Posts for February 6th 2008

gifts

Off to Market Recap: Box of Chocolates

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and since I don't have a Valentine, I want to surprise my single older brother with a special gift.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and since I don't have a Valentine, I want to surprise my single older brother with a special gift. Although it's a little cliché, I want to send him a box of chocolates. I asked you to help me find the perfect box of chocolates. You looked for sweets that aren't too feminine or romantic. You bookmarked the boxes in Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, box of chocolates.

All of the chocolates look dangerously delicious, but I plan on sending him this box of domino chocolates. My bro is super-sporty, and I think he will love these bittersweet chocolate domino pieces because they're an edible game! Dotted with white chocolate and filled with rich caramel, the only way these could be better is if they were his favorite childhood game, Connect Four. Thanks jspeed — fabulous find! For more chocolate ideas, browse the collection below.

To learn how the bookmarking feature functions, please refer to geeksugar's explanation.

Meat

USDA Closes School Lunch Meatpacker, Kids Don't Know Pork

Click to ReadUSDA Closes School Lunch Meatpacker, Kids Don't Know Pork The USDA just shut down an LA slaughterhouse that had been the distributor for the ground beef supplier of the National School Lunch Program.
Click to Read

USDA Closes School Lunch Meatpacker, Kids Don't Know Pork
The USDA just shut down an LA slaughterhouse that had been the distributor for the ground beef supplier of the National School Lunch Program. Meanwhile, on the UK side of the pond, LEAF, Linking Environment and Farming, just released a video to help kids learn that sausages don't grow on trees.

beer

How Does a Sweetened Condensed Guinness Sound?

Earlier this week, I tipped you off to the winners of the Chocolate Adventure Recipe Contest, and while the top three spots do sound delicious, I was more intrigued by the runner-up.

Earlier this week, I tipped you off to the winners of the Chocolate Adventure Recipe Contest, and while the top three spots do sound delicious, I was more intrigued by the runner-up. The name is Chocolate Ginger Delight, and it's a Guinness stout with sweetened condensed milk, ground ginger, and chocolate. Creator Karen Ariele Imm has really taken this pub favorite to a new level. If it sounds intriguing to you, get the recipe when you read more

Wine

Happy Hour: Pfeiffer Rutherglen Muscat

While I'm not crazy about a female oriented bottle of Port, I have recently been loving dessert wines.

While I'm not crazy about a female oriented bottle of Port, I have recently been loving dessert wines. More specifically Chris Pfeiffer's Rutherglen Muscat. If you've never tried Muscat — a fortified dessert wine more luscious than Port — hurry and get your hands on this Australian import. Its smooth, fresh flavor and delicious raisin scent would pair perfectly with a Valentine's Day vanilla panna cotta. The body is voluptuous and the color golden. With a slightly nutty flavor, this wine would also make a wonderful hostess gift.

GiggleSugar

Product of the Day: Bacon Scarf

Click to ReadProduct of the Day: Bacon Scarf Described by its genius maker as an "unsettlingly real-looking felted bacon scarf," this accessory with lovely bacon fat marbling streaks patched in may have you mistaken on the streets as an hors d'oeuvre.
Click to Read

Product of the Day: Bacon Scarf
Described by its genius maker as an "unsettlingly real-looking felted bacon scarf," this accessory with lovely bacon fat marbling streaks patched in may have you mistaken on the streets as an hors d'oeuvre.

sandwiches

'Wich of the Week: Muffuletta

Yesterday was Super Tuesday and Fat Tuesday, so I decided to celebrate with the super-fat New Orleans sandwich known as the muffuletta.

Yesterday was Super Tuesday and Fat Tuesday, so I decided to celebrate with the super-fat New Orleans sandwich known as the muffuletta. Though lesser-known than the Big Easy's other big-bread creation, the po'boy, today's 'Wich of the Week is just as beloved.

Invented about a century ago by the French Quarter's Central Grocery, this sandwich is made on massive rounds of Italian bread cut into quarters; one sandwich easily feeds two to four people. I've never been able to find the bread outside of New Orleans, so I substitute seeded kaiser rolls.

The key to a good muffuletta — which features piles of ham, salami, mortadella, and provolone cheese — is Italian olive salad. Central Grocery closely guards its recipe, but Boscoli's version is hard to beat. This time I decided to make my own, and I was quite pleased with the results; to get the recipe for the olive salad and the sandwich, plus lots of photos, read more

News

All The News That's Fit To Eat — Feb. 6, 2008

Come eat Tet for the Vietnamese New Year.
gifts

Give Your Hostess Some Love

Everyone has a friend or family member who loves to entertain so this Valentine's Day surprise the entertainer in your life with a clever heartfelt gift.
Give Your Hostess Some Love

Everyone has a friend or family member who loves to entertain so this Valentine's Day surprise the entertainer in your life with a clever heartfelt gift. From a heart-shaped flask to a delicious dessert cookbook, here are my ideas for the perfect gift for the perfect hostess.

recipes

Come Party With Me: Chinese New Year — Dessert

Instead of baking the Chinese New Year Cake — Nian Gao — for your Chinese New Year dinner, why not modernize the tradition and serve a sweet version of spring rolls?

Instead of baking the Chinese New Year Cake — Nian Gao — for your Chinese New Year dinner, why not modernize the tradition and serve a sweet version of spring rolls? Fill spring roll wrappers with a luscious mixture of bananas, brown sugar, ginger, and mangoes. Paired with a caramel rum dipping sauce, this is a truly decadent dessert.

Guests will have fun with this finger-licking-good treat, so get the recipe and read more

Tips

Would You Use Goggles While Cutting Onions?

While on a ski vacation, a friend of mine was put in charge of cutting onions for the group meal.

While on a ski vacation, a friend of mine was put in charge of cutting onions for the group meal. The cook needed a ton of tiny pearl onions, and after the first few my friend's eyes were watering like mad. She remembered this post on onion goggles, and being a resourceful gal, she decided to use her ski goggles instead. She said that although she looked dorky, it prevented her from crying. So tell me, would you ever use this tip?