August 9th is National Rice Pudding Day, and nobody does the creamy comfort food quite like Rice to Riches. It’s the only item sold at the shop in New York City’s SoHo, and they’ll ship overnight to anywhere in the U.S. The ever-changing menu features more than a dozen flavors daily. You might find “Fluent in French Toast,” “Honey Graham for Mr. Smith” and “Take Me to Tiramisu.” Rich, creamy and made from top ingredients, it’s no wonder that fans from every generation line up every day for their RPF (rice pudding fix). Surprise someone with a gift of rice pudding; surely, they’ve never gotten one before!
With 15 different cake and filling
combinations to choose from, it’s impossible
not to love these whoopie pies.
The whoopie pie, actually a sandwich cookie, is attributed to an unknown Pennsylvania Amish woman, who first conceived of sandwiching two round, mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. As the story is variously told, the Amish housewives would bake these treats and put them in their farmer husbands’ (or children’s) lunch boxes. When the lucky recipients would discover what was for dessert, they would shout “whoopie!”
The ubiquitous whoopie pie has been transformed into something exciting by WannaHavaCookie. In 15 delicious flavor combinations, there’s another benefit: smaller size. You can enjoy a few bites of whoopie pie more often, without the guilt. They’re also great for gifts and party favors.
Check out the full review to see all of WannaHavaCookie’s wonderful whoopie pie flavor combinations.
Instead of making an ice cream cake, try ice cream cupcakes—they’re even more fun! Use a cake mix and muffin pans to get a larger cupcake bottom. After baking and cooling, put the cupcakes in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm, before topping with ice cream. If your quart of ice cream is hard, soften in the microwave for 20 seconds and stir with a large spoon to get a malleable consistency. Put a scoop atop each cupcake and work with a spatula to achieve a frosting effect. (It’s good to have two people working here if you need to make a lot.) Top with a strawberry, raspberry, chocolate wafer, nonpareil, Junior Mint, halved mini PB cup or other tasty garnish. Freeze or serve immediately.
The last time we were in Aspen, Colorado having drinks at the historic Hotel Jerome, we had vodka on the rocks. There was no BLT Cocktail. We’d be desperately trying to schedule a trip back for a sip of this drink, except that mixologist Brent Jones shared his recipe with us.
The unique cocktail, which is causing quite a buzz in Aspen, is created with bacon fat-washed vodka, freshly juiced organic tomatoes and a foamed lettuce topping. Brent creates the components from scratch. This one takes a bit of time, but none of the steps is difficult. Your friends will be dazzled.
Add 4 ounces of slivered almonds to tuna, egg and chicken salads for a crunchy gourmet twist. Use fresh herbs: Snip basil, chives, cilantro, dill or parsley into your salad for more fab flavor with no added calories. Another secret—use a great mayonnaise like Lemonaise, our Top Pick Of The Week from The Ojai Cook. Its delicious Lemonaise Light has half the calories (but you can use half mayonnaise, half fat-free yogurt to cut down on the calories, too).
