By the time you watch "Gossip Girl" on DVR, this soup is done.

Does the world really need one more food magazine? I didn’t think so until I recently got my hands on the latest Food Network magazine. I hadn’t even really thumbed through a copy until now and quickly realized that I shouldn’t have been such a Negative Nelly. A great combo of cooking tips, fun profiles and of course, tons of quick and easy recipes with a super user-friendly photo index of every recipe in the magazine (why has no one thought of this till now?). I was instantly hooked. The recipe that caught my eye was smack dab on the cover: Chicken Tortilla Soup. This version is ready in about 20 minutes. How is that even possible? Thanks to the clever use of a Cuisinart, this soup, plus 49 other easy soups in the October issue, can be ready before you know it. Perhaps you like your soup to simmer all day to fully bring out the flavors? Try Recipezaar’s top-rated Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup instead. Throwing all the ingredients together ahead of time will pay off hours later. Either way, have plenty of cilantro, avocados, queso cheese and tortilla strips ready for garnishing, and you’ll be one happy chica.

What’s your favorite food mag?

Burned food looks better here.

I’m going to go-ahead and blame it on the Halloween candy that’s been stacked to the rafters in my local convenience store since Labor Day. I’ve had Halloween on the brain for quite some time now. I’m at the point now where I’m actually thinking of wearing orange. Or worse, orange and black. So when I came across HGTV’s Dramatic and Sexy Black Decorating Ideas photo gallery and I fell in love with this kitchen, I thought I was just being hyper-Halloweenish. I don’t know, what do you think? Will I still be drawn to this kitchen on November 1? ]]> http://www.living.com/2009/10/your-basic-black-kitchen/feed/ 0 http://www.living.com/2009/10/the-perfect-slice/ http://www.living.com/2009/10/the-perfect-slice/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:54:21 +0000 Liza Schattenkerk http://www.living.com/?p=924 The perfect slice of pizza still eludes me. I got very close on a recent trip to New York when I dined at Co., a small pizza joint owned by a former bread baker. The topping combos border on genius – saucy stracciatella cheese with arugula and crushed tomatoes or a white cheese-béchamel-bacon combo straight out of my dreams. But at Co., I did struggle with the crust, which has a chewy, bread-like texture. Ending the evening with fear of lock-jaw isn’t exactly what I had in mind.  I’ll still continue on this delicious journey of finding MY perfect slice, but in between stops, I can always make some delicious pies myself. With more than 2,000 recipes for crust, sauce and deep dish, grilled and lightened-up pizzas, I have more than enough to keep me busy until my next pizza adventure. Who knows: maybe the ultimate pie will be the one I make at home.

Where do you find your favorite slice?

Why doesn't anyone pass out candied bacon for Trick or Treat?

…oh, you weren’t talking about bacon? Well, then it’s time to change the subject. Sometimes, when I think of bacon, I think of  Alex Guarnaschelli. (Take note of me calling her Alex, instead of Alexandra as if I am one of her very best friends.)  It’s all because of her Candied Bacon recipe – so yummy. Obviously, other TV chefs have done masterful things with bacon, but somehow when Alex (check me again) prepares bacon — or anything — it’s as if she’s giving you the confidence and the okay to indulge. You need that when you’re cooking with bacon and butter. But don’t mistake the highly-trained chef’s kindness for culinary weakness. She’s learned from the best (and she gets pretty feisty on Chopped). Can’t wait to see her on her new show, Alex’s Day Off , premiering this Sunday, October 18, 9:30am/8:30c.

Unleash the beast inside your pumpkin.

If you’re still using everyday cutlery to whittle works of art from mere gourds, then you need to step up your game. Forget the namby-pamby carving kits they sell in craft stores – those are for seasonal suckas. The gang on DIY Network recommends power tools, of course. Not saying you’ll end up with the museum-worthy jack-o-lanterns found in this Extreme Halloween Pumpkin Carving photo gallery, but you might surprise yourself. Learning how to use a battery-operated reciprocating saw could make you the envy of the co-op. Watch Ahmed Hassan wield power tools like electric toothbrushes to create Jacks ten times better than the ones my Mom and I carved with a steak knife.

Drunken brats get the party started.

There is something about huddling around a portable grill in a crowded parking lot on a Saturday morning that just screams fall. Crisp weather, exuberant fans and beer at ten in the morning — just completes the picture.  This past Saturday, our home team played Louisiana State University and although the action on the field wasn’t stellar (we lost), the spread at our tailgate certainly was. Not content to settle for the typical burgers and dogs, we’ve decided to give a culinary nod to each visiting team – spice up the season a bit. Southern favorites made over tailgate style, like Cajun Caviar, Beer-Soaked Brats with Cajun spices, and a thrown together Shrimp Boil gave our group something to cheer about even if our team came up short. Next home game is the Arizona Wildcats. Anyone got a good recipe for cactus?

Dress up your mac n' cheese and take it to dinner.

I’ve been wondering where to put my bacon since outdoor burger season ended a few weeks ago. Misplaced bacon can be a truly unfortunate thing. The other day on an especially cold and damp day I was scanning the comfort food index on FoodNetwork.com and came across this happy marriage: Dressed-Up Bacon Mac and Cheese from Food Network Magazine. If this isn’t a solution, I don’t know what is. I liked this recipe instantly, mostly because… it doesn’t go you-can-only-eat-this-once-a-year-crazy with amounts of butter and 47 different cheeses. Just provolone and Asiago. Okay, so it’s not exactly low-calorie either. But if you’re going to sprinkle crispy, delicious bacon on top, you’ve already blown through the ‘healthy’ checkpoint. I’m going to forego my failsafe recipe — Alton Brown’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese (even though FoodNetwork.com users voted it the best last year) — and try this one tonight for an snuggly, side-dish only menu.

Everyday was Halloween for Brittany.

I’m not going to sit here and quote Pink for no reason.  As a matter of fact, I’ve got two reasons: 1) I’ve got my rock moves. 2) I will be channeling the pop-rock diva this year for Halloween (à la her trapeze performance at the VMA’s). Why so elaborate you wonder? It’s because, instead of waning, the pressure to come up with a clever, truly inspired getup for Halloween actually increases the more you creep up in age. I can’t tell you how many of my grownup friends with homes and new babies have asked me “What are you going to be for Halloween?” Too many. So I’m going to Pink, and I never thought I would stumble across ideas for rock chick accessories on HGTV.com, but lo and behold that’s where I saw the how-to for creating (temporary) kick-ass tattoos. (Please click, it involves nude tights and PVC pipes.)  Rock Star Tattoo Arm Sleeves are just one of the cool things you’ll find on the site’s Halloween package. Check it out, but only if you want to learn how to carve your silhouette onto a pumpkin

A recipe worth frying for.

By the end of August, I get a little tired of the same old burgers and dogs coming off the grill. But I’m not giving up on summer yet. I’ve found the perfect antidote to my char-grilled boredom: homemade fried chicken. Why I love it: much like pizza, it is equally outstanding hot or cold, no utensils are required and it’s simply fun to eat. Yes, the hands do get a bit greasy, but then a post-meal run through the sprinkler doesn’t seem so crazy. I’ve also found… some great oven-fried chicken recipes – all the crunch, a lot less fat. My fave right now: Oven Fried Southern Style Cinnamon Honey Chicken. The combo of salty and sweet is irresistible and not only do your hands get greasy, but a bit sticky too. Extra trips through the sprinkler, here I come!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Hole-y moly, these are good.

On our way back from a recent trip, we stopped at Joe’s Donut Shop in a little town in Oregon. We arrived at 5:02pm to a locked door, and sadly realized they closed at 5pm. My love of fried dough runs deep, so without hesitation, I banged on the door until they let me in to buy a dozen of whatever they had left. We then happily ate our way through half the box on the way home. I enjoyed more for breakfast the next morning and hating to see any food go to waste, I polished off the rest of the box for lunch. That night I had a salad.

The only thing better than a buying a doughnut to go with your morning coffee is the taste of a still-warm doughnut you make yourself. That’s right, still warm. Recipezaar has more than 200 doughnut recipes, but my fave and the top-rated on the site is a cheat’s version: Quick and Easy Doughnuts. Using biscuit dough from a can means you can sleep til 10am and still have piping hot doughnuts by 10:20am. Get creative with the toppings: powdered sugar, frosting, sprinkles, cinnamon sugar, whatever you like.

Where do you think the best doughnut shop is?