Republicans and democrats differ on many issues: healthcare, environmental policy, abortion- we won’t go there. However, they may also differ on cheese preference. Or their favorite type of girl scout cookie.

According to a report by Hunch, Americans’ food choices differ widely by political party. Hunch is a website that asks users a series of questions to make a decision; for example, “what should I eat for lunch?” or (shameless self promotion) “what Foodista recipe should I make“?

More than 64,000 people answered the question “Do you tend to support liberal or conservative politicians?” Based on respondents’ answers to other questions, the Hunch team determined:

• French Fries: liberals prefer “bistro-type” fries; conservatives prefer McDonald’s fries
• Cheese: liberals prefer brie; conservatives prefer velveeta or Colby
• Girl Scout Cookies: liberals prefer Samoas; conservatives prefer Trefoils
• Birthday cake: liberals are more likely to bake one from scratch; conservatives are more likely to buy one at the store.
• Lunch: liberals prefer Thai or Indian food; conservatives prefer pizza, PB&J or macaroni and cheese.

And yes, conservatives (like Sarah Palin) are more likely to drink soda.

Do you agree or disagree with these findings?

(image by asecondhandconjecture)

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• Pork Belly with Wild Huckleberry Sauce

First of all, is it called stuffing or dressing?  And do most people actually prefer it cooked in the bird?

Growing up, I’ve always known it as stuffing and traditionally it was made outside the bird and by one of my aunts- and more often than not- it was heavy on the celery. For awhile, I thought stuffing was just okay, not great but good. Then, I tried oyster stuffing and realized I really hadn’t been eating what I now consider stuffing. I’m talking about rich, fatty, flavorful stuffing that could be eaten as a main course by itself.  Call me crazy, but I simply love a good oyster stuffing.

Traditionally what kind of stuffing, or “dressing” do you eat? I’m curious to find out what the norm is?

Other kinds of stuffing I absolutely adore:
Shiitake Mushroom Stuffing- Recipe Girl
Southern Cornbread Dressing by Deep South Dish
Gluten Free Thanksgiving stuffing by Off the Wheaten Path

Not Stuffed Yet? Quick Links to More Stuffing!

Above Photo by Maggie Hoffman

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Open your fridge. Can you tell the exact history of where one item came from? Eating local doesn’t seem like a hard challenge until you start thinking about it. Last Sunday night, a group of us got together and cooked a meal that was made almost entirely with local ingredients. The best part of it all was that we didn’t intentionally mean to have a dinner made completely of locally sourced ingredients, but once we realized we had the beginnings of one, we made it our goal to get as a close as we could to a completely local dinner.

When you start learning where your food really comes from, you learn how much labor, transportation and energy and resources go  into everything you eat. Eating local doesn’t just mean you help out the farmers, gardeners and butchers in your area, you are also saving other costs that add up, including energy, gas, storage and other hidden resources used to get those items off a truck and onto a shiny display. Challenge yourself to make it a personal goal to eat one thing at one meal a day that is sourced locally, not only will you feel good, believe me, it will taste better!

The Menu

Locally Caught Salmon with Lemon, Herb Butter: The salmon was caught locally by my friend Neil. Oregano, thyme and dill all from Washington state. Our splurge was the lemon, salt and pepper and olive oil, purchased from the grocery store.

All Blue Potato Salad with Fresh Dill: The all blue potatoes came from a farm that I was apprenticing at, about 20 miles away. Fresh dill and a sweet onion came from the Ballard Farmer’s market that morning. Our splurge was purchased Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper.

Summer Corn and Tomato Salad: The corn, basil and sweet onion came from the farmers market. The tomatoes were grown in my garden. Our splurge was olive oil, red onion and salt and pepper.

Winter Greens with Garlic and Lemon: The Swiss chard, kale and collard greens were all from the Ballard farmer’s market, our splurge was olive oil, lemon, garlic- (although it should have been bought at the farmer’s market), and Parmesan Reggiano.

Katy’s Blackberry Pie with Lemon Verbena Infused Fresh Whip Cream: The blackberries were purchased at the farmer’s market, the whip cream was from a Washington state organic creamery and the lemon verbena was from my friend Katy’s lemon verbena plant. Our splurge: organic pie crust from PCC, lemon juice, purchased spices.

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In America, we have rituals about tailgating. We’re superstitious, sentimental and even a bit crazy come game day. Your slow cooked chili, chicken wings or bacon-woven bratwursts are just as important as the colors you are wearing. Tailgating season isn’t recognized as a series of national holidays with greeting cards and days off, but perhaps there should be?

Check out some of our favorite get-your-tailgate-on recipes below:






Tailgating Recipe Links
Date Night Doins
Grillin Fools
Tailgating.com

Above Photo by Veeliam

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We are counting down the days to FoodSnap! an all-day food photography and food styling event happening this Friday, September 18th at George Town Studios in Seattle, Washington. The event has sold out, but you can follow along with us on Twitter the day of the event and stay tuned for a FoodSnap! round up blog post with highlighted tips and secrets we will have learned from the pros that you can implement at home with a simple point and shoot camera.

Here’s the list of food photographers and food stylists who will be sharing with us their magic bag of tricks!

Lou Manna
Lara Ferroni
Rina Jordan
Barry Wong
Charity Burggraaf
Kevin Fry
Tyler Rebman
Danielle Leavell
Jonathan Shmidt
Kathryn Barnard

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We roasted some golden beets and Ozette potatoes we had purchased from another vendor to add to our pork belly. After searing the pork belly on all sides, I removed it from the heat and set it aside. Next I added 1/4 cup of finely chopped shallots and sauteed them over medium-high heat with a good pinch of salt and pepper. I deglazed with some balsamic vinegar and syrah wine. Next I added 1 cup of wild huckleberries, 1/2 sprig of fresh rosemary, two fresh sage leaves, a fresh oregano sprig, two garlic cloves that were smashed only slightly and a sprinkling of brown sugar.

I brought the pan to a simmer and let the sauce work it’s magic for a couple minutes. Next I added the seared pork belly back to the sauce, covered it and let it cook at 300 F for almost two hours, turning the meat half way through cooking. Once the meat was more than fork-tender, I removed the pan from the oven and onto a plate. I covered the pork in the sauce and sprinkled on another handful of the uncooked huckleberries for color and a nice tang to balance flavors.

The result was rich, juicy and over the top indulgent; absolutely perfect for a weekend all to ourselves.

For the whole recipe for Pork Belly with Wild Huckleberry Sauce go here:

Can’t get enough of pork belly, check out these other recipes:

Cucina Rebecca

Cook it Simply

Wrightfood

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It’s a change in the seasons. Labor Day weekend is upon us. Families are packing up the car for one last road trip, final camp out or mini-vacation before comfortably settling into school and work routines. Are you planning to go out with a bang and savor all that there is left of summer? Or are you already thinking of cool harvest nights and (gasp!) thumbing through holiday cookbooks!?

I say fire up the grill and roast those weenies with gusto! Hit the trail with a summery picnic and relish every last bit of summer that you can, because before you know it, you’ll be pulling out the sweaters from the winter clothes box and wishing for sweet summer sun. Of course for all you die-hard grillers who choose to grill in the snow, wind and rain, the changing of the weather doesn’t mean then end of grilling, it only means one thing- it must be tailgate season! Here are some recipes to take with you camping, to make for lounging in the hammock or for the back yard barbecue.

Off to the campground!

Laying in a Hammock all Weekend

Summer Barbecue Tributes

What are you planning to cook this weekend? We’d love to hear about it! Here’s what some other folks are preparing for this Labor Day weekend:

RecipeGirl Labor Day Menu

Delish Labor Day Sticky Ribs

Martha Stewart’s Perfect Grilled Veggie Kebabs

Above photo by Cape Cod Cyclist

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If it was one thing my mom dreaded more than anything else, it was making school lunches. Not like it was a terribly difficult or demanding chore, it was just one of those things that always needed to be done, like washing dishes or vacuuming the carpet. I think the real issue wasn’t the act of making the lunch, it was the effort of deciding what to put in it. You see, my mother can’t stand to make the same recipe twice, therefore making a school lunch day after day was quite the challenge.  Sometimes I’d get into a food rut, like everyone does and only request cheese sandwiches or a thermos of chicken noodle soup and perhaps that was the best thing I could have done for her- take her creativity out of the equation. To me though, there was nothing better than opening a mysterious, crinkly brown bag from my backpack and find a sweet note attached to a handmade sandwich or something silly, like a candy gummy rat or a finger puppet resting just inside to brighten my school day.

Now that school is back in session, it doesn’t have to be peanut butter and jelly every day; here are some delicious and creative ideas to surprise your little student.

* Create a mini veggie platter in a reusable container and a small container of ranch dressing.
* Create small, cucumber and cream cheese tea sandwiches without crust, or cut into shapes.
* Cook and chill pot stickers and pack them with raw sweet pepper and cucumber slices.
* Use small cookie cutters to make fun shapes into sandwich bread.

More Fun Ideas

Other Fun School Lunch Ideas
Cool School Lunches from MomsMenu.com
Pack a Lunch with Punch by Veg Cooking
Ideas for a Greener Lunch by iLunchbox

Above Photo by Lara604

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This Labor Day, you can make a difference by taking part in the National Day of Action. This Monday, September 7th, people from all over the U.S. will gather together at “Eat In” potlucks and talk about the National School Lunch Program and the Child Nutrition Act.

This movement is an effort by Slow Food USA to call attention to our nation’s current school lunch program and its direct influence on the health of our country’s youth. Each school day, 30 million children take part in the National School Lunch Program, governed by the U.S. Congress, but the program is lacking precisely what it is suppose to provide- real food. According to Slow Food USA, one in four children is overweight or obese and one in three will develop diabetes in their lifetime! It’s time to take action now!

Currently, our schools continue to nourish students with heavily processed food on a daily basis and sadly, for many children it is their one guaranteed meal they can count on each day. Every four to five years, the Child Nutrition Act comes up for reauthorization in Congress and the deadline is here.

Want to Help, Learn More or Get Involved? Here’s How!

Slow Food USA National Day of Action

Better School Food

Farm to School Network

Renegade Lunch Lady, Chef Ann

Above Photo by: Bookgrl

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1. Raw Zucchini Pasta
2. Zucchini Pasta with Sausage
3. Stuffed Zucchini Boats
4. Zucchini Cookies
5.Savory Zucchini Pancakes
6. Zucchini Bread
7. Zucchini Parmesan
8. Green Curry with Zucchini
9. Zucchini Dip
10. Vegan Veggie Burrito

5 More Great Zucchini Recipes From Bloggers

All Things Nice Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Home Joys- Zucchini Crust Pizza

Cooks United Zucchini Fritters

Chocolate and Zucchini Zucchini and Mushroom Crumble

Kalyn’s Kitchen Zucchini Carpaccio

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