Comrade in corn
Butter Boy is a cute fellow, ready to coat ears of steaming sweet corn with a minimum of fuss. Insert half a stick of butter and remove his head (don’t worry, he won’t mind); the curved opening fits the curve of the corn, efficiently buttering the kernals. You can store him in the refrigerator; he’s dishwasher-safe too. Butter Boy costs $6 to $10 at Bed Bath & Beyond and Marshall Field’s (which also sells a set with Butter Girl for $15), and online at kitchenkapers.com.
Holiday grilling, start to finish
Two grilling gurus deliver sizzling recipes for outdoor cooking. “Raichlen on Ribs” (Workman, $12.95), by Steven Raichlen, is a comprehensive primer with plenty of advice and recipes (first-timer’s ribs, chocolate-chipotle ribs). In “The Big Book of Barbecue Sides” (Collectors Press, $16.95), Rick Browne, host of public television’s “Barbecue America,” focuses on dishes that support the main event (rum-glazed sweet potatoes, Fijian barbecued pineapple).
Rosy outlook
Roses are barbecue- and picnic-friendly wines, good companions for a great variety of dishes. Lynfred Winery in Roselle recently released this American rose and we enjoyed its fruity, sweet-but-not-too-sweet flavor. It’s made with California grapes: 80 percent grenache, 15 percent zinfandel and 5 percent carignane. A 750-milliliter bottle costs $12 at the winery and its sister stores, Tasting deVine in Wheaton and Naperville; it’s also online at lynfredwinery.com.
