I thought about skipping out on this week's 52 weeks of baking (I'm actually making cupcakes for Jimmy's birthday tomorrow, and I thought I'd double-up and have two for next week). However, 51 weeks of baking just doesn't have quite the same ring to it, so I ponied up and took the time between Top Model (secret vice) and Lost (not-so secret vice) to head to my kitchen and see what I could whip up.I contemplated making crackers, cookies, or muffins, but Molly's on vacation (and I know she'd be sad to miss out on the in-office treats), so I decided to try some phyllo dough experiments instead. Earlier in the week I had been inspired by these beautiful herbed phyllo breadsticks (I'm not the only one, this post is from over a year ago, and yet it's appearing on a bunch of blogs now) and wanted to see if I could make something similar. I ended up with a few different phyllo "breadsticks" and one "tomato pie."

To check out what I did, read more

The other day I received a very interesting personal message from sandra in which she politely reminded me that not everyone is like YumSugar and myself. There are some people, my mom and geeksugar included, who do not cook and there is nothing wrong with that. It's simply that they have no interest in getting down and dirty in the kitchen. geeksugar even confessed that when she follows the recipe exactly as stated on the back of the tollhouse chocolate chip bag, her cookies come out flat and inedible. Well what happens when the geeksugars, sandras, and souschefs (my mom) of the world want to host a party? They order in. Virtually every major supermarket has a pre-cooked, readymade section of gourmet dishes and appetizers, cheese plates and pasta salads. And if you are one of those people who despises grocery shopping as much as you do cooking, check out the appetizer store an online market where you pick the hors d'oeurves and they are delivered to your door. You bake them in your oven, and you'll be able to tell your guests that you spent hours slaving over the stove.

Got any good tips for those-who-can't-cook?
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• In Italy dancing and singing pasta and vegetables are as excited about Parmigiano Reggiano as I am. I dare you not to get the song stuck in your head after watching. - Serious Eats
• Don't miss this list of 50 wines you can always trust - and bonus, almost all are under $20. - Food & Wine
• Think British food is terrible? Think again. Sam is out to prove that English food is not a joke. - Becks & Posh



• I meant to post this earlier, but thought most of you may have heard. But just in case, Cadbury says that their Creme Eggs haven't gotten smaller, but you've gotten bigger. However, The Office's BJ Novak proves that they have indeed gotten smaller. - The Consumerist
• David Beckam's not on the "daughter diet" to help conceive a girl. - Chow
• Meeta manages to mix three of my favorite things into one delicious salad: spinach salad, goat cheese and avocado. - What's For Lunch, Honey?
• And from the news of geeks + food = awesome... A computer is helping calculate how to make a perfect bacon sandwich. - geeksugar

Like sweet & sour mix, I always have a small bottle of simple syrup in my refrigerator because it is essential to making creative cocktails at home. As crucial as the cocktail shaker, simple syrup is merely a mixture of sugar that has been dissolved into water. The solution is cooked over low heat until clear and then boiled for a minute or so. It's an important ingredient in many drinks (like Hurricanes) because it is used to sweeten the mixture. Plain sugar, when added to an icy cocktail shaker with hard liquor, does not dissolve well into the liquids. However if the sugar is in liquid form, as it is in a simple syrup (sometimes called a sugar syrup), the drink will be smoothly and lightly sweetened. To make a simple syrup takes no time at all and you can easily infuse it with fresh herbs or fruits. For the recipe that will last for up to a month in the fridge, read more

About a month ago, there was a hot new oven popping up all over the blogs. The oven, which is called the TurboChef Speed Oven, is a "high performance" oven that is a ridiculously fast oven that prepares meals 15 times faster than normal ovens. It's already in use in quick service restaurants (like Subway) but now you can take the oven into your own home. Price you'll have to pay to cook a properly roasted lamb in six minutes? Try around $8000.

To celebrate the launch of the TurboChef oven, Chicago's famed chef Charlie Trotter and his new pals - Kim Cattrall (hrmm... I have a hard time seeing Samantha cooking let alone endorsing an oven...), Cynthia Rowley, Ted Allen (who, in other news, has signed on to do more episodes of Top Chef), and chef Alan Wyse - were on hand to whip up a meal and have fun in the kitchen.

To check out more pictures of folks having fun with the super-fast TurboChef,  read more

Imagine this, you're hosting a fancy dinner party and you've brought out a nice bottle of wine to go along with it - only when you go to uncork it, the cork breaks and you're left with bits of cork in your wine. So what do you do? Do you pour the wine, apologize to everyone and have them fish out the bits? You could, but that seems a bit embarrassing. So here's a simple tip to help you avoid all of that: Just take a few layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter and secure it around the top of the bottle with a rubber band. Now you can pour the wine and any bits of cork will get left behind. Cheers!

Lately I've been experimenting with puff pastry. I only just realized that it's a wonderful pantry staple. I guess I mean freezer staple. Mouth watering last minute hor d'oeurves, tasty dessert pastries, and savory tarts. Tonight I propose that we use it for a vegetarian dinner tart. The earthy subtleness of mushroom melds perfectly with the slightly sweet juicy zucchini. Throw in the pungent melted taleggio-a semi-soft Italian cow's milk cheese-and the crisp, flaky pastry and you are in for one divine dinner. This dish would also make an excellent appetizer cut into bite size slices. To add the recipe to your recipe box, read more

Remember when the grilled cheese with the Virgin Mary on it sold for $28,000? I was totally mystified, I couldn't believe someone would pay that much for a grilled cheese. If Mary fetched that much, imagine how much one with Jesus on it would go for. Actually, I don't know if it would go for that much, thanks to the Jesus Pan everyone can make their own Jesus grilled cheese. I think grilled cheese just got a little more heavenly...

This "As Seen On TV" gadget (although I've never seen it on TV), comes in a set of two for $29.99. And if you're not into grilled cheese (and if that's the case I'm not sure how we can remain friends), don't forget, you can always make heavenly hotcakes, or steaks instead.

While a baby shower is generally held to celebrate the upcoming birth of an unborn child, they are also thrown to shower gifts on the baby. I consider a baby shower to be the child's "first" birthday. Much like a wedding, guests are asked to bring essential gifts that will aid the parents in their new life with baby. Diapers, bottles, blankets, clothes, and toys can all be incorporated into the look of the baby shower. The theme colors, pale pink and sky blue in my case, should be used as inspiration for the party decor. Although I included the colors in the invitations, I did not work them into the food or drinks, so I definitely want to use lots of pretty pinks and soft blues in the decorations. To see how I'll do it, and to get some cute baby shower ideas, read more