Purim is Here and Naturally the Hamantashen Wars

I love Purim, which is definitely the most kid friendly holiday ever. It's a powerful story filled with lots of intrigue, starring a power hungry king, Achashverosh, an evil Prime Minister, Haman, and a beautiful Queen, Esther.

Today it's celebrated with dress up parties and lots of delicious food and drink. Above - Joanna, as Queen Esther, (still always dressing up as anything "Princess") and her younger sister, Sharron, the Court Jester (she always was the ham). Joanna's children will be dressing up quite differently for the Purim party tomorrow. Boaz, I'm told is going as a giraffe and Dov as Spiderman.

But back to food....truthfully, although you can find many great dishes for your Purim parties, for me, it's all about the Hamantashen...filled cookies shaped like Haman's three cornered hat. And everyone has their own favorite. Much like bagel wars, there is always a heated discussion when it comes to filling and dough.

Hamantashen times two

Even in our own family we have very definite opinions. I love mine with a tart and tangy prune and apricot filling like my mother used to make. Joanna, loves the sweeter date filled and the poppy seed fillings equally. My Honey, on the other hand is impartial...he loves them all equally, including the chocolate filled (which to me is a travesty).

So the other day, in preparation, Joanna and I got together at her place and made two versions (my station was at the front - I used my take on Marcy Goldman's version, with memories of my mother's. Joanna followed Faye Levy's recipe. And if you look at the photo of the cookies, mine are shinier from the egg wash and oil based dough, Joanna's are whiter and three year old Boaz went free form with sprinkles. He did help me make circle shapes for my hamantashen as well. It's always fun to bake with kids. Soon enough his brother will be helping out too.

And for the big question....Do you like your cookie fillings tangy or sweet?

Happy Purim everyone! And for my non-Jewish friends, the cookies are still delicious and the story a great read, especially if you love the intrigue of Royal Courts through the Ages.

Presto Pasta Night #152 Setting the Stage for Next Week

Michelle, that Italian Mama Chef did an awesome job of hosting Presto Pasta Night Roundup #152 Thanks so much, you're amazing. And everyone who sent in your mouth-watering dishes....Presto Pasta Nights would be nothing without you.

It's hard to believe that PPN is actually going to be three years old next week. I started it as a lark, hoping I wouldn't be the only one contributing...and it just gets bigger and better every week.

I do hope you all plan on joining in the big celebration. Send all your dishes and tell your friends to send theirs too. Just mention Presto Pasta Nights with a link and send it to me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com by Thursday and let's make this the biggest birthday bash ever.

Easy Pasta Lunch for a Crazy Busy Day

We've all had one of those days when we're a little like the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, you know the line..."I'm late, I'm late for a very important date". And btw, I am counting down until Tim Burton's 3D version comes to town - March 5th.

Today has been like that... I put up some split pea soup (I had to add some lentils too - too thin and no more split peas in the house, oh well). This because I bought even more short ribs (this time flanken style) - after that amazing braised short rib recipe, I've got flanken on my brain. Again I digress, please bear with my scattered brain - in fact, it really demonstrates how frenetic my day is.

Off to a doctor's appointment (nothing to worry about, just a check up), short respite at a lovely coffee house here in town - The Wired Monk, after which I raced home to write about it for Yelp.Ca and realized that I have to get everything else done before 5pm to attend the Savour Food & Wine Show (lucky me and if you're in Halifax, I think you could possibly beg and get a ticket). I'll get to taste delicious dishes whipped up by top chefs from Nova Scotian restaurants and sip martinis, wines and beers from Nova Scotian producers (it is a celebration of all that Nova Scotia has to offer) - don't worry, my Honey will be dropping me off and picking me up after it's done.

Which brings me back to some of the things left to do before getting ready (I probably should do some exercise...nahhhh, probably not going to happen.) I have to eat, I want to make supper so my Honey doesn't starve and ...well tomorrow is Presto Pasta Night Roundup, so I don't have much time to get my entry in.

Solution - whip up some pasta and make enough so Honey has supper. Which led me to pick up some Olivieri Whole wheat Five Cheese Tortelloni and because, I often think "cheese" when needing comfort, my "sauce" had even more cheese - the last of the herb & garlic Boursin, last of the Chevrita goat cheese (somewhere between Brie & Camembert) about 1 cup of ricotta, some lemon zest and juice plus a grinding or two of black pepper and tossed with some chiffonade fresh basil leaves. Add a little pasta cooking water and - voila! a delicious, easy, stress reducing lunch. No measurements, only one pot to clean, since after draining the tortelloni, I just used the same pot and added everything else in, tossed, tasted until I was happy and ...DONE! One less thing to worry about.

So what are you sharing with Presto Pasta Nights? Please send your entries to Michelle, Italian Mama Chef , this week's host before midnight tonight. Just send your links to micie66 (at) yahoo (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

Next week Presto Pasta Night will turn THREE! I hope you join us and I hope you tell all your friends to join us too. I'll be hosting, so send your tasty treats to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Boneheads - a Real BBQ Joint in Halifax

There's a new type of restaurant in Halifax - a BBQ Joint. Apparently many people around town are wondering just what a BBQ joint is. Well, if you've travelled in the Southern U S, then I don't have to tell you about slow smoking and fall of the bone ribs, beef brisket or pulled pork (I prefer mine in a sandwich).

If you want to know more about the history and particular speciality of each of the Southern states, check here. If you're like me, you'll just want to head on over to Boneheads BBQ in downtown Halifax for some very serious BBQ.

I've been lucky enough to enjoy pulled pork and ribs in New Orleans, Atlanta and my Honey has even made more stops at lots of Southern BBQ Joints on a road trip a few years ago. We both agree - Boneheads is just as delicious as anything we've had down south.

So good, in fact I had to have a chat with the main forces at Boneheads. Cindy Wheatley (on the right), owner and dreamer grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia and worked in Truro managing a restaurant there for a number of years. That said, she's long had a fascination with BBQ joints on her many travels down South. Not only because the food taste so great, but there's a special kind of atmosphere. The small, very casual neighborhood restaurants reminded her of "Cheers" - that TV show set in a bar "where everyone knows your name".

Cindy loved the whole package and started dreaming about owning her own BBQ Joint about eight years ago - wrote the business plan, bought a backyard smoker to experiment on and made many a trip south over the years.

Finally...an overnight success! In spite of the fact that most Haligonians didn't have a clue what a BBQ Joint was, and with zero advertising...the place was packed on opening day back in January, and still continues to be crazy busy. Word of mouth is definitely the best advertising of all. So busy, they still have trouble keeping up with the orders and, be prepared, the beef brisket goes quickly.

Graeme Pass (standing next to Cindy), is the chef extraordinaire, who runs the kitchen with Cindy. Another Nova Scotian native, but one with family roots in Georgia and South Carolina, where they definitely know their BBQ. With crowds daily, naturally my first question to Graeme was...what's the biggest challenge?

No surprise to the answer - finding and slow cooking enough meat to feed everyone! Neither Cindy nor Graeme expected such a crowd when they opened the doors. People were waiting in line and it remained that way all day! Now that they've established their local sources, things are much better. I'd been hearing the buzz from those who'd been and those who were going to check it out. And after my visit, it's easy to understand why the place is such a success.

I loved it from the moment I entered...great music, warm and welcoming decor, and the aroma...

If you look at the photo at the top, you can see beyond the counter, where you place your order, into the kitchen - which isn't much bigger than that. There's one large and one small smoker...that's what perfumes the restaurant and has you taking the biggest inhale you can as you walk in the door, but I digress. Between the limited kitchen space, and the fact that smoking is a long, slow process, it's hard to meet the needs of customers. Boneheads customers easily consume more than 80 racks of ribs and 300 pounds of pulled pork in a weekend!

Lunchtime favorites during the week...the sandwiches - pulled pork, beef brisket, shredded chicken, each for under $6 and all smoked to perfection.

I had an awesome half rack of ribs served with a side of beans (delicious, and my test of a good BBQ joint) and cole slaw. My Honey had the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich and hand cut fries, a meal made in Heaven and really reminded him of his road trip down South.

Another wonderful element, besides the very friendly staff, is that they source locally, and that includes the micro-brewery beer they sell. Kudos!

If you like BBQ, this is the place to go. Bring an appetite!

Another Great fine Cooking Recipe - Braised Short Ribs

I've mentioned before how much I love fine Cooking Magazine. One of the best ever birthday presents from my daughters was a Fine Cooking subscription and I eagerly await my monthly present.

This month's issue was particularly awesome from the Mac 'n Cheese recipes I shared to another of my favorite things - braised short ribs. The four double page spread of glorious photos and brilliant tutorial had me drooling for them.
But British style beef short ribs are hard to find here in Halifax. They are actually about 3 inches long and cut individually rather than the short ribs I'm used to, which are about 1 inch thick and cut across several ribs. I love them in soups, especially Lentil Soup and Split Pea Soup. They take me back to my childhood every time I make them, but I digress.

With visions of braised short ribs dancing in my head, I headed down to the Halifax Farmer's Market and much to my delight Getaway Farm, who raise organic, grass fed Galloway cattle, had some gorgeous looking short ribs...plus a huge line waiting for steaks, and other wonderful meat choices.

By the time I got to the counter, all the thick, beautifully marbled beef ribs were in other people's bags. So sad, but I was determined and headed off to the market even earlier the following week to catch my elusive prize before anyone else did...early bird catches the worm, as the say, or in my case...the short ribs.

The woman just ahead of me was asking Chris (owner of Getaway Farm) what one does with them. I naturally had to pipe in about the fine Cooking article, and Chris pointed out the wall behind him. I had been too busy drooling over all his beef products to see that he had actually cut out the pages and taped them to the wall! He thought it a great article too.

Then, my daughter, Joanna was over with the little ones and I was telling her about what a fantastic issue, this month's fine Cooking Magazine was. She flipped through it and flipped out asking me to photocopy the article. I thought I'd check out fineCooking's website for it, that way she'd get the full color version. Naturally, Boaz, the three year old wanted to play on the computer when he saw me at it and so we found the Braised Beef Short Rib tutorial, and he created his own recipe. If a three year old can come up with a delicious fool-proof recipe, so can you.

I went with the Hunter's Style this time, but I think I'll have to invite Boaz back to choose the next version.

Presto Pasta Night #151 Roundup is Delicious as Usual

From seafood to beef cheeks and so much more...what a wonderful Presto Pasta Night #151 Roundup. Thanks so much to Mrs Ergul and her Passion for Life & Food for such a great job putting it all together. And a million thanks to all of our delightful pasta makers and their delicious dishes.

Next week Michelle, Italian Mama Chef is hosting PPN #152 and you can send more mouth-watering pasta treats her way. Just email micie66 (at) yahoo (dot) com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

The following week it's my turn to host and I want you all to put on your thinking caps and come up with something wonderful to celebrate Presto Pasta Night turning THREE years old!

Asian Salmon Patties with Cold Chinese Noodles

Just in under the wire, but it was so good and how could I not send it in to Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by Mrs Ergul Passion for Life & Food.

Now usually - and especially in dead of winter, even if the weather is warm (I use the term loosely) - I make hot pasta, leaving cold noodles for hot summer days. That said I have a new cookbook that I'll be writing about in a day or two - Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

This dish of Asian Salmon Patties intrigued me...and believe me they are nothing like my mother's Salmon Patties. Freshly grated ginger, sesame oil and crushed red chili pepper flakes are definitely different to my mother's (I'll have to make them for you one of these days...or you could buy my cookbook Every Kitchen Tells Its Stories - Recipes to Warm the Heart).

But I digress...the book suggests serving them with a fantastic Sesame Mayo and some Cold Chinese Noodles with Sesame Dressing - again - fantastic! This time I used some Chinese Shrimp Noodles which were delicious.

I tried to prepare my Honey for the fact that the noodles were cold...I told him four times. And yet, he still was surprised when he tasted them. Once over the shock, he gobbled it all up and guess what he's taking for lunch tomorrow? Cold noodles and Asian Salmon Patties, because one meal of it is not enough!

You still have some time to send in your own pasta...just post, mention Mrs Ergul Passion for Life & Food and email it in to limpeilin (at) gmail (dot) com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

See you at the roundup tomorrow.

The Big 150 for Presto Pasta Nights

Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook did a fantastic job hosting this week's big Presto Pasta Night 150. I love her style and way with words. Of course she did have help from some amazing cooks who shared mouth-watering dishes, every one! So thanks everyone for making PPN's big 150 such a success.

Next week Mrs Ergul is hosting so share your passion for pasta with her. Just mention Presto Pasta Nights, Mrs Ergul Passion for Life and Food (with links of course) and send it in to limpeilin (at) gmail (dot) com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com .

I'm still looking for a guest host for February 26th, as well as March and April. If you're interested, drop me a line. I'd love to have you join in the fun.

Pasta for BloggerAid Changing the Face of Famine

Hard as it is to believe, Presto Pasta Nights hit the big 150 this week. And she looks better than ever as she ages...like fine wine and cheese, I guess. Don't forget to send your dishes to Susan The Well Seasoned Cook (with links of course) at thewellseasonedcook (at) yahoo (dot) com and cc me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com

And the planets have collided to celebrate....the recipe is at the bottom of the post, but take a minute, please....

I'm proud to say I've been a member of BloggerAid Changing the Face of Famine (BACFF) for a long time. It's a wonderful family to be a part of, represented by food bloggers from around the world who want to make a difference in the area of world famine and reach out to help those less fortunate than we are. Banded by a mission of helping to make a change in a world where starvation affects such a profound number of people, BACFF raises money and awareness for the hungry in communities both at home and abroad.

Many of these bloggers (including me), have already put together and published a cookbook with proceeds going to the United Nations Friends of the World Food Program (Friends of WFP), specifically the School Meals. You can find out how to purchase your own copy here. 100% of the proceeds target children and education. There are several forums for BloggerAid members to discuss various topics and one forum is called Vew & Review where members can sign up to become part of a group that reviews cookbooks and posts their reviews both on the BloggerAid forum as well as on their own personal blogs. We've asked publishers, authors and agents to provide a review copy or two for our members to enjoy and write about. It's been wildly successful here in North America, but we're actually still looking for publishers in Europe and Asia to share some copies....but I digress.
The people at Random House Canada were kind enough to send me a copy of Pasta Et Cetera a la Distasio...okay, I begged! You can read my review here.
For the big PPN 150, I couldn't resist this simple and simply delicious Lemon Pasta. You will lick the plate clean, so make double portions!

Pizza Passion

1. 
   

Admittedly my pizza stone does not look this pristine any more ...see what I mean?
It's well loved, not just for pizza but for baking breads and even resting sheets of cookies during the baking process for lovely even baking that crisps without burning.

A few weeks ago my daughter lent me her favorite pizza book that I had to write about - James McNair's New Pizza and we made this awesome Caramelized Onion & Italian Sausage Pizza.
The actual pizza dough recipe is now my standard and when you try it, you'll know what I mean. So it's no surprise that my son-in-law suggested that we do another pizza night. How could I possibly refuse!

Yes, we had the same delicious caramelized onion and sausage pizza...why mess with success, but we added a second one based on suggestions from another great Italian book I've written about- The Southern Italian Table.

This Potato, Rosemary & Cured Italian Sausage Pizza was a hit. Initially my Honey turned his nose up...pizza without tomato sauce?...pizza with potatoes? What was I thinking? That was until he tasted it. Now he's a convert.

The coolest thing about pizzas is how versatile they actually are. The Southern Italian Table actually has two pages with sixteen topping ideas and that's even before his actual pizza recipes! Prosciutto and Arugula, Bianca (thin layer of ricotta dotted with small cubes of mozzarella, sprinkled with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil), speck, arugula & Parmesan shavings)...that was just to tempt you to start thinking of your own favorite combinations.

And my questions to you....

1. Is tomato sauce as a base a must in your house?

2. Vegetarian or meat?

3. Most important - what is your favorite combination?

Presto Pasta Night Roundup #149

This week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup #149 is awesome....with dishes that are all over the map - literally and figuratively. They are all unique and truly inspired, so let's get down to business.

Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe is first in with the cutest story of her little one’s first pasta. I don’t want to spoil it, but I’m still smiling and it’s hours since I’ve read it.
Dharm of Dad, Chef & Baker brings a little religion to the mix...well frankly anything with Prawns is a religious experience for me. Thanks for the Pasta, Prawns & Holy Trinity.
Graziana of Erbe in Cucina is back with a very interesting dish - Bitter Orange & Smoked Salmon Pasta. Too bad I'll never find bitter oranges here...way too cold to grow. I bet it will still taste amazing with regular oranges.
Joanne of Eats Well With Others shares another great story (they always are) with an equally terrific pasta (they always are too) - Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
Tigerfish of Teczcape taught me something new this week...obviously loofah is more than just used to exfoliate! Check out her gorgeous Seaweed, Tomato & Loofah Soup - healthy and delicious. Now I have to find the kind of loofah that doesn't hang on the back of my bathroom door.
Judith of Think on It, sent in an earlier pasta dish because she's dieting and got to a dress size break through. So Congratulations Judith! And thanks for thinking of us with you Pasta with Olives & Artichokes. You can live vicariously through the rest of us.
RedKathy of Are You Hungry? is a first time PPNer - welcome! I do hope your Mac 'n Cheese Paella with Shrimp & Scallop is your first of many. It looks delicious. I love Mac 'n Cheese and I love paella, I just never thought to combine them. Thanks for the great idea.
Pam of Sidewalk Shoes is back with my personal favorite comfort food...Beefy Tomato Sauce with Sausages & Fennel. I'm drooling just thinking about it, because it's the perfect winter fare at this house.
KC of Kits Chow is cooking up Vietnamese delicacies this month and shares a gorgeous Bun thit heo nuong - Grilled Meat with Rice Vermicelli with us. It looks awesome. There is nothing like a Vietnamese soup to cheer me up when it's cold and grey outside.
Nate of The House of Annie , all the way from Borneo, showed us that Homemade Dumpling Skins is not as hard as you think. We all have to give it a try. And did I mention it looks like a fun afternoon project with someone else. I know my daughter and I would have a great time doing.
This week, I'm on a Mac 'n Cheese obsession.
And I've added a little spice to the Presto Pasta Night site - I'll be adding weekly pasta finds from my favorite foodie magazines. To start the ball rolling, Fine Cooking Magazine and even more Mac 'n Cheese choices. I mean -seriously, just check out the cover with the Pulled Pork Mac 'n Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Four Cheeses.
Next week Susan, the Well Seasoned Cook is hosting for the first time - welcome, welcome, welcome. It’s a special Presto Pasta Night in another way as well. We’ve hit another major number – 150 – wow! Please send lots of pastas her way to help us celebrate. Just send an email to thewellseasonedcook AT yahoo DOT com and a cc to me ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

I'm still looking for someone to host February 26nd and all of March, so if you're interested, drop me a line. It's lots of fun and a great way to meet wonderful bloggers.

Chatting with Chef Craig Flinn

It seems like yesterday that I chatted with Chef Craig Flinn of Chives Canadian Bistro for Foodtv.ca, but actually it was back in December, 2007 when he was writing his first book Fresh & Local (which had a second printing in less than a year).
Back in early December, 2009 (seems so long ago) I happened to stop at Ciboulette (the little breakfast and lunch cafe which is also a Chef Craig creation) for a cup of cappucino and the best muffin on earth! I'm not kidding and I do hope it makes it into another book...but I'm getting ahead of myself. When I was there I noticed that he's authored a second cookbook that looks fantastic....with recipes from top Canadian Chefs across the country...Fresh Canadian Bistro ...more about that later. And I knew I had to catch up with what's been going on and to get a copy of the book for myself.

Even though he seems to have been unbelievably busy since the last time we met up, not to mention that it was just before Christmas and Chives Canadian Bistro (the restaurant) was packed every night plus tons of catering jobs too, so things were hectic to say the least and, as if that wasn't enough, he was also doing book signings for Fresh Canadian Bistro, Chef Craig still managed to meet up with me for a quick coffee at 4pm (which was his lunch!).

(Note: Since we met I did get my own copy and it's wonderful to see recipes from famous chefs across Canada. Check out my review. )

But I digress....and, by the way, before I actually share some of our chat, Chef Craig has been voted Best Chef two years running by The Coast readers - and rightly so. He's involved in the Slow Food Movement here in Nova Scotia, promoting local farmers, fishermen, and producers of local beef, chicken and lamb as well as artisan cheese and bread makers and incorporating all those local delicacies onto his menu.

Finally on to his current project - the Fresh Series of Books, with number one Fresh & Local in second printing and Fresh Canadian Bistros,on the shelves at bookstores across the country (you can even order it on line at Amazon.Com Fresh Canadian Bistro: Top Canadian chefs share their favourite recipes) he's now writing book number three which will be called Fresh & Affordable and focuses on the home cook. I'm told that, like the first two, the focus is on seasonal fare with fresh regional ingredients. I really can't wait for that one...I'll keep you posted.

Naturally, I had to ask how he came to write Fresh Canadian Bistro and here's what I found out. Back in the Summer of 2008 he was invited to join 500 of Canada's Best Professional Chefs for the first Canadian Chefs' Congress hosted by Chef Michael Stadtlander of Eigensinn Farm in the heart of Ontario's famed Fruit Belt. Add a road trip across the country in 2004 trying to understand what "local" meant from coast to coast, working in the kitchens of many like minded chefs, who shared their stories and their recipes. Stir in a pinch of what all of these chefs call "Bistro" and you have the makings of a great book, and more delicious menus to savor at Chives Canadian Bistro, if you happen to be (or plan a visit) to Halifax.

All that travelling in Canada has given Craig the desire to check out other parts of the world and since serendipity has led a hand, he's now enjoying (or just back from) a month long trip to China. As I said....a very busy guy! And as I said, I'll keep you posted about the third book once it hits the shelves.

Mac 'n Cheese - Variations on a Theme

When I SAY Mac 'n Cheese, no matter how many delicious variations I make... I still first see the box of Kraft Dinner with the day-glo yellow noodles. That said, I get over it very quickly.

The second thing that I think of is short pasta with a very creamy sauce, like the Spicy Mac 'n Cheese above that I recently wrote about and is my new favorite...at least until I find my next favorite.
And typically I think JUST creamy and cheesy, but what about adding veggies like this Baked Ziti with Cauliflower, which doesn't just taste great, it's a particularly easy way to disguise vegetables from those finicky eaters.
And who says we have to stick to short pasta anyway? I love long strands with delicious creamy cheeses clinging to them. like this Mascarpone, Herb & Lemon Pasta.

Please check out my post on Presto Pasta Night where I'm spotlighting my favorite magazines and their pasta recipes. This week's star...fine Cooking has a ton of Mac 'n Cheese dishes to choose from.

What's your favorite Mac 'n Cheese variation?

By the way, I'm this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup host, so write a post, mention Presto Pasta Nights (and this week you can mention Once Upon a Feast, with a link please) and send me the link so I can add it to the roundup.

Please email your pasta links by Thursday - to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com and check Once Upon a Feast for the roundup on Friday.

I'm still looking for a host for February 26th and beyond, if you're interested - it is lots of fun - just drop me a line and I'll add you to our illustrious list.

Sometimes It's the Little Things...

Sometimes in life, it's the little things that really make the difference. For weeks now, I've been looking for the little non stick skillet that I can make my favorite frittatas for two in. I love frittatas, that perfect, fluffy egg dish, started on top of the stove and ending in a hot oven. My problem is that my pans are too big for just the two of us and our frittatas come out looking like pancakes. Not that they taste bad, just that...well if I wanted an omelet, I'd make it on top of the stove, flip it and voila! See how skinny...and this is a "fat" one.
So lately, I've been making "scrambles" - just sauteing whatever I fancy like this Diner Scramble that I make often. In fact I just made it last weekend.

And so lies the seeds of the story...

I need a nonstick 8" pan that can withstand 400F/200C. Not easy to find. Most of them seem to require 350F max! I did find an All Clad one that even on sale was $59 at Cucina Moderna and so over my budget. Since I was in a mall, with Stokes - mid range kitchenware store, always with bargains/sales of one product or other. In fact, this week it was 20% off (of course I didn't read the fine print that said "over $50, but hey) even so The Remy Olivier 8" ceramic coated pan that can stand a 400F oven was only $25! Naturally, I snapped it up.
Sunday came and it was time to use it...I realized as soon as I picked it up that perhaps it wasn't heavy enough. I usually go for heavy bottomed pans -even heat and no burning, so I was leery. But it was fantastic. No burnt bottom, no sticking to the pan, and wonderful. In fact, my Honey kept telling me how fantastic it was. When I told him, we had exactly the same thing as a scramble the week before and a flatter frittata version not long before that...he was surprised.
See what a difference a little thing makes? What's your favorite "little thing makes a difference" item?