New Salon every Friday – and you’re invited
C’mon in and help yourself to tasty resources
Hosted by Barbara J Nosek
Cocktail Hour Buzz
sundowner snacks, drinks, chat, and . . .
whenever I can, related resources & goodies on Amazon
whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you
{links below items take you right to Amazon unless otherwise indicated}
♦♦♦ Hooray for this complete blueprint for your game day get-together. It’s from “Giada Entertains,” and though a re-run it’s timeless in terms of the festive suggestions for decorations, pompoms, mini take-home pix, serving tricks, and a Beer Bar. And of course – recipes! For bacon & blue cheese truffles, margarita wings, individual snack mixes, and football-shaped walnut cookies. Here’s “Giada’s Kickoff Party” episode in its entirety. Food Network
There may be a tiny ad banner in the lower right corner of the screen – can just ignore it, as you’ll still see the full show
Giada’s Cookbooks ♦ Giada’s Videos ♦ Beer 101 on Vinepair {shows SSL}
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♦♦♦ Have you seen the bags of mini bell peppers in your market? That is an easy, 
colorful appetizer just waiting to happen. Here we stuffed the cleaned, halved peppers with a mix of 4 oz softened block cream cheese, garlic salt, dried parsley and just enough avocado ranch to make a nice consistency, still thick enough to survive a bite
without depositing the rest of the filling on the floor. Toppings were, clockwise from rightmost, smoked paprika, chopped pimento olives, green onions, chopped pepperoni, dill weed, and for a sweet touch, diced dates. The CS Kitchen
Bell Pepper Cookbooks, stuffed & more
How to grow your own bell peppers on The Gardener’s Path {shows SSL}
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♦♦♦ Pink Champagne or . . . one of these “15 Best Pink Valentine’s Day Cocktails”? A nice range of flavors and true to the title, pretty creations ranging from delicate petal hues to a rosy blush. Here are some sips that will have me checking for ingredients. Blueberry mint cocktail, White hot chocolate with pink frosting, Honeyed cherry daiquiri. Country Living
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♦♦♦ Take your pick from these 50 Easy Snacks for the Big Game. Wowsie, dips, salsas, wings, nachos, poppers, bacon-wrapped tenders & smokies, cheese or veggie meatballs, bite-size pizzas & corn dogs, garlic knots, tasty veggies too. Below are some
that sounded especially good. We made the crackers linked below and shown here, and it’s almost magic how the humble cracker can become a first class snack. AllRecipes
Alabama Fire Crackers ♦ Chicken Nachos w/Refried Beans
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♦♦♦ Bad weather before the game? Ran out during the game? Don’t want to get out of your pjs? If you have an Amazon Echo Show, you can ask Alexa, “Which liquor stores deliver?” and then just watch the screen for the results. Alexa
Want to join the Buzz? Enter “Buzz” in the Subject line – sign whatever way you want to be identified
Click here to email your comments, questions, links to fave recipes, or?
STUFF FOR COOKS
Find t-shirts, mugs, dvds, gift collections, plus top chef items including cookbooks CS Marketplace Directory
♦ ♦ ♦
Appreciate anytime you can visit affiliate partners, linked below or in features above
Click link above for Amazon homepage, Below for Echo Show, Echo Dots, Echo Studio, Especially for Kids –
Browse Amazon Echo styles right here – all a foodster’s dream resource
♦
Click link above for Zazzle homepage, Below for CS-Designed, Zazzle-Crafted Items {direct Zazzle links on these pages}
Food Lovers T-Shirts page here on CS ♦ Food Lover Mug page here on CS
ETC
Want to be among the first to know about new Salons?
Easy! Just put “Preview List” in the Subject line, and email me at the link shown above for comments & questions
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Use Search, Archives, Categories OR email me at the same link above with “CooksSalon” in the Subject line
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Note
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Cook with passion and a party spirit, whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you
All pages ©2022 CooksSalon.com
Let’s chat 
So, I started reading a food-themed novel and not too many pages in realized it sounded somewhat familiar. Aha! The author Joanne Fluke’s books had to be the basis for the 
I need to note something about 
This week’s featured CS-designed, Zazzle-crafted item
On the Table 
culinary bounty.
Meanwhile MyRecipes has their own Best, and it’s a goodie. 
Legendary rolls, breads breakfasts, soups, sandwiches, sauces, desserts and beverages, ethnic specialtes, even Bailey’s, Nutella and Chili’s Baby Back Ribs 
who do not like sprinkles. A glittery upgrade for simple peach ice cream and whipped cream A sparkly update on bagel and cream cheese. And as if donuts aren’t already fun enough, a step even beyond the chocolate frosting. Link goes to Amazon. 
Baked Potato. In a sausage! All can be ordered directly from them. I have to say I’ve never heard of these folks before, but their products are sold at 
Finally found something not only dilly and reasonable but also a brand name. 
Help end the animosity – “Make America Decent Again”
Takeout is a nice indulgence, but if it’s a little more prevalent these days you might want to take a look at this nutritionist’s take on making your order a bit healthier with these 
oatmeal {always like some help in that bowl}, yogurt parfait, chocolate cake, even cocktails . . . and roasted carrots to which I added a bit of butter, and mmm-mmm. 
Hosted by Barbara J Nosek
marquee folks are and sometimes not. What we discover more often is what she serves them.
You’ll see three ways to kick up the flavor on what are alternatively called pigs in a blanket, but bite-size, maybe two-bite. She also shows a compatible sauce for each.
whole cob. Never know until you try. Just tightly wrapped it, uncooked, in a paper towel and then in foil, and in it went. The picture here shows it thawed, looking not bad, though for whatever reason it seems to survive the freezer better, in terms of both taste and texture, when it’s off the cob. I can probably say that with more conviction after trying one of these 
might be interesting to hit it with elote flavors. Found this 
saw a tip for removing corn silk. My previous go-to method? A paper towel. After Rach? A dedicated toothbrush! Now – even more recently, in an episode from Season 1 of “A Chef’s Life,” the silk remover was a regular household scrub brush, ahhhh, that we’d like to think also solely dedicated to the task – sure covers a lot more ground {cob}.
that could serve a totally different useful purpose. And here it is.
good dip.
For each egg, crack into a sauce dish. Have a plastic slotted spoon ready. When the water is boiling, slide the egg in and immediately, and gently, run the slotted spoon underneath it, giving it a little shove. Reduce heat to create a very gentle bubbling on the surface,
Hosted by Barbara J Nosek
dining experience, in life’s everyday situations – home alone, on the road, in a fast food outlet, at the office or a party, and more – plus shopping “survival style,” long, smart lists of snacks and substitutes, and short lists of “sneaky-
cises” and wardrobe tips.
.
rather the beautiful array of 
relied on our old friend the sheet pan, 
Dubliner, it wasn’t really a match for what I’d thoroughly enjoyed in a totally authentic Irish pub, crisp cool veggies topped with warm melty cheese. Onward. Decided to apply the idea to a Mex mix. The lettuces, green onion, black olives and serrano were cold from the fridge. Tomatoes room temp. And then melted cheddar, sour cream and lime wedges.
And making that one immediately gave me a taste for Mexican Tuna Dip, which I first discovered in Cabo San Lucas, and subsequently found right in one of my fave local restaurants. As the name implies, the lively mix of cilantro, onion, tomato, jalapeno, mayo is intended as a dip but is actually quite a treat on toast or lettuce.
It also occurred to me that the melty salad could be an entree with the addition of a bit of rotisserie chicken, and then avocado making it even more substantial. Btw, with cheese pretty much all over this one, it’s a bit more like that Irish salad that started the ball of fun rolling.
versions is cut into rounds, but here it was triangles.
of choice, and browse these 
takes for it to become this kind of edible version of modeling clay couldn’t be easier. Since you can write on it, might want to take another look at the food color pens we used on the taters in our 
touch of richness. In a while I’ll dust them with confectioners sugar as you’ll see in the photo.
overcooked mac, Hellman/Best mayo, and finely grated onion. Where it goes from there determines if it’s tasty or just filling. The Taste newsletter has an interesting 
you to tasty alternative. So in that article linked in the