Well, maybe you can celebrate the leftovers with some pasta!

This cute, turkey-shaped pasta is available from The Pasta Shoppe (which also makes a really cute penguin pasta, too). It includes recipes for a day-after turkey soup, as well as macaroni and cheese.

It’s not necessarily cheap at $4.95 for 14 ounces, but it’d make a fun surprise for dinner and now and then. It’d also be a cute gift for a turkey fanatic!

[image: the pasta shoppe]

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Celebrate Turkey Day with Pasta

You can get custom made cookies and gourmet ice cream, for the healthy conscious dad- a basket of gourmet health foods and even some Salt and Pepper Shakers for the baseball lover.  Here are some of their food inspired gifts for dad:

For the dad on-the-go
Is your dad a jet-setter or road warrior? Add a smile to his daily commute with clever coffee mugs that say “Don’t Make Me Stop This Car” and “Are We There Yet?” Both travel mugs hold 14 oz. $18; wrapables.com

For the healthy dad
Health-conscious dads will appreciate these healthy gift baskets for all occasions. The gift baskets contain healthy, gourmet foods appropriate for particular health concerns, allergies and dietary restrictions. Wellbaskets.com caters to the health-conscious gourmet as well as those new to the world of healthful eating. For example, Dad’s Delight ($65) and Heart Healthy Father’s Day Snacker ($35) are filled with healthy gourmet snacks. wellbaskets.com

For the sweetest dad
Spell out your love and appreciation for dad this year with cookies from Eleni’s New York. Packaged in a brown-and-pink Eleni’s signature gift box, this set includes 18 hand-iced sugar cookies: 10 hearts and eight letters spelling out “I Love Dad” ($37.50). elenis.com

For the ice-cream-loving dad
Create custom, gourmet ice cream and gelato flavors from more than 60 flavor options and ship overnight anywhere in the continental U.S. Even choose your own flavor name and packaging. Custom orders start at $49.99 plus $34 overnight shipping for a half-gallon (arrives in four pints). eCreamery.com

For the grill-loving dad
Dad will love a collegiate branding iron for grilling and putting his college alum on his steaks! Go team! The Grill Topper is a ceramic-coated, cast-iron barbecue grilling surface that will sear collegiate team logos onto grilled meats — perfect for the backyard BBQ chef, and a must-have for sports tailgating. The Model 1311 (large) retails for $49.99; the Model 550 (small) retails for $24.99; thegrilltopper.com

For the dad who is a great sport
Here’s a gift that will be a big hit! Spice up your food with this Cole & Mason King Peppermill Baseball Bat novelty peppermill. It’s 28 inches long and made out of beechwood with a carbon-steel grinding mechanism. $50; target.com

For the cool dad
Check out the RC Cooler, a remote-controlled cooler from Interactive Toy Concepts. Dad will never leave his chair again — just let the remote-controlled cooler deliver the drinks for him. Holds up to 12 drinks with ice, has a range of over 30 feet. Runs on six C batteries and a 9-volt battery for the controller. About $70; solutions.com

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Father’s Day RC Coolers and More

If your kid is learning to cook, loves to spend time with you in the kitchen and loves Rachael Ray it is not too late to have Santa add a few things to their list.

Rachael Ray may concern me a little when I watch her in the kitchen cooking with kids, but I think that she has the right idea.  Cooking is great for kids.  It teaches them reading and math skills.  It also gives them a chance to be a little creative, maybe try some foods they normally wouldn’t and then there is the whole “teach a man to fish” thing.

Ray has several products out there for the budding chefs.  Kelly at One Book Two Book has a nice list of kids’ cookbooks including Rachael Ray’s Cooking Rocks!  30 Minute Meals for Kids.  She also has the Rachael Ray Young Cook’s Cutting Set.  This set has a knife just suited for smaller hands along with a steel mesh glove to keep kids from cutting themselves.  If you don’t think that your child is quite ready to wield a knife try-out the Rachael Ray Young Cook’s Cutting Accessories.  The set includes a non-slip board mat, two colored plastic cutting boards and a pair of small scissors to help out cutting herbs, scallions, etc.  A portion of the profits for all of these products go to Ray’s Yum-O Organization:

Launched in 2006 by Rachael Ray, Yum-o! is a nonprofit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships.

You can find all of these products at Rachael Ray’s site, Amazon and the cookbook can be found at bookstores.  Some sites are guaranteeing delivery by Christmas, but you may need to expedite shipping.

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Gifts for the Littlest Rachael Ray Fan

Here is another great idea for a gift for your foodie…or even for yourself this year.  My Last Supper: 50 Great Chefs and Their Final Meals by Melanie Dunea.

Book Description

Annie Leibovitz meets Heat in this award-winning photographer’s stunning celebration of world-famous chefs and their final meals.
 
Chefs have been playing the “My Last Supper” game among themselves for decades, if not centuries, but it had always been kept within the profession until now. Melanie Dunea came up with the ingenious idea to ask fifty of the world’s famous chefs to let her in on this insider’s game and tell her what their final meals would be. My Last Supper showcases their fascinating answers alongside stunning Vanity Fair–style portraits. Their responses are surprising, refreshing, and as distinct from each other as the chefs themselves. The portraits—gorgeous, intimate, and playful—are informed by their answers and reveal the passions and personalities of the most respected names in the business. Lastly, one recipe from each landmark meal is included in the back of the book. With My Last Supper, Dunea found a way into the typically harried, hidden minds of the people who have turned preparing food into an art. Who wouldn’t want to know where Alain Ducasse would like his supper to be? And who would prepare Daniel Boulud’s final meal? What would Anthony Bourdain’s guest list look like? As the clock ticked, what album would Gordon Ramsay be listening to? And just what would Mario Batali eat for the last time?
 
Featuring: Ferrán Adrià, José Andrés, Dan Barber, Lidia Bastianich, Mario Batali, Rick Bayless, Michelle Bernstein, Daniel Boulud, Anthony Bourdain, Scott Conant, Gary Danko, Hélène Darroze, Alain Ducasse, Wylie Dufresne, Suzanne Goin, Gabrielle Hamilton, Fergus Henderson, Thomas Keller, Giorgio Locatelli, Masa Kobayashi, Nobu, Jamie Oliver, Jacques Pepin, Gordon Ramsay, Michel Richard, Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelsson, Charlie Trotter, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and more…

Chefs Lydia Shire and Mario Batali 

You can find My Last Supper at Amazon or other booksellers.

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A Chef’s Last Supper

 I think it is funny that the fans of celebrity chefs want to own all the little gadgets, pots and service ware that they see on TV.  I guess it is only natural.  I could really care less about most of the things I see, but I do have to admit that I have always been fascinated by the plates, bowls and such that Rachael Ray uses.  It has more to do with taste than the person using it.  I love retro patterns and geometric shapes.

Rachael Ray recently announced two new products that she has added to her line.  The Froggy Mezzaluna Knife and Cutting Board and her a copy of her famous Garbage Bowl. 

Both products are reasonably priced.  The mezzaluna and board are only $39.99 and the bowl is $16.95.  The bowl comes in 4 colors (I love the brick).  I would love to get this one, not to put my trash in, but to have as a bowl.  It reminds me of the terrazzo floors we used to have in our house as a kid.

Just a word of warning…the Garbage Bowl is in high demand, so they said that shipments may not be sent until after January 9, 2008.

You can find these products along with the rest of Rachael Ray’s line on her website.

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New Rachael Ray Products for Your RR Fan

 Within the next few days, I need to make my final decision on what cookies I am making for gifts and family enjoyment this Christmas season. 

I started to see if there were any that caught my eye.  These Poinsettia Cookies look incredible.  The recipe isn’t hard, just takes a little more time and probably a little finesse, something that I am not sure if I have patience for this year.  If you are baking cookies with the kids, this may be a fun cookie to play around with.

I read through the reviews.  Here is the scoop:  just about everyone who made them and wrote a review loved the way they looked.  Some cooks ditched the skewers/sticks  and instead just laid them out on a plate.  Some cooks got really creative and added leaves, poked them with wooden skewers and placed them in a terra cotta pot with paper grass and wrapped them in cellophane as a gift.  It seems that you are only limited by your own creativity.  But the most important thing in regards to any cookie is taste….The bottom line from the reviews is that the cookies tasted very bland and many of them were surprised that there was no sugar in them.  So, a few added about 1/2 cup of sugar and even a tsp of vanilla to put some “umph” into the taste of the cookie.  They said by doing that they tasted great.

I will have to think on this cookie, but it looks like a great idea.  I may have to stay far away from roll-out cookie dough this year though.  It is unseasonably hot and humid in Florida this year.  I will probably just end up with a huge mess.  But these cookies sure look festive.

Poinsettia Cookie

Recipe courtesy of Gala Gand

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 30 servings

3/4 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Parchment paper
30 wooden Popsicle sticks
1 cup red sugar
30 green M &M candies

*Note:  You may want to add about a 1/2 cup of sugar.  Most people said that the cookie wasn’t sweet at all.  If you are adding  sugar, vanilla or any other type of flavoring (almond or peppermint extract), you want to do that when you are mixing the butter, cream cheese and egg yolk.

With a paddle attachment beat butter, cream cheese and egg yolk until smooth, reserving the white for later. Stir in flour and baking powder. Mix until stiff dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Lightly beat egg white and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
On lightly floured surface, roll dough, 1/2 at a time, into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. With sharp knife, cut dough into 3-inch squares. Place 3 inches apart on ungreased, parchment-lined cookie sheets.
Brush with egg white. Lightly press about 1 1/2 inches of wooden stick into bottom center of each dough square. With sharp knife, cut the dough diagonally from each corner to within 1/2-inch of center of each square. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon red sugar over each square. Fold alternate corners of the square to the center to form pinwheel, overlapping the dough at the center pushing down gently to seal in center. Press one M & M in center of each pinwheel.
Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until set. Using spatula, immediately remove from cookie sheets.

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Poinsettia Cookies

I was browsing for some unique gifts for the food lover in your life.  I then came across this article, Gifts for the Foodie Wannabe by Lauren Beckham Falcone of the Boston Herald:

He Tivos the Food Network but doesn’t know how to boil water.  She covets Calphalon but isn’t sure what a saucier is.  He wants to learn how to cook coq au vin-but first, he needs to learn how to pronounce it.

Hmmm….are they talking about me???  Anyway, some great ideas including this game that I have missed the boat on.  Eat It!  Snacks and Sweets Trivia Game:

Eat It is the snacks and sweets trivia game. This exciting board game is all about the fun foods that everyone loves to eat. Players test their knowledge by answering fun and clever trivia questions across five tasty categories: Chocolate, Candy, Cookies, Snack Attack, and Ice Cream and Desserts. The types of Eat It trivia questions range from nostalgia and general knowledge to marketing, jingles, product description, and tidbits. Eat It is a fun game to play with friends and family. The questions are diverse, encompassing today’s treats as well as the ones that you grew up with. On your way to becoming the Eat It, you will relive childhood memories and even munch on a few of your favorite snacks. Recommended for 2 to 6 players.

There is also The Food Lover’s Trivia Game:

Are you a food lover who likes trivia games or a trivia game lover who likes food? Whichever you are you’ll love The Original Food Lover’s Trivia game! This is the first game of its kind dedicated solely to food trivia. The game features 1,800 questions in the categories of Beverages, Geography and Culture, Ingredients, Recipes, Food People and Food Arts & Science. Get ready, Get set, Get comfortable! Game play is not confined to a game board, players gather their game pieces and get comfortable wherever they want to play! Teams of chefs are challenged by opposing teams of guests with trivia questions all about food. Players start with full plates and the winners are the first ones to Clean Your Plate The Original Food Lover’s Trivia can be played in a variety of ways from the basic game Dinnertime to the added challenges offered in Care For Seconds? game play. Got Food? Get Game! Over 40 recipes and party ideas are included so that the game can be played with edible game pieces in the game options; Play With Your Food, Potlucky, The Diet Plate Special and The Blue Plate Special. For 2 to 6 Players or Teams.

Amazon is always generous with offering some additional suggestions and I actually think this might make a great bundle gift for the foodie wannabe in your life.  Buy them these games along with a book.  Something like, How to be a Better Foodie:  A Bulging Little Book for the Truly Epicurious.

All the above can be found at Amazon and Eat It! has also been seen at stores such as Target.

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Gifts for Your Foodie or that Foodie Wannabe

 Chef Filip Verheyden has a must-have cookbook for all cooks.  From understanding how to julienne to making potato foam, there is something here for all levels.  The critics all love The Basics:  The Foundations of Modern Cooking making comparisons to a bible or the sexiest little black book you will ever own.

Gourmet Magazine:

“A small, elegant book [that] deftly and concisely explains basic techniques. . . . It’s a pocket road map of how to navigate a kitchen, and I can’t think of anyone, novice or old hand, who would not be glad to have it.”
 

New York Times Magazine:

“A stylish little cookbook . . . a seductive object, beautifully proportioned and designed, but also remarkably comprehensive. After covering basic kitchen skills, The Basics zips through an overview of savory cooking, then switches to baking and desserts. But while most general cookbooks would stop there, The Basics plunges onward into contemporary cuisine.”

New York Daily News:

“If food is your religion, you’ll find inspiration in this miniature volume’s bright color photos and no-nonsense cooking instruction. Struggling to ensure that your poached eggs stay runny and your hollandaise creamy? The Basics will show you the way.”

This is a great gift for any foodie in your life.  The Basics can be found at Amazon or any bookseller.

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The Basics: The Foundations of Modern Cooking

This week Martha Stewart gave us a 15 second peek to a new line of China that her company is developing with Wedgwood that will be available in the Spring at Macy’s.  She also promoted her line of kitchen tools.  Some are nice to have, some you can live without and some are clever ideas that Martha’s team has developed or made better.

There are 200 kitchen gadgets…oh, I mean “tool’s” to choose from.  These will make great gifts for the Holidays or maybe you know a couple that is getting married.

The gadgets are the basics like spoons and spatulas to nice things to have on hand like an egg slicer or an apron timer.  The Magnetic Recipe Divider would be a nice tool to have, but the Garlic Peeler is a waste…I have had several different garlic peelers and the best method has been “the whack”.  Take the clove, whack it on the cutting board and the peel pops off. 

The Kitchen Tools are available on-line at Macy’s or at their stores.  Tip:  Macy’s always has sales, especially during the Holiday Season.

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Martha Stewart Kitchen Tools at Macy’s

Rocco DiSpirito is out with a new cookbook just in time for Holiday gift giving.

Rocco’s Real Life Recipes: Fast Flavor for Every Day, is his way of helping the home cook make fast and flavorful meals:

As “Best New Chef” (Food & Wine, 1999) and “America’s Most Exciting Young Chef” (Gourmet, 2000), as well as the star of NBC reality show, The Restaurant (2003), Rocco DiSpirito has developed a loyal following who love his flavorful recipes that can be prepared quickly and with easy to find ingredients. The cookbook is peppered with Rocco’s own thoughts about cooking and short cuts that address the importance of having a judicious mix of fresh and prepared foods to suit today’s busy lifestyle regardless of the occasion. To emphasize this belief, all 175 of Rocco’s favorite recipes can be prepared in 30 minutes or less.

Rocco was on The Today Show showing off some of his recipes from the book.  He said that he tries to help you out by advising the use of ingredients like rotisserie chicken.  He also mentioned how the purest might be a little annoyed with things like his “risotto” made with pre-cooked rice.  He said first, that is why “risotto” is in quotations and that he wanted to try and find a way to help the home cook make meals for “real life”.  The truth is that most of us just do not have the time to sit and make risotto, so Rocco found a way to get the same sort of creamy flavor without the time investment.

Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Chicken and Mushrooms

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons Bertolli® extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 medium red onion, chopped

• 12-ounce package of button mushrooms, cleaned and cut in half

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 2 8.8-ounce packages Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice®, Original Long Grain

• 1/2 cup canned chicken broth

• 1 medium rotisserie chicken (about 3 lbs.), meat removed in large chunks

• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• 1 stick butter

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, pour in the oil and allow it to get hot. Add the onion to the pan and sauté for 2- 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté, without disturbing, for about 3 minutes, or until they start to get color.

2. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir until everything is mixed. Add the chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the cheese and butter until rice is creamy. Add chicken to the pan and bring mixture back up to a boil.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parsley and serve.

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Rocco’s Real Life Recipes