All the Mushroom Secrets

Because good things always come in threes, let's round things out with a third video in a row. From the guy who brought you Plum Jam, please enjoy Mushroom Foraging with Nik Westacott.

Foraging and cooking Wild Mushrooms from www.carlpendle.com on Vimeo.

You just try to tell me you don't want to eat mushrooms out of a frying pan in the woods with Nik Westacott. I want to do that AND bring a bottle of ale and ask Nik to tell me everything he has ever known.

I'm dead now. This Carl Pendle guy has really got my number.

From the Vault: Ben's Chili Bowl

Walking into Ben's, even on a night crowded with tourists, a line wrapping around the counter and winding its way through the restaurant, you get a warm feeling like walking into a family friend's house. The hip hop bumps, bass rumbling throughout the conversation and laughter that flows from customers to cooks. In an era in a city where kindness is a premium, Ben's is overflowing.

via TriViews

The cooks dance behind the line, taking pictures of college kids at the counter who know, just like we all do, that we are in a truly special place.

Let's Have Some Frills

We have begun the Stuffed Eggs section of A Book of Hors d'Oeuvre and I couldn't be happier.

We all know that I love to make deviled eggs. A little bite of filling receptive to any spice you mix it with, held preciously in an edible boat? Uh, yeah. What's not to like? I am, however, relatively set in my ways when it comes to deviling eggs. I have a certain set of ingredients that rotate around each other that are usually on-hand because this keeps my life simple and simplicity is important to me.

And Then Sometimes, You Need to Eat Like a Caveman

I feel like every year someone tells me that the Farmer's Almanac says this will be the coldest winter on record in one hundred years. Every. Year. This year, the temperature (fingers crossed) has not been too offensive here in NYC. But - I have to inquire - is anyone else afraid that we're on the precipice of the next ice age? I mean, THE SNOW. Georgia, can you hear me?