Laura Rebecca's Kitchen

Happy New Year! OK, yes, I realize that I’m doing this on New Year’s Eve, but I’m headed off to London tomorrow very early (unofficially, I’m co-leading this trip/course) , so I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for reading the blog in 2007 and invite you back for more in 2008! […]

I used to date a man who loved the cocktail hour at wedding receptions; the combination of elegant mixed drinks with a panoply of carefully prepared finger foods proved too irresistible. Forget the cake, or the carefully plated fish-or-chicken entrees, the cocktail hour was where it’s at. After last night, I’m reminded why I agree. […]

Kicked Up Green Bean Casserole: pretty, by casserole standards. I’ve never been a fan of the traditional green bean casserole but Shane really likes it, so I’ll make it on occassion — most recently, for Thanksgiving. I’m not crazy about green beans anyway, and the regular recipe yeilds a bland-tasting and grey-looking casserole. For Christmas […]

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! This month, Lis and Ivonne challenged all the Daring Bakers to create a Yule Log for the holidays. Mine is a few days late — it’s been a hectic month, and the past few days have been especially sad for me because Chester died– but the cake […]

Every year, the George Eastman House hosts an exhibition of Gingerbread Houses created by people all over the Rochester area. Take a look at some of the lovely creations!

The fine folks at Vosges (specifically Paige — Hi, Paige!) sent me a gorgeous Exotic Caramel Collection 18pc 2-Tier Hatbox . And, let me tell you, it knocked my socks off. The collection features two samples each of nine different caramels with flavors featuring notes of maple syrup, blood orange, peppercorn, or chile, among others. […]

I’ve been tooling around the American Science & Surplus site, which is filled with all sorts of little goodies at very resonable prices, when I came across this: Butane BeautyIt’s stylish, it’s handy, it has a slightly menacing look to it, and-truth be told-it’s a lot of fun. It’s a handheld butane torch, great for […]

An email from Mark, verbatim: It was one of those awkward social mixers at the beginning of my first semester at The University of Alabama in 1990. All the grad students were invited to the home of the one of the professors, so we could get to know each other and meet some of the […]

I can’t believe it, but the Food Network has cancelled it’s flagship show, Emeril Live. From Changing Courses at the Food Network, NYT 12/17/07: You can find chef Emeril Lagasse’s name and face all over a dozen cookbooks, 10 restaurants, lines of pots and pans, knives, Wedgwood dishes, spices, salad dressings and pasta sauces, and […]

I signed up for Facebook earlier this year and am completely addicted. Why I (and everyone else on Facebook) find updates on all my friends’ minutia so fascinating, or why writing “on walls” is fun, or why challenging each other to movie quizzes is so compelling is not something I’ve fully figured out, but I’m […]