How important is the tablescape to your holiday dinner?

December 15, 2023 by
 |  6 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Holiday meals when I was a child included a cacophony of conversation, crowded tables, mismatched chairs and silverware, and a gluttonous amount of food set amidst a halo of cigarette smoke. If the table contained decorations, none of them were memorable enough to recall, although I doubt there was room for anything among the bowls piled high with goose, ham,… read more

Sizing up ingredients

December 14, 2023 by
 |  20 Comments  |  Leave Comment
A thread on the EYB Member Forum about differences between metric and Imperial measures got me thinking about how recipe writers (along with editors and publishers) treat the measurement of ingredients. I do a lot of baking and have appreciated the trend to include weights in recipes because it leads to more consistent results. I understand, however, that some editors… read more

Savoring every bite

December 12, 2023 by
 |  Leave Comment
You would expect someone who has hundreds of cookbooks and writes about food nearly every day to linger over meals, relishing each and every bite of food, reveling in the joys of wonderful kitchen aromas, and generally enjoying food to the max. I fit the first part of the description but not the last. Many times dinner is a bowl… read more

Food news antipasto

December 10, 2023 by
 |  7 Comments  |  Leave Comment
'Tis the season to make lists. Vice brings us its list of the best cookbooks of 2023, The Guardian's Rachel Roddy chimes in with her picks for the top five food books of the year, and food writer and chef Kathy Gunst weighs in on her choices for the three best cookbooks released in 2023 (with recipes from each). The… read more

DIY holiday gifts

December 10, 2023 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
Every year my holiday wish list gets smaller but my holiday treats list grows. I love making cookies, candies, pickles, condiments, and other handmade items for friends and family. I am not alone in this sentiment – for avid cooks and bakers, creating unique and delicious food is cathartic and rewarding in itself, but sharing these treats with others is… read more

Which came first, the chicken or the recipe?

December 8, 2023 by
 |  9 Comments  |  Leave Comment
There are two types of people in this world: those who go grocery shopping armed with a meticulously developed list because they have all their meals for the next week perfectly planned, and those who shop based on sales, whims, and random thoughts, who have no idea what they are making for their next meal, let alone the rest of… read more

The Hanukkah latke story

December 7, 2023 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, which continues to December 15. Fried foods feature prominently in Hanukkah celebrations, and potato latkes are popular expressions of the tradition. They are one of the foods that represent the Hanukkah miracle where a one-day supply of oil to light the menorah miraculously lasted eight days. Potato latkes from Taste of Home Magazine… read more

What’s in that supermarket sourdough?

December 6, 2023 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
When you purchase a loaf of sourdough bread at the grocery store, are you sure that is actually what you are getting? It might be labeled as sourdough, but apparently that may be a misnomer, at least according to the folks at the Real Bread Campaign. They have been campaigning to get major retailers such as Lidl to rename their… read more

Celebrating National Cookie Day

December 4, 2023 by
 |  4 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Yesterday I prepared four different kinds of cookies, all in anticipation of National Cookie Day. Okay, okay, it was just part of my holiday baking, but it's an occasion I'm happy to celebrate (and what a coincidence that this falls around the time that everyone is baking their holiday treats). I wish I could say I hit all of the… read more

Food news antipasto

December 4, 2023 by
 |  Leave Comment
I picked up a copy of Jane Grigson's English Food at a thrift store several months ago. It has remained in my "to read" stack of books since then, but after reading Aimee Levitt's fascinating article about Grigson, it is getting moved to the top of the pile. Levitt provides a detailed account of Grigson's intriguing backstory, providing the reasons… read more

The humble ramekin is a kitchen workhorse

November 30, 2023 by
 |  5 Comments  |  Leave Comment
In a world brimming with an endless variety of kitchen gadgets baking pans, one of the items I turn to the most is a small ramekin. It performs many different tasks and it's a rare day when I don't use one at some point in my cooking or baking. I'm not alone in my love for these useful ceramic cups… read more

Food bucket lists

November 29, 2023 by
 |  5 Comments  |  Leave Comment
People often make "bucket lists" of things they really want to do before they die. For some it's a vacation destination they want to visit, for others it's a personal challenge like running a marathon. While I don't have a bucket list, if I did it would probably revolve around food, and by extension, cookbooks. For example, I recently read… read more

Exquisite holiday creations

November 29, 2023 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
Nearly every year for the past decade, I've made a bûche de Noël for a holiday dinner. I try to vary the design - some years it's been a white chocolate paper birch log, other years a more traditional dark chocolate. Meringue mushrooms, pistachio crumb moss, cake crumb sawdust, and other trompe l’oeil items have made an appearance. This year I think… read more

Food news antipasto

November 26, 2023 by
 |  Leave Comment
Living in the northern United States makes one keenly aware of the changing of the seasons. Today was cold and blustery and sunset came way too early. Observer Food understands this, because today they posted about the best food and drink to have when it's dark outside: think hot chocolate, mulled wine, and soul-warming soup. Rainbow rippled meringues from BBC… read more

When the feast is over

November 23, 2023 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
The feast is over and our bellies are full, and perhaps we ate a little too much but oh it was so tasty. However, in a couple of days we’ll be as weary of Thanksgiving food as our non-US members are of hearing about our feast day. Very soon we’ll be standing and staring into the refrigerator wondering what to… read more

Turkeys rule, cranberries drool?

November 21, 2023 by
 |  13 Comments  |  Leave Comment
We are two days away from the biggest food holiday in the US. People will gather around tables across the nation to eat a huge Thanksgiving feast, and the majority of those tables will contain turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing/dressing. According to an Associated Press poll, more people say that turkey is their favorite dish (32%) than any of the… read more

Food news antipasto

November 20, 2023 by
 |  Leave Comment
We start off this week's recap with some good news - Saveur just announced that it will be returning to print in 2024, just in time for the magazine's 30th anniversary. They are starting off slow, with only two issues planned for next year. In the announcement, editor Kat Craddock said that Saveur is "committed to offering you an affordable… read more

Spice support: pink peppercorns

November 16, 2023 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
You might have been introduced to them from the tri-color peppercorn mixes that often come with the purchase of a pepper grinder: pink peppercorns. These diminutive, brightly colored orbs are more than just an colorful garnish to be sprinkled over a dish, as Serious Eats explains in its primer on pink peppercorns. First things first - pink peppercorns are not… read more

Celebrating ‘grape’ discoveries

November 15, 2023 by
 |  2 Comments  |  Leave Comment
When a friend offers you a laundry basket full of ripe Concord grapes, what do you do? If you are me, you say "thank you" and proceed to the open EYB Library tab on your computer to find recipes that use them. I knew I wanted to make grape preserves and already knew where to look for that recipe, but… read more

Sweet potato 101

November 14, 2023 by
 |  9 Comments  |  Leave Comment
A blue-green bowl holds cooked, diced orange fleshed sweet potatoes dotted with tiny black black seeds and bits of scallion
We are headed to the time of year in the US when more sweet potatoes are served than perhaps the rest of the year combined. Families that never eat the tubers at any other time will trot out sweet potato casseroles and sides during the holidays. This serves as a great opportunity to brush up on the different varieties available… read more

Food news antipasto

November 12, 2023 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
It is amazing how 2023 has flown by, and now it's that time of year to make our lists and check them twice. If you have been nice, you might want to check out the kitchen equipment year in review for 2023 at Epicurious. The editors have compiled their list of "Kitchen MVPs" which are those products that they found… read more

What are your favorite make-ahead recipes?

November 11, 2023 by
 |  13 Comments  |  Leave Comment
After three years of not hosting, my spouse and I are back in the hot seat and will have a group of about eight people at our house for Thanksgiving dinner. I have been tinkering with the menu for a few days and have decided to make as many items ahead as I can because my work schedule is hectic… read more

Recipes to celebrate Diwali

November 8, 2023 by
 |  Leave Comment
Diwali, a five-day festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains across the world, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is worshipped on this holiday, which this year falls on November 12. Diwali celebrations frequently include fireworks, candles, and other forms of light displays. As with many holidays around… read more

Does everything need to be zhushed?

November 7, 2023 by
 |  8 Comments  |  Leave Comment
Does anyone remember the commercial for Rice Krispie treats that aired in the late 1980s? The commercial opens with a woman reading a romance novel while her child (in another room) asks if the treats are done yet. "These things take time!" the mother replies. Donning an oven mitt, the woman dips the mitt into the flour container, flicking flour… read more

Food news antipasto

November 6, 2023 by
 |  One Comment  |  Leave Comment
The Seattle restaurant scene lost one of its legends this week as acclaimed chef Thierry Rautureau died at the age of 64. Widely known as the 'Chef in the Hat,' the French-born restaurateur helped Seattle cement its reputation as a location for fine dining. Rautureau won numerous awards for his restaurants, including a James Beard Award in 1998. In culinary… read more
« Older posts
Newer posts »
Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!

Categories

Archives