There is some great info on vegetarian gelatin alternatives and how to make your own agar agar in the comments of the coffee jello! post below. I'll pull the info and post it when I have some time, but if you're interested check it out, super thanks to everyone that contributed!

We made the tofu fries again last night and had a lot more luck this time. We really squeezed the liquid out between kitchen towels, I put the oven rack up to the second slot so it was close to the (electric) broiler. They were crispier and more fun to eat than our first try. If you are wondering, there is no breading or frying involved, you are just broiling firm tofu so it's extra good for you, as long as you choose dipping sauces carefully. But, using the Silpat if you have it is recommended, and may even be neccessary. Yay for tofu fries!

I just got the new Bliss catalog and they recommend my favorite sunscreen as the best for oily skin. I feel so ahead of the times. They had Ask Miss Bliss features throughout and I started to get 'annoyed' by the 'overuse' of quotes. Has anyone used their Diamancel foot buffers? Are they worth it? I keep buying elcheapo plastic ones from Walgreens which don't last. But, I'm not sure if I really need diamond dust grit either.

coffee jello! at the joy of soup

In a bookstore yesterday I ran across the Klutz picture bracelet kit, and lookie, they also sell just the bracelet and plastic cabochons.

weekend in food After a particularily gooey failure at making the Zuni Cafe ricotta gnocchi, we decided instead to attempt to recreate one of my favorite things - Petto di Pollo alla Genovese, lemon garlic chicken, from the adored 'Stino da Napoli in Rocky River, Ohio. I make sure I get to this restaurant each time I visit home, and I always order this chicken. This is what we did, and we came fairly close to the real thing. We pounded some good chicken breasts between layers of plastic wrap (this keeps everything very clean). I saw a segment (similar) on the Food Network that Martha Stewart did on this, she used a cool meat pounder like this one and smashed the hell outta that meat. We used the only thing we could find since we lack most culinary tools -- a small rubber mallet from the tool box. It worked pretty well, but pound really really thin as the chicken will get thicker as it cooks. Dredge the chicken through some flour. Have ready some freshly chopped garlic, say one clove for each piece of chicken, a thin slice of lemon for each piece, and some lemon halves for squeezing. Heat some of the more fragrant kind of olive oil (ours was Trader Joe's brand) and throw the chicken in, cook until golden browny on one side and turn over. A few minutes before it looks done throw the garlic in the pan (you want lots of good garlic flavor, but not crispy brown garlic). Put the chicken on plates, sprinkle on some salt, give each piece a good squeeze of lemon over the top, and drop on the slice of lemon for visual appeal. Wha-la. It's not neccessarily good for you, but it's good, and simple. I'm sure this technique has some fancy name I'm unaware of, so this whole paragraph has been for those of us who are otherwise clueless.

My favorite ever Martha segment was on yesterday - how to prepare soft shell crabs. Now, as a disclaimer, I grew up in far-from-the-sea Cleveland where the most fishy thing we ate was salmon cakes. I have never liked seafood, as much as I wish I did. The handling and preparation of seafood in general is foreign to me, and while I'm far from being a vegetarian, eating something which still looks like it did when it caught is something I find sort of creepy. So, imagine my horror when I first saw her pick up a live, wriggling crab, take a pair of kitchen shears and cut it's face off, then reach inside and pull the gills out, the poor things legs still moving. It was quite a trip. I think I'll keep the tape. No mention of the head cutting is in the recipe. In other news, we made the Soy Sticks, or tofu fries, the other evening, not bad. Not french fries certainly, but when paired with a salad it makes for a very healthy meal. And I rather like Newman's Own Light Raspberry & Walnut dressing (it's not on the site unfortunately), throw on some blue cheese and it almost makes me think I can cook.

Wow, zipper bags from Blissen are featured on today's Daily Candy, way to go.