Warm, comforting, and another way to enjoy
gourmet chocolate. What could be better?
Photo by Elton Lin.
Purée a ripe banana and add it to hot chocolate. One banana is enough for two eight-ounce cups (it stretches further if you want just a little banana flavor).
Add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a grind of fresh nutmeg to the banana purée; then divide the mixture evenly between the mugs.
Pour the hot chocolate over it and stir well.
You can garnish with a side of banana chips; or for kids, marshmallows and graham crackers.
We’re not saying this is a health drink, but it combines potassium and antioxidants and it sure is a mood elevator.
January 20th is Cheese Lover’s Day, so be sure to give your favorites the respect they deserve.
Fine cheese is a living food that breathes and ages. Most cheese should not be kept in plastic wrap, which essentially suffocates the cheese, allows moisture to condense on the inside of the wrap and hastens spoilage. Stores may wrap cheese in plastic for efficiency, but their inventory turns over quickly.
The one exception to the plastic wrap rule is dry, aged cheese like Parmesan, where the cheese’s moisture is largely evaporated. Wrap all other cheeses in waxed paper or butcher paper, both of which are protective but porous.
Never buy more cheese than you plan to consume over the next few days: Enjoy cheese at its peak flavor.
Convert your old Filofax or Week-At-A-Glance to a kitchen diary.
Keep a diary in your kitchen—or a document on your computer—of entertaining occasions and what you’ve served to which guests. It serves as a mind-jogger of what was popular, what dishes didn’t fly, who didn’t like fish, who has peanut allergies, et cetera.
It also will remind you not to serve the same thing to the same people next time!
We retrofitted our old Filofax to include sections for events, menus and guest lists; ideas for future events and pockets for clipped recipes and tips.
Check out some of our ideas for delicious and special foods you can serve to guests in our Entertaining Guide.
Enter to win this grab bag of goodies! Photo courtesy Stonyfield.
If you have yet to taste Greek yogurt, you don’t know what you’re missing. Greek yogurt is thicker, richer and creamier than European-style yogurt. Not only does it have twice the protein of regular yogurt, fewer carbs and less lactose, but it’s easier to cook with because it’s less likely to curdle when heated.
This week’s Gourmet Giveaway winner will have 20 chances to try Greek yogurt either right out of the cup or in recipes. Stonyfield is giving away 20 vouchers good for their line of Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt along with other yogurt-related goodies. (Read our review of Oikos Yogurt, which has 0% fat and is certified organic and kosher.)
The prize allows our winner to either enjoy the Oikos line of flavors—which includes plain, blueberry, honey, strawberry and vanilla—right out of the cup, or incorporate them into recipes using Stonyfield’s cookbook and recipe collection. Plus, he or she will look good doing it if they also don the Oikos T-shirt while cooking!
THE PRIZE: One winner will receive vouchers good for 20 5.3-ounce cups of Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt; an Oikos cooking spatula, recipe collection and T-shirt made with 100% organic cotton; and a Stonyfield yogurt cookbook—all inside a Stonyfield reusable shopping bag. Approximate retail value: Nearly $100.00.
To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Yogurt Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing. This contest closes on Monday, January 25th at noon, Eastern Time. Good luck!
From the name, blood oranges should be in season at Halloween. But these wonders are in stores right now. Even our local supermarket has them!
They look exactly like regular oranges on the outside, but their inside flesh is a deep rosy red color; and the flavor is a cross between orange and raspberry—some people call them “raspberry oranges.”
Whatever you call them, be sure you buy some before the season is over. Eat them for breakfast instead of grapefruit (or squeeze them for heavenly juice); add them to fruit salads, green salads, and seafood and chicken salads for beautiful color and flavor; use sections to garnish grilled fish or create a concasse; enjoy them for dessert and snacks; and make a memorable blood orange sorbet (Ciao Bella has one available year-round).
Blood Orange Sorbetto from Ciao Bella is available year-round. It can be purchased online at IceCreamSource.com. For your nearest retailer, call 1.800.GELATO.3.
Raspberry-colored flesh and raspberry flavor nuances make blood oranges a very special fruit. Photo by Josiah Gordon.
