Budget Finds: Pot Racks!

As we all know far too well, New York kitchens need all the space-saving solutions they can get. That's why last weekend, my roommate and I installed a pair of these above our stove:



The pot racks cost us $30 total, and that's for 2 racks and shipping. These are about the same, and for just about the same price. For all the space-maximization these get you, you could almost say they're priceless!



I'll be taking a blog-break for the holiday, but expect me back in full swing on Monday! Enjoy, everyone!

Link of the Day

Pardon me for being off this week--traveling makes blogging difficult! Expect less precisely scheduled posts while I'm away, and don't say I didn't warn you!

Today, two friends (one of whom can be found here) ironically sent me tips about cool food art. The first is plausible but likely fake--however, the thought of it is still very cool. Intricate food sculptures made from ordinary vegetables--I wouldn't question the pumpkin sculpture, for instance, but carving a strawberry is just not possible. Especially because the center of its flesh gradates to white, and this sculpture does no such thing. Still, it's a cool thought. Check it out here.


The second link I found in my mailbox today was definitely real, and really breathtaking, though it would arguably require less skill and precision than the first. That's not to say I can make this--look at how cool!

Thanksgiving Ideas... Mmmm!

I apologize for starting late this week, a habit I know I've been prone to on Mondays :)

However, this is an exciting week! I'm gearing up for my trip home tomorrow, where I'll be spending my Thanksgiving with my wonderful family. It's been a while since I've been home, so I'm quite excited. This weekend, I spent some time researching side dish recipes that I might want to make with my mom, as we always tag team for Turkey Day cooking. Side dishes, for some reason, are always the most difficult things for me to come up with, since they can often be too boring or too bold for my family's tastes. Below are some links for those of you who are in similar predicaments.... I haven't narrowed the list further myself, but I think there's lots of good stuff to choose from.




Side Dishes

Broccoli Rabe with Pine Nuts and Raisins

Wild Mushroom Bundles

Crisp Haricots Verts with Pine Nuts

Mushrooms Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Balsamic Glazed Sweet and Sour Cippoline

Caramelized Shallots

Creamed Corn Gratin with Fried Onion Rings and Bacon

Carmelized-Shallot and Sage Mashed Potatoes

And Desserts, of course, for those who, like me, don't like pumpkin pie...


Chocolate Bread Pudding

Gateaux Au Chocolat Et Mandarine

Smitten Kitchen's Mom's Apple Cake

Apple Walnut Bread Pudding


Mom, if you're reading, start narrowing down!!

Design Porn: Showerhead Decanter

If you ever dreamed that it would rain wine, there's finally something to come close. This decanter by Matilda Sunden Ringner is really more of a carafe, but it surely does decant as well. Pour a bottle of red (or white! or rose!) into the top and watch it rain the most delicious, intoxicating rain as the wine comes out eight little holes looking kind of like this...

While I can't find anything that says how much this baby costs, I can't imagine it would be cheap. But what an idea! It's beautiful, and Red is drooling like wild over it. See more of Matilda Sunden Ringner's interesting work here, in addition to "rainman."

Happy Friday!

Link of the Day

Over the last few weeks, Meet has been covering the goings on around the rink at Rockefeller, and I thought I'd counter with news of a new rink for skating-lovers here in Manhattan.

In my mailbox this morning was a tip that the Museum of Natural History has opened a rink of its own, complete with a polar bear sculpture that illuminates the center of the skating area. It's a great deal, and the location is phenom. For $10 a person ($9 for students), you get admissions and rentals! And what looks like a view to die for...


The Polar Rink will be open from 12–8 pm Monday–Thursday, 12 pm–10 pm on Fridays, 11 am–10 pm on Saturdays, 11 am–8 pm on Sundays, and 11 am–10 pm on holidays.

Click here for more info!

Life Made Simple -- Wonton Wrappers!

Yesterday I was on the phone with Chef Harold Moore of Commerce when he brought up a point that I thought the whole world needed to know. Yes--the whole world indeed! See, he makes a dish that I love that's sweet potato tortelloni with pomegranate seeds and a balsamic reduction. It's fancy but not too fancy, original but approachable, and basically heaven in every bite. He gave out the recipe at a recent event where he gave a demonstration of how to make it, and his beautiful stand mixer (yes, the one in my dreams) was essential to getting that tortelloni dough rolled out thin. I watched and added it to the reasons I need a stand mixer, right after those ouvo in raviolo....

I shared my regrets about lacking such devices when he made the revolutionary point: you don't need a stand mixer to make tortelloni and ravioli. You don't need any equipment at all! Nay, you need not even make pasta at home! But how???


These guys, though they look like slices of cheddar cheese is this photo, are wonton wrappers, and they're the key that holds together the puzzle. If you've ever wanted to make homemade ravioli or tortelloni, a quick trip to the asian market will cut a whole lot of that work. According to Harold, the extra corn starch makes them easy to work with and easy to cook. Who knew! I'll be experimenting with this real soon, so expect reports!

Budget Finds: Digicams for Google's Latest Instance of Wonderfulness

Living a good four and a half hours away from TWB means that we must constantly find new ways to engage with one another that don't rely on finnicky T-mobile reception. Not to bash T-mobile, but what kind of carrier makes you lean halfway out of your window to get reception when you're in one of the country's biggest cities?

I digress. But T-mobile hasn't been the only culprit here. Skype, the former web-connecting giant of the world, has begun to provide less and less reliable connections, with calls dropping every few minutes to everyone's despair. It's like a bad TV commercial, but you can't complain because, after all, the service is free.

But then along came Google, with it's ever-powerful splendor, and introduced video gchat--which has so far proved to be far more reliable than T-mobile and Skype combined. In honor of the newly-launched service (also a budget find, if you will, as it's totally free of charge), I've found the cheapest webcam on the internet, ringing in at a special price of $13. Even with $4 shipping, that rings in well under our $25 budget.

Talk about a budget find! If you or anyone you know has a long distance relationship to maintain (romantic, friendly, or otherwise), I'd snatch one of these babies before the promotion ends! Check here for more info.