The Minimalist goes the way of the Dodo

As you have most likely heard, Mark Bittman has decided to retire his weekly column in the NY Times, The Minimalist.  Once I picked myself up off the floor and wiped away the tears, I started thinking about a fitting tribute to the man who takes NY dry wit and mixes it with his love of food in a way I could only dream to achieve. 

I may have found it today. 

I'm thinking, a la Julie and Julia, that I might try to create all of the dishes on his 25 favorites list found here. I'm using non-committal language because I've just started a new job and vowing to do something potentially this involved seems a bit daunting.  But it's not like I'm trying to make it through his entire book of "500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living," so maybe it is do-able. 

Stay tuned.

Quick Post: An Admission of Love

Many of you know of my obsession with grilled cheese. I even spoke of at one point opening a grilled cheese sandwich shop.

But this is not about my love for grilled cheese. It is an admission of love...for Mark Bittman.

I pretty much adore everything he does. As I've mentioned before, even if it's something I will never try, his attitude is so attractive that I will scan the recipe, read the article, or watch the video.

Here my obsession meets my love: One of Bittman's Videos entitled, Actually Grilled Cheese.

This is 2:24 minutes (with an additional 15-20 seconds for the lead in ad) of Bittman's dry wit (he suggests adding mustard, pesto, ben gay or sunscreen to the sandwich) and his simplistic yet brilliant food ideas.

I am in love once again.

I'm published! Ok...not really...

Today, Mark Bittman had a column in the NY Times about "non-traditional" breakfast foods. He made mention of Migas, but they were a completely different from the Migas I know in Austin. So I posted a reply. I realize that a blog comment on nytimes.com is not even remotely in the same sphere as actually being published in the Times, but hey, we all have to start somewhere, don't we? :-)

The article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/dining/18mini.html?_r=1&ref=dining

The blog link: http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/what-i-had-for-breakfast-this-morning/#comments

My comment:

I was confused by your definition of Migas. That’s not how we define them here in Texas. In Austin, “Migas” essentially means (and I’m oversimplifying) a western scramble with pieces of tortillas mixed in. They’re one of the best breakfast options around aside from maybe the breakfast burritos you get from the little holes in the wall where no one speaks English. (I realize they’re egg based and not really on point with the theme of your article, but all the same, they’re mighty tasty.)
In any event, I have since looked up the Migas you referenced and found they are typically prepared that way in Spain. Thank you very much for continuing to pique my interest in food through your blog entries, recipes, and articles. Keep it up.
— Liz Craft