Episode 243: Hummus, Date Caramels, and the State of the Summer Kitchen

Food news this week is sad news: Pulitzer winning food critic Jonathan Gold died of pancreatic cancer recently.

In celebration of the publication of Joy’s first piece for the Washington Post’s Voraciously, we revisit a favorite topic: Hummus.

We’ve got an idea for a healthy sweet treat: Date caramels.

We take a moment just to do a mid-summer cooking life check-in. Turns out neither of us is cooking as much as we’d like to be for various reasons.

In what we’re loving, an unexpected pick: Ken’s Steak House Caeser Dressing.

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6 thoughts on “Episode 243: Hummus, Date Caramels, and the State of the Summer Kitchen”

  1. I am a long time home cook who typically makes her own salad dressing, BUT… sometimes having a bottle of Paul Newman’s Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing on hand makes the difference between enjoying a healthy salad and resorting to something a lot less healthy!

  2. I really appreciated the conversation on food writers’ responsibility in regards to how what we eat affects our body. It’s something I struggle with as a baker of sweet treats, and I think it’s important for people to be open to that conversation! Kudos to you for being open and honest about a topic that might be unpopular with or uncomfortable for some people.

    1. Katie. Thank you. I really appreciate your comment. I felt very conflicted even bringing it up, but it was something that was really on my mind and I want to be as open with you as I am with Marisa. I have struggled with the relationship between my passion for food and my desire to enjoy optimal health my entire adult life. What we eat, how we feel day to day, and ultimately our risk for disease is so intertwined that I feel like I always need to write about health when I write about food. In the food media, we can present a lifestyle that is aspirational without filling in the whole picture and possible consequences of a devil-may-care “foodie” lifestyle. (I know, no one likes this work, but you know what Imean.) Thanks again–I needed this note:)

      1. Another note of support, though I will admit my first thought was “it’s too soon,” but I wholeheartedly agree that this is a conversation that is really important to have! Lots of chefs have learned this the hard way as well. It’s so complicated – we don’t want to be fat shaming/blaming or Debbie downers, but the health risks of eating whatever we want, all the time, are just so great. It’s a hard balance to find. This is especially hard in an environment where GPs and many specialists can’t even tell us how to properly eat as they don’t know. Joy, if you don’t already listen, I’ve been liking a podcast out of the UK called The Doctor’s Kitchen with Dr. Rupy Aujla. There’s a lot going on in the UK in lifestyle medicine that seems mainstream (i.e. not Dr Oz – like) and sensible.

  3. Not all your listeners have a food processor…not all your listeners live on land. Ever hear of hummus in a can? Readily available at Middle Eastern stores and MUCH better than anything you find “fresh” in the typical grocery store. Better still, shelf stable for those hummus emergencies!

  4. Do you have a link to your date caramels recipe? They sound delicious. And, I’m guessing you use fresh dates and not the pitted and dried dates, right?

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