There’s one sure way to make a haunted
house disappear: Get some forks and call
some friends. Photo courtesy of Sur La Table.
Hey, guys, gals and ghouls: Take one of our favorite Bundt pans, the Castle Bundt, and turn it into a haunted castle with some simple decoration. The Bundt pan is available at Sur La Table, other retailers nationwide and at Nordicware.com.
It’s not just for kids: Even adults deserve a little something special for All Hallows’ Eve. You can use your favorite cake recipe or a mix.
See our review of Top Pick Of The Week Bundt Cake Mixes, which includes the history of the Bundt cake. The Sticky Toffee Pudding mix would be perfect for your haunted castle cake!
All butters don’t taste the same—although they do have the same calories and cholesterol. For your calories, eat the best. Buy small amounts of two different butters and taste them against each other: straight or on bread. Then use up the butter you didn’t prefer in cooking or baking, save the better butter for bread, and buy a third butter to test against the “winner.” Like finding your favorite Chardonnay, keep trying every brand you come across until you find the one that stands out. If you think there aren’t a lot of choices out there, we gathered 80 butters—sweet and salted, domestic and imported—from five specialty food stores plus chains like Whole Foods. The right one does make a difference, whether on toast or pancakes, buttered vegetables or in mashed potatoes. Keep butter tightly wrapped in the waxed paper it comes in, and then in a Ziploc-type bag. Butter absorbs refrigerator flavors easily.
Cheese lovers spend time deciding which Cheddar or chèvre they like best, but never think to compare cream cheeses. There can be a noticeable difference in flavor—not only among mass brands, but with organic and artisan brands, too. The next time you’re planning to have friends over for bagels, get one of each brand. Cut off a small slice of each brick and taste it plain, noting the differences. Some are sweeter, some are saltier, some are gummier, some taste fresher and more natural. Just as you prefer the bagels from Store X to the ones from Store Y, you’ll also find your favorite cream cheese. It will make a difference in your cheesecake recipe, too.
What’s the origin of cream cheese, and why did Philadelphia brand get its name, given that it was created in New York? Find out in our Cheese Glossary.
You’ll always have a deluxe pasta dinner on hand if you tuck away a bag or two of gourmet pasta in beautiful shapes and colors, along with some jars of roasted peppers, marinated artichoke hearts and good breadsticks. Keep a container of quality, fine-grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese in the freezer, along with some sliced gourmet sausages. When you need an impressive dinner in 15 minutes, just cook the pasta and zap the sausage in the microwave. You can open a jar of sauce, but you don’t even need a formal sauce—just toss the pasta with the grated cheese (straight from the freezer) plus butter or fine olive oil, and offer diners a grind of fresh pepper. Serve with the breadsticks and a roasted pepper and artichoke “antipasto,” drizzled with balsamic vinegar. If you happen to have a loaf of Italian bread and fresh salad greens, so much the better!
Check out Bilinski chicken sausages—far less fatty and caloric than pork sausage and just as delicious.
See the difference between the three Italian grating cheeses: Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano and Pecorino Romano.
Find exciting new shapes of pasta in our Pasta Glossary.
Dove Promises bite-size chocolates have an inspirational message inside each piece (though it’s no excuse to keep eating them “just for the inspiration”).
This fall, the bite-size treats are even more inspiring. The chocolates’ producer, Mars Snackfood, has teamed up with Susan G. Komen For The Cure, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors, to raise breast cancer awareness.
In a special-edition Dove Promises of Hope, Dove has printed messages from breast cancer survivors on the inside of the wrappers to support others battling breast cancer (see photo at right).
Promises of Hope in both milk and dark chocolate bags are now available in select retail stores nationwide. The suggested retail price is $4.49 per 9.5-ounce bag. A serving size can get you through the day with five delicious pieces of chocolate—and five inspirational messages.
