The Hungry Mouse

A few days ago, I posted my version of Mayan Hot Chocolate. It occurred to me that there are all sorts of fabulous hot chocolate-y accessories out there—specifically, hot chocolate pots. Most hot chocolate pots tend to look like long, tall teapots. Many sit on three or four little feet. Lots include some kind of device to froth your chocolate....

Boston has been cold and rainy the last few days, and it's making me want to bake. Here's one of my favorite pound cakes. It's ridiculously rich and bourbon-y. A note on the coffee and booze in the recipe: It doesn't matter what kind you use, but it should be something you wouldn't mind drinking. Drunken Chocolate Pound Cake 1 1/2 cups...

Meat in the mail. I know. It just sounds wrong. But if you write it off, you might just be missing out on some of the most succulent—and hard-to-find—cuts available these days. I think most everyone knows Omaha Steaks. The catalogs start showing up in September for holiday gift-giving. (Or, if you're like me and get every catalog known to...

Lately, there's been great interest in bento boxes in my (admittedly small but super fantastic) social circle. My dear friend the Lady Otter has put together some positively breathtaking lunches for herself. Here's a quick bento primer. So, what's a bento and why do you want one? A bento box is a traditional Japanese lunchbox. It usually has a few little compartments...

This is one of those recipes that's better the next day. And even better the one after. It's a good base pasta salad recipe, so you can add anything else that you want to it (little bits of crispy bacon, other veggies, different kinds of cheese), but I think it's perfect as is. Old Fashioned Pasta Salad 16-oz. pasta twists 2 lbs. Gruyere...

I can't stop thinking about hot chocolate today. Maybe it's wishful thinking that August will be more forgiving than July—and less oppressively hot and wet. Maybe it's that the AC in my office is set on Arctic Frost today. Maybe I'm just dying for something sweet after my super spicy lunch. Mayan Hot Chocolate is a rich, frothy hot chocolate that...

Americans are crazy for yogurt these days. Not pizza. Not french fries. Not even apple pie. Wait...huh? It used to be that you had to go to a specialty store to find anything more exotic than a Columbo or Yoplait. Yogurt was health food. You ate it when you were dieting. You stuck it in your kid's lunch bag. Not so, now....

Recently, I posted a recipe for Kourambiedes, which are crumbly, buttery Greek almond cookies. I have a pretty basic cookie jar, because I like to be able to see my cookies. In fact, I have a bunch of these jars at home filled with everything from pasta and rice to flour and sugar. This is a 2-gallon Heritage Hill Jar,...

A good garbage can is one of the most important things in a kitchen. I know, I know. "This barely merits discussion," you're thinking. "I have a garbage can and it does its job: It holds the garbage. Are you nuts?" Yeah, I know. But do you have a GOOD garbage can? One that is hands-free so you don't have to touch...

No, really. You can do this. I swear. Contrary to popular (ok, semi-popular) belief, marshmallows don't grow on bushes. You can actually make them. And it's not that hard. All you need are a few basic ingredients—and a stand mixer. The mixer part is important, because your ingredients need to be beaten steadily—and hard—for almost a half an hour. You might...