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jenilowrance's Profile

Website: http://jenilowrance.com

Location: Burlington, NC; Roanoke, VA

About:

Favorite foods: I love the flavor of produce fresh from the farmer, the taste of a perfectly cooked hamburger, the soothing warmth of homemade stew. I love food in all its forms and incarnations and can't imagine picking favorites.

Last bite on earth: Sushi. No, wait: chicken parmesan. No, wait: a full southern breakfast, complete with ham, biscuits, and grits. No, wait: navratan korma, garlic naan, and chai. No, wait: cinci-style chili on spaghetti. No, wait: a tomato sandwich in the middle of summer.

The Ten Most Recent Posts By jenilowrance

From Talk

Guily Pleasures and other Embarrassing Pantry Items

Posted by jenilowrance, May 19, 2008 at 5:26 PM

On the heels of top 10 things you'd never have in the kitchen.... what are some of the things you keep around, even though you're a little embarrassed by it?

Me?

1. Pasteurized processed cheese food slices. I prefer it on sandwiches to good cheese; I don't know why. I blame my mother for denying me in my youth.
2. Sugar-coated cereal. Golden Grahams is my favorite, Capt'n Crunch and Cinnamon Toast Crunch are close seconds.
3. Individual Jello cups, the kind with the fruit in them.
4. Instant lemonade mix. It's my roommate's, I swear! Never mind that I make cups of the stuff as well....
5. Lipton iced tea bags - this hangup, I suspect, is uniquely my own. I'm a tea snob, and I always feel a little dirty buying Lipton tea dust. It's like a wine snob buying Boone's Farm.
6. Seasoning salt. I resisted the stuff for years, but now I find it kind of useful on things like chicken breasts and french fries.
7. Canned cream of mushroom soup. Like the French's onions, it's really only used twice a year, for green bean casserole. Yet, for some reason, it's in the pantry year-round....
8. Instant mashed potatoes. Okay, I'm lazy. And it makes an acceptable side with a little sour cream and garlic powder.
9. Bisquick. I don't use it for biscuits or any other advertised usage, I use it for those trashy appetizers that just don't taste right without it.
10. Bush's chili starter. Please see: lazy. But it's also surprisingly good.

53 Comments

From Talk

Quick, easy dinners?

Posted by jenilowrance, April 23, 2008 at 12:36 AM

I've got fibro and CFIDS, which means that some nights, cooking anything much more complicated than "open box, boil water, mix" is really difficult for me. I'm getting pretty sick of my standard easy meals, and I'm looking for some ideas for more. Rachael Ray is pretty useless, since she doesn't factor in the hour of dishwashing each 30 Minute Meal takes.

Of course, there's a couple of catches. Well, a lot. I'm allergic to MSG, so a lot of normal convenience foods are out. I also try to eat free-range/organically, as I find that makes a huge difference in how I feel. Beef, pork, and eggs are easy to come by; we only eat chicken once a month or so (it's hard for me to cut the thing up). I buy produce seasonally, but have year-round access to things like apples, lettuce, and potatoes. I prefer vegetables steamed or raw; the other doesn't like them much at all (one day I'll change his mind). I'm also allergic to bell peppers, eggplant, and summer squashes. Ideally, I'd like to add some more vegetables or fruit to the party, since I know I don't get my 5 to 9.

Any suggestions?

14 Comments

From Talk

Cooking with Offal

Posted by jenilowrance, March 15, 2008 at 4:20 PM

After finishing Julie & Julia and reading about Chris Cosentino's & Michael Ruhlman's recent "Head to Tail" dinner (post here, I've found myself interested in learning how to cook offal. I bought a pretty piece of beef liver from our local free-range farmer and I'm looking forward to using it, but... how? I'm a little trepidatious, remembering the foul liver and onions dish my mother made once as a child; but at the same time, remember my first experience with foie gras and how much I loved it. What do I do with it? What can I do to make it tasty instead mushy and funny tasting?

Assuming the other half finds my first attempt at serving offal palatable, anyone have suggestions for what to try next? We're lucky enough to have good connections in the area for local-raised meat, although anything beyond the big three (beef, pork and chicken) can be a little hard to get.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Got a fantastic recipe or a happy offal story you'd be willing to share?

14 Comments

The Ten Most Recent Comments By jenilowrance

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

Other than good salt?

Garlic ends up in a lot of my savory dishes. I like to sneak in cumin and/or nutmeg with beef dishes, mustard, sage, and cinnamon with pork, and I've been known to throw the kitchen sink at chicken. Nutmeg is also nice in creamy pasta dishes.

I also use cardamom a lot as a "secret" ingredient in a lot of sweet dishes, particularly fruit-based ones. It plays well with vanilla and cinnamon. I've also use a sweet garam masala blend in cookies. It's exception, and no-one can pinpoint the flavor.

jenilowrance at 7:04PM on 07/18/08

From Talk

Is the grocery store a 'manners free' zone...

I occasionally have to use the electric carts when my knees/hips are hurting really bad - and while I can tolerate the garden-variety rudeness, I really get annoyed at people who step right in front of the cart and then look at me with irritated expressions when I scramble to not hit them. It's particularly frustrating when I'm in a crowded section and can't just swerve out of the way. Look, I know this thing is slow and bulky and it's in your way. I'm trying to be as considerate as possible here. Please be considerate of me.

Likewise, people who glare at me while using the cart, assuming that just because I'm young and not obviously handicapped, I'm joyriding. Believe me, the amusement of riding one of those things fades off after about 10 seconds when you're actually trying to get shopping done. Particularly when you need something out of reach and you've got to wrestle with the cart and a cane just to get out of your seat.

jenilowrance at 5:56PM on 07/17/08

From Required Eating

It's Going to Smell of Deep Fried Butter

And cheese whiz. Mustn't forget that.

jenilowrance at 5:29PM on 07/17/08

From Talk

Skippy or Jif? (Thanks Bessfour!)

I buy the organic natural stuff from the local co-op, then mix in a little peanut oil and honey. I like mine about as sweet and spreadable as the commercial stuff, but without a lot of the additives and refined sugar. Plus, the peanut taste is a lot more pronounced.

jenilowrance at 5:23PM on 07/16/08

From Required Eating

Cook the Book: 'Margaritas, Mojitos & More'

Peppermint.

jenilowrance at 9:22PM on 07/02/08

From Talk

More food photos

The bunny bread is adorable!!

jenilowrance at 4:40AM on 06/29/08

From Talk

Beef: Grain Fed vs. Grass Fed?

I prefer grass-fed myself, as it tastes richer to me. However, as @dbcurrie has mentioned, it depends a lot on the supplier. I've had beef from some suppliers that tastes rich and beefy, others that bears no real difference from lackluster factory-farmed beef.

My personal measuring stick is to purchase a pound or two of hamburger and try it as patties (with only a little kosher salt for seasoning). Since hamburger is made with the trimmings off other cuts, you get a good feel for what the rest of the cow might taste like without having to purchase more expensive cuts. The hamburger from my favorite farm tastes a lot like a good rib-eye or NY strip steak, but contains about as much fat as 93/7 beef from the grocery.

Also, keep in mind that the flavor of the beef varies from season to season. I find that a cow slaughtered in winter has a milder flavor and a bit more fat, while a summer cow might be a bit less fatty (and sometimes not as tender) but loads more flavor. I've found a couple of times that I might enjoy the meat from a farm during the summer and fall months, and not enjoy their meat in winter. Or vice-versa. It all depends. The only way to know is to try it and see what you like.

jenilowrance at 12:01AM on 06/29/08

From Talk

You have to check this out - Micro Evaporator

...mmmm, bacon syrup....

jenilowrance at 7:59PM on 06/27/08

From Talk

Tea!

@philosophotarian - You're not the only tea snob here! My mom gets frustrated with me when I refer to her Twinings as "slumming it." I travel with my own tea pot and tea leaves.

Right now, I've been going through a huge Darjeeling kick. Sometimes, I'll drink it straight, but I've been mostly enjoying it as Indian chai with whole milk and a little cardamom (not to be confused with masala chai, which is the whole gamut of spices).

I like mostly black teas - the smoky Lapsang, the assertive Assam, the delicate Yunnan. I admit to enjoying Earl Gray every now and again - but, please! only from someone who knows what they're doing and can balance out the flavors properly. Good Earl Gray shouldn't taste exclusively like bergamot.

My favorite tea, however, are the lovely post-fermented teas. Pu-erh has long been my tea of choice - what other tea could give coffee a run for its money? One of these days, I'd like to buy a brick of 30-year-old raw pu-erh, just to see what it tastes like after aging.

jenilowrance at 3:34PM on 06/27/08

From Required Eating

Sourdough Doesn't Always Mean 'Good'

It's the phrase "grocery store" that gives it away. You don't find good bread in a commercial grocery. Period. End of story. You might find okay bread, even acceptable on a good day - but it's not good bread and never will be good bread. Preservatives and additives and the crap they add to make the bread shelf stable do not make good bread.

"Sourdough" masks the flavors of the additives so that the grocery can charge a ridiculous amount for "artisan" bread. It's not true sourdough. It's some chemically derived sourdough substitute. There is no starter that's been lovingly fed, no careful monitoring of the rise, no thought put into crust and crumb - just chemical shortcuts.

Those who make bread know that good bread is inexpensive to make, only takes a few ingredients, and the best on the day its made. Good bread tastes so wonderful that, sometimes, even buttering it feels like sacrilege. Good bread is chewy and crackly on the outside, moist and tender on the inside, and tastes of the acidity of yeast and the delicate nuttiness of wheat. It doesn't need fancy fillers or additives to be good. It's great on its own.

Down with grocery store bread! Up with real bread!

jenilowrance at 3:14PM on 06/27/08

Responses to Comments by jenilowrance

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

Oh and of course chocolate :)

luswim06 at 10:05PM on 07/19/08

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

--bran cereal (for muffins, all the time)
--pepper (not for baking, obviously)
--lately, I've been adding flaxseeds to muffins and even on top of yogurt and cereal.
--canned pumpkin (pumpkin pancakes are a-MAZ-ing!!)

luswim06 at 9:58PM on 07/19/08

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

Yes jazzinx bacon is boss! Onions, garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs round out my list.

finsbigfan at 7:16PM on 07/19/08

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

oh whoops, trigger finger double post...

@susquehanna:
oh, well I guess we could be like Ruhlman and say the egg ;)

jazzinx at 6:54PM on 07/19/08

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

The inimitable egg.

Susquehanna at 5:20PM on 07/19/08

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

Garlic
Shallots
Carrots
Brown Rice
Chicken Breast
Ground Turkey
Cinnamon
And a holdover from learning to cook from my mom, who uses it in everything: Lawry's Seasoned Salt

hmlicata at 4:07PM on 07/19/08

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

@jazzinx - wow, you're right! I always have bacon in my fridge (both turkey and pork), how could I forget that? Then again, I posted my list at 2:07 am and it ran long as it is:-). I should have done what Perky did!

brooke29 at 1:22PM on 07/19/08

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

Wow, nobody mentioned what I'm about to mention?

Golden Rule of All Things Delicious: Bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better.

Just adding bacon automatically elevates your dish to a certain plane of awesomeness.

jazzinx at 1:15PM on 07/19/08

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

Wow, nobody mentioned what I'm about to mention?

Golden rule of all things delicious: Bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better. Bacon automatically elevates your dish to that of awesome.

jazzinx at 1:13PM on 07/19/08

From Talk

"wonder ingredients"

Amish butter

youattal at 11:59AM on 07/19/08