How To Peel A Potato

How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken

Produced by Azon Juan
Food editor Ian Knauer demonstrates how to cut perfect chicken pieces every time.


Source: Gourmet Magazine

Cashew Cheese

I have a delectable recommendation for you. Chocolate & Zucchini is a food blog that showcases delicious recipes and beautiful photographs - all prepared, photographed and written by a delightful Parisian woman.

Her bio states: Chocolate & Zucchini is a blog written by Clotilde Dusoulier, a 24 25 26 27 28 29-year-old Parisian woman who lives in Montmartre and shares her passion for all things food-related -- thoughts, recipes, musings, cookbook acquisitions, quirky ingredients, nifty tools, restaurant experiences, ideas, and inspirations.

Clotilde warns that Cashew Cheese does not offer instant gratification, since the recipe requires soaking the cashews for a couple of hours and allowing the "cheese" to set for a day, but she says, "Delayed gratification is fine by me, especially when it takes such a flavorsome form."

Cashew Cheese

- 190 grams (1 1/2 cups) plain cashew nuts (not roasted or salted)
- 60 to 80 ml (1/4 to 1/3 cup) water
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or good vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground pepper

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Place the nuts in a salad bowl, cover with fresh water, and let stand for 2 hours.

Drain the nuts and place them in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add 60 ml (1/4 cup) water and the rest of the ingredients, and mix until thoroughly puréed, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl every once in a while. Add a little more water and blend again to adjust the consistency, if necessary; the cheese will get a little more solid as it sets.

Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let stand somewhere cool for 24 hours before placing in the fridge, where it will keep for another 5 days.

Get the story behind the recipe here.

Adapted from Real Food Daily.

Easy Party Dips

At game day parties or casual potlucks, these creamy dips are sure to dazzle the crowd. Each of oue is delicious, travels beautifully, and whips up in minutes.

Creamy Blue Cheese and Onion Dip
Makes: 1 3/4 cups
Ingredients

* 1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
* 2 tablespoons dry onion soup mix
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (1 to 2 ounces)
* 1 tablespoon milk (optional)
* Vegetable dippers: carrot and celery sticks, cauliflower florets, green pepper strips

Directions

1. Stir together sour cream and soup mix in a mixing bowl. Stir in blue cheese. Chill till ready to serve. If mixture is too stiff after chilling, stir in milk. Serve with vegetable dippers. Makes 1-3/4 cups.

Hot Artichoke and Asiago Cheese Dip
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 45 minutes
Ingredients

• Baked Pita Chips
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces Asiago or Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, drained
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• Bottled roasted red sweet pepper strips (optional)
• Fresh parsley leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and bake the Baked Pita Chips. Set aside.

2. In a food processor*, combine cream cheese, Asiago cheese, and garlic. Cover and process until mixture is combined. Add artichoke hearts, 1 cup roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and green onion. Cover and process with on/off turns until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a 1-1/2-quart shallow baking dish or 9-inch glass pie plate, spreading mixture evenly in dish.

3. Cover and bake dip about 25 minutes or until heated through. (Or microwave, uncovered, on 70% power [medium-high] for 6 to 8 minutes or until heated through, stirring the dip and turning the dish halfway through cooking time.)

4. Serve the warm dip with Baked Pita Chips. If desired, garnish with roasted red pepper strips and parsley leaves. Makes 12 servings.

5. Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare and bake the Baked Pita Chips as directed; transfer chips to wire racks to cool. Place in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the chips, covered, at room temperature.

6. Mixer Directions: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and Asiago cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until combined. Finely chop garlic, artichoke hearts, 1 cup roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and green onion. Stir into cheese mixture. Transfer to baking dish and bake as directed.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories 126,
• Total Fat (g) 10,
• Saturated Fat (g) 7,
• Cholesterol (mg) 31,
• Sodium (mg) 271,
• Carbohydrate (g) 4,
• Fiber (g) 2,
• Protein (g) 5,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 59,
• Calcium (DV%) 11,
• Iron (DV%) 7,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

One-Step Artichoke Bean Dip with Roasted Red Peppers
This creamy dip of cannelloni beans and artichokes is ready to go in just 20 minutes. Garlic and cayenne pepper punch up the flavor. Fresh basil and roasted red pepper make a quick (and beautiful) topper.
Prep: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 19-oz. can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, quartered
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup roasted red sweet pepper strips
• 1 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil
• Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• Assorted crackers, toasted baguette slices, or toasted pita chips

Directions

1. In a food processor combine beans, artichokes, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover and process until almost smooth, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Transfer to serving bowl. Cover; let stand at room temperature until ready to serve (up to 2 hours). Or cover and chill up to 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour before serving. To serve, sprinkle lightly with additional salt. Top with roasted red sweet pepper strips and basil. Serve with crackers, baguette slices, or pita chips. Makes 12 to 14 (3-tablespoon servings).

Nutrition Facts

• Calories 76,
• Total Fat (g) 5,
• Saturated Fat (g) 1,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 3,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 0,
• Cholesterol (mg) 0,
• Sodium (mg) 207,
• Carbohydrate (g) 8,
• Total Sugar (g) 0,
• Fiber (g) 3,
• Protein (g) 3,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 18,
• Calcium (DV%) 2,
• Iron (DV%) 7,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

I know this next one has been around for awhile, but sometimes you just want something you can depend on. This is one of my go-to recipes. It serves a large group and they always love it.
Savory
Mexican Seven-Layer Dip
Prep: 15 minutes
Chill: 4 to 24 hours

Ingredients

• 1 9-ounce can bean dip
• 1/4 cup picante or taco sauce
• 1 8-ounce container refrigerated guacamole
• 1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or taco cheese (4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion (2)
• 2 tablespoons sliced pitted ripe olives
• 2/3 cup chopped, seeded tomato (1 medium)
• 8 cups tortilla chips or crackers

Directions

1. Combine bean dip and picante sauce; spread into a rectangle about 9-by 5-inches on a serving platter making a layer about 1/4 inch thick. Next carefully layer avocado dip and sour cream. Top with cheese, green onion, and olives. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.

2. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped tomato. Serve with tortilla chips.

3. Makes 16 appetizer servings (1/4 cup dip and 1/2 cup chips)

Nutrition Facts

• Calories 174,
• Total Fat (g) 11,
• Saturated Fat (g) 4,
• Cholesterol (mg) 14,
• Sodium (mg) 265,
• Carbohydrate (g) 14,
• Fiber (g) 2,
• Protein (g) 5,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 4,
• Calcium (DV%) 10,
• Iron (DV%) 5,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

For more party dips: BHG

Superbowl Snack Recipes

Superbowl Sunday is coming up this weekend. No matter who you will be cheering for, you'll want some good eats. Here are a few recipes for the big day. Enjoy!
Savory
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Buffalo Wings
Prep: 20 minutes
Marinate: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 chicken wings (about 2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 3 tablespoons bottled hot pepper sauce
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 recipe Blue Cheese Dip or Low-Fat Blue Cheese Dip
• Celery sticks (optional)

Directions

1. Cut off and discard tips of chicken wings. Cut wings at joints to form 24 pieces. Place chicken wing pieces in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish.

2. For marinade, stir together melted butter, hot pepper sauce, paprika, salt, and cayenne pepper. Pour over chicken wings; seal bag. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain; discard marinade.

3. Place the chicken wing pieces on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn chicken wings. Broil for 10 to 15 minutes more or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Serve with Blue Cheese Dip and, if desired, celery sticks.

4. Makes 12 appetizer servings

5. Blue Cheese Dip: In a blender or food processor combine 1/2 cup dairy sour cream,1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing, 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese,1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or white vinegar, and 1 clove garlic, minced. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Cover and chill for up to 1 week. If desired, top with additional crumbled blue cheese before serving. Makes 1-1/4 cups.

6. Low-Fat Blue Cheese Dip: Prepare as above, except substitute fat-free dairy sour cream and fat-free mayonnaise dressing or salad dressing for the regular sour cream and mayonnaise.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 149 cal., 10 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 38 mg chol., 283 mg sodium, 3 g carbo., 0 g fiber, 11 g pro.
Daily Values: 11% vit. A, 1% vit. C, 5% calcium, 3% iron
Exchanges: 1 1/2 Lean Meat, 1 1/2 Fat

Nutrition Facts

• Calories 221,
• Total Fat (g) 19,
• Saturated Fat (g) 6,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 6,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 6,
• Cholesterol (mg) 47,
• Sodium (mg) 258,
• Carbohydrate (g) 1,
• Total Sugar (g) 0,
• Fiber (g) 0,
• Protein (g) 11,
• Vitamin A (DV%) 0,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 1,
• Calcium (DV%) 5,
• Iron (DV%) 4,
• Lean Meat (d.e.) 1.5,
• Fat (d.e.) 3,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Veggie-Stuffed Quesadillas
Makes: 10 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 small green and/or red sweet peppers, cut into thin strips
• 1 small red onion, cut into thin 1-inch-long strips
• 2 teaspoons olive oil or cooking oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese (tub style)
• 5 6- to 7-inch flour tortillas
• Salsa (optional)

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet cook sweet peppers and onion in 1 teaspoon of the oil for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in cumin and chili powder. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in parsley. Set aside.

2. Spread cream cheese over half of 1 side of each tortilla. Top with pepper mixture. Fold tortilla in half over peppers, pressing gently.

3. Place tortillas on an ungreased large baking sheet. Brush tortillas with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 5 minutes. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve warm. If desired, pass the salsa. Makes 10 servings.

Nutrition Facts

• Servings Per Recipe 10 servings
• Calories 85,
• Total Fat (g) 3,
• Saturated Fat (g) 1,
• Cholesterol (mg) 4,
• Sodium (mg) 118,
• Carbohydrate (g) 11,
• Fiber (g) 1,
• Protein (g) 2,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 21,
• Calcium (DV%) 4,
• Iron (DV%) 4,
• Starch (d.e.) .5,
• Vegetables (d.e.) .5,
• Fat (d.e.) .5,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Nacho Potato Skins
Makes: 24 servings
Start to Finish: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes, such as russet (2 pounds)
• Cooking oil, shortening, butter, or margarine
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• Ground red pepper
• 4 ounces co-jack cheese, cheddar cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese with peppers, shredded (1 cup)
• Toppers, such as dairy sour cream, salsa, guacamole, chopped tomato, chopped sweet pepper, sliced green onion, sliced pitted ripe olives, or snipped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degree F. Thoroughly scrub potatoes; pat dry. Rub with cooking oil, shortening, butter, or margarine; prick potatoes with a fork. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes or till tender. (Or, microwave on high for 15 to 20 minutes or till tender.) Cut potatoes lengthwise into quarters. Scoop out the pulp, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Reserve the pulp for mashed potatoes or another use.

2. Brush both sides of the potato pieces with the 1/4 cup butter or margarine. Sprinkle the insides with seasoned salt and ground red pepper. Place potato pieces, skin sides up, on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat for 3 minutes.

3. Turn potato pieces skin sides down. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Broil 2 minutes more. Arrange the potato pieces on a heated serving platter. Serve with desired toppers. Makes 24 servings.

To Make Ahead: Bake, scoop, and season the potatoes. Place in a covered container and refrigerate up to 2 days.

Herb and Cheese Mini Quiches
Prep: 1 hour
Bake: 25 min.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 3-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese (1 ounce)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk
• 1/4 cup finely shredded Gouda or Havarti cheese
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon, crushed
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
• 1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• Roasted red pepper, finely chopped
• Snipped fresh chives

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. For pastry, in a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in the flour and Asiago cheese until a soft dough forms. Press 1 rounded teaspoon of the pastry evenly into the bottom and up the side of each of 48 ungreased 1-3/4-inch muffin cups.

2. For filling, in a medium bowl, stir together eggs; half-and-half, light cream, or milk; Gouda or Havarti cheese; pine nuts; tarragon; the 1 tablespoon chives; and the black pepper.

3. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling into each pastry-lined muffin cup. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool slightly in muffin cups. Carefully remove from muffin cups; place on a wire rack or serving platter. Top with chopped roasted red pepper and additional snipped chives. Serve warm.

4. Makes 48 mini quiches

5. To Make Ahead: Prepare, bake, and cool quiches. Place in freezer container, seal and label. Freeze for up to 3 months. To use, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Arrange quiches on baking sheet. Heat in a 325 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until warm.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories 77,
• Total Fat (g) 6,
• Saturated Fat (g) 4,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 2,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 0,
• Cholesterol (mg) 25,
• Sodium (mg) 53,
• Carbohydrate (g) 4,
• Total Sugar (g) 0,
• Fiber (g) 0,
• Protein (g) 1,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 0,
• Calcium (DV%) 2,
• Iron (DV%) 2,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

More Big Game Snacks can be found at Better Homes and Gardens.

Perciatelli With Shrimp and Garlic Breadcrumbs

I tried a new recipe last night, Perciatelli With Shrimp and Garlic Breadcrumbs . My husband and I love pasta in all it forms. In fact, we've never met a pasta we didn't like.

I found this recipe over at Sidewalk Shoes. Pam found the recipe in The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh and she posted it here with a much prettier photo.

We love shrimp at our house, and we're fortunate to have access to some of the best seafood in the world. My brother has a seafood wholesale business, and what he doesn't sell, he has access to through other sources. We always know it's fresh and has been handled properly.

We made this last night while sipping a glass of wine. It was fun until I found that my itty bitty (professional culinary term) food processor was broken when I tried to make the bread crumbs. Never fear. I brought the big daddy of them all out and processed away. The garlicky bread crumbs were great.

Please have mercy on my photo. I didn't even plate it. I just snapped away and we dug in. If you enjoy pasta, shrimp and garlic, I would give this recipe a whirl.
Savory

50 Ways to Eat Green

The Bon Appétit Guide to Cooking Up a Greener World

By Hugh Garvey

Photography by Craig Cutler and Kana Okada

January 2009

If only eating green were as simple as going to a farmers' market, buying organic, and reusing that shopping tote at the grocery store. That's a darn good start, but there are so many other ways to shop, cook, dine out, and even clean that can have a more meaningful impact on our environment. The 50 tips and recipes here will help cut down on landfill, pesticide use, overfishing, and the consumption of fossil fuels. They will also slow down the depletion of the ozone layer, encourage the humane treatment of livestock, improve the welfare of workers, reduce toxic chemicals in your home, and likely make you healthier along the way. Plus, you'll be making and eating some amazing food. (Like an environmentally friendly Bison Burger, pictured right.) Read on to learn how to cook up a greener, more delicious future.

1. Eat More Chocolate
2. Boil Once, Cook Twice
3. Fill up Your Freezer
4. Don't Read the Omnivore's Dilemma
5. Make a Bison Burger (pictured)
6. Ask Your Farmer These Questions
7. Don't Open That Door
8. Buy a Side of Beef
9. Cook More Often
10. Roast a Whole Chicken
11. Become a Human Food Processor
12. Eat Alaskan Wild Salmon
13. Savor Sardines
14. Get the Scoop
15. Plant an Heirloom Vegetable Garden
16. Learn How to Read a Carrot...
17. Buy Barramundi
18. Be Your Own Barista
19. Treasure Your Trash
20. Make Stocks
21. Make Your Own Cereal
22. Join a CSA
23. Eat American Cheese
24. Text Fishphone
25. Veg Out
26. Turn Off the Lights
27. Clean Green
28. Start Composting Tonight
29. Eat Grass-Fed Beef
30. Become an Urban Forager
31. Eat Sustainable Shrimp
32. Eat Free Food
33. Get Blasted
34. Eat Sustainable Sushi
35. Become a Locavore
36. Bike to the Market
37. Support Your Local Green Restaurant
38. Go Bento
39. Eat More Tofu
40. Stop Whistling
41. Use Your Dishwasher
42. Bag It
43. Mix Your Drinks
44. Take the Leftovers
45. Pack Your Own Lunch
46. Support Your Local Winemaker
47. Read Fritz Haeg's Edible Estates
48. Keep the Greens
49. Plan Your Paper Use
50. Recycle Bon Appétit

Source: Bon Appétit

Sidewalk Shoes

The following post was lifted, in its entirety, from Sidewalk Shoes. Pam, the site administrator, writes, "My days are spent teaching middle school special ed and my nights are spent searching for that perfect recipe."

She serves up delightful fragments of her busy life to her readers - along with helpful tips, book lists, and recipes. Oh, and an indolent kitty makes an occasional appearance. Don't you just know you're going to have fun at a place with a name like Sidewalk Shoes. Drop by and prepare to be charmed.

Silly Tip

Well, this is a rather silly tip, but I was kind of excited when I figured it out. So, on the off-chance that one of you might find it worthwhile, I'm posting it.

Whenever I am cooking, I am always looking for something to hold open my cookbook. Something heavy that will cause it to lay flat, but not so big that I can't read around it. One day, I happened to lay my meat pounder on a book, and voila! It was perfect, heavy enough to hold open the most ornery cookbook, yet narrow enough to easily move or read around.

See..silly I know. Not much substance to this post. But it's first week back at school, and I'm already exhausted. And yes, I know I had a bonus snow (rain) day, but I don't care. I need a nap.

Silly Tip

Laurie Colwin

Those who are so fortunate as to own Laurie Colwin books never relinquish them. Though they may be dogeared from multiple readings, when it's time to move on to a new city, a new home, a new life, her books are carefully taken down from the shelf, dusted off, and tucked away in a labeled box, only to be unpacked and positioned on another shelf, in the next place called home.

Her words, like chicken soup, offer comfort for the soul. Her respect for domesticity and her elevation of family and friendship have made her books timeless treasures.
Her unexpected and premature death has not dissuaded her readers. If anything, their numbers have grown. All of her books are still in print, though her absence has been felt for well over a decade.

Perhaps a certain passage from the title story of "The Lone Pilgrim" could apply to someone you know. It reminds me of my own sister; she cherished hand-me-downs: bowls, utensils, cast iron pans, and recipes that once belonged to our grandmother. She took great joy in trying recipes handed down through our family over the years. She once demanded that I learn to make pastry, and would not relent till we spent an entire day making pies. It was so important to her to pass on the tradition. Laurie Colwin honors tradition and domesticity with her words.
"Oh, domesticity! The wonder of dinner plates and cream pitchers. You know your friends by their ornaments. You want everything. If Mrs. A. has her mama's old jelly mold, you want one too, and everything else that goes with it -- the family, the tradition, the years of having jelly molded in it. We domestic sensualists live in a state of longing, no matter how comfortable our own places are."

You can find Laurie Colwin's books here.

orzo with lemon, feta, currants and pickles

A surprise ingredient sets this apart from your everyday pasta dish.
Photo by John Kernick May 2006

The Ingredients:
Serves 8

• 1 lb. orzo
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup (about 4 oz.) crumbled feta
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ½ cup (about 2 oz.) dried currants
• 10 cornichons, chopped
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook it until it's al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water for about 30 seconds, until the orzo has come to room temperature. Place in a serving bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine.

Source: Domino

Food Trends In 2009

Apartment Therapy offers the following article on what they believe will be the trends in the foods we'll be eating in 2009 and why we'll be making certain choices.
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What will 2009 bring to our tables? What will be the big stories, the hot new trends, the foods everyone is talking about? Well, at the risk of sounding terribly blasé, we really think that there is nothing new in the world of food; trends come and go, tastes swing to and fro on a predictable schedule, and through it all, good cooking endures.

Having said that, here are some of our thoughts on what sorts of good cooking will be most popular this year.

It's the Economy, Stupid.

It may be cliché by now, but it's still true. In 2009, the food climate will be dominated by the economic outlook. Here are some of the ways we think that will play out.

• Fridge-clearing cooking: Dishes, in fact entire meals, made from what's in the kitchen. Everything but the kitchen sink style. The obvious applications are soups and casseroles, but we think people will take this way of cooking beyond comfort food, creating salads, pizzas, grains and even desserts with on-hand ingredients instead of doing a big shop.

• More pig: We think the pork trend will continue, with cooks getting even more friendly with a wider range of pork products like guanciale (cured pork jowel), speck (smoked prosciutto), and lardo (cured pig fat from just beneath the skin).

• The emphasis on cheap cuts of meat won't end with the pig; look for more recipes for beef short ribs, shank, shoulders.

• Even cheap meat, though, will be less popular than the almighty egg. Even organic local eggs are cheaper than meat; look for them as a cheap source of protein in many dishes this year.

• Beans will be big. We also think will be an increased emphasis on cooking with beans. They are affordable, fun, and comforting in these strange times. Let the new Rancho Gordo cook book be our guide in 2009. (Look for a review this week.)

• We think this sensitivity to budget concerns will also play out in the local/organic/seasonal movement. Except, when people make decisions to buy from sources close to home, they'll be doing so for economic reasons as much as idealism.

• We think that the organics industry will be under increasing pressure to lower prices as people make cost-cutting decisions to buy only the organics they think are strictly necessary. Will this lower organic standards and principles? We hope not.

Food for Pleasure

And yet the economy isn't the only news in town. As people cut back, we predict that they'll find pleasure and luxury in the relatively low-cost world of food. We predict a renaissance of American cooking as cooks stay in instead of dining out. Here are some of the flavors and trends we think will be popular.

• Upscale comfort food: Mashed potatoes, glammed-up casseroles, towering layer cakes, and a return to home baking.

• Small indulgences will get all the attention: Really good coffee, high-end chocolate, and great cheese will be allowable indulgences in exchange for tightening budgets and fewer restaurant meals.

• The cupcake will die. And resurrect. Those cupcakes! They really are out, and yet their unsurpassable cuteness means they will always have a life in the blogosphere. Although, we think that mini layered cakes or those CakePops have a chance to supplant them eventually.

• Look for a cheese course, instead of a sweet dessert.

• We hope 2009 will mark the return of small independent butchers. Cheers to Tom Mylan's new butcher shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He emphasises local, humanely raised meet. We're really hoping to see more shops like this, please.

• Desserts with a savory ingredient: peppered panna cotta, soufflé with fennel and of course, herbed ice creams.

• We're seeing many more potato chips, both homemade and purchased from local and artisan makers.

• Also hosts had shunned dip as too old fashioned or plain. There's nothing wrong with some homemade onion dip in 2009, just hold the soup mix please. Have fun and experiment with your own homemade dips. This can be a good way to use up extra bits of spices too.

• And of course, we have a new President as of January 20. What will be served at the White House? We think there will be a lot of interest and focus on presidential eats over the first few months of the year, and hopefully a renewed course of public policy aimed at making American food even better.

Those are our slightly obvious, slightly tongue-in-cheek predictions for 2009. But whatever happens, we promise that we'll be here blogging food, cooking, and (hopefully) good ideas for the entire year to come. Do you have any hopes for this year, or topics you'd like to see covered? Tell us, and throw in your predictions too.

(Images, clockwise from left: Ojo de Tigre Ranch Gordo beans, from Village Market; Kevin Demaria for Gourmet.com; and Speck dell'Alto Adige at Formaggio Kitchen.)

Pork and Beans: Food and Cooking Predictions for 2009