Archive for July, 2010

• Kids’ cooking utensils: small utensils for little ones

  Friday, July 30th, 2010

  It seems these days we push our children into all sorts of things just as they emerge from the womb. Sure, it’s great to get your kid active and interested in the world around them early. But some of the pushing goes a bit far. Ever see those dreadful kids beauty contest reality shows? But [...]

• Sicilian pasta with smoked sardines: a canned sardine that’s close to fresh

  Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

  In 3 short weeks I head to my favorite spot in the world–the Mediterranean sea. Once landed, I always make a beeline to the closest outdoor taverna and order me up some fresh grilled sardines. I know a lot people won’t bother to order them let alone eat them as they take a little work [...]

• “Fried” apples with Yacon syrup: Yacon syrup, a new sweetener

  Monday, July 26th, 2010

  There is honey and maple syrup, and in recent years agave nectar has joined to form a trio of popular liquid sweeteners. Now along comes Yacon syrup. I know, WTH is Yacon syrup!? Yacon syrup is an extraction from the Yacon plant, botanically related to the sunflower family but tastes similar to jicama. The plant [...]

• How to open a bottle of champagne without putting your eye out

  Friday, July 23rd, 2010

  While it may provide a lot of laughs in a roomful of party goers, an exploding bottle of champagne really isn’t a pretty sight. Perhaps though you are like me–perfectly adept at opening a bottle of the bubbly, but sometimes my hand is just not in condition to do so. After many years of my [...]

• Tuscan bean, eggplant and tomato salad: No need to actually grill this eggplant

  Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

  Tis the grilling season. Give me any food and I’ll bet I could create a grilled masterpiece out of it. Seafood, done. Carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, no problem. Peaches, plums, pineapple, I’m there. Eggplant? Well, not so fast. As much as I enjoy the smoky taste of grilled eggplant, to tell the truth, I really dislike [...]

• Linguine with black olives, capers and walnuts: a drainer for tight spaces

  Monday, July 19th, 2010

  I’ve had many kitchens in my life. The cozy warm kitchen I grew up with, the mess of a dorm room kitchen  (if you could call it a kitchen) and my beautiful, sprawling, well designed kitchen of today. But the one I really have the most delicious memories of was my cramped, 2X4 kitchen in [...]

• Pot holders worth holding

  Friday, July 16th, 2010

  And you thought leather and suede were just for fancy jackets and shoes. Well, now courtesy of Cuvee Kitchen Apparel, apparently pot holders have gone chic! Leather has been used for centuries offering protection and maintaining flexibility with gripping power. So it makes perfect sense to craft a most needed kitchen item out of the [...]

• Poached eggs with leeks a la Florentine: poaching eggs in a pod!

  Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

  As diminutive as they are, we like pods. Podcasts are extremely popular. Who could pass up a delicious pea pod? And a pod of friends bring nice warm feelings. Pods hold everything together nicely, so as my search continued in Portland last week for some really neat kitchen stuff, the Poach Pod by Fusion Brands [...]

• Haricots verts with Chevre cheese: have French green beans anytime with this ingenious bean slicer

  Monday, July 12th, 2010

  Sorry Sinatra. Portland is my kind of town. I know your song says Chicago is your kind of town, but after a 10 year lapse to the Rose City, I visited there last week in complete awe of this fabulous Northwest outpost.  So why is Portland being replaced by cities like Chicago? It’s simply a mecca [...]

• Happy Fourth of July!

  Friday, July 2nd, 2010

  We are off for some Fourth of July fun and will be back with Fabulous Food Finds on July 12th!!
  Have a happy and safe holiday with your friends and families. In the meantime, we’ll be hunting for some fabulous products for summer cooking!!

  All photographs and recipe testing courtesy of Olga Berman (Mango & Tomato)