Monthly Archives: November 2018

Ree’s Easy Rich Caramel Brownies, for Nov 30-Dec 6, 2018

Posted on by

♦  CatChat  ♦

Misty shows you what you’ll find in this week’s salon 

♦  TIDBITS – mashies go Italian / it’s OK, no yolk / ham it up {M – ham !!!}  ♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT – party time cookbooks / for celeb chef fans  ♦  FEATURED RECIPE –  oh these are goooooood  ♦  TIP – gravy rules  ♦  THE WEEK – no recipe required / skewer it / best dressed salads

Misty’s History  ♦  Misty’s Gallery

♦  TIDBITS  ♦

Newsy, schmoozy stuff for cooks

♦  Here’s a tasty way to transform leftover mashed potatoes into a whole new dish with an Italian accent. Gnocchi! And really, couldn’t be easier. I’m going to give this prep a try and if it turns out as good as it sounds, I’ll share as an item in a future My Week section of the Salon. Need to play with a sauce too, and actually have a somewhat unusual idea in mind.

♦  Never saw one, but in case you have . . . Well Done newsletter brings us assurances from MyRecipes that if you find a white egg yolk, no problem. No need to chuck it out. Just a matter of what the chicken ate, e.g., a bunch of white corn. Good news that we wouldn’t have to waste it.

♦  That same dual source also offers to school us on doing a boffo job on one of the season’s favorite entrees. Their list of “The 11 Most Common Mistakes People Make Cooking Ham – And How to Prevent Them”  is chock full of valuable information. Also includes a video on the best way to carve a spiral ham. And if you hang in there, other helpful demos follow.

♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT  ♦ 

Oh these cookbooks are such fun

If their cookbooks are any indication, for these six sisters life is an ongoing party. This is food that is fun, festive, a riot of colors and flavors.

Depending on the book, you also may well find cooking hacks, pantry help, storage tricks, menus, serving suggestions, decorating ideas, artistic flourishes, party activities, organization tips, instructions for homemade gifts, craft projects, even family traditions. One of the latter included in “A Year with Six Sisters Stuff,” communal and clever, is the “D-I-Y At-Home Family Restaurant.”

Here are some recipes on my do-list from a sampling of their books . . .

“Dinner Made Easy” – taco braid {shown}, crispy coconut chicken strips with pina colada dipping sauce, skillet pizza {actually a turbo charged mac}

“A Year with Six Sisters Stuff” – chicken cordon bleu bites, nutty caramel bars {shown}, mini garlic monkey bread

“12 Days of Christmas with Six Sisters Stuff” – peppermint crunch ice cream pie, bacon & egg breakfast casserole {shown}, slow cooker chicken fajita soup

“Celebrate Every Season with Six Sisters Stuff” {my personal fave} – baked cheeseburger sliders, slow cooker chili cheese dip, St Patrick’s Day cupcakes {shown}

One that I don’t have at hand but that sounds equally interesting is their “Copycat Cooking with Six Sisters Stuff: 100+ Restaurant Meals You Can Make at Home.” It’s 5 stars on Amazon, and it seems their books are generally at least 4 1/2 stars. Good stuff!

All Six Sisters cookbooks

At CS Marketplace: “Especially for . . .” – “Cooks”  “Readers”  “Dog Lovers”

Extra for the cooks on your list – especially those who love celeb chef shows. Our special page right on this site lists easy links to the cookbooks, videos, items and giftcards of over 100 of the chefs you know from their tv shows, best sellers, and award winning restaurants. Within this treasure trove you’ll also find some books by these folks that go beyond cookbooks, including fiction and memoirs.  Fine Chefs Book & Gift Shop

♦  FEATURED RECIPE  ♦

Chef-crafted rich brownies with caramel – easy caramel!

It’s the holidays, go for it! Which is to say, bake a batch of Ree Drummond’s Caramel Brownies, featured on a recent show. Maybe the best brownie I’ve ever had.

What makes the caramel so easy? It’s actually rich dulce de leche . . . out of a jar. And the brownie itself checks in with its own decadence thanks to butter, chocolate and cocoa, and extra vanilla. So good as is, could even skip the caramel and just use the powdered sugar.

Want the best dulce de leche for this recipe or another recipe or atop ice cream or just on a spoon??? Click below to see the ones with top ratings on Amazon.

Recipe  ♦  Ree’s cookbooks  ♦  Ree’s show videos  ♦  Best Dulce de Leche 

♦  TIP  ♦

Well this makes it a Well Done/My Recipes trifecta

One more from the same twin sources cited in two Tidbits above, elevated to Tip section status. Why? You may or may not be making hard cooked eggs and ham this holiday season, but chances are pretty good you will be making gravy.

Gravy! Pour it on and so many already good dishes get booted into the culinary ionosphere. To make it extra good, follow these guidelines on when and how to use cornstarch or flour, and really for whenever you want to thicken a sauce.

Good gravy

♦  A PEEK AT MY WEEK  ♦

Please join  me in my kitchen &  parlor

♦  Well this is nice. A dish I actually made from a recipe can in fact just be put together according to your favorite version – which is to say, really, no recipe needed. What is it? Nachos in a sheet pan, corn corn chips topped with all the usual suspects – maybe some chorizo, tomatoes, onions, garlic, black olives, cilantro and of course cheese{s} – and then, fried eggs. Awesome breakfast or brunch. Pretty too. And here’s another breakfast idea {not the salad shown}.

♦  Another episode of “Pioneer Woman” had a dish that resonated with me because it offers a variation on a presentation trick I already use, and that’s serving an entire course on a skewer. In my “50 … Tricks” Kindle book it applies to appetizer, salad {shown, carrots and Brussels sprouts blanched}, and dessert. Drummond’s is a clever breakfast version, a lineup of sauteed sausage links, onion wedges, red bell peppers, and green bell peppers, plus cheese stuffed omelets, rolled and sliced. Gonna try this too.

♦  Lookout, here come some bragging rights and a secret. All inspired by a Basically newsletter from Bon Appetit that says we should dress our salads twice, first acidic and then creamy. Here’s how they do it. I’ve been doing this for years but in an easier {OK, and less pro} way. The secret: I mix equal parts of Wishbone Italian and a good Ranch. Truth be told, it’s a crowd pleaser.

So far next week: sassy soup, foodie jewelry, wine pairing, fave foodie writer on dining alone, millennials want whaaaaat???

Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you
Email me 
{subj – CooksSalon} & receive an “invitation” to weekly online salons
FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

Ladies of the Night Pasta, for Nov 23-29, 2018

Posted on by

♦  CatChat  ♦

Misty shows you what you’ll find in this week’s salon

♦  TIDBITS – a food shopper’s dream / getting food-smarter / bar USA ♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT – Leftovers solved {M – let ME solve this!!!} / Party Party Party shirts  ♦  FEATURED RECIPE – the name’s as interesting as the dish is tasty  ♦  TIP – crushing squash {not literally}  ♦  THE WEEK – really lemony!!!  / the avocado / the rant

Misty’s History  ♦  Misty’s Gallery

♦  TIDBITS  ♦

Newsy, schmoozy stuff for cooks 

♦  It’s a long time since I’ve been in Miami but may well be worth a trip, given it’s on its way to becoming a food hall capital. These emporiums typically gather a great array of food vendors and restaurants under one roof. In the city now you can find the multi-ethnic St Roch Market, the Italian flavored La Centrale {shown} and Casa Tua Cucina, and the Asian themed  1-800-Lucky. Rumors swirl of more to come.

♦  Are you a label reader? If so, good for you, as this can be so important in terms of spying unwelcome ingredients, avoiding personal allergens, checking fat/sodium content, and just generally cultivating healthful eating. So, you may want to know about new label requirements from the FDA {thanks to Food & Wine} within the next three years.

♦  Well this is interesting. Tasting Table has given us a roster of spirits, mixers, and add-ins that are all American made – so, as they say, you can stock an all-American bar at home. Two notes. First, you’ll probably want to add some other stuff that may or may not  have a domestic pedigree. And, since they did not include a vodka I’d like to suggest Tito, a nice clean taste without being filtered to death.

♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT  ♦ 

Leftovers mean easy meals ahead

30 Holiday Leftover Makeover Recipes : Recipes For Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (Holiday Leftover Recipes Book 1)And here are the books that tell you how. The holiday one shown here and several others are available on Kindle for just $2.99. Others come in additional formats.

The one called “30 Holiday Leftover Makeover Recipes: Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner” is rated 4 1/2 stars.Dot's Secret Little What to do with Leftover Turkey Cookbook

The turkey one rates 5 stars, and is offered in various formats and prices.

Holiday Leftovers cookbook  ♦  Turkey Leftovers cookbook  ♦  Other leftovers cookbooks

At CS Marketplace: “Especially for . . .” – “Cooks”  “Readers”  “Dog Lovers”

Extra for everyone – Going to a holiday party? Go in comfort. Go in style. Just pop on one of our “Party Party Party / tomorrow everything else” shirts. Click to see a larger image, along with other styles, sizes and colors.  On SunFrog     On Zazzle

♦  FEATURED RECIPE  ♦

 A pasta dish . . . “as we like it”

Called “Ladies of the Night Pasta,” it pulls together rotini {I used penne}, chicken, sausage, mushrooms and more in a pretty quick process. Maybe a takeoff on another speedy pasta, “Puttanesca,” a reference to those same Ladies and titled it’s said because they could easily prep it between “gentleman callers” and the aroma acting as an additional lure.

Btw, this one says it “serves 6-8 customers.”😉

The recipe’s name, also the title of a Broadway play, and the chapter it came from, “The Taming of the Stew,” will make total sense when we look at the source. It’s the “As You Like It” cookbook from the gift shop at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

I couldn’t find this cookbook or any cookbook in the theater’s online gift shop, though it may well be on the actual shelves – but did find a different one of theirs on Amazon. Pretty cool to add to your collection and at the same time contribute to a worthy cause, at the Guthrie or any other cultural shop.

Recipe page  ♦  “Much Ado About Food: A Guthrie Theater Cookbook

  Guthrie Theater

♦  TIP  ♦

Butternut squash is a holiday favorite and also a personal favorite. So was happy to see Real Simple give us a tutorial for the veggie.

About that. Something I learned – cut before peeling. Something I’d suggest – use a grapefruit spoon. Something I’m probably not doing – much of a recipe junkie as I am, not likely to use any here, but only because winter squash is another food I like pretty much pure.

In fairness, the dishes sound quite interesting and may well be a nice addition to your table. You’ll find a roasted version with mustard vinaigrette, a soup that includes parsnip {another personal fave}, and a “pizza-like flatbread.”

Crushing the squash

♦  A PEEK AT MY WEEK  ♦

Please join  me in my kitchen &  parlor

♦  Like lemon? Like cake? Then think you might like this. Especially since it has a store-bought head start – twice. So, for  the lemon cake used “the box” but put the juice of a large lemon in a measuring cup and added water to make the cup of liquid required for the mix. While it baked, blended 8 oz cream cheese with 1/2 of a 10 oz jar of lemon curd for the filling. And then “the can” of lemon frosting blended with the rest of the curd for the top. Lemony!

♦  What, never? Aarón Sánchez, who you may know from his tv gigs, cookbooks or New Orleans restaurant, says never put an avocado “anywhere near an oven” – ruins the magic he says. But the chef doesn’t leave you hanging, instead offering tips and a fish taco recipe. Btw, there’s an add-on to the Sanchez story from Buzz60 which intros vegan avocado beer. OK.

♦  Fair warning: soapbox ahead. The Sanchez piece further noted that if contestants present him with “baked (or roasted, or sauteed) avocado, they’d better be ready for a raised eyebrow.” Hopefully Sanchez doesn’t go beyond a lifted brow. Because one of my BIG bugaboos in competition shows is when judges base an evaluation on personal preference rather than sound culinary principles. I’ll keep the  name to myself but one particular female judge is routinely guilty of this practice.

So far next week: Ree’s Caramel Brownies, easy/showy party courses, dress like a pro {your salad, that is}, awesome breakfast dish

Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you
Email me 
{subj – CooksSalon} & receive an “invitation” to weekly online salons

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

Emeril’s Italian sausage stuffed turkey breast, for Nov 16-22, 2018

Posted on by

♦  CatChat  ♦

Misty shows you what you’ll find in this week’s salon

♦  TIDBITS – Save your food / overcook your broccoli / wash your cocktails   ♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT – hello, egg lovers / reader-wear ♦  FEATURED RECIPE – Emeril’s easy, showy turkey {M – gimme, gimme gimme!}  ♦  TIP – pide party  ♦  THE WEEK – then watch out for vampires / upsized nachos / food show trove

Misty’s History  ♦  Misty’s Gallery

♦  TIDBITS  ♦

Newsy, schmoozy stuff for cooks 

♦  Save it for another day. Your food that is.  And it will all last longer if we follow these tips to avoid the “12 Storage Mistakes That are Spoiling Your Leftovers” And even better it adds “How to Fix Them.”

♦  Kudos to writers who craft headlines that all but grab you by the hand and tug you into the story. Like: “Go ahead, please cook the daylights out of your broccoli.” While that may go against all your instincts, it fact this is a recipe for soup {with cheese too, may have used more 😉, and nothing wrong with also “on”} and says the prolonged cooking is the key to its “sweet, nutty, vegetable flavor.”

♦  Washed any cocktails lately. Appears this is a new thing but quickly finding its way across the country. The reality doesn’t quite match the term, but this basically involves adding a savory element mainly via fat. Forbes gives a number of examples and if you scroll down to the one called Pork Chops and Applesauce you’ll get some idea of the technique. Sounds rather intriguing, and the adventurous just may want to try this at home {or not}.

♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT  ♦ 

OK, who wants eggs?

A chorus of I do I do I do, etc? No problem with this “Rapid Egg Cooker,” No 2 best seller in Kitchen and Dining on Amazon. Looks good too!

I’m going to order one of these for myself just to see how the heck it does scrambled and omelets. That middle picture might offer a clue. It also of course makes hard cooked, soft cooked and poached.

It certainly would be a nice gift for any egg lover. But how handy would this guy be for any morning, but especially Sundays and holidays. And if you’re like this too, eggs aren’t just for breakfast any more.

Also in white and yellow. It’s rated 4 1/2 stars with hundreds of reviews. Starts at $14.99.

♦  Rapid Egg Cooker  ♦  Amazon’s Top 100 Best Sellers in Kitchen & Dining

♦  At CS Marketplace: “Especially for . . .” – “Cooks”  “Readers”  “Dog Lovers”

 Extra for Book Lovers . . . who have book lovers on their gift list. This t-shirt sort of says it all.“Reading Reading Reading / everything else” This one is my design, but if you click the Marketplace link just above and scroll down to the Book Lovers section, you can also connect to other shirts for readers/writers, and other nice items for readers including gift cards.

♦  FEATURED RECIPE  ♦

Emeril’s turkey breast with savory sausage stuffing

This is so perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to prep a whole turkey – easier to carve too! Plus, it’s quite a showy dish, a great centerpiece for whatever else completes the table.

Best of all, you know it’s going to be a mouthful of flavor thanks to Emeril’s lively take on ingredients. That comes into play in the stuffing, a delectable mix of Italian sausage, sourdough bread, aromatics, apple, chestnuts, goat cheese and seasonings galore.

If you click the second link below you’ll arrive on a page with the chef’s other Thanksgiving entrees. As well there’s a box of links there for his other course dishes. Bon appetit!

Recipe  ♦  Other Emeril dishes  ♦  Emeril’s cookbooks  ♦  Emeril’s merchandise

♦  TIP  ♦

How about for your next pizza party . . . you don’t make pizza???

And instead, make pide. Or to fold in the pronunciation, instead of pea-zuh, pea-duh. One distinct difference is that it’s brushed with butter instead of tomato sauce, but otherwise many similarities.

So, this interesting dish with Turkish origins starts with a nice dough that gets patted into a long oval, and then topped with – whatever you like – but often meat, cheese, veggies, and sometime an egg too. The edges are then folded in to create a kind of edible canoe.

Can’t quite picture the process? No problem, we’ve got the demo by an Australian chef. And as well, a yahoo page of other tasty information and recipes.

Pide demo  ♦  All about pide

♦  A PEEK AT MY WEEK  ♦

Please join  me in my kitchen &  parlor

♦  Well you just never know where you’re going to encounter a food tip. In the current issue of “Smithsonian,” a reader asks how garlic can manage to, let  me say, “perfume” not only your breath but as well your skin and perspiration. The answer has to do with a chemical that isn’t digested and thus passes into the bloodstream.– But here’s where the tip comes in – you can neutralize garlic breath with apples. lemons, parsley, spinach or mint. For the skin – “wash with salt and lemon or a dab of toothpaste, or rub your hands across a stainless steel utensil under running water.”

♦  How do you like your tacos? I favor the soft, rolled kind, usually flour tortillas for beef or shrimp, corn for pork or chicken. But some folks like the crunchy kind so I have those available for get-togethers. Then, though, what about the leftovers? They can certainly be used for an occasional crunchy taco, or crumbled for regular nachos.

–  Or . . . as I recently did, split in half for nice big individual nachos. These are topped with cheese {twice}, tomatoes, black olives, and serranos. By the way, those center pieces that you want to remove so they are mostly flat – those are for while-you’re-cooking snacks.

♦  If you haven’t already discovered this treasure trove, don’t let it take you as long as it’s taken me. Talking about the secondary PBS channel “Create,” PBSCR in the tv listings. I actually have seen a program or two on this network but just this week delved into the schedule and oh my goodness, shows on regional cuisine, ethnic preps, cooking techniques, celeb features, and more. True to its name other creative arts are represented as well. Time slots for your area might be different, but if you want to click on the link here at least you can see if there’s something you want to track down.

So far next week: Ladies of the Night pasta, skewer-mania, your patriotic bar, Sanchez on the soapbox, BJN on the soapbox

Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you
Email me at bjnosek@gmail.com 
{subj – CooksSalon} & receive an “invitation” to weekly online salons

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

Decadent chocolate-peanut butter bars, for Nov 9-Nov 15, 2018

Posted on by

♦  CatChat  ♦

Misty shows you what you’ll find in this week’s salon

♦  TIDBITS – do you create recipes? / good show! book too! / drink your leftovers  ♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT – tv helps your gift list / for celeb chef fans  ♦  FEATURED RECIPE – chocolate, peanut butter and an unexpected ingredient {M – is it tuna ???}  ♦  TIP – weather report for your kitchen  ♦  THE WEEK – crisp French toast / Top Chef preview / humbug {no bah}

Misty’s History  ♦  Misty’s Gallery

♦  TIDBITS  ♦

Newsy, schmoozy stuff for cooks 

♦  Are you a creative cook? Do you like designing your own dishes, start to finish. You might then find interesting this shadowing of a chef as he develops a new dish “from vision to revision.” It’s a quite detailed account that in effect takes you inside the chef’s mind.

♦  “Salt/Fat/Acid/Heat” If those are some of your favorite flavors you’re in luck – twice! Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good CookingIt’s a new Netflix series, featuring Samin Nosrat who, as described in the Tasting Table story, “is a joy to watch on screen as she travels to Italy, Japan, the Yucatán and more in order to share culinary traditions from around the world.”

–   And second, the series is based on Nosrat’s book of the same name, subtitled “Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking.” Btw, it was among the top picks for go-to cookbooks  gathered on Tasting Table’s facebook page.

♦  Well here’s a new use for your leftovers. Instead of in the trash, in your glass. As this tale tells, bartenders are finding creative ways to re-purpose this ready source of foodstuff into what one mixologist calls trash cocktails.

♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT  ♦ 

The lost & wanted can be found & acquired

While I’m not addicted to tv offers, there are certain items that I’ve found appealing and have in fact ordered. The problem is, often I see this stuff during “insomnia time” and don’t have quick access to pen, paper, and light.

As Seen on TvMy grocery store, and maybe yours too, has an “As Seen on TV” section and sometimes something I’ve missed is there and sometimes not. So I was quite happy to discover that good ol’ Amazon features these offers – 6,000 of them.

Don’t panic! You can narrow it down from there, e.g., 483 for Kitchen & Dining, and then you can further tame the search with such subcategories as utensils, cookware, storage items, appliances, and spice racks.

All “As Seen on TV” on Amazon  ♦  Kitchen & Dining section

At CS Marketplace: “Especially for . . .” – “Cooks”  “Readers”  “Dog Lovers”

Extra for cooks – who do you know that’s a fan of celeb chefs? Or maybe that’s you. My Kindle, “Celebrity Chef Book of Links” puts you just a click away from discovering the fascinating histories, restaurant locations, contact information, and access to blogs, newsletters and classes of the chefs we know from their tv shows, top rated eateries and best selling cookbooks, over 100 in all.  Celeb Chef Book

♦  FEATURED RECIPE  ♦

You, your family, your guests just might swoon 

Remember this book from our 09.21.18 salon? The one that gives you tasty answers to the title question, “What Can I Bring?” What Can I Bring?: Southern Food for Any Occasion Life Serves Upwhatever the occasion or destination. The satisfying dishes here for the most part are make-ahead, multiple-serving, and fairly easy to transport.

In addition to author, Elizabeth Heiskell’s resume includes caterer, instructor, and TODAY show contributor. Which is to say, she sure knows her stuff, and 179 reviewers agree, giving this book 4 1/2 stars.

This recipe from the book features the made-in-heaven pairing of chocolate and peanut butter, and wait till you see an additional flavorful ingredient – two choices actually, theirs and mine. Either would be good, mine was a matter of what was handy.

Even better it’s no-bake, and if you use my other tweak, no cook either! All so good and easy.

Recipe Page  ♦  “What Can I Bring” cookbook  ♦  Other Heiskell books 

♦  TIP  ♦

No storms in the kitchen

You may well be doing this already. Talking about when you’re using a hand mixer to blend something like flour or powdered sugar into a batter, and the danger looms of sending a snowstorm over your counter and everything thereon.

What I like to do is gently fold in the “snow” with a spatula. It doesn’t have to be totally mixed in – that’s what the appliance is for – but rather just sort of buried in the lower depths of the bowl.

Usually this would not be necessary with a stand mixer. But if the bowl is really full, might be a worthy precaution.

♦  A PEEK AT MY WEEK  ♦

Please join  me in my kitchen &  parlor

♦  How do you like your French toast? Personally I don’t care for what’s actually the classic prep, which calls for drowning the bread before cooking. This recipe for a crisp version from America’s Test Kitchen via AP calls for a much shorter soaking time but for me still too much. However, along with my usual dip-turn-out method, it’s the pre-step and the liquid ingredients that I found make one delish dish. See what you think.

♦  Thanks to Food & Wine’s online newsletter I recently saw the trailer for season 16 of “Top Chef” which debuts Dec 6, 9p ET on Bravo in Louisville KY. I like these kinds of shows where they compete and you both learn and enjoy. You can watch it too, right here, and the page also shows the 15 contestants so you can see if any are from your town.

♦  Browsing through the Diner’s Dictionary again and came upon this gem. “Humbug” {no bah}, referring to a taffy-like boiled sweet flavored with peppermint. It says that its eventual evolution from dessert to Scrooge’s rant “may be of similar inspiration to trifle.” There’s even more backstory covering time, place and literary reference. These kinds of finds pop up among more common entries in this chock-full compilation of “Word origins of food & drink.” I love this book.

So far next week: save the food, wash the cocktails, Emeril’s turkey take, garlic mouth fixes, pea-zuh or pea-duh??? 

Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you
Email me 
{subj – CooksSalon} & receive an “invitation” to weekly online salons

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

Andres’ Great Big Bowl of Goodness, for Nov 2-Nov 8, 2018

Posted on by

♦  CatChat  ♦

Misty shows you what you’ll find in this week’s salon

♦  TIDBITS – tv show stars leftovers {M – told her before I’d be happy to take care of that stuff} / rim like a pro / don’t throw those water balloons, freeze ’em  ♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT – give yourself celeb status / easy gifting of top cookbooks  ♦  FEATURED RECIPE – a “strike” with this kind of bowl-ing  ♦  TIP –  . . . and some “spares” ♦  THE WEEK – make-do is a woohoo / keep on truckin’ / dip for your face 

Misty’s History  ♦  Misty’s Gallery

♦  TIDBITS  ♦

Newsy, schmoozy stuff for cooks 

♦  Have you watched ”Scraps”? Just as the name would imply, this Katie Couric-produced tv show addresses makeovers for leftovers. This season, its second, just debuted on 10.11, and on the page, with a couple of steps, you can watch episodes, or just go directly to recipes. Other food shows on this FYI network too.

♦  Holiday get-togethers are just around the corner, and festive beverages can be part of the fun. A site called VinePair offers a schooling on rimming the glasses with a number of good things beyond salt, and tips on how to do it. Though this is cocktail-based, why not get creative with soft drinks too.

♦  And I just love this party idea for chilling your beverages from Hometalk {once there, scroll to the right}. Regular ice in the bucket is replaced by ice filled balloons – so festive and no melting all over the place making everything drippy.

–  One thing though, I’m wondering if once you take a bottle out if it’s hard to replace among the balloons. Maybe a second container inside? Btw, if you’re a crafty sort, this site can keep you busy every day with projects from their super-creative contributors.

♦  CS MARKETPLACE SPOTLIGHT  ♦ 

“In this house I’M the celebrity chef”

Proclaim it with your morning coffee, afternoon tea, and evening cocoa, and what the "In this house I'M the celebrity chef" Long Apronheck pour in your beverage of choice at cocktail hour.

Or say it with a tee, sweat, hoodie or apron. Wear your proud statement.

Any will make clear to one and all just who rules this kitchen.

For you, or your cook-tastic spouse, friend or family member.

Just FYI, this is my own design. Mugs & shirts at Michigan company SunFrog. Apron at Zazzle.

Mugs  ♦  Shirts  ♦  Apron

At CS Marketplace: “Especially for . . .” – “Cooks”  “Book Lovers”  “Dog Lovers”

Extra for Cooks – or more specifically, those who have folks on their gift list who are cooks. For most, cookbooks are always welcome. But how to choose from the zillion available? This can help if you want to shop on Amazon. Best selling cookbooks   Best rated cookbooks

♦  FEATURED RECIPE  ♦

Wait till you see how much good stuff goes into one boffo bowl 

Leave it to José Andrés to take a humble bowl from the cabinet and fill it meatlessly to 5-star perfection. The picture tells most of the story.

You can see the flavor, texture, and color contrasts of carrots, scallions, corn, edamame, and bok choy, among other main ingredients. What you don’t see is the dimension altering garlic yogurt sauce and soy ginger dressing.

Btw, that beautiful egg is in neither the ingredients list nor directions. But heck what doesn’t get even better with an eggie crown???

And the recipe title is the mouthful, “Inspired by Beefsteak’s Kimchi-Wa Bowl.” If, like me you’re not a big fan of kimchi, fear not, it’s really just a garnish and as such you can – oops, forgot to add it.

Recipe  ♦  Jose Andre cookbooks  

♦  TIP  ♦

Bowl over your family, your guests, even yourself

Because it’s not just Andrés. Bowl cuisine is an emerging trend in restaurants at all levels. And this is one we can so easily bring into our own kitchens.Clean Eating Bowls: 50 Superfood Paleo Bowl Recipes for Clean Eating, Increased Energy, and Vibrant Health

As this story picked up by ProChef SmartBrief notes, these dishes are easy to eat, encourage adventurousness, and can look quite pretty. Easy to build too, because there are no rules.

But there are suggestions to get you started. Just check out this google page.

And of course, trust Amazon to bring you books all about it, including the one shown. And many others

Food bowl cookbooks

♦  A PEEK AT MY WEEK  ♦

Please join  me in my kitchen &  parlor

♦  So when I went to make some shredded beef for a Mexican buffet I found I didn’t have the taco seasoning that I wanted to use in the cooking water. So I substituted what I did have – a steak marinade mix. And what a pleasant surprise. Had never used this for anything before but will likely apply it in other ways too – maybe sometime even on steak {!}

♦  I just caught up with what’s turned out to be one of my favorite new shows on Food Network – Andrew Zimmern’s “Big Food Truck Tip,” where for six episodes he visited these mobile eateries across the country. The name derives from the fact that in each city the best of the three trucks he checks out will receive a $10,000 “tip.”

Though the truck trend is not new, it’s also not going way, but rather increasing as time goes by. Surely contributing to the popularity is that so many of them serve just such great food, usually fast, and with a come-as-you-are vibe. Episodes so far ran in Sept & Oct, and you can catch up with all of them on the Food Network site.

♦  Since I always make sure to have a good supply of avocados, some can get iffy. So was happy to see these 5 ways to use them up. They’re all quite interesting but the one I tried wasn’t food {or wasn’t supposed to be} – sort of a guacamole facial. It’s nice, skin feels refreshed when it goes on, soft when it comes off, and with a bit of a glow {or was that the turmeric???}. Btw, though you can store leftovers, I just spooned out what I needed and put some crackers to the rest.

So far next week: chocolate covered peanut butter bars, top-pop cookbook, baking tip, drink your leftovers

Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin