Q: My husband and I went to the Saltgrass Steak House in San Antonio, TX, in May. Their side dish of scampi rice was incredible. Does anyone have a recipe?

Sent by Gigi More

Anne, a reader and blogger, just sent us a cute idea for a housewarming party: A cookie swap! Here’s how she did it — complete with printables to download for your own party. More

If you like the no-fuss functionality of restaurant equipment, you’ll probably love this stainless steel wall-mounted dish rack from French design company Tsé & Tsé. It’s advertised as a dish drainer (all the shelves have holes in them) to be hung over the sink, but I honestly think it’d work better as a dishware cabinet in a small kitchen, don’t you? You could even get a couple and hang them side by side for a wall of open cabinetry. More

Have you ever cut into a loaf of freshly baked bread and found a spot of gooey dough, right in the center? I have! I’ve also roasted rolls into dry, crumbly nuggets — never a good thing. The key, I’ve found, to baking really great bread and rolls is using my trusty kitchen thermometer to tell me precisely when the bread is ready. Read on for tips on using your thermometer to get just the right texture in your homemade bread and rolls. More

The salt and pepper grinders in my house are disposable plastic eyesores. Not a beautiful tabletop display, to say the least; so I gathered my personal favorites for salt and pepper mills that are guaranteed to be as striking as they are functional.

• Striking Salt & Pepper Mills
  Apartment Therapy

Although I would hardly say that having a kid has made me wiser — there have been just too many incidents like the one this morning, when not a single of the following clues piqued my concern: 3 year-old going into bathroom to bring his step-stool into another room; the sound of a cabinet opening, a fridge opening followed by a banging sound on the counter, until it was too late and a once-clean child in a once-clean kitchen was making “skwambled” eggs — I can’t help but have come to a few salient conclusions about children/life itself over the last few years that I find infinitely applicable. One, there are few things wrong that a good night’s sleep cannot fix. Two, sometimes you really just need to scream and yell and have a great big noisy fuss for a few minutes and get it all out — pounding your tiny, dimpled fists on the carpet is optional, but this is no time to hold back feeling all the feelings, you know? — so that you can resume being sweet and awesome for the remaining minutes of the day. Finally, there’s not a single person in this universe who does not need a cookie at 4 p.m. each day, like clockwork. Nobody. Not even you. Even in the month of Resolutions.

One of my great cookie loves, and the most ideal 4 p.m. mini-escapist treat, is the chocolate sable from Balthazar Bakery. I don’t get it often, because that would be dangerous. I usually indulge when I’ve mentally committed to walking either there or back or both (exercise!) or I’m having the kind of day that only a walk to SoHo would improve (justification!). If you’ve ever been to Balthazar, you’ve probably looked right past it to ogle the pain au chocolate or burnished plum tarts because it looks plain and dull, hardly competitive with its surroundings, and I think you’ve missed out because alone in its 1/4-inch thick fluted round is the intensity of all the chocolate in Paris. Okay, I exaggerate but still, that’s no excuse to miss it. It’s bittersweet, crisp and sandy; it absolutely aches with chocolate impact and it makes me very happy.

… Read the rest of intensely chocolate sables on smittenkitchen.com

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4.49 / 5 Stars | 541 Reviews

by Emma Maher

“This is a rich and hearty lentil curry, great as a main meal rather than as a side dish like the more traditional Indian dhal. Don’t let the ingredient list faze you, this really is an easy dish to make. This dish is great served with basmati rice.”

View Complete Recipe Details and Reviews

My goal is to greatly reduce the amount of new items I bring into my home and hopefully save money. I feel wasteful constantly cleaning out and sorting through stuff, much of which I never needed in the first place.

• Spend Less, Reduce Clutter
  Apartment Therapy

There’s something about this kitchen that inspires “visions of cottage life, cozy book reading, and a shabby chic seasoned life,” as Apartment Therapy put it in this 2011 House Tour. The vintage kitchen cabinets remain untouched, and they infuse the space with such a warm, old-world feeling. What a treat! See more photos below: More

Q: I am looking for a “solid cast iron skillet” online. From what I am reading, many companies are making cast iron skillets that are not solid. They are made with several different metals. Can you help me find a sold cast iron skillet that is about ten inches in width?

Sent by Louise More