theredstove

Hot! Thanksgiving Trends

It's all about chilies, cocoa and cinnamon this Thanksgiving.. All together and separately... playing in symphony. Check out some of our recipes for ideas.

Queen of pineapples

South Africa has grown the sweetest pineapple in the world. It's name...

Desert treasure?

From the Kalahari Desert to my mouth, the Kiwano is one strange fruit. I was in love at the grocery store. It had the look, the touch, the high price. This must be the greatest fruit ever?

the big crush

This garlic crusher is fast. Just roll once, and you are done. The skin is off and the pulp is ready for use. Ineke Hans did right in this cool stainless steel design. You can buy on at the moma store.

Kitchen Aid

I own a Kitchen Aid 5 quart stand mixer with all of the attachments: food grinder, ice cream maker, orange juicer, pasta roller, and sausage maker. What more could an inveterate foodie want? These machines are just like the ones you find in professional kitchens only smaller, for home cooking. I make the French Bread and Hard Roll master recipe from Julia Child's classic cook book "The Way to Cook".  It sure beats hand kneading all to heck! Her recipe for Italian-Style Sweet Sausage with Fennel, same book, is awesome, and I get to use my  meat-grinder and sausage stuffer attachments. I paid close to $400 for my machine new. Amazon.com is selling the same machine, that I own, factory- reconditioned for $159.99 and includes free shipping. With the money you safe you can buy some cool attachments.

big cheese

At over a foot and a half in height, this is one big grater. Big means stable, and that means a safe time with your cheese. Big also means faster cheese shredding. And it looks good. Check it out at moma  .

the sea

I believe it was Jacques Yves Cousteau that said, "the human body is a
sophisticated bag of sea water. Stands to reason, our life blood is
almost identical to the ocean's salty liquid." With this said, pick up
your cooking skills by doing nothing more than changing the salt you
sprinkle on your food. Not only is salt basic to human life, it also
is the best flavor enhancer that I know of. I realize that good sea
salt is more expensive than the other variety, but the difference is
like hot and cold. I use Redmond Real Salt, it is natural sea salt
mined from ancient sea bed, contains 50+ trace minerals, including iodine. I love this slightly pink salt. Read more about at realsalt.com.

Pomegranate juice

Pomegranate juice benefits diabetics by reducing the risk of
arteriosclerosis. 80% of all diabetic deaths are caused by this
disease. The stores in my neighborhood carry a brand called POW, 100%
pomegranate juice. This stuff is great tasting and very good for everyone's
health.
Learn more go to Pomegranate's wiki page.

gift baskets

Since the beginning of time...
We have been giving each other gifts of fruit, to celebrate holidays, special occasions, a thank you very much, a heart felt I love you. It may be fruit that we have grown in our garden or the orchard, perhaps even a basket purchased from a company that specializes in these thing. One company that I really like, that produces outstanding California gift baskets is akagourmet.com . For a more personal gift, how about making the basket yourself.

• Go to the hobby store and buy a basket and some pretty cloth to line it with.
• Next,  stop by the produce market, buy fruit that is in season and looks beautiful. If you don't feel comfortable ask the produce person for help. They love this sort of challenge. While you are at it might as well pick up a bottle of wine. Here's to life well lived!!!

spork

Is this a good idea? Spoon and fork combinations have been around for at least 100 years. The new thing is the name, and today they are made of light and strong Titanium. Claims are that Titanium is less reactive than stainless steel, that makes food taste more like itself when using the spork. Could that really be? Looks futuristic to my eyes, plus we are in the 21th century. Time to eat like it. spork store