Blog Posts by RachaelRaymag.com

Make our easy and delicious fudge wreath this season! It's the perfect treat to give friends and family during the holidays. Get the kids involved and make a few extra for last-minute gifts.

SERVINGS: 32

PREP: 5 min + chilling







INGREDIENTS:
Unsalted butter, softened
One 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (save the can)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
One 8-ounce can walnuts, plus more for topping
½ cup raisins or dried currants (a couple of handfuls)
Candied red and green cherries (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with softened butter. Pour the chocolate and butterscotch chips, condensed milk and vanilla into a medium saucepan. Put the pan on the stove and turn the heat to low.

2. Cover the empty condensed-milk can with plastic wrap and put it in the center of the round cake pan.

3. Stir the chips and milk until they melt together, about 3 minutes. Have a GH (Grown-up

You probably have the best of intentions to feed the fam as organically as possible, but health-conscious picks often ring up at way over the weekly budget. Our expert helps sort through where to splurge and where to save.

WHERE TO SAVE

1. IF YOU CAN PEEL IT, BUY CONVENTIONAL
Since you'll be tossing the peel, which is the part exposed to most of the pesticides, going certified organic isn't worth the extra money. This holds true for avocados, sweet potatoes, kiwis, mangoes and grapefruit. But if you can eat the peel-like with apples, pears and grapes-organic is a smart splurge.

2. SKIP BAGGED ORGANICS
Packaged organic veggies and lettuces are extra pricey because you're paying for the convenience of prechopping and prewashing. If you're willing to do some prep work, you can afford organics: Switch to heads of lettuce and whole veggies.

3. BUY CONVENTIONAL RICE, BREAD AND PASTA
Instead of shelling out for organic grains, focus on whole grains (like brown rice and whole wheat pasta),

Nothing to eat? Open the freezer. Transform frozen corn, peas and broccoli into lip-smacking simple soup recipes with just two additional items.

YOU'VE GOT: Frozen corn BUY: Pumpkin & chili powder MAKE: Mexican Corn-and-Pumpkin Soup In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat. Add 1 box (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed, and 1 tsp. chili powder; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin puree and 2 cups water; season with salt. Simmer until thickened slightly, 5 minutes. Drizzle portions with EVOO. Makes 4 cups. MORE EASY RECIPES: Corn and Kielbasa Chowder » Cheesy Corn Bites » Tilapia with Roasted Corn »

YOU'VE GOT: Frozen peas BUY: Prosciutto & marinara sauce MAKE: Chunky Pea-and-Tomato Soup Preheat oven to 350°; bake 8 slices prosciutto on a rimmed baking sheet

Eat these money-saving recipes tonight, or stash them in the freezer for a fast fix when time is tight.

	Sausage-and-Lentil Stew FREEZE the cooled stew in a freezer container for up to 1 month. THAW the stew enough to release it from the freezer container, then place it in a saucepan with 2 tbsp. water. REHEAT: Cover and heat over low heat until the stew thaws completely, then increase the heat to get the stew bubbling-hot. Get the recipe »
	Fish-and-Taters Casserole FREEZE: Double-wrap (in plastic wrap and foil) the cooled gratin and freeze for up to 2 weeks. THAW in the fridge overnight. REHEAT: Preheat the oven to 400°. Unwrap the foil, discard the plastic wrap and re-cover with the foil. Bake until heated through, 35 to 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes to recrisp the topping. Get the recipe »

These new flavored beers sound bizarre, but they'll leave your taste buds tingling for more. From PB&J to Gingerbread to Raspberry Tart-these brews are worth trying!

Spicy Chile

A perfect pairing for tacos or chips and guac, Six Rivers Brewery Chili Pepper Ale ($6) has a cooling effect-at first. After a few seconds, the back-of-the-throat heat kicks in. The ale's infused with charcoal-roasted jalapeño, habanero, serrano and anaheim chiles, which are no joke: Brewmaster Carlos Sanchez wears a protective mask while creating!
1300 Central Ave., McKinleyville, CA, sixriversbrewery.com

PB&J
Made with roasted peanuts and jammy fruits (think grapes and raspberries), Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery's No Crusts ale ($5) tastes like a nostalgic bite of the actual white-bread sandwich!
2621 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton, FL, thefunkybuddha.com

Gingerbread
Bison Brewing's nutmeg-and-cinnamon Gingerbread Ale ($8) has the flavor of just-baked cookies without being too sugary: It

Why should apples have all the fun? The food wizards at seriouseats.com-our new columnists!-found other fall fruits like pears, grapes and even tomatoes that taste great coated in candy.
THE EXPERIMENT...

Over at the Serious Eats kitchen, we can get a wee bit obsessive. We've been known to spend entire days debating what makes a perfect New England lobster roll. So when we brought the candy apple into our lab, our experiment started at its core: the apple.

We began candying other fruits. Not dipping them in caramel, but candying, bringing sugar water to the right (very high!) temperature. Not for the faint of heart. First up: pears. We figured the firm, skin-on fruit would be a good substitute, and we were right. Some of us even preferred juicy candy pears to candy apples. (No offense, granny smith.)

From there we got a little wacky, turning to our favorite fall vegetables. Candied shallots sound delicious, do they not? Sadly, we'll never know: Fruit must be perfectly dry in order

Cookbook author and Italian cooking expert Marcella Hazan is often credited with introducing traditional Italian food to Americans. She definitely knows her pasta, and that a great dish depends on more than just the ingredients. If you're serious about good eats, it should be served hot and fresh. "Pasta must never be made to wait," she says.

Here are her timing tips for dishing it out just right:

A colander should be sitting in the sink so the pasta can be drained the very instant it's cooked.

The moment it's drained, it should be plopped into a large, warm bowl.

Losing no time, it should quickly be tossed with warm sauce that has been kept at the ready. Tossing must be fast but meticulous to coat the pasta thoroughly with sauce.

It should be served promptly on warm plates to diners ready to begin eating.


MARCELLA'S GOLDEN RULES OF COOKING PASTA

1. Fill a large pot with 6 quarts of water for 1 pound of pasta. (That's about three-quarters full.) Pasta needs room to move or it'll

We taste-tested dozens of sandwich bread from the grocery store and picked our favorites, from best multi-grain to best white.

Best Multigrain: Rudi's Organic Bakery 14 Grain
The ingredient list reads like a who's who of healthy grains, yet with such a "nutty" flavor and "tender" texture, you'd never peg this as a good-for-you loaf. "This is truly stealth health," one panelist said. Read full review »

Try it with: ABC Sandwich (Apple, Bacon and Cheese) »

Best Whole Wheat: Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain 100% Whole Wheat
The "crunchy" crust is made with 100 percent whole wheat flour, and each slice boasts 4 grams of dietary fiber. A touch of honey and molasses adds a mild caramel flavor and moistness. Read full review »

Try it with: Asparagus Panini »

Best White: Nature's Pride Country White
"Like the white bread I remember from my childhood-only better," said one taster. Instead of corn syrup and trans fats, this light, buttery-sweet loaf is made of the same easy-to-pronounce