Deliciously Doing Battle with the Common Cold

Vietnamese beef noodle soup (Pho) is a delicious way to do battle with the common cold.

Food Pope fans in the Columbus, OH area, can enjoy this treat at China Jade

Time for Grits Y'All

Grits are an inexpensive, easily utilized accompaniment to many meals.  In the below pictures, salmon and grits are paired with fried potato straws.  The leftover grits were chilled, cut into triangles, and fried with cheese for a savory side dish.

Yeti Tracks or Food Pope?

These tracks look mysterious, but note how they lead to the Food Pope's favorite cooking tool, the grill!

Follow the Food Pope's advice and never let winter weather ruin your grilling plans.  The cold weather outside of the grill often contributes to slower, more even and flavorful cooking that makes winter a wonderful time to grill steaks, chicken or burgers.  So don't wait until Spring is officially here to put on your boots and fire up the grill!

Student-Run Gourmet

At Columbus State Community College where I teach English, Christopher's Restaurant is a student-run restaurant serving gourmet food every Thursday.  Today I enjoyed a  lovely bowl of French onion soup and followed by a beautiful plate of pork tenderloin au Poivre topped with a creamy green peppercorn sauce and side of braised red cabbage.

For less than $9, I felt like I was eating like a king.  The chefs and servers in this program have a lot to be proud about!

Simple Cheese Fondue

For Valentine's Day this year I decided to try making cheese fondue for the first time.  A recipe posted on the Food Network by Tyler Florence was really easy to make, had a smooth consistency, and was delicious.  Pretzel rolls are a perfect bread for dipping in this indulgent fondue!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/cheese-fondue-recipe.html

Food Pope Tips:

• I purchased blocks of swiss and gruyere cheese, placed them in separate ziplock bags and placed 1Tps of cornstarch in each bag.  Shaking the bags thoroughly coats the shredded cheese with cornstarch.
• I didn't have a really dry white wine available, so I used a Riesling which worked great.
• If you don't have cherry brandy as the recipe calls for, a sweet port works really well to.

Light, Healthy and Delicious

When perusing the frozen foods aisle at my local grocery store I came across Morningstar Farms veggie burgers.  Lightly fried on each side and served with chipotle mustard, onion, and sliced avocado on local sourdough bread, they were delectable!

When considering a burger that is healthy, tasty, and environmentally friendly, why not try a veggie burger?

https://www.morningstarfarms.com/products/burgers/spicy-black-bean-veggie-burgers

Chicken Penne Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

For a quick and easy recipe that's really tasty, consider chicken penne pasta with sundried tomatoes tonight!

I use whole wheat penne pasta to add some fiber and a more rustic flavor.

http://juliasalbum.com/2014/10/chicken-mozzarella-pasta-with-sun-dried-tomatoes/