TIP OF THE DAY: 11 Exciting Bloody Mary Garnishes

New Year’s Day is also National Bloody Mary Day. So today’s tip is: Find a new garnish for your Bloody Marys, and change it up every year. A celery stalk garnish and optional lemon or lime wheel was de rigeur 20th century. Savvy hosts replaced them with a fennel stalk for the new millennium (there’s…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: 11 Exciting Bloody Mary Garnishes”

Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Recipe With Sea Salt

We couldn’t close out the year without a batch of buttery shortbread. This recipe, from Spice Islands, adds creamy caramel, a dark chocolate ganache icing and a sprinkle of sea salt. The recipe includes cashews. You can substitute another favorite nut (macadamias, pecans, pistachios, walnuts) or omit the nuts entirely. National Chocolate Caramel Day is…
Continue reading “Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Recipe With Sea Salt”

TIP OF THE DAY: Champagne Recorker (Resealer)

We have been using this indispensable gadget since it first came onto the market, back in our college days. Yet, when we use it in front of guests, most look on with amazement—they’ve never seen a Champagne recorker before. So today’s tip is: Get one for anyone who enjoys a bottle of bubbly. They’re less…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: Champagne Recorker (Resealer)”

FOOD FUN: Bear In A Blanket

Who can resist this edible bear? Photo courtesy LittleInspiration.com.   We love this brown rice bear in an omelet blanket. What a fun dinner idea for this quiet week, along with a colorful side salad. Have the kids help make it! Bear in a Blanket was created by Angie Ramirez of LittleInspiration.com, who shares yummy…
Continue reading “FOOD FUN: Bear In A Blanket”

TIP OF THE DAY: Don’t Toss It, Transform It!

We love the food at Petrossian in New York City. It doesn’t have to be caviar (the restaurant’s most famous offering) to be wonderful, as we discovered when we ordered crab cakes. The chef stuffed sections of the crab legs with fresh crab and sea urchin and topped them with caviar: very upscale sashimi! We’ve…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: Don’t Toss It, Transform It!”