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From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

My mom has what sound like very similar relish trays. I think she called them "Fostoria" (?) glass. I love them because they bring back such fond memories of past family gatherings. I say go with them. Who doesn't like olives and pickles!

From Recipes

Super Bowl Snacks: Loaded Baked Potato Potato Chip Nachos

Wow! I thought I was being decadent by making my own giant nachos out of halved corn tortillas (http://www.shindig411.com) but this is to die! I'm glad there are cooks out there who understand that going way over the top from time to time is a good thing. A little divine decadence now and then is what keeps me on the straight and narrow. I too, could care less about the football. I'm just there for the eats! Like the idea of piping on the mashed spuds...

From Talk

Favorite Sandwiches for busy weeknights

Oh. That's "schmear," not "schemer," right? You know what I mean.

From Talk

Favorite Sandwiches for busy weeknights

Thick slices of eggplant (breaded and baked until crispy), oven roasted tomatoes, feta cheese, a schemer of roasted garlic, and black olive paste on one of those Arnold's 100% whole wheat sandwich thins (toasted). And yes, I would take the time to bread and bake eggplant on a busy weeknight... if I didn't already have some in the freezer. Dinner is an extremely important part of my day!

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Recent Posts

From Talk

You call that healthy?

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Special Meal for Mom on Mother's Day

From Talk

Food Heaven

From Talk

NYC Indian Restaurants

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Recent Comments | Response to Comments

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

My mom has what sound like very similar relish trays. I think she called them "Fostoria" (?) glass. I love them because they bring back such fond memories of past family gatherings. I say go with them. Who doesn't like olives and pickles!

From Recipes

Super Bowl Snacks: Loaded Baked Potato Potato Chip Nachos

Wow! I thought I was being decadent by making my own giant nachos out of halved corn tortillas (http://www.shindig411.com) but this is to die! I'm glad there are cooks out there who understand that going way over the top from time to time is a good thing. A little divine decadence now and then is what keeps me on the straight and narrow. I too, could care less about the football. I'm just there for the eats! Like the idea of piping on the mashed spuds...

From Talk

Favorite Sandwiches for busy weeknights

Oh. That's "schmear," not "schemer," right? You know what I mean.

From Talk

Favorite Sandwiches for busy weeknights

Thick slices of eggplant (breaded and baked until crispy), oven roasted tomatoes, feta cheese, a schemer of roasted garlic, and black olive paste on one of those Arnold's 100% whole wheat sandwich thins (toasted). And yes, I would take the time to bread and bake eggplant on a busy weeknight... if I didn't already have some in the freezer. Dinner is an extremely important part of my day!

From Talk

What Are Some Food Classics?

Scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and fried mush (which is what we now call polenta, but made with white cornmeal instead of yellow.)

From Talk

Ideas for Pie Dough Scraps?

I've done the cookie thing too. Kids seem to love them. You could also just sprinkle the scraps with some sugar, bake them off, and use them to top a sort of deconstructed apple pie. Saute apples with a little lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon and serve in bowls topped with the baked scraps and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The nice thing about this is that your crust won't get soggy.

From Talk

Julia Child - A Spy?

Didn't see the news you are talking about, but today is Julia's birthday (1912). Could be why she is in the news today.

From Talk

Cookout Dessert

Key Lime Pie or a lemon curd tart always works for me... or good old-fashioned lemon squares. (I'm big on citrus stuff.) Or, bake a beautiful, buttery pound cake and bring it along with assorted fresh berries and whipped cream and let everyone make their own shortcakes. It's hard to beat homemade pound cake.

If you're set on doing cookies, I have a great recipe for flourless crunchy peanut butter cookies on my blog. I also use them to make S'mores sometimes. You can find the recipe at:
http://www.elizabethwgiftbaskets.com/

From Serious Eats

'Top Chef' Finale Predictions

I'm with you, Adam. Go Richard! (And do something with that hair!)

From Talk

You call that healthy?

Good one, Beth1! I had forgotten about the whole margarine thing. To this day there are folks from my parent's generation who still think margarine is good for you and butter is evil. I haven't eaten margarine since I lived with my parents, but as I recall, it had very little flavor at all. I think in my parent's day price was also a consideration. I think margarine was a lot cheaper than butter. Right? (Which still makes no sense in my case because my grandfather made butter on his farm and GAVE it to us, but my mom still preferred to buy margarine.) At any rate, I'm with you. Butter, but in moderation.

From Talk

You call that healthy?

These answers are great! I can relate to almost all of them. Here's what kills me. I ate the giant salads with croutons, cheese, bacon bits, creamy dressing, etc. for lunch almost every day... with lots and lots of crackers. If not the billion-calorie salad, then a large fro-yo topped with assorted nuts and carob chips. And I LOST WEIGHT! Now just looking at stuff like that makes me fat. Ah, youth.

@Joyyy, the white wine diet is simple. No solid food after lunch. Start drinking white wine around 7:00 p.m. and continue until around midnight. Dance and/or make out a lot during those five hours.

From Talk

Food Heaven

Yeah. I'll need the cheese and olives and good wine too. Plus, all of the above. I look forward to meeting you all in Food Heaven! Come find me. I'll be next to the bottomless pit of mint chocolate chip ice cream. (Just past the Please-Eat-More pizza parlor.)

From Talk

Ice Cream Cones

I knew I shouldn't have read this. I want an ice cream cone NOW. Any flavor. Any type of cone.

From Talk

Best Hangover Food?

Toasted bagel with butter AND cream cheese... (It can be done. Let the butter melt and sink in, then slather on the cream cheese.) with strawberry jam on the side. Cold milk with ice cubes in it.

From Serious Eats

Eat This, Not That: The Worst Foods in America

Ed, thank you for this. I thought I was the only one scratching my head over the apparent success of this book. On the other hand, what a master of self promotion this guy is! I wish I had a buzz machine like his.

From Talk

Where's my lint brush???

Happens to me all the time. I hate it.

From Talk

Dying easter eggs

Here are a few I pulled from the tips & trivia section of my web site. Have fun!

EASTER EGG IDEAS

RUBBER BAND - Twist skinny and fat rubber bands around eggs before dying to create crinkly stripes.

NATURE - Glue tiny pressed leaves, grass, herbs or clover to a dyed egg.

RUBBER CEMENT DRIZZLE - Dip a craft stick into rubber cement and drizzle a freeform design onto egg. Let dry for 15 minutes and then dye the egg. When the dye is dry, rub off the rubber cement with your fingers to reveal the design.

Q-TIP POLKA DOT - Use cotton swabs dipped in paint to make dots on a dyed egg.

ABC - Use alphabet macaroni or scrapbooking rub-on letters to spell out family names or holiday greetings on a dyed egg. Add a pretty ribbon.

SPONGE MARBLED - Cut a kitchen sponge into small strips and dip the tips into paint. Dab paint splotches all over eggs, adding and overlapping colors, until a marbled effect is achieved.

From Recipes

Baking With Dorie: Corniest Corn Muffins

I grew up in the south and one of my Dad's favorite snacks was a glass of buttermilk with cornbread crumbled up in it.

From Talk

Grade School Grub

Richard and aung - My Mom even made JM for special occasions. Of course hers must have been the fancy version because it was called, John Mazetti. Never, never Johnny!

From Talk

Boneless Skinless Fried Chicken.

I've often wondered the same thing. Why don't you give it a try and let us know. I like the concept for the reasons you mentioned, but have not tried it, also for the reasons you mentioned. I also do a version of your "Italian fried" and it is quite tasty.

From Talk

As`a kid, my favorite Easter candy was ____

Those pecan-covered nougat eggs. What I hope the Easter bunny doesn't put in my basket this year is pantyhose. For some reason I used to get them every year. Maybe because they came in these plastic egg-shaped containers. I don't know if they still make them. I think they were called "Leggs." Anyway, they don't belong in an Easter basket and you can tell the Easter bunny I said so!

From Serious Eats

Photo of the Day: Piggy Pastries

These are adorable. They'd be great for making ham sandwiches.

From Talk

Would rather give up nuts or chips?

I'd have to let the chips go. Life just wouldn't be worth living without nuts.

From Talk

Barefoot Contessa Products?

For mixes, they're not bad tasting. I especially liked the peanut butter cookie mix and some of the cupcake mixes. However, I've not actually made any of the mixes. I find it just as easy to make cookies and cupcakes from scratch. Still, I think these are worth trying if you prefer a mix.

From Recipes

Baking With Dorie: Corniest Corn Muffins

Upscale buttermilk corn muffins with whole kernels = heaven. Thanks for this recipe from one savory focused chef who always appreciates some good pastry recipes.

From Talk

Best Hangover Food?

for some reason, i actually embrace my hangovers; it means that there's a ton to discuss with my girlfriends the next morning! we'll typically cruise over to a local burger joint and get their saturday special (huge greasy cheeseburger, thick-cut fries, and a large soda... i always opt for water instead of the soda). if they're not around, i'll brew some coffee, and then pick up a huge plate of pad thai, which is so big that i'll snack on it throughout the day.

cheers!!

From Talk

Best Hangover Food?

Last night I drank a bunch of beers and some shots. I was so drunk I was hitting on a lady who was twice my age, so thats about how drunk I was. Went home and fell asleep as soon as I hit the pillow, woke up fully clothed shoes and all --- I was HUNG OVER. But there's a Pho diner around the corner. I went over there and got some of that vietnamese noodle soup and ate that whole thing. Went straight home and fell right back asleep again until later on in the afternoon. When I woke up, the hangover was completely gone.

From Talk

Best Hangover Food?

well, i'm hungover right now and all those foods make my stomach hurt to even THINK about eating. other than miso soup... i might go get some... DEFINITELY "try" to remember taking ibuprofen and a few tums with a big glass of water before bed. my advice, lay out the meds beside your bed before you go out..

From Talk

How do you build the perfect breakfast sandwich?

For my supreme sandwich I use 1 whole plain bagel, 1 egg, and 6 pieces of salami. First toast the bagel about medium. Then fry your egg, (not scrambled.) Once done take your 6 pieces of salami and cook them for about 5 minutes till some brown appears. Then in order put bagel, 3 pieces of salami, egg, 3 pieces of salami, then bagel. It is delicious and you should try it!

From Talk

Barefoot Contessa Products?

I want to try them but I'm afraid. They're so expensive and what if they're not good.

From Talk

Favorite Sandwiches for busy weeknights

This week I've been having open faced goat cheese and egg - Herbed goat cheese smeared into half of a hollowed out roll (don't know why I hollowed it, I guess it makes a boat-like vessel), topped with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and salt & pepper. If I wasn't so impatient, I'd bake the egg & cheese mixture into the bread bowl.

From Talk

Favorite Sandwiches for busy weeknights

@sailordave- you live in seattle right? You are a cook right? You are welcome to come over to the house and have turdunken and all the other shit that will go with it if you want. You can man the alligator for the grill cause this is all new to me.

From Talk

Favorite Sandwiches for busy weeknights

I love this hummus sandwich with grain mustard... you can add lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, anything you'd like. I make hummus, but sometimes I just add lemon juice to storebought hummus to "make it feel fresher".

Sometimes, I am on a hot dog kick... I make Open-Faced Veggie Hot Dogs. And when I have left-over fried eggplant, I love making Eggplant Parmesan Sandwiches.

Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

@Perky, I did get the joke, I only eat the junk in the hospital if I'm desperately starved, and nowhere else! I imagine it's a staple because it's mushy and easy to digest, though I'd rather have extra fake mashed potatoes, I must admit I find those tasty, given the environment served in.

No, I wouldn't be topping my precious NY Style Cheesecake with it!! haha. eck. And while my mom is pretty frittata creative, if I saw a Jello frittata, I'd send her to my specialists!

From Recipes

Super Bowl Snacks: Loaded Baked Potato Potato Chip Nachos

Well, these can't be bad! Since I never met a potato I didn't like adn these are all about potato, that its a cinch to be great. aslo, if you suffer from the "O" syndrome, like I do ... Frito, Dorito, Cheeto, Tostito, Potato chip ... well, Super bowl Sunday is the king daddy of junk food! Add a few ings and LOTS of bleu cheese to dip them in and there ya have a little bit o' heaven. Oh, don't forget to crumble good bleu cheese over kettle or home made potato chips and melt the cheese ... that says it all.

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

Way - I love a relish tray! But then, I love pickles and olives. When my family has a holiday, my sister puts out a relish tray just for me (or so she says) but EVERYONE eats from it - she just doesn't realize it because they eat from it while I'm making it up instead of at the table.

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

Jerzee, please provide us with the history of the relish tray and its effect on pop culture in recent years. Thanks so much, ;)

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

WAY and you can still get the relish tray at Lenny's in Clearwater, FL. It's a great breakfast and lunch place right off 19. The veggies take the edge off my appetite. They have tomato salad, beets, cole slaw, and cucumber salad. My favorite relish tray item was chick pea salad from Richelieu restaurant on 18th Avenue and 65th street in Brooklyn way back in the 70's and early 80's.

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

WAY! I love my antique divided dishes, cut glass and flower-etched glass varieties. I usually use them for olives, spiced almonds, candies, and other non-relish items. I did break them out recently for my retro dinner party, which featured devilled eggs, tomato aspic, three bean salad, and of course the divided dishes with gherkins, beetroot cubes, sour onions, and bread and butter pickles. A hit!

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

Absolutely WAY! I use them all the time and I don't even need an occasion. I like to read a book and have a cheese and olive tray there to snack on. It's always so much nicer if you present everything as nicely for yourself as you would for a party. I'm very big on "the presentation is everything".
I do it for the kids and their friends after school too. With fruits and veggies and grilled cheese triangles. Their friends love it.
And what Lemons said about Jello on the hospital tray. I was on a clear liquids only diet once and really came to look forward to the one "solid" thing I got to eat. That and sherbet, who knew that counted as a clear liquid?

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

We're definitely a relish tray family if you've ever met one. We fill our metal pan with a divider with pickkle spears, black olives and green olives. We don't have family functions without them!

Hillary

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

Way! And I get a little help and keep one or two of the guests occupied by setting out the jars and asking them to arrange the trays. They help with the bread tray too. I believe in kitchen participation.

Before my Mom handed down her cut glass, which came to her as a shower present, to me, I purchased some stainless steel (Dansk) divided dishes and dip service pieces for relishes and crudities. I'll put them all on the same table if needed!

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

Fostoria was a company that made glass. And gelatin is a staple on hospital trays because it's considered a clear liquid, which is often the diet used first after surgeries. No, it's not a fabulous food, but it gets some calories and a little protein in, sits lightly on a stomach, and is often well tolerated. That is to say tolerated by the body, as opposed to, oh, say, my opinion of it personally, which is that I don't care for it much. Let's not get into the whole hospital nutrition thing, or I'll start telling people who get their families to bring in Jack-In-The-Box tacos to have for them as they wake up from a gall bladder surgery.

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

Way, there aren't many gathering at our house that pickles, olives and assorted other num nums aren't out as a finger food option...

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

Way because the relish tray - mine is really more like a veggie tray (carrots, celery, radishes, pepper strips, olives, pickles, etc.) - is usually the only way guests at my parties will get anything other than meat and cheese.
Will serve these items in those old-fashioned glass trays. My mom gave me a few and I think they have a certain charm, no matter the occasion.

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

@bobcatsteph ~ clarification here. When I say (repeating what someone once said to me btw), "You want I should bring a box of jell-o?", it means I'm bringing the box with the bag of sugar that stains everything inside. Not the cold quivering already set stuff, so use it however you'd like! Would I eat it if served? Sure. Would I make it for myself? Nope. Still can't figure out why it's a staple on hospital trays. 'Tis a puzzlement.

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

SOOO totally way. In a huge way, I'm a fan. I would play to your crowd Perky. If you think they would enjoy and appreciate it, then I say no-it isn't too fancy. If you think otherwise, then I wouldn't do it.

I usually make food that plays to my "audience." I don't make "fancy" foods for people I know really don't care/appreciate.

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

I'm a way too! I've been collecting relish trays of various shapes, sizes and colors for years. I use them all year round, for all occasions, and would use them for the super bowl if I were hosting this year. They are also great for salad bar items, and condiments!

From Talk

Relish Tray: Way or No Way?

Love to put antipasto type yummies in mine...roasted red peppers, chunks of salami and mozzarella balls...ooh!...

Recent Posts

From Talk

You call that healthy?

From Talk

Special Meal for Mom on Mother's Day

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Food Heaven

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From Talk

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About elizabethw

Website: http://www.elizabethwgiftbaskets.com

Location: NYC

About: Elizabeth is the former creative director of Food & Wine and Eating Well magazines and now owner of Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets in NYC. She is nearly always hungry.

Favorite foods: Pizza, asparagus, strawberries, cheese.

Last bite on earth: Warm, crusty bread slathered with sweet butter. Can I have a glass of wine with that?