finefortips

Welcome to Depression Cooking with Clara. Clara is 91 years old, and since she experienced the Great Depression first hand, she's decided to show the country how to cook her favorite childhood meals, you know, just in case. With the state of the economy such as it is, and fears of another depression looming, you would think these videos would be rather disturbing, but they're not. As she cooks the food that kept her and her family going, Clara shares her memories of those very hard years, but she does it with a twinkle in her eyes that leaves me optimistic. Enjoy.

I'm in the middle of doing my taxes, and while making so little money does make it fairly straightforward, there is still a lot of paperwork to get through. So, since it is pouring rain in San Francisco today, I thought I would link to six great stew recipes, all perfect for days like this. I hope to be back with a new video tomorrow, so until then you'll just have to sit and stew. Budget Beef Bourguig no n: Succulent Beef Stewed in Cheap Merlot When the weather cools, and I see football on television, I think of two things; hey, look at the size of that guy's neck, and, this is a great time of year to make stew. This video recipe for Beef Merlot is one of my favorites, an d a take-off on the venerable Beef Bourguignon, beef braised in…( more ) Aunt Mary's Pollo en Crema - Sorta Salvadorian Chicken Stewed in Cream Aunt Mary's was a popular brunch restaurant here in San Fr ancisco that served a wonderfully homey array of Mexican and Salvadorian dishes. Michele and I...

Okay, so you're probably aren’t fasting for Lent, at least not in the traditional sense, but that doesn't mean you still can't indulge for Mardi Gras (French for "fat Tuesday" …and it's not called that for nothing!). The official motto of Mardi Gras is, "Laissez le bon temp rouler" (pronounced lazay-la-bon-tom-roulay), which means, "let the good times roll!" With that in mind, I've linked below to some New Orleans-inspired classics I've posted before. I hope you give them a try. Enjoy! Creole Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya Spicy Shrimp Etouffee Sausage and Chicken Gumbo New Orleans-Style French Toast "Pain Perdu"

I'm still in the jury pool, but it looks like today may be the last day. I hope to have this new video up tomorrow, and let me say, it was every bit as delicious as it looks and sounds.

That's right, you can now subscribe to Food Wishes on iTunes ! Of course, I really don't know how it works, only that my video recipes can now be watched by a whole new segment of society - the one with those white wires hanging from their ears. Instead of listening to their teachers, kids can now watch me bone chicken in the back of class. People will be watching onions sweat instead of paying attention in meetings at work. Test scores and productivity will plummet! So, please go to my Podcast page on iTunes and click on the " subscribe " button. If you need further assistance, just ask any 16 year-old. Enjoy!

Starting Monday, I will be doing my civic duty by reporting for jury duty. So, next week's content could be a ffected, in both quantity and quality. The last time I checked, "producing video recipes," wasn't on the list of acceptable reasons for being excused. I've always thought juries should be made up exclusively of retired senior citizens, and homeless drifters. I won't go into the specific of my plan, but it makes sense on many levels. Luckily, I have many connections to law enforcement, which can be used to get out of jury duty if you know how to work it. In criminal cases, you are always asked if you have any relationships to law enforcement. Bias towards the police over a defendant is a big no-no. So, once I list all my relatives that are cops, I'll be sure to say a few things like, "If they weren't guilty, why would they have been arrested?" and "I don't have a problem with police bending the rules if it keeps the scum off ...

Celebrity chef Tyler Florence, my neighbor (he lives in Mill Valley, just North of SF), and good friend (he has no idea who I am), just announced a video recipe contest sponsored by Macy's, called Macy's Keeps America Cooking . The contest's theme is explained in the video below. I suggest watching it twice, since if you' re like me, the first time I could only focus on trying to figure out what was the deal with that dude's accent. I'm hoping to partner with TF's people on future projects, so help a brother out - go enter the contest and tell'em Chef John from Food Wishes sent you. As far as reason #91 for why I'll never have a show on food network, two words: demo tape. Every online cooking contest, reality cooking show audition, Food Network open call, et al., requires you send in some kind of demo tape, or video, so they can see you in "action." But, not cooking action, they want to see personality, and lots of it. I think after watchi...

I guess this is a combination of "Tuesday Tease" and "What I Had for Breakfast." This corned beef hash video recipe is finished, but still processing. I hope to post it later this evening. It was as good as it looks, and I think it looks pretty damn good. Enjoy!

Here are some links to six previously posted video recipes that would be p erfect for any Valentine's diner. There's something here for everyone, even a very sensual non-meat option . All these recipes are easy to shop for, simple to prepare, and relatively fast to cook. I hope you all have a great Valentine's weekend . Enjoy! Mushroom Ragout on Garlic Toast Seared Top Sirloin Steaks with Pan Jus Black Pepper Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Black Cherry Reduction Classic Roast Rack of Lamb with Dijon Gratin Chicken Marsala a la Ryan’s Cafe Easy Indoor "Barbecued" Shrimp

Many years ago, I took Michele away for a romantic getaway up to Mendocino, CA. I told her I had arranged everything, but being a typical ma le, I procrastinated and assumed dinner reservations would be no problem. Much to my horror, there were only a handful of restaurants open that time of year, all of which were booked. How was I going to get out of this one? Luckily the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at had a fireplace. I had a brainstorm...I told my wife I had a surprise for her, and that I was going to cook her a romantic dinner in the room, in the fireplace. She loved the idea! Now , I had to find the food. Fortunately, this area is home to some great salmon fishing, and I found some amazing wild salmon at a local store. I bought some foil, and did a simple salmon filet wrapped with butter and fresh herbs. I also wrapped up some baby potatoes seasoned only with salt. I tossed these foil pouches into the hot ashes, and in no time we were enjoying one of the most delicious, se...