan Mehaydli have created a little souk crammed with spices, flower waters, dried fruit, nuts, bulgur and dried beans at this unassuming shop in a strip mall off South Dixie Highway.
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DESSERTS
When you make desserts on a smaller scale, both your sweet tooth and your waistline will give thanks. Plus, these tiny treats can be a great fit for parties, group meetings or church potlucks.
WHOLE WHEAT
Everybody knows whole-wheat bread beats white bread, hands-down. But did you know a slice of bread isn't the only place to get whole wheat into your diet?
SOUPS
These low-fat, high-fiber soups are as chock-full of nutrients as they are of flavor. Any or all of them will benefit from additional vegetables: Add carrots or butternut squash to the black bean soup, green beans to the vegetable and bean soup, or spinach to the lentil soup.
MR. TIDBIT
New from Kraft, we have Bagel-fuls -- bagels with a tunnel of cream cheese inside. Well, make that bagel sticks; nobody would say that an item that isn't doughnut-shaped is a bagel.
ASPARAGUS
Asparagus should be flooding the markets now. Look for tightly closed tips and firm stalks that have no vertical wrinkles. Asparagus should be cooked only until crisp and bright green.
DESSERTS
Each of these desserts incorporates caramel, but in each case, the caramel is made using a different method. Choose the one that works for you and adapt it by stirring in nuts, serving it warm and thin or cool and thick, or using various liquids such as fruit juice, brandy or rum to flavor it.
CREAMERS
We love our coffee. The days we don't take it black, we'll put just a teeny bit of creamer into the cup. Pretty color, yummy taste. What could be wrong with that?
RESTAURANT
Sometimes in restaurant whites, sometimes in a tropical shirt, George Laguerre wanders from table to table schmoozing with diners, sometimes pausing to turn up the bouncy soundtrack of Caribbean dance music. TiGeorges' Chicken is his domain -- a place of roast chicken, fricasseed goat, vanilla-spiked limeade and coffee roasted with sugar until it smokes. Haitian food, in short.
Q: My brown sugar has turned rock-hard. What can I do to soften it without melting it? A: There are a number of popular tricks for softening brown sugar.
Q: I'm looking for a local, old Florida-style seafood restaurant in Broward to take some friends visiting from Cleveland. Nothing fancy. Can you help?
Cocktails Anyone? @ Domo Japones: Mixed drinks and hors d'oeuvres by chef Albert Trummer and music by DJ Induce; 9 p.m., Domo Japones, 4000 NE Second Ave., Design District. No cover. 305-573-5474.
MAIN DISH CHICKEN POT PIE The bright, crisp acidity of a Maso Canali Pinot Grigio, 2007, pairs nicely with creamy pot pie. 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
DESSERT KATHY'S MINI TOFFEE BAR CRUNCH PASTRIES Half of one (8-ounce) container Cool Whip Lite 3 chocolate graham cracker squares, crushed
SPREAD SWEET POTATO BUTTER 2 cups (1 pound, 3 medium) cooked and mashed sweet potato ¾ cup honey ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
MAIN DISH COD WITH ASPARAGUS-LEMON SAUCE 1 ½ pounds cod fillet ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
BREAKFAST HOMEMADE GRANOLA This granola is better than any store-bought variety we've tried and is very easy to make. It's much cheaper than most breakfast cereals, especially if you buy the nuts and oats in bulk. (If you're really pinching pennies, omit the nuts.)
SAUCE QUICK CARAMEL SPICE DIP OR DRIZZLE Serve the sauce with apple wedges, pretzel sticks, banana, bread . . . anything you like with caramel. The sauce can be used fondue-style as a dip, or spooned over cake, fresh or cooked fruit, French toast or ice cream. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat to soften before serving.
SOUP TOMATO LENTIL SOUP 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
