I love all of my cookbooks and use them often. But these days, more often than ever before, I’m looking for recipes (or recipe inspiration) online, too. Cookbooks are easy to take into the kitchen. Computers - even laptops - are somewhat less so. The problem is not gaining access to the recipe, but handling the book/laptop while you’re trying to handle various ingredients and the risk of spills and splatters. I know that I’m not alone when I say that I don’t like to take these risks any more than I have to. As a result, I’ve resorted to jotting recipes down on various post-it notes, index cards and spare sheets of paper so that I can keep the recipe I’m using in front of me without putting my cookbooks or computer in jeopardy.

It’s not the best system, perhaps, but it works out reasonably well and does allow me to take notes as I work.

There is a new product in development that could make this sort of kitchen problem a thing of the past: The Kitchen Sync. The Kitchen Sync looks a bit like a cookbook in shape. It is a small, flexible, washable screen with a dock that charges it and holds it upright. You can download recipes from your computer right onto the Sync and take the screen with you into the kitchen, where you can work right from the recipe (and follow links to buy necessary products and see tips online) without worry about damaging the gadget with slippery, sticky or otherwise messy foods.

The designer of the Kitchen Sync is Noah Balmer and the design is still in the concept stage at the moment, though it is receiving well-deserved attention in the design community at the moment. We’ll have to wait and keep our fingers crossed that it goes into production. I don’t want to wait too long before I get to try out this little gadget in my own kitchen.

Cadbury Mini Eggs have long been an Easter staple in my house. I prefer them even to the ever popular Cadbury Creme Eggs, which are nice, but can be a bit too sweet for me with all that gooey fondant in the center.

Mini eggs, if you haven’t had them, are about 3/4-inch high eggs that have pastel-colored matte candy shells over a solid chocolate center. They’re Cadbury products, but the ones available here in the US (excluding Cadbury chocolates that are actually imported and sold here) are made on license by Hershey’s. For years, they have been available in only one flavor:  a very creamy and milky milk chocolate that melts against your tongue the second you bite through that candy shell.

This year, I noticed that there is now a “Royal Dark” dark chocolate version of my Easter favorite! The new Mini Eggs are put together the same way as the milk chocolate ones, but feature darker shells, rather than the very pale pastels of the original candies; the ratio of candy shell to chocolate is the same and the eggs are still the same size. The chocolate inside is very nice - surprisingly dark, with both bitter and fruity notes. It is also quite the contrast to the creamy milk chocolate in the classic and if you put them out in a bowl without giving a little bit of a warning, you might end up with some very surprised tasters on your hands. That said, you can’t go wrong with either variety and I’m definitely keeping a mix of the two out this Easter. And stocking up on an extra bag or two since these are season products available only for a limited time each year.

Vanilla sugar is one of those wonderful and easy to make ingredients that it is nice to have in the kitchen. Everything can do with a bit of vanilla, after all, whether you are adding a spoonful to a cup of tea, sprinkling the tops of muffins or simply creaming it into butter for a cookie dough. Other easy and useful sugars are spiced sugars, which have cinnamon or other ground spices mixed in. Flavors beyond these basics are uncommon, but there is no reason why they, too, wouldn’t come in handy during baking. This is probably what inspired Cake Mate to create their new Flavored Sugars. The large-crystaled colored sugars come in peppermint and cinnamon. They’re great for topping cakes and cupcake, both because they add color and a splash of flavor, but can also be used in straight baking. For instance, they would make great “rolling” sugars (when the ball of cookie dough is rolled in sugar before baking), because they would add so much more than just a bit of crunch to a cookie. Very convenient and not a bad thing to have on hand to add a little something extra to a sweet treat.

Last week, the Starbucks stores in my neighborhood rolled out their holiday drinks - namely the gingerbread (yum!), peppermint mocha and eggnog lattes. I noticed that several stores had special announcements of another drink: a shortbread latte. The drink wasn’t on the regular menu board, but merely written up on the chalkboard with the rest of the specials. My first thought was that it was a concoction that some creative baristas came up with, but as I saw it listed at more and more stores, I realized that it was a new, up-and-coming holiday drink. My barista confirmed my suspicions and was more than happy to make me up a sample.

The drink is made like a typical latte - espresso and steamed milk - but enhanced with a shortbread syrup and topped with whipped cream and shortbread cookie crumbs. I was completely surprised that I liked the drink, given that “shortbread” usually makes me think of butter and the idea of a butter-flavored drink (my initial expectation) was not particularly appealing. The drink actually tastes much better than it sounds, subtle and buttery with a cookie aftertaste. The shortbread crumbs are delicious and a very unusual touch. I’m never one to get whipped cream, but I’m glad I tried the full drink for the shortbread crumb effect.

No idea if - or when - Starbucks will put this drink out into a wider release, but if it’s available in your area and you’re a fan of shortbread (or even just of cookies in general), it’s definitely worth a try!

I like to make pancakes and waffles from scratch and, while I don’t do it every day, it’s certainly not for lack of time. A basic pancake batter takes about a minute to measure and mix, then a few minutes more to cook and consume. It doesn’t take much more time to make a specialty pancake batter. But for those cooks out there who simply can’t be bothered to mix their own and are inconvenienced by the hassle of working with a baking mix (like Bisquick or something similar), there is Batter Blaster.

The product is strikingly similar to cheez whiz, in that it is a premade mix that comes in an aerosol can. You simply shake up the bottle and squirt the mix onto a hot skillet or waffle iron. It purports to be quick and easy, although the cooking is the part of the pancake-making process that takes up the most time, so it’s not entirely clear how much time it can actually save. Oddly, the Batter Blaster is also organic. You can see a video of it in action here.

The only real use that comes to mind is as a sort of gag gift for someone who really loves pancakes but cooks on such an irregular basis that s/he doesn’t keep flour, etc. on hand. As for me? I’ll stick to mixing my own.

Croutons are small pieces of bread - usually cubes - that are toasted and used to garnish soups and salads. A variety of cheeses and spices are often incorporated for an extra kick of flavor. Chocolate is not generally one of these components, but a company called Marcy’s, which specializes in salad dressings and croutons, has decided that the time for chocolate and croutons to come together. They actually sell gourmet chocolate covered croutons. The croutons start with a slightly spiced bread base, which is dipped in a generous layer of smooth dark chocolate. The overall effect is a sweet-salty one, and Marcy’s recommends pairing them with ice cream, yogurt and fruity dishes. You can even serve them straight for dessert with coffee or wine.

They’re probably not the best choice as a soup garnish, but I would give them a try in a really spicy chili, preferably one with a strong smokey (possibly chipotle) flavor where the sweetness of the chocolate could balance the dish while the bread adds crunch.