Would I what? Talk about a no-brainer!
Early this month when I opened an e-mail invitation to be part of a chocolate tasting panel, I didn't hesitate before hitting "reply."
"Sign me up, I'm on my way."
Actually, I won't be leaving the Tri-Cities for another couple of weeks. The event -- Taste TV's Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon -- isn't scheduled until July 13. It's a daylong festival of everything chocolate -- candies, demonstrations, chef and cookbook author discussions, wine tastings, even chocolate fashions.
The judging panel gets to taste all the rich and delicious goodies for free, but chocoholics, grab your credit cards, as the event is open to the public.
The Chocolate Salon runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bell Harbor Conference Center, 2211 Alaskan Way, Pier 66 in Seattle. (Just blocks from Pike Place Market.)
Tickets cost $17.50 in advance or $20 at the door. Children 6 to 12 are $10. To purchase tickets or for more information, go to www.seattlechocolatesalon.com.
TasteTV is an independent online and broadcast food, wine and lifestyle network. Its videos can be seen at www.TasteTV.com.
Get cooking again
Misplaced a favorite cookbook? Are the recipes too splattered and tattered to read?
Don't despair. Instead, contact Nevada husband and wife entrepreneurs Peter Peckham and Eddie Edwards. The duo can search their 15,000-item OldCookbooks.com collection (with titles from the late 1800s to the present) and send standards your way, such as Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking or Clementine Paddleford's How America Eats. They also stock Junior League recipe collections from across the country, even Jell-O booklets from decades past.
Prices range from less than $10 to up into the hundreds. Go to www.oldcookbooks.com or call 775-337-6477.
New read
The book: Sizzle: Sensational Barbecue Food by Julie Bluso.
Cost: $20.
Best for: Those looking to break away from the old grilling standards and shake it up in front of the fire this season. Sizzle introduces Americans to a flavor explosion from New Zealand, yet the ingredients can be found here in the states.
Get more: Read more book reviews and literature news in Sunday's Desert Living.
*Loretto J. Hulse: 582-1513; lhulse@tricityherald.com. To receive a recipe via e-mail each Tuesday register at tricityherald. com and click on newsletters. If you already are registered, click on edit account and newsletters to select Recipe of the Week. This exclusive recipe does not appear in the newspaper.
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