How To

Homemade Broth - Tip of the Day

by Alexa Weibel, Posted Dec 3rd 2009 @ 9:00AM

Making your own chicken or turkey broth is easy and cheap -- and is bound to beat any canned variety you could pick up at the store.

Filed under: Tip of the Day, How To

Poppy Seed Roll

COMMENTS 4

by Jennifer Iserloh, Posted Nov 30th 2009 @ 1:00PM

Photo: Jennifer Iserloh

Dessert rolls, also called "Swiss rolls," are cakes or pastries of yeast bread with one or more fillings, either poppy seed or fruit. While still delicious and satisfying, these desserts rely more on texture, flavors and aromas rather than on high amounts of fat and sugar.

My Hungarian family serves this dessert at every winter and spring holiday, but my neighbors in Hoboken, N.J., claim that it's originally from medieval Slovenia since their relatives passed down a recipe from that origin to them.

Beigli is the Hungarian version of the dessert roll I grew up with, and we make it with ground walnuts and fragrant cinnamon or with dark, luscious poppy seeds boiled with spices and sugar to form a thick, sweet, spreadable paste. The filling is lower in calories and fat than chocolate spreads and doesn't contain preservatives. It has only 60 calories for one tablespoon and 1 1/2 grams of fat, but still has a rich, satisfying taste.

Filed under: The Skinny Chef, How To

Thanksgiving Treats - A Pumpkin Made of Cake

COMMENTS 0

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Nov 25th 2009 @ 3:00PM

Photo: Monika Bartyzel

We're now in the last push before Thanksgiving. There's no time to carefully make marzipan treats or tasty maple concoctions. But there is still the possibility of sweetness without resorting to the old-school pie baking. Simply put down the pie shell, find a pumpkin-shaped pan and whip up a delicious, show-stopping cake.

The orange squash is one of the most undervalued delicacies in the world of food. By adding it to a cake, you get all the rich and spicy flavor contrasted with vanilla or chocolate. Since this is a cake, it can be made ahead of time -- freeing up the oven for the last-minute fare -- and adds some three-dimensional whimsy to your holiday table.

Filed under: Holidays, How To

LeNell It All - Playboy Bourbon Cooler

COMMENTS 0

by LeNell Smothers, Posted Nov 19th 2009 @ 5:00PM

Photo: LeNell Smothers

My first truck load of household goods has arrived at Casa Cóctel, my new home in Baja, Mexico. As I am unpacking my vintage Playboy collection and eagerly awaiting the arrival of my bourbon collection, I am reminded of one of my favorite drinks of all time.

Several years ago for my birthday, Miss Flighty Alberta Straub combined both her jamaica and her famous "Spa Mix" with other delicious ingredients in what she calls her Playboy Bourbon Cooler.

When she first sent me the instructions to prepare this drink for my birthday party, I was so nervous about getting every detail perfect. I was a bit intimidated about finally meeting this famous bar personality who had made plans to come to my former shop LeNell's in Brooklyn to host not only my birthday, but the store's anniversary.

As we assembled all the ingredients in some of my beautiful antique punch bowls and got to know each other better, I realized there was no need for the fear of not getting it all "perfect." It's not always about having an exact recipe, but understanding flavor and pleasing guests. Important lesson, indeed.

Filed under: Drink Recipes, How To

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

COMMENTS 2

by Jennifer Iserloh, Posted Nov 16th 2009 @ 1:00PM

Photo: Jennifer Iserloh.

Eating with your fingers is fun -- I'm not embarrassed to do it, even in public. That's one of the reasons why bar food, along with the spicy, crunchy salt coating, is so darn satisfying.

I don't believe in giving up anything when it comes to food, but I don't want my nibbles to take up my whole allotment of fat for the day. I created this version of jalapeño poppers that are baked but still have the yummy contrast of creamy filling with crunchy breadcrumb coating.

Filed under: The Skinny Chef, How To

LeNell It All - Spa Mix

COMMENTS 1

by LeNell Smothers, Posted Nov 11th 2009 @ 4:00PM

Photo: LeNell Smothers

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label, called Red Hook Rye, and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

While unpacking into my new home in Mexico, my drink making options remain limited. We still await the delivery of my wine and spirits collection. No drinks possible with original Amer Picon, Red Hook Rye or Old Schiedam genever just yet.

I have grown accustomed to having hundreds of bottles of liquor and wine on hand to experiment with every day. When faced with limited supplies, our creativity can often open up combinations we normally would not consider. However, I've just honestly been too exhausted from this move to get very creative these past few weeks. Having easy yet delicious old favorites on hand gets us through hard times.

All the stress from this major over-the-border move from New York to Baja, Mexico, has taken its toll on my body. I cannot afford a real spa visit, but I have a spa-mix recipe. Bartender Alberta Straub's famous "Spa Mix" is one of those easy standby's that's healthy and so versatile when you don't have a pantry full of esoteric liqueurs and bitters on hand.

Filed under: Drink Recipes, How To

The Gingerbread House - A Primer

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Nov 10th 2009 @ 1:15PM

Photo: Wendy Copley/flickr

Thanksgiving hasn't even passed, but already people are thinking about building a gingerbread house.

The traditional ginger bread house can be as simple as four walls and a roof stuck together with icing. If you're looking for something more spectacular, check out "The Gingerbread Architect" by Susan Matheson and Lauren Chattman, authors who recreate 12 iconic American homes -- from a Greek Revival antebellum plantation gingerbread house to an urban brownstone. Jennifer Lindner McGlinn gives instructions on a Betsy Ross gingerbread house and a gingerbread church in her book "Gingerbread: Timeless Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Desserts, Ice Cream and Candy."

Wendy Copley shares her tips for making the gingerbread house shown above on her blog Wendolonia. Get started with KitchenDaily's gingerbread house recipe.

Filed under: Holidays, How To

Tip of the Day - Peeling Ginger

COMMENTS 1

by Sarah LeTrent, Posted Nov 2nd 2009 @ 9:00AM

With its knobby texture, ginger root is easier to tackle with a spoon than a knife.

Filed under: Tip of the Day, How To

Halloween Treats - Witch Fingers

COMMENTS 1

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Oct 30th 2009 @ 4:00PM

Photo: Monika Bartyzel.

Halloween is almost here. The costumes are coming together, the ghosts are swooping in, the kiddies are getting restless and there is simply no time to make fancy graveyard cupcakes or malted eyeballs. But Halloween-themed brownies and blondies are still a snap! When time is of the essence, witch fingers are a great treat to whip up, and they will certainly elicit kudos from the crowd.

These crunchy Halloween cookies have run their way back and forth across the Web, but we've come up with twists and style updates that are sure to please. Hit the jump and visit the gallery for inspiration.

Filed under: Holidays, How To

Wisconsin Apple Pie and Cheese Don't Always Go Together

COMMENTS 2

by Sara Bonisteel, Posted Oct 19th 2009 @ 4:00PM

Photo: longpig, Flickr.

Cheese with that pie? It might taste good, but it's definitely not required by law in the Dairy State.

The Wisconsin State Journal debunked the myth that Wisconsin requires apple pie to be served with cheese at restaurants in the state. The paper asked Connie Von Der Heide at the Wisconsin State Law Library whether or not state law required cheese to accompany the pie after a reader inquired about it.

"It certainly sounds plausible since after all this is the Dairy State, but the answer is no," she said. "The 1935 Laws of Wis., ch. 106 came close; it required serving a small amount of cheese and butter with meals in restaurants (effective from June 1935 to March 1937)."

What crazy food laws have you heard of? Let us know in the comments below.

Filed under: Newspapers, Chefs & Restaurants, How To, Restaurants