59:18 minutes (54.29 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Enthusiastic and adventurous cook and eater, Keith Dixon, had to make some changes in his kitchen habits after the birth of daughter, Gracie.  Keith's culinary and parenting odyssey is chronicled in Cooking for Gracie:  The Making of a Parent from Scratch.  There are plenty of trying and triumphant moments in this memoir of the evolution of a couple from when Gracie makes her first appearance five weeks premature to the end of her first year, plus scattered throughout Keith shares recipes, including the one found at the end of this blog post. We'll talk with Keith, a New York Times writer and novelist, about some of the memories that he chronicles in the book.  Also, we'll find out how life (and cooking) have changed since the addition of another child.

Molly Aronica, Restaurant Editor for The Daily Meal joins us in the second half of the show.  Molly and the staff of the popular internet site have their pulse on the food world.  I'm very excited to announce that she has agreed to do a regular monthly stint on Great Taste, and bring our listeners the top culinary news and trends from around the globe.  Check out the following links for some of the stories we're going to feature on the show:

http://www.thedailymeal.com/50-most-powerful-food-folk-america
http://www.thedailymeal.com/decade-super-bowl-food-bets
http://www.thedailymeal.com/americas-best-wings
http://www.thedailymeal.com/super-bowl-xlvi-50-reasons-eat-drink-party
http://www.thedailymeal.com/diy-chicken-wings

Resident chef Liz Peralta will add her kitchen sense to all the conversations.  Also, Curt Goudy, one of the Indian Hills culinary students, will introduce a new KRUU program called Quick Bites.  Whew, I think that's about it.  Drop on by or drop into the show via the web on our live stream beginning at 7:00 pm central time. 

You can catch all the excitement from previous Great Taste shows by checking out  the KRUU archives.  Each show is available to listen to or download.  Be sure to share them with your friends, and have some fun kitchen adventures.

60:01 minutes (54.95 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

After a two-week road adventure, the Great Taste crew is back in the studio with a live show this week.  This Wednesday it's the monthly Indian Hills Culinary student invasion, plus the director of the IHCC program, Chef Gordon Rader, is bringing a very special guest.   Get ready for dessert whipped up in the studio by Chef Julian Arranz of award-winning father and son pastry team extraordinaire Raul and Julian Arranz from Valladolid, Spain.  Julian is at Indian Hills for a month working with the students as part of a culinary educational exchnange.  In addition, he has been meeting with area high school students, and conducting classes at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMAC). You can take a look at Chef Julian’s work on his website using the following link.

59:31 minutes (54.49 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

"Kombucha flavored soda alternatives pose threat to Coca-Cola and Pepsi."  Well, I think this story is only in an early phase of development, but if you sometimes have a craving for a bubbly beverage that goes well with popcorn, look no further than Shaktea Kombucha.  For the most part, I have my soda (or pop depending on where you grew up) attachment licked, but I have to admit that last year I went on a Mexican Coke binge for several weeks.  A number of pounds later (that exact number will remain confidential), and well-caffeinated, I broke off the relationship. Now, with Shaktea in my life I have no need to rekindle it.

60:01 minutes (54.95 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

The last Great Taste show of the year provides a look back at 2011 from two very different perspectives.  First, we'll speak with Danielle Nierenberg, director of the Nourishing the Planet project.  Nierenberg is a well-known expert on sustainability and livestock.  The project she oversees, "...assesses the state of agricultural innovations—from cropping methods to irrigation technology to agricultural policy—with an emphasis on sustainability, diversity, and ecosystem health, as well as productivity. The project aims to both inform global efforts to eradicate hunger and raise the profile of these efforts.

60:00 minutes (54.93 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

We are cooking LIVE in the studio TONIGHT!

Terrific show on tap with the Indian Hills Culinary students.  We're making latkes, Mexican hot chocolate, and there will be some cookies and more. 

Happy Holidays to All!

60:00 minutes (54.93 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Opening a restaurant at any time is an expensive proposition.  When money is in tight supply as in today's marketplace, it becomes even more of a challenge.  In a November 8 article, "To Raise Cash, Restaurants Turn to the Crowd," New York Times writer, Glenn Collins , reported on a number of creative ways restaurateurs are finding funds while avoiding the common path of taking on big investors.  The popular web funding platform, Kickstarter, is one avenue, relatives might respond to a plea to make a dream happen, and other community-based approaches that include loans and memberships have been tried or are in the works. 

60:00 minutes (54.93 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Our show this week deserves a critical listen by anyone concerned with the future of the food we grow and consume. 

We'll talk with the Executive Director of Slow Food International, Paolo Di Croce, who is also the President of the Committee for Terra Madre.  Terra Madre is the arm of the international Slow Food organization comprised of an "...extensive network of people working towards the creation of a good, clean and fair model of food production and consumption. Joined together in food communities, the network brings together sustainable farmers, fishers and food producers with cooks, teachers involved with school garden and canteen projects, academics, researchers and experts, students and other youth." 

59:59 minutes (54.92 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Thanksgiving comes once a year.  Too bad there is always such a mess that's created during the furious preparation for that quintessential "eating" holiday.  All that cooking and baking takes plenty of measuring cups, bowls, the Cuisinart and other items. The good news is all the deliciousness that comes out of that mess.  

Truth is cooking always means cleaning. Good cooks clean as much as possible as they move from one step of preparing a meal to the next.  The results are the cooking area is less cluttered, prep goes quicker, and the final cleanup is less grueling.  Or if you are lucky to live in a multi-person household, perhaps "kitchen rules" work in your favor?  If you cook, you don't have to clean.  I love that one.  Unfortunately, it doesn't always hold up.

59:49 minutes (54.77 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

I'm always thinking about food which is why this little excerpt from author A. A. Milne is one of my favorite quotes:  "'When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,' said Piglet at last, 'what's the first thing you say to yourself?'
"'What's for breakfast?' said Pooh.  'What do you say, Piglet?'
"'I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?' said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.  "It's the same thing," he said.

-A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh (1926)

Our guest on this week's show, Matt Bardin, is the co-president of HighFiveLabs. His company creates "apps" those fascinating bits of software that help perform daily miracles on your smart phone and tablet.  HighFive has done Honeydo, the searchable To Do list, Smart:Vocab, a tool for expanding vocabulary and performing well on standardized tests, and Mario Cooks, one of the best cooking apps available.  The app contains over 60 recipes and five hours of video so you feel like Mario is your personal culinary instructor.  (I feel better about having the app Mario instruct me, rather than the Mario portrayed in Bill Buford's book, Heat.)  Mario Cooks is very easy to use and provides many extras including a guide to Italian wines and cheeses. I'm very much looking forward to learning from Matt how the development of the app took place.

We've got some Mexican treats planned for the tasty part of the show.  I suppose it should have been Italian.  Oh well.  Come by if you are in the neighborhood and can forgive us our trespasses.

59:28 minutes (54.45 MB) Stereo 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Inspiring is the essence of our show this week.  We'll talk to two people committed to making our country a better place through educating and introducing practical programs involving healthy food and food nutrition into public and private school systems.  Please tune in to find out about this tremendous organization that evolved from the international organization, Slow Food.