Contest Winners

What American city is also the site of one of the largest salt deposits in the world? Because I didn't say major American city or the largest salt deposit both Detroit and Hutchinson are correct answers. For the record, Hutchinson has the largest salt deposit in the US, however Detroit's is pretty large too, some estimates suggest that there is enough salt in the Metro Detroit underground to last 70 million years--and that's a lot of salt! Here's a link to a great map of major salt deposits in North America. Congratulations to Amy, Shane and Andrew you have each won a copy of The Seasoning of a Chef ....

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This week the picks are all about unusual eats... First off is Becks and Posh who gives us a peek at eating on the Concorde . Technically she might not have eaten on the Concorde but she came pretty close in this post. Next Lulu Loves Manhattan discovers a canteen at the Ganesh Temple . This is perhaps the most unusual meal of the bunch, but a surprisingly good one and just in time for Diwali. Finally Life's a Picnic goes retro and finds a hofbrau that time forgot. Check out this terrific deja vu post!...

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The Seasoning of a Chef: Review & Contest

If you want to know what goes on in professional kitchens, there are several books that will tell you what it's like. Kitchen Confidential written by Tony Bourdain is particularly well-written and entertaining as well as informative. But the latest book by a chef turned writer is highly controversial . The book is The Seasoning of a Chef and the authors are chef Doug Psaltis and his brother and book agent, Michael Psaltis. The main issues are that the exact circumstances under which Doug Psaltis left several restaurants are left a bit vague, that some of the stories he told have not been corroborated and that he dared to criticize his superiors, some of whom are referred to by pseudonyms in the book. A curious question is: why would someone at only 31 years of age write an autobiography? After reading the book I think it was to try to gain some perspective and to share his view of the what it's like in the restaurant world. While we'll probably never know what really happ......

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Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe

You know it's Fall when fresh cranberries appear in the supermarket. I always buy a few extra packages and throw them in the freezer. One more culinary confession? I still have a package left from last year! Ok, I'm not sure exactly when I bought them, but it wasn't in the past couple of months so I can only assume... Cranberries are grown in bogs in the Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Washington State and Oregon. Native Americans were using cranberries when the pilgrims arrived here--they cooked with them, used them to dye fabric and even used them as medicine. Cranberries are most commonly used in sauce served with turkey at Thanksgiving but the introduction of dried cranberries has made them more popular year round. They are tangy and filled with vitamin C. Fresh cranberries freeze very well, though I suggest not waiting a whole year to use them! With the weather cooling down, it's a perfect time of year to bake a coffee cake. This one is not too sweet and has a lovel......

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