KFC and the $10 Challenge

KFC would like us to believe that you can’t make their fried chicken meal for less than $10.

I wanted to post about this awhile ago, after I first saw the ridiculous commercial, but I couldn’t find it on YouTube at the time. Grist writer Kurt Michael Friese sums it up well when he writes, “When it comes to food, America has been sold a bill of goods.” And how.

Friese takes KFC’s $10 challenge. He went to a local independent grocery store and bought hormone-free chicken. Though he typically buys chicken that is also organic, free-range, and local, the chicken he bought was a far better alternative to the chickens KFC serves up. The KFC meal was $10.58, which included Iowa state taxes. He made the same meal (chicken, four biscuits, mashed potatoes, and gravy) for $7.94. Using more organic ingredients ran $10.62. He includes the recipes he used in his article.

Friese does note that it takes more time than a fast food drive-through. But instead of watching Survivor: Season 57, wouldn’t our time be better spent making a tastier, healthier (and less-expensive meal) for our family? I can’t think of anything more satisfying than having a kitchen full of people, preparing a homemade family dinner.

Even KFC can’t put a price tag on that one.

Spain…On the Road Again

Batali and Bittman in Spain

I’ve heard a bit of buzz about a new program called Spain…On the Road Again. Here’s the gist: Gwyneth Paltrow, chef Mario Batali, New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman, and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols embark on a road trip in a fancy, schmancy car to give viewers a closer look at Spain’s cuisine and culture. The 13-part TV series premieres the week of September 20 on PBS. (In Austin, the first episode airs Friday, September 26 at 10 p.m. Yours truly will have to tape it, as 10 p.m. is quite late for those of us who need our eight hours.)

I am excited about this program. José Andrés kindled an interest in all things Spanish with his show, Made in Spain. I do have a love-hate relationship with holier-than-thou Gwyneth, but the love part of the love-hate thing compels me to watch her, even if she does say obnoxious things in the press and offers her opinion when no one was asking (that’s the hate part). Also, I want to see what she wears (the love part again). But she’s probably just doing this to show off her fluency in Spanish (hate her). It’s very complicated.

Anywho, the first episode, Tilting Windmills in Castilla la Mancha, starts with Mark and Mario at Madrid’s fish market, while Gwynnie and Claudia “lounge luxuriously eating churros and hot chocolate.” (Hate, hate, hate.) Then Gwyneth and Mario drive to Toledo for a cooking lesson with one of Castilla la Mancha’s top chefs, while Mark and Claudia travel the route of Don Quijote, tilting at windmills and learning how to make Manchego cheese. Apparently Mario tries bird sushi, which doesn’t agree with him.

Click the link to the episode for a short preview.

Cooking freestyle and crimes of fashion

Hello, Kumquats! I’m feeling quite zen at the moment, and while it could be the great yoga session during lunch, I think it has more to do with a satisfying evening in the kitchen. When my head is a mess or when I need to zone out, I like to cook freestyle. It’s not about half a teaspoon of this or a pint of that; it’s just about getting in there and getting dirty. Improvising. Carpe-ing the diem.

Tonight I made Tomato and Zucchini Gratin, guided by MattBites, who not only posts great recipes, but also takes lively, colorful photographs. His directions included no measurements; this was strictly interpretive cooking. Matt encourages cooks to add a little of this and a little of that. “Trust me…it’ll be okay,” he writes.

Boy was it ever. The house is fragranced with baked tomatoes, zucchini, and cheese. (Take that, Glade.)

It’s easy enough to make; the only glitch was a common problem I have with herbs, which has nothing to do with the cooking directions, or with the herbs, for that matter. My daily routine is to come home, workout, shower, get into pjs, and then head into the kitchen. The problem is that as I start to gather ingredients, I realize that I need fresh herbs from the garden. Usually I can convince Luis to go, but today he’s working late. And I’m in my bright yellow pajama pants covered with orange and pink monkeys. What to do?

I rummaged through my closet looking for some protection from the no-seeums that lurk in tall grasses. Now, I realize that I could have put on a respectable pair of jeans and some trainers, but instead I chose the equestrian riding boots.

Yes, I tucked my monkey pants into my knee-high boots, and set out for the herb garden. Thank goodness we live in the country.

Tasty links: Friday’s dinner and my new diet

On Friday, Smitten Kitchen told us how to make crisp rosemary flatbread. That evening, Luis and I rolled out some flatbread, baked it, and smeared pesto goat cheese on top. It’s as easy to make as she describes. I couldn’t help but to wonder, “Flatbread, where have you been all my life?”

We also had several carrots and a sweet potato we needed to eat before I went to the farmer’s market on Saturday. After Googling a recipe that included those ingredients, I came across the Original Moosewood Carrot Soup Recipe, posted last year by Slashfood. I can’t say enough about this recipe. Creamy, hearty, and flexible. Adjust it to your tastes, or to what you have in the fridge (as we did).

Finally, there was an article I came across this weekend called Unhappy Meals, written by Michael Pollan, the author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, both of which are on my reading list. Unhappy Meals, published last year in The New York Times, discusses how the food industry, nutritional science, and journalism have created the widespread confusion surrounding what humans should eat. Our confusion is evident with each new diet fad, touted by the celeb-of-the-minute, claiming to have unlocked some mysterious, magical secret. Eat low fat (avocado gets the ax). Don’t eat carbs (goodbye, fruit and whole wheat). Consume products fortified with omega-3s (and what of omega-6?).

Pollan’s food mantra is simple: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” In practice, you’ll find it more difficult since Twinkies aren’t food, according to Pollan’s definition. But not to worry, the last part of the article gives you nine rules of thumb to point you in the right direction. Pollan also claims something I’ve always suspected (without proof or research of any kind on my own, mind you): It’s more effective to eat foods with vitamins already in them, than to take supplements created by extracting various nutrients and mashing them together into a pill. According to Pollan, recent studies show that the vitamin supplements are worthless. It’s a long article, but well-worth the time.