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A Must-Do for Culinary Vacations in New York City
If you are on a culinary vacation in New York City and a cheese lover, you must stop by Murray’s Cheese store on Bleeker Street in Greenwich Village. Unfortunately, they are out of their 65th anniversary cheese special. The cheese store, which opened up in 1940 is a Zagat guide and local’s favorite. Over the years, they’ve expanded their store to offer wine and cheese courses and an online gift store that includes cheese, apparel, gifts, and more. It is a New York institute and offers over 200 cheeses from around the world.
For more information on Murray’s, you can visit their website, www.murrayscheese.com. And for gifts, check out their catalog online – that is if you can’t make it to New York City this holiday season.
To find out about Murray’s wine and cheese classes, go to Education on their website. They offer a range of courses, from Cheese 101 to Cheese and Malt Whisky (Malt Whisky?). – MA
November 30, 2005 in Cheese | Permalink | Comments (0)
Simplehuman introduces Single Cup Coffee Maker
Simplehuman has just introduced their own Single Cup Coffee Pod Brewer. All their products have a great design look and are well made, so we have high hopes for this product. Our sample is on its way, and we're looking forward to reviewing this newest single cup coffee maker. Stay tuned.
Simplehuman Coffee Pod Brewer
November 30, 2005 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Coffee & Espresso | Permalink | Comments (0)
9 Kitchen Essentials from Alton Brown
From Alton Brown's very own quirky mind comes his nine kitchen essentials. Some you might have in your own kitchen and maybe there's a few to add if you agree with him. These nine are his must-haves, and if you visit his website, you'll find 16 other "Alton Essentials".- Lodge Cast Iron Skillet - There's just something about cooking in a heavy cast iron skillet, like eggs over easy or pancakes, that's unlike any other pan.
- Peeler by Firm Grip
- Temperature Probe - every kitchen needs an instant read thermometer.
- Oven Thermometer - just to make sure that your oven is the temperature you want and not what the dial tells you
- Pizza stone - we don't have one, so we can't tell you what we think.
- Electric Knife by Black & Decker - don't have this either but maybe we're just old fashioned and like a good carving knife.
- Cuisinart Mini-Prep - we have one, but can't remember the last time we used it. Was easy to clean and we think that's Alton's point here.
- Electric Kettle - boils water faster than a microwave or stovetop. Gotta have one.
- Spring loaded tongs - we have a couple and could use a few more actually.
November 30, 2005 in Kitchen Essentials | Permalink | Comments (0)
Holidays in Temecula Wine Country
The holiday rush just started, and it's already time to escape the mall madness! Thankfully, respite is just a hop, skip and jump away (actually, 50 miles north of San Diego and 90 miles south of Los Angeles). Just because you
Start with a visit to the Temecula Creek Inn in Southern California's burgeoning wine country. The hotel offers a "Holiday Wine Country Getaway Package," which features breakfast and dinner at the restaurant, the Temet Grill, winery tours, and a gourmet picnic lunch (priced from $149 per person).
With the family? There will be a Teddy Bear Christmas Storybook Reading and Cookie Decorating Party on December 8, 15 and 22 in the Inn's Kiva Ballroom. The Temet Grill also offers Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day champagne brunch, and New Year's Eve specials.
Visit Temecula Creek Inn for more info.
November 29, 2005 in Food & Wine Country Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)
Great Cookbooks for a Great Price
Just in time for the holidays, Daily Olive, in partnership with Jessica's Biscuit ecookbooks.com, has launched a new online cookbook store. You'll find bestsellers like "Boulevard," the companion to chef Nancy Oaks' popular San Francisco eatery, and "Everyday Italian," by Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis -- for up to 30% to 40% off cover price. It makes holiday shopping for your favorite foodie even easier (especially if that foodie is you).
November 29, 2005 in Daily Olive News | Permalink | Comments (0)
Holiday Gift for Cheese Lovers
Finding a great gift for cheese lovers can be difficult. It's not like you can box a hunk of cheese and tie a ribbon around it. For those who love cheese, such as I, the love of cheese goes right up there with the love of fine wine. Every flavor, every kind is different and delicious. I like them all: soft, hard, bleu, yellow. If you know of a cheese lover, may I suggest the cheese-a-month gift for the holidays available at Williams-Sonoma? It’s a gift that keeps on giving, right through the spring and into the summer, if you so choose. Three cheeses arrive monthly with wine pairing suggestions. It's a perfect compliment for wine lovers too. - MA
November 28, 2005 in Cheese | Permalink | Comments (1)
Stainless Steel Cheese Slicer
Try this stylish cheese slicer made of stainless steel that uses a wire to cut the perfect slice of cheese. German design.
Cheese Slicer | $22 at UncommonGoods.com
November 23, 2005 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide | Permalink | Comments (1)
For Your Next Wine Tasting Party from RedEnvelope.com
Turn your next wine party into a first-class event. Wine bottles are slipped into faux-suede wine bags with charms labeling them one through four. After tasting each wine, guests write their descriptions on scorecards. Even if no one correctly identifies the wine, engaging conversation is guaranteed, and everyone will leave with a better grasp of the facets of wine tasting.
Wine Tasting Party Kit | $75 at RedEnvelope.com
November 21, 2005 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, All Things Wine | Permalink | Comments (0)
Silicone Bakeware Surges in Popularity for Holiday Baking
Have you noticed the popularity of silicone kitchen equipment? We were shopping at our Bed, Bath, & Beyond store this weekend, and were floored by the amount of floor space given to silicone bakeware and other cooking accessories. Has anyone else noticed?
For sure, silicone baking mats like Silpat and basting brushes work wonders in our kitchen, but now there's so much more. From muffin pans, to bread loafs, to cake forms, spatulas, gloves, and rolling pins . Wow! How much silicone cooking accessories has made it into your kitchens?
See silicone cooking accessories at: Chef's Catalog | Sur la Table | Amazon
November 21, 2005 in Kitchen Essentials | Permalink | Comments (1)
Our Senseo Review - A year later
Last year, we were given a Senseo Single Serve Coffee Machine, and here we are now getting around to our review. So after a year, the good news is that we're still using the machine. Of course, the best part of the machine is its convenience of making a single pot without the waste of making a full pot. And funny enough, we've even used it during dinner parties because we've been able to make custom made cups for individual tastes--dark roast, espresso blend, decaf, etc.
And since we've discovered Kona-Pods, the quality of coffee experience has been improved over the Douwe Egberts brand that Senseo recommends. Some things we hope they improve is the water storage is accessed from behind, and raising the spout a bit higher for larger cups. One solution is the larger capacity water tank
Overall, Senseo is a nice addition to your kitchen if you want the ease of making a single cup of coffee.
Senseo Single Serve Coffee Machine
November 21, 2005 in Coffee & Espresso | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wine Tasting: You Like What You Like and That's OK
One very important thing I learned from my husband when he began his now four-year teachings of wine tasting is this: You like what you like. This was proven at a recent wine club I hosted. We brown-bagged five wines, ranging in price from $10 to $50. Many guests selected the $10 wine. You'd assume they would have preferred the more expensive wine, but we all agreed: Everybody has their own taste and that's just fine.
In the November 17, 2005, online edition of the the New York Times, writer Eric Asimov concurs with my counterparts in his article titled "Wine of the Times: Eternal Question Not Really Answered." In the article, panel members also blind tasted some wines and discussed their favorite Thanksgiving wines. One thing was conclusive, consensus was rare.
Read full article: Eternal Question, Not Really Answered
November 18, 2005 in All Things Wine | Permalink | Comments (0)
Handmade Wines from Winemakers Around the World by Oriel
Oriel commissions winemakers from around the world to create a limited quantitiy of truly handmade wine that is special to their region. Assembled all under one Oriel label helps keep overhead low and wines affordable. Oriel also offers quarterly memberships that include 6 bottles of handmade wine per quarter, special event invitations, and more. Founder Memberships offer more privileges including a concierge service and access to wineries around the world.
See a sample wine spec for 2003 Courant Cotes du Rhone by winemaker Louis Barruol.
Oriel | Official Website
November 17, 2005 in All Things Wine | Permalink | Comments (0)
Modern Holiday Cards & Invitations
Special Promo - Free Pashimina with $125 order
Our friends at Fabulous Stationery let us know that they have a great holiday special running right now. Order $125 of their custom imprinted cards and get a free Pashimina scarf (value $100) with your order.
We featured Fabulous Stationery before because we love their contemporary greeting card designs and custom imprinting service. Check out their holiday invites and cards.
November 16, 2005 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Parties & Entertaining | Permalink | Comments (0)
Truss up with the Food Loop
The FoodLoop is a heat resistant silicone food trussing tool that easily holds your food in place without the fuss of strings and tying knots. Have some of these handy in your kitchen for the holidays.
Website: The FoodLoop
November 16, 2005 in Kitchen Gadgets | Permalink | Comments (1)
Wonderful Kona Coffee Pods for Your Senseo
Improve your Senseo and single cup coffee maker experience with Kona Coffee Pods
Over the past week, we've been trying Kona coffee pods from Aloha Island Coffee in our Senseo machine. What a revelation! Not to knock Douwe Egberts coffee, but using these coffee pods has really brought more enjoyment from our Senseo.
These Kono pods come in a 20% Kona blend, or in 100% Kona coffee selections packed into single or double serving pods packs. The taste from these estate coffee beans is clean and rich, and will bring a new dimension to your Senseo experience.
Kona Coffee Pods | order direct from Aloha Island Coffee
November 15, 2005 in Coffee & Espresso | Permalink | Comments (0)
Ideas for Wine Gift Baskets
Wine gift baskets have become a popular way to show your appreciation to friends, party hosts, clients, and colleagues. Here's a quick selection of some great wine gift baskets.
- Tour the Wine Country Gift Basket
- Executive Selection Wine Gift Pack
- California Wine Tasting Gift Basket
- Celebration Box with Sparkling Wine Gift Basket
See more wine gift ideas: Wine Country Gifts | Gift Baskets | Great for Gifts | Wine Collections
November 14, 2005 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide | Permalink | Comments (0)
Bestselling Cookbooks - Week of November 7 2005
From our friends at ecookbooks.com, here's their bestselling cookbooks this week--
- America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook - by Cook's Illustrated Editors - Many years in the making, this comprehensive cookbook delivers more than 1,...
- Baker's Tour - by Nick Malgieri - 100 delectable recipes for cookies, cakes, breads, ...
- America's Best Recipes 2005-2006 - forward by Mario Batali - Every year The Best American Recipes is chosen by critics as one of the nation's top cookbooks. ...
- Best Recipes in the World - by Mark Bittman - Mark Bittman traveled the world to find and bring back the best recipes of home cooks from 44 countries. ...
- Charcuterie - forward by Thomas Keller - Charcuterie, a culinary specialty that originally referred to the creation of pork products such as salami, ...
- Cooking at Home with America's Test Kitchen - by America's Test Kitchen - Watching a celebrity chef prepare a recipe on TV can be alot of fun, ...
- DVD French Chef with Julia Child - by Julia Child - Chefs of all ages and abilities can share Julia's love of fine French food and learn to cook some of her most-loved dishes with this special collection of 18 episodes from her original series. ...
- Everyday Italian - by Giada De Laurentiis - Charming, gorgeous, and extremely talented, Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian...
- Fast Food My Way - Jacques Pepin - Cooks in a hurry...
November 11, 2005 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Cookbooks | Permalink | Comments (0)
Cooking.com Coupons & Specials
Get ready for holiday cooking and baking season with these special coupons and promotions at Cooking.com
- New Customers Save $10!
- Free Shipping - Get free shipping with orders over $75 - coupon code: C93893
- Special Values
- 25% off All-Clad open stock, rebates, free cookbooks and more
- SAVE $100! 10 inch Nonstick Everyday Pan with Stainless Steel Lid.
- Free shipping on $69 purchase from Top Brands
November 9, 2005 in Special Promotions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Thanksgiving Menu and Recipe Collection
Straight from the test kitchens of Gourmet Magazine, plan your Thanksgiving menu with these recipes ranging from stuffings, pies and desserts, vegetarian choices, 10 ways to prepare turkey, and of course, leftover turkey recipes.
Also included, a complete primer on preparing a deep-fried turkey - with video, equipment suggestions, safety tips, and a recipe.
Thanksgiving Menus and Recipes | via epicurious.com
November 9, 2005 in Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (0)
Daily Olive Reader Favorites
Our readers have been busy this week, and here's some of your favorite posts.
- In search of inspiration & ideas? - Thanksgiving Ideas from Martha Stewart
- Silver Spoon Cookbook - Now in English - Add to your cookbook collection
- Wines for Thanksgiving - get some hot recommendations
- A Retro Wine Rack - The Wine Knot - a bit out of the ordinary
- Keep Wines Chilled with Winesceptre - cool new wine gadget that works too!
- Contemporary Party Invitations - for something fresh
- Our entire Thanksgiving category - it really is our busiest section
- Real Food - to know it is to love it - visit your local farmer's market this week
November 8, 2005 in Daily Olive Favorites | Permalink | Comments (0)
Chocolate for Baking - by America's Test Kitchen
America's Test Kitchen just recently tested chocolates in preparation for our holiday baking. Here are their Test Kitchen winners--
- Unsweetened Chocolate - Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Chocolate
- Cocoa Powder - Callebaut Cocoa Powder
- Bittersweet/Semisweet Chocolate - Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate
- Chocolate Chips - Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Chips & Nestle Semisweet Chocolate Chunks
Give a Cook's Illustrated Gift Subscription this holiday season.
November 7, 2005 in Baking, Chocolate | Permalink | Comments (0)
Gourmet Chocolate Bars with Classic Creme Fillings
Chocolate Bar NYC introduces Retro Chocolate Bars made with their finest gourmet chocolate and filled with flavors inspired by "broadwalk candy stores". Creme flavors include Salted Pretzel, Key Lime Pie, Peanut Butter Caramel, Coconut Cream Pie, Malted Milk, Caramel Apple, and Raspberry Jam. Available individually or in a chocolate gift box.
Purchase Retro Chocolate Bars directly from their website at ChocolateBarNYC.com.
via Wallpaper.com
November 5, 2005 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Chocolate | Permalink | Comments (0)
Zinfandel Picks and Other Wines for Thanksgiving
Choosing wines for our Thanksgiving feast is never an easy choice for us at Daily Olive. It should be so easy, but it comes with lots of anxiety. Andrea Immer, at epicurious.com, gives us her wine recommendations for Thanksgiving. Starting with Zinfandels, she also gives her white wine choices preferring Gewurztraminers, and great port and sherry selections for dessert. Finally, she reminds us that Beaujolais could also be great choices with Thanksgiving turkey.
Wines for Thanksgiving | via epicurious.com
November 4, 2005 in All Things Wine, Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (0)
Decorate your holiday parties with Candela ambients
Just in time for your holiday parties. Decorate your Thanksgiving and Christmas parties with a Candela 10-pack of rechargable lights.
Candela Pro 10 Lamp Set
November 3, 2005 in A Food & Wine Gift Guide, Parties & Entertaining | Permalink | Comments (0)
Thanksgiving Ideas and Recipes from Martha Stewart
Thanksgiving is one true holiday that is about family and tradition. And perhaps no one does tradition with a contemporary flair better than Martha Stewart. Visit her website now to inspire and prepare yourself for the Thanksgiving holiday. You'll find a classic roast turkey recipe along side 13 other ways to prepare your Thanksgiving bird.
To make your Thanksgiving complete, there are decorating ideas and tips, dessert recipes, stuffing and side dishes, a Thanksgiving checklist, menu plans, and Thanksgiving ideas just for kids.
Martha Stewart's Thanksgiving | at MarthaStewart.com
NEW! Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
Related: Best Pumpking Pie Recipe | Silicone Bakeware Popularity Surges
November 2, 2005 in Thanksgiving | Permalink | Comments (1)
Silver Spoon Cookbook - Now in English
Silver Spoon, has been Italy's classic cookbook since it was first published in 1950, is now available in English. Updated and edited for an international market and contemporary tastes, this classic book should find its place next to other cookbook classics on your shelf. From Phaidon Press.
Silver Spoon | $24 (40% off) at ecookbooks.com
Also available thru Amazon.com
Technorati Tags: Food and Drink
November 1, 2005 in Cookbooks | Permalink | Comments (0)
