When Michael and I went to Hawaii last year, I had my first opportunity to try Hawaiian shave ice, a favorite treat of locals and visitors alike, and we returned home with hope that we might find a machine that could replicate the shave ice we had on that vacation while staying within a family [...]
King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking
June 1, 2009 By 1 Comment
If you have considered adding whole grains to your baked goods, this is a perfect book to get you started. Written by King Arthur Flour Company, this 600-page book is full of recipes, tips, and information about baking with whole grains. This comprehensive volume received a nomination in 2007 from the James Beard Foundation in [...]
Easy Chinese Stir-Fries
May 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
If you enjoy Chinese food but have never cooked it at home, then Helen Chen’s new book, Easy Chinese Stir-Fries, is a perfect way to start. The book is relatively small with about 60 recipes, but Chen covers a range of basic stir-fries that are the heart of her family’s cooking. Born in Shanghai and [...]
Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt and a Giveaway
May 11, 2009 By 28 Comments
I’ve been a fan of Stonyfield Farm for years, ever since I first tried their Fat Free Vanilla yogurt, so when I wanted to try Greek yogurt I automatically turned to my favorite brand. The difference between Greek yogurt and regular yogurt is in the amount of liquid, or whey, that remains after the yogurt [...]
The Military Wives Cookbook
May 5, 2009 By 1 Comment
The Military Wives Cookbook is more than just a collection of recipes. The Forward gives a brief history of U.S. military wives starting with the Revolutionary War and going through modern times. Every recipe pays homage to the women who have gone before with quotes from historical military wives—Libbie Custer, Frances Roe, and others—in the [...]
The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread
March 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Amy’s Bread is a popular New York City bakery that opened in 1992. Amy Scherber started the operation in Hell’s Kitchen and has expanded to include locations in Chelsea Market and The Village. Scherber’s first book Amy’s Bread (1996) focused on her artisan breads and will come out in a revised edition in December 2009. [...]
KraftMaid Floating Kitchen Island
March 23, 2009 By 4 Comments
Our house came with a pantry which really wasn’t anything more than a tiny closet between the garage and the kitchen, and it barely held my baking supplies never mind any canned goods. In desperation we converted the coat closet into a pantry and installed some heavy duty shelves in there to hold canned goods, [...]
New West KnifeWorks Santoku Knife
March 16, 2009 By 1 Comment
I recently had an opportunity to try out one of the santoku knives from the folks at New West KnifeWorks in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I’d had my eye on one for some time and gladly took them up on their offer. My grandfather had an astonishing knife collection when he was alive, and I remember [...]
Scanpan Professional Grill Pan
January 26, 2009 By 1 Comment
We like to grill year round, but occasionally it’s too cold to grill outdoors, even for us, and we find a grill pan for indoor use very useful. We’ve had our share of grill pans, many of which were disappointing. I recently had the opportunity to test a Scanpan grill pan courtesy of the company, [...]
101 Champagne Cocktails
December 31, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Sometime in the fall, I received a book in the mail from Wiley Publishers, a cocktail book that immediately caught my eye. I thought it sounded like a perfect book for entertaining, and I’ve found it to be a useful addition to my bar library. 101 Champagne Cocktails by Kim Haasarud (Wiley, 2008) is a [...]
