Bring lunch to the office in style!

Martha buying Emerill is old news (in more ways than one). But here's some new news - and a darn fine brand extension if I do say so. Gather round all ye foodies who also love a good bag. Mario's got us all figured out!

Western Spaghetti

DELICIOUS!

Too hot to cook!

With the temps pushing past the 80s, I've resorted to my usual summer recipe reading mode. And this new widget is a fantastic way to pass the time! Thanks Epicurious!

Sage Shortbread

Savory, sweet, and salty all at the same time, this is the perfect cookie to have with a crisp white wine sitting outdoors in the late afternoon. It takes no time at all to whip up a batch and if you keep a log or two in the freezer, you'll be able to pop cookies in the oven at a moment's notice!

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage leaves or 2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon course kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp cut into 1/2" pieces

Preheat oven to 350

Line cookie sheets with parchment

Blend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add butter pulsing until dough comes together. Divide in half, shape into 1" logs, wrap and chill (freeze 20 minutes).

Cut logs into 1/3" pieces and place on cookie sheet about 1/2" apart. Position oven racks in top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 of oven. Bake 10 minutes and rotate sheets so bottom sheet is on top rack and top sheet is on bottom rack, then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Remove and cool on racks.

Thanks to Greg Atkinson and Epicurious for the recipe.

Chocolate Ganache

This is amazing! Watch a tiny tot (for whom English is not a native language) channel Marc Bittman. More amazing when you watch the original.

I particularly like it when the camera man (dad) can't stifle his giggles.

And, while I've never been good at making ganache, I'm tempted, by the simplicity of this recipe and technique, to give it a try this weekend!

Food Fight

Brilliant chronicle of the geo-political conflicts over the last century and a half...

For more information on each battle and all the characters check out http://www.touristpictures.com/foodfight/index.htm

Who needs pie?

I'm having a deja vu moment. It's from Willi Wonka when Violet grabs a piece of gum and begins experiencing a full 6-course meal (or something like that).

"What brought this on?" you ask?

In this morning's (digital) headlines I read "Give Thanks: Pie Takes On Life Of Its Own". The article goes on to say that Godiva has come up with a line of pie-flavored chocolates and Jones Soda has done the same with fizzy drinks.

Oh come now! Why replace pie with anything else? Tis the season for pie eating and I must say that there is just no substitute for the stuff. Nothing. Absolutely NOTHING should come between a girl and her pie. Not even a fancy chocolate with a pie-flavored soda chaser.


Read on...