Leftover hard-boiled eggs are plentiful at Easter time, and they' re definitely what my mother used to call "a good problem to have." Of course, they can be eaten in egg salad sandwiches, deviled eggs, or potato salad, probably the three most traditional dishes using hard boiled eggs, at least in America. But if you'd like something a bit more interesting, here are ten very creative ideas from all over the world for using those leftover Easter eggs.

Ah, Restaurant Week is here again. And yes, on one hand it sucks and there are plenty of reasons to hate this multitudinous collection of dumbed-down prix fixes. On the other hand, those unwilling to blow a paycheck on lunch or dinner get to experience Michelin-endorsed places like Caf Boulud and A Voce -- provided you don't jack the bill up on booze or regular menu items. So to help weight the dice and prevent you from getting screwed this time around, we asked some of New York's biggest food authorities their thoughts on and/or recommendations for Restaurant Week. Here's what they said.  read more »

 You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?”
- Rumi, 13th century Persian poet and theologian
New York City - There is a reason to crawl through life… appetizers. Appetizer Crawls. Winging our way from one restaurant to the next would be kind of cool if we had literal wings, I suppose, but then [...]

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)

Summer is over. Cooler weather is here. And it's time to turn our focus towards the southern fall vegetables. This week the spotlight shines on cabbage.

Cabbage is available most commonly in green and purple varieties. This Brassica oleracea cabbage is a round head of leaves wrapped tightly around a central core. Other cabbages, such as Napa (Brassica campestris) or Chinese (Brassica rapa) are completely different species and not to be confused with the common type discussed here.

Origin and History of Cabbage

Cabbage is native to the Mediterranean region and has been cultivated since at least 1500 B.C. The more modern, large diameter, headed varieties were bred into use by at least 200 B.C. The ancient Greeks and Romans valued cabbage for its medicinal and health properties -- it can be used to treat inflammation and has recently been shown to have powerful anti-cancer effects. Due to its high vitamin C content, Captain Cook was able to use cabbage to fend off scurvy in his crew. Curiously, in medieval times, cabbage was denigrated as food fit only for peasants.  read more »

After a week of rain, the skies cleared just in time for the annual Chinese New Year parade down George Street. Plenty of colour, drums and cymbals kept the crowds entertained, and who can ever get enough of the adrenalin-inducing lion dancers!  read more »

After weeks of "restraint" and insistence that Tibet was China's internal problem, India was put off this week, just a wee bit. China summoned her ambassador at 2 a m to hand over details of protests that exiled Tibetans were allegedly planning in India. India immediately called off a high-level commerce-related visit to China. The government has denied that the 2 a m call had anything to do with it and blamed it on a scheduling problem . India will also go ahead with its plans for a pomp-and-show inauguration of its first tourism office in Beijing in July. India has remained remarkably tight-lipped and low-key about Tibet, insisting that Tibet was an integral part of China and that India would not allow any "anti-China" activities on its soil.  read more »

My family - my parents, sister and her fiance - was gathered around our dining room table on New Year's Day, facing approximately 700 pounds of Chinese takeout, when my father was distracted by several significantly overweight people on the television who were running up a very steep hill in pairs. Actually, some were crawling at various points, others were crying, a soap opera star was involved, and in general the whole scene was fairly disturbing. Welcome to the The Biggest Loser, Couples, brand new for the '08, and please pass the egg rolls. And yes, I'm watching it, before I go on. And so is my father. For the answer to the inevitable "why", I will paraphrase him here, albeit between distracting bites of fried rice: "It's got everything, for God's sake. Drama. The reality business.  read more »

Creating your own herbal tea can be a cinch with the right herbs. Here are some options for your garden:

Cutty in Southbeach, February 2008 Though we'd been loosely aware of Josh Ozersky — aka Cutty, Cutlets, Mr. Cutlets, and Cizzutty — prior, it wasn't until he was named the launch editor of Grub Street that we really started...BL

In the fall, many universities throughout Japan have big festivals called ??? daigaku-sai, meaning university festival, or ??? bunnkasai, Culture Festival. They are basically street fairs held on campus, with lots of food and fun stalls, concerts, even ghost houses and amusement rides. Many of the big ones also hold concerts in which top Japanese singers and bands appear. Daigaku Imo, which means University Potato, are candies sweet potatoes, a sweet and slightly savory snack that is often served at university festivals in Tokyo.

The snack itself probably originated as a cheap, calorie-rich, affordable snack sold to cash-poor students around universities in Tokyo around the turn of the 20th century. The idea for deep frying and then sugar coating potatoes most likely came from similar snacks in Chinese cuisine.  read more »