Super Bowl Chili

By Andrew Hunter

Food and sports have a lot in common. They bring people together, encourage bonding and provide fodder for fun conversation. So what better way to spend an afternoon with friends than over a Super Bowl of chili and a great ballgame?

As the Patriots and the Giants take center stage this Sunday, we’re gearing up for the big game with a celebration of kids, food and banter. They may only be eight and six, but Ben and Nick are already die-hard fans. The only thing that could make this Sunday better is if the Lions were playing the Cowboys!

Chili is almost as traditional to the Super Bowl as a great bowl of guacamole. I personally like serving chili to a group of people, because I can offer a tasty base and then a smorgasbord of toppings so each person can customize to their own.

Click to read more ...

Traveling by Fork

By Marilyn Hunter

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

I also believe a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single bite. There are so many ways to travel. My family taught me the joy of a journey through books, movies and food. I like to think of our dinner table as a place to gather together for sustenance and adventure – a way to explore and discover. Eating together and trying new foods is such a great way to learn about different cultures, traditions and customs.

Click to read more ...

Rediscovering Pimento Cheese

“What’s this stuff?” Nicky asked, holding up a giant tub of pimento cheese at our neighborhood market. “Oh, it’s just a Southern thing.” I said. “I used to carry it in my school lunchbox.” Then Andrew added, “Well, it’s actually a Midwest thing too.”

Almost everyone has a dish they remember from childhood or family gatherings of years past. I don’t know exactly when I had my first taste of pimento cheese, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was a lunchbox sandwich. As memory serves me, my childhood sandwiches were often pimento cheese, PB&J, olive loaf or bologna on white bread.

Andrew even remembers pimento cheese balls coated with slivered almonds and a maraschino cherry on top from Schuler’s Steakhouse every Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact, it was a part of almost every holiday buffet spread we could remember.

Click to read more ...

Dinner of a Lifetime

By Andrew Hunter

Last week I returned home from two weeks in Afghanistan. I was invited by the U.S. Army Special Forces Command to cook Thanksgiving dinner for the Green Berets downrange. This was the first time in history that a group of chefs have cooked at the “tip of the spear” as the soldiers call it, in hostile and kinetic forward operating bases.

All week long the soldiers were asking me why I would travel half way around the world and leave my family and the comfort of home to cook for a bunch of guys I have never met. My reply was, to say thank you the best way I know how…by cooking dinner. I told them I may only be one person, but I speak for millions of Americans, by bearing a simple taste of home during the holidays. My menu featured roast turkey, ham, grilled lobster tails, Cornish game hens and a giant steamship round of beef with all the traditional fixings including stuffing, sweet potatoes and honey ginger carrots, to name a few.

Click to read more ...

A Persian Feast

By Marilyn Hunter

Not every home cooked meal has to be eaten in our own home. Last night we went to our friend’s apartment for a Persian Feast. Her apartment is no ordinary place; rather it’s perched on a high floor of a skyscraper with spectacular views of the ocean, mountains and downtown city lights of Los Angeles.

Sweet spices, fragrant rice and roasted meats wafted down the elevator shaft for a delicious welcome long before we arrived on her floor. Persian meals are well-balanced affairs with salad, vegetables, piles of fresh herbs, pickles, walnuts, feta cheese and of course the famous rice dishes.

Click to read more ...