Posts for January 4th 2008

Breakfast

IHOP Wants You to Eat More Pancakes

Each new year, most folks resolve to make healthier choices.

Each new year, most folks resolve to make healthier choices. However if you'd rather resolve to indulge, the folks at IHOP — formerly known as the International House of Pancakes — are here to help you out. From now until Feb. 10, guests can head into their local IHOP and enjoy All You Can Eat Pancakes. That's right, the pancakes will just keep on coming!

The pancake combos start at $4.99 and include eggs, hash browns, and sausage, bacon, or ham. Once you eat the first two pancakes they'll keep bringing them in batches of three until you've stuffed yourself silly. Oh, and don't worry about getting thirsty during the feast, IHOP has you covered with their never-empty pot of coffee. Interested? Then find an IHOP near you.

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Cocktails

Happy Hour: A Perfect Peartini

I'm not a huge fan of fruity martinis because they often taste too fake to me.

I'm not a huge fan of fruity martinis because they often taste too fake to me. Yet I'm also not one to turn down a cocktail, so when a friend recently offered me a pear martini, I was happy to keep an open mind. The concoction she mixed — featuring Grey Goose's pear-flavored vodka — was smooth, strong, not too sweet, and not the slightest bit artificial tasting.

Pears are at their peak right now, so why not experiment with a Peartini of your own? The amaretto liqueur provides a nice contrast to the lemon juice, and you can use fresh pear slices for garnish. The recipe lets you mix up the cocktail by the glass or the batch; to get it, read more

Quiz

Do You Know What's Cooking This Week?

The new year has begun, and I know it's been tough to get back to the daily grind.

The new year has begun, and I know it's been tough to get back to the daily grind. To take your mind off of everything, I thought I'd test your knowledge. Have you been paying attention? If so, then take our weekly quiz! All of the answers can be found in this past week's posts, so let's find out whether or not you've been paying attention! Ready to start?

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Tips

Keep Your Avocados and Guac Fresh and Green

I love avocados, but they definitely have to be handled with care.

I love avocados, but they definitely have to be handled with care. You have to eat them when they're just ripe — when the skin gives slightly to the touch — and ideally, you shouldn't peel an avocado until right before you plan to eat it or it will turn brown and mushy.

But what if you want to cut open an avocado, slice some off, and store the rest overnight? Or, perhaps you've made a big batch of guacamole a few hours before a party, and you don't want it to turn brown? Simple: Just store the avocado or the guacamole with the pit. To store a sliced avocado, simply return the pit to its spot, re-cover the avocado with its skin, and wrap the fruit tightly with cling wrap. The same trick works for guac: Just nestle a few avocado pits into a bowl full of guacamole and store refrigerated under plastic wrap. Sure, it will still turn brown eventually, but saving the pit will extend the avocado's life tremendously.

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Breakfast

Kitchen Experiments: "Heavenly" Banana Bread Pudding

Although my 52 Weeks of Baking series is officially over, that doesn't mean I won't be in the kitchen all the time.

Although my 52 Weeks of Baking series is officially over, that doesn't mean I won't be in the kitchen all the time. This year, in addition to trying new recipes, I have vowed to share my kitchen experiments with you guys. As much as I love recipes, I also just enjoy throwing things together and seeing what I get. I'll warn you now, these don't always work like I planned, but sometimes I get lucky.

On New Year's Day, I woke up to a dirty kitchen — we had a small shindig the night before — two rotting bananas and half of an angel food cake. I was also crazy hungry. So I combined my random leftovers with my appetite for breakfast and threw it all together. The result was a simple bread pudding made with angel food cake as the base. To see what I created, read more

TV

Alton Brown's in It For Three More Years

Alton Brown fans rejoice, he and the Food Network have just announced a new three-year deal.

Alton Brown fans rejoice, he and the Food Network have just announced a new three-year deal. This means there will be new seasons of Good Eats (yay!) and he will continue to host Iron Chef America. When asked about the deal, Alton had this to say:

Food Network is my home and I am staying home. I'm looking forward to producing more and varied shows with the network and am especially excited about Feasting on Waves, which will bring a whole new perspective to food.

That's right, AB will be back this Summer with a new version of his popular summer travel show Feasting on Asphalt, only this time he'll be in the Caribbean and will be Feasting on Waves. He'll be on the deck of a boat, diving, fishing, and doing whatever it takes to find good eats. They're paying him to do this? No wonder he's sticking around for three more years!

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Come Party With Me

Come Party With Me: Potluck — The Look

Use rustic, earthy tones to create an inviting table setting for your potluck dinner.

Use rustic, earthy tones to create an inviting table setting for your potluck dinner. Set the table the night before so that you don't have to worry the day of the party. Start by covering the table with a striped tablecloth. Use warm taupe plates and brown napkins held with gold napkin rings. A versatile clear wine goblet works well with both the blood orange punch and wine. Gold flatware makes the mood more festive. Run globe votive holders down the sides of the table and place a low floral arrangement in the middle. Make homemade placecards with twigs and pine needles. Light a fire in the fireplace and let the party begin!

bacon

Yummy Links: From Pie Gates to Homemade Twix

Tired of pie filling spilling out of your pies?