Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Collection of Stuck Tic Tacs

You know what's sad? My family actually has a word for these: dekers. Used predominantly to describe the one sad piece of macaroni that somehow got glued to the inside bottom of a box of KD.

jeninewsbite at 10:51AM on 09/23/09

Riding the Eurostar for the Food

My question is ... when exactly is that "certain point" that we should book? Hungry and wanderlusty (and cheap) bellies need to know!

jeninewsbite at 4:47PM on 08/31/09

Cakespy: Cupcake Milkshake

This sounds dee-lish, but I had a bit of a case of déja yum: http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/08/cake-shake-from-squareburger-in-philadelphia-pa.html

jeninewsbite at 4:45PM on 08/31/09

A Salsa Golf Taste Test

To me, the most interesting part of this story is the name ... where the heck did "salsa golf" come from?

jeninewsbite at 11:09AM on 05/25/09

Cream of Wheat: Way or No Way?

EPIC way.

jeninewsbite at 4:47PM on 12/18/08

Snapshots from the UK: Turkish Delight

Turkish delight is the cilantro of the candy world. Sounds exotic -- tastes like soap.

jeninewsbite at 1:45PM on 11/19/08

From Serious Eats: New York

Vintage Candy Monday: Big Cherry

Yum! Every once in awhile I'll get a fresh raw almond that has that same flavour and I'll think, "Mmm ... cherries." It's funny (to me) that I have that association in one direction, but not the other.

jeninewsbite at 3:07PM on 10/28/08

Do Restaurants Get A Political Voice?

We just wrapped up a federal election (I'm in Toronto, Canada) and nearly every restaurant in my riding -- at least, those that chose to put up signs -- posted signs for every candidate. In my riding we had four major parties running, so that meant posting four signs in the window.

When I asked a local café owner about her decision to post them all, she said that she saw her role more as being an "election advocate" more than a partisan player. She just wanted people to know who all the candidates were, and remind her customers and passers-by that they had an important role to play on Oct. 14. I thought that was a winning attitude.

jeninewsbite at 9:55AM on 10/23/08

What serves well with lemoncello?!

Lavender shortbread comes to mind -- easy to make and will keep relatively well ...

jeninewsbite at 11:55AM on 10/10/08

Got any kitchen magic that sets your cooking apart from others?

For any kind of pasta sauce, it's well-toasted garlic. I think there are many folks who are petrified of burning it and so add it to their recipes at the very last minute -- to me, that sort of feels like "cheating" the garlic out of its natural, edgy-but-mellow magnificence.

jeninewsbite at 12:06PM on 10/08/08

Barley couscous

I keep reading this subject as "Barely conscious" -- clearly more caffeine is indicated.

I've never tried barley couscous before, but now I'm curious! I've made many "risottos" using barley instead of arborio, and the taste has been great. Barley's mild nutty flavour really shines when it's toasted before using, so you might want to try that with your couscous.

jeninewsbite at 12:00PM on 10/08/08

Do women really want their man to smell like Chocolate?

Chocolate, no. My ex-bf used to wear a Chanel cologne that, by end of day, smelled like cinnamon cookies. Now THAT was yummy.

jeninewsbite at 11:58AM on 10/08/08

From Serious Eats: New York

Is It Iced Coffee Weather?

I live in Toronto. We received more than two metres of snow last winter -- that's like six and a half feet -- and I drank iced coffee all winter long. It gets HOT under all that snow gear!

jeninewsbite at 11:20AM on 10/02/08

Flagel = Flat Bagel

The new location of Bagel World in Toronto sells flagels.

jeninewsbite at 6:39PM on 09/24/08

Hostess Fruit Pie, One Less Thing For Me to Eat Before I Die

@amrobo: Phlegmon! That's awesome. Actually got coffee from mouth onto keyboard with that one. For true!

jeninewsbite at 4:11PM on 09/04/08

Hostess Fruit Pie, One Less Thing For Me to Eat Before I Die

I also noticed that this package had a best before date of Aug. 25. I'm not all that confident that that would make much of a difference, though ...

jeninewsbite at 2:30PM on 09/04/08

Historic La Tomatino Fight in Spain Today

It is THE place to be right after you've been "skunked."

jeninewsbite at 11:34AM on 08/28/08

Dinner Tonight: Corn Macque Choux

I made this for dinner last night! Added a few different kinds of peppers and a half a tidge of ancho paste at the very end, and served it on polenta mixed with browned onions and toasted corn kernels. I am very, very sad to be attending a corporate lunch this afternoon because the leftovers are calling me ...

jeninewsbite at 11:21AM on 08/27/08

Ideas for introducing a picky eater to tomatoes?

For cooking, you might want to try passata (crushed tomatoes that have been strained to remove the seeds). It's usually sold in bottles or aseptic packaging (tetra paks). I prefer it to canned crushed tomatoes for use in sauces, as it usually doesn't have citric acid added and so has a slightly "mellower" flavour when cooked.

Nothing beats a freshly picked tomato, though, as others have noted. Comparing home grown vs. grocery store tomatoes is roughly like comparing fresh pineapple vs. canned pineapple. It's the same fruit, but a totally, totally different flavour profile.

If you're looking for a starter recipe, you could try Veg Times' Rustic Tomato Galette. I've got dozens of tomatoes now ripening on the vine and I can't wait to galette 'em. :-)

jeninewsbite at 7:32PM on 08/16/08

Essentials: Salad With Tomatoes and Grilled Bread (Not Day Old Bread)

I'm a week or so away from a bumper -- nay, a bumper-to-bumper -- crop of tomatoes, so thanks for this recipe!

jeninewsbite at 2:40PM on 08/15/08

Starbucks Retreats from Australia

Raphael - I heard that when Aussie baristas steam their milk, it spins counter-clockwise. :-)

Maureen - I haven't heard any news of Cdn closures ... and I'm hoping my new nabe gets a Sbux soon (it's a long shot).

jeninewsbite at 11:56AM on 08/06/08

Dinner Tonight: Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Microgreens

It doesn't get simpler, or prettier, or tastier than this. Thanks for posting!

jeninewsbite at 11:10AM on 08/06/08

Adventures in Lame Viral Marketing, Courtesy of Ruby Tuesday

If you're suggesting that RT botched what could have been a complicated, humorous campaign, you'll get no argument from me.

jeninewsbite at 11:08AM on 08/06/08

Starbucks Retreats from Australia

I don't mean to be a git, but this news is more than a week old: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7530570.stm

jeninewsbite at 11:06AM on 08/06/08