Casserole Crazy

Please, please watch until the end. Unless, of course, you’re easily offended, then you shouldn’t watch this at all.

The New York Times today explores “inferior goods,” items we purchase or use in place of more expensive items when the economy is in a slump. Lipstick vs. designer dress we get, but this we found a little more troublesome:

The first is what economists call traditional inferior goods, what people have to buy when they can no longer afford their favorites. If you’re a salmon lover eating tuna casserole, you’re chewing on inferior goods.

Oh, really? Apparently they have not had my grown-up tuna noodle casserole with artichoke hearts and Parmesan cheese.

I filmed my first episode of “Feed Me: The Brooklyn Cooking Dating Show” last week. Who’s the mystery man? Which casserole did we make? Did anyone lose a finger? How many bottles of wine did we drink? Find out in May when the second episode airs at feedmeshow.com.

Photo copyright ©2008 Cara Howe for Brooklynphoto Studio

Okay, I’m no Scarlett Johansson, but I will be appearing on the Brooklyn Cooking Dating Show, and as far as I know, they have no dude to set me up with. Are you a man who lives in Brooklyn? Do you like to cook? Do you like to eat more than you like to cook? If so, you should consider applying to be on the show. But first, some facts:

• If you are paired with me, you will learn to make my signature casserole. Then you will eat it. Then you will be happy.
• I do not trust skinny foodies.
• I will not date or sleep with vegetarians.

If this sounds good so far, and you live in Brooklyn and do not like the Yankees (their rule, not mine) and can spell (my rule, not theirs) sign up. Even if you don’t meet those requirements, check out the show.

The Brooklyn Cooking Dating Show

You haven’t heard from me. That’s because I’ve been holed up in my (new, clean, mushroom-free) apartment (with oven knobs and all!) finishing my book. 

Due to some unfortunate incidents in my former apartment, I’m spending November couch surfing and cooking when I can. Obviously, I’m not doing much blogging. I am, however, perusing my usual reads and this morning found what was probably the most clever, and probably quite expensive piece of marketing material I’ve ever seen: a food company’s annual report that must be baked before all of the content shows up on the pages.

My dad refuses to come to my website. I shouldn’t be all that surprised. He had to hang up the phone after he called to tell me that my health insurance statement had been sent to him and I warned him that he would find birth control on it. We didn’t talk for weeks after that. Later, he googled me, only to find a first-person piece I’d written on colonic irrigation. I guess the “my ass had finally lost its virginity” line really got to him.

Tonight, he called to tell me he’d seen that I’d made the July 8 New York Times. He had searched that site for my name, assuming it was safe and that he’d not find anything he didn’t want to. I told him to visit the press section of CasseroleCrazy to see more, and that there was only “one thing” that might bother him, “but I’d be happy to warn–”

“No, I won’t go to your website.”

“But it’s just–”

“No, Emily. Drop the subject.”

“But I can warn you wha–”

“Emily, drop the subject now. I’m not going to your website.”

“This is ridiculous, it’s not even-”

“DROP the subject, Emily.”

Alright. How ’bout them Chiefs?

Some great press so far for the Third Annual Casserole Party (pay no attention to those meany Gawker commenters).

Some great shots from the Third Annual Casserole Party last night by Daniel Kreiger:

More pictures here.

My feet are recovering from the Third Annual Casserole Party (I wore heels, totally worth it though) and my belly is finally settling. The entries were (for the most part) amazing and everyone seemed to leave fat and happy.

Congratulations to the winners:

• Grand Prize: Team Cheese Love, Zach Schulman and Graham Kelly (”The broiler” and “lots of cheese” were key to their win, according to these guys.)
• Best Meaty: Team Practically Perfect Pairing, Joanne Phoa and Ben Hagen (I’m not exactly sure what was in it, but there were green things, and it was great)
• Best Vegetarian: Team Combo Platter, Karol Lu (made me like eggplant!)
• Best Crust: Again, Team Cheese Love, Zach Schulman & Graham Kelly
• Best Non-Savory: Kockeputzi (I could not pronounce this for the life of me), Lacey Tauber and Brian Tooze, for a wonderfully sweet kugel.

Extra special thanks to our sponsors Brooklyn Label, The Brooklyn Kitchen, WORD, our judges Ruth Graham, Miriam Garron and Adam Roberts, and our entertainment Andrew Schmidt and Sammo.

More coherent prose and pictures to follow when I’m not so exhausted.