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Chefs wanted for 2012 Great Alaska Seafood Cook-Off
FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is looking to crown the next king or queen of Alaska seafood. The institute is hosting the Great Alaska Seafood Cook-Off May 14 in Anchorage. Chef...
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A pork stew that is both hearty and healthy
It’s winter. It’s cold. You want something hearty. But you’re also trying to eat better and don’t want to ruin your diet by diving into a cream-laden casserole. A lean stew is just the thing you n...
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Cardamom: What it is and how to use it
The typical grocer sells some 50,000 different products. The typical shopper buys the same 264 over and over again. The point? To persuade you to take a second look at some of the 49,736 foods tha...
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Self-indulgence looms after hectic holidays
FAIRBANKS — Professional chefs know that a meal is a kind of performance, the dinner table a place of theater. So for the holidays I made sure to don my best chef’s hat and draw the red curtain on ...
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Ryan Farr, right, offers instruction in butchering a lamb at 4505 Meats in San Francisco. Farr, a classically trained chef, came to butchery as a cook first, teaching himself the basics of meat-cutting as a restaurant chef and sous chef. In 2009, he and his wife, Cesalee, founded 4505 Meats in San Francisco, a meat company that supplies a number of area restaurants and also the site of Farr’s popular butchery classes for home cooks. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
No bones about it: The butcher is back
Knife in hand, Ryan Farr surveys the fresh whole lamb carcass stretched out on the cutting board, garnet flesh wrapped in a thin coat of pearlescent fat. He cuts into the ribs with the practiced s...
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Group seeks Alaska chefs to enter seafood cook-off
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is calling for professional chefs from around the state enter a seafood preparation contest. The Great Alaska Seafood Cook-Off is schedul...
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A fast and virtuous dip fit to serve company
FAIRBANKS — My goal was simple — a company-worthy dip that didn’t involve a heart-stopping volume of sour cream. If it also could be fast and easy to assemble, even better. Because face it, we nee...
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Celebrate the new year with roasted salmon
FAIRBANKS — Feeding a crowd this New Year’s Eve? Consider offering something that is richly savory, but won’t weigh down the party. We started with a side of salmon, roasted it with butter and gar...
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There are many varieties of sushi, but the most appropriate for a party like a DIY sushi roll party is the maki roll (also the variety Americans are most familiar with) — sheets of nori seaweed wrapped around cooked sushi rice and a variety of fillings. / The Associated Press
Throw a roll-your-own-sushi New Year’s Eve party for an unforgettable event
Not a New Year’s Eve partier? Me either. My ideal Dec. 31 is pretty basic. We invite another family to spend the night, freeing us up to get comfortable, play games, drink wine without worry and —...
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A guilt-free celebration with alcohol-free sangria
By ROCCO DiSPIRITO For The Associated Press Like so many people, I use the start of the new year to assess my life and zero in on all the things I want to change. For 2012, I want to focus on be...
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Think a big beefy roast for a big holiday feast
A rib roast is a classy addition to your holiday table. Served alongside roasted potatoes and vegetables, it is hearty, homey and elegant. For this recipe we used a bone-in rib-eye, a beautifully...
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Pierogies — dough dumplings, filled with either cabbage or potatoes — are an Eastern European take on a holiday meal. / Photo by Ted Sponsel
Holiday season is more than just turkey dinner, it’s also old world favorites
FAIRBANKS — ’Tis the season for turkey, but not in every home. In families with strong ethnic identifications, it may not show up at all, or if it does it is not the star of the show. At my house...
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Columnist’s wish list? A pasta attachment to make Christmas complete
FAIRBANKS — How is it that it’s Dec. 14 already? I can assure you it was only last week that I was handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, and I am pretty sure that we just had Thanksgiving dinner ...
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Abigail King, 3, and Aidan King, 5, decide which gingerbread house was their favorite at the 28th annual Gingerbread House Contest at the Carlson Center Saturday. Winners were determined by public vote. / Krystin Bogan/News-Miner
Gingerbread gets done up in style at annual contest
FAIRBANKS — There aren’t many rules when it comes to the 28th annual Gingerbread House Contest. But one is clear: The house better be made out of gingerbread. That didn’t deter the 60 competitors ...
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Taste of the Interior: Warm hearty soups and a stunning holiday cake
This recipe came to me from a friend more than 20 years ago while we were living in Los Alamos, N.M. I make this fabulous soup several times a year with my leftover turkey. This soup will most ce...
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Associated Press photo French onion dip isn’t difficult to make from scratch and is well worth the trouble.
Ditch the tub-o-dip. DIY onion dip is much better
By ALISON LADMAN For The Associated Press French onion dip is a delicious and classic holiday party offering. And yet most people don’t bother to make it, instead opting for a tub of convenience...
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Associated Press photo Chef Bryan Voltaggio has six tattoos. Once considered the province of sailors, bikers, ex-cons and college hipsters, tattoos have become standard attire in professional kitchens.
A kitchen culture change: toques to tattoos
Stephanie Izard looks like the girl next door, all T-shirt and curly pony tail. Until she wipes the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. And then you see it. The fish tattoo. “Cooki...
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Associated Press photo This creamy rice and crab casserole dish takes the flavors of a creamy crab dip and turns it into a meal. It serves 16 as a hearty dinner, but can feed many more at a potluck, where diners tend to take smaller portions of each dish.
Crab and rice casserole a portable holiday dish that will feed a crowd
Delicious often doesn’t cut it during the holidays. Many of us seem to spend the entire month of December on the move, going from one work or family gathering to another. Which means the food you ...
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Associated Press photo This cinnamon bun bread pudding can be assembled the night before, covered, refrigerated and baked the next morning
Icing on the cake — cinnamon bun bread pudding
As though the candy canes on the tree and the presents under it aren’t enough, here’s an excuse to have an even sweeter start to Christmas. Cinnamon buns were the inspiration. And while on their o...
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Taste of the Interior: A warm and hearty soup for long, cold nights
FAIRBANKS - ’Tis the season of winter sports, cold toes and noses. Here’s a nourishing “meal in a bowl” to warm up with by the fire. Having grown up on a farm, and heeding my Bohemian grandmother...
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Associated Press photo To serve winter chili dogs, divide the mashed potatoes between 4 serving plates. Top each with a hot dog, then ladle the beans over them. Top with cheese, sour cream, jalapenos and red onion
A chili dog for the chilliest time of year
Chili dogs generally are considered summer food. Which makes sense. Hot dogs tossed in a bun and slathered with chili and shredded cheese does tend to scream summer casual (and heartburn, but that...
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Associated Press photo These buttermilk sufganiyot are sweet, slightly chewy and reminiscent of the famous beignets of New Orleans.
Frying for Hanukkah? Try sweet or savory doughnuts
It might seem that getting eight nights worth of presents is the best thing about Hanukkah, but it isn’t. The doughnuts are. Here in the U.S., as well as in Europe, crispy, fried potato latkes are...
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Associated Press photo For Elizabeth Karmel’s beer and black pepper brisket recipe she uses a whole, untrimmed brisket.
Want a great brisket? Go slow
Brisket has become an unfortunate joke. Too often this staple of Hanukkah meals is tough, tasteless and gray. But turning this culinary catastrophe into a winner is quite simple. When guests at my...
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Try sharing your holiday meal with ‘someone new’ this season
FAIRBANKS - Of all the Thanksgiving traditions I inherited from my family, “Always invite someone new” is my favorite. Over the years, this tradition has created some memorable feasts: I’ve reconne...
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Vanilla-inflused vodka is easy and a great use for leftover vodka.
Vodka, vodka everywhere, but not just for drinking
FAIRBANKS — During the holidays, I usually end up with extra liquor after the last of the guests have gone. Lucky, my family and friends give truth to the cliché that Eastern Europeans and Russians...
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Real browning on a turkey comes from a bottle
Want the secret to a beautifully bronzed roasted Thanksgiving turkey? It’s all in a bottle. In our many years of cranking out too many Thanksgiving birds, we’ve found that no roasting technique pr...
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Pumpkins are everywhere - cookies, pancakes, and yes, pie
FAIRBANKS- Pumpkins are everywhere this time of the year. Of course, many of them are plastic and just being used as décor, but pumpkins are everywhere, nonetheless. They are in the grocery stores,...
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No guilt. No fuss. An easy Thanksgiving stuffing
Much as I believe in from-scratch cooking, especially at the holidays, I’ve never felt even a shred of guilt for turning to stuffing mix year after year. I consider it the Thanksgiving equivalent ...
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Turkey Trivia: Leave the Thanksgiving culinary equations to us
Don’t worry, we’re lousy at Thanksgiving trivia, too. That’s why we assembled this Turkey Day cheat sheet. This way you can focus on your family, friends and good eats without having to worry your ...
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Together at last: cranberries and squash
The trouble with cranberries at the Thanksgiving table is that they so often end up alone. These wonderfully tart and sweet berries generally are relegated to a sauce. If they are luckily, they mi...
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