We are addicted to Pinterest and have found it possible to find the coolest Culinary Utensils around.
$16.50 on Amazon
Spoon, could you give me a hand?
Written by Les on December 31st, 2011Last Minute Gifts in Santa Cruz made in Santa Cruz?
Written by Les on December 23rd, 2011
- Verve Coffee – for someone who LOVES coffee, get them the exceptional – Kenya Karatu $23.40 OR a 3-6 month subscription.
- el Salchichero Charcuterie Butcher for fixings for a Cheese & Charcuterie Platter - in Santa Cruz on Swift Street. Persimmon Mostarda - Emperor Norton Canning Company (savory-tangy-sweet flavor) OR other canned goodies for a Charcuterie Meat & Cheese Tray with all the trimmings. House Made Curry Raisins – made at el Salchichero Chacuterie Butcher
- Friend in Cheeses Jam Company - “Chow Chow”, “Pinot Cherries,” “Carrot Marmalade,” “Forbidden Fruit Marmalade,” “Fig Fennel Jam,” and “Spring Onion Jam” that you can buy in Santa Cruz at New Leaf, Shopper’s Corner, Staff of Life, Hay Market (Willow Glen) … or order online for $8 a jar. For suggested pairings from owner Tabitha, – see here.
- Sones Cellars-Refillable Bottle - Hedgehog Red, a petite sirah-zinfandel blend classified as a red table wine that is tapped from a tasting room barrel and sold in refillable bottles. $5 for the bottle $12 for refills ($10 for wine club members). We tasted it yesterday and it was, yes, very tasty!
- Santa Cruz Food Tour Tickets! ($52.50 ea. – lasts 3.5 hours, all food included)
5 Foodie Stocking Stuffers • 2011
Written by Les on December 21st, 2011
5 Stocking Stuffer List for Foodies:
- FusionBrand StirStik • Stir, Flip, Spread & they look like Paint Stir Sticks - $7
- FusionBrand FoodPod • the boil/blanch/steam/drain silicone pod – $14.99
- Food Fighter Party Picks • For Finger Foods – $9.99
- Fridge Mount for iPad 2 • Read your recipes with ease – $29.99
- Joseph Joseph 5 in 1 Utensil – $7.99
Rum Cake Recipe for Christmas
Written by Les on December 13th, 2011
This is a family holiday tradition food gift. You can freeze the cake and serve it on Christmas but it is hard to resist for that long. I baked the one in the photograph in a Bundt cake pan with no middle section out of it. It baked at 325F for about 50 minutes instead of an hour. It came out perfectly! The versions below are some we’ve made in the past with regular Bundt cake pans.
BITF Food Photos • A Photo-Shoot for Santa Cruz Food Tours!
Written by Les on November 29th, 2011
We did a photo shoot for Santa Cruz Food Tours! They updated their website with the photographs and it looks great! Superb, tasty, and fun food tour with lots of Santa Cruz history too.
Hello Holidays: Family Food Holiday Traditions Dinner Party Idea
Written by Les on November 25th, 2011
Start out the holidays right by gathering your friends for a December Holiday Party!
What: Family Food Traditions Holiday Party
When: December
Number: 10 people (1-2 dishes or a drink per couple), or 5 couples
Wear: Holiday Sweaters
Bring: Tell each friend/couple to bring a Family Food Holiday Tradition to Share
* Get an idea of what everyone is bringing so you don’t have 5 meat dishes or 5 desserts (or maybe that is OK).
Gifts: White Elephant (humorous) under $15 per person
Cocktails: Traditional Wassail Holiday Cocktail Recipe & Evan Williams Eggnog ($10 @ Bevmo)
If you do this, let us know how it goes! We are going to try it out too … recipes to follow.
In the meantime, you can see some of our “Tried & True Family Recipes for the Holidays”: Appetizer, Gift Munchies, Cookies, Breakfast Pastry, and Grits.
Having a huge cocktail party? Tips for $310 Cocktail Party for 30 People!
What does your Thanksgiving Plate say about you?
Written by Les on November 15th, 2011
What does your Thanksgiving plate say about you?
- Large Portions: Big Personality, your an extrovert, and like attention from the amount of food you put on your plate
- Small Portions: Self Controlling, aware of consequences, shy, polite
- Average Plate (sides are touching and it isn’t overloaded, just enough): Logical and well-adjusted (maybe predictable)
- Messy Plate: Easy-going, friendly, not high maintenance, a little aloof but you don’t care, because you didn’t notice anyways
- Super Neat Plate: Precise, many boundaries, controlled, need to let loose a little, I mean, come on, it’s Turkey Day!
Two Favorite Thanksgiving Salads with Persimmons:
& Don’t forget this Thanksgiving Cocktail Recipe and to make this tasty thing the day after Thanksgiving with your leftover turkey!
Breakfast for Dinner Club Menu
Written by Les on November 8th, 2011
When mom is out of town or dad is out town, breakfast for dinner! But when Gourmet group meets, is brunch for dinner off limits? Absolutely not. Come on, you can wear your pajamas.
Breakfast for Dinner, Menu for Ten:
- Mango Bellinis
- Tomato Basil Quiche Recipe Baked in cute Quiche pans from Target (For the brave, try Bouchon Quiche Recipe, out of this world, but check out our tips!)
- Individual Parmesan Hash Brown Cups (Super simple, super tasty, have two!)
- Granola, Yogurt, & Berry Parfait Recipe (w/ Homemade Pecan Maple Granola Recipe)
- Maple Pecan-Crusted Bacon Recipe (well, the meal centers around this)
- Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe