FINGERFOOD Party Plates are sure to be a smash this holiday season - a tiny, little smash.
The Party Plates are actually small platters affixed to rings which, as you can see, you can wear while you hold your drink.
These are perfect for hors d'oeuvres (and hand-feeding your cats, and dinner parties thrown by Barbie). My only concern is that they look a little unwieldy, like you might have to master the art of the FINGERFOOD Party Plate, certainly before attempting it while drinking.
Ten reusable plates are just $9.95 from The Spoon Sisters, and they actually recommend bringing your own to a party as a "conversation starter." That would require a level of bravery I don't have, but I would think it fun to pass these out to guests at a party of my own!
Financial times are tough, but lobster is newly affordable!
If you consider lobster out of your financial reach normally, you'll be surprised and delighted to find that the financial crisis has hit shellfish. According to this article in the New York Times, lobster is as much as $4 less expensive than this time last year at markets in New York City.
Apparently, while less-well-funded fish have had problems, lobster fisheries have become quite successful and sustainable over the years, meaning that there's just as much if not more product available. People aren't willing to pay what they used to for lobster right now, and they don't have to.
Perhaps this is your chance to dive into this elite culinary world for the first time! Start here to figure out what to do with lobster (from killing to grilling), and enjoy your luxurious dinner!
Oh, the pineapple. What a majestic fruit. On the outside, it looks like something you probably shouldn't eat, but the inside is -- well, you know. Delicious and totally unique.
Love pineapple but hate the mess of hacking one up to get at the succulent fruit? I have a solution! And no, it's not a pineapple cross-bred with a yam, or a dish towel, or anything. It's the Vacu Vin Pineapple Slicer.
The Vacu Vin Pineapple Slicer cuts your pineapple into rings and leaves the shell intact. Click through the gallery to watch how it takes you from solid fruit to slices and the perfect booze-vessel. And then buy one for $9.95 on amazon.com.
Great news! Here's a kitchen gadget everyone can afford. Your popcorn just got way more awesome.
The Nordic Ware Microwave Corn Popper comes highly recommended by my very practical friend Shannon, who reports that it's really fast, doesn't need oil, and is a snap to clean. Sounds good to me!
This thing is $8.99 from The Kitchen Store, and microwave and dishwasher safe. You just put in the corn, put it in the microwave, and perfect, fluffy popcorn comes out. It's a stroke of Nordic genius.
I only wish it were pretty, so I could pass it off as a holiday gift. Guess I'll just have to get one for myself!
It's the time of year when just cooking someone a nice dinner isn't always enough. The people you love want to have things. They want to eat, too, but they'll never remember what you got them this year if they can eat it in one sitting.
There are some edible gifts worth giving, but many gifts for foodies can last for years to come. Plus, they can help your loved ones make you a nice dinner. Everyone wins.
Here is a list of gifts to fill the foodies in your life with delight and joy!
Tomorrow night on Top Chef, Gail Simmons has a special surprise for the Chef'testants. She's throwing her girlfriend a bridal shower and they are cooking!
Creating a menu around the old maxim:
Something old, something new Something borrowed, something blue And a silver sixpence in her shoe.
... should be no trouble for the teams (Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue ... where's Sixpence?).
The only problem is, some of them don't look too excited to be Gail Simmons' personal chefs. Isn't this supposed to be a competition, not a service?
The episode airs tomorrow night, Wednesday, December 10th, at 10/9c on Bravo with guest judge Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine Magazine.
At New York City's Roasting Plant Coffee Company (81 Orchard St. between Broome and Grand streets, and 75 Greenwich Ave. at Seventh Ave., 212-775-7755), they have to-die-for hot chocolate. The recipe is shockingly simple, and you can make it at home!
The secret? Gelato.
Go buy a pint of your favorite chocolate gelato (dark chocolate is recommeneded), put a scoop in a mug, and let it melt. Add steamed milk to taste. Top it with marshmallows or whipped cream and chocolate chips (right). Done! Classy, frothy hot chocolate with a divine, rich flavor.
If you want pre-melted gelato at your beck and call (pour steamed milk on frozen gelato and you get "lukewarm chocolate"), keep some in your fridge in a sealable tupperware container, and use it within two days.
Well, what do you suppose popped up at the liquor store next to the Recession Red?
Recession White!
Ladies and gentlemen, it's $3.99, it has a plastic cork, and it's totally decent. It's a mild, dry California chardonnay; gentle oak without too much vanilla (why do all the chardonnays I'm tasting lately have so much vanilla?). I would recommend pairing Recession White with bold, stinky cheeses or, you know, ramen noodles if you're in this for the price tag.
Between Recession Red and Recession White, I'd say the red is the better value. I'd pay more for that wine -- but I don't have to. This chardonnay is definitely acceptable, though, and mild enough to please a crowd. So bring it to a dinner party. I did on Monday and was met with smiles all around.
I've had a number of inquiries about where in New York I've found this delightful duo of Recession wines for $3.99 so I'm gonna go ahead and say it: Adel Wines & Liquors on Columbus Avenue between 105th and 106th Street.
Next week, we'll get to see the best of the best try to best each other.Iron Chef Japan, one of our favorites, is having a civil war on Fine Living Network! It's Grand Battle Week!
Five Iron Chef Japan chefs, including Morimoto, will battle it out against each other every night at 11pm Eastern for Grand Battle Week, December 8-12.
Fine Living Network is doing an excellent job of feeding our Iron Chef Japan addiction. Our favorite so far was Attack of the Vegetables week when they aired "Cooking Japanese Like Morimoto," an ingenious cover of "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors.
Here's how the Google translator says Grand Battle Week in Japanese.
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And here are some other things it says:
Slash Food: ???????
I Haven't Changed My Facebook Status in Hours: ???????Facebook???????????????
The term squash covers a whole host of scrumptious fruits - yes, they are fruits.
They are grouped basically into summer squash and winter squash. Summer squash is harvested as an immature fruit, and winter squash is harvested in the fall or winter when it has ripened. Zucchini is probably the most commonly used summer squash, and winter squashes include everyone's favorites: butternut, buttercup, acorn, pumpkin, and spaghetti squash. The skin of a winter squash is hard, and requires cooking.
Squash can be a great, healthier alternative to potato or pasta in many recipes. Here are eight great ways to serve up squash, starting with one you don't have to cook:
These recipes are varied enough that you could make them all for one giant meal and have a squash feast! If there's someone in your life you have to lie to about there being squash in what they're eating, spaghetti squash with pasta sauce is usually a safe bet. Or, you can totally get away with soup - picky eaters often don't pay attention to the broth, just the stuff floating in there. Good luck and happy squashing!
So, I was browsing my local liquor store and came across a wine called Recession Red for $3.99 (this is on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Andre is more expensive). I looked at the bottle. Merlot. Just what I was in the mood for ... but could it possibly be any good?
I asked the guys at the counter and they were like "Oh yeah, everyone loves it, it was in the New York Times even!"
So I bought it. I have yet to find that article, but you know what? It's delicious.
It's a 2006 Merlot from Recession Wine Company of Livermore & Ripon, California. The copyright is 2008, so clearly the wine came before the marketing idea.
The idea is good. The wine is good. The price is unbelievable. Imagine the smiles if you showed up to a dinner party with Recession Red. Recession Red is my new favorite wine. Keep an eye out for it!
I'm back in my hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, staying with my parents for Thanksgiving. I decided to have a little rummage through their cupboards to see what kind of weird stuff might be in there, and I was not disappointed! If you're home for the holidays, I suggest you do the same.
Click through the gallery to see the individual items. We have everything from vintage baking cups (right) to inedible cookie decorations. Next time my mother wants to know what's wrong with me, I'm going to say "Silver dragees, Mom. They messed me up for good."
Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Gallery: The 5 Weirdest Things in my Parents' Cupboards
FINGERFOOD Party Plates are sure to be a smash this holiday season - a tiny, little smash.
Financial times are tough, but lobster is newly affordable!
Oh, the pineapple. What a majestic fruit. On the outside, it looks like something you probably shouldn't eat, but the inside is -- well, you know. Delicious and totally unique. 
Great news! Here's a kitchen gadget everyone can afford. Your popcorn just got way more awesome.
It's the time of year when just cooking someone a nice dinner isn't always enough. The people you love want to have things. They want to eat, too, but they'll never remember what you got them this year if they can eat it in one sitting.
At New York City's 
Well, what do you suppose popped up at the liquor store next to the 
A cucumber. A pickle. They're the same thing, but are they fruits or vegetables?
So, I was browsing my local liquor store and came across a wine called Recession Red for $3.99 (this is on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Andre is more expensive). I looked at the bottle. Merlot. Just what I was in the mood for ... but could it possibly be any good?
I'm back in my hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, staying with my parents for Thanksgiving. I decided to have a little rummage through their cupboards to see what kind of weird stuff might be in there, and I was not disappointed! If you're home for the holidays, I suggest you do the same.
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