Spread the love
Containers of dips and spreads are not cheap, so when you have the time, why not make your own?
"Great Party Dips" (Wiley, $16.95), by Peggy Fallon, can lead the way to dozens of satisfying spreads, such as tropical mango salsa, three-berry yogurt dip and hummus with smoked paprika.
Visit Jessica's Biscuit at ecookbooks.com or call (800) 878-4264.
Leggo my Twists
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The newest Eggo item from Kellogg is Bakeshop Twists, criss-crossed strips of frozen pastry with strawberry or apple filling baked inside and dotted with coarse sugar, which follow last fall's introduction of Eggo Bakeshop Swirlz (spiral-shaped frozen pastries with filling and icing baked inside).
At one discount supermarket, where the box of Bakeshop Swirlz was $3.09, the box of Bakeshop Twists was $2.93. But the Swirlz box, at 13.3 ounces, contains six Swirlz (52 cents per 2.2-ounce item); the Twists box, at 7.7 ounces, contains four Twists (73 cents per 1.9-ounce item).
Growing thrifty
Growing your own herbs and/or vegetables is a wonderful way to save -- and boost dishes' flavor as well.
The "Kitchen Garden Box" (Quirk, $18.95), from Mike McGrath, host of "You Bet Your Garden" on National Public Radio, includes veggie growing tips as well as recipes (the bell pepper slaw sounds great). Find it at amazon.com.
Peeler panache
Some of OXO's gadgets at first may seem esoteric, but they turn out to be indispensable if they match your cooking needs.
Enter the Good Grips Ginger Peeler: Its sharp-but-not-too-sharp stainless-steel blade maneuvers its way around ginger root's lumpy surface, without removing too much of the skin.
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It's $7 at Williams-Sonoma stores and thekitchenstore.com or (800) 458-2616.
Cartons of five
New from Haagen-Dazs, a line of seven flavors of ice cream, each containing only five ingredients: skim milk, cream, sugar, the flavor ingredient and egg yolks. The flavors of five are mint, ginger, coffee, vanilla bean, passion fruit, brown sugar and milk chocolate. The five cartons hold 14 ounces (3½ half-cup servings instead of 4) and are a bit shorter and taper to a slightly smaller bottom than the 16-ounce cartons of regular Haagen-Dazs, which could follow suit soon.
