I am feeling extremely Scrooge-y and Grinch-y this year, so there’s a reasonably good chance I’m on Santa’s Naughty List, but I’ll lay it out here anyway:

• Dinner at Angelo’s 677 Prime. I’ve never been, and I’ve heard great things. If you’ve been to 677 for dinner, what did you think? I’ll also take suggestions on other great places to get a fancy swanky dinner!
• A proper Chinois strainer. I find myself longing for one of these all the time, especially when I making stock. My old strainer is beginning to fall apart. I know, your heart is just *breaking* for me, isn’t it?
• The Recipe Rock. Just a neat little tool that caught my eye recently.
• New pots & pans. I purchased my current set from The Pampered Chef more than 10 years ago, during my stint as a PC consultant (putting myself through broadcasting school). The set allegedly has a Lifetime Guarantee, but the pans are all warped and the nonstick coating is peeling off in sheets. They were obviously not worth the money I paid for them, even if I did get a discount. Harumph. Anyway, my dream is to own an All-Clad stainless steel set (like this), but short of that I will accept just this. So shiny!
• A Dual-Fuel Range, like this. The best of both worlds: gas stovetop, so when the burner is off, it’s OFF; and electric oven, to maintain temperature more consistently. Plus, this one even has convection, to make cooking even quicker. I know I won’t be finding this beauty under the tree this year, but a girl can dream, can’t she? <sigh>
• OK, not cooking-related, but I want an iPad. There, I said it.

So, that’s what’s on my list. How about yours?

This thing gave me scars, both inside and out.

I just received a shocking piece of news: the Easy-Bake Oven, storied toy from my childhood, will be no more.  Or, at least, no more the way it was.  And we have energy-saving tree-huggers and politicians to thank for it.

As you may know, incandescent light bulbs are going the way of the dodo, with the United States adopting more stringent energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs (the standards will be phased in from 2012-2014) .  Though incandescents aren’t being outlawed per se, it is unlikely that they will be able to meet those new efficiency requirements (roughly 25% increase in efficiency), effectively banning the general purpose incandescent lighting that most of us use.

But, sadly, it’s that very energy-inefficiency (i.e., wanton and blatant heat production) of a standard 100-watt incandescent bulb that allowed the Easy-Bake oven to work its magic and cook those tasty little cakes. 

Fact of the day: Approximately 90% of the power consumed by an incandescent light bulb is emitted as heat, rather than as visible light.

According to a recent press release from Hasbro, Inc., maker of the Easy-Bake Oven,

“We are aware that the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be available beginning in 2012. In Fall 2011, Hasbro will launch the Easy Bake Ultimate Oven, introducing a new way to bake for the next generation of chefs. This new oven features a heating element that does not use a light bulb and offers an extensive assortment of mixes reflective of the hottest baking trends for today.”

“Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven”.  Whatever.  It’s no fun if there’s not a chance of getting second-degree light bulb burns.

Kitchen Tools

This is a list of some cool tools – some essential, some whimsical, some probably ridiculous.  But they will no doubt make your foodie smile!

• If money is no object: your foodie NEEDS a KitchenAid Stand Mixer.  No self-respecting foodie should go without this essential tool.  It can be used for everything: kneading bread, mixing cookie dough, combining meat loaf mix, whipping cream.  And, if your foodie already has a stand mixer, you can always get them an attachment or two: meat grinder, sausage stuffer, grain mill, citrus juicer, pasta roller, ravioli maker, slicer/shredder, ice cream maker….
  

  Onion Goggles

• A powerful blender.  My pick is the KitchenAid 4-Speed Blender.  It REALLY crushes ice!  About $99, available in four colors.
• Onion Goggles (available at ThinkGeek for $24.95, at other places for various prices).  Tears no more!  These nifty little goggles prevent the noxious sulfur compounds from reaching your eyeballs, so you can finally chop onions without crying a river.
  

  The Beverage CADDi

• Nutmeg Grater (under $20).  My fave is this one by Cuisipro.  I no longer buy ground nutmeg, following a harrowing incident with a moldycontainer bought in the grocery store.  I now buy whole nutmegs from Penzey’s, and grate them as needed using the grater.
• OXO Electronic Kitchen Scale (around $50, available at kitchen stores and at www.oxo.com).  Every kitchen needs an accurate food scale that can measure in pounds and kilograms.  This one is great  – measures up to 11 pounds.
  

  The Happy Man Bottle Stopper. He sure is happy!

• The Beverage CADDi – it allows you to hang on to your coffee with one finger!  Price: $5.50 (“the cost of your last spilled latte,” according to the Beverage CADDi website).  I haven’t seen it in stores, but it’s available online.
• The Happy Man Bottle Stopper.  I think the picture says it all.

Other Foodie Gift Ideas

• Cooking classes – many local kitchen supply stores offer cooking classes, teaching a wide range of topics.  Here are a few:
  • Different Drummer’s Kitchen (Latham Cooking School and Northampton Cooking School)
  • Spoon & Whisk
  • Saratoga Restaurant Equipment Sales
  • Mimmy’s House Personal Chef Service (offers one-on-one classes)
• Wine Course from Wine Spectator School.  The Wine Spectator, a recognized name in wine culture, offers online wine education courses, on a variety of topics.  I’ve taken a few of these courses, and I think they’re great.  Courses last about 6 weeks, students set their own pace, there are guided tastings, and after passing the course exam, the student receives a certificate and a cool graduation gift (I got a mousepad last time)!  Cost varies, from $39 up to about $149.
• Gift Certificate to Penzey’s, the only place to buy spices.  I will never ever buy grocery-store spices again.  Penzey’s is the best quality, ships fast, and they’re inexpensive.  Plus they’ve got awesome gift collections, if you’d rather buy a pre-boxed set.  They also have cool catalogs, which arrive *very* frequently.
• Foodie DVD’s – Julie & Julia, Chocolat, Sideways, SuperSize Me, Food Inc., Eating Alaska.  And those are just the ones I saw.  There are many more – check out this Amazon.com list for other suggestions.
• Omaha Steaks – Bob and I are big fans of ordering meat online.  Their beef is outstanding, pork is great, chicken is okay, desserts you shouldn’t bother ordering (except the Caramel Apple Tartlets – delicious!).

Well, that’s it for now.  If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.  Deck the Halls, and all that jazz.

Gift Certificates

You can’t go wrong with gift certificates from kitchen stores.  Here are a few of my favorite places:

• Spoon and Whisk. Located in J&S Watkins Plaza on Route 9 in Clifton Park, Spoon & Whisk has everything a cook could possibly need (or want) – from inexpensive gadgets (under $10) to handcrafted hardwood workcenters ($800+).  You’ll have to go to the store to purchase the gift cards, though – I didn’t see them on the website.
• Different Drummer’s Kitchen.  Four area locations (Albany, Latham, Lenox, MA  and Northampton MA).  Another great kitchen store with an incredible collection of high-end gourmet wares.  Gift cards available on their website.
• Williams-Sonoma. I’ve always been a fan of W-S, and there are stores everywhere – this is a great gift if your foodie lives far away.

Cookbooks

There’s not a foodie alive who wouldn’t love a cookbook to add to their collection!  Here are some new ones, some old ones, and some of my personal faves:

• The Joy of Cooking.  Everyone who cooks (not just foodies) needs a copy of this book in their kitchen.  I learned to cook by using my mother’s worn copy, and now that I have my own (thanks, Mom), I use it just about every day.  It’s my go-to reference guide for everything: how to cook new or unusual veggies, basic recipes for ethnic foods, how to cut up a chicken, etc.  It’s really my kitchen bible, and I keep it on my counter at all times.  And it’s got food stains all over it.
• Good Eats, by Alton Brown. (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $37.50.) Tips and recipes from the early days of the Food Network show.  Plus it has photos of AB.  What more do you need?
  

  Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

• Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller (list price $50).  The legendary founder of the French Laundry (in Napa Valley) and Per Se (in NYC) has released a new cookbook (based upon the menu at his Yountville, CA casual-dining location) that promises to be completely accessible to the home cook, with lots of photos, graphics, and tips.  Thomas Keller is a brand unto himself, and this book comes highly recommended to me by Chef Mark.  After a quick check of Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites, I see that Ad Hoc at Home is currently out of stock, and won’t be available until February 2010.  Maybe available in stores??
• Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen, Ruth Reichl, Editor (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $40.00).  The now-defunct magazine just released this compendium, an essential for all Gourmet lovers.
• Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You’ll Make Over and Over Again, by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $35.00).  All of the Barefoot Contessa books are great, but this one is my favorite.  I really love how Ina Garten relies on simple, delicious ingredients to create easy and incredible dishes.  Bob and I cannot get enough of her Honey White Bread.  You can even buy a signed copy of any of her cookbooks by visiting the Barefoot Contessa website.
• Fix-It And Forget-It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes, by Phyllis Pellman Good (Good Books, $29.95).  This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I have not been disappointed!  This book is perfect for the busy cook in your life, who is looking for a way to make great meals when time is crunched.  Pair this book with a crockpot, and you have a can’t-miss gift!
• Cooking Light magazine. It’s not a cookbook, but it’s a year’s worth of amazing recipes, health and wellness articles, and travel tips.  I’ve been a subscriber to CL since 1995, and I cannot recommend it enough!  A one-year subscription costs $15, but right now CL is running a 2-for-1 gift subscription offer (details here).

Not Cookbooks, but Great Books about Food

I have read and enjoyed all of these, and I’d be willing to bet your foodie will enjoy them too.

• The Making of a Chef, The Soul of a Chef, The Reach of a Chef – all by Michael Ruhlman.  These books take you deep inside the world of professional chefs, from the education offered at the Culinary Institute of America, to the underbelly of restaurant kitchens, to professional cooking in the era of celebrity chefs.
• My Life in France, by Julia Child.  The book by the woman who forever changed home cooking.
• Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell.  The story of the woman who took it upon herself to make every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Oh, and she blogged about it too.  Plus it became a movie.  Perhaps you’ve heard of it?
• Anything by Anthony Bourdain.
  

  The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

• The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food – all by Michael Pollan.  This man is a god in the sustainable food movement.   You must read his books.
• How to Pick a Peach, by Russ Parsons, food editor for the LA Times.  Equal parts cookbook, agricultural history, chemistry lesson and produce buying guide, this densely packed book is a food-lover’s delight.

Food Podcasts

Planning to get your foodie an iPod?  Then pre-load it with the some great food podcasts, to get them started!  The iPod will cost you a few bucks, but these podcasts are absolutely free, and subscriptions are truly the gift that keeps on giving.

• Good Food from KCRW in Los Angeles – my hands-down favorite food podcast.  Evan Kleiman ROCKS.
• The Splendid Table from American Public Media
• NPR: Food Podcast - A weekly collection of food stories from all over NPR
• Bon Appetit Podcast - A neat little how-to video podcast from one of the industry leaders
• Epicurious Food and Drink - All sorts of tips and tricks from the magazine
• The Culinary Institute of America – short videos from the nation’s most prestigious culinary institution
• The Main Ingredient
• Eric Ripert | AVEC ERIC a podcast from one of the greatest chefs cooking today.
• Wine for Newbies 2.0 - a complete wine course for the beginner.
• Coming Soon – the Wendalicious Podcast!

This post is quickly becoming unwieldy, so I’ll continue my Foodie Christmas suggestions in the next post…including gadgets and other unique gifts for the foodie.  I also would love to hear your suggestions for awesome foodie gifts.  My husband probably hasn’t done his shopping yet.

And, in other banana news, there’s a curious product on the market called the Banana Bunker. It claims to prevent bruised bananas, but it looks more like it prevents STDs:

Banana Bunkers come in a variety of fun and exciting colors!

First, the exterior – the “glamour shot”:

A Sight to Behold!

Pretty, isn’t it?  It’s so shiny that it caught the flash from my camera. 

 And now for the piece de resistance, the interior – the “money shot”.  I made sure to take these photos the day after grocery shopping, so you can get a glimpse into what makes me so Wendalicious.

A Diagrammatic Look Inside My Fridge

 

The Meaty Deli Drawer: fake bacon, real bacon, bratwurst, chicken tenders, sirloin steaks, hot dogs, ham, and some other stuff I don't remember putting in there. I think there may be some gingerroot in the back.

Sesame tahini (for hummus), ground pork and turkey (for Swedish meatballs), leftover Chinese, homemade creamy black bean tomato soup, and A&W Root Beer Floats.

Fat-free sour cream, minced garlic, Greek yogurt, French Vanilla soymilk creamer (the shiny blue box), and cage-free eggs

 

water (all natural - is there any other kind?), milk, caramel syrup, and roasted red peppers. Please note the containers in the back: you should always store rice, whole wheat flour, and flaxseeds in the fridge so they last longer!

Danger lurks in the outer reaches of the deep-freeze...including chicken pot pies (not mine), apple turnovers (not mine), chocolate molten lava cakes (not mine), and fat-free no-sugar-added vanilla ice cream (mine).

I should at least tell you what I’m making for lunch/dinner this week, with all those tasty ingredients:

• Slow Cooker Lasagna (that was tonight’s dinner and it was GREAT!)
• Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs (my MIL is Swedish, and she shared her mother’s recipe with me)
• Bratwurst Pretzel Pizza (from last month’s Rachael Ray magazine, God help me)
• Buffalo Chicken Tenders (I have no recipe – I’m just wingin’ it.)
• Cilantro White Bean Hummus, as a spread on Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich (cukes, roasted red peppers, feta cheese, tomatoes, all on whole grain bread)

I’ll definitely post the Swedish Meatballs recipe, since it’s so delicious.  MIL made it for Christmas Eve dinner, and I’m hoping it’s going to become a tradition.

And the Cilantro Hummus is a pretty good copy of the version that Panera Bread makes.  Their Meditteranean Veggie Sandwich ROCKS, and I wanted to make it at home.  So I did!  The bread I bought for the sandwich is from Rock Hill Bakehouse, called “8 Grain 3 Seed”.  You can buy it in either Price Chopper or Hannaford.  It is SO delicious that I often just eat it totally plain.  It’s sweet, nutty, chewy and perfect for sandwiches.

 I hope you enjoyed the journey into my refrigerator.  More posts as more interesting items make an appearance…

I also made homemade spaetzle with my new potato ricer and spider. It was a success! We may never have to go out to eat again. Photos and recipe coming soon…

I received a wonderful gift from my wonderful in-laws (one set…I have two great sets of in-laws) – a large butcher-block style cutting board, handmade right nearby in the Catskills, by Catskill Craftsmen. They have a similar one in their kitchen, and I’ve been loudly admiring it since I first met them. They finally took the hint.

It’s humongous – 20″x20″, and it must weigh about 15 pounds. I cannot find a place for it it my kitchen yet – it’s too big to go in any of the cabinets, and it doesn’t fit on top of the pot rack (which would probably collapse from the weight, anyway). I, however, am totally in love with it. It’s going to last the rest of my life, and will travel with me to any and all future kitchens.

I’m glad that it was made right here in New York, and that it comes with a guarantee. I realize that I’m responsible for its maintenance (monthly treatment with mineral oil), but it’s a small price to pay for a lifetime of enduring craftsmanship.

My in-laws told me that they looked high and low for this – they could not find a decent wooden cutting board at Macy’s, Different Drummer’s Kitchen, or even Williams-Sonoma. Turned out they found it at a little place in Clifton Park called Spoon & Whisk, right on Route 9 next to J&S Watkins (another fantasy-inducing foodie destination).

I have made it a New Year’s resolution to hie myself over to Spoon & Whisk, to buy me a chinois, a spider, and a potato ricer. I have many culinary adventures ahead of me in 2008 – stay tuned!