The Revolutionary Rice Scooper!

Okay so for those who grew up with a rice cooker or know what a rice cooker is might appreciate this new rice scoop now available at the MoMa Store! =)

http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Standing%20Rice%20Scoop%20%20_10451_10001_69172_-1_11628_11628_null__

Eataly is now OPEN for business!!

So the highly anticipated EATALY finally opened up this week and I happened to be in the area and spent a good chunk of my afternoon browsing the 50,000 square food marketplace! It was definitely quite spectacular with several stations specializing in Italy's finest--a cheese station dedicated to good ol' aged cheese, a pasta station to carb your hearts desire, a dessert station to give you enough cavities for a lifetime, a coffee station filled with expresso beans so aromatic that the smell and flavor cling to your clothes as your walk pass, and the list goes on and on! There were meats, seafoods, pizzas, breads, dry pastas, jams, and even fresh produce. I can't even begin to name everything I saw and smelled. Not related to food was a cute little market place filled with Italian Housewares--who knew that the Italians were competing against the Swiss to have classy and modern housewares? (IKEA watch out!)

I was definitely impressed and quite overwhelmed by the crowd and the assortment of Italian food and delicacies available. Mr. Mario Batali and Mr. Joe Bastianich are the co-conspiring geniuses behind this Italian food mega mart. I think Eataly takes on a whole new meaning to the phrase "mega mart" especially here in NYC. So how are Manhattanites and fellow Foodies handling this extravagant Italian eatery plus some? Well, looking at the huge crowds, it sure hasn't disappointed anyone yet. It's definitely a tourist attraction located right in the heart of the Flatiron district on 23rd Street and 24th Street just across the way from Madison Square Park where we have the famous Shake Shack. So if you're in the area and the burgers and fries in the park just isn't going to cut it or if you have a dire need to try out NYC's finest Italian Cuisine, I suggest you swing by to check out the assortment of menus over at Eataly. There is also an Eataly Wine Store with very knowledgeable sales associates, (or should I be calling them wine connoisseurs?), who can help you select a bottle for your next wine and cheese soirée! Their Seasonal Rooftop Beer Garden will be open in November--I can't wait to check this out!

Seriously, swing by for a self guided tour, and EAT up!

Cupcake Popsicles...?

Sprinkles located down in Florida just reinvented the cupcake called Cakeshooter. Check out this clever way of packaging and eating a cupcake (via popsicle vessel):



Isn't that amazing? Who would have thought to reinvent eating cupcake in the form of a popsicle? Clean up is easy and you don't get the sticky frosting all over your fingers!


They make Gluten-Free and Vegan versions as well! Here is their website if you ever want to order for a party: http://www.cakeshooters.com/index.php

Gourmet Mag is back...in the digital form!

So our beloved Gourmet magazine ceased publishing at Conde Nast in 2009--now the magazine conglomerate has decided to profit from their beautiful archives by creating an app to access the delicious recipes, colorful food photos, and videos dedicated to food and wine.

Conde Nast also sent out a recent press release stating that there will be 3 special edition to be published containing cookbook glossy photos, recipes, wine pairings and much more. The first edition to be published on September 7th!

Seriously, way to boost up your magazine sales and take a share out of the American Express' verison of Food and Wine. But, I can't wait to see all the great photos!

Check out the full article about Gourmet Live on WWD:
Memo Pad: Townsend Unveils Gourmet Live... Nudity Loves Company... - Fashion Memopad - WWD.com

Hamburger Cupcakes?!

Who would have thought that you can turn cupcakes into hamburgers, right?! Well my sister, Caitlin did! Check out these cute birthday cupcakes she baked up for the boys:

Vanilla cake as the buns, brownie as the meat, red fruit roll up for tomato, green fruit roll up for lettuce, and yellow frosting as mustard--so clever.

Left Over for Lunch!

Okay, yeah I know some people get totally weirded out with left over food, but I'm not! Last night's fancy cabbage salad became today's Fancy Cabbage Sandwich! Holler! Check it out:

Salad on toasted multi grain bread w/ a bit of hummus, cucumber slivers and little sprigs of cilantro! Now who said you can't be creative when you're brown baggin' your lunch?!

Fancy Smancy Cabbage Salad

I've never been a huge fan of coleslaw because the stuff I've experienced in the cafeteria lunch room during grade school freaked me out. I remember the lunch ladies would force me to eat that crap before I was allowed to go to the playground to play with my friends--disgusting!

Anyway, I was at a barbeque birthday bash the other weekend and a friend of mine made this very light summer coleslaw using the fresh produce she got from the local farmer's market. I was a little apprehensive about trying it at first, but decided it would be rude of me not to. I was really surprised by the lightness of the dressing or vinaigrette--it was both sweet and tangy and very light because there was less mayo and more vinegar in the dressing.

This got me thinking about this version of Chinese cabbage salad my mom use to make in the summer time with carrots, cabbage, cucumbers, lemon juice, a little sugar, and some salt. I loved having it the next day after the flavors marinated together overnight.

I went grocery shopping with these two recipes in mind and saw this lovely head of red savoy cabbage at the market. I put on my thinking cap and decided that I had to use use this red cabbage to make my own version of cabbage salad~!

By the way, if you want the exact recipe--I don't remember it because I eyeball everything and hardly measure when I cook. I know this is a terrible habit of mine, but I can't help it. This also happens when I bake so if I ever provide a baking recipe and it turns out to be an utter disaster for you, I'm going to have to apologize in advance! I hardly ever follow recipes to a T...

These are the overall ingredients and you can add or subtract whatever you do and don't like:

Red Cabbage & Pear Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing

-Half a hed Red Savoy Cabbage

-1 1/2 Cups of Honey Toasted Walnuts (you can do this in the oven or stove top using raw walnuts)

-1 or 2 Carrots

-2 Celery Stalks

-1/4 White Onion (you can use red or yellow, whatever is in your kitchen)

-1 or 2 Pears (more like 1 1/2 because I think I ate the other half as I was chopping)

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

-about 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (reduced down on a low flame with a spoonful or two of sugar)

-about 2 tbl extra virgin olive oil

-about 2 tbl red wine vinegar

-1 or 2 tsp dijon mustard

-salt & pepper to taste

The results--YUMMY!