 Note from the Editor: This is a recipe from the cookbook we are currently reviewing, Freshman in the Kitchen. The recipe being reviewed is for Chicken Breasts with Rosemary, White Wine, and Lemon Juice made from scratch. Click the link above to read more about the book and let us know what you think! If you’re looking for a couple of easy and delicious snacks or appetizers, look no further than these recipes from Freshmen in the Kitchen. Although the title of the cookbook suggests otherwise, a kitchen is not even really necessary with these recipes. For dorm-dwellers like me, this is especially important. Impossible to serve homemade hors d'oeuvres if you live in a dorm, you say? Read on. First, the smoked salmon dip. This recipe has three ingredients, so it is vital to buy the highest quality ingredients possible. Although the recipe doesn’t specify which kind of salmon to use, I much prefer the flavor and texture of hot smoked salmon to cold (hot smoked is cooked thoroughly and has a smoky flavor, while cold smoked is perhaps more widely used, sometimes referred to as “Lox”…perhaps a comparison to elaborate further on in another blog post). Luckily, Ann Arbor residents have a fabulous smoked fish source right in their own backyard: Durham’s Tracklements and Smokery in Kerrytown. It is located on E. Kingsley, just a little ways down from Zingerman’s. They offer hot and cold smoked salmon. I recommend trying a sample of both if you’re not sure which you prefer, because the dip will only be as delicious as your salmon. Recouping Lost Wages by Miss Chevious 02/04/2010
 Restaurant workers don’t get paid a lot. In fact, considering the overwhelming stress, oppressive heat, and um...intellectual diversity they encounter, $60 a night can be far too little. Many have experienced this phenomenon, but only the sly and ethically questionable decide to take matters into their own hands, often literally. By stealing food from the kitchen, workers are simply boosting their wages to the level they feel is deserved. The downside to this operation lies in the risk of a job loss (read zero wages). That’s why I’m here to enlighten the darker path to job satisfaction and satiation. Peril usually lies in stealing expensive items, so for the concerned or cowardly, bread and soup will be the best options. Slicing bread and dousing it in olive oil or Frank’s Red Hot will rarely bring about punishment, and, if it does, simply throw it away until your manager’s not looking. For soup, just walk back into the kitchen and fill a soufflé cup, taking care not to sear your throat while you guzzle down that luscious calm chowder. As a cook, options are plentiful, and my personal favorite is to intentionally cook too much food during a rush. Throw some extra shrimp into the sauté pan or cook two too many burgers. This is easy to pass off as a mistake and only the most principled of bastard managers will make you throw away food after having kicked out so much.  Note from the Editor: This is a recipe from the cookbook we are currently reviewing, Freshman in the Kitchen. There are three recipes being reviewed in this case, all made from scratch. Click the link above to read more about the book and let us know what you think! I reviewed 3 recipes from the new cookbook, Freshman in the Kitchen. A Potato Leek Soup, Spicy Rainbow Trout, and the Salmon and Goat Cheese Napoleon with Wild Rice Pilaf. Using these 3 recipes as a representative sample of the cookbook in general, this is a decent cook book, especially for college students (maybe not freshmen because of the dorms). It was also great that the recipe gave quantities of ingredients to serve 2, as this is more likely the case during college than standard recipes that are designed to serve 4. I made these recipes over 2 meals, serving the soup as an appetizer before the Salmon and Goat Cheese Napoleon, and the Rainbow Trout for lunch the next day. Overall the cost of the ingredients may make these not the most ideal “college cooking” recipes, as eve frozen salmon fillets cost 7 dollars for 12 oz. I’ll review each recipe separately: Potato Leek Soup:  This is a soup that I have made for dinners many times before, albeit with a different recipe. After trying this recipe I would say that it is really not the best Potato Leek Soup recipe around. The first flaw is that the soup is not blended. In my opinion, Potato Leek Soup is the best when creamy and smooth, with occasional chunks of potato speckled throughout. Although you can add heavy cream to get the “creamy” texture, I’ve made many other Potato Leek Soups that did not contain cream, but because the potato was blended, the starch made the soup thick and creamy. The soup was nicely flavored, although I would have preferred a specified quantity of salt, as it requires quite a bit to season “to taste”. In addition... Restaurant Week: Our Experiences Pt. 2 02/01/2010
 Palio by Sarah H In my opinion, Palio had one of the best dinner deals for restaurant week. They offered soup/salad, choice between two pasta dishes, and a mini dessert trio for $12.50. I had the soup, minestrone, followed by a pesto pasta with grilled chicken, followed by a trio of canoli, tiramisu, and a brownie. While the soup was a bit over-salted, the large portion of pesto pasta was creamy and satisfying, and the canoli and tiramisu were delicious. Service was very attentive, making for a delightful restaurant week dinner. Grange by Zak K My episode of restaurant week began at the North American International Auto Show. I skipped a few classes last Thursday (all of them) to relive what used to be an annual tradition: scrutinizing every car at the auto show with my dad. Unfortunately, about halfway through our visit, Cobo Hall erupted into flames. We made it out in the knick of time, and I thank the restaurant deities that we got out early or my dad and I would still be sitting in Detroit traffic with tens of thousands of car nuts in their cars. Thankfully we made it to the Grange unscathed and on time. I was wearing jeans, and to my surprise and relief our waitress was as well—I hate being underdressed at these Main Street restaurants. We opted for the 25-a-head dinner, starting with fresh greens and goat cheese or a potato and onion soup. These starters fit Grange nicely. They were both simple to the point of quintessence and they highlighted the fresh ingredients that are so carefully chosen at Grange. However, if you are not accustomed to eating raw greens with only the slightest dressing, you would be wise to stray toward the more complex dishes. Restaurant Week: Our experiences Pt.1 01/28/2010
 Here at Wolverine Cuizine we enjoy a good deal more than a good meal. During last week’s Restaurant Week many of us found both, so read on for the best and the worst of Ann Arbor Restaurant Week 2010. Café Felix by Rachel L Restaurant Week was held January 17th-22nd this year in Ann Arbor and it continues to be one of the best deals around. Three course lunches were only $12 a person and three course dinners were only $25 a person at some of the best restaurants in Ann Arbor. These prices made a meal at these restaurants affordable for even students to go without their parents. However, Restaurant Week was also characterized by long waits everywhere. On Saturday night, a few friends and I headed down to eat at Seva’s, the local vegetarian restaurant on Liberty. But our call-ahead seating still left us with a 45 minute wait. So we decided to head down to Main Street. Knowing that it was Restaurant Week, one of my friends made a few calls to discover that most places were booked solid. Grizzly Peak had a 2 hour wait! Dejected, we started heading back to William Street. Then, somebody pointed out Café Felix, where there seemed to be no wait. We walked in and were seated immediately. Additionally, for some reason, whenever I’ve been to Café Felix, I’ve never had to wait. There never seems to be a crowd, even though the restaurant’s food rivals many other well-known restaurants and they offer a large drink menu with inventive martinis. As we were seated Saturday night, we were wary that the Restaurant Week deal at Café Felix would not compare to others because it was just so empty. However, our meal turned out to be great. Most of us ordered off the Restaurant Week menu. We received fantastic house salads with goat cheese and an entrée of either Chicken Boulouris, Rigatoni with veal and pork hand-rolled meatballs or Chicken and Prosciutto Fettucini. We tried each one and they were all very well done. For dessert, we each had a Nutella crepe with ice cream as part of the deal. Café Felix presented us with a very good meal with no wait. The emptiness of the restaurant may have implied that many people, like us, simply resort to Café Felix when everywhere else is full. Rather than choosing it as a second choice, I think next time it would be worth a first choice. And as Restaurant Week is officially over, that next time will definitely be with my parents because my paltry budget can only handle Ann Arbor’s yearly special deal. Vinology by Nick D Restaurant week is awesome. $12 lunches are a steal in a town trending towards San Francisco pricing. In order to take advantage of this situation, I visited Vinology, a classy bar and grill on Main St., to sample their fare. No More No Thai! by Tabia Chui 01/27/2010
Not that I have anything against the restaurant. I love good fast food as much as the next person, but my wallet can only handle so much eating out. So why not try this easy version of Pad Thai?  I rather enjoyed this dish, although I think I would’ve preferred it much more with roasted peanuts and bean sprouts. Alas the lacking refrigerator of college students! But then again, the adventure of cooking lies in the fact that it’s all one (hopefully) tasty chemistry experiment. Rock The Guac by J.F. Quinn 01/26/2010
 Whether it’s for that bowl game party (which will sadly, yet again, be conspicuously absent of a Michigan game to watch) there’s no better time for guacamole than the frozen months of winter. Notes:
 First and foremost, let me say two things (especially since this is my first piece for Wolverine CuiZine!): 1. I love food. I love to make food, read about food, and of course eat food; and most recently, write about it. 2. I am a recipe girl- I must and will always have a recipe whenever I take on a new food challenge. As much as I would love to be the next Food Network star because of my brilliance and creativity in the kitchen, it is unfortunately never going to happen. I guess you could say that I am only a copycat of Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis and all the other Food Network greats, as well as numerous family friends; while I occasionally make little tweaks to their recipes. That’s okay I suppose, especially when cooking for others who don’t really care if what they’re eating is your original creation or another cook’s recipe, and will take any type of free meal. And that is exactly how my wonderful roommates felt as I threw together Giada’s Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina and my brother-in-law’s mom’s delicious apple salad. Being in the Christmas spirit and sick of eating canned soup and microwave dinners during finals week, I decided I would make this nice dinner for myself and my five finals-crazed roomies.  Note from the Editor: This is a recipe from the cookbook we are currently reviewing, Freshman in the Kitchen. The recipe being reviewed is for Chicken Breasts with Rosemary, White Wine, and Lemon Juice made from scratch. Click the link above to read more about the book and let us know what you think!  My family loves chicken. At one time, my dad kept a running tally of how many chickens my mom had cooked in a month. My mom has cooked all sorts of chicken - roasted, fried, pan-seared, grilled, you name it. Suffice to say, I know my chicken recipes. However, I don't really know how to cook it myself. The idea of touching raw poultry has never appealed to me, so when choosing a recipe to review, the Chicken Breasts with Rosemary, White Wine, and Lemon Juice was perfect. It was time to impress my family with my new chicken cooking skills. Since I needed to feed the four of us, I doubled the recipe. My mom and I purchased four bone-in chicken breasts, as directed, and proceeded to brine them. I’ve never brined chicken before, but it turned out to be easy enough. Mix salt and water together, add the chicken, and one hour later, done; brined. With my timer ticking away, I moved on to the next steps. Next, the recipe says to “trim any excess fat and skin.” Perhaps most college kids know how to do this, but I certainly didn’t. My mom showed me how to cut off anything that looked out of place, such as a piece of fat on the edge of the chicken. Next, I sprinkled the breasts with salt and pepper (since the amount is not specified, I used about a teaspoon for each of the four breasts). I heated the oil in a saucepan on medium heat, and placed all four breasts into the pan as directed. The recipe says to cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, however, each side needed much more, around 9 minutes, in order to be "nicely browned." I then added the wine, a chardonnay, and poured in the lemon juice. I turned the heat down to medium low in order to get those nice, "simmering" bubbles, and periodically moved the chicken around the pan. Whereas the skin used to be nice and crusty, it soon turned soggy and mushy, and didn't look as appetizing as before.  photo by Christina DeNooyer Few smells are more intoxicating than that of an expertly pulled espresso, but the aroma produced by roasting coffee beans may be better. This weekend I (finally) made it to a coffee class at John Roos's coffee roasting operation. I picked up a few Cuiziners on the way and after a quick turnaround at the Lotus factory, we walked through the door and into a cloud of roasting-coffee faerie-dust. It took a few minutes, but that smell really makes you fly. John and Brian—who often wears a vest—were waiting for us. The three of us had arrived a little earlier, so we saw the first batch of Rich French Neighbor poor out of the enormous Diedrich roaster. Coffee beans undergo an amazing transformation during roasting. They start as small green beans with a bright earthy smell. During the roast, which takes about 20 minutes for a dark roast like Rich French Neighbor, the beans double in size and bloom with all the complex odors that make coffee wonderful. About fifteen came to the class. We were all a little quiet at first—blame Sunday morning, or maybe the others had starved themselves of caffeine to prepare, as I had. With every cup of coffee the morning became a little brighter and the group livened up. After the first round of coffee we broke into the food. John made homemade muffins and quiche and we had bagels with salmon and smoked herring. Another cup of coffee, a history of coffee through the ages, another cup, a demonstration of the Aeropress, and just one more little cup, a chat about food distribution, then a taste of someone else's brew...here the whole event seems a little blurry. Not the fog of a night of heavy drinking, but a light airy haze that makes it a little hard to remember how I got home. I do remember that at some point John pulled out the decaf. I won't describe the coffee hangover that followed. | Foodie, n.
A person who has an ardent 
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