New in “Cocktail Hour Buzz,” July 22-July 28, 2022

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 within my items go to the sources shown in red – any links underneath items take you to Amazon unless otherwise indicated, and then only ones with the lock icon}

♦♦♦  Don’t be frightened when I suggest as a great party dish . . . sushi. First, as you can see, no wrapping and rolling here. Second, while the prep does call for raw fish, pretty sure the sushi police won’t be showing up if you use only cooked. Like I did – and no knocks on my door! We’ll call it sushi-esque. The style of this particular prep is called Chirashi Sushi, with all the pretty goodies served on a bed of sushi rice.

Also in the good column, this one comes from legendary chef, Jacques Pepin, who I recently saw prepare the dish on his “Heart & Soul” show on PBS/Create. Finding a direct source for the recipe proved elusive, but you can access it on the Pinterest page linked above, and then once there clicking on the recipe name. Meanwhile you’ll find other possibilities just below.  PBS member tv station KQED

Jacques Pepin’s “Heart & Soul” show on PBS/Create

Jacques Pepin’s cookbooks    Jacques Pepin’s DVDs

Youtube video of Jacques Pepin making Chirashi Sushi from PBS/KLRN

Chirashi sushi recipes on Google

21 Recipes for sushi without raw fish on Spoon University

Hmmm, can order online? Not sure how that works but here it is . . .

Chirashi sushi on Amazon

♦♦♦  Wine in the glass . . . and on the plate? Well, not all by itself but rather as a flavor-enhancer in these 17 Simply Delicious Red Wine Recipes. Watch it go to work as a marinade for short ribs, poaching liquid for eggs, cooking liquid for pasta, sauce for veal chops, glaze for lamb chops, secret ingredient for chocolate snack cake, and on and on. As a bonus, many of the recipe pages have links to even more goodies.  Food & Wine

♦♦♦  So, in conjunction with an item on the our 06.10.22 Salon on the beer cocktail Shandy, we included a bonus link for Beer & Food Matching. Now we’ve taken a closer look at this chart and it is quite interesting. The left hand column lists the major types of beers and then the next three columns gives the ideal kinds of companion foods in the categories of savories, cheese, and dessert.  Rounding out the helpful information, recommended glassware and serving temp.

As just one example, Imperial Stout 1} Easily overpowers most main dishes, but stands up to foie gras, smoked goose, 2} Long-aged cheese: Gouda, Parmesan or cheddar, 3} Dark chocolate truffles, chocolate raspberry mousse cake. Then an image of a goblet style glass, and 10–13 °C/50–55 °F.  Brewers Association

BrewersAssociation.org

Some classy, some fun, one even beer-can-shaped, assortments too . . .

Beer glassware, 4 stars and up

♦♦♦  However much we may like to bake, in summer not so much. Which makes all the more welcome these 35 No-Bake Desserts. Citrus, seasonal fruit, ice cream, chocolate, caramel, nuts, even no-bake cheesecake all come to the party. One has a touch of spirits, and some are quite portable, including the Mamie Eisenhower fudge, peach buttermilk popsicles and triple chocolate milkshake.  Southern Living

No-bake cookbooks {including some for kids}

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, cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

♦  ♦  ♦

Appreciate anytime you can visit affiliate partners, linked below or in features above

Amazon

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 

Zazzle

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

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search, Archives, Categories OR email me at the same link above with “CooksSalon” in the Subject line

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

All pages ©2022 CooksSalon.com

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

New in “Cocktail Hour Buzz,” July 1-July 7, 2022

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 

🎈🎈  Brunch Edition  🎉 🎉

When Happy Hour goes early with snacks, drinks and chat

and maybe related resources & goodies on Amazon

whether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

{links within my items go to the sources shown in red – any links underneath items take you to Amazon unless otherwise indicated, and then only ones with the lock icon}

♦♦♦  What a tasty, colorful, and refreshing brunch dish. Dining room or patio. Thanks go to Sunny Anderson for this pineapple dish – where the pineapple is the dish – filled to the brim with seasoned rice mixed with the reserved fruit, and then bbq-d shrimp. You want to go deep when hollowing out because this is quite the good load. Sunny says these Shrimp and Rice Pineapple Boats are easy and, yes they are. Thinking some crusty bread and some crisp green raw veggies would be great plate mates.  Food Network

Sunny’s show on Food Network

5 Ways to Tell if a Pineapple is Ripe, from AllRecipes

Other Pineapple Boat recipes on Google

♦♦♦  Make it easy, take it easy. As sundown arrives, the coffeemaker can take a break and make counter space for the Bartesian. The what? Well that becomes clearer when we look at its full name, the Bartesian Premium Cocktail and Margarita Machine for the Home Bar. Just insert, select, press and voila, here comes a “craft cocktail.” If you add a carousel you can store the cocktail pods much like Keurig. You’ll see other versions too on the same page.  Amazon

Bartesian capsules & carousels

♦♦♦  Wait! Before you dispense that Bartesian-made cocktail, how about gussying up the glass. And for some new ways to do exactly that look no further than Ritzy Rims, all about salty preps that are spicy, flavorful and some, ummm, pretty unusual. You can perhaps emulate the mixes but for the full experience, probably want to go with the real things from your market or or links in the story or from Amazon {or similar}.

As a heads up, chapulÍn is grasshopper powder, Red Clay is a brand not an ingredient, for black lime see youtube video, and the Hatch one interestingly uses unrefined salt. As a bonus, the article notes, these salts can also snuggy up to roasted vegetables, fish and salads {and I’d think probably etc}.  Food & Wine

Chapulin salt with chili    Red Clay Spicy Margarita Salt    Burlap & Barrel Black Lime

Desert Provisions Hatch Green Chili Salt   Youtube, how black lime is made

♦♦♦   Make it easy, take it easy, again. Serving up such tasty/fun/elegant dishes as Bacon-Green Chile Dutch Baby, Mixed Vegetable Shakshuka, Spinach Goat Cheese Quiche, Baked Eggs in Bread Bowls, Salsa Roasted Potatoes, doesn’t have to take a toll on party day. Nope. They join others in these crowd-feeding “21 Sheet Pan Brunch Dishes.” You’ll also find preps for pancakes, pizza, filled biscuits, and other goodies.  MyRecipes

Sheet pan cookbooks, 4 stars and up

How to clean a sheet pan

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, cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

♦  ♦  ♦

Appreciate anytime you can visit affiliate partners, linked below or in features above

Amazon

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 

Zazzle

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

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search, Archives, Categories OR email me at the same link above with “CooksSalon” in the Subject line

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

All pages ©2022 CooksSalon.com

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

New in “Cocktail Hour Buzz,” June17-June 23, 2022

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 within my items go to the sources shown in red – any links underneath items take you to Amazon unless otherwise indicated, and then only ones with the lock icon}

♦♦♦  Well who wouldn’t be giving this a woohoo upon finding it on the snack table. Crispy Twisty Bacon. Sunny Anderson made this tempter on a recent episode of The Kitchen, seasoning the tight spirals with brown sugar, thyme, and spices. All you creative CS-ers will likely come up with your own variations. When I saw this I immediately thought of it as perfect for one of our special brunch editions. But then Katie Lee noted it would be great for cocktail hour. Yes!  Food Network

The episode is called, The Kitchen’s Take on Trends

FN page for that episode

Youtube demo with a flip tip    Youtube demo for air fryer

Other Twisted Bacon recipes on google

 

♦♦♦  We just never know. Valerie Bertinelli, who seemingly just has it all, in fact has dealt with personal struggles pretty much all her life. In her memoir, “Enough Already,” she takes us along on her journey of two progressions. First from Hollywood star to Food Network star. Second, her determined steps toward finally declaring that title.

In her own words, “As I have redefined my relationship with food over the past decade – first with my trip to Italy, then by writing a cookbook, and then with the tv series – I have redefined my life and reconnected with values I consider important.” Btw, recipes too, and we’ll be making her famous chocolate cake when baking season returns.  Amazon

Valerie’s cookbooks

Valerie’s DVDs – fitness, movies, tv

Valerie’s show page on Food Network

♦♦♦   In our 05.27.22 Salon we featured Ocean Spray’s crab, cranberry and cream cheese appetizers, served in mini phyllo shells. Those snacks use such bitsy amounts of ingredients that I had leftover shells, cream cheese, and cranberry too, and decided to put them to use in an easy and pretty dessert plate. For some I beat cranberry and cream cheese till smooth, topped with reserved cranberry. For others I beat the cream cheese with a little juice from mandarin oranges, finished with halves of the mandarins. One important thing to note is that for cream fillings, or similar, you really want to do this as close to service as possible, as the shells can eventually go soft.  CS

Athens, who makes the shells I use has literally a whole book of recipes on their site

Easy, Entertaining Recipes

♦♦♦  Ever have an upside down martini {spilled ones don’t count}? The Who and the What came out in a chat with Bobby Flay on CNN in advance of the network’s special on Julia Child. He was recalling having lunch with Ms Child when she ordered that libation 🍸 and he learned it’s an inversion of the classic ingredients, meaning reversing the measures for gin and vermouth. Now I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure while the next question was being asked he said almost under his breath, 4 or 5 of them. Cheers Julia, hope you’re enjoying a heavenly golden fountain of endless upside down tinis.  Julia Child

It looks like you can watch a rerun of the documentary here

Julia Child books

Bobby Flay’s page on Food Network

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, cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

♦  ♦  ♦

Appreciate anytime you can visit affiliate partners, linked below or in features above

Amazon

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 

Zazzle

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

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search, Archives, Categories OR email me at the same link above with “CooksSalon” in the Subject line

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

All pages ©2022 CooksSalon.com

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

March 18-March 24, 2022

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

{any links under these items take you right to Amazon unless otherwise indicated – and then only ones with the lock icon}

♦♦♦  Call up the Bloody Marys, Mimosa, and/or Champagne. Because have we got a brunch dish for you. Cheesy Bacon Bread Pudding. And once you’ve cubed the bread, the rest is a breeze. Two things to note. The prep calls for 45 minutes of baking, but you’re going to want to start checking it at 35. Second, those dark elements in my pudding may look like sausage, but actually some rye bread I folded in. Though sausage would be good as would ham.  I did use extra cheese in the mix and on top.  FramedCooks

This is 9″ x 13″ of goodness that may well have leftovers and that lets me segue to sharing my favorite container storage system. I’ve had mine for years, and it’s held up beautifully – compact, easy to access, three sizes and the lids, hooray, fit all of them. Four stars, Prime eligible . . .

Kitchen Organization Carousel

Other storage container organizers

♦♦♦  Intrigue! Did you know the kitchenware in your cabinets and drawers can lead a secret life as artist’s tools, with food as the medium? But it’s all good because this is pure fun. Call up the baking rack, hand mixer, rolling pin, melon baller, slotted spoon, even a fork, and move on to the pans and bowls and, yep, even bubble wrap. The Kitchen Utensil Decorating Hacks video shows all.  Tastemade

Find more inspiring utensils right here

♦♦♦   Fried chicken that isn’t fried? Well, more specifically it’s Oven Fried Chicken. And it’s darn good, lots of flavor going on. For my treatment, I cut thick slices of skinless, boneless chicken breast – perfect for Happy Hour. I didn’t have corn flakes at the time, so crushed up the corn snack, Bugles, and that worked out just fine. This Mary Berg prep features an accompanying recipe for spicy honey slaw.  Food Network

“Mary Makes It Easy” on Food Network

Mary Berg’s cookbooks

♦♦♦  Finally, we can just about stand on tippytoes and see Spring. And Bobby Flay has a fabulous way to toast its arrival – with his Mojito Limeade. And as if that’s not already season-perfect, there’s also mint, plus club soda adding tingle, and white rum supplying the spirit. All poured over crushed ice. Cheers!  Food Network

Teacher: “When water becomes ice, what great change takes place?” Pupil: “The price” – The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Almanac.com

Bobby Flay on Food Network

Flay’s cookbooks    Flay’s DVDs

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, cookbooks

CS Marketplace Directory

♦  ♦  ♦

Appreciate anytime you can visit affiliate partners, linked below or in features above

Amazon

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 

Zazzle

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

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search, Archives, Categories OR email me at the same link above with “CooksSalon” in the Subject line

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

All pages ©2022 CooksSalon.com

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

March 11-March 17, 2022

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

{any links under these items take you right to Amazon unless otherwise indicated – and then only ones with the lock icon}

♦♦♦  This magazine world guru has spoken. And the word is, these are the “Best Pinot Grigios and Pinot Gris to Buy Right Now.” Happily the story goes even beyond the recommendations to talk about the fact that though both come from the same grape and have similarities, there are also some nuanced differences in style. Pairing ideas too for each.  Food & Wine

♦♦♦  These bars not only stand up to being cut up into candy size pieces – they pretty much are candy. Favorite Chocolate Caramel Nut Bars. The fact that it starts with German Chocolate cake mix sure doesn’t hurt. Commenters loved the taste, ease of prep, and travel-worthiness, adding up a 5-star rating. All in all, a great, and likely very welcome, addition to the sweet side of the snack table.  Kraft Foods

{photo from Kraft site}

More good stuff from Kraft

♦♦♦   If you like sauerkraut and corned beef, just wait till you see how they come together in an Irish-esque appetizer. The title ingredients cozy up to sour cream, garlic, and a whole bunch of tasty seasonings in this Sauerkraut Corned Beef Dip. Serve with rye or pumpernickel cocktail bread of crackers, maybe rye crackers. Commenters are pretty uniform in praise of, easy recipe, great taste, also noting the rapid disappearing act it seems to perform every time. The recipe is credited to Betty Bowdren.  Food Network via Alexa

Browse all Amazon Echo styles right here

♦♦♦  On Food Network, Giada just mentioned how much she loves having a party in the kitchen, which made me recall how many times my get-togethers indeed ended up right there. Yours too? Now I already have decorations in the kitchen, colorful trivets, a small poster, a large artsy cookbook atop the fridge, a “Barbara’s Kitchen” sign. But wowsie, wait till you see the fabulous kitchen decor, 4 star & up we all could add. Prints, plaques, painted cutting boards, hanging baskets, key holders, themed clocks, sculptures, fanciful wall decor galore. I particularly like these pretty Mason jar sconces.  Amazon

All kitchen decor on Amazon

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, cookbooks    

CS Marketplace Directory

♦  ♦  ♦

Appreciate anytime you can visit affiliate partners, linked below or in features above

Amazon

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 

Zazzle

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

Looking for something in CS?

Use Search, Archives, Categories OR email me at the same link above with “CooksSalon” in the Subject line

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

All pages ©2022 CooksSalon.com

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

Recipe Galore & More, July 23-Aug 5, 2021

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 – So, I sent my new Ninja blender on it’s maiden voyage with homemade hummus. Love this stuff but was curious about other uses. Bon Appetit at our service with 10 Things to Do With Hummus, from burgers to casseroles to noodles. Btw, this blender is like a captured tornado. I’ve linked the whole page of them below.       I remember one time years ago when my mom was going to make hamburgers, but discovered we had only hot dogs buns. Well, she just patted that ground beef into flattened oblongs and, problem solved. Now though there’s a different way to make that matchup, even if in reverse – round hotdogs! See ’em here, where Food & Wine tells all.        I did not know what gram flour was, so thanks google for teaching me it’s chickpea flour, common in Indian cooking. If you didn’t know, yay, now you do too.

♦  ♦  ♦

Shopping Finds – I recently came across this really stylish herb saver {savor} from Prepara. Looked on Amazon to see if they made companion pieces too and Voila! But not just more stuff from Prepara but other makers with other items in similar cool designs. Shown are just two of the many possibilities. See the whole page here.        Last Feb we talked about a condiment that has chef and celeb enthusiasts, logo clothing, a fanzine, facebook appreciation page and a global presence. Laoganma’s Spicy Chili Crisp is amped up chili in oil that I’ve finally tried for myself. Definitely crisp, a little funky, a lot tasty – purists might cringe but I like it mixed with cream cheese, sour cream, or ranch dressing – and yes, I’d say deserving of all that adoration. {Yikes, want some right now} You can see their lineup on Amazon.

One of the items on our Chefs, Food, Cooking DVDs page – Can’t get enough of “Diners, Drive-in & Dives”? Or know someone who’s a big fan? There are seasons, seasons, seasons, of Fieri’s hit show on DVD on Amazon. You can also access links to videos of celeb chefs, top rated shows and food-themed movies on our page.

   On the Table  

Featured Recipes

Ice Cream Pie with easy caramel sauce

A cool summer treat with a favorite sweet flavor on top. But wait, there’s more. What the title doesn’t tell you is that peanut butter cups and chocolate covered peanut butter crunch bars are chunked into the ice cream. Yum! From Food Network.

Easiest Ever Biscuits

You may well have a recipe that disputes this claim. But I will say they are easy, and they may also add the possible tag of tastiest ever because they really are good. Also there are two quite interesting techniques here, one regarding the cream and the other having to do with the merger of measuring and shaping. The link takes you to a YouTube video from America’s Test Kitchen.

Pop Pop Sauce

OK, this was actually used to zip up grilled cauliflower, in a prep from Sunny Anderson on The Kitchen, and the link takes you to the full recipe. But I put the sauce in the spotlight because once you see it you’ll know immediately that this tasty blend can go a whole lot of places. Here, we actually used it as salad dressing. Note that it is quite zesty, and if you want could tame it down with less of the hot stuff or cool it down with ranch and/or sour cream. From Food Network.

Mounds Bar-like Brownies

{OK, so they didn’t use the -like, but I rather not have a lawyer visit} Did you ever want to eat a video. Mercy, in goes, along with the staples, chopped chocolate, butter, cocoa, vanilla and the three eggs for moist chewiness. Then the mid layer including butter, powdered sugar, condensed milk and shredded coconut. On top – what else – a thick layer of ganache. From Tastemade.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

Does this sound like COOL in a bowl. And the refreshment values go well beyond the title. Those cukes are joined by sweet onion, fresh dill, and fresh chives, and then for tasty tang, rice wine vinegar and sour cream. From MyRecipes.

5-ingredient slow cooker recipes

And woohoo, some call for even fewer. The tasty lineup features lots of entrees, think classic pot roast, to a couple of side dishes, a delectable lemon bar cake and even tea. Great way to keep the kitchen cool and still enjoy hearty meals that are easy on the ingredient lists. From Southern Living via Food Feed.

♦  ♦  ♦

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 . . .

Chicken Pot Pie Biscuits  What a boffo idea. Chicken is cooked in well seasoned broth which become gravy and joins with the chicken along with potatoes and peas to become a filling for puff pastry biscuits. Can you say, Satisfying. Video. From Tastemade.

Peanut Butter Banana French Toast Skillet  This dish is kind of like French toast meets bread pudding. And as if there weren’t already enough good stuff, what the title doesn’t tell you is there’s also a caramely vibe in the sauce – which is topped with sliced bananas and the seasoned eggy bread pieces, baked in the skillet, then cut into saucy wedges.  That’ll get ’em out of bed. From Tasty.

Diablo Diablo Diablo Burger  And in addition to the three Diablos from two sauces and a cheese, might also get a tingle from the green chilies and some zip from the nacho dip. There’s black pepper too but this point it’s wearing a wimpy sign. That dip, btw, is subject to an interesting technique that leads to a melty surprise inside the burger.  From Food Network, thanks to Sunny Anderson

Would you like 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

   A recent issue of Eating Well featured Zero Proof Sips, calling them beverages that “have all the grown up flavor you’re looking for.” The article is also posted on their website with the title “The Best Non-Alcoholic Drinks You Can Buy Online, According to Our Editors.”

   Yikes, this looks good, and probably tastes even better. The title, Tomato and Bacon Flatbread, tells you where the flavor starts, but then it’s boosted by shallots, garlic, and mozzarella. Fresh greens go on top, pizza dough is on the bottom. Cut into small wedges, what a pretty addition to the snack table.

   America’s Test Kitchen’s first ever cocktail book {published in 2019}, How to Cocktail. is on a pretty darn good discount for both hardcover and kindle at Amazon. And true to test kitchen protocol it promises, “After rigorous recipe testing, we’re able to reveal not only the ideal ingredient proportions and best mixing technique for each drink” but also how to make big batches, plus your own tonic, liqueurs, vermouths, and cocktail cherries, wrapping up with a snack section.

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

Ninja Blenders     Ninja Grill   Echo Show

Zazzle

Food-themed T-shirts here on CS    Food-themed Mugs here on CS

Food-themed items

 ♦  ♦  ♦

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

All pages ©2021 CooksSalon.com

eb4823     c74abc      

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

Easy Cheesy Bacon-Tater Tot Pie, Feb 12-Feb 18, 2021

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

 Let’s chat   

Quick Bites – Hello, bacon lovers! And rejoice as msn/lifestyle brings us these 10 most Creative Bacon Dishes from across the country. And I know all you clever CS-ers can replicate these bacony foods and beverages right in your own kitchens.     As far as we can tell, these foodfests are still scheduled in these locales for this year. South Beach, May 20-23.  Aspen, Sept 10-12. Austin, Nov 5-7.  Food + Funny. On Feb 17 PBS/Create is teaming chef Curtis Stone and chef/comic Alex Thomopoulos for a “Moveable Feast” through Australia.

♦  ♦  ♦

Shopping Finds – So, we’ve already seen ice cream for dogs. But here’s what’s new – ice cream for dogs from Ben & Jerry’s    In Amazon’s Hot New Releases, and “hot” applies doubly here – Mott’s Hot Apple Cider Keurig pods.

This week’s featured CS-designed, Zazzle-crafted item  If we thought the new year would see high fives across the aisle and a bipartisan chorus of kumbaya in govs in DC and beyond . . . nope! Let’s flash this message everywhere we can.  See all 5 “Decent” items on our Eclectic Mall page.

♦  ♦  ♦

Kitchen Talk – Here’s one of those magnetic headlines I came across from MyRecipes. Why Snack Dinner is the Best Thing You Can Make for Yourself Tonight”  Wow, there are some fine looking assemblies here. But shown is the plate we featured from our cheese board in the 01.22.21 Salon and to the article’s point, it sure did add up to dinner.   So, had a lot of Genoa salami hanging around and decided to put it in the food processor with the other ingredients that would typically go into ham salad {including peanuts, love peanuts in ham salad}. Turned out good. But, duh, now had even more leftovers. Hmmm. After using some for sandwiches, mixed the rest with egg and bread crumbs, browned in a skillet, and then I had something I could freeze. Some has already come back out to join eggs and salad for a boffo brunch.    When you’re making chili, e.g., do you brown the meat trimmings and add veggies to make a stock? Me too. Then usually strained, defatted and made it into gravy. But recently instead added into the chili. Turned out to be a tasty idea.

   On the Table 

Feature – Cheesy Bacon-Tater Tot Pie

For being so simple, this savory treat from Food Network is a supremely satisfying dish. Tater tots, which are already somewhat seasoned, make a tasty base for an easy combo of cheddar and bacon, later joined by sauce and chives.

You know what’s a big bonus? That sauce! And as a double down, you’re likely to have some left over to kick up other preps you creative CS-ers can imagine.

One thing, looking at FN’s rendition {link below} the light color of the sauce makes me think they pulled back on the Sriracha. Depending on your heat tolerance, might want to taste as you mix.

And an egg good is so good on here. But just take a look and you can see how it’s sort of a natural playmate for these particular ingredients.

And with eggs, what a great centerpiece for brunch, especially joined by guac, tomatoes and olives. But you sure don’t have to wait for Sunday.

Recipe Notes – After the tater tots are baked, the assembled dish needs to bake for only about 5 minutes.

Substitutions if needed – Thinly sliced green onion tops can stand in nicely for chives. Also, you could certainly consider other cheeses or a combo.

Next week – Ooey Gooey Turtle Bars, starting with store-bought cookie dough

Recipe  ♦  Tater Tot cookbooks on Amazon

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 No-churn Peppermint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream? Oh my, with a title like that about all we need to do is add this recipe link. Maybe just note that both the peppermint and the chocolate make more than one appearance. From Food Network. Really sounds good.

Alexa says request: How do I make Mexican Cornbread Salad? This is nice, something like a 7-layer salad but as the title suggests with a decided south of the border accent. Colorful too! See it here from AllRecipes.

Alexa says request: Play the cookie dough secret video  Well, this couldn’t be easier. Chill the dough – 30 min in the fridge or 15 in the freezer. It says the fat will melt more slowly in the oven and thus help prevent overspreading. As a bonus chilled dough is easier to handle, and sturdier for cut-out cookies. Left it in too long? Just let the bowl sit on the counter until the dough softens a bit.

And this week’s unexpected thing we found that Alexa can do – play sleep and meditation sounds

Would you like 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, talkwhether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

  CS Tasting Panel member Debbie Vinson gives five stars to a recipe she passed along for a sambal sauce to be drizzled on cod, but as she and I noted it could be equally good on other fish, maybe even chicken. I’ve since made this sauce, and btw did use it on cod, and my palate and I 100% agree with her rating – sweet and spicy, tangy and tasty. You can see it right here on parade.com.

   How fun would this be for a sweet finish to cocktail hour? A cousin to last week’s tie dye cookies but this time it’s candy all the way as once again Trisha Yearwood shows us how to play with our food. White chocolate meets pastel wafers to create bark that’s an edible work of art. Melt x 5, spread, drizzle, swirl, then chill {both you and the confection}. Done!

   A pop quiz – when are ice cubes not cubes? When they’re spheres or hexagons or sticks. Or opt for classic cube shape but tiny or HUGE. Many trays are made of silicone or other easy release material and some come with lids. All right here on this Amazon page.

   Here’s a whole bunch of stuff we love tucked into one book. It’s Susan Spungen’s new work, “Open Kitchen,” a place, her site says, to “welcome company and enjoy togetherness.” It goes on to describe her entertaining approach as a “‘get-ahead’ cooking philosophy that ensures streamlined, stress-free preparation, so you can spend more time opening your kitchen to new menus, flavors, and guests–effortlessly.” Kindle and hardcover on Amazon.

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 these affiliate partners

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

                       

Looking for something in CS?

Scroll & check previews  OR use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject=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

All pages ©2021 CooksSalon.com

eb4823     c74abc 

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

FN Host’s Tie Dye Cookies, Feb 5 – Feb 11, 2021 {1}

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

 Let’s chat   

Quick Bites –  Credit goes to AARP for telling us about these 10 Best Superfoods for Your Eyes Well look what Pillsbury did with its crescent rolls – transformed them into a circle of creamy, spicy goodness. Their Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring is kind of fun too, like a tasty craft  project.    Much as we CS-ers love to cook, guessing there are days when we could welcome “What to Cook When You Are Tired of Cooking” from MyRecipes.

♦  ♦  ♦

Shopping Finds – Bakers, do you know about this magazine? Just received a flyer for “Bake from Scratch,” subtitled The Go-to Resource for Artisan Home Bakers, adding that it offers pro tips and visual guides. Haven’t decided yet it there’s room in my magazine rack for one more resident. In case you like to consolidate your purchases, the link takes you to Amazon and the price there is the same as on the magazine’s site.  Thinking of getting a multicooker? The folks at Cook’s Illustrated took an in-depth look at these appliances and reported the #1 pick as the 8 qt Duo-Evo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, and in 2nd place the 8-qt Express XL Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker. The links take you to Amazon – the Duo-Evo is I believe the correct one because the titles match; the second is the right one because the model numbers match. Here now is the rest of the story and a chance to sign up.

This week’s CS-written item on Amazon  How’s the diet resolution going? If you need help, you just may find it in our quick-read Kindle book loaded with ways to avoid fat traps in everyday situations and also including  a “free zone,” “The Busy Person’s Diet Guide”

♦  ♦  ♦

Kitchen Talk – Could this be one of the best tasting flour-free cookies ever? The miracle is that these Flourless Chocolate Chip Almond Butter Cookies from LiveWellBakeOften actually become . . . cookies! Because this is all that goes into them: almond butter, coconut sugar {or brown, which I used}, egg, vanilla, and chocolate chips.     Thinking whenever I next have a party, this would be a conversation-worthy side dish. French Onion Soup Casserole from Southern Living    Yum! Made french fries {store bought, frozen} in my new Ninja Grill and they were fabulous. I’m guessing there’s likely already a bit of oil on them but no more was needed to yield crispy exteriors, fluffy interiors. Also, the rest of the dinner wasn’t quite ready so just closed the cover back up and hallelujah they held that perfect condition.

   On the Table 

Feature – Tie Dye Cookies

Have to wonder if Molly Yeh, host of Food Network’s “Girl Meets Farm,” is a student of Trisha Yearwood because like the latter she clearly likes to play with her food. And may I offer as Exhibit A, these oh so fun tie dye cookies.

Start with sugar cookies. Divide and conquer with food coloring. Twist and shout. OK, maybe not shout, but form into a ball. Sparkles complete the festive results.

Yeh used red, blue and yellow, but this cute idea could be emerge in any number of color combos. For example, a nice red and white, maybe pink too, for Valentine’s Day.

The recipe calls for nuking the dough so it can be under-baked and still safely consumed. Note that an asterisk under the ingredients provides an alternative for♦ fully baking the cookies.

Here’s another alternative. I used refrigerated cookie dough, easily divided into 12 cookies. A keeper.

Recipe Notes: I made the colors a little more marble-y to look even more like tie dye, and did the kneading inside plastic wrap. Also, rolled some of the cookies in gold sanding sugar, others in silver, with a light touch. Btw the Pillsbury cookie dough I used said on the package it can be consumed raw

Next week – Cheesy, Bacon-Tater Tot Pie, add eggs for a tasty way to start your day

Recipe  Molly Yeh cookbooks  ♦  Girl Meets Farm

Food color on Amazon    Decorating sugar on Amazon

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 you make giant grilled cheese kebabs? To me, one of the biggest perks of my Echo Show is discovering new food sites, sources for the recipes that pop up on the screen. In this case it’s Tastymade which does show the lock icon. The recipe looks like great fun, and you creative folks I’m sure would come up with variations. Not too surprisingly the suggested accompaniment is tomato soup. One thing, expect to need clean-up on aisle 5, aka your grill pan.

Alexa says request: How do I make white chocolate pudding? The details reveal that it’s even better than the title would tell us. An Oreo cookie layer in the bottom of the individual serving glasses, and then grated chocolate on top. In the middle of course the main event, a rich and creamy white chocolate pudding. This comes from Ree Drummond on her Food Network show. Demo too!

Alexa says request: What’s the cheese ball story? We’re familiar with a number of things that can close down roads. But cheese balls? Yep, that actually happened late last year when a truck overturned on Interstate 495 in Maryland spilling out 20,000 pounds of the snack. After two hours of cleanup of the cheesey escapees and the resulting fuel spill plus lots of rerouting, all was well . . . mostly anyway. No human injuries but it appears none of the cheese balls survived.

And this week’s unexpected thing we found that Alexa can do – play the spelling game {adult & kid versions}

Would you like 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, talkwhether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

  CS Tasting Panel member Christine McKellar posted a plu-perfect dish for a wintry night on her Vegas Only Entertainment site. Wait till you see the layer upon layer of flavor in this Creamy Sausage Stew. And while there are lots of ingredients, fear not, just a few steps and it’s ready to go to the slow cooker {or I would guess a large pot OK too} and emerge as big bowls of goodness. 

  The same issue of Cook’s Illustrated that ran the cooker feature above offers this recommendation for spirits to stock in the basic home bar: Tequila, Vodka, Rum, Gin, Brandy, and Whiskey. Saying further, for cocktails stay with bottles in the $15-$40 range, upping the ante then for anything meant to be sipped on its own.

  Credit Ina Garten for this sexy cocktail snack. Large butterflied dates are filled with bleu cheese and wrapped with prosciutto, then warmed in the oven. Mmmmm. Here’s the whole recipe on Food Network. Btw, something Chef Garten used for a different drink but that I think could cozy up to a margarita is a rim of both salt and sugar.

   “Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart, and cannot make a good soup” – Beethoven 

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 these affiliate partners

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

                       

Looking for something in CS?

Scroll & check previews  OR use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject=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

All pages ©2021 CooksSalon.com

eb4823     c74abc 

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream Bread, Oct 30-Nov 5, 2020

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

Help end the animosity – “Make America Decent Again”

See my 7 items crafted by CA-based Zazzle, on our page Or Zazzle page

 Let’s chat   

Quick Bites –     If you’ve been familiar with WalMart over the years you know that the company has regularly increased its emphasis on food. And now their newsletters include some pretty darn good looking recipes, such as a recent one for Apple Cider Glazed Salmon with the contrasting flavors of honey and whole grain mustard.    Yikes, at least six different gremlins can make our cookies go flat, according the this story we were re-directed to from the current “Today’s Fresh Finds” post.    It’s chili season! And this is really kind of interesting, 5 Secrets to a Healthier, Heartier Chili from Clean Plates, and there’s a lot of good emphasis is on the hearty part.

♦  ♦  ♦

Shopping Finds – A perk of watching Fieri’s GGG show is the possibility of discovering grocery store products you didn’t know existed. Though in this case maybe you did. Did you? – it’s bacon flavored popcorn.     But did you know about this, and oh yum, yum, yum. Reese’s peanut butter sauce {on Amazon}. Truth be told, I wish it had the chocolate too, but hey we can add that if we want. No disappointment indicated in the reviews, 4+ stars. Btw, there’s also a topping version.    And then kind of mashing up those two themes, a shopper on a more recent GGG episode introduced us to peanut butter powder. How the heck would you use that? Here’s what google has to say.

♦  ♦  ♦

Kitchen Talk – Nachos chillin’ out. Sort of a reverse of my Mexican salad {09.04.20 Salon}, a Dorito or corn chip base topped with smashed avocado, tomato, Mex onions, black olives, jack shreds, sour cream, cilantro and hot sauce {shown}.    Did you make any of the cheese pumpkins from our 10.02.20 Salon? Leftovers? With or without the olives and green pepper, let the whole disk sink into a bowl of hot cream soup.    My new favorite Food Network host brings us the show of the same name, Delicious Miss Brown. What comes out of this kitchen hits 10 on the comfort food scale, accompanied by a generous side dish of southern hospitality. Just one recent example, a scoop of butter-caramelized onions added inside a grilled cheese sandwich {and don’t spare the cheese}.

   On the Table 

Feature – Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream Bread – just three ingredients!

Previously I’ve made this recipe with French Vanilla ice cream, and then Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. I found the texture of those two be midway between French bread and pound cake.

This one – you could frost. It comes closest to actual cake, a nice moist chocolate cake.

It’s good as is. It would be good with frosting. It was good with cherry pie filling, a Black Forest vibe, and also nestled into a bed of caramel or just crisped in a skillet. And as with the other two, it freezes very nicely.

All in all it’s such an easy prep. Just ice cream, self-rising flour and a bit of sugar, then into a small pan, bake and done.

 Original recipe in 07.17.20 Salon

Recipe Notes – I’ve learned: 1} You don’t need to buy premium ice cream but you do want to use good quality for the best texture, 2} The baking time can vary based on the flavor you use, so you need to test each time, and 3} While the bread is very good on day one, it’s even better in the days following. One other thing, though it’s fun working with gussied up ice cream, I really liked the French vanilla one best.

Next week – Baked rigatoni with sausage, fennel and peperonata – tomatoey, creamy, cheesy

A Cuppa with Alexa – Recipes, Tips, News & 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 Pizza Tots? Oh yum, tots with a surprise inside. Pretty easy too, simply a matter of mixing store bought shredded hash browns with eggs and seasonings and forming small handfuls of the mixture around mozzarella and pepperoni, then freezing and frying. And voila! Pizza Tots, on the Tasty site, demo included.

Alexa says request: How do make peanut butter cake? Tasty delivers again! The actual full title is Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake. Well, guess that pretty much tells us everything we need to know. Except maybe the good news that all the richness builds on the convenience of cake mix.

My request: How do you open a stubborn jar? Alexa sends us to Wikihow, and this is so cool. First are some ways to “get a grip,” then using tools to break the air seal, then a Community Q&A that addresses various tight spots, and finally a demo. By the time you reach the end, that lid shouldn’t stand a chance.

And an unexpected thing we found that Alexa can do – tell a spooky story

Would you like 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, Amazon delivery notifications, alerts, security camera connection . . .  and food, food, food, all on an interactive screen {some connect to Prime}.

You can browse all the styles here on this Amazon page

   Cocktail Hour Buzz  

Sundowner snacks, drinks, talkwhether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

  I’ve been fascinated with Ferran Adria, motive force of the iconic El Bulli named World’s Best five times, ever since a long ago profile in Esquire. I couldn’t even begin to wrap my mind around having him attend one of our live Salons. The good news is, the fact that we have to link to this wondrous interview from Epicurious on our online get-together instead means we can all enjoy his extraordinary take on food, cooking, and life.

  I want to note that I did have the extreme pleasure of meeting his brother Albert, who needs to be acknowledged for all the behind the curtain work he did and does in the duo’s sideways-thinking, laboratory-intensive approach to what goes on the plate and how it’s to be enjoyed.

  Must love anchovies. Don’t? Move along, nothing to see here. Do? Then you’re going to love these throwback cocktail hour snacks – Anchovy Toasts, with 8 filets of the fishies minced into 4 oz gruyere, 1/2 c mayo & 4 T parm, on buttered toast, sprinkled with paprika, 5 min at 450F. From Playboy’s Host & Bar Book, originally featured in our 09.04.20 Salon on Amazon. For whatever molecularly-inspired reason {oops, some Adria sneaked in}, these go so very well with nicy, icy martinis.

  More foodie chat in the Salon. These veggie sculptures are just so cool, and really we could do many of these ourselves for our plates or platters or table. Take a veggie, take a knife, and go! Now since cyber stuff and I are not always bffs, this is likely going to be a two-step thing. When you click the link for the video the download will probably show in your lower task bar, and will say Done xxx. Just click the up arrow and then Open.

–  Note that this forwarded MP4 has been safety-checked by Avast. Our CS contributor, Patti Tripp of Las Vegas, says she would try it, but “I am the one who stuck her hand in a moving blender, so attempting this with a knife is, well, not the best or safest of ideas.”

  Be sure to see the recipe link above in the Alexa section for Pizza Tots.

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 these affiliate partners

     Zazzle                                       SunFrog

           

Looking for something in CS?

Scroll & check previews  OR use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject=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

All pages ©2020 CooksSalon.com

eb4823      c74abc

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin

Hearty Cheese Ravioli Soup, Sept 18-Sept 24, 2020

New Salon every Friday – c’mon in

CS friends, and help yourself to tasty resources

Hosted by Barbara J Nosek

My “Make America Decent Again” – 7 items crafted by CA-based Zazzle

See it right here on CS  OR Go right to the Zazzle page

Let’s Chat

Quick Bites – Take a dog to lunch? Turns out quite a few restaurant chains will welcome Rover or Fifi  🐶  and maybe even sweeten the deal with water and treats. Often the pups and their moms & dads are seated outdoors which many places are now emphasizing anyway. Here are a lot of sources on google  Milk Street fans, Season 4 starts Sept 19. Now the team is going on the road, in fact around the world, where they’ll, as PBS says, “meet cooks who inspire a new style of home cooking.” In my time zone, Saturdays at noon.

♦  ♦  ♦

Shopping Finds – On a recent episode of Fieri’s GGG one of the contestants selected ginger syrup for his dish – and that was new to me so looked for at the grocery store but nope, but thank you Amazon, found it there.    I guess we had to know it would be coming – face masks with food themes! I found these on the well established Eat This Not That site but the masks they show come from various sources so you may want to do a pre-check. If you do go on those sites, maybe even more food you can “wear.”

♦  ♦  ♦

Kitchen Talk –  So far have used the ginger syrup on waffles and in tea. Much as I can’t abide ginger in baked goods, love it every other way and this joins that collection. How else might you use it? Here’s what google says.    Btw, did not waste that original caramel sauce from our 09.04.20 Salon, but instead mixed it with soba noodles, a little chicken bouillon, chicken, carrot shreds, topped with green onion & chopped peanuts. That worked.     My quest continues for a really good oven fried chicken recipe – you’ll be the first to know.

 

 On the Table

Cheese Ravioli Soup – just a big bowl of good

Such a satisfying dish, and thank you Taste of Home. Now, don’t be frightened by the long-ish ingredient list.

Step one, brown the ground beef, and then add and cook all the sauce ingredients.

Step two, cook the ravioli, combine with the sauce and heat through.

Step three, stir in parm, top with parsley. Done!

Even though I know this is a very tasty bowlful, I was curious why the recipe rated just 3 1/2 stars. Ha! we could have guessed this one – not like soup. The only other criticism was not enough ravioli for the sauce.

Commenters loved the taste and no one downgraded on this point. That’s all good in my book {bowl?}

Recipe    Taste of Home cookbooks on Amazon

Recipe Notes – I used frozen ravioli and worked fine. What else? just bring on the crusty bread.

Next week  – Peach Pecan Cobbler, a warm and satisfying fall dessert . . . or breakfast

A Cuppa with Alexa – Recipes, Tips, News & More

Visit with Alexa on Amazon Echo right here in the Salon on our own CS page. In the chat this week . . .

Philly Cheese Steak Bread – three come up but we like the one “in a box,” crispy fried chicken, a wine joke {alert – groaner!}

Visit here with Alexa

Cocktail Hour Buzz 

And as we say belowwhether for a crew, or for two, or just for you

  Jello takes its place among the very best party centerpieces. Whaaaaat? It’s true and to believe it you really have to see these jello cakes on the Food & Wine site and also recently featured in the magazine. High art worthy of a museum, and edible too. But don’t know who could bear to bite into these beauties.

♦  Love leftover makeovers! “My favorite way to use leftover mashed potatoes. Plop the potatoes in the middle of saran wrap. Using the wrap, roll into a 3″ log and seal. Refrigerate on a plate (it will leak). In the morning, slice into discs and fry in a sprayed pan for perfect hash browns.” – Bob & Colleen

This is probably more entertainment than research, but even so you might want to take a look at this brief video {X-rated for implied language} posted by Food & Wine. “Here’s What Bartenders Think of You Based on Your Drink Order.” I was watched it, was amused, then invoked that same implied language – OK, good, now just make my {darn} cocktail.

♦  “Never serve oysters in a month that has no paycheck in it.” – P J O’Rourke

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 top chef’s brand name items, plus cookbooks, t-shirts, mugs, dvds, gift collections

CS Marketplace Directory

♦  ♦  ♦

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

      Zazzle                                       SunFrog

   

Looking for something in CS?

Scroll & check previews OR use Search OR contact me at bjnosek@gmail.com, subject=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

All pages ©2020 CooksSalon.com

FacebooktwitterlinkedinFacebooktwitterlinkedin