TIP OF THE DAY: Star-Shaped Ice

Make star-spangled drinks with star-shaped ice. Photo courtesy Promo-Wholesale.com.   It’s the little touches that make guests smile. Like star-shaped ice in their July 4th drinks. Make each soft drink or cocktail more special with star-shaped ice, made in a silicon mold. No time to find ice cube trays? Head to the market for carambola,…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Make A July 4th Cocktail

A star-spangled cocktail (photo © Congress Hall).   We serve Bloody Marys, Margaritas and Martinis year-round. But we love occasions that merit special cocktails. So we were more than pleased when this red, white and blue “Star Spangled Banner” cocktail recipe arrived from Congress Hall, a 200-year-old classic American resort on the ocean in Cape…
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JULY 4th: Bipartisan Truffle Party Favors

Party line party favors for July 4th. Photo courtesy Choclatique.   If your crowd spends a preponderance of time discussing politics, serve some of these clever chocolates for July 4th. Made by the creative L.A. chocolatier Choclatique, white chocolate shells are filled with chocolate ganache and topped with colored white chocolate donkey and elephant medallions…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Compound Butter For “Instant” Sauces

Want to become a more impressive cook instantly? Use compound butter! Also known as finishing butter, or beurre composé in French, it’s unsalted butter that has been blended with seasonings. There are endless variations. Escoffier published 35 combinations in 1903, and cuisine has evolved in many directions since his classic renderings of anchovy butter and…
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PRODUCT: Grow Back To The Roots Mushrooms In Your Kitchen

Here’s a fun, educational and tasty summer activity for adults and kids alike: Grow mushrooms in your kitchen. Back to the Roots shows the joy of home farming via a small cardboard box that produces two micro-crops of mushrooms. Two UC Berkeley students came across the idea during a class, which mentioned the potential to…
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