Fireworks for Your Mouth

In Cincinnati, the Queen City from which Cooking with Caitlin hails, there is a magical night that punctuates our summer like a big fat exclamation point.  Through the months and months of heat and humidity, we look forward to a world-rocking show of pyrotechnic brilliance set to music. 

Each year, on the Sunday before Labor Day, a collection of local wizards orchestrates a firework display, with a synchronized soundtrack, that straddles the Ohio River.  From bridges, barges, and river banks explode shooting stars for the better part of an hour.  With our radios turned to blast!, the entire region gathers, gape-mouthed, on rooftops and hillsides, to watch the night sky.  Like stargazers during a moon shower, we are dazzled by the intensity before us.

And so, in honor of the sparkly show about which us Cincy girls are so darn excited, and for the benefit of you who do not live in Cincinnati too, I offer a menu bursting with flavor and color, and sometimes spice.  Each bite will set off fireworks on your tongue.  Enjoy a jolt to your senses.  And, if you are so moved, go ahead and set the meal to music. 

Sweet & Sour Slushie      
Mini Hot Browns     
Cajun Pizza  
Buffalo Burger  
Spicy Mussels and Linguine
Tortilla Chip-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Salsa Verde
York Peppermint Crunch
Red Hot Icing

Blog Bits

To ensure the total Cooking-with-Caitlin experience this week, peek at the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog.  Dare I say it's the grand finale?  

Green Cooking Tips
Cincinnati Event: Third Thursday  
Wedding Gift Registry Ideas   
What I Learned Thursday Night PART 2      
What I Learned Thursday Night PART 1
Children Cooking 

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

August 29th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  

August 30th - Foodies' Night In #FNI Twitter event, 4-6 p.m. Building a Dinner Party Menu

September 16th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, register now

So Much Is New

At the end of last week, my family and I traveled to Wisconsin to visit Aunt Megan, Uncle Nate, and their two little guys.  While we were there, The Girls' Club and I got to tour the Jelly Belly factory which is right down the road from their home (how's that for upping the resale value?).  Even though I never saw the chocolate river, and the only Oompa-Loompas were the preschool princesses who came with me, it sure felt like a fantastical trip through a Roald Dahl book. 

Belted tightly inside the tram, we marveled at jelly bean art, jelly bean machines, and the giant jelly beans floating above our paper hat-topped heads.  We learned the history of Jelly Belly's founding family, about Ronald Reagan, it's most famous fan, and how they get the little Jelly Belly stamp on every single bean. 

The girls were most fascinated, however, by the list of flavors that were attempted but never really stuck - like mustard, gravy, and pickles.  Pickles?!?  The girls were tickled.  The entire way home, with every bean that hit their tongue, I heard a squeal, "Omigoodness!  I just got a pickle bean!  How did that get in there?!"  Apparently we got the only pickle packs Jelly Belly's ever made. 

Now, I'm quite sure you won't find even one pickle in the recipes below, but you are sure to be similarly delighted by the flavors.  In the spirit of Jelly Belly, in classic Caitlin fashion, she's twisted up all sorts of familiar flavors into new designs.  Line up your taste buds for a tram-tour through the just-posted list of recipes below:     

Savory Beer Bread Pudding     
Polenta Fries    
Roasted Potatoes with Sweet & Sour Ketchup
General Wong Burger with Bleu Cheese Cream Sauce     
Linguica Sausage Burger with Roasted Garlic Butter     
Aunt Edie's Pizzelle

Dance Through the Dishes

One of my most favorite memories of growing up is how we all danced together when dinner was finished.  It was The Jackson 5 when I was little, Paula Abdul later, and now - grandkids and all - we are all Motown all day.  Dishes will never be cleaner or drier than when they're done to the sounds of Smokey & The Miracles, Dianna Ross, and Stevie Wonder.  Learn to love the clean up; order some musical classics today from Shop CWC

Blog Bits

Check in with the Cooking with Caitlin family at the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog.  Like your own family, we're always sharing pictures, recipes, and - just like your sassy Aunt Elizabeth - too much information.  

Wrap of the Snack Attack
Enjoy Snacks     
55KRC - Fashion
Italian Dinner Party
The Bacon Boon: Why Americans Want to Wear Bacon 

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY August 17th - The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Serving the Jerk Burger and the new Classic Burger.

THIS THURSDAY August 19th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by Francis Ford Coppola Wines, register now

August 22nd - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  

August 23rd - Foodies' Night In #FNI Twitter event, 4-6 p.m. Green Entertaining

No More Belly-Achin'

If you read a word of what I wrote last week, you know that I'm not up for any Mother of the Year awards. I spent my piece with you carrying on about little girls arguing and the seemingly so distant start of the school year. Well, that was a little much. Thanks for indulging me, but life's not bad at all.

Since last we met, in fact, my husband came home with a hard-plastic beaded back-massager. It looks like a starfish and fits in the palm of my hand. Lo and behold, it has become the toy in our house. The massager has knocked even the sparkly pony out of the tip-top spot of importance. And now, the pretty little princess parade argues not about who dances better to Cinderella, but who massages Mommy the best.

Can you imagine? My ship has come in. The girls are taking turns working over my back! And, make no mistake, I have no qualms about helping them perfect their technique. In the immortal words of Maria and the Captain in Sound of Music, "I must've done something good..."

Now, if they could just work on putting together the dinner below, I will have died and gone to heaven.

Parmesan Shortbread with Fresh Mozzarella and Roasted Tomatoes   
Braised Short Ribs   
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Candied Carrots
Asparagus   
Chocolate-Cinnamon Whip with Fresh Berries   

Glamour Shot

This picture was taken just after the three of us got to chat with Laurie Buckle, editor-in-chief of Fine Cooking Magazine, on the radio.  You can see from the fetching smiles and expert arm and elbow placement of Molly and Caitlin how very tickled we were to have had the opportunity to "meet" the lovely and talented Laurie.  You can also tell, from the stack of Fine Cooking Magazines in my arms, how very prepared and organized I am.

Listen to this podcast to hear our delight and preparedness (and just how wonderful Laurie really is).

Blog Bits

Let yourself melt into the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog.  It's pretty darn relaxing, and it happens to be rather informative as well.  The highlights since last we met:

This Round's on Cooking with Caitlin
What I Know About a Good Cocktail   
Antioxidants and Phytochemicals 

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY August 10th - The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Serving the Fried Green Tomato Burger and the Jerk Burger.

August 15th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  

August 16th - Foodies' Night In #FNI Twitter event, 4-6 p.m. 

August 19th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, register now

(Just About) Saved by the Bell

Would I be the worst mother in America if I told you I can't wait for school to start? Would it sound awful if I confessed I'm typically tapped out of all patience and creativity by breakfast? Or, that I read a distinct look of "you again?" on my girls' faces each of these late-Summer mornings? Would you be alarmed to know that, in the hopes of retrieving their classroom assignments, I skip to the mailbox as if Ed McMahon will be waiting inside it with a balloon bouquet, the rest of the Prize Patrol, and a giant cardboard check?

Of course, I love my girlies very much. I love the pink. I love the tulle. The drawing, the dress-up, the dancing to Cinderella - I really love it all. I'm even okay with some of the drama...until about July 4th. And at this point, I have legitimate concern that my head will explode if I have to hear who stole the sparkly pony from whom one more time.

So, in honor of the brown-bag lunches that I most certainly will be packing by the end of the month, I offer to you a menu of Caitlin's best sandwiches. Few, if any of them, will actually make it into the brown bags I'll be packing. But, I can tell you they would all be extra delicious enjoyed in the company of a sparkly pony.

Vegetarian Focaccia Sandwiches   
Skyline Sammies   
Fried Bologna Sandwiches
Hot Ham and Stilton Waffle Sandwich
Cuban Sandwiches   
Fish and Chip Sandwiches 
Doritos-Crusted Chicken Sandwiches   

Fresh from the Cob

If you take nothing else from this week's Cooking with Caitlin love note to you, let it be the following recipes incorporating fresh corn. Take full advantage of the husked sweet treats with Caitlin's original designs:

Sweet Corn Cakes
Homemade Succotash
BBQ Butter Corn

Blog Bits

In the spirit of sandwiches, this week the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog is chock full of notes on stacking the perfect one. There are other deep thoughts too; we'll call them sides. Like the pickle beside your favorite Reuben, the perfect accompaniment:

The Super Sandwich Exchange
Sandwiches: Take Your Stack Seriously
How to Pick the Best Bread  
Lunges Are Like Cooking a Burger   
New Uses, Old Tool -- Food Processor   
Take Our Word for It -- Stand Mixer 

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY August 3rd - The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Serving the Sweet Italian Sausage Burger with Marinara-Poached Egg and a Beef Burger with Fried Green Tomato and Remoulade Sauce right on top.

August 8th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  

August 9th - Foodies' Night In #FNI Twitter event, 4-6 p.m. TOPIC: Cocktails

August 19th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by Francis Ford Coppola Wines, register now

Culinary Adventures

Just yesterday I learned of a person who is delighted by time-intensive recipes.  He's afraid of neither long lists of unusual ingredients nor polysyllabic French words.  Cooking is sport and dinnertime is tournament play.

I've heard of people like this.  And even though I can't relate (dinner prep at my home is like running a sprint through a tornado), I appreciate people like this.  Shoot, some of the most memorable meals of my life have been prepared by these fearless individuals.  I honor them and their commitment to fine food.

By this fascinating character of whom I write, I'm inspired this Tuesday to create a list of Caitlin's most challenging recipes.  They require either extra time or certain tools or the ability to speak in tongues.  Within Caitlin's collection of super simple recipes involving just about five ingredients, these babies stand out for calling for special attention. 

So, cancel your plans for trapeze school, salsa lessons, or even parachuting.  If you're hungry for adventure, all you need are the delicious designs below.  
    

Basil-Infused Pizzelle    
Arancini    
Parmesan Tuilles
Homemade Gnocchi
Coq au Vin    
Sweet Potato Dauphinois  
Apple Tarte Tatin    
Homemade Marshmallows   

All the Right Tools

No matter how brave and resourceful you're feeling, there are a couple tools without which you will not be able to completely conquer your feat of fare.  Take on your kitchen in total confidence with this nonstick Silpat mat.  Turn out stacks of pizzelle with this press just like the one Caitlin uses.  And flip your tarte tatin with this slotted silicone spatula.   

Cool as a Cucumber

Cailtlin has a magical way of remaining calm when the rest of us are in panic mode, dripping in a full-body sweat.  She possesses the uncommon cool it takes to make just about any situation work.  Click on the image below to see what I mean.  Despite the flames that engulfed the grill, the burger pictured actually became a quick crowd-pleaser. 

Blog Bits

Since last we met, the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog has been on fire!  The lovely and talented Molly, in particular, has been a blogging machine.  Check out the following posts, and about a dozen more on everything from flavor profiles to SparkPeople.com:

A Fine Way to Spend a Sunday
Love Affair with a Stand Mixer  
Plan a Healthy Diet   
Thirsty Friday? 

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY July 27th - The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Serving the General Wong Burger and a Sweet Italian Sausage Burger with Marinara-Poached Egg.

August 1st - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  Special Guest: Danielle Korb of Sweat Training

August 2nd - Foodies' Night In #FNI Twitter event, 4-6 p.m. Bread and Sandwiches

August 19th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, register now

August 29th - Please note that the Epicurean Classic was canceled (the entire event). Be sure to watch Fine Cooking for additional details.

A Celebration Menu Worth Toasting

A couple weeks ago, the Cooking with Caitlin crew was invited to cater a small wedding for a friend.  The bride and groom were married in gardens of lush flowers on a warm summer night.  Thunder clapped and the rains came just before the event, and immediately following it.  In between the storms were dinner, dancing, and all sorts of warm and fuzzy. 

In keeping with the time and venue of the celebration, we passed light, sun-kissed appetizers, and served a colorful and casual buffet of one-of-a-kind sandwiches and crisp sides.  I must say, even though my husband and I don't renew our vows every year like Heidi Klum and Seal, and even though I've been married so long Heidi would probably consider my dress vintage, I do believe this is the menu I would choose if we planned our reception again.  (Would it be too indulgent of me to suggest the spread looked to have been kissed by a rose?) 

Peach Caprese   
Watermelon with Homemade Ricotta    
Homemade Hummus Bruschetta
Chilled Orzo Salad with Fresh Blueberries and Peas
Cuban Burger   
Chicken and Waffle Sandwich
Salmon Burgers   
Mexican Grilled Corn

Go Shopping

For the love of wedding cake, buy some gifts for your own kitchen this week.  Become smitten with this multi-purpose fish spat.  Renew your love for baking with this jelly roll pan (and the Silpat right next to it).  And, by golly, learn how it feels to want to smooch your morning smoothie when it was processed by this hand blender.

Blog Bits

Much like a honeymoon, we're documenting our daily adventures through Foodland at the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog.  Read each of the following entries as the postcards they really are:

Design a Kitchen: Part Two  - A guest blog contribution from some of Cincinnati's finest designers
Event Pictures: July Third Thursday  - The pictures, oh the pictures
Design a Kitchen: Part One   
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice  - Handy tips and tricks for your summertime herbs & spices

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY July 20th - The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Serving the General Wong Burger and the Cordon Bleu Burger

July 25th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  Special Guest: Laurie Buckle, Editor-in-Chief of Fine Cooking Magazine

July 26th - Foodies' Night In #FNI Twitter event, 4-6 p.m. Epicurean Classic

August 19th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, register now

August 29th - Epicurean Classic REAL-LIFE #fni, details to follow

Well-Traveled Recipes

This message is brought to you by messy melty burgers and crispy creamy grilled cheese sandwiches...

Since last I wrote, Molly, Caitlin, and I got to sit in on a fascinating and boisterous meeting during which the following sentiment was shared:

"Knowledge without mileage is bologna."

It was mentioned within the context of something totally unrelated to food, but I scribbled it down immediately, nonetheless, to relay in this love note to you. I think it's brilliant, and relevant, and right on the money. The fact is, Caitlin may be only 23, but she was cooking long before her cousin Jackie gave her her first cookbook fifteen years ago. Caitlin came out of the womb looking for the ultimate flavor profile. And she's been experimenting ever since.

You should know that the recipes we share at cookingwithcaitlin.com have been on Caitlin's mind for a long time. Her classic-French training has given her the tools to execute her brainstorms, and the catering business that grew Cooking with Caitlin has given her the opportunity to test them over and over, tweak them, perfect them.

Here I give to you the favorite recipes upon which all of Cooking with Caitlin is built:

Parmesan Tuilles
Asparagus Slaw
Gazpacho 
Brie and Grape Grilled Cheese 
Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches
Char Cheddar Burgers
Sriracha Potato Salad
Raspberry Bellini Floats 
Candied Clementines

Blog Bits

The cookingwithcaitlin.com blog is a daily collection of deep thoughts on cooking and eating in the real world. Get your belly full on the following notes:

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY July 13th - The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  serving Asparagus Slaw Burgers and introducing the Cordon Bleu Burger

THIS THURSDAY July 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by Oriental Wok, register now!  

July18th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. with Special Guest: Dave Heilmann of Sparkpeople.com

July 19th - Foodies' Night In: 4-6 p.m. EST.  TOPIC: Spa Kitchen

You're Free. Be Brave!

Having just been spun through the whirlwind of a super-sized holiday weekend, I am struggling to organize my thoughts enough to get this, my weekly love note to you, onto paper.  My spirit is refreshed, my body, exhausted.  And, God bless America!, I am stuffed - stuffed like I am after any birthday weekend, whether it's my own or my country's.  Suffice to say, I've got a week's worth of carrot sticks and muumuus all lined up.

So, you can imagine my surprise when inspiration smacked me right in my sluggish mug yesterday morning.  The convenience store sign read, "Land of the free, thanks to the brave."  Certainly, the sentiment is a lyrical love note to the fine folks who have given the United States the opportunity to be great.  To the men and women who make the stars and stripes shine.  To the heroes who, every day, are anything but everyday.

And, you know that, even in patriotic rapture, my mind is in the kitchen.    

You've got to take advantage of your culinary freedoms.  Be willing to fail for flavors you believe in.  Put tuna on your pizza.  Flip an egg onto your burger.  Pickle your purple onions.  Bake some shortcakes just to break 'em on down.  For the love of soda pop and double-deckers, wield your whisk on these American-made recipes: 

Basil-Infused Pizzelle with Fresh Tomato and Peach Salad
Hot Pickled Onions
Tuna Pizza
Brenner Burger
Red Raspberry Bon Bons
White Chocolate Strawberry Shortbites

Document the Innovation

While you're getting all revolutionary at your kitchen counter, take video notes for the rest of us YouTube-lovin' foodies with this Flip camera.  You may never know the genius recipe you're creating until you've taken the first bite, so detail it along the way.   

Blog Bits

Just like the corn and watermelon that decorated your Fourth-of-July plate, the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog is juicy and fresh.  Eat up:

Fourth of July Menu
Fruit Recipes: The Clever and the Convenient   
Getting Organized: Stay Committed and Save Time
Mastering the Restaurant Dish 

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY July 6th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  serving Homemade Linguica Sausage Burgers and Asparagus Slaw Burgers

July11th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. 

July 12th - Foodies' Night In: 4-6 p.m. EST.  TOPIC: Spices 101 with giveaways!

July 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by Oriental Wok, register now!   

Turn Leftovers into Lust-overs

Last Tuesday, Caitlin and I were booking on down the highway stuffed into a minivan jam-packed like a clown car with everything from propane tanks to Servatii's buttery knots - everything it takes to make the oft-mentioned Market on Fountain Square happen.  Molly was crammed into her own hot wheels full of fixins en route to the marketplace as well. 

Phone rings.  Canceled. 

Mother Nature was unwilling to cooperate; with sweeping winds she put the kibosh on our lunch date with Downtown Cincinnati.   And in an instant, 160 burgers, their buttery buns, and the watermelon meant to sit beside them, were leftovers.  Instead of serving up hot chow to the familiar foodies, we found ourselves scrambling to make sure nothing turned into waste.

I am proud to report we succeeded.  Every last bite made it to someone's mouth, not the trash.   With the recipes below, turn your own leftover burgers into simple meals your family will lust over. 

Chorizo Burgers crumbled, become a layer of Fried Egg Tostadas, a topping for Chorizo Eggs with Uncle Nate's Pico de Gallo, or the best darn taco filling this side of the Mexican border.

Make a double batch of Homemade Ricotta Cheese; plug it into the Ricotta-Stuffed Burger, and then roll it into Homemade Gnocchi - in lieu of the mashed potatoes called for - later in the week.  Dollop it on top of grilled Lamb Chops for Sunday brunch.

Throw leftover Caprese Burgers into your favorite marinara like a meatball, crumble them into Pasta Aglio Olio, and turn extra Sundried Tomato Mayo into a grown-up grilled cheese with a thick slice of fresh mozzarella on crusty bread pressed and toasted.

And, of course, just about any leftover fruit may be turned into something brilliant.  Dunk watermelon for Rum-Soaked Watermelon, break citrus segments into a Fresh Orange Salad, or grill leftover pineapple with a basting of Mint Pesto.  

Blog Bits

There's not one bite of the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog that's a doctored-up leftover.  Fresh, fresh, fresh, and hot off the press, our most recent postings:

- Summer Fruits
- Home Recipes: Food and Exercise
- The Market on Fountain Square: Food
- Midwest Culinary Institute: Grgich Hills Wine Dinner
- 99 Bottles of Beer...
- How to Clean Your Grill with Morning Dew and an Onion 

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY June 29th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Burgers: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! and Homemade Linguica Sausage with Peppers and Onions

July 4th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. 

July 12th - Foodies' Night In: 4-6 p.m. EST.  TOPIC: Spices 101 with giveaways!

July 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by Oriental Wok, register now!   

To the Men We Love

Behind each one of us Mamas (Kelly, Molly, and Caitlin) is a very special Papa (Dale, Todd, and Andrew, respectively) who helps make Cooking with Caitlin happen.  And "this is dedicated to the ones [we] love..."    

As we gear up to honor our dads who gave us the guts to follow our dreams, it is most appropriate that we celebrate the men who are helping us make those dreams come true.  Thank you for everything you are to us and the families we're growing together.  We love you very much.

And, in our very best food-is-love form, we offer a menu full of father-focused favorites.  Get your bellies full on these fizzy, spicy, chocolate-dipped formulas for fantastic food:

Peach Cherry Pop
Jalapeno Poppers    
Mexican Corn    
Sriracha Potato Salad
Ricotta-Stuffed Burger with Balsamic Glaze 
Roasted Walnut Pesto Pork Burger   
Beer-Braised Brats 
Chocolate-Covered Bananas with Macadamia Nuts 

 

Stay Cool

Never mind the tie or even the monogrammed paperweight, you know all your Daddy-o really wants is to keep his beer cold.  Become the hero of his big Sunday by delivering this sure fix for a frost-less brew, and this super jazzy cooler to keep the rest of them at the ready.  While you clean up from the killer meal above, make sure your Big Papa's comfy and cozy with shivery suds.

The Market on Fountain Square

Check out the pictures from last week's Market on Fountain Square (click on the pic below):

 

Blog Bits

For the gift that keeps on giving, forward your padre a link to the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog.  He'll absolutely appreciate a piece of the following action:

Gourmet Burger Recipe 
How Can Whipped Cream Change YOUR Life?
Words of Wisdom to Share
My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard 

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

June 15th -TODAY - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square , 11-2 Burgers: Ricotta-Stuffed Burger with Balsamic Glaze, and (I Can't Believe It's Not) Butter Burger

June 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, register now

June 20th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. Topic: FATHER'S DAY SPECIAL

June 21st - Foodies' Night In: The Geat Outdoors, 4-6 p.m. EST; Sponsored By: Venturepax

Stay Cool

I really am not one to complain about the weather.  I get a kick out of the ups and downs.  In fact, I actually think I'm quite flexible.  Knits, fleece, galoshes, linen - I'm down. 

But - for the love all things melty - I am sweating my earlobes off!  What kind of point is Mother Nature trying to make?!?  In the time it takes me to walk from the freezer to the back porch, my popsicle's a puddle.  To the Big Green Mama - we got it.  You're the strongest, the bravest, the fairest of them all.  You win. 

On this day, just a few after Summer Solstice, I offer to you a menu that requires no heat to make and is designed to keep you cool, in fact:

Sweet Sangria
Strawberries with Goat Cheese and Toasted Pecans    
Gazpacho with Avocado Whip
Chilled Cantaloupe Soup  
Roast Beef and Caper Lettuce Cups with Lemon Vinaigrette
Fresh Fruit Cups 
Caramel Cream Float

 

Stay Hydrated

Revolutionize the rest of this summer's outdoor moments with the complete collection of tools to serve carefully your favorite wine.  Pop it open with this simple key.  Keep it steady with these brilliant "sticks".  And plant the bottle in this holder here.  In a sip you'll forget you were ever even warm.

 

 

Blog Bits

If you'd rather just be still and suck on some ice chips, at least let your peepers chill at the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog.  Read about what other people are eating in the following recent posts:

7 Days for SIDS: Planning a Brunch  
Food Photos: The Summit Restaurant
Campfire Favorites: An #FNI Follow-Up    

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

June 27th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. Topic: Beer and Home Brewing

June 28th - Foodies' Night In: The Geat Outdoors, 4-6 p.m. EST; Grilling Tips

June 29th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Burgers: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! and Homemade Linguica Sausage with Peppers and Onions

July 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by Oriental Wok, register now!   

Hot Off the Grill

From the tank tops to the painted toes, and every midriff in between, I see summer all around me.  It's really official for me and Molly and Caitlin today (minus the midriffs), however, as we fire up our grill for The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square.  This afternoon marks the beginning of our third burger season smack dab in the middle of Downtown Cincinnati for lunch on Tuesdays.  For the love of buttery buns, we are ready to get this party started.

Today we'll be dealing two different spankin' new creations from the mind of the Caitlin we all know and love...and happen to be cooking with.  Visit us for a Ricotta-Stuffed Beef Burger with Roma Tomatoes and a Balsamic Glaze, or a Walnut Pesto Pork Burger with Brie and Crispy Apples.  (If you can't make it in person, keep coming back to the site - we'll have recipes and pictures up by the end of the day.)

And so, in lieu of the usual Deep Thoughts by Kelly Trush, I offer to you a collection of market-tested burger recipes.  Like I always say, these babies are burgers in that they're shaped like burgers and served on buns.  But you've never had anything like them.  Enjoy the greatest hits of Summers '08 and '09:

Caprese Burger  
Waffle Fry Burger
Frenchie Burger 
Buffalo Burger
Italian Burger  
Caesar Burger 
Muffuletta Burger   
Greek Burger 
Mole Burger  

 

Summer Entertaining

What could be better, easy, more engaging at this time of the year than a progressive dinner?  Not a thing in the world.  Move from dining room to dining room, or backyard grill to backyard grill, throughout your neighborhood, noshing all the way.  Divvy up the drinks, apps, main course, and dessert, and enjoy every single taste.  For easy clean-up, serve small bites on disposable plates - just toss the mess before moving on to the next house.

 

 

Blog Bits

Treat the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog like your one-stop market for good news.  Take a gander at the spirit we've been spreading recently:

How to Start Eating Healthy and What to Eat
How to Make Marshmallows   
The Taste of Umami? An #FNI Review   

Where You Can Find Us:

June 7th-13th - 7 Days for SIDS, register now for golf outing and brunch 

June 8th -TODAY - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square , 11-2

June 13th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. Topic: Biking in Cincinnati

June 14th - Foodies' Night In: Desserts and Ice Cream, 4-6 p.m. EST

June 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, register now!

Summer Fare, Family Style

Like you, perhaps, I got to spend the holiday weekend on a road trip visiting extended family.  The Trush Family Five (not yet a popular singing group, although we did perform "I Like to Eat Eat Eat Apples and Bananas" no less than 794 times through Indiana) drove just about six hours each way to be with relatives with whom we share great-grandparents -- distant enough that we had to review every little branch and twig of the family tree before each gathering.  And distant enough that we were worked up about how to get there, what we should bring, and how well our charming trio of princesses would behave.

Well, suffice to say, all our worry and review was for naught.  From the second we pulled into the driveway of Aunt Carol and Uncle Bill, to our first steps onto the back porch of our cousins in Lemont, IL, we were welcomed with open arms.  We had drinks in our hands, food on our plates, and comfortable seats in the sun.  In an instant we were made to feel like everyone had been waiting for us.  (And in the next instant, the aforementioned princesses dunked themselves, fully clothed, in the baby pool.  Lovely.) 

Throughout the weekend I was reminded of all the reasons why cookingwithcaitlin.com came to be, and all the reasons I am so darn lucky to be a part of it.  From the start, Molly, Caitlin, and I wanted to give you excuses to come to the table with family and friends.  After all, it's the graduation or wedding -- or cannonball into the deep end with all your clothes on -- that brings us together, but it's the food over which we relate.  It's the bread we break that truly connects us.

And so, here we offer some of the very best "bread" we've got.  With the homemade ketchup to decorate every dog from here to September, and a grown-up slushy to wrap up every picnic, celebrate the people you love the most with recipes best served beneath the Summer sun. 

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup  
Homemade Ketchup
Beer-Braised Pork Shoulder with Homemade BBQ Sauce
Coleslaw
Sriracha Potato Salad
Rum-Soaked Watermelon  
Champagne Granita with Strawberry-Sage Sauce

 

Summer Accessories

Like the white linen you don after Memorial Day, there's no better way to dress your picnic table than with red-and-white check.  Make that watermelon really pop against this tablecloth and the ultimate apron to serve it in (immediately following the tablecloth in the shop).  Work the Summer soiree circuit with linens that screeeaaam S-U-M-M-E-R! 

 

 

Blog Bits

Take a mini vaca to the Cooking with Caitlin blog.  Since last we met, all sorts of good stuff's been posted.  Our most recent post cards to you:

Two Best Breakfast Menus
10 Tips to Healthy Eating   
Free Online Cooking Class: Oranges for Dessert
How to Make Bruschetta
Springerle Cookies

Where You Can Find Us:

June 6th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. Guest: Dacia Snider of SoapboxMedia.com

June 7th - Foodies' Night In: Kitchen Tools, 4-6 p.m. EST Topic: Flavor

June 7th-13th - 7 Days for SIDS, register now for golf outing and brunch 

June 8th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square , 11-2

June 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, register now!

The Cooking with Caitlin Blog

I have always gotten into trouble at the library. Not because I'm roughhousing, or snacking, or that I would ever hurt a book. Nope. I just can't keep my mouth shut. At any given moment, I may be moved to relay delight.

The librarians of my life - from Ms. Burwinkel to Ms. Overn - have been nothing less than gracious to this bull in their china shops. In the same way I season my tweets and texts with heaping spoonfuls of exclamation points and emoticons, I can't hold back in person either. Whispering is not one of my talents. And yet, I am forever grateful that, from some secret well of bookish wisdom, these lovely librarians have drawn the strength to allow me to re-enter their sacred spaces over and over again, with or without a muzzle.

So, it is with great pleasure that I report to the ever-accommodating book-keepers I have known (and to you, oh loyal foodie!) that your prayers to Saint Dewey have been answered. There is a new kind of collection on the scene, one that answers my culinary queries and entertains a bit too. One that may be frequented by expert soft-speakers and loud-mouths alike. One that's open all hours and can be visited in jammies. And one - for the love of Dr. Seuss - that will cut back on my commotion at the neighborhood library. However casual and food-focused, it is the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog.

Of course, our blog won't satisfy all of your literary cravings. But it's certainly an appropriate place for you to hoot, holler, ooh, aah, and maybe even salivate. At the Cooking with Caitlin blog, Molly, Caitlin, and I are unveiling brand new brilliant pictures and videos, delectable recipes, and interesting fun facts on fare, just about every day. We've also gathered an impressive group of guest bloggers weighing in on topics complementary to cuisine from health and wellness to coupons and saving.

Whenever you need a fix on spirit or food, we invite you to drop by (and even jump in - comments and commotion are encouraged). A peek into our favorite recent postings:

A Menu for Crunch Time
Top 10 Nutritional Tips to Get You Summer-Ready
Favorite Cookbooks 
Money-Saving Ideas
School of Culinary Arts: Lessons Learned

Where You Can Find Us:

May 26th - Guest Chef Event at Gabby's Cafe, 6 p.m.

May 30th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. 

June 7th - Foodies' Night In: Kitchen Tools, 4-6 p.m. EST

June 7th-13th - 7 Days for SIDS, register now for golf outing and brunch 

June 8th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square , 11-2

June 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin sponsored by I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, register now!

Baciami, Io sono Italiana!

You know how everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day?  How everyone's deserving of a green-spirited smooch?  Well, hello, "Prego!"  Someone said it to me today and in an instant my veins were flooded with olive oil, my pulse points perfumed by garlic.  Just like the date March 17th gives all of us instantly-Irish-on-March-17th "Irish" folk a brogue for 24 hours, any random Mona Lisa mention, Sophia Loren sighting, or casually put "Prego!," throws me into a mozzarella-smothered meltdown. 

Moonstruck is one of my favorite movies, Sinatra sings the soundtrack of my dreams, and, technically, I am one-quarter Italian-American.  In the last twelve years I have had the great, great fortune of experiencing Italy several times - first in college, last on my honeymoon, and twice in between with my sister and then my Mom.  (Slides at my house, Friday night.  What do you say?)

There is so much I could write about my adventures in and utter adoration of Italy, but I'll start with the food.  Certainly there's nothing better than a creamy ball of mozzarella di bufala and a hunk of crusty bread, but these recipes sure come close.  This weekend, twirl your fork through Caitlin's spin on some of the best Italian classics. 

Peach Caprese Salad
Baked Prosciutto Cups
Seafood Cakes with Gremolata
Potato Pizza
Braciole
Shrimp Piccata
Pasta Carbonara 
Figs with Honey

Where You Can Find Us:

May 16th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. Topic: 7 Days for SIDS

May 17th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Picnic in the Park: Foodies' Night In (#fni), 4-6 EST

May 20th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, register now

May 26th - Guest Chef Event at Gabby's Cafe, 6 p.m.

June 7th-13th - 7 Days for SIDS, register now for golf outing and brunch 

June 8th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square , 11-2

The News About My Mom

Every school day my kindergartner brings home the "news" she's written that day in her classroom.  It usually includes a note on the weather, the lunch I've packed her, and some charming (read: embarrassing) fun fact about our family.  Last week she was able to document that I had dropped her off in my pj's.  Lovely.

The moment I read the news, my heart skipped a beat, I laughed, and then I thought, for the one-millionth time since my husband and I started our own family, "my Mom is amazing."  The biggest thing I've learned since becoming a mother myself is how very little I properly appreciated my own Mom growing up.  She looked like a movie star at any given moment, crafted a well-balanced dinner every single night, and laughed at all of Dad's jokes like it was the first time she'd heard them.  She was there for every moment that was ever even remotely important to me and my sisters, and she loved us more than we could understand.

I still talk to my Mom every day, she's still laughing with my Dad, and she's still amazing.  But now I get it, now I understand. 

And so, I will go about the business of loving my own girls more than they could ever know, laughing about the news they bring home, and thanking the stars above for all the good material they give me for each week's Cooking with Caitlin newsletter (wink, wink). 

For Mother's Day this Sunday, a collection of Mom and my favorite recipes we can all appreciate:

Fresh Fruit Cups
Crepes
Parmesan Tuilles
Tuna Pizza
Pesto Piccata Burger
Chicken and Waffle Sandwich 
Opera Cream Sauce
Chocolate Martini

Where You Can Find Us:

May 9th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. SPECIAL MOTHER'S DAY SHOW

May 10th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Mother's Day Foodies' Night In (#fni), 4-6 EST

May 20th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, register now

May 26th - Guest Chef Event at Gabby's Cafe, 6 p.m.

June 7th-13th - 7 Days for SIDS, register now for golf outing and brunch 

June 8th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square , 11-2

The Impossible-to-Screw-Up Recipes

What I am about to write is going to make you feel very good about your social life... 

Friday night I got my hair cut.  At a "value" salon.  For $5.99.  It's a different kind of Happy Hour at 8 p.m. in a suburban strip mall - one that makes me happy I'm not "on the market" anymore.  (With my discount 'do, I just don't think I'd attract anyone but Dolly Parton's wigmaker who might see me as a great "before.")  Although I didn't notice a seeing eye dog next to her chair, I'm not so sure my stylist actually looked at my head when she "styled" it.  But I did get just what I asked for, a cut.

The thing is, hair grows back, and, I have a healthy supply of product at home.  There is no amount of shear damage that can't be saved by a serious shellacking.  (There's a reason my hair never moves.) 

And so, as I've been lathering up my noggin day to day with everything from fluffy mousse to Big Sexy Hair, and because I am always always always noodling around my next meal, I can't help but think of Caitlin's recipes that have saved me in the kitchen over and over.  The ones that are still yummy even if I overdo the mousse, the ones that cost less than $5.99 to put together and never fail in the delicious department, the ones that neither I nor my chop-happy hairdresser can goof up.  Find them all right here:

Butter Popcorn Toppers
Caitlin's Homemade Hummus
Buttercup Mustard
Roasted Tomatoes
Pesto Pork Tenderloin
Waffle Fry Burger 
Caramel Cream Float
Schlopp with a Cherry on Top

1 Night 12 Kitchens - think we had fun?

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also... 

May 2nd - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. 

May 3rd - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Cinco de Mayo: Foodies' Night In (#fni), 4-6 EST

May 20th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin; register now.

June 7th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square , 11-2

June 7th-13th - 7 Days for SIDS, register now for golf outing and brunch 

Gifts of Spring

We've had a week of rough nights here at Trush Estates.  Through a symphony of hacking, sneezing, and snoring, we have all tried to sleep.  Tossing and turning to the tune of my husband's nose whistle, over and over I've been startled awake by some serious log-sawing.  And each morning, still asleep with their eyes open, the girls have staggered to the breakfast table with SERTA stamped on their cheeks, and superbad bed-head that could only come from spooning with egg beaters... 

...Or allergies.  It's the wretched allergies that come with all the pollen that have sabotaged our sleep.  It's the green, the grassy, the growing that's making all of us crazy. 

And then, it occurs to me, just before I am about to flip my fatigued lid, that it's the green, the grassy, the growing that's making us crazy.  It's the blossoms, the bushes, the beautiful tulips that have pushed through the dirt.  It's Spring with a capital "S" that's got me all lathered up.  And this is GREAT news!  Spring is the reason asparagus is tender and crunchy, avocado's never been creamier, and blood oranges are so darn sweet. 

Never mind the inconvenience of allergies (and the corresponding bed-head) after all.  It's the color and crunch of Spring that makes it all worthwhile.  If it means I get to wake up to any the following recipes, I'll suffer through another week of throaty breathing.

Speed Up the Process

Just in case it didn't jump out at you up above, it is imperative that I call your attention to the Asparagus Slaw in this week's menu.  It brought the house down when Caitlin served it on top a beef burger with a lump of goat cheese at last week's Third Thursday event.  It is nothing less than deeelicious, and, in true Caitlin style, it is super simple to create. 

Make it even easier on yourself by using this food processor from Shop CWC, or one just like it.  Chop your way to hero in no time.

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also... 

April 25th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. Topic: Kristen Erwin & the Film Commission

April 26th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni), 4-6 EST. 

May 20th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, register now

June 7th - Cooking with Caitlin returns to The Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square , 11-2

June 7th-13th - 7 Days for SIDS, register now for golf outing and brunch 

Dancin' Machine

My husband and I went on a date over the weekend. 

It doesn't sound like a big deal, but, make no mistake, it was revolutionary.  Typically our weeks end with the two of us melting into exhaustion shortly after tucking in the troops.  We fall asleep to the boob tube, wake up to a test pattern, and snore right on through the time in between.  (Va va va voom, right?)

But last weekend - oh last weekend - I wore lipstick and eyeliner, we passed the baton to a babysitter, and we stayed up waaay past our bedtime (even past midnight, and neither of us turned into a pumpkin!).  Dale and I landed at a dueling piano bar surrounded by some of our favorite people.  Among friends, we sang at the top of our lungs, and dance-dance-danced all night.  And even though I woke up Saturday morning feeling like a hot frying pan had smashed me in the face, it was one of the best play-dates I've been on in a long time. 

Back in my familiar day-to-day orthotic-stuffed shoe/baseball cap get-up, like any true dancin' machine, I've caught myself busting a move in the least appropriate places.  And so, I am inspired to deliver to you a menu full of textures and flavors and ingredients you never even knew could tango, but have all the right moves when they get tangled up.  Get down with your bad self.

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

April 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, register now 

April 18th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. Topic: Findlay Market

April 19th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni), 4-6 EST. 

June 7th-13th - 7 Days for SIDS, register now for golf outing and brunch 

Wish You Were Here

Greetings from Arizona.  In lieu of the postcard I'd love to write to each one of our fellow foodies, I am sending you this newsletter sealed with a sun kiss.  Where I sit, in Phoenix, AZ, even the wind is warm, the sky is breathtakingly blue, and the air that envelopes me is sweetly scented by citrus blooms.  After almost a week of sun worship, my Midwest-based bod is just now getting over the culture shock of a certain sun. 

With my family beside me, we have eaten our way through the wild, wild west barefoot and covered in sunscreen.  There is much more sun to be soaked, and so, in the true spirit of vacation, I'm keeping this short and sweet.  I offer to you a menu filled to the top with the glorious citrus that decorates this desert landscape.  Enjoy every juicy bite.

Where You Can Find Us:

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

April 11th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. 

April 12th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni), 4-6 EST.  TOPIC: Food Advertising

April 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, register now 

June 7th-13th - 7 Days for SIDS, register now for golf outing and brunch 

The Headliner of the Potluck

No doubt you've partaken in plenty of potlucks.  Aunt Rosemary brings her spinach dip in a pumpernickel round, Cousin Elizabeth contributes a tray of her famous deviled eggs, and Grandma Marie always delivers her worth-every-extra-pound pound cake.  There are all sorts of potato and pasta salads in between, but it is always Grandma's cake everybody leaves raving about.  Of course, everything at the table was scrumptious, but since cake was the last on the lips, it's what you talk about the whole way home.

This week, Molly, Caitlin, and I got to participate in a Cincinnati Social Media Breakfast with marketing and public relations professionals from our area, hosted by The Midwest Culinary Institute.  We brought breakfast and then spoke about our Twitter event, Foodies' Night In.  Our surroundings were cutting edge and uber comfortable, and our audience was a fine collection of communicators (including Kevin Dugan of @prblog and Debba Haupert of @girlfriendology) who have, in many ways, taught us everything we know about social media.  Each attendant of the event was a very real contributor to its success, and yet, it is we, Cooking with Caitlin, who have been celebrated these last few days with the social media equivalent of a cheer tunnel.  Bottom line: our cake was no better than the eggs, we just got to show it off before everyone left the building.  

So that you may be the standout player in this next week's worth of tournament play and holiday parties, we've put together our list of go-to recipes for potlucks throughout the year.  All of them may be prepared in advance, travel well, and look stunning as a part of any spread.  Get ready to shine, baby:

The Results Are In

Thank you, thank you to everyone who took part in our survey over the last few weeks.  Our goal was to get to know you and just what you want.  Suffice to say, we've never felt closer to you.

You asked for more recipes, more menus, and more good news. It is in the hopper, my friends. We promise to serve it all up hot off the grill.

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on our new and improved blog, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

March 28th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  

March 29th- cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) sponsored by Healthy Choice, 4-6 EST

April 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, Registration!

...and COMING SOON...

March Madness

For someone who's feeling older and older everyday (sore knees, 9:00 bedtime, utter lack of techno-savvy), this week absolutely has been maaadness, smack dab in the middle of my March.  The craziness began, of course, with the greenest day of all, St. Paddy's.  Even without having sipped from a frosty mug, the party lasts from morning to midnight for a girl named Kelly Sweeney Siobhan McCarthy O'Mahoney.  I needed a nap. 

But not before I got a tour of a brand spankin' new super grocery market nearby.  It was sparkling and shiny and stuffed with good eats (a city-block of Murray's cheese and a runway lined with ice cream).  It is the setting of my sweetest dreams, and it was, consequently, quite an emotional experience.

From there, the Cooking with Caitlin crew moved right into our signature event, Third Thursday.  In honor of Caitlin's cravings for south-of-the-border sunshine in her mouth, the Mexican-themed menu was nothing short of a culinary conga for everyone who joined us.  Our Cinco de Mayo pre-party turned into one colorful fiesta fiesta.

And here I find myself on Saturday morning feeling like Betty White after filming her Snickers sack for the Super Bowl, like a hot frying pan has hit me in the face, like nothing would be better than a day full of the other March madness and a belly full of creamy-crunchy-spicy snacks. 

So that we may all get our graze on together, I've listed below a few of the new favorites from this week's Third Thursday.  Let's fill the well this weekend and meet back here next week. 

Speaking of the Comment Feature...

For one more week, we offer you our monkey.  Our Survey Monkey, that is. 

You know that Molly, Caitlin, and I come to you from Cincinnati, that we're really excited about food, and that we love an audience (well, maybe that's just me).  But we just don't know a thing about you.  Won't you please complete this survey?  It will help us not only know you better, but serve you better.  Click right here to be heard in less than 2 minutes.

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

March 21st- What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. .  TOPIC: Organizing

March 22nd- cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6

April 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, Registration COMING SOON!

...and COMING SOON...

Perfect Your Smooch

St. Patrick's fixing for his big day next week, so you better spend these next couple practicing your pucker.  After all, whether you come from a long line of leprechauns or not, the luckiest parts of all of us come sparkling through on this greenest day of the year.  It's the day when we can all relate to Ferris Bueller uncommonly well, when nothing tastes better with our breakfast bagel than a beer.  It's the day before the day when most Americans cash in our first sick day of the year.  And most importantly, St. Patrick's Day is the one that comes with the friendliest of instructions for every Irish (if only for the day) participant: Kiss Me!

Molly, Caitlin, and I are wishing on leaf after leaf after leaf after leaf (that's four) of lush clover that you get pots o' golden kisses all day long.  The following menu is designed to inspire just that. 

Green Eggs and Ham
Homemade Beer Bread
Bacon-Wrapped Apples
Potato Leek Soup
Fish-and-Chip Sandwich
Potato Pizza
Minted Peas
Winter Brew

And The Survey Says...

...We don't know really know each other.  I mean, you know that Molly, Caitlin, and I come to you from Cincinnati, that we're really excited about food, and that we love an audience (well, maybe that's just me).  But we just don't know enough about you. 

Won't you please complete this survey?  It should take less than two minutes, but it will help us know you better, and serve you better.  And that's really what this is all about, isn't it?

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

March 14th- What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. .  TOPIC: The Sweat Training

March 15th- cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6

March 18th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, Register here. 

...and COMING SOON...

Is There a Doctor in the House?

Somebody call a doctor - Phil, Oz, maybe even McDreamy.  Something is wrong with how my mind works.  I just spent two weeks crying happy tears of utter inspiration watching the well-oiled machines who are Olympic athletes.  I tune into "The Biggest Loser" every single Tuesday.  For the love of Spanx, I have even paged through (slowly, I admit) Sports Illustrated's most recent Swimsuit Issue in awe of some of the totally toned bods. 

So why - oh why oh why oh why - in the world have I been craving nothing but sweets?  Why do sugar plums dance in my head when 'twas the night before Christmas months ago?  And why ever would I give you a list full of desserts when they're the very thing I'm trying desperately to resist?

I've got to get 'em out of my system, that's why.  It's the only thing that will work.  (I speak from bacon-craving/Swine-Flu experience.)  Go big or go home.  Start fresh on Monday.  Just don't tell the doctor.

Enjoy.

Red Wine-Raspberry Doughnut Glaze
Cinnamon Pineapple Doughnut Glaze
French Toast Sandwiches
Caitlin's Quick Homemade Cracker Jacks
Tres Leches Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream
Red Raspberry Bon Bons
Red Wine-Poached Pears
Chocolate Cinnamon Whip

Cover the Curves

It just wouldn't be right of me to lay Caitlin's recipe for life-changing Tres Leches Cupcakes on you without also offering to you the ensemble to don for optimum enjoyment of it.  It's the Snuggie, of course.  You've just got to know the world's most flaw-forgiving pile of fabric is well-stocked at Shop CWC .  In fact, it's one of Molly's favorites.  Even dressed-up doughnuts taste better in a blanket with sleeves.

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

March 7th- What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. .  TOPIC: The International Housewares Show

March 8th- cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6

March 18th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, Register here. 

...and COMING SOON...

A Menu for My Two New Friends

We got two fish.  We did.  Can you believe it?  Two little golden guys called Fancy and Ariel.  Just as soon as I sent out last week's newsletter on 101 ways to eat fish, and just as I finished cleaning the pan from a meal of crunchy-creamy Fish Tacos, we got two fish. 

I'm having a little bit of a guilty conscience.  Their Amy-Adams eyes and Angelina-Jolie lips seem to follow me wherever I am.  Every time I open the fridge, the tartar sauce falls out; every time I turn the corner cabinet, the malt vinegar stares back at me.  I couldn't even make it through Ellen DeGeneres's live debut on American Idol without hearing Dory from Finding Nemo. 

And so, in an effort to ingratiate the slippery news members of our family, I offer to you a completely fish-less, however tasty, list of recipes for the week ahead.  (Say a prayer no one brings home a cute little piggy this week.)

Strawberries with Goat Cheese and Toasted Pecans
Fresh Orange Salad
Mexican-Spiced Flank Steak
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Fried Egg Tostadas (layer with leftover flank steak)
Red Wine-Poached Pears
Chocolate Cinnamon Whip

Ginsu Knives, Foreman Grills, Jack LaLanne Juicers

Gear up for culinary success this spring and summer with Cooking with Caitlin over the next week.  Brush up on the basics with this article on Must-Have Kitchen Accessories.  Monday, meet Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin, and a group of kitchen experts, hand-selected by us, in the Twitterverse for Foodies' Night In all about Kitchen Tools and Utensils.  Then, stop by Shop CWC for everything from books about food to dishwashers .  Stock your kitchen for tip-top culinary performance.

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

February 28th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  GUEST: The Cure Starts Now

March 1st- cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST TOPIC: Kitchen Tools and Utensils

March 18th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, Register here. 

...and COMING SOON...

For All You Trivia Players Out There: A Fish Fact

In case you didn't know, Molly, Caitlin, and I are proud to hail from Ohio's Queen City, Cincinnati, USA.  Our little big city is known not only for Cooking with Caitlin (wink, wink), but also for Graeter's ice cream, WKRP, and Chad Ochocinco.  Oh, and the Filet-O-Fish.

It's true.  McDonald's Filet-o-Fish sandwich was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.  A local franchisee started serving it in the early 60s in order to stay in business during Lent when none of the city's large Catholic population would eat meat.  Clearly it was a hit; shortly thereafter, in 1963, Ray Kroc added the Filet-O-Fish to McDonald's permanent menu.

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Catholic tradition.  It kicks off the morning after Mardi Gras, ends with Easter, and is filled with all sorts of meatless days.  Whatever you know to be true, there is no doubt you believe in McDonald's Filet-O-Fish.  So, I sure hope you hugged the first person you saw with an ashy forehead yesterday, for her ever-so-small part in bringing the Filet-O-Fish to a McDonald's near you.

Then, later, you can hug me and Molly and Caitlin for bringing all of these tasty fish recipes to an inbox near you:

Homemade Lox
Seafood Cakes with Homemade Gremolata
Smoked Shrimp
Shrimp Piccata
Shrimp with Henry Bain Sauce
Tuna Pizza
Seared Scallops with Tarragon-Dijon Mustard
Cream-Poached Salmon
Salmon Burger
Fish-and-Chip Sandwich
Shrimp and Grits
Fish Tacos

Fun Past Fat Tuesday

Because the festivities don't have to end midnight on Fat Tuesday, and because, most assuredly, the snow will not end (in Cincinnati, anyway) then, keep Caitlin's Snow Dough recipe handy.  Mix it up with your stir-crazy kids.  Keep them busy by throwing into the fold the Onigiri rice molds you bought last week.  Bury your snow-day blues while the flakes pile up outside.

THE LAST WEEK: City Beat's Best of Cincinnati Awards

Caitlin, Cooking with Caitlin, and cookingwithcaitlin.com have been nominated by City Beat as the Best of Cincinnati chefs, caterers, and websites, respectively.  We are downright tickled - and oh-so grateful - to be in the running.  Won't you please take a moment and vote for us right here? 

And now, for the most important part: THANK YOU.

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

February 18th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, THEME: The Oscars. 

February 20th - Post-Modern Burgers with Caitlin Steininger, a Creations Community Cooking Class at The Midwest Culinary Institute.

February 21st - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  GUEST: The Honey-Baked Ham Family

February 22nd - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST TOPIC:  Wine Tasting Tour

...and COMING SOON...

Snowed In and Swept Away

It appears that last week's love note to the ground hog never hit his suggestion box.  Or, he did read it after all, and he's just cranky about my attempts to sweet-talk him.  Either way, Winter's been working overtime since I clicked "send" a week ago.  Snow drifts, snow days, Snow Dough - we've had our bellies full.  (And undoubtedly, what we've gotten in Cincinnati pales in comparison to the rest of the country.) 

In an effort to thaw our minds, we continue on the taste bud world tour that began with last week's French-kissed menu.  Monday's Foodies' Night In (#fni) was all about International Foods, and it really drew from all corners of the Earth.  The Twitter-table was crowded with folks from Hawaii to Toronto, from Persian kitchens to Italian kitchens.  The collective voice of worldwide flavor swept all of us away on a magic carpet through the most delicious stops in the Twitterverse.

The #fni magic carpet has parked for the week, but we've collected some of the best keepsakes we came across on Monday's ride right here in Shop CWC.  Check out the last page of Caitlin's Favorite Things, or just click on the links below to get your own souvenirs.

• cast-iron wok According to @BlogWellDone, anything tastes better hot from a wok.  (Why not christen yours with some Peppers and Onions?)
• Onigiri rice mold Carol from @CoziFamily packs rice molds in her kids' lunches.  Impressive (says she -- me, Kelly! -- whose kids believe lunch and PB&J are synonymous).
• Pizzelle press This is actually one of Caitlin's favorites.  She forms the lace-like cookies into trumpets and fills them with Homemade Whipped Cream and berries, or makes crispy little S'more sandwiches with marshmallow fluff and chocolate ganache.
• Tostone maker (the last one in Caitlin's Favorite Things)  It is @JulieDiazAsper who can't live without this.  She swears by her Tostone maker for double-fried plantains.  (Serve them as a crunchy treat beside Caitlin's version of a Cuban Sandwich.)

How We Keep Our Shelves Stocked

In light of the all the international cooking tools we've introduced above, there's no better time to thank you for visiting Shop CWC. 

Sooo, thank you, THANK YOU!

Your patronage of our little marketplace helps keep the cookingwithcaitlin.com machine in motion.  Truly, we couldn't feed you all the great food and good news you're hungry for without your frequent visits.  Thank you again.  (For a reminder of or introduction to the way it works exactly, check out our article on affiliate marketing right here.)  

City Beat's Best of Cincinnati Awards

If you missed it last week, Caitlin, Cooking with Caitlin, and cookingwithcaitlin.com have been nominated by City Beat as the Best of Cincinnati chefs, caterers, and websites, respectively.  We are downright tickled - and oh-so grateful - to be in the mix.  Won't you please take a moment and vote for us right here? 

And now, for the most important part: THANK YOU.

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

February 14th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  GUEST: Olympic Gold-Medalist Swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale

February15th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST 

February 18th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, THEME: The Oscars.  Register here.

February 20th - Post-Modern Burgers with Caitlin Steininger, a Creations Community Cooking Class at The Midwest Culinary Institute. Register here.

...and COMING SOON...

A Plea to the Ground Hog

When I, Kelly, started writing this newsletter a couple days ago, I still had high hopes that our ol' buddy Punxsutawney Phil would do the right thing and grant us the glory of an early spring.  I can never remember if that means he needs to see his shadow or not, but I sure am clear on what a couple more weeks of winter would feel like, and I'm not interested.  Having survived many lake-effect winters in Cleveland and Chicago over the years, I fancy myself quite a hearty Midwest woman, able to take on winter's worst, but this year I'm craving Vitamin D like nobody's business. 

I didn't realize how quickly my clear-blue-sky itch was spreading until I landed behind LuLu's in Monday night's Zumba class.  Of course, I wouldn't know LuLu if I sat on her, but it appears (from the tee shirt that salsa-ed and rumba-ed in front of me throughout the shake-fest) that she has quite a set-up at Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores, Alabama.  For the rest of the class - for the rest of the night! - I dreamt about drinks with umbrellas and desserts that smell like sunscreen.    

It turns out that Phil and his cousins from around the country - General Lee from Georgia, Woodstock Willie from Illinois, and Buckeye Chuck from Ohio - delivered mixed results yesterday.  While Phil reported a time-chunk of more chills, the others predicted a sooner-than-later spring.  Whatever the case, I suspect you might be ready for a change of scenery as well. 

So, for this week, let us be whisked away (by our taste buds, and in our minds) to a sun-drenched place that is named for its Riviera with a menu designed to take us there.  Say "Oui, oui" to something French-inspired:

Crepes (make these in the morning and enjoy throughout the day with Nutella, cinnamon and sugar, and whipped cream and berries, for breakfast, snack, and dessert)
Brie and Grape Grilled Cheese
French Onion Soup
Nicoise Salads
Coq au Vin
The Frenchie featuring Fresh Parsley Butter (that's delicious on any baguette that will sit still in front of you)
Steak au Poivre Burger
Red Raspberry Bon Bons

Cloth Napkins for a Classy Crew

Like a creamy dollop on a wedge of pie, I complete the slice of life I've delivered so far with a highlight on my little Daisy daughter's latest fave.  Having shared tea and tiny sandwiches with her kindergarten cohorts at a recent Daisy Scouts meeting, my going-on-sixteen five-year-old has become crazy proper.  She's requested scones for breakfast, informed me that she prefers dresses, and wants to know why we don't use cloth napkins. 

For my darling little lady, for her napkins, I will click here (the first item in Kelly's Favorites).   And by the time you, my darling foodie friends, have purchased your own, I do believe ours will already be embroidered. 

City Beat's Best of Cincinnati Awards

If you missed it last week, Caitlin, Cooking with Caitlin, and cookingwithcaitlin.com have been nominated by City Beat as the Best of Cincinnati chefs, caterers, and websites, respectively.  We are downright tickled - and oh-so grateful - to be in the mix.  Won't you please take a moment and vote for us right here? 

And now, for the most important part: THANK YOU.

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

February 7th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  GUEST:  Susanna and Mike Wong of Oriental Wok in Honor of the Chinese New Year

February 8th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST  TOPIC:  International Foods

February 18th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin, THEME: The Oscars.  Register here.

February 20th - Post-Modern Burgers with Caitlin Steininger, a Creations Community Cooking Class at The Midwest Culinary Institute. Register here.

...and COMING SOON...

Red Carpet-Worthy Burgers

I, Kelly, am nothing short of swept up by the award season of 2010; I can't help thinking every step I take brings me closer to my very own Golden Globe or Grammy.  Of course, I've been nominated for neither, but you just never know when Joan Rivers herself will want to weigh in on my get-up.  (She's always so complimentary too.  Cue the gravely voice:  "That dress fits like a tourniquet.  The mop is so manufactured.  God help the eyelashes she's pasted to her face; they're about to crawl right down it.")  

And so, as the sun comes up over Cincinnati, I write to you in my very best red-carpet regalia.  I've chosen to wear the French designer called Target (pronounced Tar-jhay, of course).  And I think I feel a nose-bleed coming on from these heels.  But, whew!, do I look good.   

While I wait for Ryan Seacrest to pull me aside for my close-up, I invite you to take a walk down the red carpet that runs through the Cooking with Caitlin kitchen.  As Caitlin prepares to teach Post-Modern Burgers at The Midwest Culinary Institute (a class that anyone can take by registering here), she's gathered her best burger recipes all in one place.  And the award goes to the tastiest burgers of 2009...

MOST LADYLIKE BITE:  The Frenchie
MOST STUDLY BITE:  The Man-inator 
BEST CRUNCHY-CREAMY-SPICY BITE:  The Buffalo  
BEST SALTY-SWEET SHOWDOWN:  The Pesto-Piccata 
TIED FOR BEST FOREIGN FLAVOR:  The Mexican
and The Braciole  
BEST REINVENTION:  The Pastrami on Rye

And the burgers are BEST DRESSED in...
Crispy Sriracha Potato Salad and Homemade Coleslaw. 

The Scoop that Started It All

From carpet to carpet, chefs and stars alike are giving praise and thanks to the same scoop that started it all.  It's this scoop - this 4-ounce food scoop - that pre-portions perfectly the best burgers at the party.  Order up one for your award-winning self from the shop at cookingwithcaitlin.com.

City Beat's Best of Cincinnati Awards

Here's your chance to hear the speech - you know, the one I've been working on for that Oscar (wink, wink).  Caitlin, Cooking with Caitlin, and cookingwithcaitlin.com have been nominated by City Beat as the Best of Cincinnati chefs, caterers, and websites, respectively.  We are downright tickled - and oh-so grateful - to be in the mix.  Won't you please take a moment and vote for us right here? 

And now, for the most important part of the speech I've teased: THANK YOU.

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

January 31st- What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3p.m. GUESTS:  Julie and Julie on Dinner and Dating on Valentine's Day

February 1st - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST  TOPIC: Affordable Meals

February 18th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Check out January's pics and register now.

February 20th - Post-Modern Burgers with Caitlin Steininger, a Creations Community Cooking Class at The Midwest Culinary Institute. Register here.

...and COMING SOON...

Take Comfort

There's no better way to start a day than with a warm bowl of creamy oatmeal, nothing better at the end than a sturdy mug of hot chocolate.  A cookie or two can heal a boo-boo of any kind; a perfectly dressed crudite platter can save an entire party.  It is one meal after the next that marks our favorite memories.  And whether it was Caitlin's Candied Clementines or her Elephant Ears, it is food that brings us together in this oh-so comfortable food-focused community.

At this time when a chunk of the world is craving just a spoonful of comfort, I offer to you a menu chock full of warm, fuzzy, and family in every bite.  Come to the table.  Break bread with the ones you love the most.  Give thanks for the comforts that buffer your days and make good your life.

Cream of Tomato Soup
Roasted Chicken with Apple Butter 
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Crunchy Green Beans in Brown Butter Sauce
Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios 
Homemade Beer Bread 
Apple Tarts with Fresh Whipped Cream
Chocolate-Covered Bananas with Macadamia Nuts

Haiti Relief

Here's a link to the American Red Cross.   Click on it to learn the best way for you to make a difference in the lives of those ravaged by the earthquake in Haiti.  Certainly, you can donate money online, but you can also find out where to give blood, volunteer time, and even how to ever-so simply make a $10 donation by sending a one-word text.

January Third Thursday:  Porkopolis

In honor of the Queen City of Cincinnati from which cookingwithcaitlin.com hails, and in the go-big-or-go-home spirit you've come to know and love about us, I am pleased to announce that the theme of this month's Third Thursday at The McAlpin will be Porkopolis.  Register here and now for a pink-hued, curly-tailed romp through nine courses of old-school Cincinnati-flavored favorites in petit-four proportions, and drinks provided by The McAlpin.

Hurry, spaces are limited, and registration closes Wednesday evening.

Where You Can Find Us:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

January 21st - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.

January 24th- What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3p.m. GUEST:  Rodger Bingham of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (oh, and Survivor too)

January 25th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST 

February 20th - Post-Modern Burgers with Caitlin Steininger, a Creations Community Cooking Class at The Midwest Culinary Institute. Register here.

...and COMING SOON...

Pickled Cactus, Oyster Ice Cream, Bomba Calabrese

From chocolate-covered bugs to fried hunks of animal entrails, I find myself fascinated by shocking food finds and the folks just batty enough to eat them.  I am tickled to learn what spins around another's lazy Susan, too.  At this week's Foodies' Night In (#fni), I heard myself hooting into the Twitterverse reading true confessions of foodies who had sprung for tuna sperm sacks, bomba calabrese, oyster ice cream, pickled cactus, and all sorts of...delicacies?  I am even delighted by the way food words feel as they roll off my tongue - sopapilla, falafel, chamomile, quinoa, sopapilla, sopapilla... 

And so for you, my little chimichanga, I have compiled a list of recipes marked so memorably with the Cooking with Caitlin stamp.  Steer clear of tuna sperm sacks, and still do dinner differently with any one of these twisted up designs on actually quite common foods.  Take your taste buds and your food-focused fancies on a trip without ever leaving your kitchen.

Avocado Whip
Stone Fruit Quesadilla
Fish and Chip Sandwich
Potato Pizza
Chicken and Waffle Sandwich
Coffee-Rubbed Flank Steak
York Peppermint Crunch
Schlopp with a Cherry on Top

The Duds to Do It Right

Whether your taste-seeking travels take you to Belize, or the breakfast table in your own kitchen, dress comfortably in cookingwithcaitlin.com gear from Shop CWC.  Start every delicious day in this hoodie designed to complement the curves of any hungry foodie.  And layer this long-sleeve tee underneath for fashion-forward warmth throughout the afternoon.  Know that even chocolate tastes better enjoyed in the cotton from cookingwithcaitlin.com.

January Third Thursday:  Porkopolis

In honor of the Queen City of Cincinnati from which cookingwithcaitlin.com hails, and in the go-big-or-go-home spirit you've come to know and love about us, I am pleased to announce that the theme of this month's Third Thursday at The McAlpin will be Porkopolis.  Register here and now for a pink-hued, curly-tailed romp through nine courses of old-school Cincinnati-flavored favorites in petit-four proportions, and drinks provided by The McAlpin.

What's Happening:

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

January 17th- What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3p.m. GUEST:  Local Chef and MCI Instructor Kyle Goebel

January 18th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST  TOPIC: Entertaining for Less Presented by Meijer Gold

January 21st - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.

February 20th - Post-Modern Burgers with Caitlin Steininger, a Creations Community Cooking Class at The Midwest Culinary Institute. Register here.

...and COMING SOON...

Bring It to a Boil

2009 was a good year, a wonderful year, indeed.  I, Kelly, learned how to add a little ooh-la-la to my life with the Frenchie Burger, Molly got down on the get-down with the Father of Funk, Bootsy Collins himself, in the middle of Cincinnati's Fountain Square (on this Cooking with Caitlin Show episode), and Caitlin answered the all-important question, what's cooking?, in a particularly pleasing way with the delivery of her baby son Miles on Mother's Day (no links for that, you'll just have to trust that he's yummy).  It's true, 2009 simmered throughout.

But let's bring 2010 to a boil.  Let's fire it up from the first month.  Kick some spice into our snow days.  Blow the lid off our kitchens.  From this day forward, let us not be afraid to bite off more than we can chew. 

To get ourselves warmed up, we've got to mix it up.  Raise your heart rate with these twisted recipes:

Antipasto Bites **Eat an entire antipasto spread in just one bite.
Caprese Burger **Melt cheese from the inside of your burger.
Tuna Pizza **That's right, put tuna on your pizza, and make it crunch with some peapods too.
Homemade Lox **You can do it; you can make your own lox.
Buttercup Mustard ** Crown your next sandwich stack with eye-popping sweetness.
Hot Whiskey Caramel Sauce **Designed for panna cotta, but just about perfect on everything else.
Bananas Foster **Set your fruit on fire this year.

The Tools to Take You There

In this New Year, may all your drinks be perfectly shaken (by this martini shaker).  May your apples be expertly cored (by this apple corer).  And may your sauces be boiled doubly (in this double-boiler).

Homemade Lox

Relax and Join Us!

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

January 10th- What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  TOPIC: Easy, Practical Healthy Eating

January 11th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST  TOPIC: Day-to-Day Healthy Eating

January 21st - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.

February 20th - Post-Modern Burgers with Caitlin Steininger, a Creations Community Cooking Class at The Midwest Culinary Institute Register here

...and COMING SOON...

A Belly Full of Good Luck

It's really the only way to start off a new year.  You've just got to kick-start '10 with a meal so tempting, so tasty, so oozy, melty, gooey with good luck that it dances down your pipes to the tune of "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now..."  Make your first meal of the decade one to remember.  (As in, one to remember for the rest of the January days you sweat in the gym.  Go big, or go home, baby.)  Get your belly full knowing that you, your teeth, your tongue, and your tummy have done everything they could to lift the luck factor on the future that begins Friday.

Stuffed Cabbage  **Cabbage is old slang for "money;" eating it is said to bring good luck.
Hopping John-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin  **Because they move forward when looking for food, pigs symbolize forward motion, and because they swell when they're cooked, the black-eyed peas in the Hopping John symbolize prosperity. 
7-Minute Egg with Worcestershire Whipped Cream  **Through the ages and across cultures, the number 7 is good luck.  The whipped cream turns anything into your great fortune.
Champagne Granita with Strawberry-Sage Sauce  **With the sparkle in the spoon, and the dance on your tongue, these symbolize nothing other than a spirited party to usher in a new year.

After the feast of fortune, take a nap, do some jumping jacks, and get your full-of-promise person back here.  Next week, cookingwithcaitlin.com will unveil all sorts of new - and dare we say, brilliant? - ways to take on your new year in and out of the kitchen. 

Sooo...we'll meet you back here in a bit.  Enjoy your meal.  And for the love of granitas, Happy New Year!

Gussy Up the Granita 

Throughout cookingwithcaitlin.com you will find pictures of food divvied up and delivered in all sorts of creative ways.  As you know, one of our favorite ways to serve meals is in a series of petit-four proportions.  With this in mind, it will come as no surprise that the good ol' fashioned spoon is the hardest working tool in our box. 

Pick up a couple dozen workhorses - uh, spoons - for yourself before your home is crowded with New Year's revelers.  Serve lots of guests Champagne Granita on these simple, pretty white porcelain spoons.  If your gathering is a bit more intimate, serve heartier portions of the sparkling treat in clean, crisp rocks glasses with Strawberry-Sage Sauce right on top.  Either way, you will have turned fewer than five ingredients into a show-stopping stunner.

What's In It for You?

Catch the latest food news and entertaining tips on cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, and also...

January 3rd - Start the New Year off Right with Danielle Korb of Sweat Training. What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  TOPIC: A Healthy Year Ahead

January 4th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST. Consider it a convenient conversation -- just weigh in when you want, and watch the rest of it -- for 2 hours.  You are sure to leave with new recipe tips, new ideas about food, entertaining secrets, and lots of friends. This week it's all about healthy eating and simple ways to spruce up your entertaining.

January 21st - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.  Third Thursday is a great way to spend a first date, catch up with friends, or just get some new recipe ideas. Food lovers from all over the Cincinnati area are making this a must-attend event each month (and for that we are eternally grateful). Join us!

One Tasty Holiday Cake

Our original idea was cake.  Can't you just picture it?  I'd roll up to your doorstep/cubicle/Christmas tree, with a giant cake.  Caitlin pops out (of the cake, really), and Molly dishes it up.  I mean, how great would that be?  Not only would we get to eat cake with you, we'd get to thank you in person for making cookingwithcaitlin.com the smashing success it's becoming.

Of course, the cake thing isn't happening.  (We just couldn't find a cake tin big enough for Caitlin to fit inside.)  But, wow!, we are thankful for you and the new year we're staring down.  And so, in lieu of three layers and a sweet little chef on your plate, we offer you this love note, and a couple slices of holiday food smooches. 

You are the icing on our butter cookie, the peanut butter on our banana.  You are the cream in our coffee, the cheddar on our hot brown.  The gravy on our taters.  The peach in our bellini.  The basil on our tomatoes.  You make our ice cream float.  You are the yummiest darn thing in our kitchen. 

Thank you for you.
Have a wonderful holiday.

Molly, Caitlin, and me, Kelly

Shop Up to the Last Second

Outsmart even Santa in these final shopping hours before Friday.  Sure, it's probably too late to get a purchase from Shop CWC in time for your family's exchange, but with a listen to the What's HOT with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin radio show podcast right here, you can pick up thoughtful gifts even with nothing more than crunch time.  Pay attention to the tips and tricks laid out by Donna Sebastian of Nordstrom, Robbie Sheeran of Arhaus, and Todd Ross of Ross General Contractors, and you will be sure to shine more brightly than the star at the top of the tree.

Plan on stopping by Shop CWC again soon, however.  We sooo appreciate your patronage since we cut the ribbon earlier this year, and we really look forward to being here for you throughout 2010.  While you're toasting the '10, we'll be stocking the shelves with lots more good stuff.  We'll keep an eye out for you.

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

December 27th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  TOPIC:  Blue Wisp Jazz Club

December 28th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST  TOPIC:  Local Food Trends with Dojo Gelato

January 21st - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here. 

How To Cook Like Caitlin in Your Kitchen

Sunday, on the radio (whoaaa, on the radio), Molly, Caitlin, and I got to chat with Tom Trush of Write Way Solutions.  For the hour, Tom regaled us with all sorts of clever and inventive ways to easily and inexpensively ignite our marketing efforts in the New Year.  (He can regale you too if you listen to the podcast.)  He took the time to point out some of the jazziest benefits and promises made by the campaigns that are in our faces every moment of everyday.

Since we wrapped the show on Sunday, I've been swimming in a sea of deep thoughts on what promises have sucked me in recently.  It is true that ever since I started coiffing my 'do with my "Big Sexy Hair" spray, I've never felt bigger or sexier.  And that, in his Air Jordans, every change of clothes becomes an opportunity for my husband to make a 360-degree dunk (into the laundry basket); he is certain that he can "be like Mike" too.  I do believe I've even seen my girlfriend, who recently purchased a brand new Nissan Rogue, suddenly become a bit of a rogue herself - a little naughty, always irreverent. 

Of course, I also can't help but consider the cookingwithcaitlin.com benefits I spend my days proclaiming.  While they won't make your skin luminescent, your teeth any straighter, or you abs any steelier, the recipes, videos, articles, and pics at cookingwithcaitlin.com will give you the confidence you need to cook a yummy meal for your family in your own kitchen.  It's true.  In fact, I invite you to fire up your laptop, march it into the kitchen, and follow along with Caitlin herself.  Become a believer with the following quick videos:

Discover Your Knives
How To Save at the Grocery
Heat How-To
Cut Tomatoes Like a Chef
Entertaining Made Easy
How To Carve a Turkey
Perfect Mashed Potatoes

How To Shop CWC So That You Look Like Caitlin in the Kitchen

So, cookingwithcaitlin.com itself is a wonderful gift for anyone who matters to you.  It doesn't cost a soul a cent, and it is the gift that keeps on giving (and growing too).  Turn someone on to us and they will be grateful every time they flip a golden Potato Pancake, or slice into an expertly cooked Flank Steak. 

In addition to your insight and brilliance, however, consider giving the folks at the top of your gift list something to open too.  How about a Silpat baking mat on which they may ever-so confidently create their first Parmesan Tuille?  Or this hand blender with which they may create velvety Cream of Mushroom Soup ?  Or, my new favorite product for anyone who will be using her computer in the kitchen (or around kids, or dogs, or wine-drinking grown-ups):  this foldable, flexible, spill-resistant keyboard?

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

December 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.  HURRY!  Registration closes at the end of today.

December 20th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. 

December 21st - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event, 4-6 EST

The List According to Molly

What a treat it is for me to relay to you Molly's list of go-to gifts this holiday season.  It is particularly delightful because I know how very much she adores this time of year.  She's the first to put up her tree and the last to take down her lights.  She loves nothing more than a July showing of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."  This is the girl who pushes play on "Jingle Bells" in October, and loops it right on into the New Year.  And these are just some of the reasons we are so darn sweet on her. 

In keeping with her love of the fa-la-la-la-lights of the season, Molly takes her holiday gift list seriously. Tap into her careful thoughtfulness right here, through Shop CWC.  Save yourself all sorts of time and running around by following her suggestions for the ultimate gifts.  For road-tested, Molly-approved favorites, keep reading.

Warm and Fuzzy - Keep yourself far from frozen in this fleece jacket and these fuzzy boots (the first two items of Molly's Favorites).  Stay warm with or without a cup of Hot Buttered Cider Rum.

Toasty Travels - Ward off the worst of winter with this pashmina shawl (the third of Molly's Favorites) to wrap you up.  With a rainbow of colors from which to choose, and a tiny little price tag, this just may be the best gift you give.

Kindle - Make Mr. Dewey smile from the big library in the sky with the Kindle (fourth of Molly's Favorites).  The ultimate gift for book worms everywhere, it totally revolutionizes the reading experience.  Deliver the gift having already downloaded Eat, Pray, Love, another one of Molly's Favorites, and a heartwarming way to start the New Year.

Document Your Days - Turn the memories you make over this holiday season into keepsake pictures and videos with a handy digital Nikon and this Flip camera (just after the Nikon).  Take it from Molly, Cooking with Caitlin's resident photographer, these are the perfect tools to get the shot.  **Save on wrapping the digital camera by zipping it up in the colorful case Molly suggests, and adding a big bow.**

12 Months of Indulgence - I do believe that is what In Style magazine (the last of Molly's Favorites) is for most women, Molly included.  Gift all the savvy gals in your life with 12 months of the juicy inspiration.  They'll thank you straight through 2010.

Foodies' Night In (#fni) with Girlfriendology.com

If this is the first you're learning about Foodies' Night In (#fni), listen up.  A Twitter-based event, #fni is the latest way cookingwithcaitlin.com is building community among the food-lovin' folks all over the planet.  Mark your calendars for Monday nights from 4-6 EST.  Molly, Caitlin, and I will be there guiding lively conversation, dishing all sorts of tips and tricks.  In the meantime, get the full scoop on this exciting new celebration of food, glorious food by linking right here.

For next Monday's #fni, we've partnered with Girlfriendology.com to bring you a food-focused tweet fest on the best foods to share with your girlfriends, and the best ways and places to eat them.  No doubt the following recipes will be featured:

Chocolate Martini
Butter Popcorn Toppers
Brie and Grape Grilled Cheese
Cream of Tomato Soup
Chocolate Truffles
Rose Water Panna Cotta

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Gentlemen are welcome and encouraged to join us for Monday's #fni.  Take advantage of the opportunity to learn the best foods to get to the heart of your woman.

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

December 13th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  TOPIC: Creating Marketing Momentum into 2010 with Tom Trush

December 14th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event with Girlfriendology.com, 4 EST

December 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.  HURRY!  Registration is filling up quickly.

The Reluctant Guest's Guide to Arriving with the Perfect Gift

 There are lots of reasons why Andy Williams calls this the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year."  My favorite is all of the gatherings that crop up in these last two months.  Since Molly and I, Kelly, happen to roll with Caitlin - the one who's cooking - we have the great fortune of participating in all sorts of parties throughout the year.  But, even the Grinch's calendar is full at this point.  And, even the Grinch wants to be a gracious guest.

Here I offer to you my go-to list for hostess and thank-you gifts, as well as the packaging supplies to wrap 'em all up.  Make it easy on yourself by picking up everything at Shop CWC.  Allow extra time to decide what sparkly earrings best match your LBD, or whether the dancing Snoopy tie matches your suit just by clicking on the ideas below.

Cupcake Apron - Never before has dessert been so flattering on anyone's lower half.  Flatter your hostess enough to secure a 2010 invitation with this cherry cupcake half apron (the first of Kelly's Favorites in Shop CWC).

Stationery - At a time when we are the most thankful, there is no better gift than these Florentine note cards.  Give your host a dazzling place to showcase his gratitude in writing.

Big Bowl - Turn this trifle bowl into a cornucopia of appreciation from now to New Year's.  Fill it up with ornaments, homemade Elephant Ears, fresh mistletoe, or breakfast for the next morning.

Favorite Read - Books make the best gifts.  Before you knock on the door, wrap up the cookbook that gets you through the week, the picture book that helps you relax, or your most treasured holiday children's book.  Or, bring one of my favorites - chock full of inspiration and love, Notes Left Behind is a true gift.  (Be sure to leave an inscription with a date before you tie the bow.) 

Perfect Platter - For she who has everything, bring a really gorgeous version of something she already has.  This Tracy Porter platter is a show-stopper.  Line it with two white linen napkins (second page of Shop CWC); have a monogram embroidered for the ultimate touch, and fill it with the best of winter's bounty.  Whole clementines, pomegranates, pears, or apples lend color and crunch that will not be re-gifted.

Tie Together - At this time, and all year long, keep a healthy supply of cellophane wrap, cello bags (second page of Shop CWC), and organza ribbon.  Either form of cellophane is the finishing touch to thoughtful gifts that shine all on their own.  Organza ribbon ties the most easily, and holds a bow beautifully.  Choose a signature color, and wrap with it for any occasion.  With a tiny hole-punch and scraps of coordinating paper, add a tag too.

Holi-dog

Oh no she didn't!  It must be what you're thinking.  There's just no way Caitlin's prettied-up a hot dog enough to fit into this season's feast.

Well, she did.  And it's called The Holi-dog.  That's right, The Holi-dog.  We served it at November's Third Thursday event and it was nothing short of a smashing success.  Click on it right now to learn how to turn your favorite tube steak into a hot-diggity holiday classic.  A perfectly packaged gift for your mouth.    

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

December 6th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC (http://www.55krc.com), 3 p.m. 

December 7th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event with Lollibean's Organic Baby Products, 4 EST. Learn more about FOODIES NIGHT IN (#fni).

December 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.  HURRY! Registration is filling up quickly.

La-La-La-La-Leftovers

Recently, at Sunday dinner with our extended family, my five-year-old called me over to the kids' table just after we'd gotten settled with our plates.  By her knit eyebrows and gaping mouth, I felt certain a pterodactyl had just landed on her lap.  Standing beside her I realized the offense was much more horrific from her point of view - the creamed spinach on her plate was touching the mashed potatoes (dum-dum-dum-duuummm). 

Clearly my husband didn't get the memo before he styled her dinner plate; clearly he was unfamiliar with the demands of his oldest little diva.  She looked up at me and said, "There was a mistake.  Can you please take this off my plate?"

I didn't take it back, and she barely choked it down.  My only regret is that she was ever served the spinach in the first place; I much rather would have eaten the leftovers the next day.  When you find yourself with a fridge full of leftovers at the end of this week, get excited.  Unmistakably, the glory of Thanksgiving dinner is all the ingredients - not just leftovers, but perfectly seasoned ingredients - it yields for the rest of the week.  Dig in. 

Turn the bones of the Whole Roasted Turkey into stock with the video here.  Stack it on a Pumpkin Waffle Sandwich, pass it as a Smoked Turkey Appetizer, or smother it with a fried egg in Morning After (Thanksgiving) Hash.

Revamp a lump of leftover ham into Mini Hot Browns, a Ham and Lemon Stilton Waffle Sandwich, or the filling in this Stuffed Shrimp. 

Roll and pan-fry leftover stuffing into Thanksgiving Arancini to dip in your favorite barbecue sauce. 

Puree the leftover carrots from your Roasted Root Vegetables into Carrot and Ginger Soup.  Transform leftover corn into hearty Corn Soup.  And enjoy leftovers of the perfect Asparagus as Cream of Asparagus Soup for lunch next week.  (Of course, with all these deeelicious soups, you must have the grilled cheese to match.  Try a Brie and Grape Grilled Cheese or a Greek Grilled Cheese with fresh Mint Pesto .)  

Stir leftover Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce into hot oatmeal, layer it into a Yogurt Parfait, pour a sparkly drink over a small dollop in the bottom of a champagne glass, or spoon it over ricotta and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds for Sweet Cream and Cranberry Phyllo Cups. 

Turn Moan-Inducing Mashed Potatoes or leftover mashed sweet potatoes into Homemade Gnocchi you never thought you'd be able to make.  Enjoy with melted butter and fresh parmesan or your favorite marinara.

Toss leftover creamed spinach into a pound of hot linguine with a couple ladles of cooking water for a creamy insta-meal, or smear it like a dip on toasted chunks and wedges of leftover bread.  Pulse leftover peas into a Green Pea Hummus. (If they were already seasoned with dinner, skip the mint in the recipe, and be careful not to add too much salt.  Taste as you go for optimum results.) 

Watch leftover Pumpkin Cream melt down the side a stack of hot pancakes, or run a Croque Madame right on through it.

Gift Yourself First

With all the repurposing you'll be pursuing, you deserve to gift yourself first.  Bust out soup after glorious soup with this Immersion Blender.  And while you're roaming the aisles of Shop CWC, pick up this Slotted Spatula for the ultimate in grilled cheese flipping.  (Lovingly referred to as a "fish spat" in the CWC kitchen, this baby will revolutionize your technique.  You'll be flipping anything that'll sit still in front of you long enough.)

DON'T FORGET:  Shop Amazon.com through cookingwithcaitlin.com This Holiday Season

Click here to learn just how cookingwithcaitlin.com's affiliate marketing program works. Then, start your shopping (for anything) by linking through Shop CWC's Amazon store. With just a click, you are helping to grow our small business. Thank you.

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

November 29th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  TOPIC:  Polly Campbell on Food as Gifts

November 30th - cookingwithcaitlin.com's Foodies' Night In (#fni) Twitter event with Alouette Cheese, 4-6 EST

December 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here. 

Stuff Yourself with Turkey Day Tips

From the moment I, Kelly, wake up, to the zzz's that take me soundly through the night, I have a lot for which to be thankful.  All year long you indulge me and my deep thoughts carefully packaged with a cookingwithcaitlin.com bow.  You, oh friendly foodie, are so dear to me.  From the bottom of my toes, I THANK YOU for paying attention to what has become my very own food therapy.

To thank you for eating up the fare and feelings I've been dishing up, I offer you a Thanksgiving menu to die for and enough tips to make you shake a turkey tail feather.  Read on and click everywhere you can for the flavors sure to take your Turkey Day to the next level.  Watch the videos too; over 105,000 views in the last year attest to the confidence-building value of each three-minute online cooking class.

Whole Roasted Turkey
TIP:  Buy just a turkey breast, bone-in, for a smaller crew.  Your butcher can help you if is not readily accessible.
TIP:  Do not use the thermometer that comes with the turkey.  Use this thermometer or one you already trust.

Roasted Root Vegetables
TIP:  Serve what you love.  Pick your favorite veggies from whatever's freshest at the produce stand.
TIP:  If you are roasting a smallish bird, just a breast, or even a whole chicken, cut the vegetables into chunks so that they cook all the way through in the shorter amount of cooking time.

Sweet Potato Dauphinoise
TIP:  Substitute white potatoes if you don't care for sweet potatoes.
TIP:  In lieu of a mandoline, you may thinly slice the sweet potatoes with the proper attachment on your food processor.  Or, you may shred them with a good ol' fashioned box grater.
TIP:  Make double; this is always a crowd pleaser.

Pumpkin Soup
TIP:  Be sure to buy UNSWEETENED, UNFLAVORED pumpkin puree.  Look carefully as there is so much sweet pumpkin for pie available right now.
TIP:  You will find the pumpkin puree in the baking aisle, not with the rest of the canned fruits and vegetables.

Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce
TIP:  Frozen cranberries will work as well.

Moan-Inducing Mashed Potatoes
TIP:  Shave over an hour off your prep time with Ore-Ida's Steam n' Mash Cut Russet Potatoes.  This one tip alone has added weeks to Caitlin's life.  I do believe she is most grateful for these taters this Thanksgiving.  And while we are not in cahoots with Ore-Ida (yet), I did find this handy coupon right here.  Take advantage.

Crunchy Green Beans in Brown Butter Sauce
TIP:  Make the brown butter sauce up to a day in advance.  Refrigerate it until just before service.  Then, melt the sauce and cook the beans until tender.  Serve right away.

Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios
TIP:  Brussels sprouts can be very dirty.  Keep peeling the outer layers of each one until it is clean. 
TIP:  Prepare to be amazed at how much your family actually enjoys Brussels sprouts. 

Figs with Mascarpone and Honey
TIP:  Figs are in-season right now, but if you cannot find fresh or dried ones at your grocery, substitute strawberries. 
TIP:  Mascarpone is a sweet, soft Italian cheese typically layered in tiramisu.  If you must, you may substitute regular cream cheese.
TIP:  The mascarpone will separate when heated; stir continuously.
TIP:  This is a nice appetizer or dessert alternative to such a heavy meal.

Candied Clementines
TIP:  Another dessert alternative, clementines are in-season right now.
TIP:  You may soak these up to two days in advance of serving.  Note that the longer they soak, however, the more potent the alcohol content will be. 
TIP:  Whole and Candied Clementines are a dazzling way to dress your Thanksgiving table.  Consider topping off each place setting with a perfectly orange clementine.

Phyllo Cups with Pumpkin Cream

TIP:  Buy pre-made phyllo cups in the frozen food department.  Typically they are located beside the ice cream, usually on a top shelf.
TIP:  Simply dust the pre-made cups with sugar and cinnamon to make them your own.

Perfect Potato Provisions

You may not be so adept at pronouncing Sweet Potato Dauphinoise, but you will be nothing less than a rock-star creator of Dauphinoise with this swingin' mandoline.  Be sure your sweet potato experiment is expertly sliced.  And for the mashed potatoes that make the meal, use the same food mill Caitlin does .  Take your taters to creamy heights you've never tasted before.

DON'T FORGET:  Shop Amazon.com through cookingwithcaitlin.com This Holiday Season

Click here to learn just how cookingwithcaitlin.com's affiliate marketing program works. Then, start your shopping (for anything) by linking through Shop CWC's Amazon store. With just a click, you are helping to grow our small business. Thank you.

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

THIS (THIRD) THURSDAY November 19th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.  THEME: Down-Home Thanksgiving

November 21st - The Rusty Ball where Caitlin and Kelly will be "Celebrity Bartenders."  Molly will be at another oh-so hot event, St. Ursula Academy's Victorian Christmas.

November 22nd - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  TOPIC:  Redsfest

To the men and women who have dedicated their lives to defending and protecting the United States - THANK YOU.  On this Veteran's Day especially, we celebrate and honor you for your service.  Thank you.

Connective Cuisine, Actually

Crowd-Pleasing Conversation Starters

New Take on Typical Tools

Transition yourself right into a grown-up kitchen with this spankin' new set of measuring cups.  Certainly they'll measure ingredients (imagine that!), but they're also the perfect shape for makeshift cookie cutters.  Check out this online cooking class called Cookie Cutters for ideas on how to maximize their potential.

DON'T FORGET:  Shop Amazon.com through cookingwithcaitlin.com This Holiday Season

Click here to learn just how cookingwithcaitlin.com's affiliate marketing program works. Then, start your shopping (for anything) by linking through Shop CWC's Amazon store. With just a click, you are helping to grow our small business. Thank you.

Where You Can Find Us

Like a Snuggie by the Fire

Recently, Molly, Caitlin, and I got to spend a day at our high school alma mater, Ursuline Academy.  A warm and welcoming place, over many years it has been the launching pad for a multitude of brilliant women - among them mothers, teachers, doctors, business leaders, even entrepreneurs.  In fact, the seeds for Cooking with Caitlin were planted in the 1991 freshmen class picture line.

Molly and I (Kelly) had just turned fourteen; Caitlin was four.  (Yes, four.)  On that day, Molly and I were worried about nothing more than making new friends.  (OK, I was a little concerned about whether or not the strategically cemented height of my bangs could withstand the line before me.)  And Caitlin's food experiences were limited to what she could eat from a booster seat.  The three of us were on a steady diet of Color Me Badd and Paula Abdul.

Fast forward to two weeks ago.  I'm still getting ready to Color Me Badd, still concerned with Paula Abdul, still having an unhealthy relationship with hairspray.  And I am similarly jittery/excited about making new friends.  (Unfortunately, however, I am not still able to fit into my plaid skirt.)  The difference this time is that from the moment I walk into the building I am at ease.  As if I had arrived in my jammies to a room full of Snuggie-wearers curled up by a fire, I am comfortable.  New smiles, friendly faces, pulsating energy, plaid skirts.  Everything is different, but familiar, and actually quite the same.  And perfect.

This week, wrap yourself in Snuggie-type love with a menu of comfort food that is just a little different and oh-so very familiar.  As Paula herself might say, Rush, Rush to some warm and fuzzy.

New Comfort

Brie and Grape Grilled Cheese
Cream of Tomato Soup
Greek Grilled Cheese
French Onion Soup
Marshmallow Fluff Sandwich
PB&J Cupcakes

Cozy Accouterments

In lieu of a Snuggie with sleeves that may dip in your soup, zip yourself up in this cookingwithcaitlin.com hoodie.  It says HAVE FUN, but it calls you to TAKE COMFORT.  Complete the cozy experience by treating yourself to a new spatula.  This flexible slotted version is Caitlin's favorite; it does for flipping what brie and grapes do for the grilled cheese itself.

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

November 8th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  TOPIC:  Dating and Dining

November 19th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.  THEME: Down-Home Thanksgiving

November 21st - The Rusty Ball

Online Cooking Classes

Confessions from Under the Pointy Hat

For the last few Halloweens I've dressed up as A Grumpy Mom of Three Over-Tired, Overloaded-with-Candy Princesses.  Each year I've taken on the sugar-spiked toddler party circuit draped in irritation over the weeklong interruption to our strategic schedule of meals and naps.  Bedazzled from crown to glass slipper, each of my Disney princesses has carried a bejeweled bucket while I've concentrated on hauling my saltiness over the ultimate meltdown and detox that takes my little human pixie sticks right on into November.

But this year is different.  This year I embrace the spooky days ahead.  For the love of lollipops, this year I will even dress up as someone other than The Grump Who Stole Halloween.  (My almost-six-year-old suggested I go as a witch, but I just don't think that's enough of a departure...) 

This year I will go as the benevolent Queen of my dear princesses.  I will sparkle, I will shine, and I will get fired up with the sweet sweet menu below sprinkled throughout my week.

A Sweet Spread (All Treats, No Tricks)

Chocolate Martini S'mores (treat the chaperones from the start)
Cream of Pumpkin Soup 
Roasted Chicken with Apple Butter (power up your princesses and Power Rangers with some sweet and crispy protein)
Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios (sneak in the green just before The Great Twizzler Take-Over)
Pumpkin Whip (smear on s'mores, dollop on pancakes, layer with fruit)

SOLVED: Your Costume Quandary

Still stuck?  Keep it simple.  Go as the Club Caitlin member that you are.  Bedeck yourself in duds from Shop CWC like this long-sleeve tee or this hooded sweatshirt.  Or, gather with your favorite ghosts and goblins as a chef yourself.  Turn a white dress shirt into a chef coat, pull on some black pants, and carry a CWC Recycled Shopper (scroll to the bottom) with a chef's knife and meat thermometer inside.  (This is not a joke; Caitlin actually carries a knife and a thermometer at all times.  Trust me.  I've had to hold them for her while she looks for her wallet.)

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TONIGHT October 27th - Cure Starts Now Book Release Event at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, and around the country.  7 p.m.

November 1st - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. with guest Amy Scalia of CinyChic.com.

November 19th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.  THEME: Down-Home Thanksgiving

Online Cooking Classes

Reading This Will Make You FABULOUS

It's true.  Just for having opened this email, you are instantly more brilliant.  Your skin is better hydrated, your hair is better coiffed, your nails are exponentially healthier.  And your noggin is just about to burst with braininess.  Hooray for you, oh Wonderful One!  You are one smart cookie.

Of course, you really are grand - and whew!, are you good looking - but the fact is that our weekly web rendezvous is probably most beneficial to your brain waves.  According to a UCLA researcher, "searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise that might be employed to enhance cognition in older adults."  So, how's that for good news?  Read more to feel better about yourself and your surfing ways in the article that links right here.

Then, take a gander at this article that lists the myths and truths of superfoods.  In the time it takes you to slurp down a yogurt smoothie, you can turn your temple into a well-oiled machine sharp enough to compete with your savvy cerebellum.  Eat your way to well-being with the recipes below.

And don't forget that every single click that takes you through this newsletter is a jumping jack towards genius.

Superfood Recipes
(exercise your taste buds too)

Yogurt Parfait  (kick-start your day with a double whammy of layered berries and yogurt)

Almond Butter and Berry Toast

Tzatziki Sauce (run crunchy vegetables right on through it, or smear it on a Gyro Burger)

Spinach and Garlic Pesto (toss with pasta, rub on Pesto Pork Tenderloin, or perfect a pedestrian grilled cheese sandwich with a healthy spread and fresh mozzarella cheese)

Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce (serve beside the pork from above, on top of Sweet Ricotta Cream, or stirred into hot oatmeal)

Up the Zip with a Little Zest

With the ease of a superhero, turn your superfoods into super treats with this handy little microplane.  Use it to zest the orange required for the Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce, to mince the garlic in the Tzatziki, or to finely shred fresh parmesan cheese over pasta that's been tossed with the Spinach and Garlic Pesto.  Wing your rusty ol' box grater for good.  Give in to the simplicity and convenience of the microplane.

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

October 25th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.

November 19th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here.  THEME: Down-Home Thanksgiving

Online Cooking Classes

It All Started with a Tweet

@cookingwcaitlin do you guys have a list of must have basics for starting out? i'm trying to cook &starting a list for my wedding registry. -Lindsey_Kanis

Just as soon as we received this Twitter-gram from Lindsey, a Cincinnati bride-to-be, we knew we had to set her up to tweedle-deedle-dee in her new post-nuptial nest.   

After digging a little deeper, Lindsey let us know what exactly was on her mind.  "The magazines say to register for things like a wok... I know I would use that, like, twice.  It's hard to distinguish needs from gadgets sometimes.  Not only am I just starting my own kitchen, I'm just starting to learn to cook." 

Oh Lindsey.  You are not alone.  Even for an experienced cook, it can be hard to decipher an essential kitchen tool from a superfluous culinary toy.  And it is particularly challenging to know your needs when you're starting from scratch.  Thank goodness you had the inspired notion to chirp about your dilemma, Lovely Lindsey.

Click here for cookingwithcaitlin.com's latest article in which Caitlin lays out THE  list of kitchen must-haves.  Caitlin's trademark candor and no-nonsense kitchen know-how are certain to keep your feathers from getting ruffled when you take on your registry. 

And in light of all you'll be able to create in your kickin' new kitchen, Lindsey, we suspect that what started with just a tweet may very well end with more than a little peck.

(the perfect way to test out all new kitchen tools)

Jalapeno Poppers
Mint Pesto
Greek Grilled Cheese
Potato Pizza
Figs with Honey
Croque Madame (a Nutella and marshmallow fluff sandwich - sweet as the honeymoon)

Tip-Top Tools

It's all about the cutlery, baby.  (We covered that last week.)  Now, keep the 10-inch chef's knife, serrated knife, and small paring knife you picked up from Shop CWC in perfect condition with the following videos.  Take just minutes to soak up what Caitlin spent weeks learning in culinary school. 

Discover Your Knives
How to Sharpen Your Knives
How to Carve a Turkey
(put your new knife knowledge to work)

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

October 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register here. 

October 18th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. 

Advertise with Cooking with Caitlin Because You Can

Take advantage of a smokin' deal, our state-of-the-art optimization technology, and the good news we pride ourselves in spreading.

Get the whole scoop by clicking on advertising at cookingwithcaitlin.com; then email or call Molly at 513.807.6208.

Wear Leather to Class

As a good Catholic school girl, my wardrobe options growing up were quite limited.  Monday through Friday, my collar was Peter Pan, my jumper hem fell just below my knee, and my shoes were sensible and brown.  My hair was shorn neatly and shortly and my earrings were always contained on the lobe.  There was neither nail polish, nor make-up, and every piece of fabric on me was navy or white.  How very wonderful it would be - I used to think - to dress just as I was feeling each morning, instead of just like every other girl and boy in my class. 

Perhaps this is the reason that as an adult I am so darn tickled to be included in the making of Cooking with Caitlin's online cooking classes.  Besides the brevity and simplicity of each of the videos in the collection, the glory of them being online is that they are always available, and you can watch them in your jammies.  Or in your prom dress and boa.  Or scrubs and slippers.  Or, if you're having a Lady GaGa kind of day, you can learn How to Cut a Tomato in a feathered face mask and fishnet stockings.

Shoot!  I myself am gearing up to Carve a Turkey with Caitlin wearing a tiara, most-definitely-not-contained-on-the-lobe shoulder-duster earrings, a sequined tank, and chaps - just because I was feeling like leather this morning.  So come as you are.  And bring your questions to the table.  Cookingwithcaitlin.com is free, and we are here for you no matter what you already know about food, how you cook right now, or what the heck you're wearing.

Beginner's Menu

(A meal designed around the easiest, most basic, and most frequently hit recipes on our site.)

Compound Butter

Whole Roasted Chicken**

Roasted Tomatoes

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Elephant Ears

Homemade Whipped Cream**

**For extra credit, check out the articles on Roasted Chicken and Whipped Cream

The Tools to Get You Started

It's all about the cutlery, baby.  Start with a good knife and oh, the places you'll go! 

Start with three good knives, actually, and Caitlin's tutorial on knives, and you'll be downright out-of-sight.  Even the most bare-bones kitchen is set up for success with a 10-inch chef's knife, a serrated knife, and a small paring knife in its drawers.  Click on each of the previous words to purchase the knives through Shop CWC .  Stock up on the steel and you'll be slicing and dicing in no time.

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TONIGHT October 8th - Revitalized Fall Recipes Event in the Gateway Quarter.  Learn more and register now here.

October 11th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC , 3 p.m.  SPECIAL GUESTS from Cincinnati.com and The Cincinnati Enquirer

October 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin. Register here.  THEME: Tailgating Fare

Orange and Black Inspiration

It wasn't until about 7:09 p.m. on Sunday night that I knew what the focus of this week's newsletter would be.  In the last 36 seconds of the Cincinnati Bengals-Pittsburgh Steelers match-up at Paul Brown Stadium, it became clear that there was no option other than tailgating.  And, of course, when our dear Jungle-dwellers came through with their first home-win against the team of the Terrible Towels since December 30th, 2001, I knew this baby would be all wrapped up in orange and black.

To the die-hard fans who've kept the hope alive, I say WHO DEY!  The family portrait is out; Marvin Lewis is back up on the mantel.  Each meal begins with a prayer to the patron saint of cool, Carson Palmer.  And I'm still debating that Ochocinco tattoo...

October Third Thursday:  In the Parking Lot?

Oh, of course Third Thursday will be at The McAlpin again.  But, I'm delighted to report that the theme is - you guessed it - tailgating!  Register now, and come hungry October 15th, for a hearty menu designed to pump up your cheering muscles. 

We had a full house in September, so, for the love of two-point conversions, sign up early for Cooking with Caitlin's signature event featuring nine courses in petit-four proportions, and drinks provided by The McAlpin.

Tailgating Menu

White Cheddar Popcorn Toppers

Hot Buttered Cider Rum

(Pre-made in the cooler we've suggested in the Tailgating Tools above right.)

Chicago-Style Hot Italian Beef Sandwiches

(Keep the beef and au jus hot in another cooler like the one found in Tailgating Tools.)

Grilled Lamb Chops

(Get the small ones with the bones "frenched;" even the "big box" meat departments carry them now.)

Pecan Molasses Brittle

Rainbow Rice Krispie Treats

(Use jelly beans colored just like the home team.)

The Tools for Tailgating

Head over to Shop CWC for the tool that has saved us on so many outdoor catering jobs.  This Igloo brand Plastic Water Cooler, like the one that gets dumped on the coaches after a big win, can be filled with so much more than just water.  Take the tailgating menu we've suggested, for example.  You need one cooler for the Hot Buttered Rum (use this ladle to serve it out of the top), and one for the Hot Italian Beef (pull the beef from the au jus with these tongs, then simply dip the crust of your bread into the broth).

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, and at twitter.com/cookingwcaitlin, but also...

TODAY September 29th - FINAL Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Meet us at the grill for YOUR favorite burgers of Summer of 2009:  Caprese and Mole.

October 4th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  SPECIAL GUESTS from The Midwest Culinary Institute.

October 8th - Revitalized Fall Recipes Event in the Gateway Quarter.  Learn more and register now here.

October 15th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin. Register here.

P.S.  Shaq did NOT beat Big Ben Roethlisberger.  The Cincinnati Bengals did.  (Wink, wink.)

What Else, What Else?

So let's do this.  Let's get down on the get-down.  Let's be honest with each other. 

The truth is, I/we (Kelly/Molly and Caitlin too) would love, love, L-O-V-E for you to open this newsletter and chew, devour, marinate in every little word we write each week.  Certainly your life is jam-packed, a treadmill that never stops.  What can we do to inspire you to take a two-minute break from the craziness, to make you giddy when you see Cooking with Caitlin in your inbox?  How can we energize you to move your dancing mouse right on through every letter and every link we've included?  And then, spark you to pass it on because it's just too good to keep to yourself?  We would love to be seen by you, but, more than anything, we want you to want to.  (Come on, cue the music.  Like Cheap Trick said, "I Waaant Yooouuu To Want Me.")

We're fired up about the change of seasons and the upcoming holidays.  We want to be our best for you when you need us the most.  Following is what we're working on.  Let us know how it matches up with what's important to you.  

Is it food for your brain - a little intellectual stimulation - you crave?  Turn to cookingwithcaitlin.com's growing article collection for in-depth reports on everyday ingredients.  Just posted is all you could want to know about Roasted Garlic and straight-up Butter.  Is there another ingredient that interests you?  Another fixin' that befuddles you?

Will deep thoughts, even deep tweets, satisfy you?  Then pay attention to Molly's daily take on our adventures in food at cincinnati.com, or her easily-digestible 140-character quips on Twitter.

Do you happen to be one of those crazy adrenaline junkies?  We've got you covered as well.  Go for total sensory engagement with any one of cookingwithcaitlin.com's videos or podcasts. Salivate over dozens of couple-minute cooking classes.  Laugh, dance, and dine along with a lovely guest and a live audience on every episode of The Cooking with Caitlin Show.  And get the full scoop on the best parts of a yummy life as told by Molly, Kelly, Caitlin, and a slew of fantastic guests every week through 55KRC's What's HOT.

Perhaps you're game for some healthy competition?  If this is the case, we invite you to participate in the Family Feud-style survey of burgers on the cookingwithcaitlin.com blog right now.  The top two answers on the board will be at the final Strauss & Troy Market on the Square of 2009 next week.  (Good answer!  Good answer!)  And, of course, there is always the ongoing Jalapeno Popper-eating challenge, as well as Supermarket Sweep: Shop CWC Edition. Stuff your mouth with creamy-spicy-crispy, cram your cart with kitchen essentials, and you too could be a winner!  (OK, the latter two competitions aren't for real, but we'd love to hear your records.)

So there you go.  We're working on 24-hour food, fire throughout, and the occasional dancing girl.  How does it feel to you?  We waaant yooouuu to want us. 

Date Night Menu for Two

Coming in at less than $20 for the whole gorgeous meal, this menu is a little bit of a cheap trick in itself.

Pesto Pork Tenderloin

Creamy Polenta

Fresh Orange Salad

Raspberry Bellini Floats

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, but also...

September 27th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.

FINAL MARKET September 29th - Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Meet us at the grill for the final burgers of the season. YOU are calling the shots.  Whatever will Caitlin cook? Vote here, vote now.

Stoke the Economy: Buy Some Tongs

It sure seems that just about all the newsroom chatter these days is how best to stoke the waa-waaa economy. Cash for Clunkers, Fashion Night Out, and, yesterday I learned of the Harry Potter attraction that Disney has in the works - guaranteed to kick the travel and hospitality industries in gear.

Let's be clear, I am in no way trying to talk politics. Hail Mole, Full of Guac (see, I'm not getting religious either), that is one tangled web of which I will always steer clear.

I do, however, have some thoughts on where you may want to start your own personal efforts at stoking. Why, cookingwithcaitlin.com, of course. Once you hit the homepage, move your mouse for a swift click onto Shop CWC. There you will find the tools it takes to cook just like Caitlin.

You've got the recipes, now get the tools. Begin with the tongs, just the tongs (found one page 3 of our Amazon Store). They are the same tongs Caitlin's used to flip a gazillion burgers this summer, sear dozens of Braciole all year, and even stir some Brew in May. They can take you to the next level of culinary mastery.  (Dramatic, eh? They're THAT good.)

Pick 'em up now.

Loyal Marketeers, Listen Up

In lieu of the aforementioned Disney's Mouseketeers, Cooking with Caitlin is proud to have a Tuesday afternoon following of "Marketeers," a hungry and wonderful bunch of burger fans who we look forward to seeing every week.  (You know who you are.)

For these fine folks, we have just posted a survey to our cookingwithcaitlin.com blog. Click to vote for your favorites from this summer. The results will be tallied in 10 days.

The two front-runners will be served at the final Strauss & Troy Market on the Square of 2009 on September 29.

Where You Can Find Us

Just generally, at our blog at cincinnati.com, but also...

September 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin. Register now (and no later than Wednesday) for drinks on The McAlpin and a nine-item menu honoring our dear, hungry friends.

September 20th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.

Shaq Vs. CWC

Shaq, we want you. 

We've seen your show and we want you to bring it to us.  Bring the cameras.  Bring the smack talk.  Bring your knives, and bring 'em sharp, baby.  Because it is on. 

You've passed the pigskin with Big Ben Roethlisberger, tried to spike it to Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, and done the homerun derby with El Hombre Albert Pujols.  Now it's time for the ultimate challenge - cutting an onion without crying.  Come on, there Mr. O'Neal.  We want to see you sweat over a grill, full-court-press some garlic, slam-dunk a meal using only five ingredients. 

And that's it, that's the challenge.  Shaq, we invite you to the Cooking with Caitlin kitchen in Cincinnati for a five-ingredient engagement.  We will put Caitlin's knife skills and culinary dexterity against your ball-handling paws and deep thoughts any day of the week.  Let's make it this day.

To be fair, you should know that Cooking with Caitlin does have a very cool new website called cookingwithcaitlin.com, and that it includes a very looong page of recipes incorporating only five ingredients Caitlin's already created.  Oh, and Cooking with Caitlin includes Molly and Kelly too.  (We can give her the dull knives to give you a head start.)

"To beat them, you have to become them."

Shaq, on how he'll beat his competition, as noted on ABC.com's Shaq Vs. page

A floppy white hat a chef does not make.  The checkered pants and the buttoned up coat won't cut that mustard either.  The perfect place to start, my dear Shaq, is with the shopper.  That's right, to become this competition, I suggest you accessorize just like us. 

Great news for you and your entire cheering section too:  The Cooking with Caitlin Shopper is on sale right now. 

Link here to Shop CWC.  Snatch one of the last 100 sacks at the (recently reduced) smokin' little price of $20.  Buy the bag that totally works whether you're 5'3" or 7'1".  And save even more by skipping the shipping and picking it up from us on Fountain Square.  (Now that's smart even if you are earning $21 million each year.) 

Where You (and Shaq) Can Find Us

TODAY September 8th - Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Meet us at the grill for the Frenchie Burger and the brand new Smoked Cheddar Beer Burger.

September 13th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC , 3 p.m. 

September 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register now for drinks on The McAlpin and a nine-item menu honoring our dear, hungry friends.

"We want to win.  We want to win big.  We want to win the whole thing."

Extreme Makeover: Dinner Edition

I've just learned that the Cincinnati area from where we hail is quite the hot-spot for reality show viewership, auditions, and filming altogether.  You know, for all the times I've thought for sure I was living in my own version of The Truman Show, I'm not the least bit surprised.

Certainly when my lovely children decided to melt down down down to the ground in the front pew of church, I suspected we may be starring in something.  When their sister's baptism turned into an exorcism at the flip of a Cheerio, I knew we were the "before" of the next Super Nanny.  Then, recently, at our neighborhood Great Clips I was looking for Dr. Phil himself.  I arrived with a clip full of tangled hair and a stack of pictures of Rihanna.  With scissors in one hand and a picture-day comb in the other, the hairdresser assured me - in a tough love-laden voice - that no amount of haircutting is going to make me look like Rihanna.  I mean, come on.  I won't be able to sing either?!?  A girl can dream, right?  (It was a control issue anyway.  How much time ya got, Doc?)

But it was years ago, long before I traveled with the Pea Soup Parade and did NOT look like Rihanna, that I believe I may have broken into "reality."  It was at my husband's ten-year high school reunion.  We were newly married, and I was just as preggo as I could be.  Dale was trading memories with some old buddies when I was surrounded by a gaggle of women who clearly adored my man, and the most charming among them reached over and ate right off my plate.  Marking her territory, I suppose.  Nice.  My very own reality hell.

Now I know - I think...I know - that it's not me that being filmed, but the far more interesting folks around me here in Cincy.  Why, the Bengals are in the middle of Hard Knocks, the students of the School for the Creative and Performing Arts are currently Taking the Stage, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition just left a deserving local family with a spanking new home.  This true reality frees up the energy I need to makeover my family's week of meals.  So, tonight I'll make an extra large side of Cream Poached Salmon, with some candy-sweet Roasted Tomatoes and hearty Mushroom Couscous on the side.  That will leave us with plenty of leftovers to add to Fish Tacos , Nicoise Salads, and simple Aglio Olio later in the week.  Not to mention time to watch my favorite "reality" before bed.

They're organized folks.  That's right.  The recipes that just keep bringing you back to cookingwithcaitlin.com are organized "in the most delightful way."  (Think Mary Poppins right there.)

For a Pair
For a Family
For a Crowd
Burgers & Sandwiches 
5 Ingredients or Less 
Desserts  
Drinks

With the snazzy new design of our recipe page, you can match your hungry self to the appropriate bucket of food fun, and dig right in.  Don't waste time sifting through the options; click right to the recipes you fancy.

September Third Thursday:  Tailored to Our Friends

Join us in just a couple weeks for Cooking with Caitlin's signature event, Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  National Women's Friendship Month begins today, and we can't think of a better way to celebrate than over nine courses of fresh food prepared in petit-four proportions.  And drinks provided by The McAlpin to wash them all down, of course.

In honor of our closest friends, and the entire month that celebrates them, Caitlin is crafting a new menu like you've never tasted before.  Each course has been requested by a special friend, and will be named accordingly.  Register right now to find out what Joanna, Susie, Ellie, Elizabeth, Candace, Amber, Lori, Megan, and Debba (of Girlfriendology.com, of course) are craving. 

What's HOT:Dinners and Some Movies

It's what's so very hot, in fact, that has inspired this entire newsletter today.  Over the weekend Molly, Caitlin, and I got the lucky chance to sit down with Kristen Erwin of The Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Film Commission.  (If you missed a second of our conversation, plug yourself into the podcast that links right here). Kristen opened our eyes to the great many opportunities television, commercial, and film productions bring to our region.  She also shared some hilarious behind-the-scenes anecdotes from sets that filmed in town.  Let's just say you'll be blown away by the Seabiscuit story.

Plan to sit still, however, for this Sunday's broadcast. Tune into 55KRC through which we will be streaming live at 3 p.m. for the interview that Caitlin is already touting as her favorite.  We get to pick the brain of Polly Campbell, The Cincinnati Enquirer's restaurant critic.  It is on Polly's articles, reviews, blogs, and tweets that Caitlin herself feeds.  If for no other reason, listen to know what star-struck sounds like.

Upcoming Events

September 1st - Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Crispy Potato and Parsley Butter Burgers

September 6th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  SPECIAL GUEST:  Polly Campbell

Advertise with Cooking with Caitlin Because You Can

Take advantage of a smokin' deal, our state-of-the-art optimization technology, and the good news we pride ourselves in spreading.

Get the whole scoop by clicking on advertising at cookingwithcaitlin.com; then email or call Molly at 513.807.6208.

A Big First Day

I'm trying to be brave.  I'm trying to be mature.  I'm trying to go on with the rest of my life.  But, the truth is, I am utterly consumed by the fact that this is the morning that my oldest begins school full-time.  By the time you read this, she will have been at Mrs. Davis' class for half the morning already, and will not be home again until half-way through the afternoon. 

She, of course, is super excited.  She's chosen a backpack (Strawberry Shortcake), created original art for Mrs. Davis (a house with a flower on it), and carefully laid out her favorite sundress (the white one that was her preschool graduation gift and she calls her "wedding dress") for the big day.  She asked me to make her lunch days ago to save time this morning, and was frantic last night when she didn't fall asleep immediately (the sooner she falls asleep, the sooner she can wake up for school). 

I, on the other hand, have been a big tough mama the last couple weeks.  I've joked that the first day of school will be like Christmas for me, that I've had the girls' backpacks on since July, that I'll have to mist my face in order to feign tears. 

Well, guess what?  I'm a big softie after all.  I could barely swallow when Mrs. Davis laid out the curriculum at the kindergarten screening and it included social studies.  How could my little Blu-be-doo be old enough to learn social studies?!?  I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around where the time has gone.  This little girl started our family.  She arrived to a seeming cast of thousands at the hospital.  For the first 22 months of her life, we were connected all day long.  And now, she'll be learning social studies all day long.

On this first day, I will pack her lunch so that I have the perfect place to stash the note I've been planning for the last 24 hours, but very soon she'll be buying her lunch.  Very soon she'll be dazzled by the lunch lady's sloppy joes, tater tots, and pizza (and not even able to recall her Aunt Caitlin's Beer-Braised Pork Shoulder with Homemade BBQ Sauce, Potato Pancakes, and favorite Mushroom Pizza).  Very soon, I suspect, she'll be looking to trade her snack with her girlfriends.

And very soon, I will have my own act together.  I will have sucked up the social studies, and I already will have begun fantasizing about my middle little girl going to school for a full day.  (And in two more years, I'll be bemoaning the first day of my Quincy-loo.)

It's all the way live, baby.  If you haven't yet peeked this morning, get your hungry self over to the new and improved cookingwithcaitlin.com right now. 

Much like the kindergartner I wrote about above, pushing a website live is like sending a child into the world.  Molly, Caitlin, and I have fussed over this version of cookingwithcaitlin.com for months and months, and finally feel ready to introduce you.  Over the coming weeks, we will be showcasing the latest and greatest features of our updated web real estate.  Stay tuned for all the bells and whistles.  For now, just marinate in its newness and we'll check back in a bit.

What's HOT: A Bar Full of Mocktails and A City Full of Backdrops

If you missed the live broadcast of What's HOT with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin this Sunday past, listen to the podcast that links right here right away.  At the very least, get there before Labor Day weekend.  We spent a whole hour talking about the safest ways to celebrate.  From the super accessible taxi service FETCH to creative and fun ways to drink responsibly, we laid out your best bets for a most sensible weekend.

Be sure to tune into 55KRC through which we will be streaming live this Sunday at 3 p.m.  Molly, Caitlin, and I are super excited to get to chat with Kristen Erwin of The Cincinnati Film Commission.  Tune in, stream in, call in, but do not miss What's HOT this week.

Upcoming Events

August 25th - Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Braciole and Crispy Potato Burgers

August 30th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  SPECIAL GUEST:  Kristen Erwin of the Cincinnati Film Commission

September 17th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register now

The Cooking with Caitlin Show Recipes

The curtain has fallen on The Cooking with Caitlin Show, but not before the final show went off with a loud and proud BANG!  (Check out the fireworks yourself at the Cooking with Caitiln blog.)

We were so very lucky to be joined by Buddy LaRosa of every Cincinnatian's favorite pizza place, LaRosa's.  Together, Caitlin and Buddy plated a beautiful antipasto spread and stacked a deeelicious sandwich on LaRosa's Garlic Ciabatta.  Even more yummy, however, were the anecdotes and sage advice Buddy shared with all of us throughout the show.  He is real and inspiring and generous, and the perfect way to wrap a season.

Advertise with Cooking with Caitlin Because You Can

Take advantage of a smokin' deal, our state-of-the-art optimization technology, and the good news we pride ourselves in spreading.

Get the whole scoop by clicking on advertising at cookingwithcaitlin.com; then email or call Molly at 513.807.6208.

Carry Your Own Watermelon

"I carried a watermelon?!"  This, one of my favorite lines from Dirty Dancing, was all I could think of Saturday as I single-handedly pushed a wrapped-up couch through the IKEA checkout lane.  Of course, the sentiment of "I carried a watermelon?!" must always be accompanied by a scrunched up visage meaning, "Omigoodness!  I never thought I'd be carrying a whole watermelon/sofa couch/tire iron into a party.  This will sound crazy later."

When I got the couch home, I was delighted by what a wonderful addition it is to the party that is my living room.  However ridiculous it seemed at the time, having been hand-schlepped by moi, the tufted treat actually feels more comfortable, more important, more stylish.  In much the same way the watermelon carried by Baby seemed to make a room full of revelers dance a little dirtier, the weirdness of carting my own couch is totally worth it if it makes the party better.  

As for the tire iron - probably keep that in your trunk until it's actually requested.  But don't be surprised if someday it saves the party.  You just never know...

In the meantime, bring a sure thing to this weekend's circuit of end-of-summer parties.  Be a low-maintenance hit with a bucket of bias-cut baguette bread that's been lightly broiled into bruschetta toast.  Offer a bevy of self-service topping options including Grilled Peppers and Onions, Mint Green Pea Hummus, good ol' fashioned Hummus, and simple Tomato-Basil.  Or, you could bring the side that outshines the main course with Crispy Potato Salad, or Fresh Orange Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, or even Caitlin's crunchy, creamy, kicky Coleslaw.  Or, you could bring the original show-stopper with a refreshing zap not unlike a run through the sprinkler, York Peppermint Crunch. 

Just do it.  Be the one who carries the watermelon/pushes the couch/puts a cracker on top mint chocolate chip.  You will make the party.

Let's just say that this is what happens when my husband and I (Kelly) stay up past our bedtime.  (Check out our mugs to the right.)

A big Monday night out at the ATP tennis tournament led to a black mail shot at Chiquita's Banana Cabana.  (Click here to learn when and where the Cabana will be near you.)  I'd like to report that we were "smashed" on nothing more that exhaustion and a healthy dose of potassium.  And that, the whole time I donned the yellow get-up, I was thinking how lovely it would be to be dipped in chocolate and macadamia nuts (click here for that recipe).

What's HOT: A Recipe for Good News and a Bar Full of Mocktails

If you missed the live broadcast of What's HOT with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin this Sunday past, listen to the podcast that links right here right away.  You can't imagine how great it feels to hear good news until you get a whole hour of it.  That's just what we were serving up too - good news and lots of it - with our friends Sean and Dacia of Cincinnati's Soapbox Media.  Full of lots more than "hot" stuff, Team Soapbox regaled us with notes on the people, places, and palpable energy that make the Queen City grand.

Be sure to tune into 55KRC through which we will be streaming live this Sunday at 3 p.m.  Together with experts invested in keeping all of us safe through Labor Day and beyond, we will be shaking and stirring mocktail recipes and safe-driving strategies.  Tune in, stream in, call in, but do not miss What's HOT this week.

Third Thursday LOVE: A Menu for Mom

I got love for all y'all, make no mistake.  But this batch of Third Thursday LOVE has been whipped up especially for Molly's Mom, Judy.  Word is that the day of her birth falls right in line with this week's Third Thursday event as well as Caitlin and my Mom's does.  So, you know what that means - we've got a whole lot more woman to celebrate this week.  And you won't want to miss it.

Make your reservation now (and no later than Wednesday morning) to join us at The McAlpin on Fourth Street as we celebrate the birthdays of both our Mamas with a menu tailored to their tastes.  They're the women who kept our bellies full of more-than-delicious meat-and-potato meals for years and years.  For the love of gravy, they deserve a menu in their honor.  (A menu that is sure to include reasonable - I would never say cheap! - wine, lemon sole piccata, and maybe even a Frisch's-inspired Brawny Lad.)

You know all about Third Thursday - our signature event featuring a nine-item menu in petit-four proportions. Register now to experience it for yourself.  And bring your mama.

Upcoming Events

August 18th - Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Caesar and Braciole Burgers

August 19th - FINAL The Cooking with Caitlin Show on Fountain Square
SPECIAL GUEST:  Buddy LaRosa

August 20th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register now.

August 21st - 22nd  - http://www.myfountainsquare.com="">Brew Ha Ha at Sawyer Point. Laugh along with us, and then dine with us. We're serving up some tasty burgers.

August 23rd - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.

The Cooking with Caitlin Show Recipes

Last week we were tickled to host Domenico Germano of Germano's Restaurant in Montgomery on The Cooking with Caitlin Show stage.  What a treat it was for Caitlin (and all of us) to create some of her Italian favorites alongside a true craftsman of Italian cuisine.  Together they rolled risotto balls while Domenico shared the history behind them.  Then they made Gnocchi from scratch and topped all of it with Germano's own extra virgin olive oil and jarred sauces.  Click here to find all of his products for your own Italian feast.

Advertise with Cooking with Caitlin Because You Can

Take advantage of a smokin' deal, our state-of-the-art optimization technology, and the good news we pride ourselves in spreading.

Get the whole scoop by clicking on advertising at cookingwithcaitlin.com; then email or call Molly at 513.807.6208.

Julia's Omelette

This week finds me absolutely enamored by the life and loves of one Julia Child.  Until recently - until this current media mega-push to promote the new movie about her life, "Julie & Julia" - I just knew of Julia, but I never knew about Julia.  I knew her mostly as portrayed by Dan Akroyd in a favorite Saturday Night Live skit, and not at all as the brilliant woman that she was.

Through articles and interviews and very personal anecdotes by people who knew her, I am learning that Julia was tall at 6'2".  That she was an athlete, that she thought Dan Akroyd was a hoot, that she waited for love, and that she was one-half of a just-about-perfect marriage.  Julia didn't decide what she wanted to be until she was grown up; she didn't become Julia Child until the ripe ol' age of 50. 

What I've learned, and what I am loving about the great Julia Child has far less to do with the French manner of cuisine, and just about everything to do with her deliciously French manner of life, her joie de vivre.  My favorite television clip of Julia involves her less-than-stellar flip of an omelette.  Before a set full of cameras she pieces together the pan full of egg and assures the audience that if she had had "the courage" to flip the omelette as she knew it should be done, the mess would not have happened.  With trademark humility, Julia preaches pluck, not perfection. 

Yesterday I heard Nora Ephron, the maker of the aforementioned movie, in conversation with Charlie Rose, state ever-so emphatically that her goal is that everyone who sees the movie will have dinner together, that the viewer will be reminded of the creative opportunities in and connective nature of food. 

I invite you to draw from the spirit and spice that was Julia Child.  And to make Nora Ephron's wish come true.  Discover the joy of cooking for yourself.  Work towards Julia's Bible of franco-cookery, but begin with Caitlin's simplified versions of French classics.  Stack a simple Nicoise Salad, ladle some French Onion Soup, grill a Steak au Poivre Burger, or serve a piping hot platter of Coq Au Vin.  Treat yourself to a gooey Croque Madamein the end. 

When I grow up I want to be just like Julia.  For now, I'll just try to cook like her.

If it's been a while since you checked in, you've got to peek at the pics on the Cooking with Caitlin blog as well as our blog at cincinnati.com.  Just about every darn day Molly is posting albums documenting our very own current events.  Keep up on the shows, the gatherings, and the markets in an Olan Mills kind of way.

Just over the last couple days we've volleyed with a French tennis champ, noshed with a pair of happenin' Herberts, and grilled at least a dozen burgers in the rain.  Link to the blogs right now for clarification and fresh collections of Molly's handiwork.

What's HOT:  Courtside Conversation and a Digital Digest

If you missed the live broadcast of What's HOT with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin this Sunday past, listen to the podcast that links right here right away.  It was our great honor to host Alize Cornet during her Cincinnati stop on the WTA Tour.  She is an unassuming elite athlete who hails from Nice, France, and she is ranked among the world's greatest tennis professionals.  We were nothing less than dazzled by Alize's discipline and strength and wisdom beyond her 19 years (she's already been pro for three!). 

Be sure to tune into 55KRC through which we will be streaming live this Sunday at 3 p.m.  With us in-studio will be some of the best parts of the Soapbox Media team.  We tap into their photography and articles every week for our "hot" lists.  This week we get to have them in the flesh for an hour full of "hot" stuff.  Tune in, stream in, call in, but do not miss What's HOT this week.

Third Thursday: A Menu for Mom

Make plans to join us at The McAlpin on Fourth Street as we celebrate the birthday of Caitlin and Kelly's Mom with a menu tailored to her tastes.  She's the woman who kept our bellies full of more-than-delicious meat-and-potato meals for years and years.  The one who introduced Caitlin to the Cocoa Puffs that started it all.  The one who crafts Kelly's favorite meatloaf.  For the love of gravy, the woman deserves a menu in her honor.  (A menu that is sure to include white zinfandel, lemon sole piccata, and maybe even a Frisch's-inspired Brawny Lad.)

You know all about Third Thursday - our signature event featuring a nine-item menu in petit-four proportions. Register now to experience it for yourself.  And bring your mama.

Upcoming Events

August 11th - Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2.  Mexican and Caesar Burgers

August 12th - The Cooking with Caitlin Show on Fountain Square
SPECIAL GUEST:  Chef Domenico Germano

August 16th - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m.  SPECIAL GUEST:  Soapbox Media

August 20th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register now

The Cooking with Caitlin Show Recipes

It would be difficult to quantify just how much fun we had with The Brothers Herbert on The Cooking with Caitlin Show stage last week.  Perhaps we could say we had three cases of Cool Ranch worth of fun.  Or that we give their visit three sets of cheese-covered thumbs up.  Or that the meal they created with Caitlin was a touchdown. 

The long and the short of it is that Joe and Dave Herbert - the winners of the 2009 Doritos' Super Bowl ad contest - were a BLAST.  They have a really great story to tell and now we know they can cook too.  Make Caitlin's Goetta-Stuffed Burger, just like the one they made on stage, for yourself.  Just don't wait for the next Super Bowl party to eat it.

Photo courtesy of Michael McIntyre

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Take advantage of a smokin' deal, our state-of-the-art optimization technology, and the good news we pride ourselves in spreading.

Get the whole scoop by clicking on advertising at cookingwithcaitlin.com; then email or call Molly at 513.807.6208.

Dancing in the Aisles

It is no secret that I take dance very seriously.  Not that my turns are tight or my chasezs are smooth; rather, that I dance all day long, and even when I shouldn't (nothing better than a solid shake in the middle of the frozen food section).  In fact, for someone like me who is always looking for a reason to get down, good music, good food, and good news are life's way of stretching out an arm and inviting me to turn any floor into a dance floor.

Good music is the soundtrack of my days; there's nothing better than a Donna Summer morning, an MJ afternoon, and dinner with Louie Prima.  You know I've got all sorts of thoughts on good food (we'll get to that in a moment), but let's boogie through some good news first.  I mean, for the love of Fred Astaire, it's happening all around us.  Take, for instance that Bud Selig is now "seriously considering" reinstating Pete Rose into Major League Baseball.  You don't have to live on Pete Rose Way in Downtown Cincinnati to know that my Reds' superfan man and I will be Charlie Hustle-ing in the streets if that comes to be. 

For more swinging inspiration, consider the YouTube sensation that is Jill and Kevin's nuptial kick-off.  I can only speak for myself and nearly 10 million of my closest friends when I say that even the most Charleston-challenged are grooving alongside the lovebirds.  And just in case the aforementioned headlines have not triggered you to bust a move, I offer just one more very personal bit of grrreat news:  School is starting soon.  Nevermind dancing in the aisles, as the full-time cruise director of a kindergarten-bound crew, the official classroom assignment sent me into full-on sprinkler-mode.  On the first day of school itself, I assure you there will be break-dancing.  Bring on the cardboard, baby.

Of course, your taste buds need not partake in any cardboard at all.  In fact, with every shimmy of the shoulder, they should be spinning too.  Let's get back to the good food piece.  Make your tongue flip with the flavor explosion that is Caitlin's Fresh Mint Pesto smeared on everything from fish to toast.  Grill an Orange Chicken Burger for a two-step of tastes.  And bring on the taste bud tango with Seared Scallops with Tarragon Dijon Mustard.  

Just remember what the BeeGees taught us many years ago, no matter what's so good for you this week, "you should be daaancin,' yeah!"

What's Happening Right Now...Hopefully a Nap

You must read the article that links right here.  Before you think you are hard-core about anything - from ice creams to sports teams - you need to know about Chef Todd.  This man is so intense, he won't even reveal his last name.  He recently cooked for 48 hours straight on through, 879 plates.  I read this story with a dropped jaw, and am weirdly ok with being a slacker comparatively. 

WHAT'S HOT:Decorating Your Dream House and Tracking Down Your Dream Meal

From your best self to your best home, we moved on to decorating your house and table this past week on What's HOT with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin.  Tune into the podcast that links right here, for our super informative chat with two accomplished and talented interior designers on everything from lighting to paint to da da da daaaa, ceiling fans.  They offered perspective on it all, and, most importantly, encouraged the inner designer in each of us.

Be sure to tune into 55KRC through which we will be streaming live this Sunday at 3 p.m.  We are delighted to get to speak with Dan Delaney of VendrTV.  He's on an eating tour of the U.S., and he's documenting every bite he takes.  Check out his most recent episodes, then plan to call in on Sunday.  Tune in, stream in, call in, but do not miss What's HOT this week.

Upcoming Events

July 28th - Strauss & Troy Market on Fountain Square, 11-2. Brenner and Pico de Gallo with Avocado Cream Cheese Burgers

July 29th -The Cooking with Caitlin Show on Fountain Square; Steven Reineke of The Cincinnati Pops

August 2nd - What's Hot with Molly, Kelly, and Caitlin on 55KRC, 3 p.m. SPECIAL GUEST:  Dan Delaney of VendrTV

August 20th - Third Thursday at The McAlpin.  Register now.

The Cooking with Caitlin Show Recipes

From top to bottom, Cooking with Caitlin gave Bob Herzog, the dancing anchorman of LOCAL 12 himself, lots more reasons to get down on the get down.  In celebration of his affinity for Mexican fare, Caitlin decorated Bob's plate with a Stone Fruit Quesadilla, a perfectly grilled Flank Steak with Uncle Nate's Pico de Gallo and cilantro-lime rice and finally, Candied Clementines.  Suffice to say a full-fledge flavor fiesta ensued.

Advertise with Cooking with Caitlin Because You Can

Take advantage of a smokin' deal, our state-of-the-art optimization technology, and the good news we pride ourselves in spreading.

Get the whole scoop by clicking on advertising at cookingwithcaitlin.com; then email or call Molly at 513.807.6208.