Food Notes

• I finally visited Condon Barr on the weekend! The kitchen supply store with the tagline "Shop where the chefs shop" is not as much of a haven for me as it is for my Mum (she didn't want to leave), but I did pick up a spring-hinged ice cream scoop, handy for creating those perfectly shaped and rounded muffins (a la Ina Garten).


• Need a place to eat? Edmonton Dining is now accessible on your mobile device!


• Featured in November's Everyday with Rachel Ray, Mappetite, a neighbourhood guide of where to eat in New York City, and a fabulously green and clever idea for a beautiful centrepiece.


• Via Wish, old news about eggs that reveal, through invisible ink, whether they have been soft, medium, or hard-boiled. Perhaps too much of a convenience, but it's still pretty cool.


• I recently flipped through Dish Entertains, authored by Trish Magwood, host of Food Network Canada's Party Dish, and was disappointed with the content. I was hoping for more of her hors d'oeuvres and appetizers and less emphasis on sit-down dishes. On the other hand, I am very happy with Real Simple Celebrations, a great well-rounded starter book for anyone thinking about entertaining for the first time. It offers recipes that can be made ahead, chic decorating ideas, and answers to common questions about dinner party etiquette.


• Just in time for the Christmas season, Costco is now selling Starbucks gift baskets. Priced at under $30, they're not a bad buy for the coffee lover in your family.


• One of the food bloggers I read is currently on a road trip through Atlantic Canada. She recently posted about a road side potato stand that operates on the honor system. Can you imagine?