If you avoid the traditional Thanksgiving dishes because you feel it take too much work but your family request a roasted turkey, you will be pleased to know that Gourmet found a no-fuss way to cook a golden-brown skin turkey with moist, tender white and dark meat. Simply seasoned the turkey with salt and pepper, then roasted in a 450ºF oven. In their own word, the Gourmet expert said: no need for butter under the skin, no basting, no foil tent, just blasted. With the high-heat cooking method, it takes between 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours for a 14- to 16-pound bird. This may be enough incentive for roasting a turkey this holiday, if only making a good gravy was that simple.

Generally speaking, an unstuffed turkey baked quicker than a stuffed turkey. Note that the time difference will be smaller with the high-heat method. Get all the details on Gourmet. One last thing, if you ever wish to invite me for a Thanksgiving dinner or a traditional Christmas dinner, do not try to impress me with the stuffing, I do not eat it. But I will pour more gravy and try your cranberry sauce.

+ photo: Gourmet

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The diagonal pocket fold is not harder to make than the (square) pocket napkin fold. I prefer the diagonal pocket fold for its elegance. It is a twist on the basic silverware pouch. The difference is that you create a band instead of simply diagonally folding the top layer (step 1). I think that the band creates a more sophisticated look.

Before we go over the step by step instructions, let’s review a few basic rules. Any sit down dinner, even the most casual one, requires that you use cloth napkins. Ideally, you should keep around several solid and pattern cloth napkins that go well with your tablecloths. The bigger the napkins, the easiest it is to fold it. I recommend that you use 20 to 22-inch pressed napkins.

How to Fold a Napkin into a Diagonal Pocket for the Silverware

Step 0: Fold a square napkin in half, then into quarters. Orient the napkin so that the open corner is facing the top left side.

Step 1: Gradually roll up diagonally the top-most layer of napkin and press it down to form a band. I usually start rolling a band that is 3/4 of an inch and adjust as needed to get the look I want.

Step 2: I stop rolling when I reach about 1 inch from the lower corner. It is easier to secure the wrapped sides if you stop before reaching the corner.

Step3: Turn the napkin over so that the open corner is now facing your body. Fold that 1/3 of the bottom side.

Step 4: Fold 1/3 of the top side and tuck it in the bottom corner to secure in place. Press well. You can iron the napkins for a crisper look. I did not took the time to do it for the pictures.

Step 5: Use the pocket to place the silverware, a flower (with a florist vial) or a menu card.

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To conclude today’s marathon on Halloween treats, I am leaving you a link to a tutorial I spot on Bake at 350. You can learn how to make this awesome two-color spider Web icing. The technique is demonstrated on cookies but it could be adapted for decorating cupcakes.

Bridget of Bake at 350 is a source of information for any baker. She shows us how to make cute candy corn cookies.

+ photos: Bake at 350

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Sunset magazine is a West Coast lifestyle magazine that I enjoyed reading every time I went to California. I love it so much that I became a subscriber a few months ago. The Sunset gardens are open to the public. The gardens are located at their headquarters in Northern California. I marked it down for my next trip to San Francisco since they are less than 1 hour from there. In fact, I like to go to their Celebration Weekend next year.

If you are lucky to live in a warmer climate, it is not too late to get inspired by these grouping of pots. They would make a statement on your front door. Every time you do a grouping, you must repeat elements. You can vary the heights and shape of the pots but it is usually best to keep your containers all in the same color, same finish.

If you wish to learn the art of pot planting, read:

+ Learn how create a wow factor with a triple decker composition.
+ An easy lesson on selecting pots and flowers that harmonize with the rest of your garden
+ Benefits from experience. Sunset tells you which are the 12 dwarf lavenders that they prefer from all the ones they test in their own garden.
+ Explore fall favorite hues. I love these aqua glass containers.

Putting plants in containers can allow you to rotate the plants that you put inside to create seasonal arrangements. If you are new to gardening, watch this 1-minute video that show you how to plant a container.

PHOTO CREDITS:
+ By Thomas J. Story for Sunset magazine

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Lucks Food Decorating makes it easy for anyone to start decorating their cakes. Lucks manufacture edible print decorations, molded sugar decorations, royal icing roses and food colors. Beside taking courses, this would help you make a lasting impression when you are baking your own cake for a party.

When placed on food, edible images absorb moisture and become soft, blending in seamlessly with your culinary creation. Their cake decorating strips are a fun and easy way to decorate buttercream, fondant, gum paste, chocolate, whipped toppings, fudge and ice cream cakes.

The website of Lucks provides instructions to create elaborate cakes with their Edible Image Designer Prints collection. They are organized by theme or occasion. They are ideas for all levels of cake decorators. I am showing you simpler versions. You can also watch an entire series of instructional videos on ChefTools.com to get you started. Check out the Lucks Decorating Ideas PDF to have a list of everything you need to reproduce your own.

MORE:
+ Lucks Food Decorating Company
+ Available at ChefTools.com starts at $43.19 USD for 36 strips

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This afternoon I visited Beacon Hill, an old British style, upscale neighborhood in Boston. This is one of the are where the houses are the most expensive in Boston. One think I noticed as we walked around is how, even though the houses have no landing, many front doors felt inviting and elegant.

I paid attention to find their secret. It is simple. They all display flower pots, have a stunning door knocker, hardware and street numbers. They are illuminated by a beautiful light. And more importantly, the homeowners have painted the door a contrasting color. Looking at the lack of space of these houses, it is clear that having little space is no excuse to make a statement.

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I am writing this post in response to a reader’s question. Jessica B. wanted to know where to get this type of cupcake stand.

I usually ask my cupcake baker to make it. This way, I am sure that the colors are coordinated with the cupcakes. But if you do it yourself, you could start from your party decor and provide a sample of your stand paper and ribbons to the cupcake baker.

These are not hard to do if you have some crafting experience. Cakejournal published a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own cupcake stand. You can be as imaginative as you want. Look at the bold stands produced by Mandotts on Flickr. She is a talented woman with a flair for cupcake and cake decorations.

These stands are for one use only.

PHOTO CREDITS:
+ Cupcake Stand Tutorial by Cakejournal
+ Custom Cupcake Stands by Mandotts

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Beside mastering cooking techniques, the best way to improve your cooking is by learning how to balance flavor. First, you need to know which ingredients complement each other. You also need to know how flavor develops. This book is filled with tips, guidelines and basic principles that you can use in your own kitchen. For The Flavor Bible, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg concentrated on what make food tastes great and how to maximize flavor.

Page and Dornenburg explored four tastes in our mouth: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. They talked about how heat, textures, aroma and look influence the taste of a dish or an ingredient. They also explored the cultural preferences and particularities.

After reading The Flavor Bible, you will be better equipped to adjust any recipe to fit what is inside your pantry and your fridge. Moreover, it will provide you a solid foundation for inventing your own recipe.  My girl friend Nathalie bought it and she is delighted with the book. Now that I researched this cookbook, I intent to grab my copy soon.

SOURCING:
+ Americans: The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg $23.10 USD
+ Canadians: The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg $24.26 CAD

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If there is a place in your house where you can infuse an array of colors is your backyard. You use mostly in sunny days and at night under candle lights.

Most manufacturer of outdoor tableware and accessories produce their products in 3 to 5 colors. Take advantage of that fact and mix colors. The key is to create a sense of repetitions. You can accomplish that through different methods.

Here is a technique that produces a sophisticated look. Select a pattern with four or five distinctive main colors as the starting point and select the rest of the accessories or furniture in solid colors of the main colors in the pattern. This is what happen with the sun loungers and the paper lanterns.

Getting the items in all colors will create a sense of continuity as long as there is always the same number of items per color. To make it easy for you if you are unsure of what goes with what, look at color packs.

I found all these affordable products that could transform your backyard in a festive oasis at UK-retailer Next Home. I wish they have a store in North America because I would visit them often.

SOURCING:
+ Small wood parasol, director’s chairs and Panama dining table parasol £30, chairs and table £50 each
+ Mesh lounger and Floral Lounger £25 each
+ Patterned Paper Lanterns £10 for set of 3 – two floral and one green
+ Plain Paper Lanterns £10 for set of 3, orange, pink, green
+ Bright Mini Lanterns £12 for 4 color pack
+ Plastic tableware
+ Glass Votive Tealight Set £12 for 4 color pack

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I could not wait so I am publishing the first cocktail recipe. This is the most complicated cocktail recipe that was demonstrated at the Bombay Sapphire event. The difficulty comes from its garnish. It is easy to do once you know how. This bartender’s trick will put your guests in awe for sure. It infuses the room with an exquisite aroma. You first gently hold the orange zest. you can heat a little the zest, without squeezing the zest. Then you squeeze the orange at the last minute as you lit your lighter. Voilà!

Watch the video where Merlin Griffiths explains the technique. The flamed orange zest is the ultimate garnish for the Cosmopolitan.

Merlin shows us his ultimate gin Cosmopolitan who goes lighter on the cranberry juice.

Recipe of the Sapphire Cosmopolitan

Merlin’s recipe provides a dry, tart and juicy Cosmopolitan. It is different than the drink that we are accustomed to. I will give it a try.

1. Chill your martini glass by filling it with ice cubes and soda water
2. In a mixing glass, pour a large measure of  your favorite gin – about 50 ml
3. A dash of Triple sec or Cointreau – no more than 25 ml
4. Either squeeze the juice of 3 wedges plus put the wedges in the mixing glass to get the lime oil or squeeze 1/2 a lime
5. A splash of cranberry juice, put just enough to make the drink blush. The cranberry is there to add color and a little tartness. If you crave for more cranberry, do not go over a large measure
6. Shake vigorously all the ingredients with ice
7. Throw the ice from your chilled martini glass
8. Double strain (use a bar strainer plus a small mesh strainer) to avoid watering your Cosmopolitan
9. Garnish with a flamed orange peel that you twist.

Watch the video of Sapphire Cosmopolitan here.

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I have to confess that I am not good at freezing food. For most of my adult life, I did my grocery everyday buying only what I needed to prepare my dinner and the next morning breakfast. Like most of us, I do not like to waste food. Our lifestyle is such that we go to many events, sometimes unexpected. My husband and I often work late the rest of the time and for these days, my current system does not work anymore. I am looking for a better way to manage my food buying process.

One solution is to prolong the life shelf of what I buy at the grocery and at the farmer’s market. The latest article by Mark Bittman on the NY Times came at a right time. Mark explained how we could save time and money by freezing more than the leftovers. The idea is to make it simpler for you to cook a homemade meal.

The ABC of Freezing Food

Proper labeling will simplify your life. I find that a fine Sharpie permanent marker works the best. Identify clearly the content and the date.

The key is to avoid freezer burns and that you must eliminate air and fill the plastic containers to the top (allow for expansion). In short, the three techniques involve double- or even triple-wrap food (or use freezer bag), fill containers to the top and squeeze the air out of containers. Use water or cooking liquid, leaving room for expansion, to cover all blanched vegetables and beans. For certain food and for sauces, like pesto, cover instead with a layer of oil.

Freezing food is not as tasty but it is a good alternative to not waste them. If you are picky about taste, leave the use of some frozen food to when you prepare a recipe. Frozen hard and very hard cheese, like Parmesan, can be used later in a risotto.

FridgeSmart containers by Tupperware

On the same subject, I found that Tupperware created a new series of plastic contains called FridgeSmart. All fruits and vegetables needs a different level of airflow when stored in the fridge. Therefore, it is not enough to rely on the one-for-all venting system of the fruits and vegetable drawers in your fridge. With the FridgeSmart containers, you can regulate the airflow within the container thanks to its integrated venting system. A permanent storage chart is molded into all containers, except the small, to eliminate the guesswork. FridgeSmart is supposed to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh longer. I say supposed because I did not try it.

SOURCING:
+ Freeze That Thought by Mark Bittman for the New York Times
+ Photo credit: rights reserved photo illustration by Tony Cenicola for the NY Times
+ FridgeSmart containers by Tupperware $12 to $49.50 USD (for the set)

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I gathered a few old tips that anyone can use in the kitchen from Real Simple.

+ The old-fashioned Cast-Iron Skillet is one of the most efficient way to cook. I love mine. They are inexpensive and last a long time. The key is to season your new cast-iron skillet. They are a few higher-end brands that sell pre-season but typically, you will need to do it yourself.

+ Rub ice cubes on a day old baguette until the crust is damp and reheat them for 12 minutes at 370° F. Adjust the heating time for a wider bread. You can use the same technique with a frozen bread. You can replace the ice cubes by quickly passing the bread over cold water. Remember that the idea is to humidify the bread.

+ A three-inch-long piece of orange peel in the box of brown sugar is supposed to keep it soft. Keep any sugar in airtight, moisture-proof containers. Since I keep forgetting to use the tricks, I was glad when I discovered an innovative packaging last fall.  It is from a French company Saint-Louis. So far, it works perfectly well for me. The texture is different than regular brown sugar.

+ We can all eat healthier. Review The Nutrients You Need and 7 Principles of Healthy Eating.

MORE:
+ Cleaning and Seasoning a Cast-Iron Skillet: photo by Christopher Baker
+ Revive Stale Bread With Ice Cubes: photo by Beth Galton
+ Orange in Brown sugar: photo by Tria Giovan
+ Healthier eating habits: photo by Con Poulos

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