TIP OF THE DAY: DIY Food Bars, Part 1 ~ Breakfast & Brunch

Fashion your party bar along the lines of hotel breakfast buffets. Photo courtesy Seattleite.com.   While summer entertaining is easy—cocktails on the patio, burgers on the grill—the fall brings a challenge. How can you entertain with panache, without killing yourself? We’ve grown fond of the food bar, a buffet that invites guests to “create-your-own-dish” with…
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National Lobster Newburg Day: Recipe, History & More

National Lobster Newburg Day is March 25th, National Crab Newburg Day is September 25th. This article celebrates both of them. Below: > The recipe for both. > The history of Lobster Newburg. > The difference between Lobster Newburg (photo #1) and Lobster Thermidor (photo #7) is also below. > > Substituting fish for shellfish. >…
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FOOD FUN: Gourmet Bagel

We love bagels. We could eat them three meals a day. Our three favorite bagel toppings: olive cream cheese and smoked salmon, whitefish salad and tomato, and herring salad and tomato on a sesame or garlic bagel. Optional garnishes: capers, onion or chives. Our favorite “gourmet” bagel is topped with smoked sturgeon and salmon caviar,…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Layered Vegetable Salad

Layered vegetable salad: The veggies look even more appealing. Photo courtesy Hidden Valley.   If you have veggie-resistant eaters at your table, try turning the vegetables into an artistic presentation. Good packaging can make what’s inside much more exciting. Here’s a fun way to incorporate vegetables into a meal with panache. This recipe, from Hidden…
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RECIPE: Hazelnut Praline Cake

“Hazelnuts make the best desserts,” says one of our favorite food bloggers, Vicky of Stasty.com. I feel like a lot of desserts are almond based, and poor old hazelnuts never get a look in. Hazelnuts are more complex and work well in both sweet and savoury dishes. “This is a different kind of cake than…
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