December, 2008

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2008 Smorgasbite Index

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

2008 Smorgasbite Index

142 posts divisible by 12 general categories

28 Recipes:

Raspberry Applesauce Gumdrops

Chocolate Oat Balls

Apple Cinnamon Granola

Portobella Pizza Appetizers

Green pea thyme dip

Parmesan Garlic Flax Crackers

Bacon Gorgonzola Dip

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Rosemary Roasted Pecans

Balsamic Caesar Salad Dressing

Apple Buttermilk Bread or Muffins

Mufcake = muffin plus cupcake

Cranberry, Quince, and Pearl Onion Compote

Wild Mushroom and Collard Green Bundles

Chunky Coconut Frosting

Pecan-Crusted Goat Cheese Balls

Sweet Potato Stacks: Tri-color, garlic, fried sage

Homemade Salad Dressing: Tarragon vinaigrette

Pumpkin Pie Mini-Soufflés: More rich, less filling

Chestnut Leek Apple Parsley Stuffing

Devoe Pear Custard Tart: Almost too pretty to eat

POM Pomegranate Margaritas, Salt-Kissed

Walnut Biscotti with Whole Wheat and Corn Meal

Gingerbread House of Homemade Charm

Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies with Peppermint Icing

Croutons Homemade by Mari

Spiced Peach Cranberry Compote

Dad’s Ham, Olive and Tomato Sandwiches

23 Products:

Vosges Chocolates: Heaven in a bite

Shady Maple Farms Syrup: The real deal

Primo Naturale Salami: Good on a cheese plate

Kashi Cookie: Free and on its way

Wholesome Junk Food: If you say so

Tea: Tazo Calm

Green Mountain Gringo Salsa

Extra Ginger Brew: Good stuff

Economy Candy: Dried cantaloupe and cats

No Loves It: Zenergize

Seeds of Change Organic Greek Feta Salad Dressing

Tea: Vanilla Caramel Truffle

Dried Hot Sweet Tamarind from Pearl River Market in NYC

Garden of Eatin’ Sesame Blues Chips: Utopia

Larabars: Fruit, Nuts, Simplicity

GT’s Organic Raw Kombucha: Fermented Fun

Numi Flowering Teas: The art of relaxation

Tostitos Baked! SCOOPS!: Exclamation theirs, not mine

Jo’s Candies: Toffee Nuggets and Peppermint Crunch

American Cheese Sampler by Murray’s

Stuffed Spanish Olives via AJ Gourmet

Dave’s Gourmet Organic Spicy Heirloom Marinara

Eden Organic Yellow Mustard

9 Happy Hour:

Happy Hour: Cider by the pint

Giving the Gift of Wine, Customized, NYC and Elsewhere

Beaujolais Nouveau: Today’s the day

Wine Thermometer

Popptag Wine Tags: Gifts and re-gifts

Martini Glass, Inside Out

Frank Lloyd Wright Cocktail Napkins

Flower Flask

Wine Bottle Labels: Funnier than I

10 Produce/Ingredients:

Tomatoes in the Summer: Straight up, in the garden

In Season: Concord grapes

Olives: Delicious, fatty, hopefully on the menu

In Season: Apples

In Season: Pomegranates

Organic Coconut Milk

When Bananas Go Straight From Green to Brown

Organic canned pumpkin

Quince, rhymes with wince but doesn’t make you

17 Foodware/Tableware:

Coffee: French Press, Dining Car Mug, Bizarre Lack of Addiction

Fiestaware: Retail, outlet, obsessive compulsive satisfaction

Amy Butler Plate: Flowers, beauty, wishlist

Starbucks Mugs: Current selection

Handle-less Mugs: You can still hold them

Font Coasters

Thanksgiving Tablecloth: Orange with vines

Ceramic Teapot with Speckled Glaze

Gingerbread boxes

Bamboo Straws from Laos, Fair Trade

Waiter, There’s Ants on my Cup and Saucer

Purifying Gift Within Reach: Water pitcher

Giraffe Salad Servers, Hand-Painted in Kenya

Wise Ol’ Owl Cookie Jar

High Heel Cake Server

Chicken Feet Salt & Pepper Shakers

Birdie Napkins

10 Kitchenware:

Double Boiler: Measuring Cup + Saucepan=Makeshift and workable

Gadget: Seltzer Maker by Soda Stream

Gadget: Custom Coffee Grinder

Apron: Red, white and classy all over

Onion Goggles: Nothing to cry about

Crocheted trivet of purple grapes

Sushi Magnets: Forever fresh

Curtis Stone “Flipper” Wood Cutting Board

GelPro Gel-Filled Anti-Fatigue Floor Mats

Dustpan and Broom by Normann Copenhagen

9 Blogging/Websites/Technology:

New Site Feature: Get voting

Not Blogging All Over Myself: 1

Photograzing: It will make you hungry

Painless Tech Lesson: Google Reader

Not Blogging All Over Myself: 2

Tech Tool: Find wine tastings in your zip code

Tastespotting: Another way for the mouth to water

Not Blogging All Over Myself: 3

Be My Contact on Flickr: 3 Reasons why

4 Book Club:

Book Club: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Book Club: The Reach of a Chef

Book Club “Lite”: Gourmet Magazine

Book Club: Real Food

7 Gifts not encompassed by above categories:

Pizza Party Board Game

Mobile Foodie Survival Kit: Organic spices

Tcho Chocolate T-Shirt

Whole Foods Gift Cards: Ship for free

Little Chef Kit: Books, apron, whisk

Avoiding Treats? Gift them to parrots

Dwarf Orange, Lemon, Lime Trees

Entertaining/Decorating not encompassed by above categories:

Fresh Flowers: Therapy in a vase

Fresh Flowers O’Week: Green on green

Party Spread: Labels are helpful

Squash and Pumpkins: Centerpieces… and Edible Too

Easy Christmas Decoration: Anise stars

8 Holiday not encompassed by above categories:

Halloween Season: Love it or hate it

Happy Halloween

Thanksgiving in School

Introducing: 25 Days of Christmas Gifts

Bah humbug!

Holiday Party Invitations, Minnie&Emma

25 Days of Christmas Gifts Continues

Merry Christmas!

13 Truly Miscellaneous:

Ingenious Packaging: Sushi becomes cute

Restaurant: Cafe Loup, Manhattan

Contests: You can win, really

Song for a Saturday: Abba

Do You Make it Obvious When You Don’t Like a Food?

Historic Voter Turnout, Thanks in Part to Bake Sale

It All Comes Back to Food

Casserole Crazy Cook-Off in Brooklyn

Casserole Ready: Or hotdish, if you will

Bon Appetit Magazine: Deal on Amazon.com

28 Casseroles, 1 Full Stomach, 3 Brushes with Fame

Barefoot Contessa at Crate & Barrel

Time Warner Calendar Babe Cooks

Dad’s Ham, Olive and Tomato Sandwiches

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

Ham, olive and tomato sandwiches (H.O.T.s): The new B.L.T.s!

Recipe by Dad

1. Make a B.L.T just like always except:

Swap leftover Christmas ham for the bacon;

Swap pimento-stuffed green olives for the lettuce;

Keep the tomato;

Add mayo or mustard to a bun

2. Assemble and devour.

Note: This tastes best when eaten in the company of your dad.  Especially if your dad loves leftovers as much as mine.

Eden Organic Yellow Mustard

Monday, December 29th, 2008

I enjoy the Eden Organic brand of yellow mustard.

Ingredients: Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Water, Organic Yellow Mustard Seed, Eden Sea Salt, Organic Turmeric, Organic Paprika, Organic Garlic.

It has a strong mustard taste and a bright yellow color.  A little goes a long way so I’ll probably have this jar for awhile.

Dwarf Orange, Lemon, Lime Trees

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

A citrus tree would be a great buffer against the letdown that generally comes after the holidays.  January and February are loooong months, even in non-Leap Years.

Unfortunately they’re only recommended for planting in Zones 8-11, which are least affected by Seasonal Affect Disorder.  And are home to the tannest people.  Unfair.

Varieties available: Meyer Lemon, Clementine Mandarin, Trovita Orange, Yuzu and Mexican Lime.

Sur La Table, $60

Birdie Napkins

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

Lace Birdie Napkins are 100% cotton and made from Amy Butler fabrics.

Atlanta-based artist Bella Bee sets a good looking table!

Etsy, $28 for 4

Wine Bottle Labels: Funnier than I

Friday, December 26th, 2008

My crazily-talented friend Ellie designed wine labels for her design company, Flywheel, to give away for holiday gifts.

I’m full of indecision.  Whether I could justify becoming a client-quickly!-to get a leftover bottle of this awesome wine.

Whether I’d choose the wine that complements beef or duck or pork.

Whether I could ever be as funny as the backside of the label:

Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 25th, 2008

May your day be jolly and the food delicious!

(Wrapping paper makes a quick tablecloth.)

Spiced Peach Cranberry Compote

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

Spiced jarred peaches and cranberries come together for a delicious warm compote. Perfect for Christmas morning or… even Christmas Eve morning!

Spiced Peach Cranberry Compote

Recipe by Hilary

1 28-oz jar Rosie’s Spiced Peaches
1 bag frozen or fresh cranberries
Dash of cinnamon
Sugar to taste

1. Drain syrup from jarred peaches into heavy medium saucepan.  Add cranberries and stir.  Heat on medium, covered, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop.

2. Think about how large you want your peaches to be in the compote.  If you’re serving the dish on its own plate, perhaps you want to keep the peaches as halves.  Or, maybe you want them to be smaller, in which case you should cut them now.  Also, discard the couple of cloves from the jarred peaches- they’ll be difficult to remove (and to remember to remove) from the final dish.

3. Add peaches to cranberries and stir.  Sprinkle the dash of cinnamon (being careful not to let it get clumpy) and stir again.  Add a bit of sugar and taste.  Then continue adding sugar until you’re happy with the level of sweetness.

4. Serve warm.

*I was very pleased with Rosie’s Spiced Peaches (Stello Foods) in this recipe.  The peaches are beautiful and the spices add a wintry flavor and aroma to the compote.  You could also use your own canned peaches and spices.  Fresh peaches technically could work, but fresh peach season doesn’t align with hot-fruit-compote season so well. 

Croutons Homemade by Mari

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

As a kid I ate only croutons from a salad.  Now I love salad and eat everything in them but the croutons since they usually taste old and bland.

Leave it up to my friend Mari to bring over homemade croutons that leave me loving them again.  Crispy with olive oil and garlicky, they’re lovely on her velvety chestnut soup or any salad.

Mari’s Croutons

5-6 slices white bread, crusts removed
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Lay one bread slice flat, cut 1/2″ strips lengthwise, then 1/2″ strips crosswise (resulting in small cubes).  Repeat with remaining slices.  You should have about 3 cups of bread cubes. Put them into a large bowl.

2. In small bowl, whisk garlic into olive oil.  Pour over bread in large bowl, tossing quickly to evenly distribute among cubes.  Don’t get too much oil onto any cube or it will turn out soggy.

3. Spread onto baking sheet and bake, turning frequently, for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown on all sides.

In Mari’s words, “Crunchy Fun!”

Chicken Feet Salt & Pepper Shakers

Monday, December 22nd, 2008

Gobble, gobble… no wait, that’s turkeys.

Cockadoodle doo!  But isn’t that just roosters?

(…Google search turns up Burger King Ad….)

What do chickens say?  How ’bout some salt and pepper?

Sigh.  A holiday away from New York should do me good.

Perch! Design via Cog & Pearl, $48