eggnog waffles + a few favorite kitchen things

Posted on December 12, 2015 by artislyfe

I’ve always been a little wary of commercialism here*; I don’t want to be yet another person telling you how to spend your hard-earned money or indicating in any way that there’s a correlation between buying fancy things and being a great cook. Nope, nope, nope. Because of this, we’ve only had one “gift” guide to date, a very basic one, a budget-minded kitchen starter kit populated with the stuff I find it hard to cook without; that was six years ago.

But, as you can imagine, I make a few kitchen- and cooking-related purchases a year. (Cough cough SPUTTER, don’t mind my husband over there; must be this dry air!) It goes with the territory; some of them consume me with regret and I want to shout from the rooftops my contempt for the baked good-ruining parchment paper, the mixers I’ve hated or the stupid pots and pans that never mentioned they weren’t dishwasher-safe (but I’ll behave). Others I want to write love letters across the sky to because either because they were such great investments from the kind of hard-won knowledge one picks up when they spend too much time in the kitchen, or made me exceptionally happy in an absurd way, and thus might make someone you know’s holiday. For something different, let’s dish about these today:

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What to Read This Weekend — Food News: December 7 – 13

Posted on December 12, 2015 by artislyfe

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15 Terrific Kitchen Gifts Under $25 — The Kitchn’s 2015 Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 11, 2015 by artislyfe

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Enticing yet budget-friendly kitchen gifts, we’re coming for you! Beloved friends and family members who would enjoy a cool gift for their kitchen — we’re also coming for you! In fact, we’ll combine those two things into one and just say we have 15 affordable kitchen gift ideas for friends and family who like kitchen gifts.

From suede potholders to Weck jars and walnut slotted fish spatulas, here are the things we’d gift if we only had $25 (or less!) to spend.

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Recipe: Sweet & Sour Cranberries — 5 Food Gift Recipes from Maggie Battista

Posted on December 11, 2015 by artislyfe

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These gems make for an unexpected holiday gift. They’re excellent as is or added onto a cheese plate near some sharp white cheddar. Their delight only transcends when spread into a sandwich or dabbed onto some roast pork. And the sweet, tart liquid that results can be served at the bottom of a flute — topped with Champagne, of course — at any holiday party. Float a few cranberries in the glass, for sure.

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5 Important Things to Know About Baking in a Convection Oven — Tips from The Kitchn

Posted on December 11, 2015 by artislyfe

Alexandra & Eliot’s 1890’s Farmhouse

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Once upon a time, convection ovens were the coveted white whale for home cooks with a passion for baking — always talked about in hushed, reverent tones and rarely seen outside professional kitchens. These days, every newly renovated kitchen seems to have one, but having one doesn’t automatically mean we know how to use them. Need some tips? Here are five things that will help you feel confident baking in your convection oven.

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Boozy Chocolate Mug Cakes Are Here for All Your Last-Minute Gift Needs — Apartment Therapy

Posted on December 10, 2015 by artislyfe

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From Apartment Therapy → Win Your Office Holiday Gift Exchange: Boozy Baileys Chocolate Mug Cake Kit

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Why It’s Dangerous My Food Allergy Is Perceived As A Fad — Strong Opinions

Posted on December 10, 2015 by artislyfe

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Fads are fun to reminisce about, right? I look back fondly on things like slap bracelets, hammer pants, and wildly permed mullets. I spent a lot of time in the late ’80s making fun of my mom’s need to wear shoulder pads in everything.

But fads shift and change along with the cultural conversation, and presently, the way I eat is largely perceived as a fad diet. Every week there is a new article about how gluten-free eaters are really just big babies who should put on their big-girl, wheat-eating pants and just order some pancakes already. Okay, maybe I paraphrased that heavily, but the opinion is out there. My serious food allergy is being seen, and often treated, as a fad.

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10 Thank You Gifts for All the People Who Helped You This Year — The Kitchn’s 2015 Holiday Gift Guide

Posted on December 10, 2015 by artislyfe

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What do you get the friend who spent three hours listening to you vent after a particularly hard day? What about your neighbor who not only watered all your plants while you were on vacation, but fertilized them, too? And don’t forget about your aunt, who came to town just to clean your house when you were so sick you could barely get out of bed. (And in fact, you didn’t. For days.)

It’s alarming to think where we’d be without the small, surprising, and often unfailingly generous help given to us by friends and loved ones. Here are 10 little ways you can thank them this season — and add something pretty or fun to their kitchen in the process!

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Enter For a Chance to Win a Feast on Us! — Holiday Feast Sweepstakes

Posted on December 9, 2015 by artislyfe

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The Kitchn’s teamed up with Clean Plates, Greensbury Market, Quip, Soma, Mouth, House Beautiful and the NYT Wine Club to bring you a great prize package that will have you full, fresh and clean this holiday season. CLICK HERE to enter for a chance to win!

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tres leches cake + a taco party

Posted on December 9, 2015 by artislyfe

After coming to our senses about our dream of a Friendsgiving dinner party last month versus the reality of life with two kids, two full-time jobs, a small oven and a worrisomely low inventory of forks (seriously, where do they go?) we decided instead to have a Taco Dinner Party last weekend. Among our friends, in a tacos vs. turkey throwdown, tacos will always win. This might be why we get along so well.

The menu* is one of my favorites and it’s incredibly simple: A big brisket goes in the slow-cooker the night before and in the morning is transferred to the fridge where it can rest for the day so it can be easily de-fatted and gently rewarmed and shredded before dinner. [Recipe here.] A pot of black beans, which can also be handed off to the slow-cooker, is essential. [I use the Black Bean Ragout from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, but this soup with less liquid isn’t a bad place to start.] I make a giant batch of Lazy Taco Slaw and Pickled Red Onions [recipes outlined at the bottom of this post]. My friend Ang brought over tomatillo salsa from her deck garden [but this one is a great place to start]. I raided the Mexican bodega in my neighborhood for corn tortillas, extra hot sauce, pickled jalapenos and crema, although the grocery store varieties of each work just as well. We juice a lot of limes and make a pitcher or two my go-to 3:2:1 margarita (3 parts tequila, 2 parts lime juice and 1 part Cointreau) [but if you can get blood oranges where you are, do yourself a favor and make these]. And then we made a lot of queso, because I sometimes delight in making food snobs clutch their pearls.

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