October 2011


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Bustin’ a Move With Jamaican Jerk Kale Chips

photo: Matthew Wexler

For me, in the battle of savory versus sweet, a bag of chips will trump a pint of ice cream any day. But a recent annual check-up revealed a cholesterol level inching toward the danger zone. While I like to think that I have a sophisticated palette, I’m not beyond polishing off an order of chicken wings during an episode of Dancing with the Stars. (It’s either that or jump out of my 3rd floor window in sheer sequined horror.)

So in an effort to kick off a healthy start to the holidays, I’ve been baking kale chips at home. Kale chips satisfy my savory cravings and are an incredible source of vitamins A, C and K—ack! Vitamin K? This underdog vitamin is important for blood-clotting and bone strength. Two important things for when I’m dancing around my apartment to the monotone musings of Brooke Burke.

Now, we’ve had our fair share of problems mastering kale chips here on ES, so please pay attention.

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in Celebs / Recipe / TV / Veggie 2 comments
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Harsh and Sweet: Double Garlic Cheesy Bread

Sometimes I forget the power of simple ingredients. I get wrapped up in hybrid varieties of greens or purple cauliflower or six blends of curry and don’t concentrate on highlighting one single flavor. Enter garlic.

In all my years of manipulating food, I’ve never roasted garlic. I like that raw, biting garlic flavor instead of the mellow, sweet roasted nature. But while roasting tomatoes for soup, I threw a head of garlic into the oven.

Bennett likes how garlic softens after a long time in high heat and bonus points – it’s easily spreadable.

I cut off just a nip of the top, exposing the garlic while leaving the cloves in its house. I already tore off the papery outer skin. Before wrapping the entire head in aluminum, I slathered oil on the garlic’s cut side. It sat in a 400° oven for about 35-40 minutes.

After resting for a few minutes, I squeezed 5 cloves into a bowl and mashed them with goat cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. Once everything all creamed together, I stirred in chopped parsley.

Now this tasted fine on its own. But because I need more of that harsh garlicness, I used the bits I cut off and rubbed them on toasted rosemary bread, which is a pretty cool technique because the garlic just melts into the bread.

I then quickly spread the goat cheese mixture on the bread and served with tomato soup.

in Cheese / Recipe / Veggie 0 comments
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Celebs Eat Just Like Us: Mindy Kaling’s Chicken Banh Mi Fixings

Funny girl Mindy Kaling is just like us. She loves eggplant parm sandwiches. She just doesn’t want to spend hours trickin’ out that greasy, cheesy Italian-American staple.

Instead, she quickly tops store-bought rotisserie chicken with a few fresh ingredients for a Banh Mi. While nothing Mindy adds to the sandwich is particularly intriguing—cucumbers, cilantro, Sriracha—her “pickled” carrots deserve a mention.

Sliced “picked” carrots (I quickly julienne two carrots and put them in a tupperware with rice vinegar and a half-teaspoon of sugar and a dash of salt).

Who wants to deal with real pickling? Real canning? Ugh. Do like Mindy. Quickly pickle.

(Photo: The Concerns of Mindy Kaling)

in Celebs 4 comments
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The Best of the Pumpkin: A Jack O’Lantern Home Birth

Please thank the good folks of Blessed Birth Doula Services for their creative, slightly horrifying, but very on-trend, Halloween contribution: a pumpkin home birth.

Now go on, try to get back to work.

Not terrified enough? Check out the rest of our Halloween tips: costumes, cocktails, cakes and we promise, no more veggie pregnancy scenarios.

(Photo: Blessed Birth Doula Services)

in Holiday / Veggie 2 comments
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Cocktail O’Clock: Sweet Charity

Champagne cocktails are dead. Long live prosecco cocktails.

The “Sweet Charity” at Tulio in Seattle mixes a glass of prosecco with a dash of Nocello (hazelnut liqueur) and a drop of cassis, and garnishes it with hazelnut brittle over the top.

Mix:
3/4 oz Nocello
3/4 oz cassis

Fill the glass with prosecco.

Find more creative cocktail ideas in Endless Cocktails.

in Endless Cocktails / Uncategorized 0 comments
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A Kitchen Carry-On

More often than not, when I cook it isn’t in my own kitchen. I cook with friends; it’s something I enjoy most. One of the biggest problems when cooking in a kitchen other than my own is the lack of equipment and supplies — not everyone has the counter space or the means to have a KitchenAid or Cuisinart at their disposal, or a cabinet full of spices. But who wants to spend $7 on a bottle of garam masala for a one-time use? I know I wouldn’t, but it is something I use and I’d never expect a host to buy a bottle for a one-off dinner party. Solution: over the past few years I’ve built up a kitchen travel bag of sorts, my own goodie bag of kitchen supplies that I don’t expect any of my friends to stock themselves, but I simply can’t cook without.

Keep reading for my must-have list of kitchen items to carry when cooking away from home.

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in Food Travel / Lists / Personal 2 comments
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Top 10 Trick-or-Treat Fails

Everyone knows that Halloween is the most exhilarating time of year. Staying out late, dressing up in fun costumes and the ultimate excitement: free candy!

But a dark shadow is cast over these golden memories…every year, without fail, there are a few houses that just don’t GET IT. Somehow people are still handing out disappointing, bland, or downright gross “treats.”

Top 10 Trick-or-Treat Fails

10. Good & Plenty

Let’s just get this obvious one out of the way. Who likes black licorice? Nobody. Especially not kids. It tastes like gasoline, barf, trash and moldy sugar all melted together. Good & Plenty should be called “Bad & Too Much” because any amount of black licorice is too much to handle.

(Photo: Wikipedia)

9. Dots

Weird texture, weird taste, vaguely medicinal. Where’s the appeal? Tropical Dots were marginally better, but still fall in the category of “vast childhood disappointment.”

(Photo: candy.com)

8. Mounds

Wait, wait, wait. Let’s get one thing straight. Coconut is fantastic. Chocolate is a no-brainer, especially on Halloween. So why have we included Mounds on this list of shame? Because why on earth would you dole out Mounds when Almond Joys are on the table? Almond versus no almond? Almonds are delicious! Don’t deny any child this simple pleasure.

(Photo: candydirect.com)

7. Payday

Payday suffers the same affliction as Mounds. Peanuts, fine. Caramel, fine. But when there are myriad candy bars out there that have peanuts and caramel covered in chocolate, why would you neglect that?! You are not a real candy bar!!!

(Photo: candydirect.com)

6. Tootsie Rolls

(Photo: thelittlesweetshop.com)

Let’s just be honest. These are the little turds of the candy world. You may not hate Tootsie Rolls, but do some soul-searching. Do you love them? Are you excited to see someone carelessly toss a handful of these into your trick-or-treat bag? Hell no.

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in Holiday / Top 10 Lists 25 comments
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