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Posts By Elizabeth Passarella

Before & After: Kelly Moseley's Calming Austin Kitchen

When Kelly Moseley lived in New York City, she was always envious of a certain friend with a large kitchen island. So when she and her husband Louie bought a 1930s cottage in Austin, Texas, she made sure she got one of her own. The kitchen was the first room the couple tackled in their new house, knocking down walls to create a big, family-friendly space with beautiful, muted gray tones and a sophisticated feel.

Recipe: Rutabaga Chipotle Soup

2009_11_20-RutabagaSoup.jpgLast week at the farmer's market I bought a couple of rutabagas, and I knew I wanted to make soup with them. It's been pretty chilly in San Francisco, perfect soup weather. I wanted to try something different, and while looking through my spice cabinet, I found the neglected jar of ground chipotle, and an idea formed in my head.

Recipe for Warmth: Hot Apple-Ginger Toddy
Straight Up Cocktails and Spirits

2009_11_20-HotAppleToddy3.jpgLooking for a hot drink to cozy up to on a crisp fall evening? Something with the sweetness of apples and honey, the bright zing of ginger and lemon, and a little extra boozy warmth? How about a Hot Apple-Ginger Toddy?

Did You Do the Kitchen Cure? Take Our Survey, Win a Cookbook!

mini-banner-kitchen(2).gifIf you took the Fall Kitchen Cure, read on. What would make our day is if you would complete a very short questionnaire. It will help us make future Cures even better.

Plus, if you complete the survey (and we have you on record as having signed up for the Cure) by next Wednesday, November 25th at 12pm (EST), you'll be entered in a draw for one of five copies of my cookbook, The Greyston Bakery Cookbook.

Yes, I know: during the Cure we encouraged you to pare down on the cookbooks, so just consider this an offering to those who love to bake, or want to give it as a gift this year.

Click through for the questions.

Perfect Pies: Tips for Making Pies from Scratch

2009-11-20-HomemadePie.jpgDo you make your pies from scratch? Making the crust and figuring out the filling can feel pretty overwhelming if you're not in the habit. Before you give in to holiday pressure and pick up a store-bought crust, take a look at our helpful tips for making pies yourself!

Thanksgiving Pep Talk

2009_11_19-thanksgiving-pep.jpgIt's one week away, in case you had forgotten. I want to step back a bit and give you a chance to take a deep breath.

I assume that many of you are cooking some part of the Thanksgiving meal: you're cooks and you love food, that's why you subscribe to our emails. If you're like me, you can get a little wound up with all the preparations, and then the day hits and oops, maybe you forget just a little bit what this day, in theory, is all about.

Win the Six Kitchen Essential Tools from Rosle!
Holiday Giveaway 2009

post-button.jpgName: The Six Kitchen Essential Tools
Store: Rosle
Value: $172

Description: Six essential kitchen tools from Rosle. The set of stainless steel, German-engineered cooking tools includes a can opener, garlic press, swivel peeler, ice cream scoop, pizza cutter, and locking tongs.

Stress-less Dinner Tip: Set the Table the Night Before

2009_11_20-Table.jpgHere's a tip from our own experience in throwing many dinner parties and holiday meals. If you are able to, set the table the night before! Here's why we like to do it.

Fig Salami Update: Cured and Ready to Eat!

2009_11_20-fig-salami.jpgLast month, we told you about our DIY fig salami experiment. Our fruity sausages have been curing the refrigerator, and now, just in time for a Thanksgiving appetizer platter, they're finally ready to eat!

An Indian Corn Centerpiece and Carrot Arancini
Delicious links for 11.20.09

2009_11_20-Slinkage.jpgWe love arancini, those little fried balls of risotto, and these look especially scrumptious!

What Should I Make for a Thanksgiving Brunch?
Good Questions

Q: My Mom and I want to prepare a Thanksgiving brunch for family that will be around in the morning for the holiday, but not at the traditional dinnertime.

Does anyone have any tasty recipe ideas for us?

Sent by Erin

Entertaining Tip: End with Tea and Coffee

2009-11-20-CoffeeDinner.jpgWe think there's no better way to end a big meal or even a simple gathering of friends than with a nice warm cup of coffee! Not only is it exactly what we want after eating a lot of rich food, but it's a way to slowly wind down the festivities and signal the evening's end. Do you like serving coffee and tea after dinner?

Libby's Warns of Canned Pumpkin Shortage for Holiday

2009_11_20-Pumpkin.jpgUh-oh! Have you heard? Libby's, that ubiquitous Nestlé brand of canned pumpkin puree, so essential to Thanksgiving bakers, has announced that due to rainy weather and late harvests, there may be a shortage of canned pumpkin this Thanksgiving!

We already advised you to stock up on nuts, so you better add pumpkin to the list. Or just buy a pie pumpkin and make your own puree; we really prefer the taste.

Have you been seeing a shortage of canned pumpkin in your area?

Thermochromic Pot Changes Colors as it Heats Up!

Remember those hypercolor t-shirts from the 1980's? Well apply that visually novel idea to cookware and that's basically the idea for the Coral cooking pots, a concept which gives would-be Giadas a visual indicator of how hot the pot is, making determining when to add/reduce heat an easier task thanks to incorporation of thermochromic (temperature sensitive, color changing) spots.

Read the full post at Unplggd

Roundup: Everything You Need for Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving 2009

2009_11_19-TDayRoundup.jpgOK, this is it — our giant Thanksgiving roundup, with all our tips, hints, recipes, good ideas, and other Thanksgiving-related help. Our cheerfully audacious title might be slightly overstated, but we still think that you can find clues about cooking just about anything you'll need for your holiday dinner right here!