Category Archives: On The Front burner

April 9, 2012

The Romantic Prairie Cookbook

Meet Fifi O’Neill. The wonderful visionary behind one of the most beautiful and tasty cookbooks on the market, The Romantic Prairie Cookbook. When I was first introduced to Fifi I didn’t realize how much I would relate to her cooking style and outlook on food and life. I know that you will find her to be as genuine, talented, and truly lovely as I do.

Born and raised in Paris, France, Fifi O’ Neil grew up in the midst of all things French and began to develop her trademark style early on. Her formative years, varied skills set, and distinctive style have been the foundation for her multi-faceted career.

Her culinary knowledge first lead to the opening of Deliciously Yours, a successful catering business followed by ownership of 3 hands-on award-winning restaurants in Sarasota, Florida, and a Food editor position for House Home & Living magazine.

Coincidentally, Fifi pursued her writing and styling passions producing feature articles on home decorating, food, and gardening.

As editor, writer and photo stylist, Fifi O’Neill has produced numerous features for national publications, among which The New York Times, Coastal Living, Country Living, Home Companion, Quick & Easy Decorating, Creative Home, Real Life Decorating, and for Italian and Scandinavian magazines such as Casa Romantica and Casa Antichi (Italy), Jeanne d’Arc Living (Denmark) and many more.

Fifi is the author of Romantic Prairie Style, a lifestyle and decorating book, The Romantic Prairie Cookbook (both published by Ryland Peters & Small.) She is also the founder and executive editor of the new national magazine, Romantic Prairie Style.

THE ROMANTIC PRAIRIE COOKBOOK
Field-Fresh Recipes and Homespun Settings

Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last fish has been caught; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten.   Cree Indian Prophecy

The Romantic Prairie Cookbook champions environmental harmony and celebrates the stewardship of the land by using homegrown, flavorful ingredients directly from field to table as it was customary centuries ago when living off the land and home cooking were essential to survival.

This time-honored tradition brings to the forefront the unique talents of a collection of artisanal practices-from gardening to harvesting, baking, cheese making, preserving, pickling and more.

Recipes, steeped in the modest but imaginative and hearty heritage of the Prairie, showcase the home cooks and artisans passion and respect for creating healthy, tasty and satisfying dishes.

Food fads come and go. The only “trends” these home cooks follow are those rooted in family traditions and the respect for the land and its inhabitants, may they be humans or animals.

They also share a collaborative effort for sustainable local production and consumption, a common devotion to good simple food and the belief that there is something unique about harvesting homegrown crops that connects them to the earth and their place.

Through their thoughtful recipe choices they create seasonal dishes that romance regional ingredients, satisfy our needs for flavors, and comfort body and soul.

click to englarge

But there is yet another fundamental element to this genuine and generous way of cookery. One that creates and maintains a link to childhood and the lessons learned growing up on harvests from grandma’s garden, stirring a pot under mom’s watchful eye, or gathering still warm eggs from an aunt’s chicken coop. There is a determination to reclaim such simple yet powerful experiences for their own children, to turn back the clock to a simple and healthier time, to reject the machine of supermarket in a grass root effort to restore a safe environment and know where their food comes from.

We invite you to explore the delicious and divine world of Fifi. The Romatic Prairie Cookbook is sold in various retail outlets as well as online on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

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January 9, 2012

On the Front Burner with Sarma Melngailis

This is the final week of featuring our artists from the magazine. While we will still feature recipes and bios from time to time, we are shifting gears a bit at Amuse Bouche. We have really enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them and hope you have too. Please help me welcome Sarma Melngailis. She is as inspiring as she is beautiful and after reading her words, I am more committed to healthy living and eating.

Hi, I’m Sarma, of One Lucky Duck and Pure Food and Wine.

I’m the owner and co-founder of Pure Food and Wine, New York City’s only upscale raw vegan restaurant. It was created for people who love food, whether vegan or not, and our regular customer base includes people from all walks of life and from all over the world. The first year the restaurant opened (2004) I began working on my first book, Raw Food Real World ,co-authored with my then collaborator. While writing the book I realized that readers and the rest of the world would be well served with an accessible and colorful online resource for ingredients, for my restaurant’s packaged cookies and snacks, and for all the best products related to living a healthy, organic lifestyle. To that end I created the One Lucky Duck brand, launching the online boutique oneluckyduck.com in 2005 (and then ran out and got a tattoo of my logo, just in case anyone doubted my commitment!)

I followed up my first book with a second in 2009, Living Raw Food. Today in addition to the restaurant I have two One Lucky Duck juice bars, one attached to the restaurant and one across town, and we ship our One Lucky Duck snacks and other products worldwide. My restaurant and juice bars are probably best known for our desserts…

I also keep a blog of essays on my website and you can always find me rambling on my Twitter account.

I grew up with a love for good food and restaurants, with my mother having been a restaurant chef. But still I ended up in the corporate world after college, working my ass off in NYC in investment banking and then private equity. I finally left after 5 years and enrolled in the French Culinary Institute. Then after two years in the restaurant world, I stumbled upon the world of raw food. It felt very foreign and confusing at the time. That’s why my company and I do everything we can to make healthy living appealing, accessible, fun, and delicious.

I love what I do now. If I can encourage people to make a shift towards eating more plants and less animals, and towards eating more real food instead of processed food, then I’m doing what I’m meant to do.

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January 2, 2012

On The Front Burner with Jennifer Lanne

We hope you all had a fabulous holiday season! We have some exciting new features in the works and can’t wait to share them with all of you! Today though, we are on the front burner with Jennifer Lanne. I am sure after reading a bit about her, you will see why we are so excited to work with such a gem!

Drawn to all things old…homemade, farm made and hand made..My husband and I jumped at the chance when our 1780’s home came up for sale.

It was a sad, forgotten farm in need to life, boisterous chickens and me being an artist…colorful texture.

We were more than happy to take on the challenge.

We are proud to say we have all the blood, sweat and tears are ours. Things we didn’t know how to do, we learned as we went. Trial and error.

10 years later things are almost as they should be. I say almost as with everything…it is a work in progress!

We are lucky enough to possess a home peppered with character which garnered us a spread in Country Living Magazine (July 2006)….also featuring my studio.

It’s always been a toss up for me as to which I loved more…painting or cooking.

I spent a year in cooking school honing skills , but ultimately painting tipped the scales.

We generally have a flock of chickens of around 24, this ensures a running supply of farm fresh, free range eggs. Working and painting from home and managing my website allows me to have the farm pets that I love!

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December 19, 2011

On the Front Burner with Kathy Petersen

Kathy Petersen knows a thing or two about having an organized kitchen. She doesn’t have just one, but three! We are so excited to feature Kathy this week and get a sneak peek into her beautiful life.

I live a somewhat unusual lifestyle in that I maintain three homes in three different states. I have lived in Utah my entire life, but in the past years, my husband and I have been fortunate enough to call both California and Jackson, Wyoming home as well.

(l) Utah Kitchen, (r) Palm Springs Kitchen

Maintaining and organizing three homes is a challenge, but a fun one! No two kitchens are alike and sometimes I have a hard time remembering whether that special tool or cookbook I need is in Jackson or California. However, all three places truly feel like home when we are there.

My family has always been the center of my life and my husband and children give me inspiration to cook and entertain, both things I love to do. Whether it’s a small, intimate family dinner or a big three-day surprise birthday party for my husband, I am constantly thinking of ways and planning events to get my family and friends together. I am the oldest of six girls so nurturing comes naturally to me. Great food is always the center of my family functions!

Remember to enter our amazing giveaway from They Draw & Cook!

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November 28, 2011

Where Women Cook, Celebrate!

With one holiday behind us and more on the horizon, we know this is a busy time of year. This week we want to make your holiday shopping a bit easier by introducing you to some of the artists in Where Women Cook, Celebrate!

Filled with artists like Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman), Molly Wizenberg (Orangette), Angie Dudley (Bakerella), Serena Thompson (The Farm Chicks) and many more, this book is sure to become a staple of any kitchen.

The pages are filled with stories, recipes and the photos that you have come to love in Where Women Cook.

And just like our magazine and blog, you will most certainly want to lick the pages of this delicious book!

We are so excited for this week and hope you will join us as we explore Where Women Cook, Celebrate!

Do you have the book yet? If so, tell me who your favorite artists in the book are! What recipes have you tried?

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November 7, 2011

On The Front Burner with Tina Haupert

We are so excited to feature Tina Haupert, of Carrots ‘N’ Cake this week. Once you read a bit about her, you will see why. Please help me welcome Tina to The Front Burner!

My name is Tina. I’m 31 years old, and I live in Boston, Massachusetts with my husband, Mal, and my adorable pug, Murphy. When I’m not spending time with my family and friends, you can find me running. I love to stay active and running is my favorite form of exercise. To date, I’ve run more than 20 races, including my first marathon in January 2011. (The New York City Marathon is the next big race on my calendar!)

Additionally, I volunteer weekly with Back on My Feet (BOMF), an organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of homeless people by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. I blog about my adventures with BOMF every week. My hobbies also include enjoy yoga, hiking, baking, tasting beer, dining out, and traveling.

Managing and blogging for Carrots ‘N’ Cake is a full-time job for me, but I also juggle a variety of part-time gigs. I write another blog called Trading Up Downtown for a nutritional rating company called NuVal. The main focus of the blog is sharing tips to save money and selecting nutritious foods with the help of the NuVal system. I also write a weekly feature for Health.com as part of their Feel Great Weight (FGW)program. You can read my FGW posts here.

While I try to pack the most nutrients possible into each meal that I eat, I have a number of favorites that are not necessarily “healthy,” but are still delicious and fun to indulge in. If eaten in moderation, I believe that the “bad” foods can be part of a well-balanced diet.

This same philosophy and passion to share it with others helped me secure a book deal with Sterling Publishing. In May 2011, my book, Carrots ‘N’ Cake: Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake at a Time, was published. Based on my blog, my book is an innovative, even fun way to leading a healthy lifestyle.

It’s all about eating your carrots and savoring your cupcakes, too. Instead of restrictive dieting, obsessive calorie counting, and constant hunger, I show readers how they can drop the pounds—and keep them off—by adopting eating habits that are healthy, balanced, and above all, livable.

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October 31, 2011

On the Front Burner with Krystina Castella

If you have a sweet tooth, then this is week is for you! Get ready for holiday baking with Krystina Castella!

Krystina Castella is obsessed with playing in the kitchen and sharing recipes with others that are tasty and beautiful.

Krystina is the author of Crazy About Cakes (Sterling 2011), World of Cakes (Storey 2010), Crazy about Cupcakes (Sterling 2006), Crazy about Cookies (Sterling 2010), Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone (Quirk Books, 2008) and co-author of Booze Cakes (Quirk Books 2010).

She is also co-author/ photographer of the children’s book Discovering Nature’s Alphabet (Heyday 2006). She lives and works near Los Angeles as a writer, industrial designer, and professor at Art Center College of Design.

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