Every Day Stuff

BROWNIE LOVE

every day gina — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:21:16 GMT

Editing the Eat & Run column is always a good time: I learn about delicious foods around the country, then sample them at the photo shoot. Even better, though, I get to give props to hardworking, often-unsung restaurants and small businesses, like Muddy's Bake Shop in Memphis. Owner Kat Gordon wrote us a little love letter on her blog, here. No, Kat, thank YOU for those brownies covered in mint icing! Mmmmm. Check out the whole brownie story, and let us know YOUR favorite bakeries around the country!

A Bed for Your Best Friend

every day rachel d — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:50:09 GMT

You guys love your pets -- that's totally obvious since we have more than 1,700 entries in our Best Pet Photo Contest in less than a week!

So, love 'em even more with a good bed. Here are some of my favorites:

Fatboy's Doggielounge and Catbags come in fantastic bright colors and super comfy (I've sat in one before, trust me!):

Kari Whitman's Greener Pup dog bed, filled with 100% recycled plastic and covered in recycled fabric, is a great eco-friendly option -- plus all profits go toward the Ace of Hearts, a dog rescue and adoption foundation. We all love that!

And so is West Paw Design's Eco Slumber Bed or Organic Bumper Bed, both made with organic cotton:

The Monogrammed Pottery Barn bed is a good classic choice:

What about you? What do your best friends sleep on?

What to Bring When You Don't Have to Bring Anything

every day cameron — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:04:26 GMT

Thanksgiving is still a week away and I've already been getting holiday party invites—usually I make a bunch of cookies and wrap them as hostess gifts, but since I'm so busy with my first Thanksgiving this year I'm thinking I'm going to pick up some store-bought treats. I'm eyeing these, based on the type of friend who's hosting:

YOU'RE NOT VERY CLOSE: Chocolate Covered Apples
You can't go wrong with chocolate, caramel and apples. Mrs. Prindables has Jumbo apples (1.5 pounds!) that could serve the whole party. (starting at $23, mrsprindables.com)

IT'S BEEN A STRESSFUL YEAR: Body Scrub
Anti-aging, exfoliating, pampering, what more do you need? AHAVA's Stress Melt Butter Salt solves post-party stress. ($24, ahavaUS.com)

FIRST-TIMER: Wine Charms
Help avoid wine glass mishaps (it's flu season afterall) with Wine Cellar Charms ($18, target.com )
THIS IS OLD HAT: Stylish Apron
Kitchenware? Check. Wine? Check. She'd never buy this adorable Onyx Apron for herself. ($39.95, surlatable.com

Want more ideas? Check out our Holiday Gift Guide.

Burger Bash

every day cameron — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:55:58 GMT

Yesterday we were taste-testing burgers from our Burger Bash contest. We had a ton of great entries, narrowed down the finalists and then had a cook-off!

Bring in the finalists! Recognize your burger?

Our testers with their ballots.

Holiday Wine Buying 101: What to Bring, What to Serve

every day diane — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:07:08 GMT

We asked Joshua Wesson, co-founder of Best Cellars wine stores, how to solve our wine dilemmas: what to bring and what to serve. As Rach says, "Joshua does for wine what I do for food—he makes it accessible and fun."

Q: What kind of wine makes the best gift?
A: If you don't have a clue what your giftee likes, wrap up a bottle of sparkling wine or a tawny Port, which is more complex than ruby Port and more affordable than vintage Port. The bubbles need not hail from France's Champagne region; the United States, Spain, Italy, Australia and even other parts of France—such as the Loire Valley, Alsace and Burgundy—make boatloads of fine fizz.

Q: How do I match wines with a holiday dinner?
A: Serve wines that make peace with just about any dish. All-purpose whites include Chenin Blancs from California and the Loire Valley; Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand and Washington state; and unoaked Chardonnays from all over. Versatile reds include Shiraz-Grenache blends from Australia; Primitivos and Nero d'Avolas from southern Italy; and Pinot Noirs from New Zealand and Oregon.

Holiday in a Glass

every day cameron — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:20:37 GMT

Last night I went out with friends and had a cocktail called Holiday Cheer, which was like a fireside Thanksgiving meal in a glass. Since I'm fully in Turkey Day mode, I asked what was in it to see if I could make it at home. Most of the spices I already had on hand: cloves, allspice and cinnamon. You blend those with rum, maple syrup, lemon, lime and apple cider. So good! Cruzan Rum, who created the drink, suggested infusing the rum overnight with the pumpkin-pie spices, which I thought was a pretty cool idea. I know we have a whole party of spice rack cocktails like Pumpkin Pie Martinis, Cinnamon Snaps and the Pumpkintini which uses actual pumpkin pie filling. But this drink was definitely worth its cheers..

Holiday Cheer Spiced Holly Highball

(Photos courtesy of Cruzan Rum)

None of the trimmings

every day stacy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:20:16 GMT

No matter how far in advance I buy holiday gifts, I never (ever!) get to wrapping them before the very last minute. (Am I alone here??) Time to put an end to the scramble once and for all.

Living Ethos 100 percent cotton gift bags eliminate the cutting and taping. (Some call it cheating. I call it genius.) They come in four sizes—some big enough to hold a bottle of wine for my aunts and uncles, others just right for video games for my brother or costume jewelry for my sisters—and with pre-trimmed ribbons made from recycled PET from plastic bottles. The best part: They're reusable, so passing one on is like a gift all in its own. ($28 for a set of four at livingethos.com)

Do you guys have any unique gift wrapping ideas?

A handy arrival

every day stacy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:26:28 GMT

I'm not ready to admit winter is coming (I'm still trying to pull off cropped pants and light jackets in lieu of boots and woolly coats). But my skin is giving me no choice: I feel the dreaded winter dry hands coming on. I knew it would only get worse—I'm in part-time culinary school so I've been washing my hands way more than usual during kitchen time—so I instantly popped open a bottle of a new hand cream from Ahava that crossed my desk this week. It. Felt. Amazing. It's their Mineral Hand Cream (it retails for $19 at ahavaus.com), and apparently contains water from the Dead Sea that's supposed to draw moisture toward the outermost layer of your skin. Science, schmience. It did the trick. My hands are baby soft, and the bottle has officially found a new home in my desk drawer.

Who has another beauty product they can't live without??

Holiday Shopping

every day rachel d — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:25:01 GMT

We just put up on Online Holiday Gift Guide, a little bonus guide to our Every Day Faves Gift Guide in the December/January issue.

My favorites?

This Bike Chain Bowl, made entirely of recycled bike chains. Cool, huh?

And how about these Chat Plates? So cute for a dinner party.

Finally, the Magneat is such a great stocking stuffer for my running friends.

What about you? Does anything catch your eye? What's on your holiday wish list this year?

Go Yankees!

every day cameron — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:54:07 GMT

I'm a Yankee fan. Go ahead, you can hate, but I've loved my Yanks since I moved to New York City. And this year, we're finally World Series champs again. Friday was the tickertape parade through lower Manhattan, and while I wasn't able to attend, I was able to get something better: Derek Jeter Driven Sport scent by Avon. So while my friends were stuck freezing in a huge crowd downtown, aching for a chance to be near one of the Yankee greats, I had Jeter on my desk. And, even though every day diane is a Met fan, she thought it was pretty great too. ($22.50, avon.com)

One Hot Bag! (Pink Carpet Post)

everyday vanessa — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:47:18 GMT

Pink Carpet Post--More Picts

everyday vanessa — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:46:21 GMT

Walking the pink carpet

everyday vanessa — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:45:24 GMT

Tonight every day Sonal, every day Alyssa, every day Anne, Gretta and myself attended the Isaac Mizrahi QVC launch party. It was held at Studio 37 in NYC to celebrate the fabulous new line Isaac has for QVC. All I can say is DVR=QVC, I cannot wait to buy, buy, buy.

There were these amazing tv sets from all decades broadcasting the items from Isaac's new collection. It was awesome. The bags are all shapes, sizes and fabrics. Each one better than the next. There's even more though: shoes, scarves, tabletop...you name it and Isaac made it. The patterns were awesome. I think I saw a plaid pie plate. How fun is that?

Big thanks to Korey P for the awesome invite. There were very fun guests to boot ranging from: Beth O, The Olsen Twins, Veronica Webb, Lily from Gossip Girl (looking beautiful), Amazing designers and 2 Ugly Betty folks, not to mention Andy from Bravo.

How can I be EDWRR without mentioning the food...delish champagne flowed, mini burgers, dogs, grilled cheese, crabcakes and more.

Needless to say--How fun is that? Check out the fun pict of Isaac himself--being the ultimate host!

Chocolate Overload

every day cameron — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:47:34 GMT

The 12th Annual Chocolate Show came here this past weekend—great timing, because I'd had chocolate on the brain all week. Maybe it had to do with Halloween? or maybe I just love chocolate! Anyway, if you're like me, having close to 50 different chocolate vendors in one space was a sweet-lover's dream. And these weren't your every day chocolatiers: One company, called Al Nassma and from Dubai, is apparently the first in the world to produce camel's milk chocolate. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, having never even come into contact with a camel, but it was incredibly creamy and left a lasting flavor in your mouth.

I also loved this four-foot tall haunted house from the French Culinary Institute, made entirely of chocolate:

But my favorite treat was from Berkshire Bark Chocolate. Their Pretzelogical bark took basic pretzels, caramel, peanut butter and sea salt and combined it into a bar. The totally addictive, sweet-salty dessert reminded me a lot of our Pretzel Turtles—which I'm definitely going to make once the holidays come around.

Sweet and Lo(quat)

every day courtney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:44:07 GMT

Sometimes it pays to have a desk by Every Day Stacy—times like today, when she received a huge basket of exotic fruits. Not only did this save me from a late-afternoon sugar binge (thanks, Stace), but it also introduced me to one yummy snack: the loquat. It's tart and sweet (think of a slightly citrusy apricot), and a beautifully autumnal shade of orange. Plus, it's naturally snack-sized. (Next time, I'd probably eat three. Don't judge—it's fruit.)

I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for these on my next shopping trip. How about you guys—what new finds have you discovered lately?

(Thanks to chinatownconnection.com for the image.)