Gourmet Country Blog

Rudolph the Red Velvet Cupcake

Gourmet Country — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:01:12 +0000

Rudolph the Red Velvet Cupcake

I saw these cute cupcakes on Pinterest (yes, I’m addicted) and knew I wanted to make them. After great success with my snowman cupcakes, I knew I wanted to make them with Greek yogurt again. ….read more at skinnytaste.com

Yes We P’Can Tarts | Cookie Recipe Author: biteclub

Paul — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:52:01 +0000

Yes We P’Can Tarts | Cookie Recipe

Author: biteclub

This is by far one of my favorite cookies of the year, but I’m especially partial to shortbread recipes. I used Chai honey from Beekind to spice up my glazed nuts. You’ll be the hit of the party if you make a few extra nuts for snacking on ….read more at bite club eats….

Recipe: Holiday Breakfast Wreath

Molly — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:45:51 +0000

Recipe: Holiday Breakfast Wreath

I’ve been writing about this wreath on the site since 2008, each year updating the story, because I think it’s worth reminding you how perfect this bread is to start a holiday morning. …read more at the kitchn

Potato Streusel Coffee Cake by Susan

Molly — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:27:54 +0000

Potato Streusel Coffee Cake

by Susan from Wild Yeast

I’ve been a bad Bread Baking Babe before, but this month takes the (coffee) cake Read more

Italian scientists find beer offers same cardiovascular benefits as wine

Molly — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:22:17 +0000

Italian scientists find beer offers same cardiovascular benefits as wine

The cardiovascular benefits of moderate red wine drinking have been touted for years, but new research suggests the same positive health effects can be offered from beer

Los Angeles is enjoying a hot dog renaissance

Molly — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:19:14 +0000

Los Angeles is enjoying a hot dog renaissance

It’s boom time for hot dogs in L.A. Pink’s and Tommy’s are going strong, with newcomers Dog Haus, Federal Bar, Slaw Dogs, Coney Dog and Papaya King raising the stakes. From the Los Angles Times … more

To poach a pear from Orangette

Paul — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:12:38 +0000

To poach a pear

My mother is usually the one who makes poached pears. I have a photo of her in an old family album, holding a platter of them. By the length of her hair, I’m guessing that the year was 1982. My father must have snapped the picture as they were leaving for a holiday party. That was the kind of thing he liked to do. She’s standing in the wood-paneled den of the house we lived in until I was 13, wearing what appears to be a sand-colored fur jacket. She must have curled her hair with hot rollers, because it sits on her shoulders in soft loops, and where she’s pinned it back above her left ear, you can see the sparkle of her earring. Her eyes are lined in dark pencil, and her lipstick is as red and glossy as a Robert Palmer girl’s. She’s staring at something just beyond the camera, probably waiting for the flash to go off. The platter is in front of her chest, tilted slightly downward, so you can see the pears in neat rows. For her, that’s clearly what the photo is about: a dozen pears standing upright, each carefully peeled, poached, painted in dark chocolate, and topped with a sprig of fresh holly leaves. I like that for my father, the photo is clearly about her.

A Little Something A Little Different: A Festive Table from Tartelette

Paul — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:02:19 +0000

A few weeks ago, the lovely Camille from the very creative Camille Styles site asked me if I wanted to be part of her “12 Tastes of Christmas” series. I already knew the recipe I wanted to contribute, one of my favorite from last year, a Homemade Gravlax And Prawn Crackers Appetizer. I also took the opportunity that it was Thanksgiving when she asked to come up with a pretty and sweet theme for the table setting.

I must say, I have a strong aversion for yellows and oranges. It’s visceral. When Thanksgiving comes around, I always try to break out of the traditional yellow and orange center pieces. As far as I know, there is no rule that says you can’t do purple to celebrate. The table set I created this year to solve that issue not only takes care of the usual Thanksgiving colors but also works perfectly for a different kind of Christmas.

Culinary tour of Jamaica.

Molly — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:55:22 +0000

The wonders of Jamaica

by Béa

I should have known that when visiting Jamaica, I would love the island. I knew it when, for the first time, I saw Jamaicans’ faces. When I caught sight of their welcoming smiles. When I heard the way they spoke. I loved the melody of their accent, and the way the intonation marking their words made their voice go up at the end of each sentence. It sounded like a happy melody.

“I like how you pronounce the word “questions”“, I said one day to our local guide at Prospect Plantation in Ocho Rios. Thin and not looking his age, he liked to share deadpan jokes which were irresistibly funny

Childhood’s end

Molly — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:10:47 +0000

Food banks worry about rising price of peanut butter, a protein source among most-wanted items

By Associated Press, Published: November 28

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Food banks and pantries around the country say high peanut butter prices have made it harder for them to provide one of their most-requested items — and a favorite among children — this holiday season.Peanut butter prices have gone up 30 percent or more because hot weather in states like Texas and Georgia hurt this year’s peanut crop and because some farmers switched to more profitable crops, such as corn and cotton.