Food, Folks and Fun, part 2

So for this sequel to the original "Food, Folks and Fun," I have some exciting news: not only did my piece on Transamerica get chosen as an Editor's Pick of the Week over at Blogcritics, but I was joined by fellow Roundtable blogger/drinker Stephen V. Funk. While we've both been honored like this before, it's never been in the same week. Here's what the editors had to say:

Transamerica by Don Baiocchi: "A stunning review in every way. Just stunning! I couldn't have asked for a finer article."

Coming Soon: The Anti-Grammys by Stephen V. Funk: "In this cute and topical opinion piece, Stephen takes a look at the Grammys in the aftermath of the broadcast, as well as offering a suggestion for alternative entertainment in the future."

Congrats, Stephen!

In other news, in my ongoing quest to get through every recipe in Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis, I have recently cranked out a few more tasty dishes.

Frittata with Tomato and Asparagus: Not only have I never made a frittata before (it was one of my dad's specialties), I've never used a broiler before. They've always scared me. In the two apartments I've lived in, they're these drawers sitting below the oven, a shallow container of blazing heat that looks as if it could melt titanium. So, after cooking the eggs, asparagus and red onion (I didn't have any tomato) on the stove, I sprinkled the cubes of fontina cheese on top, grabbed the skillet's handle and took a deep breath. I slid the pan into the broiler, waited four minutes, and out came a bubbling, perfectly browned egg pie. Delicious.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Breadsticks: With just three ingredients, could this get any easier? I set out a platter of these cheesy, toasted breadsticks at Stacey's Super Bowl party and they quickly disappeared. And anything with prosciutto is a winner in my book. Seriously, I would wrap this salty, melt-in-your-mouth Italian bacon around liver and onions and still love it. I even love just saying the name. Prosciutto. God, that's sexy.

Pine Nut Cookies: If my ten-year-old self knew that some day I would be writing about the virtues of shortbread cookies, the most boring of cookies, he would be seriously disappointed (and then he'd be raking in the dough because he could actually see into the future, and then I wouldn't be sitting here blogging on my futon bed but instead lounging by some white sand beach sipping mojitos while wearing a bathing suit made out of fifty dollar bills, but I digress...). But, seriously, after pulling these blonde discs out of the oven, they were still so buttery and soft, with a crunch from the golden edge - I never knew shortbread could taste so good. Add to that the ground fennel seed that flecked the dough (although the licorice flavor was so subtle it was almost nonexistent) and the pine nuts that studded the tops of the cookies, and I was hooked.

So, all together, that's six recipes down, only 119 to go. Great. And now I have a new deadline. I have to get this done by April, when Giada's new book comes out. Wish me luck!

Oh, and a special prize to anyone who knows where the title "Food, Folks and Fun" comes from!