Warren Brown’s first foray into cookbook writing, “CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch”, was published on May 1st, and like many dessert lovers and home bakers, I could barely contain my enthusiasm when I finally got to plunk down my $27.50 for the oversized tome, full of beautiful photographs by Renee Comet.

If the name Warren Brown sounds vaguely familiar to you, it may be because you’ve seen him on Oprah or Today, or maybe because of his second (third, now) job hosting Sugar Rush on the Food Network. Brown left his law career and opened his first CakeLove bakery in Washington, DC in 2002, which has since branched out to three bakeries and a cafe, with two more bakeries in the works.

You may not think much of your silverware or your plates, but someone does.  The results of designboom’s Dining in 2015 design competition were announced a few months back, and there were a number of fantastic entries.  Out of a total of 4843 entries from 98 countries, the five person jury narrowed it down to 3 first prize entries and an honorable mention from a shortlist of 160 amazing entries.  My favorite entry from the shortlist, pictured above, is the “cutlery in a wallet,” designed by Alberto Ghirardello of Italy. It was “designed to facilitate outdoor eating,” and I can’t think of an easier and more compact way to do exactly that.

Read More | Format

It’s summer, and the food lobe of my brain turns to one thing when the weather starts warming up - avocados. Being on the East Coast, avocados are definitely my favorite summertime-only indulgence, and they are well worth the wait in all of their forms. Another recipe from Clean Eating magazine, these Avocado Salad Wraps are fantastic as a light lunch or, when paired with some bread or tortillas, a stove-free dinner on a hot day.

Ingredients:

• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1 medium ripe avocado, diced
• 1 medium ripe tomato, chopped into pieces the same size as the avocado
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• lime juice (optional)
• 4 big lettuce leaves (romaine works great)

Preparation:
Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl. If the wraps aren’t going to be eaten right away, toss some lime juice into the bowl with the salad.

Divide the salad between the 4 lettuce leaves, wrap and enjoy!  Or, if you’re like me, eschew the lettuce altogether and eat the salad straight out of the bowl.

Read More | Clean Eating Magazine

After a number of unsuccessful changes to the brand, the Schlitz brewery (one of the oldest of the old school breweries) closed in 1981. First brewed in 1849, Schlitz beer was successful for over 100 years before changes in production (and the overall quality of the final product) killed the product’s popularity and, therefore, sales.  The brand changed hands twice - once in 1982 to Stroh and earlier this year to Pabst - and is now being brewed again and is in such high demand that stores are reportedly limiting the numbers of cases customers can buy at one time.

Though brewing operations are on the east coast, Schlitz is currently only available in Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis and Western Florida.  Pabst is hopeful that the new old brew will be more widely available as brewing operations ramp up.

Read More | MSNBC

As part of a huge makeover and the accompanying advertising campaign, Ruby Tuesday will be demolishing their last “old” restaurant on Tuesday August 5 - and they’ll be webcasting it live at 3:00 PM Eastern.  Whatever your reason for being excited about this, if you want to catch it live take a coffee break and head on over to their website.

Read More | Ruby Tuesday

This pasta salad is one of my favorite potluck contributions. Because of the fact that the pasta has to be completely cool - at most room temperature - before assembling the salad, it’s a great dish to start at night and finish the next day. Here’s a recipe for a great Summer Pasta Salad:

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb smallish, shaped pasta (rotini, farfalle, macaroni, anything small and easily fork-able)
• 1/2 bottle of Italian dressing (not creamy)
• 4 T Salad Supreme
• 1 12 to 14 inch cucumber or two smaller ones, peeled and seeded
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and halved
• 4 ounces Provolone cheese (this is usually 4 slices of prepackaged sliced cheese)
• 4 ounces salami (again, usually 4 slices of prepackaged sliced meat, but this can also be 4 ounces from a whole salami)

Beans and rice, rice and beans. Endorsed by scores of nations worldwide, beans and rice provides a balance of protein and carbs that can hardly be beat (not to mention the combination creates a very thrifty meal). Add some chicken for an extra protein bump and some salsa for flavor, and you have a dinner that’s quick, healthy and delish.

This recipe came to me via the print edition of Clean Eating magazine, which I highly endorse.

I have a friend who requests one thing for his birthday every year - brownies. After a few trial and error batches with various recipes, I discovered this recipe two years ago and have never looked back - the combination of easy preparation and a texture that falls somewhere between a cake and a piece of fudge make this recipe a winner.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz 70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

I love Chinese food. If I had my way, I’d have it at least once a day, every day. I’m lucky enough to have four Chinese delivery options in my neighborhood, and you can bet I know exactly which one to call depending on what I have a taste for that day. But when I came across this recipe on the Internet one day, I had to try it.  I think that I am safe in saying that my calls to delivery joints might become a little less frequent.

I prefer to have vegetables prepared with every dinner that I serve my family, so it is nice to come across a recipe that is easy to prepare while the entree is cooking away. True, the kids may pick and choose which veggie is their favorite, as my 4-year-old would, but I enjoy all three as I hope your family will. This recipe calls for frozen vegetables to save time, but I always love to use fresh when given the choice…up to your preference.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pkg. 10 oz. frozen corn kernels
• 1 pkg. 10 oz. frozen cut green beans
• 5 oz. fresh baby spinach
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• coarse salt and ground pepper

Preparation:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high, add corn and green beans, and cook about 4-6 minutes, until green beans are warmed through. Next add the thyme and spinach, seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss until spinach is wilted, about 1-2 minutes, then stir in the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in a bright dish for added pizazz.

I absolutely love salads, so when I come across a new recipe, I have to share it with everyone - we all could use more veggies in our diets. This recipe is quite simple and tasty, as well as pleasing to the eye—because I am a huge believer in that we first eat with our eyes, before our mouths.

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces baby arugula
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted if desired(my preference)
• 2 TB red wine vinegar
• 2 TB olive oil
• coarse salt and ground pepper to taste

Preparation:
In medium bowl, layer the first 5 ingredients and set aside. In separate tightly lidded container, combine vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper; shake until blended. Pour directly onto salad and toss.

Enjoy a fresh, quick salad.

When our family is enjoying any kind of meat dish, I love to break out the horseradish and announce to whoever is within earshot, “Horseradish makes EVERYTHING taste better”. So when I came across this recipe in Everyday Food for beef skewers with rosemary (one of my favorite herbs to cook with), my mouth started watering at the thought of dipping the yummy skewers into a horseradish dipping sauce, bringing the whole dish to a new level.

Ingredients:

• 3 flat iron (shoulder top blade) steaks (1 1/2 pounds total, with gristle removed)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish, drained
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• Eight 6 inch wooden skewers

Nothing says “good eating” like wet again sirloins, right? We snapped this picture during CES in Las Vegas outside of a Gallagher’s restaurant, and just had to post it when we found it in our iPhoto library. I mean, it just says so much - a little too much.

We have images of the full sign, as well as the actual aging beef, after the jump if you are interested.

Seafood is not that big a thing around Gear Live’s virtual offices. And while I can’t speak for the other editors, I’ve been known to hit up the neighborhood Red Lobster solely for the biscuits. Unfortunately, the staff at the ol’ RL didn’t take kindly on a person who goes in alone and has nothing but biscuits, a side salad and water. That left me trying to recreate the little starchy wonders at home.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup margarine or butter
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups of baking mix (I use Bisquick)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

I can’t even come up with words to properly convey my feelings for tzaziki. Cool, creamy, and fantastic with everything from vegetables to steak. It’s incredibly easy to make, and incredibly easy to customize to your own taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plain yogurt (this can be regular yogurt or Greek yogurt, fat free or as fatty as you’d like, as long as it’s plain)
• 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
• 1 or 2 pinches of salt
• 1/4 cup fresh mint
• 3 cloves of fresh garlic or 1 tablespoon of pre-minced garlic from a jar

In case you haven’t heard of TasteBook, think of it as iTunes for recipes. Basically, you head on over to the site, and you are able to fill your own customized recipe book with a certain number of recipes. You can choose from over 20,000 of them, and you can mix and match them in any way you like. You can even design your own cover! We’ve seen people create themed books, like vegetarian, chicken recipes, soups, etc., while other just go crazy and throw in anything that looks appetizing to them. The end result is a beaufitul, hard-bound cookbook with recipes that can be removed and put back in.

If interested, head on over to the TasteBook website using this TasteBook coupon and you’ll get $10 off of a book. If you end up getting one, let us know what you chose, and what you think once you get it.

Read More | Save $10 on TasteBook

Risotto has a reputation for being tedious, laborious, and finicky. To some extent, I agree. It takes a while to prepare, you have to have your mise en place* on point, and if you’re really hungry you could end up eating your fill WHILE you’re cooking dinner. However, if you have some time and don’t mind putting up with a tired arm from all of the stirring, risotto can be one of the most satisfying meals or elegant sides you’ll ever make.

Ingredients:

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 teaspoons minced garlic from a jar)
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2 to 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley (also called Italian - this is NOT curly parsley)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (I use petite sweet peas but any kind work)
• 1/4 to 1/2 grated Parmesan cheese (as always, fresh is best but the pre-grated stuff from the store works just as well)

These Sausage Ball appetizers are great for entertaining. They come together quickly, freeze well, and can be baked up in a snap.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups baking mix (I use Bisquick)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 pound ground sausage (any kind), uncooked

I’m on a personal mission to get you baking, readers! These cranberry lemon muffins, which I’ve adapted from Nigella Lawson’s classic “How To Be A Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking”, are easy, fast, and delish.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/3 all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Juice and and chopped zest of 1 lemon
• Approximately 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 5 ounces dried cranberries

Some people can take or leave oyster crackers. Often overlooked when they arrive with your soup or salad, I say that these little hexagonal nuggets of salty, starchy goodness are completely underrated. This recipe, passed to me by my mom via her godmother, has been not only a party hit but a comfort food when I’m craving something savory.

Cake. We can all agree that it’s awesome, correct? Good. While it’s undeniably easy to stop in your trendiest neighborhood bakery or pick up a boxed mix and a tub of frosting (and please just… don’t), making a cake from scratch is not nearly as intimidating as you might think. In fact, I’m fully confident that anyone with a mixer and a bundt pan can successfully bake this cake. Besides, starting from a recipe as great as this one, you don’t have to be an expert baker, you just have to have good notes from the real recipe experts - in this case, grandmothers.

We know, it sounds odd. Why would anyone want to drink tea that has bee picked by a monkey? Does it make it taste any better? As the story goes, this is some of the best tea available, but the trees it grows in are too high, and the mountain face where the trees are is too steep. However, the tea is so delicious that the locals had to have it - so they trained monkeys to pick it. Fast-forward to today, and the practice of monkeys picking tea has pretty much died out, except in one small village where the tradition continues to this day.

Each package is about 2 oz, and we hear it is just about the finest loose tea you’ll ever taste. Each bag makes about 28 servings. Go ahead and pick up a bag over at ThinkGeek Caffeine. Find it under the drinks area.

Read More | ThinkGeek Caffeine

Ingredients:

1 lb Bacon, fried
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pint of heavy cream
1 lb Chicken sauteed until done
2 cups Parmesan or Romano cheese, shredded

Our family likes to make up a batch or two of these healthy oatmeal cookies to keep in the freezer, they work great for when we are feeling like something sweet but not wanting to be “bad.“ They make a healthy treat for the whole family, and they are so easy to make. I make these cookies if I am wanting to do some cooking with the kids but don’t have time to make something that is really involved. Because you don’t have to bake these cookies, they make up in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (or other shortening of choice)
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, less if you don’t like a really rich chocolate flavor
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat combine the maple syrup, oil, cocoa and cinnamon. Boil for three minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter, rolled oats and vanilla until well blended.
3. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto waxed paper (I used foil and sprayed it so they wouldn’t stick) and chill to set, about 30 minutes. Keep refrigerated.
   
   
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   ]]> 2007-10-17T15:50:00-08:00 http://food.gearlive.com/food/article/q107-recipe-vegan-no-bake-oatmeal-cookies/ http://feeds.gearlive.com/~r/foodsqueeze/~3/170285167/ Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dishes, Snacks, Recipes, Grains, Nuts, America, Baking

I made these muffins last night to go with our dinner and, wow, they were awesome! The kids loved them—in fact, I think they would have preferred to just have muffins for dinner! I got this recipe from All Recipes and altered it quite a bit. I was very happy with how they turned out, very moist and full of flavor. If you want a little sweeter muffin, add more honey, or just drizzle a little honey on your warm muffin. These were great, we will be trying them again soon.