I'll Be Right Back...

This blog will take a brief break and return on July 15th while I celebrate my great aunt’s 102nd birthday, honeymoon with my handsome groom and prepare to move to Washington, D.C. I look forward to returning with many new food-finds from Greece and elsewhere.

I write many poems related to food, from the preparation to the eating of many dishes. If you're interested in hearing some, I’ll be reading a selection of these poems with poet Hila Ratzabi at Made with Love Organic Bakery in Jersey City, NJ on Monday, June 7th.

For those of you who like writing about food – and other subjects – consider taking my one-week, online Beginning Poetry Writing Workshop in July. This class runs from Thursday, July 22 – Sunday, July 25th. From Monday, August 1 - Friday, August 13, you may be interested in Memoir Writing Workshop II. Think of these classes as “staycations” for writing.

To register, email me (chloemiller(at)gmail(dot)com); I’ll save you a virtual seat and send you billing details. I’ll be checking my email periodically while I’m away.

See you soon!

Homeade Pasta Dough Recipe from Leite's Culinaria

The blog Leite’s Culinaria offers fabulous recipes. Today their recipe for homemade pasta dough caught my eye. The directions are clear and easy to follow with photographs. They offer instructions on how to form following shapes: Pappardelle, Tortellini and Ravioli. You can also color your pasta with saffron, spinach and other natural ingredients.

While you are on the site, be sure to look around. You’ll be inspired to plan the next month’s dinners with all the amazing recipes they offer.

Argiero's Restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan

I really like Argiero’s Restaurant in the Kerrytown section of Ann Arbor. The food reminds me of the traditional, southern Italian food (or at least an Italian-American translation of it) I grew up eating in Northern New Jersey.

The menu isn’t fussy. You’ll find all of your favorites from Garlic Toast to Veal Picatta. I’ve enjoyed the fried calamari and Fettuccine al Fredo a few times. Close to the Farmer’s Market with outdoor seating, it is an easy-to-find, comfortable spot.

It isn’t without a little controversy, however. When we first noticed the neon sign, we wondered why no one had recommended it to us. Once I started asking around, I discovered that it is not a favorite. In fact, a friend tried it on my recommendation and declared the food “inedible.”

I am a particularly difficult eater, especially of Italian food. I want dishes to be done right and well. Perhaps I’m more lenient with this restaurant because it feels New Jersey-nostalgic to me. It is a family owned business that started in 1977 that reminds me of my father’s favorite family-owned restaurant under a highway bridge in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Still, I think Argiero’s offers solid, Italian-American food. I say, “andiamo!”

Popeye's or Chick-fil-a?

A poorly kept secret is that I love Popeyes. Love it.

I also hate it because I know it will eventually kill me. Now that there’s one at the Detroit airport, I have to be vigilant because as much as I love it, I work hard at not eating it. The closest one to our home in Ann Arbor is at a truck stop which we rarely pass. It is harder in New Jersey: There are ten within seven miles of my parents’ house.

A friend of mine has a similar love/hate relationship with Chick-fil-la. A bad influence, I convinced her to take me to one. I’ll admit that it was tasty while we ate it and we had a similar, um, not so good feeling later.

For the sake of my dear Popeye’s, I’ll add that the chicken at Popeye’s has a thicker, crispier coating of batter that can be ordered spicier. Yes, those are fighting words. I bet no one else wants to do a taste test to see if I’m right. For my own sake, I will return to eating fast food, fried or otherwise, once or twice a year.

YouTube Cooking

As an online writing teacher, I am tech-savvy. As a chef, however, I’m pretty low-tech: I adore printed cookbooks and print out the occasional online recipe. I scroll through the Epicurious and AllRecipes IPhone apps for ideas, but return to my cookbooks for specifics.

Of course, there is so much more available to home chefs. I’ve started exploring the possibilities with My Life Scoop’s article 10 Tasty YouTube Channels for Cooks. Click through for some great ideas.

Here’s how it starts:

After a long day at the office, you may think the last thing you want to do is chop, steam, and stir, when that microwave dinner is two minutes in the making. But cooking can be therapeutic. And whether you're a certified foodie or a comfort food connoisseur, the web is a bountiful resource of recipes and cooking how-tos.


One spot that shouldn't be overlooked in this department is YouTube. Printed recipes are fine, but there's just something about watching food being prepared that can be uniquely instructional and inspiring. You don't need a four-man camera crew and a dream kitchen to host a cooking show on YouTube. The network has been built by real people making real food, and many have garnered a large online following. We've highlighted some of the best below.

Thanks to reader Amy for sharing this link. Other great links to recommend? Email me: ChloeMiller(at)gmail(dot)com.

Osteria I'Tozzo di Pane's Recipes

I have many wonderful memories of eating at wooden tables in Osteria I’ Tozzo di Pane’s garden in Florence, Italy. My favorite entrée salad to have on a summer day was the Toscana: lettuce, fresh tomatoes, white beans, sliced wild boar salami and onion dressed with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. It was the first place I tried pecorino (sheep milk’s cheese) with sunflower honey. I think of their Tuscan approach to cooking – simple and fresh ingredients that highlight each other’s flavors – while cooking in my own kitchen.

Looking for a special recipe to prepare for my husband returning from a business trip, I discovered the restaurant’s online recipes. I chose the risotto with clams, asparagus, leeks and saffron. I knew it would be a proper “welcome home.”

The recipe requires a little creativity since they don't offer all of their secrets: there are no specifc measurements. Saffron can be expensive, but you only need a pinch.  Serving grated cheese on fish dishes is never allowed in Italy; we did sprinkle a few red hot pepper flakes on top.

With a glass of white wine, we ate slowly and enjoyed the dish. I don’t remember tasting this particular risotto at the restaurant, but the flavors brought back the country that I still call home.

The recipes on the website are written in Italian. This is a perfect opportunity to practice your language skills without paying for a plane ticket. When you do find yourself traveling to Florence, you can salutare the owners who are always there, Andrea and Antonio.

The name of their restaurant means, “crust of bread,” which is not to be missed dipped in their dark green olive oil. Be sure to serve some on the side in your own home.

Friday = Decide on Weekend Brunch Place. How about the Northside Grill?

It is Friday, which means it is time to start thinking about where you’ll go for a weekend brunch. One of our favorite spots is the popular Northside Grill in Ann Arbor. Get there early because there is always a crowd waiting for a table.

Potato pancakes, which aren’t life changing at Sava, but Afternoon Delight prepares well, can be hard to find. Northside Grill has never let us down. Not only do they serve flavorful potato pancakes, they also make light omelets and lovely, dense biscuits and gravy.

They don’t need a website to be found by the locals. Visit them here: 1015 Broadway Street Ann Arbor, MI 48105