Death Of Notes : Simply Recipes Food and Cooking Blog

Greek Grape Leaf Wreath - Festive and Filling!

I had a request recently from the Greek food guide on About.com, Nancy, for a video recipe for a dish called "Rolo me Abelophylla," which is a meat, rice and cheese loaf in grape leaves. I decided to do a vegetarian version using lentils since I've always enjoyed cold rice and lentil salads, and thought this combo would be perfect with the grape leaves. It was.

When you add the tangy feta, and consider the very holiday-ish design, this would be a fantastic item to bring to that Holiday party. Imagine the look on everyone's face when you walk in carrying this! Suddenly their cheese ball doesn't look so hot.

If you decide to attempt this fairly easy ring of rice, you can find jarred grape leaves in any Greek market, or high-end store. Nancy suggests using the dried leaves if you can find them - these are boiled to soften and are larger and easier to use. But, the brand you see in the video in the larger jars worked fine. Enjoy!

* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

Click here for ingredients and recipe transcript.

DVD Update!

From the looks of the poll there seems to be enough interest for me to go ahead and have a 100 DVD's pressed. Please hold your order requests until tomorrow when I post the official order page. Here are some facts and figures.

The DVD is titled "Food Wish Favorites Vol. 1"
It will feature the following 12 videos, which I chose to give the recipient a wide range of techniques, styles, and one-liners.

This should serve as a great introduction to the site.
Chicken Gumbo
Shrimp Jambalaya
Farmer's Cheese
No-Knead Bread
Ginger Chicken Wings
Chicken Parmesan Bake
Braised Beef Merlot
Lamb Chops
French Onion Soup
Split Pea Soup
Real French Toast
Mushroom Veggie Burger

The cost will be $25 and includes shipping and handling.
Each disc will be signed and numbered to avoid future controversies in natural history museums.
Only 100 DVD's will be offered at this time, on a first come, first serve basis, unless you are a friend, relative, have donated money before, or are willing to make me an offer I can't refuse.
Discs will be shipped out using regular first-class mail (only the best for you guys), and will be mailed by December 15th.
Due to time constraints and present workload, I can't do any custom messages or gift-wrapping. The DVD will be in a real jewel case made from the finest clear plastic.
SORRY, but I can only ship to USA for now, but will soon research the shipping costs for international purchases. UPDATE: INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING NOW AVAILABLE!

That's all for now. More tomorrow, and then you can start flooding me with orders!

I'll have a new recipe video up later today.

Happy Cyber Monday! For Sale: Me

Yes, it's cyber Monday - the first weekday after the Thanksgiving weekend when online retailers get their largest traffic surge as bargain hunters hit the internet en mass.

I know what many of you are thinking, "Gee, I wish Chef John had a DVD for sale so I could finally help him keep the site up and running, AND score a sweet gift for my friends and family members that can't cook." It's like I read your mind, isn't it?

Well, you're in luck! I will be selling a DVD with some of my most popular video recipes so you can give the gift of me to others. I know you've told hundreds, if not thousands of people about this blog, but let's face it - people rarely do what you tell them too. Now, at nominal expense to you, they can watch these recipes on TV and cook along with Chef John.

Since this is mainly a fundraising effort (as well as providing you with a one-of-a-kind gift), I'm thinking of $25 dollars for 9 video recipe lessons. What do you think? Would you support the site and buy one (or lots) of these DVD's? Please take the poll below so I have an idea! I will make the official offer on Wednesday. Thanks!!

Spicy Three-Bean Chili - Meatless and Possibly Vegetarian

As I prepare myself mentally and physically for the rest of the upcoming holiday feasts, I'm trying to stay away from rich, meaty dishes since they'll soon be eaten in abundance. This spicy three-bean vegetable chili recipe video shows a meat-free, but still very satisfying meal.

Eating a little leaner before the big holiday meals is a great idea for several reasons. You'll save money, get extra nutrients to protect your body from excessive partying (and gout), and you'll appreciate those rich foods even more.

I'm going to have a bowl of this chili right now, and then practice my King Henry VIII imitation - you know, drunk, belt loosened, shirt stained with gravy, pointing menacingly at relatives with a roast goose leg, or dripping beef rib. Ah, the holidays. Enjoy!

* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded, diced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 tsp chipotle chili powder (more for spicier chili)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tbsp Ancho chili powder (or other chili powder)
1 cup tomato sauce
3 cups water (more if needed)
1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15-oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15-oz) can red kidney beans, drained
1 pound package frozen sweet corn, thawed, drained well
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
6 oz pepper Jack cheese, shredded

A Food Wish Thanksgiving

Here is a short little slideshow of our Thanksgiving dinner just in case you were wondering if I actually use my own recipes. I thought everything came out pretty well, although the walnut chocolate fudge pie at the end of the video could have used about half the amount of chocolate ganache. There are worse mistakes.

By the way, I never got a photo of the cranberry sauce, but it was the same style used in the cabernet cranberry sauce video.

The flatbread appetizer you'll see was made with "Mango Peno" cheese from the Beechwood Cheese Factory. They're in Wisconsin and produce a great variety of very creatively flavored, and all-natural cheeses. I got to sample some a while back, and I was very impressed. Since we like to support smaller, family-owned producers, I encourage you to check out their offerings on the Beechwood Cheese website.

Here is the menu you'll see in the clip. Enjoy!

Olives, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Whole Wheat Flatbread with Mango, Jalapeno Cheese, and Fresh Apple
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Cranberry Sauce (not shown)
Maple Meyer Lemon Candied Yams
Blue Cheese Green Bean Gratin
Crème Fraiche Mashed Potatoes
Pickled Roasted Red Onions and Garlic
Pear and Almond Bread Stuffing
Apple Coleslaw
Herb Butter Turkey
Turkey Neck Gravy
Pumpkin Pie (not shown)
Walnut Chocolate Fudge Pie

* Please help support free video recipes, and visit my new sponsor, MOZO Shoes. Find out why chefs (like me) are buzzing about their great shoes!

I'm Thankful for All of You - Have a Great Thanksgiving!

I want to give a sincere thanks to all the funny, smart, inspiring, provocative, and dedicated readers of this blog (and Scott from Boston). You all help make doing this blog the incredible pleasure it is, and thanks to your (mostly moral) support, 2009 promises to be a fantastic year for Food Wishes!

I will be taking a couple days off to cook, eat, cook, and eat. But, you know I can't keep from posting for too long, so you should see some photos of my Thanksgiving meal soon. If I don’t answer your email, comments, and questions, it's because I'm taking a nap.

Here is some advice I just published on my American Food site on About.com. If you're doing the cooking this year, you may want to check it out. Enjoy!!!

My Youngest Fan's Food Wish

A viewer named Louella emailed these photos of her darling son Nico, composing a letter asking for a food wish. I know there are a lot of Moms that visit the blog, so I thought I'd post them so you can go, "awwwww." Thanks Louella, I'll see what I can do!

Special Message to Nico: Thank you for your food wish, and the great pizza drawing! You are quite the little artist. You are obviously a very smart and creative young man. Even at your age, your writing is better than many of the comments I get. Thanks for watching!

Would you buy a $25 DVD from Chef John to give as a gift?
	Yes! I have been meaning to help support the site, and I do need some inexpensive gift options.
	No! I love the site, but you're not getting any money from me. Nice try.

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