http://hamptonroads.com/node/469737 Food en-us Copyright 2012 PilotOnline.com / HamptonRoads.com. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:40:52 -0500 When playing barkeep, why just pick up a bottle and pour from it instead of tossing it over your shoulder first? Why set a glass into a shaker when you could catch it in flight? And why drop the garnish into the drink when you could pop it in there using the belly of your shirt? For me (and most of us) it’s because we can’t. Yet. (I’ll get to that part later.) http://hamptonroads.com/2012/02/local-barkeep-heads-tgif-world-championships Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:49:59 -0500 These days, there’s an awful lot of fish heads hanging around. Striper season rages on in the Chesapeake Bay, and fishing friends and markets boast a steady supply. I recommend if you’re lucky enough to come into possession of a whole one of these mild, meaty fishes, that you don’t lose your head. Even if yours is a big, oversized head. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/02/dont-fear-fish-head Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:01:20 -0500 A while back, The Baby Girl and I made pretzels – big, fat, yeasty ones. Think food cart pretzels, not the gravely ones from the grocery store. Since she was out the door to a birthday party, we fashioned pretzels in the form of the birthday girl’s initials and wrapped them in a Nordstrom box. Oddly, it was a hit with the pre-teen set! http://hamptonroads.com/2012/02/homemade-pretzels-big-game-or-movie Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:52:56 -0500 The excitement of Super Bowl XLVI is behind me. That’s because last Sunday, the New York Giants and the New England Patriots went head-to-head on my dining room table, complete with former pro players as refs. Four quarters of food, not a few penalties, and a big, fun party. The final score: Giants 21, Patriots 14. Click here for the full play-by-play and the final score. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/02/super-bowl-championship-chow-final-score Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:13:19 -0500 I've  been pining away over seed catalogues for the past couple of weeks, daydreaming of spring. There's lots of that  -__- (or meh) stuff out there. But there's one I've got to try. It's called "Big Daddy," and don't you love that name? The Burpee seed people call this "an all-around game-changer tomato. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/01/revolution-tomato-patch Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:17:28 -0500 This morning, I had a really nice harvest of juicy, red tomatoes. From my freezer. Remember me, Slacker Girl? How last summer – when my garden boomed with ripe tomatoes – I bypassed the bother of canning and instead stuffed my harvest into the freezer whole? I hope you followed my slovenly lead. Because check this out! I had forgotten how many tomatoes were in there! http://hamptonroads.com/2012/01/when-slacking-pays Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:56:19 -0500 As if. As if Girl Scout cookies weren’t good enough on their own. As if. As if you didn’t crave a box in every flavor, or perhaps you want free tickets to the Samoa Soiree, a creative black-tie event held Feb. 17 and featuring local chefs creating Girl Scout cookie desserts and appitizers at The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/01/baking-contest-big-prizes Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:44:56 -0500 I had the pleasure this week of speaking with two learned gents. One, a local media executive. The other, a respected culinary educator. What they said seemed puzzling. Both were musing about the Tidewater restaurant scene. The media exec, an avid cook and frequent restaurant patron, basically said meh. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/01/tidewater-restaurant-scene-great-or-just-meh Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:11:10 -0500 This scrap of newsprint? It’s my Super Bowl 2012 menu planning roadmap. See, while you all were cheering over the weekend for the Denver Broncos or the Baltimore Ravens or the New Orleans Saints or those boys from Wisconsin, I was rooting for beignets, buffalo sliders and a whole lotta cheese. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/01/beignets-vs-buffalo-sliders-what-serve-super-bowl-2012 Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:01:13 -0500 Drop the dishrag, step away from the stove and kick the diet to the curb. Back-to-back restaurant weeks await. Starting Monday, Jan. 15, nibble, gnaw, sip and slurp your way through specially-priced, multi-course lunch and dinner menus at a total of 92 restaurants in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. The lineup includes high-brow, low-brow and mid-brow eateries, something for everyone. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/01/virginia-beach-norfolk-restaurant-weeks-await Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:30:59 -0500