December 3, 2008
As Maxine pointed out yesterday, the holidays are upon us. That means cookies and brownies and cakes and pies and whatever it is that makes up our favorite holiday desserts. So I ask you, what better way to usher in the holiday spirit than sharing some of our favorite holiday desserts? That’s why we asked the food bloggers of the world:
“What is your favorite holiday cookie or dessert? Please share your recipe!”
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September 15, 2008
If someone asked you what a cobbler was, what would you say? Would it differ much from a crisp? Or what about a crumble? Do you think there is a difference between these three desserts or do they all sort of blend in as some variation of butter, sugar and flour atop fresh fruit? Well, with fresh apples, pears, and pumpkins from autumn harvest on their way, I think it’s important that we can all properly label the desserts we will make out of this fine fruit. So here’s my guide on how to tell a crisp from a crumble and a cobbler from a crisp, with plenty of tasty recipes along the way (of course!)
Popularity: 55% [?]
April 14, 2008
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years of attending Bar and Bat Mitzvah receptions, it’s that the sweet table is the most important part of the party. Sure, you probably need a meal, and maybe a DJ or some sort of entertainment for your guests, but if there’s no sweet table, you didn’t plan the right party.
I like to call this phenomenon: Sweet Table Culture. Sometimes it can take a sort of “Keeping up with the Joneses” (or rather - Keeping Up With The Steins!) attitude where sweet tables compete for over-the-top and most delicious recognition. Now, I don’t mean to be stereotypical, and truly not everyone has to prioritize the sweet table, it’s just that a lot of people…do.
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October 16, 2007
The other day my boyfriend came home with a hilarious article that one of his students gave him. It was taken from The Onion and written by: A Pie. I thought I would share You Want A Piece Of Me with all you food lovers out there. Enjoy. I hope it brings a smile to your day.
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October 5, 2007
If my occasional references to pigging out on Oberweis or my desire for an ice cream maker weren’t clues, I’ll spell it out: I’m, uh, rather enthusiastic about ice cream. And within that realm, I am incredibly enthusiastic about milkshakes. I imagine one of the reasons I’ve got such a soft belly right now is because of all those burgers and shakes I devoured in high school.
So when a couple college friends introduced me to the concept of an alcoholic milkshake, I was thrilled. Two great tastes that taste great together!
The drink: The Grasshopper.
The booze: Creme de Menthe. And possibly chocolate liqueur, if you’ve ever wanted a mint chocolate chip milkshake that’ll get ya crunked.
My friend’s description: “It tastes like Christmas!”
Use bargain-store tipple and ice cream like we did and you’ll get a boozy Shamrock Shake; use top-shelf stuff and some Haagen-Dazs and you’ll get a frozen cocktail better than anything the fanciest restaurant will sell you.
Sure, they don’t exactly pack a punch, and you can’t really drink multiple rounds. But these are outstanding dessert drinks, and everyone should give ‘em a try before it gets too cold to justify enjoying a big, frosty glass of blended ice cream.
Have a good weekend, everybody!
-Jim will be 24 when he returns!
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September 11, 2007
After an EXCITING!!!! day of shuddering under my covers and venturing out once to pick up dinner, I realized something awesome late yesterday night: even when you’re sick, sleeping in means you don’t get to fall asleep quite when you’re supposed to that night. Whacked out on benadryl and slumped at my desk well past 1 AM (prime writing time, by the way), I suddenly sat bolt upright, electrified back into coherence by a burning question of utmost importance:
What the hell happened to Dunkaroos?
Yes, yes, I know. Processed foods are evil. The transfat-laden crap that corporate America would be plunging straight down children’s throats if we’d let ‘em is a scourge, replacing grandma’s real cookies with Grandma’s Cookies and dooming a generation to an uphill battle against obesity. But as you know, some foods are our secret shames, and Dunkaroos were one of mine.
Even as a kid, gleefully tearing through pack after pack, I knew something was Not Right about the sugary, sprinkle-laden frosting that gave the cookies their name. By my third cookie I usually felt pretty queasy, but hell, I didn’t care–petty things like feelings were for after I’d scraped every bit of frosting out of the plastic. And to be honest, I still don’t care. As I munch on organic grapes and sip Coke Zero, I find myself wishing I could indulge in those dippable cookies once more. Come on, man, don’t you tell me that cheerful, jingle-spouting kangaroo (with Aussie accent, natch) didn’t make you want those cookies. Just remembering the commercial makes my stomach growl.
Alas, not even Amazon or eBay can provide me with the cinnamon-flavored blocks of transfat and the vaguely-frosting-like stuff I desire. I guess I’ll have to…
*dramatic eyebrow-raise*
…make some myself. I’ve already got a frosting recipe; now all I need to do is approximate the cookies.
Updates on this mad science project will come whenever I feel crazy enough to spend time baking just to imitate a long-dead prepackaged snack.
-Jim is getting right on this fitness thing, really he is
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