Faith Middleton Food Schmooze

We asked you to share your favorite burgers with us, and you didn’t disappoint. In this rebroadcast, Faith and the gang highlight the restaurants and burger stands serving the best burgers in our region. Plus, cattle farmer and co-owner of Graze Burgers, Josh Welch, explains why beef from grass-fed cows is worth seeking out. Support the show: https://foodschmooze.org/donate/

We're listening back to some favorite tips to make you a better cook, including Chris Prosperi's trick for making dinner in a rice cooker. Plus, Klancy Miller joins us to talk about her book, Cooking Solo. It's all about the joy of cooking for yourself. Klancy shares recipes for a salmon pasta dish (it uses up leftovers!), polenta with mushrooms, and almond cake. Support the show: https://foodschmooze.org/donate/

Everybody loves pizza on the grill, so this week, we listen back to Faith’s ideas for fresh, summer pizzas—with and without traditional dough. Plus, Alex Province creates a fun Chili Dog Pizza recipe, and the author of The Total Grilling Manual shares her recipes for Grilled Peaches with Butter Rum Sauce and over-the-top s'mores. Support the show: https://foodschmooze.org/donate/

Faith and the gang invent a Shrimp Cocktail Bloody Mary using two local mixes, sip on a rosé and a white wine from France, and share family recipes from Add a Pinch blogger Robyn Stone’s cookbook. Think: Southern classics lightened up—summery Citrus Shrimp, Lemon Meringue Pie with Mile-High Meringue, and a divine Georgia Peach Crisp. Plus, the gang gives shout-outs to locals making good food (and handy kitchen gadgets). We tell you where to eat in Mystic (ah, the views right now!), and Faith describes the best baba ganoush on the East Coast. This show originally aired in 2017. Support the show: https://foodschmooze.org/donate/

Get creative with your burgers for 4th of July. Stuff them with caramelized onions, roasted fennel, or your favorite cheese.  What do you consider the best lobster roll in our region? Faith and the gang have that old hot butter vs. cold mayo debate. Share your favorite shack with us.  Plus, frank talk about the best local hot dogs. Connecticut has some truly great ones. Support the show: https://foodschmooze.org/donate/

In this week’s rebroadcast, Faith and her food buddies make themselves hungry describing a few of their favorite summer go-tos: herb-crusted beef tenderloin on the grill, pan-seared duck breast, and a super-easy blueberry cobbler made with pancake batter. Plus, Alex Province explains the fundamentals of paella.     Support the show: https://foodschmooze.org/donate/

Master griller Jamie Purviance shares recipes for Beer Can Chicken, Beef Tenderloin with Seared Mushrooms, and a Pineapple Upside-Down Cake cooked on the grill. Plus, in this Father’s Day rebroadcast, Faith and the gang try two interesting red wines and learn how to shuck oysters from a pro. Support the show.

In one of our most fun shows, Tony Yurgaitis from Arethusa Farm & Dairy in Bantam and New Haven joined the party for an hour of ice cream and boozy milkshakes. Talk about good humor! Plus, Mark Scarbrough, co-author of the cookbook, A la Mode, joins the party with ice cream/dessert pairing ideas (and recipes!). Grab a pint to-go at your favorite local shop and celebrate the start of ice cream season with us. Support the show.

This week, we make a fresh no-cook pasta sauce and sip a local chardonnay from Jonathan Edwards Winery. Plus, in this rebroadcast, omelet expert John E. Finn, author of The Perfect Omelet joins the party with recipes for savory—and sweet—omelets. Finn’s Chocolate Soufflé Omelet is the breakfast treat you didn’t know you needed.    Support the show.

The key to great barbecue is layering flavors. Steven Raichlen tells you how to do it with recipes for sauces, rubs, and marinades. Get ready for burgers, ribs, and more. Plus, a CT restaurant serves a soft-shell crab BLT that gets raves, and Amy Dickinson of Wait. . .Wait Don’t Tell Me!® and the “Ask Amy” column describes her early life on a dairy farm and her mother’s cooking. Finally, we’re happily surprised by Pasqua Romeo & Juliet Bianco, a white wine that actually pairs with the spice and heat of our new favorite barbecue burger. Support the show.

It’s a Bloody Mary Party! We’re celebrating everybody’s favorite brunch cocktail with recipes for the Classic Bloody Mary, as well as some sweet and savory spins. Brian Bartels, author of the book, The Bloody Mary, shares recipes for a Barbecue Bloody Mary and the wild PB&J Bloody Mary. Inspired, Faith creates a Puttanesca Bloody Mary with a spicy vodka from Waypoint Spirits in Bloomfield, CT. And Alex Province pours a rich white rhone, a $14 Clos des Lumières L’eclat that we fell in love with. Plus, one of our favorite farmers and cooks, Susie Middleton (formerly of CT), shares recipes from her cookbook, Simple Green Suppers. Support the show.

In 2019, we celebrated the opening of Bear’s Smokehouse in New Haven. Listen back to Jamie McDonald and Jason Sobocinski describe their plans for the BBQ joint and biergarten. Cheer them on, knowing they’re feeding local heath care workers and first responders right now. Have you ordered take out yet this week? Plus, Dr. Aaron Carroll dispels myths about diet soda, red meat, coffee, and alcohol. Support the show.

People drive hours out of their way to experience the Red Truck Bakery in rural Virginia. Now you can make Brain Noyes' gold-standard recipes at home. The Red Truck Bakery Cookbook is filled with Brian’s stories (he’s a natural storyteller) and recipes you’ll want to make for friends and family—or President Obama, should you want to bake his favorite pie (he’s a fan!). Brain joins the party to share some of the stories behind the cakes and pies that have made him a household name.  Support the show.

Pull together the most delicious weeknight pastas from pantry staples and a few fresh ingredients. Food writer Colu Henry shares recipes and tips from her cookbook, Back Pocket Pasta. Plus, in this favorite from the archive, Faith and chef Chris Prosperi explain everything you ever wanted to know about how to get to the heart of an artichoke. Support the show.

In this favorite from the archive, our celebration of spring foods continues. Girls Scout cookies are a spring food, you know! We’ll tell you what you can expect to see coming up in the markets, and share garden tips (and clever hacks) for people growing veggies. Anthony DeSerio wows us with a gorgeous lemon meringue cocktail garnished with grated chocolate, and Diane Morgan, author of the cookbook Salmon, joins the party to share recipes for everyone’s favorite fish—cooked every which way. Finally, we toast our salmon with Mark Raymond’s latest wine recommendation, a white we’ll drink well into summer. Support the show.

What’s your go-to on Meatless Mondays? Faith and chef Chris Prosperi dream up a panko-crusted Portobello mushroom burger with Gruyere melting down the sides. If you’re ready to eat less meat, but not ready to give up meaty textures, author Robin Asbell, a plant-based eater herself, shares recipes and ideas from her cookbook, Plant-Based Meats. Support the show.

Faith and the gang muse about easy meals pulled together from ingredients already in the fridge, cabinets, and pantry, in this favorite from the archive. Are you well-stocked with rice, beans, canned tomatoes, and spices? Do you have a great tomato sauce you can turn into three different meals? If not, we’ve got a recipe for you! Cookbook author Pam Anderson joins the party with recipes from her updated classic cookbook, How to Cook Without a Book. Support the show.

In this favorite from the archive, we invite you to explore the holiday foods of a number of cultures and cuisines. Faith describes a crispy rice dish she ate while celebrating Persian New Year and David Kirschner, the recipe creator behind the book Matzo, shares some fun ways with everybody’s favorite unleavened cracker. Think: Matzo Nachos! Support the show.

In this blended favorite from the archive, Faith and the gang reminisce about a fabulous meal they shared in New Haven. Check to see if your favorite restaurant is offering curbside pick-up! Plus, Faith talks to author Suzy Scherr about cooking and cleaning with baking soda. And, doesn’t a comforting bowl of Matzo Ball Soup sound good right about now? Faith talks to Leah Koenig about her book, Modern Jewish Cooking, and the recipes Leah’s updated while honoring tradition. Support the show.

Want to make perfect scrambled eggs? Faith found an egg master at a Connecticut B&B; he shares his secrets for making what Faith calls “the best scrambled eggs on the planet.” Chris Prosperi shares his egg tips, too, and the whole gang celebrates the beginning of brunch season. Mark Raymond pours a lip-smacking Baron de Ley Tempranillo from Spain, and author Carol Fenster joins the party to talk about recipes in her new book, Gluten-Free Cooking for Two.Support the show.