Chex out this recipe People who always eat vanilla ice cream will probably always eat original Chex Mix. But others like the mix-ins. So General Mills and cookbook author Katie Lee teamed up to sponsor the 15-minute Chex Party Mix family favorite recipe contest. Monica Flatford of Knoxville, Tenn., won with her potent Buffalo Chex Mix with celery seed and hot sauce. For the recipe, along with those of the other four finalists, visit www.chex.com/recipes. For Lee's sweet/spicy take, click on "Microwavable" recipes. (Actually, there appear to be a bazillion different recipes for Chex Mix on the site. Who knew?) Lee's latest cookbook, "The Comfort Table" (Simon & Schuster, $26), is in stores now.
Your money's worth? KFC, aka Kentucky Fried Chicken, has an intriguing holiday promotion, charging a "penny-per-calorie" for its Kentucky Grilled Chicken combo meals.
The meal, comprising a grilled chicken drumstick, thigh, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, is rated at 395 calories, and thus sells for $3.95. No worries that this idea will catch on, given that a nacho appetizer in some family restaurants would suddenly cost around $15.
Use your noodle Noodles & Co. joins the ranks of restaurants offering crowd-sized takeout with its Square Bowls, family-style sizes of their regular noodle and salad options. Each bowl serves about four, and you can customize your order with a choice of protein.
A bowl could get you through a weeknight, or several could bolster a holiday buffet or satisfy football game munchers. And you can order ahead for quick pickup. A menu guide is at www.noodles.com; click on "large groups."
Biscotti breakthrough Can't keep this discovery to myself: While making biscotti, those lovely twice-baked cookies, the initial cookie loaf cooled completely before I could slice it for the second bake. Uh-oh. Recipes always say to let loaves cool 15 minutes before slicing, which sounds like "but no longer!" In the past, when some slices crumbled into unusable bits, I figured it was because the loaf was too cool. So I was surprised when that cold loaf sliced like a dream. Turns out you don't need a smidgen of warmth to get good slices, and that the back-to-back baking is probably a matter of convenience -- being able to complete the recipe with a still-warm oven. From now on, I'll let the logs cool fully, or even keep a ready supply in the freezer to slice and bake off as needed. And that's how the cookie doesn't crumble.
KIM ODE
