Krik's Picks

I’ve been a fan of the New York Times food columnist, Mark Bittman’s ‘Minimalist’ videos . They are short, 3-5-minute, videos. They appear nearly every Wednesday in the Times’ food page, and I always make a point of watching them. I’ve even referenced them in previous Krik’s Picks posts. The things I like about them are: · They’re kinda quirky. · Bittman has a funny sense of humor. · The recipes he demonstrates have only a few ingredients and can be completed with a minimum of fuss, and if you believe Bittman’s own testimonial, great results. (Hence the name – Minimalist.) In this Sunday’s NYTimes magazine, there’s an article on homemade pizza. But it’s not the Minimalist. The article is written by Sam Sifton and the video features Jill Santopietro, chef and recipe tester for The New York Times. It’s quirky. It’s funny. And it hit home with me because my wife and I often make homemade pizza on Sunday evenings. Pizzas and martinis are our Sunday night treats. Sinc...

So as I commented in the previous post, homemade pizza is a regular meal in our house. I think there’s some irony to the fact that the recipe that we use is a NYTimes recipe. The recipe we use is from the New York Times Natural Foods Cookbook. I don’t remember when I got my copy. The copyright is 1971. We got married in 1974. Neither of us can remember if this was a wedding present or when we got it. In any case, it’s quite a lot simpler than the pizza recipe cited in the previous post. In contrast to the recipe in the NYTimes Magazine and the video, this is a simpler recipe. We like it because it’s quick and easy and produces a crisp crust. I think that the recipe demonstrated in the previous post is a more puffy and bready. (I suppose I should try it, but I didn’t before this post.) So the main thing in this recipe is the dough. After that’s made, all you have to do is add what you like as toppings. We like to keep it simple. Usually vegetarian. One or two toppings (in addition to c...

By Tovah Domenick I have always been a fan of Big Bowl’s food but after my most recent visit I have come to appreciate Big Bowl even more. Since they have numerous locations in MN I wanted to share on my dad’s blog. Big Bowl is a great Chinese & Thai restaurant offering both a menu as well as a make-your-own stir fry bar. I have tried many items on the menu and everything has always tasted delicious. During my last visit in late March I noticed a new section on the menu listing all the things Big Bowl is doing to set themselves apart in the restaurant community. For those of you who consider yourselves eco-friendly I hope you will appreciate these efforts and support Big Bowl in what they are doing: -A conversation about direct trade coffee and the benefits to the farmers landed the product on their menu. Purchasing locally grown produce came next. Heirloom pork from small family-owned farms in the Midwest followed, and then all-natural chicken and a higher-quality, humanely ...