New Year’s Resolution: Photography

by julie on February 8, 2010

Well, I’ve kind-of, sort-of fulfiled (or, at least, am on the road to fulfilling) my resolution of improving my photography.

DSC_0113

Actually, that was among the first food shots I took with my new Nikon D-3000 DSLR.  I’m having way too much fun obsessively reading about photography and taking photos of my unwilling cats.  Next, mastering Photoshop and playing around with angles and such.  It’s a ton of fun!  You’ll see some reviews where I have used the DSLR– though I have to admit, I’m really quite uncomfortable just whipping out this HUGE CAMERA (well, huge compared to my old Nikon Coolpix) in restaurants, but I’ll get used to doing it surreptitiously… right?

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Super Bowl Eats 2010: Hummus with Chipotle

by julie on February 7, 2010

Last year, I made some bacon-blue cheese dip, that, while well-received, was not exactly light on the calories. I wanted to do something year that was a bit different– but something I’d like to eat the rest of the week. I peeked around Epicurious and found a recipe for hummus that had chipotles in adobo– but the recipe itself didn’t sound like quite what I wanted– not enough smoky adobo, too much tahini. So, I experimented– and came up with my own take on hummus. I actually make hummus fairly often– it’s easy, cheap, and tastes much better than the store-bought stuff– so I used my base recipe and added a kick. I don’t use tahini– I think it tastes heavy– but if you like it, definitely use it.

prep

1 24-oz can of chickpeas, drained
2 whole, peeled garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil, with extra in order to achieve smooth consistency
2 chipotles in adobo
Juice of 1/2 medium sized lemon
1 teaspoon coriander
salt to taste

Easiest method ever– simply pulse the chickpeas and garlic in a food processor until the texture is uniform– it’ll look a bit like wet sand. Then add olive oil until it has a smooth, spreadable, almost pourable consistency. Throw in the lemon juice, 2 chipotles in adobo, coriander, then blend until the chipotles are pureed and spread throughout the mixture. Serve with pita, bagel chips, or tortilla chips.

hummus with chipotle

This recipe is internationally schizophrenic– but if you want more international foods ideas, don’t forget Foodies Night In with @CookingwithCaitlin and a bunch of other hosts, where we’ll discuss international foods! #FNI is the hashtag on Twitter, from 4-6 PM EST. See you there!

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Senate to open on February 19

by julie on February 5, 2010

Senate, the much-anticipated Over-the-Rhine eatery, will open on February 19, says Daniel Wright of Senate management. Can’t wait to try the newest addition to the growing Gateway Quarter.

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Skyline does Valentine’s

February 5, 2010

This is so cute– I had to post about it.
The Blue Ash Skyline does a romantic Valentine’s dinner– 4 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14. They’ll have candlelight, a violinist, and two 3-course Skyline dinners for $26.99, including salad, a main course and cake. Reservations for the special evening are required [...]

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Marcella Hazan’s Simple Tomato Sauce (and another contest)

February 3, 2010

I really love to cook, and am finding myself cooking more often now that I have a big, spacious kitchen to cook in (and we’re no longer doing that dual residence thing, which can be a pain). One night this week I wanted to cook, but didn’t want to do anything complicated. Easy [...]

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Mr. Sushi is Open

February 1, 2010

Mr. Sushi, a new sushi restaurant located next to the old Oceanaire location on 6th Street has opened.

(Hat tip to Mr. Guilt on Vox for this one.)

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NuVo to reopen in Covington

January 29, 2010

Ah, I love Twitter– I hear the best news!
NuVo is planning, according to its website, to reopen in April in Covington. Can’t wait to see what will be on the menu, and always great to welcome a restaurant back.

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Review: Comet (Brunch)

January 29, 2010

I just love the Comet, but for some reason, I rarely go there. When I heard that they were starting a brunch, I decided that we just had to try it out– the weekend it started, which was last weekend.  I figured there would be a few kinks as they were trying something new, [...]

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What’s Hot Cincinnati and Cooking with Caitlin– Sunday, January 31!

January 29, 2010

Tune into 55WKRC and I’ll be joining Caitlin, Molly and Kelly to talk about what to do on Valentine’s Day with your significant other (or with your girlfriends, or guy friends, or whoever!). What’s Hot is on at 3 PM on Sundays– it’s always a good time.
I’ll be posting my Valentine’s Picks on Monday, [...]

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Review: Kyojin, Mason (Lunch)

January 28, 2010

It’s a well-known fact that I hate buffets.  I really don’t like Las Vegas-style buffets.  Indian buffets I tolerate, since they’re often the only Indian lunch option I have.  Breakfast buffets, unless it’s one like the one at Orchid’s, are really not my cup of tea.  Sushi just never seems like something that would be [...]

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