Eons ago, March 2010, an idea was born while sailing on the Caribbean. Six of us fish-out-of-water friends were aboard a rather fancy boat, which was an unfathomably generous birthday gift from my sister and her husband – they are keepers. On board, Dr. April sparked an idea to combine our passion for eating real food into a mission to share easy, approachable ideas and information with others. Thus, launched crunchtimefood.com. Dr. Henry, April’s husband sparked another idea, make our own video to Andy Samburg’s The Lonely Island. What are six adults to do when their children aren’t around? They become children. You won’t see that video here, yet.

After the trip, April sent a thank you note in the form of, what else, a cookbook, Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way. It’s one of her favorites likely because Henry is masterful with a fire – Cuban, pig roasts, and the like. The book is an amazing lesson in the art of fire cooking, yet there are simple extractions that work for the practical crunchtime cook. read more

Sorry down under friends, but I was never too fond of shrimp on the barbie because in my experience those little guys singed up too fast making the shrimp dry. The barbeque cooking flavor also overpowered the delicate tasting shrimp. What I’m really saying, I think, is that I was never too fond of MY shrimp on the barbie ’cause likely I cooked them too long.

Last night, however, I was searching for something to go with a salad tartine (post coming soon) which calls for grilled bread. The grill was going and the shrimp were looking at me, so I gave it a whirl and the grilled shrimp turned out great. I liked them and the kids, well, give them a stick with a sharp point, and the possibilities for happiness are overwhelming.

Best part, as always, is that a monkey, or maybe we say a koala, could make these rather impressive dinner foods. In fact, it’s so easy, it’s not worthy of a recipe card. So, here you have it:

1. uncooked shrimp – rubbed with some olive oil, salt & pepper

2. sticks (skewers if you must) – soak in water for thirty minutes before grilling

3. thread shrimp on sticks the way you see above (we’re going for surface area)

4. grill on medium heat – 2-3 minutes a side – just until pink and opaque – don’t overcook

5. congratulate yourself with a glass of wine and a wink in the mirror – you are awesome!

A few of us in my extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins of every possible ordinal number, have a name for using leftovers and it’s not reinvention a la Food Madonna. At our gatherings, namely Cousins Weekend, we cook, plate, and graze all the live long day. And over the years, we’ve learned a bit about group food service from these weekends – like what food goes and what food lingers.

It seems there comes a time in a platter of food’s life, when just enough food has been taken from it, making it appear disheveled, and no longer a platter a food but food on a platter and at that moment, the remaining food becomes inedible. And this isn’t like just one cherry tomato and a soggy mushroom. Half of the food might be left, but if it’s strewn about on the platter without order like the comfort we get from cascading and groupings, it might as well be poison – because the food that remains screams – picked over. Not chosen, avoided; the food won’t move no matter how hard you pitch it.

But, take that same unloved food and arrange it on a new, smaller platter, of a different shape or color than before, and the mitts are all over it. Astonishingly, same food, but new presentation.

My cousin Janice (partner of a first cousin) and I call it re-presenting. This re-presenting (and chuckles that go with it) goes on until we take the last of the veggies and put them where all spent vegetables go to die – soup cemetery or shady oaks omelette.

Well this lovely story is a long way to addressing the dilemma that is leftovers. A reheat on a plate feeds them, but you get that god awful “not agaaaiiiiinnnn” and a lot of picking and picking over. With a scad of effort, a little presentation goes a long way. And in the case of leftover chicken, we’re re-presenting in a whole new dress – like a wardrobe change without all the Ann Hathaway. read more

When will they get their facts right.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/223360/saturday-night-live-corn-syrup-commercial

Wine begins at 9:30 am; it’s cocktails at 10.

Cheers.

You have fifteen minutes to serve your family a hot meal, where do you turn? McPizza-rito ‘n Suds. Tempting, but no. It’s roast chicken to the rescue . This superhero food is my go-to.

A few weeks back, we talked ratios; today it’s Venn diagrams. Imagine your family’s schedule in circles – a family circle. Each circle represents one member’s schedule and where the circles overlap is the time that everyone will be home together. Some nights, for my family, the tiny spirographical intersection showing our unified home time is a mere fifteen minutes.Although a narrow shot, I do my best to fill those few minutes with some nourishment if for no other reason than to keep them going for the remainder of the night.

Without hassle, this chick’s chicken turns out every time; and every time I make it, the peeps at the table swoon. I wish I could say that secret ingredients make this special or that the recipe has been passed down through the ages from my great-great-great Aunt Hilda, but this one is just a simple and honest preparation. There are four or five steps, however, that ensure perfection. read more