Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thanksgiving taste-test: Ultimate mashed potatoesI'll be spending the next few weekends testing recipes for Thanksgiving dinner.Ingredients6 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered4 cloves garlic, peeled1 cup half & half12 tablespoons unsalted butterMethodPut the prepared potatoes and garlic in a large pot filled with fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, 20 minutes.Drain in a colander and shake out the excess water. Add the half & half and butter to the pot and heat until melted together. Push the potatoes and garlic through a ricer int

Thursday, October 22, 2009
Nice package: Klondike barsMy purchase of Klondike bars last night baffled me for a moment. I thought maybe I was standing in the store’s freezer a bit too long and my brain had gone numb, but sure enough, my Klondike bars were in a 4-sided box with a graphic on the front asking the same thing I was “What’s with the box!?” Turns out Klondike ran out of the foil in which their famous bars are wrapped! So instead of pulling back on production, Klondikes are, temporarily, wrapped like a Ho-ho … another product that was once wrapped in foil, but now wrapped in white opaque plastic. It took me a while to accept the change in the Ho-ho and

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Hey, Tom! Boring eggs Hey, Tom! I need a simple (but not bland and boring) recipe using eggs as the main ingredient.A. Let me be the first to say that I can’t think of a time when I had anything with eggs as the main ingredient and thought “wow, this is really bland and boring”, not even scrambled eggs. But there are many wonderful dishes that could illicit major kudos and props instead of just being safe.Quiche is the first thing that comes to mind, but frittatas take the advantage in that they can be made with any number of eggs and in any size pan. Quiche typically requires more of a recipe whereas f

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Candy land: English toffeeIt’s the chocolate that distinguishes English toffee from regular toffee. Almonds are a good nut choice, but so too are cashews and pistachios look especially festive. Be sure to remove the entire layer around your pistachios to uncover that famous green color.You can use chocolate chips but know that they contain a stabilizer (ever wonder why chips don’t melt in the oven?) which can make it just that much hard to melt them. Too, the better the quality of your chocolate, the better your English toffee will be.Ingredients1/2 lb unsalted butter, plus extra for the baking sheet1 cup granulated suga

Friday, October 16, 2009
Coming soon: Baby Coke! Image courtesy of Coca Cola CompanyCoca Cola announced that they will be selling some of their most popular soft drinks in smaller 90 calorie cans. The smaller cans will be an option for those who are watching their calories without switching to a sugar-free product. Look for 7 1/2 ounce Coke, Sprite and other varieties in