Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan [book review]

Our May book for the Kitchen Reader was Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan. It's hilarious. Here's a sampling of the delights.

Cheese and Gratitude

"There's an old Weight Watchers saying, 'Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.' I for one can think of a thousand things that taste better than thin feels. Many of them are two-word phrases that end with cheese (Cheddar cheese, blue cheese, grilled cheese)."

"In America we have gone way beyond sustenance. Eating is an activity. 'Why don't we get lunch, and then we'll grab some pizza.' Most Americans eat constantly. And when we're not eating, we're chewing gum. We are literally practicing eating. We chew gum with a swagger and purpose that says, 'Yeah, I got a big meal coming up. I'm training for Thanksgiving.'"

"My wife likes to pause before the meals with our [five] kids and say grace. While I think this is a great opportunity for our children to learn to appreciate the gifts God has given them, I view grace as kind of 'On your mark, get set...' and the 'Amen' and the 'Go!'. I am pretty sure that's the way God intended it."

Weekend Links #32

Weekend Links is a way of sharing all the engrossing things I see around the internet. I publish Weekend Links approximately every two weeks. As usual, I welcome your ideas and feedback.

food reading links:
--How many times should you try a food before deciding you don't like it? At least once, argues Jay Rayner in The Observer Food Monthly. And in the case of tripe, many more times. (I have not tried it so I can't comment.)
--A detailed (but readable) analysis of 23 studies comparing low fat and low carbohydrate diets (from Authority Nutrition).
--"Don't bother going out to eat all the time"... and you will enjoy it more (from Casual Kitchen). The same goes for eating chocolate.

Apple and Cinnamon Mini Cake

Of course I collect the "MoneyBack" points that my local grocery store offers, since I visit the shop every day or two. Do you collect points? But what do you do with all those points? Well, I was just ridiculously excited when I saw that MoneyBack was doing a Le Creuset promotion. I redeemed all the points I had for two small stoneware bowls and two mini casserole dishes. I didn't really need any new kitchen items, but they were just so beautiful!

How to Write Recipes to Make Cooking Easier - Carrot and Apple Muffins

I was making carrot and apple muffins for my colleagues. Every muffin recipe uses two bowls and the recipe is always much the same. Wet ingredients go in one bowl, dry in another. They are combined with a few strokes, then the batter is dropped into the muffin tins and baked. Muffins are designed to be easy; hence the reason I make them so frequently. But the recipe I was (roughly) following for the muffins was making the process harder.

rutabaga slaw

Each year my Mum and I are asked to provide one or two side dishes for the Christmas meal. My Grammie makes the turkey and the stuffing, and each of my Dad's siblings (or spouses) prepares a side dish or two to round out the feast. Last year my Mother and I made gingered sweet potatoes. The year before that I cooked green beans. This year we have been assigned turnips and parsnips.

We'll cook the parsnips quite traditionally: sliced and fried in butter. But there is always a little leeway for an interesting side dish, too, so I decided plain mashed turnip was out. Turnip is a vegetable I have not really liked in the past, especially on Christmas day when there are so many other tasty veggies from which to choose. But it turns out that the veg I thought I disliked are not even turnips at all.

applesauce muffins

My main reasons for eating? It tastes good! And it's healthy! That is to say, it can be healthy when I make good choices. Taste is most important for me, though. And you?

But I'm interested in whole grain baking because it is good for me and so I've been learning a lot about it lately. You can expect to read more about baking with whole wheat flour and other healthy stuff over the next few months.

But is whole grain baking tasty? If not, why bother? May I present Exhibit A, these applesauce muffins.

morning glory muffins

How can I help a group of twelve-year-olds learn to use algebraic symbols to describe a matchstick pattern? What activity would help a group of fifteen-year-olds who have already been labelled as "bad at maths" experience some success (and enjoyment!)? Can I develop an interactive way of teaching the standard normal distribution?

apple bars with peanut butter glaze

When at the Hong Kong library this weekend, I discovered the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook. What a find! I can already foresee myself trying out many new recipes, such as Sunny Citrus Squares, Lemon Barley Scones, and Pumpkin Quick Bread. I immediately added spelt flour and orange juice to my shopping list. (Using orange juice in baked goods, I have learned, neutralises the slight tannic flavour that some people taste in whole wheat.) And I have great plans to share all my new ideas with you.

sweet potato coleslaw

Fuel for athletes or fans: fresh, healthy food that tastes great. Such as this unique coleslaw, made with raw sweet potatoes, toasted almonds, and juicy raisins. And if it's made with homemade mayonnaise, this easy slaw becomes a firm favourite for those on and off the pitch.


With England's World Cup bid progressing via a few stumbles, Ant and I needed a pick-me-up to get us through the late nights and long days. This coleslaw caught my eye because it uses raw sweet potato--something I have not tried before. I imagine it would be just as tasty with carrots, of course, through a bit softer in the mouth. This coleslaw has a firm bite, and the fresh mayo gives it a zesty edge.

apple and walnut pancakes

Pancakes are the perfect weekend breakfast--easy to make but special to eat. They are warm and comforting and I love maple syrup on top.

Apple and Walnut Pancakes
adapted from More-With-Less Cookbook (World Community Cookbook)
serves 2

1/2 c (60 g) whole wheat flour
1/2 c (60 g) plain flour
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 t brown sugar
1 c (250 ml) milk
1 egg, beaten
1 T oil
1/2 c diced apples (a half or one apple)
1/4 c (30 g) chopped walnuts

Mix the flours, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl.
Combine the milk, egg, and oil in a small bowl.
Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix briefly. Stir in the apples and walnuts and stir just until mixed.
Fry in a hot pan with some oil, a few minutes on each side. Flip when bubbles are starting to appear on the top of the pancakes and the bottom is golden.

apple chips

A new shop has opened near us: Tiger, a Danish variety store. I picked up these apple chips there. They are only dried apple rings, but not at all the way I am used to them. The dried apple rings that I snacked on in Canada were thick and chewy. These are very thinly sliced and exceptionally crispy. They make a satisfying crunching sound when I eat them.


They are a perfect substitute for regular crisps because they come in good sized bags and snap in your teeth like potato chips.

apple ideas

For the last two years, my mother has given me a page-a-day calendar at Christmas time. My "Teachers" calendar sits next to my work computer and has provided a few good classroom ideas and a few good laughs. Yesterday I was surpised to see a list of recipe ideas for apples. I'm not sure that here in the UK they have the idea that students bring their teachers apples. But apples are a firm favourite of mine; they are the perfect autumn fruit, so ruddy and crispy. Their colours remind me of the autumn leaves from home, which I dearly miss. They are cheap and plentiful at this time of year, and they are local. I am actually quite impressed by the apple ideas on this page. Here are some other apple ideas.

For an afternoon snack, eat sliced crisp apple with blobs of brie.

For "night lunch" (a bedtime snack), eat sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Drink a glass of milk on the side.

Make your own chunky apple sauce by simmering apples in a bit of water (with or without added sugar). Cook until the apples disintegrate. Mash a little if you like. Serve over porridge or yogurt, sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts and a little honey.

Apple crumble is always a fantastic and easy baked dessert.

Make oatmeal muffins with added chopped apple.

possible replacements for sweets (to which I am trying to break my addiction)

a drink of water
apple juice
apples
bananas
berries
crisps
nectarines
peanut butter
pears
V8 juice
veggies