Recipes Galore & More, June 25-July 8, 2021

Posted on 06/25/2021 by bjnosek

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Let’s chat

Kitchen Talk – This is pretty inventive. Tired of your k-cups being hither and yon or trapped in their supermarket box? Take a look right here on simplemost.com to see how this crafty soul solved the problem and cleared the counter. Rather buy than build? Take the “escalator” down to our Shopping Finds for all kinds of choices. How would this be for a cool July 4 treat? I came across it when I was browsing the WatermelonBoard.org site recipe page which led to last week’s featured prep, Watermelon/Chocolate Dessert Tray. These clever cones substitute watermelon for ice cream, and then sweeten the deal with frosting and toppings. See that and more on the site’s recipe page.

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Shopping Finds – Well here’s a bit of historical cooking fun. The U.S. Navy has posted their 1902 General Mess Manual & Cookbook for shipboard use on their website. From the historical perspective it’s quite fascinating to see how the food reflected popular dishes at the time and even more, how they had to be adapted to the circumstances. From the cooking perspective, well you may not want to, e.g., chop 60 pounds of ham, but with the simplicity of these dishes it should be pretty easy to cut them down to size. Also available on Amazon. Thinking what a great gift for anyone who’s been to sea. Use K-cups? Need a neat way to store them? Lots of ways on Amazon to give your k-cups a home. Towers, cubbyholes, drawers that become a platform for the coffeemaker, tiers of drawers, or stylish containers where the cups just pile in.

This week’s featured CS-designed, Zazzle-crafted item – And it’s brand NEW. It’s our take on a popular saying that we’ve re-worded especially for all of us wine lovers. “Yay!!! It’s Wine o’clock” No matter what that other clock says. Have it on a tee or a mug, choice of styles and colors. Find both linked on our Eclectic Mall page.

On the Table

Featured Recipes

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

And cheesy it is, all melty with mascarpone, smoked mozzarella and Parmesan joining forces with cheese-filled tortellini {store-bought!}. Marinara checks in too, yours or not. From Giada on Food Network.

Blue Corn Waffles Ranchero

Savory waffles {though with a touch of maple syrup in the batter}, are transformed into a stick-with-you breakfast or brunch as they layer on fried eggs, aioli, salsa, and black beans, with suggested sides of avocado, lime wedges and cilantro. From Eating Well.

Herb-Basted Pork Chops

Yikes, these are some good looking chops. But the recipe title conceals a hot secret. In addition to a trio of fresh herbs the prep also folds in a trio of Thai chiles and a healthy dose of garlic. Flavor on flavor. From Food & Wine

Grilled Elote Flatbread

Oh what a good idea. Fresh sweet corn and all the tasty flavors of elote on store-bought or homemade pizza dough. Both the corn and the dough are grilled for a nice char-y taste. From Taste of Home. {Wonder how it would be to lightly process the mixture}

Guacamole recipes with secret ingredients

This popped up on the page for the elote flatbread above and of course had to take a look. Interesting! Some go fruity, some go spicy, some go into surprising territory. Eight in all.

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Have a cuppa in Alexa’s room – recipes & more

You don’t have to have an Amazon Echo Show to tap into the particular tidbits we’ve linked below, drawn from its vast culinary bounty.

Just pour a cup and let’s talk food with Alexa. Below are recipes recently displayed on the screen. Echo owners, also note that in many cases she guides you step by step through the prep . . .

Rise & Shine Eggs Benedict by Food Network. Don’t like to make Hollandise? No worries. No Hollandaise! Instead an inventive sauce based on mashed potatoes and it’s responsible for a lot of the wake-up part with leeks, shallots, garlic, white wine and cayenne. Pancetta instead of ham, but good ol’ English muffins are on the job.

Oreo Cake Balls by AllRecipes. Oh my. Oreo crumbs and cream cheese packed like little snow balls, quick freeze, dip in melted chocolate, refrigerate, done. No bake!

Double Cheeseburger Bread Bowl by Tasty. Don’t be scared off by the ingredient list. It is longer than we usually serve up, but most of that stuff is just layered. And the goodies – seasoned beef, spinach, bacon, double cheese & more – stack up in a hollowed out sourdough loaf into something mighty “tasty.”

Interested in having your own Echo Show?

Boundless information, music, movies, tv shows, videos, health tips & news, entertainment news, national news, local news, sports news & recaps, weather, timer, alarm, reminders, shopping lists, Amazon delivery notifications, alerts, security camera connection . . . and food, food, food, all on an interactive screen. Some connect to Amazon Prime.

You can browse all the Echo styles here on this Amazon page

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talk – whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

♦ Summertime and the drinkin’ is easy. Which is to say, light and refreshing. Here’s a little help from the pros, thanks to Southern Living. “Infuse Fruit into Your Favorite Summer Cocktails With These Bartender Secrets”

♦ The current issue of Eating Well has yet another clever way to serve non-communal snacks. We had previously shown “jarcuterie” {06.18.21}, often tucking deli meat and cheese, maybe pickles and olives, into cute little jars. This snack now is similar but as you can see it submerges veggie sticks, sprigs, and slices into a dip {the dips were actually the focus of the story}, served in individual glasses. Good idea!

♦ The iconic 1928 New Yorker “I say it’s spinach” cartoon was revisited in the magazine in 2015. See it here.

Want to join the Buzz? Enter CooksSalon in the subject line – sign the way you want to be identified

Click here to email your comments, questions, links to fave recipes, or?

Find t-shirts, mugs, dvds, gift collections, plus top chef items including cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

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Zazzle food-themed items Ninja Grill on Amazon Amazon Echo Show

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And for your consideration

No Kid Hungry – discover, donate ♦ K9s For Warriors – discover, donate

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject line -> CooksSalon

Note

All transactions are solely between the buyer and linked supplier

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

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Watermelon/Chocolate Dessert Board, June 18 – June 24, 2021

Posted on 06/18/2021 by bjnosek

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Let’s chat

Kitchen Talk – How about dessert and an after dinner drink {sort of} all in one. Food Network Magazine recently featured three cupcakes that mimic the flavor of, respectively, a Negroni, Old Fashioned, and Moscow Mule. The cupcakes themselves don’t actually have any alcohol, but two of the frostings sneak in a bit of spirit, though alternatives are provided. Scroll down to the dessert section on their May 2021 Recipe Index page for the scoop. Sheet pan preps likely aren’t going away any time soon and that’s a good thing, easy cooking, easy clean-up. Ree Drummond has given us a real bonanza with 50 sheet pan dinners, offering up such goodies as Spicy peanut chicken & broccoli, Quesadillas, Crispy cheddar pork chops, Fish & chips, Shrimp Boil, Chicken & dressing, plus fajitas, sandwiches, ethnic specialties . . . and the harissa chicken shown {sweets instead of eggplant}.

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Shopping Finds – A gift of bread brought back a memory of an utterly charming novel I read some time ago. Set in small town Midwest, it tells the tale of three strangers that become bonded over each one’s special circumstances, along with a cast of supporting neighbors that bring the ups and downs into full colorful context. In Friendship Bread that baked good plays many roles – consoling gift, conversation piece, source of discontent, metaphor and so much more that in total make it the star of the show. Secondary billing goes to the tea salon that serves as story central. If you likey spicy, may I suggest Mrs Refro’s salsas that you should be able to find in your market. One caveat – did not particularly care for her queso, but everything else is boffo.

On the Table

📢 NEWS 📢

CS-ers, what’s better, one recipe or up to a half dozen recipes??? If you chose the latter, hooray!!!

Starting next week the Featured Recipe will become Featured Recipes. We’ll select some of the easiest and tastiest preps from tv, magazines, and the ‘net and link them right here with quick descriptions.

And whenever I make one of the dishes I’ll add a personal note for you about the results. Happy cooking!

Meanwhile here’s this week’s Featured Recipe

Water Melon and Chocolate Dessert Tray – two faves, and more

Thank you Watermelon Board for this beautiful medley. where refreshing melon, three ways, cozies up to dark chocolate, plus berries & cherries, nuts and coconut. The absolute perfect finish to a lovely summer evening. The prep for this dish is pretty much self-explanatory, but for the full roster of the Board’s other colorful and refreshing recipes, you can click the link below.

Watermelon and Chocolate Dessert Board

Watermelon Board Recipe Page

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Have a cuppa in Alexa’s room – recipes & more

You don’t have to have an Amazon Echo Show to tap into the particular tidbits we’ve linked below, drawn from its vast culinary bounty.

Just pour a cup and let’s talk food with Alexa. We also show the actual requests for those who are Echo owners, who should also note that in many cases she guides you step by step through the recipes.

Alexa says request: How do I make cheesy baked tortellini? Here she sends up a 4 1/2 star prep from famed Italian chef Giada. Yay, the prep starts with store-bought cheese tortellini, then ups the cheese ante with marscapone, parm, and smoked mozzarella. On the Food Network site.

Alexa says request: How do I make brown sugar cheesecake? So, among the options is one that’s actually a step up from the inquiry, showing us Peach Brown Sugar Cheesecake. It’s for the slow cooker, but wondered if this fabo flavor combo could emerge as an oven baked version. We just might be trying that. Also from Food Network.

My request: How do I make a Sleeping rice bear egg blanket? Well this certainly piqued my curiosity. If I may be permitted an edit, more accurately I would call it A Sleeping Brown Bear Cub Made of Rice with a Blanket Made of Eggs. It’s from Tasty and there is a demo. Even if you never plan to make it, please, please, take a look. It is so creative and beyond adorable.

Would you like your own Echo Show?

You can browse all the Echo styles here on this Amazon page

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talk – whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

♦ Irish Central suggests these dishes to accompany, what else, Guinness! And it takes just a wee look into the recipes to see that the beer merrily joins in with the ingredients too. I’m thinking their burger, zingy with Tabasco and wooster, could be quartered into some mighty fine snacks.

♦ Do these wines have more flight miles than you do? Truth be told, we don’t know if they’re from onboard or cupboard, but what we do know is that the new At-Home Wine Experience from American Airlines lets you have bottles that “represent unique regions and flavors from prestigious vineyards around the world” show up right on your doorstep. The page shows many price reductions.

♦ I saw this fun idea in Food Network magazine, where a variety of snacks are tucked into small jars to make individual servings. They called it “Jarcuterie,” and when I went onto google to see if I could find a link to the article to post here for you {didn’t} I discovered all kinds of folks are into this, and you can see lots of variations at the google link. It’s another way to have personal servings rather than communal dishes on a snack table, as are the Bento Boxes we featured in our 05.14.21 Salon.

Want to join the Buzz? Enter CooksSalon in the subject line – sign the way you want to be identified

Click here to email your comments, questions, links to fave recipes, or?

Find t-shirts, mugs, dvds, gift collections, plus top chef items including cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

♦ ♦ ♦

CooksSalon is free to everybody – appreciate anytime you click through to my only affiliate partners

Zazzle food-themed items Ninja Grill on Amazon Amazon Echo Show

♦ ♦ ♦

And for your consideration

No Kid Hungry – discover, donate ♦ K9s For Warriors – discover, donate

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject line -> CooksSalon

Note

All transactions are solely between the buyer and linked supplier

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

eb4823 c74abc

Celeb’s Bloody Mary Gazpacho with Seasoned Shrimp, June 11-June 17, 2021

Posted on 06/11/2021 by bjnosek

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Let’s chat

Kitchen Talk – Though Prepared Pantry sells mixes and other baking necessities, owner Dennis Weaver is quite generous with posting even recipes that don’t require those goods. And this one, for the classic cheesy brunch dish, is a keeper. How to Make Any Quiche You Can Imagine shows us a basic prep and tips, then one for the classic Lorraine, variations, and then helpful resources. Need to peel tomatoes? Here’s what I did as an alternative to the dip in boiling water, wait to cool, method. Halved the matoes and placed them cut side down on a plate, covered with a paper towel, nuked for 1 min. Depending on their size may take less or more time. Cooled quick, peeled easy as you can see on the front one. If, as many do, you believe food can be medicine, this list is for you. Foods that can clear arteries, on google.

Shopping Finds – A name we’ve trusted for years has published a new cookbook with a title that can warm the hearts of all Cs-ers. Easy Meal Prep by Good Housekeeping offers preps developed by their test kitchen chefs, “using their best time-saving, flavor building wisdom combined with their genius plan-ahead tips and tricks.” When a recipe calls for a certain amount of an item – meat, fish, taters, or even ingredients in some baking preps that go by weight rather than volume – you can always get it just right with a kitchen scale. I use mine {shown, an “Amazon’s Choice”} quite a bit, more than I expected. Nice that they’re quite inexpensive on Amazon, some with discounts or coupons. The photo link goes to that product, and the blue link goes to scales that are 4 stars and up.

This week’s spotlight CS page – Are you looking for a cookbook for yourself or as a gift? Below the CS-published books on our page, you’ll find links to Amazon’s best sellers and top rated ones, and as well popular ethnic categories, all just a click away, CS Food Books & CookBooks

On the Table

Feature – Bloody Mary Gazpacho with Shrimp, snack & cocktail all in one!

We’ve seen a lot of recipes for gazpacho flavored bloody marys, but loved coming across this more substantial reversal. We can thank Adam Richman, known for Man v Food, The Food That Built America, and Modern Marvels, but here showing us how this is done on the Today Show.

Richman remixes all the best flavors of both and then adds the tasty bonus of flavorful shrimp. In sum, pretty much snack squared.

Now in his intro he notes the novel notion of stirring vodka into soup, but then the prep doesn’t really include this, though it is in the shrimp marinade. Of course if the chef isn’t looking you could certainly tip a bit of the spirit into the gazpacho anyway.

Many layers of flavor going on here, and especially love the add-in of olive juice and the generous hand with the hot sauce. Fun to serve by the cup for happy hour, or upgrade to a bowl for lunch or dinner.

Recipe Notes – I pureed only half of the vegetables and left the rest diced, which created a juicier consistency. And if you do that might want to make spoons available, and as well some crusty toast for dipping into those juices. Also, when the shrimp were pretty much done I turned up the heat just long enough to create a nice char.

Next week – Watermelon/Chocolate Dessert Board, oh my

Recipe ♦ Cold Soup Recipe Books, 4 stars & up on Amazon

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Have a cuppa in Alexa’s room – recipes & more

You don’t have to have an Amazon Echo Show to tap into the particular tidbits we’ve linked below, drawn from its vast culinary bounty.

Alexa says request: How do I make cinnamon roll s’mores? Tastemade’s prep starts with croissant dough that you gussy up, roll, slice, bake. So already I’m thinking maybe you could do this with refrigerated dough cinnamon rolls. Selective shortcuts are a good thing. And now I’m wondering something else – how it would work to pull out some of the center of each baked roll {wait, don’t toss, save for a snack} and tuck the marshmallow half down inside. Or . . . just do it as specified. 😁

Alexa says request: How do I make 40 garlic clove chicken? Let’s set aside the fear right here. You don’t have to peel them! Nope, the cloves cook along with other ingredients to flavor browned chicken thighs and then emerge ready to pop out and be scooped onto crusty bread. This dish is from Tasty and there’s a demo too.

Alexa says request: How do I make peach caprese salad with balsamic cherries ? Is this the perfect warm weather salad or what? Fresh peaches stand in for the usual tomatoes, but mozzarella and fresh basil are still checking in. And then there are the cherries, yummed up with not only the balsamic but as well olive oil, shallots, s&p. And as a bonus, this Katie Lee medley on Food Network is quite pretty.

Would you like your own Echo Show?

You can browse all the Echo styles here on this Amazon page

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talk – whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

♦ Well maybe it depends on the size of your appetite {or mouth?}. Either way, these tasty Two-Bite Parmesan Biscuits cozy up quite nicely to your preferred adult beverage. Freshly grated parm {and maybe herbs} add savoriness on the inside and crunch on the outside. From Food & Wine.

♦ Food Network brings some tasty fun to the party with Mini Meatball Sliders, created by Trisha Yearwood. Meatballs seasoned with store-bought pesto and other fine flavors nestle into mini potato rolls along with some marinara, yours or not.

♦ Food & Wine checks back in to complete the happy hour equation with these 33 best rosés to drink right now. Domestic and imported, exceptional quality “at every price imaginable,” pricing from everyday to collectibility, many styles, all so nice for the season.

Want to join the Buzz? Enter CooksSalon in the subject line – sign the way you want to be identified

Click here to email your comments, questions, links to fave recipes, or?

Find t-shirts, mugs, dvds, gift collections, plus top chef items including cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

♦ ♦ ♦

CooksSalon is free to everybody – appreciate anytime you click through to my only affiliate partners

Zazzle food-themed items Ninja Grill on Amazon Amazon Echo Show

♦ ♦ ♦

And for your consideration

No Kid Hungry – discover, donate ♦ K9s For Warriors – discover, donate

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject line -> CooksSalon

Note

All transactions are solely between the buyer and linked supplier

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

Make our own German Chocolate Brownies, June 4-June 10, 2021

Posted on 06/04/2021 by bjnosek

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Let’s chat

Kitchen Talk – Kudos to restaurants that tell us how to make their signature dishes. In this case it’s IKEA’s Swedish meatball recipe or, as they call it in this Southern Living piece, an “at home alternative.” And yep, the cream sauce prep is there too. If you made extra of the Mexican Bean Dip {05.21.21 Salon} and have leftovers, yowza you’re on your way to a super flavorful bean soup. I added beef bouillon and taco sauce, then on with the toppings – sour cream, avocado, bacon, cheddar, then cilantro over all. Yum. Who doesn’t want to get ahead of the game? Look how we can do just that. 40+ Freezer Recipes To Make Ahead and Reheat Easily. Good stuff too, think Smoked pork stuffed shells, Green chile chicken stew, Tamale pie mix-up, Tex-Mex meatballs in red chile sauce, Buffalo chicken casserole, more.

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Shopping Finds – After coming across that Oreo birthday gift that we had featured {04.23.21 Salon}, wondered if Amazon may have other nice gift packs for birthday celebrations. Yep, at the link. So, I recently saw a passing reference to the nutritional benefits of dried fruits – in addition to being quite tasty – so googled and found interesting nutritional information. Then thinking, maybe Amazon has dried fruit gifts too. And again, yep.

This week’s featured CS-designed, Zazzle-crafted item – With June weddings here, definitely time to think about bride gifts. One with a whimsical touch is our pretty, flowery “Just Married” tee. For the honeymoon trip, to relax into the day after the ceremony, or just to say, “We did it!” On our Eclectic Mall page.

On the Table

Feature – German Chocolate Brownies, several ways to get there

So, in last week’s Salon we featured German Chocolate Brownies available from goldbelly. And yikes they look good, but we do have ways to make our own, even if they aren’t quite the same showpieces.

Let’s start with the 5-star recipe from Taste of Home linked below. A classic brownie recipe, though using German sweet chocolate. And the classic pecan and coconut topping that we associate with German Chocolate cake. Likely worth every one of its stars.

But, I had some of the wonderfully dense, chewy brownies left over from our chocolate malt version {04.30.21 Salon}. And as a big fan of time saved if quality’s preserved, I made the ToH frosting and right onto the ready and waiting brownies {shown, right}. This frosting, btw, could easily become your sweet tooth’s bff.

No naked brownies in your freezer? If there’s a mix you like, that can certainly be a worthy shortcut. Or, for an even “shorter cut,” if your market’s bakery has brownies with just powdered sugar, snap ’em up, and lay down the frosting.

The cookbook shown here is just one from the many featured at the link below, but just look at that cover. You almost want to put it on a plate and get a fork. Have to wonder if that brownie on top was meant to be that way or if someone at the photo session lost control.

Recipe Notes – Instead of broiling the topped brownies I nuked the frosting for about 45 seconds. I also made an alternate version of the frosting for folks who need to avoid nuts, substituting chocolate chips instea}, and given the extra sweetness cut the sugar to 1/3 cup. Great with ice cream!

Next week – Bloody Mary Bean Chili

Taste of Home Recipe ♦ Brownie Cookbooks, 4 stars & up

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Have a cuppa in Alexa’s room – recipes & more

You don’t have to have an Amazon Echo Show to tap into the particular tidbits we’ve linked below, drawn from its vast culinary bounty.

Alexa says request: How do I make pineapple vanilla skillet cake? Yay, two great flavors come together here and then they welcome in fresh orange and honey to create a treat that juicy underneath, crackly on top. All in an easy, easy prep. And even better, it’s oven-free. Btw if your market doesn’t carry self rising cake flour, you can find it on Amazon.

Alexa says request: How do I make ham & cheese pull apart garlic bread? Every part of this title says, gimme the recipe! And here it is. From Tasty. Easy start with ready to use pizza dough. Perfect for brunch.

My request: Do you have recipes for cookie pops? I requested this general category in search of cheesecake cookie pops I’d seen somewhere. They didn’t appear but what did could not be more appropriate for the three upcoming national holidays, and with the bonus of one of America’s favorite cookies. Red, White & Blue Oreo Cookie Pops! From Food Network.

Would you like your own Echo Show?

You can browse all the Echo styles here on this Amazon page

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talk – whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

♦ What kind of snack table doesn’t “go nuts”??? Make sure yours isn’t one of them with this amped up version. The Spiced Pecans prep from Tastemade wrangles sweet from sugar, heat from cayenne, and a touch of exotic with cinnamon and ginger. Our own celeb chef Les Kincaid says these contrasting flavors are enhanced by a nice glass of rosé.

♦ Tastemade strikes again with a classic combo that in this incarnation can be breakfast, brunch, or . . . awesome addition to the snack table. Chicken & Waffle Bites! Prep some waffle mix, skewer the chicken, fire up the oil and before you know it you’re sprinkling powdered sugar and dunking in maple syrup.

♦ Food & Wine schools us on a whole new gin and its maybe unexpected provenance. The name is Sông Cái and the origin is Vietnam. So much makes it unique starting with the 14 local tribe-sourced botanicals in the mix, but maybe even moreso, the “culinary philosophy, which emphasizes a balance of ingredients deemed to have hot or cold energy.” There’s so much more to this story, including the fact that major cities in the country have become cocktail destinations.

Want to join the Buzz? Enter CooksSalon in the subject line – sign the way you want to be identified

Click here to email your comments, questions, links to fave recipes, or?

Find t-shirts, mugs, dvds, gift collections, plus top chef items including cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

♦ ♦ ♦

CooksSalon is free to everybody – appreciate anytime you click through to my only affiliate partners

Zazzle food-themed items Ninja Grill on Amazon Amazon Echo Show

♦ ♦ ♦

And for your consideration

No Kid Hungry – discover, donate ♦ K9s For Warriors – discover, donate

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject line -> CooksSalon

Note

All transactions are solely between the buyer and linked supplier

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

CooksSalon.com

Let's make cooking easy, interesting, satisfying . . . and fun!

Monthly Archives: June 2021

Watermelon/Chocolate Dessert Board, June 18 – June 24, 2021

On the Table

Cocktail Hour Buzz

Celeb’s Bloody Mary Gazpacho with Seasoned Shrimp, June 11-June 17, 2021

On the Table

Cocktail Hour Buzz