Everyone loves a great apron, but have you ever thought about your oven mitt? An oven mitt is a fantastic way to spruce up your kitchen with a little bit of whimsy and a lot of flair.

I came across these three beautiful oven mitts at the Curiosity Shoppe. They're $25 a piece, and were created by the folks at Deadly Squire (although how anything so cute could come from something called "deadly" is beyond me). They've also got matching pot holders for $20.


If branches and birds aren't your style, check out these hot dot oven mitts and pot holders at Chiasso. They range from $12-$18.

Two more after the jump, so read more

• I love it when a dessert combines sweet and savory flavors together. That is why this photo and post about Cirkulo's olive oil ice cream sandwich has me drooling all over my desk. - Dessert Comes First
• Girl Scout cookie season is upon us. This year there are a few new flavors in the troop. - Slashfood
• Learn easy ways to measure serving sizes. - FitSugar



• Be careful when ordering cakes over the internet, or you may end up with this cake mistake. - Boing Boing
  
  
• Check out this four-flavored review of HiChew, one of my favorite Asian candies. - Candyblog
  
  



• Learn how to spice up homemade crackers. - I'm Mad and I Eat
• I can't help it, I'm ridiculously clumsy, that's why these sturdy endurance wine glasses will be - Cheap Fun Wines

The other night I met my friend Adam to grab a few drinks. We headed over to Rye, which is a pretty hip, modern (yet completely inviting) new bar here in San Francisco. When it came my turn to order, I asked the bartender what her favorite drink to make was. This, by the way, is my absolute favorite question to ask a bartender (especially if she/he is not crazy busy). You'll experience some of the greatest drinks and most of them are pretty excited about it. This lovely lady bartender did not let me down. She simply smiled, asked if I was allergic to strawberries, and then went to town. In a few minutes I was presented with an amazing drink that she dubbed "Strawberry Beret." It was DELICIOUS.

Since most of you won't be able to make it out to Rye, I've decided to share her recipe with you. I only wish I could remember her name to give her proper credit.

Strawberry Beret
From the lovely blonde bartender at Rye

Sorry, there aren't any exact measurements, she's a pro and did it by eye.

Strawberries (approximately 3)
Basil (several leaves)
Juice from half a Lime
Gin
Lillet (white)
Simple Syrup

In a shaker, muddle fresh strawberries and basil with a few squeezes of simple syrup. Squeeze in juice from half a lime. Add gin, top with Lillet. Shake and then strain over ice into an old-fashioned style glass.

This was tasty, tasty, tasty. A nice summery drink that was unbelievable in the winter.

I think mousse is an underrated dessert. It has sort of slipped off of the radar as of late (when was the last time you were at a restaurant and you ordered mousse for dessert?) and I think it's time we bring it back. It's light, creamy, cool and lusciously good. And while you may think that it comes in only one flavor (chocolate), mousse is as versatile as its more popular cousin, pudding. Mousse is a great dessert for a dinner party because it can be (well it has to be) made well in advance to allow it to chill and set. Lately I've been craving almond based desserts (it was the marzipan in the princess cake that got me started) and I'm furthering the obsession today with a recipe for amaretto mousse. To make it, read more

The Super Bowl is just around the corner and although I don't follow football too closely, I love it because I get to make a bunch of football food! This year I promised my brother's friends PJ and Matt, a feast of yummy super bowl snacks to munch on during the game. I have tons of recipes, like this one for Hot Buffalo Wings from previous football parties, but I am in the mood to experiment with some new ones. That's why I need you to head off to market and look for the best super bowl snack recipes. The food needs to be filling, as it's for a big group of buff guys, and simple (nothing too gourmet or fancy for these boys, it is after all, a football game). I will be watching and cooking from their house and will be unfamiliar with the kitchen so make sure the recipes don't call for any fancy gadgets or crazy pots. To round out the menu, please include your tasty super bowl related dessert recipes too.

Post your recipes in the recipe database on TeamSugar with the tag Super Bowl Snacks. While searching for your recipes, if you stumble across any cool glasses or scoring accessories, save those in the Yum Market with the same tag, Super Bowl Snacks.

If you're interested in learning more about the Yum Market or how to save on TeamSugar read, geeksugar's explanation.

One of my favorite things to do is head over to my public library and peruse their fantastic collection of cookbooks. Last time I was there, I picked up Mangoes & Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels Through The Great Subcontinent by Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid. I was drawn to it because of the title (I love the flavors from that part of the world), and decided to check it out because of the way it looks.

The book, which is actually more of a coffee table book than a cookbook (not to the say that the recipes aren't well researched and delicious), reads like a travel essay and is filled with beautiful pictures. Often it's as if you're reading the writing of an old friend who's gone on an amazing vacation. A friend who's gathered recipes from cooks all over that region of the world (India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, just to name a few) and have tailored them to the North American home cook.

And although I enjoyed it thoroughly, I found that I didn't make too many of the recipes inside. This was mostly due to the fact that the book itself is quite large, heavy and cumbersome. It is definitely meant for the coffee table, not the kitchen counter. However, the recipes I did make, such as Zinet's Chicken With Tomato & Greens and Katchhi Village Pototo Curry, were absolutely delicious and I felt that the book exposed me to new cuisine experiences.

Overall, if you're a die-hard foodie, or are really into authentic cuisine from this region of the world, I'd definitely check out this book. However, if you're looking for something to use in your kitchen on a regular basis, I'd save your money and find something that can handle the kitchen abuse.

Cooking with fish is a great healthy way to create a quick, flavorful meal for you and your family. Fish needs little time to marinate in comparison to meat or chicken making it the ideal dish for those nights when you are on the go. Fish can be poached, broiled, roasted, or fried, and served with an endless assortment of vegetables, rice, sauces, or potatoes. This recipe is for an Asian-inspired salmon with a spicy sake marinade. Throw in steamed rice and you have an almost instantly delicious dinner. For the recipe, read more

You guys did a great job finding recipes including thyme. It was a tough call and I almost went for a refreshing Vodka-Thyme Lemonade, but in the end my favorite recipe came from reader celebrity_soup. I think the cold weather got to me, that and my love for tomatoes, because when I read her recipe for Roasted Tomatoes I knew it was all over. Thanks to everyone who submitted a recipe for thyme.


In honor of this week's Top Chef episode, this week's secret ingredient is chocolate! So go crazy, I want to see chocolate desserts, chocolate entrees, chocolate drinks and more! Post your chocolate recipe to the Secret Ingredient group and I'll put my favorite one here. You've got until Thursday, so get started!

Lalalalala. (That's me attempting to sing.)

Everything is falling into place for my winter dinner and I am so excited I'm acting like my cocker spaniel. The invitations were sent (and everyone's already rsvped), the table and decorations are set, the vodka for my drinks is on ice, and I've begun to prep my make ahead dinner. There is only one thing left to do before my party begins (not including my before-party-beauty-regime of course) and that is figure out what tunes are going to be on rotation. To see the most divine dinner party music, read more