"slashfood 8" news and stories

Between my vast cookbook collection, the over 100 food blogs that I read, and the wonderful recipe web sites that I use daily, I can find a recipe for just about anything. Anything, that is, except a dish that seems suitable for dinner. Why is it that I can easily find a recipe for chestnut-armagnac souffle (doesn't that sound good?), but not one thing that I feel like eating or cooking on a given night? I usually just end up falling back on old favorites, so I thought I'd share list some here, just in case anyone out there has the same problem as I do. Chances are that many of our default dishes overlap, but maybe if everyone shares some, we'll get some new dishes circulating...

1. Mario Batali's pollo al vino cotto -- The second tastiest chicken dish a person can prepare in a home kitchen (the first is chicken with figs from the Silver Palate Cookbook, but it takes some advance planning)

2. Chicken Caesar salad -- Healthy, plus it's easy to throw in other vegetables that you have laying around

3. Black bean soup -- I use my mom's recipe, but here's a really quick one from Epicurious

4. Roasted chicken -- Carrots, onion, potatoes, rosemary, thyme, lemon, salt, pepper.

5. Roasted vegetable chopped salad with reduced balsamic vinaigrette -- I roast any vegetables I can find at 400 for 30 minutes, then chop them up, toss them with chopped radicchio and chicken if available, and drizzle with a reduced balsamic dressing.

6. Soba noodle salad -- This is always easier than I think it's going to be, and just as refreshing. Here's a beautiful one from Simple Recipes to get you started

7. Lemon fish -- Any piece of any white fish doused in lemon juice, salt and pepper, usually accompanied by a baked potato

8. Sushi take-out -- If worst comes to worst, and I really can't bring myself to cook, this is my plan.

Now, your turn! Please share your default dinner menus!

My family used to have Thanksgiving dinner with just me, my parents, and my two younger brothers. We'd eat roasted chicken (since 5 is too few for a turkey) and then toast marshmallows in the fireplace for dessert. I always crave s'mores around Thanksgiving as a result, and I've been trolling the web for recipes/articles about this delicious snack. Here are a few of the best:

1. Inside-out s'mores from Foodaphilia

2. S'mores bread pudding from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

4. Pumpkin spice marshmallows from Serious Eats (for putting into s'mores!)

5. S'mores maker form Kitchen Contraptions. I think I need this.

6. A cookbook all about S'mores, reviewed by Baking Bites.

7. S'mores cookies from Cookie Madness

8. S'mores cupcakes from Cupcake Bakeshop

At every major meal event, I have to limit my mother to one "food in a food" -- meaning one dish where the plate/bowl is also edible. It's true that serving food this way can make for a killer presentation, but there's a fine line between killer and overkill, so I try to limit her to one dish. That said, here are some fabulous for serving food inside of food this fall...

1. Fall yams served in orange cups, from Epicurious.

2. Pumpkin souffles inside pumpkins, from Martha Stewart

3. Roasted butternut squash pastina served inside a pumpkin (or inside winter squash, perhaps?) from Food Network

4. Clam chowder in a bread bowl from yumsugar

5. Cappuccino Mousse in chocolate cups from All Recipes

6. Stuffed bell peppers from Simply Recipes (this counts because the recipe just looks so good!)

7. Lemon sorbet in frozen lemon shells from Homemade Ice Cream Desserts

8. Fruit salad served in melon from Fine Living

Have a beautiful serving idea of your own? Please share!

Mmm, seasonal punch, fall cider, apple-related-alcohol, whatever you want to call it, it's good. Warm or cold, alcoholic or non, even spicy or streudelly, there are a number of ways to enjoy a good autumnal apple drink. Here are links to eight delicious recipes!

1. A solid booze-free basic
2. Classic brandy with cider
3. Heat up some apple juice and put rum and a cinnamon stick in it. No link required!
4. A whiskey version
5. Cider with tequila!
6. An ultimate indulgence with hibiscus and cayenne
7. Decadent cider streudel (streudelly)
8. Chilled and sparkling!

Click here for more things you can do with apple cider.

It's easy to get into the spirit of fall produce -- what's not to love about fresh apples and beautiful root vegetables? But it takes a true fall-lover to embrace the all of the candies of fall as well. You have to take the candy corn with the caramel apples, the liquorice with the maple sugar candy. Liquorice it seems, is a pretty divisive candy. If you hate it, you hate it. I love it, and here are some yummy variations that I've spotted across the web.

Liquorice Root Tea from Teaviews

Liquorice Altoids, reviewed by Candy Addict

Liquorice Caramels from the Vermont Country Store

Liquorice Pudding from Epicurious

Very Salty Liquorices from Dutch Sweets

Liqource Cupcakes from Apple & Spice

Liquorice Ice Cream from Chow

Chocolate Licorice from Chocolate Heaven