Lebanese Milk Ice Cream & Dinner at Ilili

My birthday this year fell on a Thursday, which gave me the perfect excuse to arrange for bookend celebrations the weekend before and after. Last Sunday, wrapped in my vintage mink collar, I joined my parents and Eugene's for an early birthday dinner at Ilili, an opulent Lebanese restaurant in Murray Hill recommended to me by the fabulous Erika of The Pastry Chef at Home. Due to an Eastern European superstition observed strictly by Eugene's mother, we were careful to avoid any mention of the phrase "Happy Birthday," and instead focused on the parade of impeccable dishes that appeared on our table in a seemingly unending succession.

Since there were six of us, we each chose two mezze to share, plus an extra order of my personal favorite: fried kibbeh, those crisp little footballs of bulghur and seasoned lamb that I've craved like clockwork every few months since they were first introduced to me by an otherwise unmemorable date some six or seven years ago.

We passed the many dishes around the large round table with abandon, helping ourselves and then reaching out again for second and third bites between satisfied moans. The kibbeh were perfect, of course, but I also loved the spicy braised sausage, the crisp sheets of pastry topped with ground lamb and what I suspect were hints of cinnamon and allspice, and the fresh tabbouleh salad that I unashamedly helped myself to from Eugene's father's plate. There were marrow bones, too, and crisp nuggets of liver, but I couldn't really eat more than a tiny bite of each. Say what you will, but I freely admit that I don't have much of a tolerance for offal. My father is like me on this, but the rest of the party enjoyed them, while I happily focused on dipping freshly baked puffs of pita into a broth-rich bowl of Araq-steamed clams.

My main was a lamb burger so flavorful it nearly knocked my previous favorite burger--the pair of explosive pork and beef sliders at Fatty Crab--from its long-cemented top spot. Instead of wine, we ordered from the inventive cocktail menu. I fell in love with a sparkling passion fruit and cilantro-mint vodka concoction; Eugene stuck with St. Germaine, gin, and muddled-basil. The passion fruit cocktail, by the way, smelled just as good as it tasted. So good that I actually spent the first three minutes just sniffing it.


Dessert, which unbeknown to you has actually been my point all along (but really, isn't it usually?), was a bit of a complicated affair. See, the thing is that I arrived at the restaurant with a plan. I'd spent quite a bit of time researching the menu and had discovered that in the dessert section, they offered either a trio of sorbets or a trio of ice creams. The problem was that I wanted a combination of sorbet AND ice cream. Specifically, I wanted to try the much-lauded "milk" ice cream, a fragrant combination of rose water and orange blossom; the apricot ice cream, and the passion fruit sorbet (of course). I'd been planning to use my birthday as leverage to have the waiter agree to combining the two for me.

The only problem was that I forgot that it was Restaurant Week! And during Restaurant Week, they require that either everyone or no one order from the special menu. Personally, I hate Restaurant Week menus. I find them limiting and annoying, and I'd much rather spend a little more to get what I actually want than sticking to a reduced-price menu with restricted offerings. Ilili, to its credit, had a rather expansive Restaurant Week selection on offer (take note, OTHER places), but I still had to go off-menu to order the Kibbeh, and the dessert option unfortunately limited us to just ONE flavor of ice cream with no (gasp!) passion fruit sorbet option.

Fortunately, I worked it out. I explained to the waiter exactly what it was that I wanted--even revealing to him my aforementioned plan and the fact that it was my birthday, and he worked with me. He told me to order a regular dessert from the Restaurant Week menu, and told me that he would try to get the manager to buy me the special ice cream-sorbet concoction I wanted. In the end, it worked out even better than I imagined since I ended up with not just one dessert, but four. I got the "candy bar," a clever little brownie-caramel-cookie bar, my Lebanese apricot and milk ice creams, a bowl of fragrant honey-drenched dumplings, and my coveted passion fruit sorbet with a candle on top.

Now that, dear readers, is how we do birthdays here at Always Order Dessert.


Everything was incredible, but what captured my imagination most was the fragrant milk ice cream. Arabic ice cream (or bouzat haleeb) is a much different affair than the rich custardy treats popular here in the US. Simultaneously light and creamy, the ice cream has a bit of an elastic quality because it's thickened with sahlab, an orchid tuber extract typical throughout the Middle East. Flavored with rose and orange blossom, the ice cream is floral without tasting soapy, and after that tiny scoop on Sunday night, I was determined to recreate the experience at home.

True sahleb is nearly impossible to find in the US. It only seems available in a sugary powdered drink form, and I read somewhere that it's actually illegal to export from Lebanon. Fortunately, readily available cornstarch is a decent substitute and though you won't get quite the same elastic quality, the rich mouth-feel will be very close. Mastic is much easier to fine (online, at least) but it's an optional ingredient. What you do need is a bottle each of rose water and orange blossom (or orange flower) water.

These are easily obtained in the Middle Eastern/Asian aisles of most well-stocked supermarkets or from Middle Eastern specialty grocers. Latin grocers should also carry them since Latin grandmothers tend to love to splash that water around babies and doorways to ward off evil spirits and such (ask for "Agua de Azahar" for orange blossom and "Agua de Rosa" for rose water). The bottles are rarely more than 1-3 dollars each and they last a long time since you never want to use more than a couple tablespoons in a recipe unless you're hoping to end up with a bowl full of cologne.

We ate at the restaurant on Sunday. I made this ice cream on Monday. And, I confess, I've been eating a scoop of it every single night since. The ice cream freezes beautifully and scoops easily. While you're shopping for ingredients, grab a bag of pistachios too. A few crushed and sprinkled on top will complete the dish. Serve it alone or with chocolate cake or as the dessert course in a middle eastern themed dinner party.

Any and every way, it's a showstopper.

Ilili
www.ililinyc.com
236 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
P: 212-683-2929




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Lebanese Milk Ice Cream
This floral ice cream is flavored with rose and orange blossom waters, and has a creamy mouth feel unlike anything I've ever tasted. Thickened with cornstarch instead of eggs, it's a practically "foolproof" ice cream that freezes and serves beautifully.
Makes about 1.5 pints.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1.5 tablespoons orange blossom water
1.5 tablespoons rose water

Pistachios for garnish (optional)

1. Whisk together the cornstarch and cold heavy cream in a bowl until it's smooth and well-combined with no lumps. Set aside.

2. Combined the milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is full dissolved (about 2 minutes). Remove from the heat and gently pour in the heavy cream and cornstarch mixture, stirring to combine. Return the pan to the stove over medium heat and let cook, stirring constantly in one direction until the mixture thickens. Continue to let cook for an additional few minutes, tasting it occasionally until you can no longer detect the taste of cornstarch. Once the cornstarch is completely cooked and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, turn off the heat.

3. Add the tablespoon and a half of rose water and the tablespoon and a half of orange blossom water and stir in until well combined. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface (this will help prevent a skin from forming on it while it cools). Chill in your refrigerator for 3-4 hours until completely cool (you can make this up to 24 hours in advance).

4. When ready to freeze, pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Once the ice cream has frozen to the consistency of soft-serve, pour into an air-tight and freezer proof container and freeze for at least 4 hours (again, overnight is also OK) before serving.

If desired, serve topped with a sprinkle of crushed pistachio. The ice cream will keep in a sealed container in your freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Chipotle Challah

I've made no secret of my love for challah bread. I first declared it passionately two Thanksgivings ago with my Pumpkin Spice Challah recipe, and then followed it up a few weeks later with an elegant Vanilla Bean & Honey twist on the original. Then last year I went on an international quest to bring you Bamboo Charcoal Challah.

Today, I've got another fun version: Chipotle Challah!

Unlike traditional challah, which tends to be quite sweet, this bread has a third less sugar so that the focus is really on the smoky and spicy flavors of the chipotle and smoked paprika. I wanted to make sure that heat really came through without being overwhelming so that it can be paired with various meats and cheeses as a sandwich. I think you'll be surprised by how much flavor is in its soft and buttery crumb.

I enjoyed it alone spread with a generous bit of good salted butter, but I'm already looking forward to a spicy grilled cheese sandwich filled with melted cheddar, tomato, and maybe even a crumble or two of crisped bacon. Yum! This would also be a perfect base for a savory French toast or to serve with a bowl of hearty chili.

The recipe for this challah comes together easily just like the traditional kind, with only the slight addition of pureed chipotles in adobo sauce and a bit of smoked paprika. Once baked, the bread comes out of the oven with a golden terracotta hue and the tiniest flecks of chiles scattered throughout. It's a beautiful bread, and one that will definitely be a favorite for those of you appreciate a little heat in your dishes.

Chipotle Challah Bread
Ingredients
7g active dry yeast (1 envelope)
4-5 cups white bread flour
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
2/3 cup warm water
¼ cup olive oil
2 large eggs beaten + 1 egg yolk for egg wash
1/3 cup chipotles in adobo sauce, pureed (about half a traditional sized can)
1 tablespoon smoked spanish paprika
1 teaspoon salt


Directions
Mix the yeast with 2/3 cup of the flour, the sugar, and the warm water. Whisk gently until well combined and leave in a warm (but not hot) spot to proof. In about 10-15 minutes, the mixture will look foamy and somewhat alive.

Pour this into the bowl of your electric mixer with the dough hook in place. Add the olive oil and eggs, and beat until well incorporated (about 1 minute). Add the chipotle/adobo puree and the smoked paprika, mix until combined. Add the salt and the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Depending on a variety of factors, your dough might require a bit more flour than listed above. Add this ¼ cup at a time until the dough is springy, but not sticky. Knead with the hook (or remove to a floured surface and knead by hand) for about 5-10 minutes.

Roll the flour into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Turn the dough once to grease the top then cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and leave in a warm spot to rise. I like to place it inside my (turned off) oven. (The heat from the pilot is just perfect to keep it going.) Let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour to 1 hour and a half).

Poke the dough down (no need to actually “punch” it) and reshaped into a ball. Grease the bowl once again, turn, cover and repeat the rising process for about another hour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half. This will make two nicely sized loaves. Set one half aside and place the other half in front of you. Use a pastry cutter to split into six evenly sized pieces. Roll each of these pieces into a rope-like shape, making sure to taper the ends. Should be about 8-12 inches long.

Line the six ropes vertically in front of you and pinch all the ends together so you have what looks like a sea creature with six tentacles. Starting with the piece all the way to the right, pull it over the next two pieces, then under the third, and over the last two. Repeat this with each piece at the right until you can no longer continue braiding. It helps to chant to yourself “Over two, under one , over two.”

Pinch the ends and tuck under. Repeat with the second half of dough.

Prepare a large baking sheet (or two smaller ones) by lining with a sheet of parchment paper. Place the two loaves on the sheet allowing enough room on each side for them to rise. If necessary, use two baking sheets.

Beat one egg yolk with a tablespoon of olive oil and use a pastry brush to gently (gently!) brush over the braid. This will give it that lovely shine once baked. Top loosely with oiled or sprayed plastic wrap and let proof (rise) again for about 40 minutes or until doubled. About half-way through this rise, you might want to start preheating your oven to 350 degrees (but be sure to remove the braids first if you’re letting them rise in there!!)

Once risen, brush with another coat of egg wash. (Be sure to be even more gentle now as the braids are very delicate right now.) Bake in the 350 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes or until golden on top. To test for doneness, turn one of the loaves over and tap the bottom; if it sounds hollow, it's ready!

Let cool on wire racks before serving.

Finding Betty Crocker: A Book Review

I spent most of last week running around with this book tucked awkwardly into my purse. I confess that I don't usually read hardcover books because I find them cumbersome to hold and read on the train, but I made an exception this time because the story looked so good.

It's called Finding Betty Crocker by Susan Marks, and it tells the history of the iconic domestic spokeswoman from inception (or rather, invention) to the present day. The book is a couple years old (2008, I believe), but I picked it up in my hunger to learn more about mid-century housekeeping and was not disappointed.

I absolutely loved reading about the incredible influence and inspiration that Betty Crocker was for women in the early and mid twentieth century, particular during the trying economic times of the Great Depression, and then later in the 1940s when women had to relearn how to manage a household during times of extreme rationing and trying personal challenges (working outside of the home, dealing with the absence--and sometimes death--of men serving in World War II).



Today we associate Betty Crocker with the ubiquitous red spoon logo on the packages of supermarket cake mix, but it was interesting to learn that this is not at all how Betty started. For many years--decades, even!--Betty Crocker was the woman who calmed and instructed inexperienced young brides and inspired frustrated older women stuck in a rut.

Through her incredibly popular radio shows (click here to listen to an mp3 of one of these wartime Betty Crocker radio programs), tv appearances, booklets, personal letters (each researched and handwritten by one of a veritable army of college-educated home economists employed by General Mills), and bestselling cookbooks, she taught women about nutrition, budgeting, housekeeping, and cooking. She even, on occasion, offered advice on matters of the heart!

While Betty's advice was very much a service to her audience, her sales agenda was never lost from the message; every single one of her recipes and tips made use of major General Mills products like Bisquick, Wheaties, and Gold Medal Flour. The implication was always that to use anything but the "tested and assured" General Mills products, was simply opening oneself up to failure and waste--a pointedly suggestive argument in times of economic hardship.



Though many of the excerpts, quotes, and recipes printed in the book are there with (I suspect) a note of irony, I actually found quite a bit of modern inspiration in those old fashioned bits of advice. Take, for instance, the "Consumer Pledge for Total Defense" which was created by the U.S. government in 1942, and which Betty urged all her listeners to sign and uphold. It stated:

I will buy carefully. I will take good care of the things I have. I will waste nothing.

At the time, this pledge was a patriotic duty during wartime, but they're simple words that hold true and are just as relevant today. As someone who is trying to find a way to reduce waste in my kitchen, I like knowing that this is something that has been important to generations of women before me.

And then there was the wonderful "Homemaker's Creed," an engraved document that was sent out to all Betty's listeners who called themselves the "Home Legion" and took seriously the role of caring for the home and cooking for and nourishing one's family. It's a wonderful little creed that I'm thinking of having professionally printed so that I, too, can hang it in my kitchen. [click the image to enlarge & read]

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm really trying to focus this year on building an developing my personal brand in order to create a solid foundation for my future projects. From this perspective, I found the branding lessons in this book incredibly enlightening. Through initiatives like the Home Legion, Betty (and by extension, General Mills) created a sense of brand loyalty and connection that is remarkable both from a history and a marketing perspective.

The connection between the consumers and Betty Crocker was so strong, that many were devastated when they finally learned that she was not a real person. The General Mills headquarters, which offered tours of the "Betty Crocker kitchens" to curious tourists and fans, were even equipped with sympathy hosts and tissues to console the women who learned they would never be able to meet Betty in person. In the book, one of the home economists from the test kitchens compared the realization to finding out there is no Santa Claus, but called it "worse because Betty was their hero."

Near the end of the book, the persona of Betty Crocker started to lose her relevancy and underwent a bit of a personality crisis. She was challenged by feminists and radical groups who found her "offensive." The women's group NOW even filed a lawsuit against General Mills because they found Betty "discriminatory toward minority women" simply because she was white. Critics defended Betty, of course, and the suit was eventually dismissed, but it was evident of a distinct change in society.


One thing I found most significant, was the way the official Betty Crocker portrait, which during the 40s and 50s had remained a solid and classic image, started receiving multiple "reconstructions" to better fit the fashion and sensibilities of the time. She quickly went from being a warm and motherly icon, to a young and polished woman who looked like she barely ever stepped foot in the kitchen.

In 1996, perhaps as an answer to those miffed by her "whiteness"; yet another new portrait was created consisting of a computerized composite of 75 different women of different ethnicities and ages. The result (seen above) is a bit of an odd news anchor/political wife style woman with slightly tan skin, freakishly white teeth, and a perpetually dazed expression. It's probably the reason why the Betty Crocker image has disappeared from most packages, and has since been replaced by the easily recognizable (although much less charming) red spoon logo.



Her story lives on in this book which combines history and social marketing in an entertaining and totally readable format. I definitely recommend it, and if you are hungry for a bit of vintage Betty, do a search online for some of her classic pamphlets and cookbooks from the 40s and 50s. There are a lot out there and they're really a great way to absorb some of the incredible history of kitchens past.

I'd love your recommendations for some great food-related books (both fiction and non-fiction). I'm especially interested in those that have to do with wartime and mid-century cooking and housekeeping. Let me know if you have read some good ones!

Baked Mozzarella Arrabiata

There is a little Italian restaurant located directly across the street from my office in midtown. Because of its convenient location, this restaurant has become our unofficial office restaurant and the inevitable destination of all business lunches and holiday luncheons.

Late last month, my department was hosting a few editors who were in town from Vietnam. On the second day of their visit, we all bundled up into our coats and raced across the street to the restaurant, where the host and waiters greeted us familiarly. They sat us at our usual table where we quickly defrosted thanks to the nearby brick oven (and the large goblets of wine our waiter almost immediately set before us.)


Along with the regular menu, our waiter filled us in on a list of specials, one of which instantly grabbed my attention: little balls of mozzarella, wrapped in prosciutto, baked in marinara sauce. I ordered it right away, and delighted in the tiny dish or warm baked mozzarella goodness.


That night, I decided to recreate the dish at home, replacing the marinara with a spicy arrabiata sauce, and multiplying it by about 20. The results were incredible! ...and I admit to having made the dish a full THREE times since. It's a perfect appetizer to start an Italian meal, and even makes for a nice little lunch (along with a salad and maybe a crusty heel of Italian bread).

You can easily customize the dish at home using your own favorite sauce. I really love the heat of the arrabiata and encourage you to try it first, but a classic marinara or maybe even a vegetable sauce would work well too. Vegetarians can skip the prosciutto and wrap the mozzarella with basil leaves before burying in the sauce. And if you have trouble finding the little round ciliegine (in Italian, "ciliegi" means cherry), you can just cut a regular size ball of mozzarella into 1" cubes.

Baked Mozzarella Arrabiata
Arrabiata is a spicy Italian tomato sauce. For this recipe you can use a good bottled one (I like Rao's) or make your own.

Ingredients
1 pound of mozzarella ciliegine or bocconcini (little cherry-sized balls of fresh mozzarella)
1/4 pound prosciutto (I like San Daniele)
2 cups arrabiata sauce
3 tablespoons of grated Pecorino (or other hard italian cheese like Parmiggiano Reggiano)
Fresh Basil (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread 1 cup arrabiata sauce along the base of a small (about 6") baking dish or ramekin.

On a clean work surface, cut each strip of prosciutto in 1/3. Take 1 ball of mozzarella and roll up in the 1/3 strip of prosciutto (it's ok if it's not perfect). Tuck seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with all the mozzarella until you run out of prosciutto, placing each prosciutto-wrapped ball tightly against the next, nestling them all into the baking dish.

Top the mozzarella balls with the other cup of arrabiata sauce, making sure to cover the entire surface of the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with a little grated pecorino and drop a few slices of extra mozzarella around the top. Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the dish is heated through and bubbling. If you'd like, you can place under the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes until the cheese on top is toasted.

Top the baked dish with a few leaves of fresh basil. Serve immediately.

13+ Reader Tips for Reducing Food Waste in Your Kitchen

Last week I wrote a post featuring 10 tips to reduce food waste this year. The post featured some ideas that I've been incorporating in my own kitchen in order to save money, eat healthier, and stop wasting so much food. With the recent devastation in Haiti, it's become impossible in the past week to ignore the amount of poverty and lack of food that people in this world are living with. It's also made a lot of us even more aware of just how much STUFF we all have and buy and consume and (unfortunately) waste.

While it's true that making the effort to not waste a bag of arugula is not actually going to make a difference in the life a hungry family elsewhere in the world; I still strongly believe that it's our duty to be good stewards of all that we've been blessed with. That stewardship starts at home, and there is no better place to begin than in our own kitchens.

In the post, I asked you to share some of your own tips and ideas for how to reduce waste. The response was incredible and I've actually started using some of the tips! (My favorite is #12, which I spent a few minutes doing yesterday!). These tips were too good to leave buried in the comments section, so I decided to compile all your great ideas here for others to see.

If you have any more, tell me and I'll add them to the list!!


13 Really Good Reader Tips:

1. To force yourself to finish up items that have been languishing in the pantry, Arundati suggests making a menu plan for the week using dry goods like legumes, lentils, pasta. It makes busy weeknights easier (no more wondering "what do I make for dinner") and, as she points out, is a great chance to try out bookmarked recipes.

2. Andrew's Mom reminds us that little bugs can get into bags of flour, pasta, and sugar in even the cleanest of homes, so transferring them to sealed glass or plastic storage jars is always a must.

3. Carolyn suggests washing and drying lettuce (and herbs) then storing wrapped in paper towels to absorb extra moisture.

4. Lindsey regularly takes sandwiches to work for lunch, but finds that she can never get through a whole loaf before it starts to go bad. To avoid this, she likes to "pop the whole bag in the freezer and lightly toast before making [a] sandwich." She assures us that once lunchtime comes around, we won't even notice the bread was ever frozen! [I'll add that this is a particularly good idea for the kinds of bread that don't get eaten on a daily basis, like hot dog and hamburger buns, or bagels.]

5. Martin recommends labeling your Ziplocs or freezer bags BEFORE you fill them, since afterward they might be greasy or bulky, which makes it trickier to stick on a label or write on them.

6. Beryl makes a weekly pot of "random leftovers farmers market vegetable soup" and freezes extra batches of cookie and pie dough so you can have them at the ready. She also buries used vanilla bean pods in containers of sugar to make vanilla scented sugar. [I use my old vanilla pods to make homemade vanilla extract by tossing them into a bottle of vodka or rum.]

7. Jenny points out that the idea of keeping an inventory list also works really well for chest freezers and is a good way to avoid what recently happened to her mom; she found an (un-inventoried) 20-year-old fish at the bottom of her chest freezer!

To avoid this, she inventories her freezer quarterly and keeps a check list with little boxes next to it so she can easily mark off anything she takes out. She also recommends storing your reusable grocery shopping bags next to the inventory list so that you are always forced to take a look at it before heading out to the store. (A great way to avoid buying things already have!)

8. Allison is also a believer in making a pot of soup to use up odds and ends. She learned the habit from her Colombian in-laws who turn "everything into soup to cut back on waste." She says that once she got started doing that it became addicting.

10. Sarah has a great idea that helps save food while helping others. She says: "If you realize you have something you are not going to use, see if you can find someone else who will. Food pantries always need food and will happily take any canned or boxed foods that don't have to be refrigerated. If you have fresh produce that you cannot use up, see if a friend or neighbor could use it. The bags of cilantro/parsley/etc. have too much in them for my family to use up, so giving half to a neighbor would save us some waste."

11. Jackie likes to juice and freeze limes and lemons. I do this too, pouring the juice into ice cube trays and then emptying into a large freezer bag. I drop these "juice cubes" into pitchers of water for lemonade or flavored water and melt them into recipes. They're also great for cocktails! It's an easy way to use up citrus that you know you won't get to (no more little hard rocks of petrified lime in the fruit bowl!).

I would also add that you should zest the fruit before juicing and save the zest in freezer bags too. Or you can mix it with sugar and dry it out in the oven for fragrant orange or lemon sugar (Try it! It's AMAZING on pancakes, sugar cookies, or dusted on pound cake.)

12. Natty gave us two fantastic ideas. First she recommended pureeing bunches of herbs that you know you won't use in the food processor or blender with a few teaspoons of water, then freezing in ice-cube trays. She says you can easily drop these herb cubes in a stew or sauce for a kick when you don't have fresh on hand. [I just made a batch of parsley and mint ice cubes yesterday and the whole process took me about 15 minutes! I also think that if you (like I!) are into herb-y cocktails, a cilantro, basil, or mint ice cube would be a great way to spice up a gin & tonic or a vodka collins!]

13. Natty also recommends composting or giving your peelings and such to someone who does. Many cities will even give you a composter or offer them at reduced cost. She notes: "I've found composting actually makes me more mindful of my waste-- it doesn't just disappear with the weekday garbage, I can always see what doesn't get used."

[For those of you who live in New York City like I do, you can find out some great composting info, including a step-by-step guide to building your own "worm bin" at the NYC Compost Project website.]


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New to Always Order Dessert? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates by filling in your address in the box on the right. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me.