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Ben Salmon

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Homemade Edible Gifts: Cheap, Easy, Quick

A look at last-minute food-related gifts you can make yourself.

The biggest gift giving holiday of the year is practically upon us! As much as I'm an advocate for giving stuff (hello, I own a kitchenware store), there's something special about homemade gifts. Not to mention that they can be pretty cheap and, if you go with something edible, delicious! Here are an assortment of ideas, from the traditional to some creative ideas for last-minute handmade edible gifts that won't break the bank. Let these ideas help inspire you to come up with the perfect personalized gift. Make Your Own Kahlua Kit: Sure, you don't have time to actually make your own Kahlua but you can give something just as cool: a kit to allow someone to make their own. It's not hard to do! All you have to include is a recipe, a bottle, …

Monday, December 14, 2009

Not Your Grandmother's Latkes: 8 Ways to Serve

A foolproof latke recipe, plus eight creative ways to spice up the traditional presentation.

I love Chanukah. Sure, it's more of a festival than a holiday, but what other festival do you know of that celebrates (overtly) with eight days of oil? Fatty, greasy, delicious oil. Not only can I use as much oil in my cooking as I could ever possibly want, but it's symbolic! One could argue that I'm actually being a good Jew by cooking with lots and lots and lots of oil. Oh man, I love Chanukah. We'll start off with a foolproof recipe you can't go wrong with. It's a family recipe— one my father has served hundreds of people at a time with. And then we'll talk about eight different ideas for creating a truly unique latke experience. They're such great vessels and totally fun to dress up. There are so many more options than just sour cream …

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